First Word

A blog is an important part of your platform when your building a business or you're an author trying to establish a platform. Your blog is your point of view. Some people don't understand what to use their blog for. I've seen all sorts of misuses of blogs that are sometimes funny or just amusing. Here are some ways NOT to use your blog: The Random, The Meaningless and the Mundane . To take random and meaningless photos of your dog eating does not a blog make. This kind of blog falls into the who-cares catalog, but some writers mistakenly believe that they must post every day, which is true, but that those posts can be absolutely meaningless. My dog ate dog food is not a blog post. I ate French fries ... not meaningful. I'm bored and I have to do this ... nope not that either. Unless you're a famous celebrity -- and even that is sketchy -- your random ramblings about your favorite coffee, not scintillating. The Mono-Syllable Blog . A few years back, blog "p...

A recent faux pas made me think of this blog. I wrote an article for After the Manuscript and because of the turmoil this week, I inadvertently sent my First Word version, which isn't the same as what I would formally submit for publication. In First Word, my readers have met me at one time or the other so I can unleash my playful, sarcastic side; but unless you know me, you might construe that one as borderline. I had, in fact, written an appropriate version for the San Francisco Book Review that was professional and straightforward -- maybe just not as funny. The lesson is, there is a right tone for the right audience. You should always consider your readership when you write anything. Who are you trying to appeal to? Whether I am writing a novel or a non-fiction book, I keep tone and style in mind for the audience I am speaking to. Always write to a specific audience even if you have to imagine them in the theatre seats listening to you. If you miss your target audience/market...

"Here just try some!" "Take my product." "Let me get you some literature." "Oh, take my card too." Those are four sentences that no one wants to hear. Pushy sales no matter how pretty the package have the opposite effect of what you want. Last night while networking, my group of gal pals experienced the pushy sales technique from this vendor. These folks were non-stop. They practically chased us around the room, shoving product and literature in our faces. And here is what we all griped about when we got in the car, "Did you get a load of that vendor?" No one was impressed. Truth is, the vendor products were probably excellent, but it wasn't the product that killed the sale. When you are selling products or services, be very careful and never do the following: 1. Desperately chase me around the room. 2. Demand I try your product by shoving it in my face or insisting I put my hand out so you can apply it. 3. Shove literature at m...

I am finding a good laugh hard to come by these days, but I really need some serious chuckles. When I did First Word Radio the other day, we had two great interviews -- one with an actress and exotic dancer Kendall Lake from my all-time favorite show True Blood . Kendall was a sweetheart and very kind in regards to my family situation. I was super excited to dish on the show with her. In a twist of fun irony, I had tried to "friend" my favorite True Blood actor Alexander Skarsgârd on Facebook. I wrote him a note and laughed that he should friend me because you never know when our paths might cross -- turns out they sort of did. I told Kendall to tell him he should have friended me -- and she thought it was funny and said she would (as if he really cares), but in other more amusing tales. I read his interview with GQ magazine while we were in Alaska, and if you read the interview, then you know Skarsgârd loves to whale watch. Well, I was actually, and this is funny, whale wat...

Let me say that after getting hit by an emotional truck last week, I am trying to get back to work. I am always so enthusiastic about everything and love my life -- but John's passing just took the wind out of my sails in an unexpected way. I just feel like someone walked by and forgot to pick up the brick they dropped on my head. Unfortunately, now I know how families feel when a member dies and the cause of death is a mystery. I guess that is the piece of closure we all need. Of course, the unexpected nature of the situation is also difficult since it came out of nowhere. Then my sweetheart of a husband noted that the Alaskan State Trooper reality show was involved in the search, and he did a pre-emptive strike to ensure my family's tragedy does not end up a segment on a reality TV show. I had an even bigger pit in my stomach when I realized the graphic nature of that show. It seems to me privacy should be respected, especially when asked. Well, I will slowly get back to feel...

I rarely discuss my private life on my blog, but I wanted to take a moment to pay tribute to my brother who passed unexpectedly sometime in July in Wasilla, Alaska . John was a true mountain man. He wasn't the least bit materialistic and never cared about worldly possessions. In the last 20 years after he moved to Alaska, I saw him three times, so we were not close; but I admire that he decided to live life his way up in the wilderness fishing for endless numbers of day. I always wondered how he seemed to never bore of it. He would catch so many salmon, he would live off fresh fish year round. He loved to cook, and I honestly have no idea why he got a degree in marketing from Sacramento State. Looking back on it, I think he would have made a terrific ranger. From an early age, he loved nature. He used to catch trout with his hands up at our family cabin. We would wander the forest together. When we were little, we spent sometimes two to three weeks up there, hiking around the w...

A fine line exists between humor that is funny or humor that is just angry. If you use sarcasm in your writing, best to be careful that it doesn't tip over into sounding just pissed off or mean-spirited. I love to use humor in my newsletter First Word (sign up on the 3L homepage ). I sprinkle the funnies in my blog too, but I try to balance what's funny between solid information. If I do nothing but post humorous reflections -- and I'm a serious business woman -- you might not think there is any substance here. So a nice surprise and a funny once in awhile work too; but recently I started doing some research on some humorists to pitch the book Confessions of a Las Vegas Motorcop and noticed that some bloggers out there try to be funny or sarcastic. Problem is some of the posts are just mean or angry. You don't need to be mean to people and call them out in a way to embarrass them to be funny. And if you think name-calling makes you sound funny and you're expressing...

In the public relations and marketing business, your number one goal is to increase visibility and exposure. Why you ask? Because the more visibility and exposure your company has, the more people know about your company and the more likely it is your business will increase. It's pretty simple math really but some small businesses, in particular, whose owners might have little experience with public relations and marketing don't understand the value. They don't understand that the wider they cast the net, the more likely they are to increase their business. Small businesses are often the ones that struggle with gaining enough exposure to grow. The reason is they are small and don't use key techniques to spread the word they exist. If you are a small business, here are some important things you can do to increase your visibility and hence your exposure. 1. Always network and make your company known . Networking in the post recession world is probably the most important...

I just posted a query for First Word radio and got up this morning to find an astonishing 200 pitches in my in-box. To suggest I will spend the next several days sorting through those is an understatement. I had to laugh, because I've heard a query on HARO produces that kind of response. What really blew my skirt up were the really weird ones. I was somewhat astonished by things like JoJo the Dog Boy who became a dog because he got in a fight on the playground. Or Moesha the Monkey Wrangler ... now I am half-hearted kidding, but not really. I don't want to specifically cite any of the real ones, but what I just described is pretty darned close. Rest assured, I won't be inviting JoJo on the show. What I also discovered aside from the odd assortment of circus freaks were various trends in books. Now this piece of information could really help me out. I noticed reinvention was a big one. Chin up and all that sort of stuff. The coaching books and success books -- also big. I no...

I've noticed a trend since the Eat, Pray, Love book sparked a run on trips to Italy, people are embracing the less-is-more lifestyle. I met an author who wrote a book about how to ditch it all and travel the world. I just received a story about a retired couple who ditched it all for a ride across country in their RV. I have to tell you, I get it. Another friend of mine has become somewhat of a gypsy moving from place to place, abandoning property ownership in favor of a nomadic lifestyle where she relies on the good graces of friends and family to house her as she moves around. Do you suppose in our overstuffed material world, some of us have just had enough of the "over-enough?" Americans have been a materialistic society for a while now but I think the never-ending recession has caused more than just job loss. It has shifted lifestyles and maybe pushed people to re-think their over-stuffed stuff. It's really more a spiritual juncture we've come to. Lives previ...

OK, I hear this all of the time. "But that company made it sound so great!" And when it came down to the actual work, not so great! I know some people whose products and services are just garbage, but these same people are masters of hype. They tell you how exciting it is. How great they are. How successful! If you intend to invest in companies like that, here is your best advice for "consumer protection." Don't get sold on hype! Get sold on substance! Here are some tips to help you avoid the hype and find out if it's true. 1. Samples -- If someone has hyped it all up and made it sound all glamorous, look at the truth. What do their products look like? If it's a publisher, what do their products read like? Are they loaded with editorial mistakes and weak information or plot lines? Watch out and make sure that whatever samples, they show that these are really their products. You would be surprised about misrepresentation. Also, in the publishing world,...

Business slows due to summer vacations and absent colleagues? Most of the time I vacation in July and December, because these are the slowest sales months of the year. This year, though, I changed up the game plan. If you're facing slow sales growth, time to get out on and meet and greet. I am always surprised by people who complain about slow sales or tell me they need to grow their sales yet when I encourage them to network, they have dozens of reasons why not. The real reason usually comes down to, "I am not motivated enough to do something that makes me uncomfortable." The real scoop is if you're not uncomfortable that means you're probably not growing and going for the big time. You can stay in the comfort zone to succeed. You have to push boundaries and you have to try new things. Last week, I was really concerned about our slowed sales so what did I do? I got my behind out of the office and went to a networking meeting, which was free by the way. I met some...

This blog is for all those ladies out there who read the "girl" magazines that focus on things like weight-loss. I read this article in Allure recently about thin women advising other women on how they stay effortlessly thin. The premise was that these women didn't diet and yet the rest of the article read like a Weight Watcher's ad, and while these thin women reportedly "ate what they wanted," I noticed that the list of food sure did have a diet-like feel to it. So, I wanted to write about this as a woman who has been a size 4 since she was 16-years-old and really give you the insider information. I am not nor have I ever been on a diet. I have had two children and gained 40 pounds with each one and immediately lost it each time. No, I did not hire a personal trainer or go on a diet. I merely resumed my normal eating habits, and yes, I do eat whatever I want. Here are my tips to staying thin for a lifetime not a few months or years -- a true lifetime. Mo...

Spiritual lesson of the day straight from Be the Hammer Not the Nail : You are what you think the most about . The slow summer months have slowed our business growth. Today I got more news that ruffled my usually pristine feathers. I realized as my old business associate used to say, "They're dropping off like flies!" Well, in this case it has to do with contract shifts and completions. My panic button set off for about two minutes, and then I realized I needed to outwit and out-promote the entire situation. That line went through my mind, and I quickly decided to not go into panic mode, but go into positive-thinking and resourcefulness to get out ahead of the situation. I can't spend my day worrying about this. Instead I need to expend all of my energy thinking of ways to attract new business and growth. So, if I'm going to become what I think most about, it needs to about success! And if any of you out there are reading this and struggling in any way, shape or f...

Now I'm not writing this to get you all shocked. I just read a query for a book where one of the questions was, "Do you think people would be flattered or creeped out to find out someone masturbated to a picture of them in their minds?" OK, good jumping whatever-its-face. Really? Are we now so coarsened and completely pushed past any decent boundary that someone is even asking this question? Can't anything at all be kept discreet and private? Here is the truth. I don't need the answer to that question to feel flattered or anything in between. Why do we need to ask it at all? We're all adults, yes, but isn't it about time people quit pushing the boundaries so far past anything private? No one needs to even ask that kind of question. I don't want to know. I don't care to know -- and I don't understand why it's going into a book. What value is that going to offer to society? Probably zero! Zero value whatsoever. And it's not just that! It...

So this status post on Facebook sparked a discussion about how people start or try to start a chat with you by sending a one-word supposed conversation starter -- "hi." All by itself. Nothing else. Just "hi," and somehow I'm going to be blown away with your amazing conversational skill (singular) that I just must reply. So, I'm thinking what should be the monosyllabic response to "hi?" It must be scintillating and provocative. Enough to blow their minds. Something that is equally as exciting as "hi." Hey, here is one: "hey." "Hi." "Hey." Yes, I believe those are nice bookends to each other, don't you think? Here is the deal. If everyone didn't start trying to chat me up this way, I would not have noticed. But I swear to the Greek Gods, every single random guy will send me that chat-starter. "Hi." I don't get it. Did some policy-maker at Facebook send our a memo to all users that said: W...

I just read Sonja Fisher's new chapter about women in business that is coming out this fall I believe, and I will give you the exact title when I find out and help her promote it. I loved what she wrote, and while I don't want to use her advice verbatim, I thought I would put it through my own experiences. So, here are some tips if you're working in Corporate America or just want to create success. These tips are political steps to help you succeed in business. Always dress better than your boss -- this one really surprised me. First, I don't think I've ever not dressed better than the people I have worked for, but it had more to do with my zest for fashion than any strategic maneuvering I was attempting to make. What Sonja says is that you should dress for the position you aspire to. Now given that I saw some people show up for work in their sweatpants (p.s., sweatpants are never a good fashion statement either personally or professionally), I suppose this is go...

People make assumptions about being an entrepreneur or your own boss. They don't realize that it's sometimes a 24-hour job that when you're not working you're thinking about what you need to do. If you want to own your own business, you will enjoy the ups and downs. Don't assume independence = play time. That is the biggest assumption people make about business ownership -- that your freedom equates to a lot of free time. Business owners who do mistake ownership for play time quickly discover that business isn't going to sell well, because as I just said, when an owner isn't working he/she is thinking about the business. I've seen numerous people attempt to launch their own businesses only to fail. What happened? I can tell you the most obvious mistakes, and these are as follows: Business will come to me -- some people absolutely hate networking . They would rather get their teeth cleaned (actually my BFF for real would always rather get her teeth clea...

We have become a world of people that look like this: bent over, face lit up by LCD screen, fingers moving. I don't even have to tell you what I'm talking about and you know exactly what I'm talking about. The worse part of our little e-world is the completely loss of social graces. We text (at least try to) while driving, so they have to make a law to stop this. Now texting while driving is the craziest thing -- and obviously not safe. I once drove with a former associate that I had to tell her, "Quit texting! You're scaring me!" But the biggest offenses include: talking on the cell phone while socializing with someone else, talking on the cell phone during a meal with someone else; talking or texting in the car while you're with someone else; and my favorite, texting in the movie theatre. I once worked with this woman whose obsession with texting ran so deep, she texted non-stop. The only problem was it wasn't really for business. And when it came to...

3L Publishing didn't start as a publishing company. We began as a marketing, PR and custom publication provider. What many people don't know about 3L is that we provide a number of services way beyond just publishing. Even some of our own clients don't often realize that they can actually get all of their marketing and PR needs served under one umbrella. Here are three things we do that the average prospective or current customers often doesn't realize. Website Development -- yes, we provide all of the affiliate author sites you go to when you want more information about the book you just purchased or to know more about the author. We've been building websites since the Web was born. We still do stand-alone websites outside of just author sites too. We recently built our travel agent client's website for a World Less Traveled . We will be building a Nu You by Julie, an alternative health and wellness site, in the coming months. If you need a website, check ou...

I don't know what exactly I was expecting. The eBook market flipped almost six months ago. I see people reading books on their various readers when I'm in airports. I guess now that I think about it, more people are reading off readers these days than print books. So, when our first book A Feast at the Beach by William Widmaier came off the eBook "assembly line," I have to be honest. I really didn't think we were going to do many sales. I was following the obvious market trends that were stupid to ignore, but at the same time, I was just making sure we were doing the right things and doing eBooks, period. After the book got reviewed on Culinate , I was happy to see the review, of course, but didn't consider that it might trigger the first set of eBook sales. It did and the ranking shot immediately down to #76 while the print version took a little while to catch. I'm fascinated to see how many eBooks will sell vs. print copies. The market trending suggest,...

I tell people all the time not to do it all on their own. Do you realize how much time you waste doing things that you are either not competent at doing or you don't know how to do. I used to win that game all of the time, "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" the home version when pitted against someone who was supposed to know everything. Why? Because I know a lot ... BUT I know what I don't know. So when I would get asked to use one of my tools (phone a friend, etc.), I knew to take the option. In business, it works like that game. You need to know when you don't know. For example, my state sales tax is due. We were using a different seller's license. We needed to not only transfer the license, but also pay the tax. I was clueless. Although Malia, my trusty right hand, had send me some number to call. I knew I would get stuck in some bureaucratic maze of voice-mail hell and probably not wind up with a breathing human on the other side. Instead, I decided to save...

Being an entrepreneur requires a constant passion to succeed and a huge scoop of optimism. If you don't work in a brick-and-mortar office, you're going it solo. You have to motivate yourself. Give yourself the daily pep talk. Stay positive and earnest. Try and do things like a vision board so you can refer to it to keep your spirits high. Use a coaching service like the Daily Whip, Erika Lyremark's inspiring program designed to keep your spirits high and attention focused on your goals and aspirations. Believe me when I say some days I run into quirky, strange barriers. People are unpredictable. They can make oddball requests. They can decide to use another business instead of yours for often the strangest reasons. Don't try and put rhyme or reason around "crazy." Move on and stay focused on big picture dreams, goals and aspirations. If someone brings you down or fills your head with "no-go" ideas, stay away from them. Surround yourself with people w...

My Facebook crowd has grown dramatically. I've got roughly 1,100 connections, and with the new connections comes broader exposure to the citizens of Facebook. And comes broader exposure ... comes a reality check on people who play and work there. Now for me, I use Facebook for marketing and promotion for my business 3L Publishing . I don't play too much although I am guilty of posting the occasional rant or strange reference. I have a nice, conservative head shot and I don't post pictures of my bikini body or shots where I am wearing little more than a strip of gauze as clothes. So I find it pretty shocking the sheer number of strange head shots that are either bizarre and say nothing understandable about you; shots that are just grainy and ugly; or shots that should really appear as the Playmate of the Month. So, here are some recent shots to either make you scratch or just shake your head in disapproval. The barely there wear -- now women are not the only offenders of...

When you want to sell something to a prospect, here is the number rule: Don't be disingenuous in way, shape or form . Always be honest and open about your intentions even if you think the person will say no. First, you have to respect your prospect's time. For example, if you ask for a meeting and you vaguely reference what it's about that is a big no, no. You ask for a meeting and you say to discuss X. You don't ask for a meeting and make no reference to what it's about. That is what I call an ambush. If you want to meet with me to discuss " how we can do business together " and I have no idea what you mean by that and you want to either get a job or sell me something, this is not the right way to do it. You tell me what you're interested in discussing -- direct, honest and to the point. If I'm interested I will agree to meet you. I've had the "ambush" meeting request several times, and the moment I sense a lack of honesty, I know it...

On a national holiday, I can't be all business like and serious -- that would be boring and anti-celebratory. So I thought I would instead try to entertain you with my "wit and charm," which some of you right now are totally rolling your eyes. First, I thought the flowers to your left might remind you of bottle rockets! Yeah, bottle rockets ... no? Not bottle rockets, okay how about just beautiful flowers blooming up in Tahoe right now. Yes, I shot those on a recent day trip. I love Tahoe in the summer ... and winter. All right so onto the business of the amusing. Here are three things I find annoying in general. You will relate. Posting Nike shoe photos on my Facebook page . All right I have share something I bet only a few of you know. I don't wear running shoes. There I said it. Even when I'm working out I wear cute tennis shoes. Here is the real deal, though, some clueless person by the name of "Bow Berry," a gal I friended that I should have thoug...

I see all kinds of manuscripts land on my desk. Many of them, the authors clearly has not considered their audience. The first thing you ought to do before you touch fingers to keyboard is consider your audience. The biggest mistake you can make is to just write whatever you heart's content (or "content" LOL). You can sure do that absolutely, but don't for a moment consider that it's going to sell unless you've strategically considered its marketability. Here are some important things to consider before you start writing and your idea is just a genesis in your mind. 1. Who is your audience ? Men or women or both -- and what age group do you intend to appeal to? The young millennial generation, generation Y, generation X or Baby Boomers? Each of these groups has different likes and interests and ways of doing things. The millennial and Y generations are your tech-savvy group who will soon expect all their content on e-readers. You have to keep these points in...

I will try and post author Nancy L. Clark's great article titled Horrible Bosses later next week. Her book 18 Holes for Leadership is written as the definitive solution for a horrible boss to learn, well, not to be so horrible. I've had a handful of horrible bosses over the years. So, I thought I would do a spinoff of Nancy's article and describe some of my worst supervisors and why they were so awful. I'm sure many of you can related. One-line Cave Woman aka Non-Communicator Candy -- twice now I've worked with people who cannot answer a question in any meaningful way. When you ask them something, they give you pat answers and most of the time those answers consist of "yes" or "no." I once had a boss who was away six months and during this long absence, she didn't stay in touch and when she did respond those monosyllables were her words of choice.  Finger-Pointer Fanny -- remember when we were little and our parent's pointed a finger...