Let's Get "Ducky" with It!

My company 3L Publishing releases a weekly newsletter designed to provide information, intelligence and insight to both entrepreneurs and authors. Below is a sample of the current issue. It's cheeky, fun and insightful. To be added to the mailing list, send your email address to info@3LPublishing.com.

Hello First Word Friend-Os. I bet you’re thinking, “What is she doing now?” As I’ve mentioned these last few months, I keep playing with my newsletter release day. My open rates dropped so I’m trying to spark some new readership by not doing the same old, same old. So, here I am on a Thursday just typing away and releasing it today to see what happens. The market is a fickle place. You know sometimes Friend-Os are busy. Sometimes Friend-Os just think this Friend-O maybe isn’t relevant anymore. Who me? Not relevant? Ah, no … I’m always trying to stay abreast of what’s going on in the real world vs. the bubble I’ll call my office.

Speaking of keeping up with the latest thing or things, I had a conversation recently with a prospective author. We were discussing publishing his book. I made him laugh. I said, “When it comes to publishing a book I’ve got plenty of swag, but when it comes to predicting the market reaction, I have no clue. Remember, this is a nation that gets excited about really surprising things.” He laughed about the “swag” part. But let’s get to the real point.

I’ll share it with you through an example. In a profile I received from Dr. Lance Casazza’s forthcoming book Habits and Attitudes, this guy got rich off selling “Celebrity Ducks”. Yes, rubber ducks sculpted to look like celebrities. Say what? Quack! Yeah, I’m trying to make my fortune publishing books, and this guy creates rubber duckies and gets rich. Hmm … you know that’s so American! And that’s why it’s tough to predict how this market will react to new products.

As entrepreneurs and authors we put our hopes and dreams into our endeavors. When it comes to books, I try to emphasize that regardless of market reaction something in your life will change in a positive way by writing and releasing your book. I can’t promise that you’ll have the next best seller. I can only promise that I’m absolutely positive that somehow your life will open up in whole new directions and experiences – and most importantly, lessons learned. I’ve never spoken to a single author whose experience publishing their first book didn’t somehow create new opportunities and open new doors.

I know that my first book Second Bloom (see event in sidebar) definitely opened a whole new door and actually became the basis for MGR Consulting turning into 3L Publishing (www.3LPublishing.com). Yes, Second Bloom only sold around 1,000 copies, but it did so much more for me as a businesswoman. When it won so many awards, and we did the press tour for it, other authors saw that I had the “right stuff” and wanted me to publish their books – and voile! 3L Publishing was born. But here’s the lesson learned:

When an opportunity presents itself you have to know when to say YES and seize the day!

My point, had I felt overwhelmed by the idea of publishing other people’s books, I could have let me entire opportunity slip away. We hit crossroads in our careers and personal life journeys. We have to know when to say yes and when to say no. Since my goal was always to work in publishing, then I recognized at that particular fork in the road I had a chance to pursue my dream. The door opened. I could have been scared and not walked through it. After all at the time I had no idea about physical book distribution. Believe me, $20,000 total in losses in the coming years learning physical distribution the hard way was a tough and expensive pill to eat and try to swallow. But here is the next lesson:

Don’t EVER let FEAR be your guide!

Fear is not your invisible friend, but it’s your freaky foe! The voice of doom and gloom in your head. It’s the voice that says, “It will never happen. You can’t do it.” Ask anyone who has enjoyed great success if they’ve experienced the anxiety of the fear monster. I’m going to wager that at least 99.9% experienced some level of fear. Fear isn’t real. It’s something we make up that keeps us from doing the things we want to do. Learn to master your fear and harness the power of it to do what needs to be done. I liken my fear monster to something I just keep ahead of and away from. When I imagine all of the things I wouldn’t have done because I was afraid then my life wouldn’t be extraordinary – it would be marginally ordinary.

Lastly, what people think about you or your dreams or your ideas doesn’t matter. I’ve seen naysayers and haters over the years. I’ve been backhanded insulted right to my face. I remember this one woman with a snarky smile on her face said, “Yeah, I’m being published you know … by a real publisher.” She said that to me as easily as she could breathe. In retrospect I realize people who say nasty digs are “jelly” and “haters”. Now I would much rather have fans (wouldn’t we all), but ultimately these people at least had a feeling about me. My life partner who is also a therapist said, “If you have haters you’ll know you’re relevant.” I like to think of it as at least they’re catching an actual feeling about what I’m doing vs. thinking I’m boring and irrelevant.

So, Friend-Os just know this when you work with me. Yes, I have a lot of swag. I can masterfully publish your book or create your public relations and marketing campaigns. I can PROMISE you’ll be pleased with your end results. Remember though, the market made a guy rich of rubber ducks that look like J Lo. So who the heck knows what’s going to happen, but at least you made it happen. Period.

And I can help you. Want to discuss how? Call me at 916-300-8012 or send an email to info@3LPublishing.com. Until then, “do the dream.”