First Word

The Daily Cup: Issue 3 ​ Q: What's the worst mistake people make on their websites? A: They either forget to include contact information or they put the information somewhere difficult to find. Many of you might be surprised by that answer. It's true. Businesses and individuals commonly forget to include contact information or a way to contact them. Your contact information should be easy to find, easy to understand, and easy to use. Do not make the mistake of not putting it right on your menu of information. I do not recommend burying it at the bottom of your website either. Many people put a contact link in small font at the bottom of the homepage. Avoid that method. Put it right on the end of the your menu bar items. Always include a phone number and email address. You might also include a submission form. However, do not only provide a submission form. If you have someone's attention you want to capture it. It's only a matter of second before their...

I mentioned this on Facebook. I start each day in meditation. I recite mantras. Two days in a row I was meditating and fell back to sleep. All this means to me is that I am successfully clearing my mind. I've recently been in a bit of a down cycle. You know when things start to just not excite you anymore? My personal relationships have shifted. People have come and gone. I've lost two very close people to me (for different reasons) who had to transition their lives elsewhere. One of the people I pushed the shift out of personal necessity to move on. I thought at the time I would just deal with the losses in one full swoop. Both individuals were very close to me so you can imagine the gaping holes I am feeling. Anyway here I am facing loss and business things started going haywire. Banking problems, client payment problems ... and I started thinking, "Is this outer chaos a reflection of the inner chaos I am feeling?" I had been meditating anyway so I ratcheted up my...

We just launched Fates Thread: A Memory of Jesus at the Metropolitan Club in San Francisco (check out that dining room). Why should ALL authors do a book launch? Here are the top reasons: Enjoy the support of friends and family who are proud of you . Early sales from friends and family give your book that quick cash infusion. Of course your friends and family want to support your endeavor, so it's a great way to push the book forward and get readers. Spread the word . You can promote the book launch to the regional media in the area. You may be fortunate and get some early coverage. Promote reviews posted on Good Reads for those who buy the book early . Get those who purchase copies at the event to post reviews on Good Reads to get wider promotion. This early exposure to readers could propel the book forward to go viral.

Want to know the no. #1 question I am consistently asked? Do you think my idea will sell? I honestly have no clue. When I get asked that question, I call it the million-dollar question. We're talking about a finicky market in which many, many factors come to bear. A book release literally can be derailed by a hurricane trumping the news. I kid you not. It depends on the market's attention on that day. It depends on tastes, interests and hobbies -- and what the public's favors on any given day, month or year is hard to predict. Is the public sick of vampires and werewolves yet? You think the interest has waned and then BAM! Some unique book on the subject hits the shelves and flies. Some people are really good at figuring it out, but even these people have some bombs, too. What do they say? You're only as good as your last movie ... it's true. You can have market cache one day and be the has-been the next. So when I'm asked that question, all I can say is this, ...

Growing your business can be a challenge. You have to manage growth effectively or all the work it took to build business in the first place will crash and burn. I was thinking about this concept at the new Farrell's on Watt Avenue in Sacramento. Yesterday we celebrated my daughter's 10th birthday. Every time we visit Farrell's while we enjoy the top-notch ice cream the service always fails. I immediately noticed that once again it took forever to be seated and once at the table I had to ask for water three times. And like so many other times, the wait staff bumbled and failed. One time I ordered a full platter of chicken fingers, and I ended up with a child's plate, which for my small appetite worked great but it doesn't change I didn't order that plate. We've waited sometimes hours for ice cream. What is the problem? A young wait staff. A new restaurant ill equipped to handle the crowds. And probably an ill-managed service desk. Since I'm not an expe...

I opened my own company in 2006, and next month I celebrate my 8th year in business. Considering most businesses open and close in the first year, I get asked how I've stayed in the game this long. Well other than a lot of fairy dust, I guess I'll try and distill it down. Persistence AKA never give up . Oh, a few times I've been about this "close" to throwing in not just the towel, but the baby, the dishwater and the tub it came in. A few lean months where my net suggested I could make more at McDonald's and contemplation of a six-figure income back in corporate sounded much better. Yet here I am still standing. Yes, I always give myself permission to have a brief adult tantrum, but once the angst tears and cries of defeat end, I get back to the business of my business. I buckle up, do the buttercup (more like marketing), and business goes on. Speaking of marketing ... you must market every single day. Marketing is like brushing your teeth and bathing (If...

The grande dame of goals to achieve as a writer is the ability to write a page-turner. Now it's a talent more than a skill in my educated estimation. So I'm not entirely sure I could explain how to do it except to discuss "pacing" and how that can draw in readers and hook them to the story so they can't put it down. Now "intrigue" comes into play here, too. Pacing though is easier to explain. Pacing is how you capture the reader's interest and hook them into wanting more. A slow-paced story won't have nearly the effect to grab the reader's interest. So how to you create pacing? Tip: Lose the abundant exposition . Nothing bogs down a story faster than too much exposition in a scene. For example, it's one thing to build a foundation for the setting, but also you can do too much. Give the reader an idea of a place or time without drilling into so much detail the whole scene gets lost in it. You can set up a scene early in the chapter, and ...

Did you know there is a difference between knowingly doing something in your storytelling process and just plain doing what you want to the point it will not attract a publisher? You must understand the structure and storytelling process in order to deviate from it. What do I mean? Well, I see amateur manuscripts where the writer clearly doesn't understand traditional structure, period. The writer will just do whatever he or she pleases, and it doesn't work because there is no context or construct in which the person is deviating. I will give you the reason why and an example. Readers understand certain principles about stories and how stories unfold. Readers have certain expectations about the reading experience, too. For example, readers expect characters to have something as basic as an understandable name. Now you say, what? Yes, I got a manuscript submitted once where the writer absolutely insisted the names be (wait for it) ______. Yes, you saw the right -- underlines for...

Have you ever thought about trust? Not just trust in another person, but also trust in yourself. Trusting that a situation will work out the way it is supposed to work. Do you realize that is about releasing the concept of "control" and realizing you are powerless over anything or anyone other than yourself. Trust means going with your gut and knowing that your gut (AKA your heart) will serve you. Your heart/gut has the answers and the "knowingness," and you have to let go and know it will be all right. I am clairvoyant and spiritual. So I have an even larger idea of what my life could look like -- it's one of my gifts. I have a relationship in my life in which I foresaw the future -- and at the time I didn't understand a few things about that vision. I didn't understand how it could be possible. Throughout that journey it continued to seem utterly impossible, too. And then there was an unexpected shift. And the impossible became quite possible, indee...

Recent life chats with friends have brought up the roller coaster theme. One of my friends asked me, "Are you ever going to get off the ride, because at some point you might want to do that." Another friend who is less skeptical of roller coaster rides talked about it differently. I liked her reflections on life's roller coaster ride. She said, "Would you rather take the ride with your hands in the air and a smile on your face? Or would you rather scream all the way through it?" Love that question. I told her once about roller coasters, "I used to be afraid of them. And then one day I thought, "Well, hell nobody really ever dies on the ride so go with it." Life is full of ups and downs as I'm sure you've now picked up on the metaphor. I'm exploring my feelings about a long-time relationship I've had where there have been many extraordinary highs and some definite lows. I'll be honest, I've spent most of the ride screa...

You want to hear the no. #1 complaint made by authors after working with my company 3L Publishing ? Authors have a seamless experience working with my team, and then when the book comes off press and it gets posted to Amazon and starts selling, the upset starts. So I thought I would take a moment to blog about the perils and realities of Amazon. Lesson no. #1: I don't own Amazon . Yes, tis true. If I owned Amazon I promise this blog post wouldn't be written. Amazon does what Amazon does. They are an enormous corporation. Think of me like an ant compared to a redwood tree. Ants have very little power or influence over the tree. They can walk along the bark and up the tree, but they can't make a dent in the wood. Lesson no. #2: If it's "Out of Stock" it's not 3L's fault . Amazon orders in metrics based on demand so that they don't keep a large on-hand inventory. This means they order "as necessary" with a few extra copies. Books that be...

Getting a nasty head cold after being four years of cold-free, I am quickly reminded why coughing is painful. You know when you wake up and don't feel well, and the day beckons anyway. Yes, I feel this way. The day is crying to be lived, and I feel like (excuse the profanity) shit. I am missing all the holiday festivities. I haven't left the house all week. Tissues all over my desk. I'm a sick sad sack. I am apparently a productive one though because I finished the first draft of my new book Body in the Trunk . I am working with my book coach novelist and screenwriter Scott D. Roberts to perfect it. He's been sending me notes, and per his instructions I am on revisions. I love the book coaching process -- it's collaborative on your own project. I used to enjoy working with a writing partner to bounce ideas around, but I also prefer to develop my own projects solo, too. A book coach gives you an opportunity to have someone dedicated to your project who can give yo...

Traditional thought on how to reduce high cholesterol is being challenged in the new book  So You Want to Live to be 100?  by John E. Bakos MD. In this exciting new book, medical doctor and author Bakos uses his years of experience studying and evaluating patients with high cholesterol to reveal this surprising information on how to reduce high cholesterol to ensure your heart and vascular system stays healthy and hopefully save you from very common causes of death and disability. Half of all Americans are dying from cholesterol- clogged arteries! According to WebMD, thirty-seven percent of Americans (about one in three, equating to over 110 million people) have cholesterol readings over 200mg. As a result, millions of Americans are at risk from suffering the effects of high cholesterol, namely its association with elevated risk of cardiovascular disease, which includes coronary heart disease, stroke and peripheral vascular disease. Millions of Americans are essen...

I have a confession: I periodically get depressed. My cycle influences that depression, too. I am normally an upbeat, positive person, but I definitely get struck by sadness and uncertainty. I'm one of those people who likes to know where the road is going in life and when things start to as I put it yesterday "drift" along, I find hard to let go and just see where life is going to take me. So for all of you "control freaks" out there, here is what I've learned and let's see if it helps. Control is an illusion : you all know that don't you? As humans we think we're mighty and in control. Reality is control works like this: I can control my thoughts, actions and behavior. The rest ... strictly up to God or the other person. You can't make anybody do anything. The ideal is for that person to want to do things. You can set up conditions where the other person will want to do something, but that is all. Thinking that you can control everything ...

Many people propose niche books and mistakenly believe it might not sell. Here is what I've discovered about niche books. Unless the niche is super narrow (think of niche like only girls with authentic pink hair will read it), a niche book has long-term viability and typically enjoys a long sales cycle. Why? Because niche books usually have little if any competition. I'll give an example. The book Beyond the Iron by Wayne Kurtz has consistently sold a handful of books each month over the three-year period since its release. The book is about ultra-distance triathlons (we're talking thousands of miles of biking, cycling and swimming). How many people do you know who participate in these events? Except for Wayne I can't say anyone else. Wayne, on the other hand, flies all over the world to participate in these events, and he is constantly promoting his company Race Twitch . He meets plenty of these extreme endurance athletes all of the time. So when people want to know ...

Good or bad press is always good press. Attention is, after all, attention and a spotlight on anything calls attention to it. I was reading a book review of another author's book. Now I know this book very well (and I'm not going to say the book to avoid "insult to injury"). I got extremely annoyed when the book reviewer, who was slamming the book, started making specific statements about the content. What's worse, the statements and the examples were not from the actual book. I was aghast to read the reviewer say the writing was bad, and then show examples that didn't come from the book! How can you say a book is poorly written and then use examples of why that aren't even from the material? If you're going to criticize something try being accurate. You can't say something is poorly written and then write something poorly written as an example that doesn't come from the source. I wasn't sure whether to laugh, mock the reviewer with a ...

3L Publishing's graphic artist Erin Molina used to say that to me. Over the years if there is one thing I've learned in publishing where you're dealing with deadlines is "don't bake the cake before it comes out of the oven." What does that really mean? Worrying, panicking and generally having heart failure over something that hasn't even happened is a true waste of perfectly good energy. The point is that whatever you're worrying or fretting over may never even happen -- and look at all the energy you expended in something that didn't come to fruition. As a project manager, the key tactic I've learned is to stay cool, use your head (know your stuff), problem solve, and then fix whatever is going on. A few useful tips for managers: Always get out ahead of the problem --this means if you see something brewing or you suspect something could happen, just take measures to ensure it either doesn't happen or make a preemptive strike so it never...

It's Friday morning. I have my coffee, and I've got my Mac and my thoughts for you. A friend of mine was talking and said, "I love it that when you say you're going to do it, you do it." This statement begged the question, "Are you a doer or a talker?" And this leads to my cute story of the day. I've known what I wanted to do almost my entire life. When I was in high school, I toted around a shoebox loaded with stories I wrote (OMG) in ink pen. A little side note: Remember those Bic ink pens with the clear-plastic on the outside so you could see the ink? They probably still sell them. When I wrote my stories, I wrote on unlined paper and I wrote in ink pen. About once every two weeks I had to toss my Bic pen because it was clean of ink. Friends marveled at the empty pen because they had never seen one before. The little tale should give you a good idea of how much writing was going on. Anyway, I had these "friends" (I use the term loosely...

As a writer you often have several ideas for books floating around in your imagination. I started writing my new novel Body in the Trunk , which I intend to release next spring at the RT Book Lovers Convention in New Orleans. I've had another book idea floating around, too, and it's officially titled Flying Lessons: How I Learned to Soar in Life, Love and Business . It's a compiled inspirational/self-help book that is designed to teach people through personal stories how to succeed. Now I'm not talking about monetary success. I've had plenty of monetary success, but certainly not at the millionaire level. It's more about what kind of mindset and outlook on life removes barriers and negative thinking that traps people into mediocrity and accepting far less than they deserve. I placed this quote on Facebook yesterday, and I think it states the theme of the book very well: Never, ever, ever aspire to a life of mediocrity! You are better than average. Always a...

It's Friday, and I always try to find something part information part entertainment to lighten up the mood. Today I have a super funny submission story. When authors submit manuscripts they do so as Word or PDF attachments along with a summary of the book. We don't have super lofty requirements. Today's humor involves an author submission done in a very unconventional way -- he took a photo of it. Mind you not a straight-on shot. The page was angled and in shadows. A straight-on shot I might have been able to actually read; but a shot where the page was going off the "photo" (so to speak) and in shadows ... hmmm. Not to mention in my decrepit old age, I need reading glasses and couldn't read it anyway. I honestly started laughing. I think there must have been some worry about stealing the idea. Well, don't fret there fella. I couldn't read it to steal it ... or accept the submission LOL. And that is your amusing tale for a Friday morning.