SP Tip #7 - Become a 'whatever it takes' kind of person

Do you allow negativity to rule your life, or are you empowered by the desire to succeed no matter what? It's your choice. Really. Pick one or the other. It's that simple.

Even when faced with immeasurable odds, those who succeed do so because of an inner voice that tells them to continue pursuing their goals no matter what it takes, no matter what challenges they meet. And believe me, we all have challenges.

Those who see a challenge and mentally give up or allow fear to control them will never see true success. They think, "I can't do it. This challenge is in my way. I'm afraid to face it." They hand over all the power to that challenge.

Those who see it and push through or find a way around a challenge will reach their goals because they are persistent and creative. They think, "What can I do to push through or go around? How can I make this challenge help me or disappear? I'll do whatever it takes!" These people are empowered by faith, hope and most of all, a dream.

Don't let anything or anyone stand in your way. If your dream is big enough, you can find the 'whatever it takes' person inside you.

"Become a 'whatever it takes' kind of person and success won't just knock on the door, it'll step right inside." --Cheryl Kaye Tardif

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif
http://www.cherylktardif.com/

SP Tip #6 - Check out publisher before signing contract

Most authors are usually so ecstatic when they finally get that book deal offer from a publisher that they forget to do their homework and check out the publisher. This is especially important if you didn't do this before you submitted a query, and even more important for the small to mid-sized publishing company. Major publishers generally have good reputations, which is why they've been in business as long as they have.

Too many publishing companies have bad reputations. Some don't pay their authors on time, some don't keep accurate sales records or give out regular statements, some don't communicate well with their authors, some don't follow through with what they promise, some are only interested in publishing their own books or those of their friends, a few are just plain rude liars who use their authority to abuse their authors. Of course the bad publishers aren't likely to tell you all this.

So who do you get this information from? Their authors.

Before signing that contract, no matter how good it may seem, make sure you contact at least 5 of the publisher's authors and ask them to list 3-5 things their publisher does well and 3-5 things that are problematic. Contact 1-2 authors who had books come out a few years ago; then contact newer authors.

Although authors generally don't like to badmouth their publisher to a stranger or in public, many will give you information via email or they'll tell you in such a way that you can read between the lines. Some will tell you outright that their experience was terrible, or that they wouldn't recommend that publisher to anyone. That should send up a very bright red flag. In simple terms it means, stay clear of that publisher.

You can also check for issues with publishers at http://www.absolutewrite.com/, especially in the Watercooler forums. Or check with Preditors & Editors

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif
http://www.cherylktardif.com

Twitter 101: How to send messages on Twitter

Have you signed up on Twitter but haven't got a clue what to do next? Are you unsure how to get your messages out? Well, here's a crash course in the very basics of Twitter--sending messages.

First, sign up for a free Twitter account at http://www.twitter.com/. When you have logged in, you'll be on the Home page of your account.

On the right side, above the search bar, you'll see the following links:
Home
@your username
Direct Messages
Favorites

Home is where you can send messages out to everyone in Twitterville (or the Twitterverse). You can also send a public message to a specific person by putting @their username anywhere in the message.

@your username shows you all replies to your own posts. You'll want to check every now and then and reply back. To reply, hover over person's message and you'll see a star (to make favorite) and an arrow (reply back).

Direct Messages shows you who you sent private messages to and who sent you private messages. To send DM, click on top drop-down arrow for list. Sometimes DMs don't work, and you have to be following that person and they have to be following you to send a DM.

Twitter is an awesome little social network, a tool that anyone can use...once they figure out how.

Follow Cheryl Kaye Tardif on Twitter. By following me, you'll automatically be entered in my Twitter Contest.

To blog, or not to blog?

Believe it or not, I've had a lot of authors ask me if they really need a blog. "Is it that important?" they've asked.

Blogging has become part of our culture, and whether you have a blog or read them, blogs are here to stay.

So why not hook onto the blog train? Even if you only post once a week and spend an hour advertising your blog through other networks, you'll start seeing an increase in visitor traffic. More traffic means more exposure, and ultimately leads to more sales. Unless you don't need more sales...

Check out these stats:

Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project:

• Blog readership is growing among all demographics
• Blog readership jumped 58% in 2004 from 17% to 27% of Internet users who said they read blogs daily
• 27% of Internet users read blogs daily in November 2004
• 12% of users are aware of RSS, and 4% have knowingly used RSS

Source: Backbone Media Business Blogging Survey:

• 83% of corporate bloggers saw a traffic increase to their site
• 51% took less than 1-2 months from initial concept to launch of blog
• 88% saw a boost in search engine ranking within 3 months of launch
• 62% saw an increase in sales within 3 months of launch

Source: BlogWorldExpo.com:

• Over 12 million American adults currently maintain a blog
• Over 57 million Americans read blogs
• 1.7 million American adults list making money as one of the reasons they blog
• 89% of companies surveyed say they think blogs will be more important in the next five years
• 9% of Internet users say they have created blogs
• 6% of the entire US adult population has created a blog
• Technorati is currently tracking over 70 million blogs
• Over 120 thousand blogs are created every day
• There are over 1.4 million new blog posts every day
• 22 of the 100 most popular websites in the world are blogs
• 37% of blog readers began reading blogs in 2005 of 2006
• 51% of blog readers shop online
• Blog readers average 23 hours online each week.

To blog or not to blog? There's really only one answer that makes sense. As Nike professes, just do it!

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif

SP Tip #5 - Penny Sansevieri's marketing newsletter

Authors: If you don't get The Book Marketing Newsletter by marketing expert Penny Sansevieri, you're missing out on excellent marketing tips. http://www.amarketingexpert.com