Writing A Book – 7 Costly Mistakes New Authors Make
Writing a book can be exciting and profitable. It can be the culmination of years of preparation. However, a few mistakes can sabotage all the time invested in your dream. Would not it be great to know in advance what mistakes to avoid? This article covers some of the common mistakes new authors make and explains useful alternatives.1. Editing the manuscript yourself.It’s fine to edit your manuscript for obvious errors. However, you alone will never catch all the errors. After you check your work, you should then hire a professional editor. Here are a couple of types of editors you may want to use and a synopsis of services they render:Copyediting involves identifying and correcting typographical and punctuation errors, misspellings, grammar capitalization, word usage, word breaks, and formatting inconsistencies.Line editing (also known as story, substantive, or content editing) involves substantial work on a manuscript which may include light rewriting, reorganizing, or suggesting more effective presentations. This level of editing also focuses on minimizing wordiness, confusing statements, vague generalizations, jargon or overuse of slang, mixed metaphors, redundancies, jargon or overuse of slang, gaps, use of passive voice, use of sexist or racist language, consistency of tone and focus, logic, and manuscript organization.If you are writing a novel, it is imperative that you include line editing in your budget. Expect to pay $600 to $2500 for this service. A skillful editor can rescue a problematic book.2. Setting a price for your book that is too low to cover your expenses and earn a fair profit.If you get this task wrong, you will probably lose money on your book. Setting a price for your book is one of the most important tasks you must perform. You must determine how much it will cost to print your book. Once you determine this, you must set the price of your book to be at least five times the cost to print each book. However, depending on where you plan to sell your book, you may need to have a markup of at least eight times.3. Thinking a vanity press is the same as a traditional publisher or book printer.Traditional publishers do not charge you to publish your book. Vanity presses will charge you to publish your book. Normally they are merely printing your book. Vanity presses will probably charge you substantially more to print your book than a book manufacturer. As an alternative to choosing most vanity presses, you should publish your own if you desire to earn a reasonable profit.4. Thinking the book cover design is not an important component of the book.People do judge a book by its cover. In a bookstore, you only have about 15 seconds to sell a book to a browser. The sales device is your book cover. A browser will look at the front cover and then the back cover. If the graphics and text are not appealing, the browser will replace your book on the shelf.Many new authors will find the cheapest person to design their book cover. That person may be a relative, friend, or person that is a good artist. However, they may be unaware that a book cover is a marketing tool. A good professional cover designer creates a cover that will help sell your book.5. Not having a marketing plan ready before you write or print your book.I normally write a marketing plan before I write a book. As a result, I have a feel for the demand for the subject matter and the level of competition. I decide on the market position I want to pursue. You should think about whether you want to position your book as succinct or comprehensive, easy to understand or complex, affordable or high end — all require different strategies.6. Failing to consistently promote your book once it is published.Whether your book is published by a major publishing house or yourself, you still need to promote your book. Many new authors think that if they write it, the rest will all fail into place. In other words, if they write it, the book buyers will come.Have you noticed how major companies still do extensive advertising on radio, television, magazines, and online? So, why would you think you do not have to market or promote your book?7. Incorrectly spelling the foreword of your book as forward.Calling your foreword a forward will be the kiss of death for many new authors, especially if this error appears on the book cover. Many bookstores, libraries, reviewers, wholesalers, and distributors will not want to stock or recommend your book. They will assume what’s inside the book is poor quality, because you did not know the difference between foreword and forward.
Become An Energy Broker And Help People Save Money On Their Energy Bill
If you haven’t heard by now, about 1/3 of the United States has deregulated it’s energy policy. Most simply stated, this means local utility companies can now charge what they want for electricity and/or natural gas. This is both bad news as well as good new for customers. Rates will increase, but it also means that customers will now have a choice where they get their energy supply from.So what does that mean for you if you want to become an energy broker? It means that there are potentially millions of customers out there just waiting for you to contact them. They would love to be shown how to save money on their energy bill and you could be the hero who saves the day! But everything in life isn’t peaches and cream. In order to become an energy broker and profit in this deregulated market you must have the right components in place. You must join a company that gives you the best chances of earning what you want. Here’s a list of what you will need:1. Sound Company Management And ExperienceThe worst mistake you can make is to join one of these new energy companies and have to worry about poor management and lack of experience. Experience is everything and you need to ensure that the company founders and upper management have successful and profitable experience in the energy industry. I can guarantee you that over the next five years dozens of new energy companies will pop up, offering broker positions, but die off just as quickly as they were started, simply because they lacked experience.2. Tools And TrainingAs an energy broker you need the right tools and training to acquire customers and increase awareness. Some of the required tools include plenty of promotional and sales aids to help spread the word about your company and what you offer. You also need to have effective training in place for new brokers. The majority of people who become an energy broker, including you, have zero prior experience in this industry. You need to be trained quickly, have resources in place and be knowledge in the marketplace. Only then will you have the confidence to know what you are doing and have the right answers when you are questioned by potential customers and prospects.3. Competitive OfferAs stated earlier, there will be plenty of competition in the marketplace from other energy suppliers. The question you have to ask yourself is, “what makes my company unique and what can we offer customers compared to everyone else?” Your offer needs to be to the point and the rate you offer customers must be competitive. Usually your company will be offering a variable rate to customers that typically will be lower than their local utility company. You have to be sure that rate will stay competitive based upon fluctuations in the marketplace.So now that you know what you must have in place as an energy broker, let’s talk about the pros and cons of this exciting and new type of business venture.ProsNo Overhead – As an energy broker you don’t have to worry about the typical overhead in a traditional business/ franchise. There is no product, no inventory, no selling, and no collections.
Simplicity – With this type of new business you are simply showing people how to pay less for something they already purchase.
Earning Potential – Practically every single person you know uses energy, which makes them a potential customer. Depending on your state, there could be thousands and in some cases, millions of customers, just waiting to switch to a cheaper energy supplier.
No Sales Experience Required – As a broker you are in the business of telling and not selling. None of your customers need an explanation of the need for electricity, unless they live in a cave.
The Timing – When it comes to opportunity in the world of business, timing is everything. Eventually, every state in the U.S. will be deregulated. This gives you as an energy broker, a tremendous opportunity to capitalize on this exciting trend. Even big-time names like Bill Gates and Warren Buffet believe that energy deregulation will create some very rich people in the next two to five years.ConsLack Of Training – Some energy brokerage companies will have very inadequate training. If you aren’t trained correctly, you will lack the required knowledge to acquire residential customers and have a rough time closing larger commercial deals.
Work hours – Many new energy brokers will find it surprisingly difficult to find enough time to commit to this new business venture. Typically you will already be working during the day and the only time you can allot to your broker business is at night when most businesses are closed and most people retire for the day.
Lack Of Awareness – Depending on the area, most customers will have no clue they have an option of which energy supplier they can choose. You may find yourself doing a lot of explaining, encountering skepticism and wishing that the local news station would just help get the word out. But, for the energy brokers willing to take the time to explain and inform their customers, they can expect to be rewarded.So in closing I would like to leave you with this question. If you are considering becoming an energy broker and taking advantage of this new trend, are you willing to commit your time and energy (no pun intended) until you are successful? I truly believe that energy deregulation will create many future success stories and save millions of people money, but the only new energy brokers who can expect to be rewarded will be the ones who are serious and committed. Will you be one of them?
Post Pregnancy Workout – What’s the Best Way For Losing Pregnancy Weight?
Losing pregnancy weight can be a bit of a struggle for some women especially if you have not got your mind around what you need for a post pregnancy workout. Those of you who had relatively few problems maintaining an attractive, well proportioned body prior to getting pregnant, delivered your baby and suddenly realized that you can’t stop piling on the pounds if you even look in the direction of unhealthy food. Others of you have always struggled with your weight have given birth only to realize that all of that “baby weight” did not go magically away!So What Is There You Can You Do About Losing Pregnancy Weight?Whether you have put on a little more weight than you realized through your pregnancy, were perhaps carry a few excess pounds to start with, or are realizing changes within your body and lifestyle are making it a lot more difficult to control your weight, starting a post pregnancy workout routine as soon as possible will help.What Are The Benefits Of A Post Pregnancy Workout?In fact, you will benefit in a variety of ways when you add a consistent post pregnancy workout routine into your daily life:* Faster Weight Loss
The concern of losing pregnancy weight as quickly as possible to get back into normal fitting clothing and look more attractive is the top goal for most new mothers. Losing pregnancy weight adds to their happiness and self-esteem. A well structured post pregnancy workout routine doesn’t have to be difficult and it can get you back in shape fast.* More Muscle Tone Makes You Appear Smaller
With the right exercises muscle tone will develop quite quickly giving you a smaller profile and an incentive to keep going. A post pregnancy workout helps to rebuild your fitness level which in turn helps you get better quality sleep making it easier to cope with early morning feeds.* Mental & Physical Tension Relief.
When you perform a post pregnancy workout on a consistent schedule and allow it to become a part of your daily life you will feel clearer and more focused mentally and will find it much easier to get up and down from the floor and couch to do diaper changes, work with your new baby on crawling or lifting their head, and all of the other exciting activities that come with being a parent.* Increased ease of movement and flexibility.
A good post pregnancy workout will start out on your current level of physical fitness and gradually increase intensity, distance, and/or speed as your physical fitness level advances. You need to recover from the delivery so don’t overstress your body or strain your muscles to the point of injuring yourself, especially if you are a sleep-deprived new mother who is stressed out!Don’t Forget To Have a Healthy DietYour diet also plays a large part in losing pregnancy weight, you need to ensure you eat the right foods especially if you are breastfeeding.A Great Way To Start Your Post Pregnancy WorkoutTake your baby for a walk in the pram, as a proud new mother what better way to begin losing pregnancy weight?
11 Ways Google Tools Can Help You Innovate Your Business
Using Google to innovate and increase sales revenue can seem like a daunting task for the technologically impaired or just the plain old impatient. But, is it really that complicated?Well, yes and no, depending on your skills and interest. But, taking the time to learn how Google can help you innovate can really pay off. In fact, if you don’t like spending time typing at the computer, take the time to learn the big picture — just like any CEO — and then hire a skilled virtual assistant to help you run the show on a day-to-day basis.Most small business owners are familiar with typing in Google.com when they want to research a topic. However, many may not realize that Google is also home to a veritable empire of online tools that offer everything from customized mobile advertising to YouTube. Their services are inexpensive (often free) and give small businesses an edge in an expanding global marketplace. Here are my favorite Google tools. What I love about them: each and every one can help your company’s bottom line…and isn’t that what we’re here for?1. Google Analytics – A free service that tells you where and how traffic from all over the world is coming to your website. In addition to increasing traffic, Analytics helps you know your customers better, find which pages have the highest traffic, and convert visit to your site into sales.2. AdSense – Allows you to make money from the existing content on your site by enabling ads from other companies. This can be a great source of extra income with little work on your part. All you do is allow Google post ads on your site and they pay you according to traffic and click through rates. If your company has mid-to-high levels of traffic in a niche market, AdSense enables you to convert that traffic into an added source of revenue.3. AdWords – This feature levels the playing field and enables small companies to compete on the same level as big corporations. How? By allowing businesses to buy inexpensive search terms and keywords. These words and phrases are available at extremely low rates compared to other marketing mediums like television or radio. Companies selling computers for example can pay for cheap search terms rather than having to put $50,000 for a TV ad buy. Simply select the words your customers or potential customers are likely to search for on Google. Plus, with pay-per-click (PPC) options, you only pay when someone clicks on your company’s ad.4. Display Ad Builder – Don’t have time to design ads? Inside AdWords, the Display Ad Builder tool helps you easily create eye-catching advertisements that often have better click through rates (CTR) than plain text ads. Import your own graphics and/or choose from a range of Google ad display templates.5. Google Checkout – Want to sell your products on your website? Google Checkout lets you transform your existing website into a full-service marketplace for your products. This saves you time, overhead, and helps you reach a larger “ready-to-buy” audience of customers.6. Google Webmaster Tools – http://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/ [FREE] Webmaster Tools allows you to analyze your entire site, find broken links and malware, and review issues that hinder your site’s optimization. Discover what search queries are leading to the highest click-through stats too.7. Blogger – http://www.blogger.com/ [FREE] A blog gives your site fresh content (which Google’s search algorithm likes) so you can develop and engage potential clients with interesting articles on new products, emerging trends, and/or ways to maximize your company’s services.8. Google Offers – This is Google’s answer to Groupon and your opportunity to bring in new local customers. Google Offers gives your business exposure to thousands of local customers looking for savings. Google does all the leg work for you and drives new leads directly to your front door. Plus, customers pre-pay with Google which means you’ll get paid by Google a few days after your offer completes.9. YouTube [FREE] You Tube is the Ultimate “Show and Tell” marketing tool! Because Google owns YouTube, video posts often receive preferential treatment in search rankings. With YouTube, you can visually share tutorials, introduce products or services, share product reviews, and entice customers to take action.10. AdMob Google’s mobile platform AdMob allows you to tap into the emerging smart phone market and create custom ads to access your target audience. As more and more people view content via phones and tablets, making sure your company is aggressively marketing the mobile audience is vital.11. AdWords Website Optimizer [FREE] Assessment is the first step to improving your online presence. AdWords Website Optimizer helps you get direct feedback from visitors of your site, test new content for effectiveness, and discover the language and messaging to maximize conversions. Go Google….check out these tools. You’ll find that they’re well worth your while.