Although I’ve forewarned you about my predeliction for speaking “platform” I was moved by the grace of a sea hawk flying outside my window. I quickly ran onto my terrace to watch the brown and white speckled bird who kindly made a u turn towards my building.

You see, I’m a bit of a “sign watcher,”  a little superstitious if not down right woo woo! Somewhere along the line I adopted the sea hawk aka osprey as my power bird. The decision was made. Magic, it is.

Where does magic fit into the world of publishing and books, you ask? Why, it fits into the place where you’d expect magic to reside. It’s exactly where you left it the last time you saw it.  Neatly tucked into that place you can’t know, control or define. After all, it’s magic!

Enough of this circular conversation. Here’s how it goes. You develop a concept for a book. Whether it’s fiction or nonfiction, there will come a time for it to greet the marketplace.

You’ve read all the books, been to all the seminars, learned from the so-called publishing gurus, hired the world’s very best marketeers and publicists.  You’ve left no stone unturned in your quest for a New York Times bestseller. Or at least USA Today. E-blasts, radio satellite tours, reviews, interviews on the news, billboards even.

Like the osprey flying over my apartment building, you throw your bird of a book into the sky. Will it plunge to its messy death fifteen stories down or will it make like a sea hawk and soar?

Here’s the magic part. Readers have to like it. Plain and simple. They have to “vote” for your book by purchasing it for themselves. For their friends and family.This has to happen for it to sell.

Magic, in this case morphs into word of mouth. That single desirable element that everyone wishes they could bottle. All will tell you that you can’t buy it. All are in awe of it. Sure, you can help it along by utilizing the tools of the trade, make it more easily accessible by things like great distribution and exposure largely due to your PLATFORM.

But, in the end, it’s the people who decide. Hence, the real secret, I believe, in the success of Chicken Soup for the Soul. I was there. It was a runaway train. Nothing could stop it. Sure, there were a lot of talented folks behind the scenes. The people embraced it and history was made.

Some might say that the other manifestation of magic begins with the letter “O” but very few titles get to enjoy that opportunity. And, believe it or not, I have seen books mentioned on the magic show that didn’t go very far. Not often. But now and again.

So, if I were to try and advise you on how to attract magic to your work of art (yes, I’m hoping that’s what it is) I would insist that you fill your manuscript with your own magic. Believe in it. GIve it your all. Speak in your true voice. Remember all the “love of writing” stuff I said before. And, if there’s anything to this “like attracts like” thing, you may just have a shot.

Good luck. More on magic, I promise.

It’s the eve of a new work week and the brain reluctantly moves from one side of the skull to the other making ready to make sense. Dollars and cents.

The mind is what I’ll be delving into this week as the promotion cycle begins for a book called, The Vigorous Mind by communications strategist, Ingrid Cummings. I’ll have more to say about it later in the week, but at this early stage, I am delighted and intrigued.

Ingrid will show us in her book how to cross train our brains to become more well-rounded, like those we historically call “Renaissance people.” She employs a technique well-regarded in the workplace in Japan called Kaizen. In fact, the Toyota corporation practices the principles of kaizen, even here in the U.S. Soon we’ll be sharing with the media Ingrid’s take on how General Motors might have had a better shot had they used it.

Stay tuned.

Apparently, our minds can make significant progress with just a simple 20-minute concentration exercise daily.  I don’t know about you, but I’d give 20 minutes to kick start my graying gray matter.

The Vigorous Mind will be released in January just in time for all of you who are making grand resolutions. Perhaps cross training your mind or aspiring to be a contemporary Renaissance man or woman will make your list. In the book business we always say that the beginning of the year is the “new year, new you” season.

I don’t think you’ll lose weight with kaizen, but I could be wrong. You can prepare to trim some of the fat from your brain. Sounds a little gruesome but I’m sure we’re all carrying around some extra fatty mental baggage that we no longer need.

May the kaizen force be with you (and GM)!

And me.

Note: Be one of the first to get a copy of The Vigorous Mind by writing to me. FREE copy to the first 10 people to ask.

You’ve heard of the infamous “amazon bestseller campaigns.” In the book marketing culture for several years now, it’s about creating a viral marketing effect in a particular time frame designed to stimulate people to buy your book at once. The more elaborate (and expensive) versions include the incentive of premiums, free stuff, to gain if you join in.

My version is less complicated and works best if you have a good size list of friends and colleagues. It’s really not recommended to include unqualified strangers in your campaign. There are spam laws that you don’t want to mess with.

Here’s how it goes. Let’s assume that this event will coincide with the launching of your book (congratulations!). Draft a letter to your audience announcing the birth of your baby book. Tell them about the book and very early in your letter ask them to join you in making it a bestseller. Who wouldn’t want to do that? (I trust you’re not including your enemies on your list)

Ask your friends to consider purchasing your book on amazon on a given day or range of days. The smaller the list, the better it would be to target a single day. Then ask them to do one better. Ask your new virtual marketing team to invite THEIR friends to join in on your behalf. There’s really nothing new here. It’s the classic, “tell two friends, have them tell two friends…”, etc. It’s just now we have our supercharged macs and pc’s to drive our point.

Feel funny ? If you do for a moment, that’s a sign of integrity.  I applaud that moment but I promise, it will pass. In my experience, friends and colleagues really want to help. Most of the time we’re just to afraid to ask. And you know the adage, “if you don’t ask, you don’t get.” 

Ok, I’m done with little quotes and adages.

The last ingredient you might want to consider is offering some incentive to your friends and to their friends. Perhaps they’d like your autograph on their book. Maybe a paragraph or chapter in your next book (just kidding). Whatever you come up with, do something to make them feel appreciated. You could even hold a “watch my amazon ranking” party at your home or out somewhere. Make it fun. For those of you with huge lists, you lucky people, you might want to come up with some virtual event.

Think of the possibilities. Your viral friends campaign may turn out to have more impact than you’d imagine. And, especially when you time it during the execution of additional marketing tricks. Try to create a confluence (I love that word) of publicity and marketing events around the same time period. The goal being, expose yourself to as many people at once as possible. Sounds racy, doesn’t it? But, I kid you not. 

A lot can happen.

Your friends are still your friends and you have a bestselling book. They feel a part of it and everybody’s happy.

Life is good.

If it were only that simple.

Best wishes and ask me questions if you’re looking for more details You can also ready about this campaign in my posts about Richard Bandler’s book, Get the Life You Want.

Not a Imac keyboard, a screen full of strangers’ photos, and a littany of inane “what I’m doing now” notices posted every few hours.

Basically, I have the kind of personality defect, which I think stems from being the youngest child, of not wanting to feel left out, of never wanting to miss something. So, like millions of other drones, I hopped onto Facebook and LinkedIn, joined Shelfari with the love of literature as my excuse, and think I’ve even agreed to something called Plaxo. Now, that sounds a little space aged and cold to me… Plax-o?

Oy.

Is it the number of “friends” you amass or “contacts” as Linkedin likes to call them? Facebook and LinkedIn even link to each other, just in case you feel like your being too social on one and need to strut your business persona on the other. I perpetually post clever enticements to visit my blog in both places which I’m sure is verbotin. Who’s to say what’s “socially acceptable” anyway? Who makes up these rules for this pretend networking world?

If we think of these venues as marketing tools, I’m be all for them. I wonder, though, if they really do anything to increase our visibility or contribute to our businesses. Believe me, I’ll stay on there just to find out.

Once in a while, a name from the past or an obscure cranny of my life will pop up and we’ll have a moment of how great it is to be in touch. That moment usually passes quickly and our estrangements scurry back to their estranged places never to “meet” again.

Not always. But mostly. 

I’m amused by technology. No longer totally mystified by it, above it (hah!) or a slave to it, I question how it replaces real human contact. At work it keeps us in touch in a more immediate way without the strings of personal conversation. Gee, phone calls are such a commitment these days. Hardly anyone deserves THAT kind of time and attention. Sad.

I don’t want to throw the baby out with the bath water and I do try to balance my verbal human talk with my cyber talk so I will continue to explore these brave new worlds. 

I’m just still a little clueless about how Facebook, LinkedIn and Plaxo (MySpace anyone?)  enhance our relationships, or even our professional lives. Can anyone tell me? Have you had an experience worth sharing about the benefits of the new online cocktail party? Am I missing something (again)?

Having worked for myself in a little boutique pr agency in Boca, prior to my current publishing position, I’ve been known to say that if I never had to go to another Chamber of Commerce mixer or breakfast networking event, I would be more than content. So, maybe I just don’t like networking, period. (Or is it just the people part?)

That pathetic conclusion may be partially true, but I do hope we keep an eye on the waning qualities and quantities of personal touch and personal connection. Just call almost any business and tell me how the electronic phone answering tree makes you feel? My guess is, not warm and fuzzy.

I am anxious to hear your thoughts and please, some tips!

Gotta go. Have to let my “friends” know what I’m doing now. It’s been a couple of hours.

See ya.

p.s. last minute election-related books for your friends (and enemies)!

Always fair and balanced goodies, brought to you courtesy of HCI!

Choose your political poison:

Democrat

Republican

How about a triple header featuring Carole King, Carly Simon, and (drumroll) Joni Mitchell? I might have traded Carly Simon in for Laura Nyro but thus far, Girls Like Us by Sheila Weller is pretty darn good. 

I’m a Joni Mitchell (forgive me) worshipper, a Carole King admirer, and somewhat appreciative of Carly Simon’s music.  When it comes to female vocalists, I’m a mite critical and usually insert myself into an imaginary ring positing whether or not I could hold my own. In the cases of Joni and Carole, it’s impossible. With Carly, probably not, but I can dream. (Notice who’s on the world stage and who isn’t…)

The book is about 575 pages and I’m still only in 1969 on page 203. The author crafts a good biography and segments it into years rather than lives. Therefore, I’m reading about 30 pages at a time about each diva. (which is perfect for my gnat’s attention span). Everybody’s there. Weller almost tells more than I need to know, especially when the asterisks appear and we learn the too detailed back story of accompanying characters. Some of it’s interesting, but some of it is just too much.

But, learning the background of these music icons is pure delight.  Picture Carole King writing hit after hit still a teenager, married to her master lyricist husband, Gerry Goffin, with a baby on her knee. Working in a songwriting mill, pumping out one classic after another.

There’s a window into Carly Simon’s unconventional yet privileged family between New York and Connecticut and lots of name dropping of future trendsetters and newsmakers from the Sarah Lawrence campus.  Who wouldn’t get a vicarious thrill when traveling to the south of France with Simon’s novelist beau?

Meanwhile, in a small town in Saskatchewan,  Joni Mitchell’s evolving from beauty queen to art student to  bohemian talent. We watch her belly grow bigger behind her guitar as she goes through a very solitary pregnancy. The heart wrenching result: adoption.

And, except for Carole King’s career jump as a prolific songwriter, none of the three have yet to realize their solo careers as important minstrels to an entire generation. (None have yet met James Taylor, either, a fellow who touches their lives in one way or another)

I count myself as a lifelong fan of at least Carole King since I’m sure I was doing a 7-year-old’s version of the  “mashed potatoes”  to her hit, “the Loco-Motion,” at  my older sister Pam’s parties.  And, I’m not talking about the version by Grand Funk Railroad in 1974 or Kylie Minogue in 1988.  It was the first genesis of the song by Little Eva, a 19 year old girl from King’s NJ neighborhood.

Joni Mitchell’s music began to permeate my life (and still does) at age 14 when my friend Jackie and I would steel away to the woods with my guitar to harmonize folky tunes. 

I’m at the part of the book where King is splitting with Goffen, moving to Los Angeles where the stage will be set for her to launch Tapestry. I can just feel it (and the earth move under my feet).  As with many adolescent girls of that era, the songs from Tapestry are markers in our personal histories. I’m sure lots of us are still emotionally triggered by some of these songs.

Joni Mitchell will soon emerge from playing traditional folk songs like Sloop John B to her quintessential Joni originals. (I will swoon). Carly Simon will emerge from her family duo with sister Lucy to write iconic tunes like “Anticipation.” 

I have a long way to go before I reach the current century but I’m savoring all the stops along the way. As a book lover and a rabid music fan, especially of great women singer/songwriters, I look forward to returning to the pages of Girls Like Us. Let me know what you’re reading. Anything out of the ordinary for you? Next on my list, The Girl From Foreign by Sadi Shepard. (Those are the books I want to hear about!)

I may sling a good self-help book or two, but my momentary lapse into voyeuristic baby boomer lit is very satisfying.

Maybe inspiring enough to dust off and tune up one of those guitars hiding in the spare bedroom.

p.s. Sorry Carly, my King and Mitchell pedestals are so tall, it’s hard to picture room for anyone else way up there

It’s the eve of a new year, according to the Jewish faith. A time to clean the slate and make a fresh start. We’re lucky. We get to do this once a year. So if we screw up, we’re encouraged to get it right the next time. Kind of like an annual do-over.

I can’t think of a better way to face my new year than attending the Images and Voices of Hope Annual World Summit * this past weekend which ironically was located in a former geographic haven for Jewish family vacations. Maybe in addition to the amazing people at the summit were the souls of some of the great tzadiks. Who knows.

All I can say is that it felt like we were being stroked and coddled in the lap of the Catskill Mountains while our minds danced in some of the most stimulating conversation I’ve experienced.

Peace Village is the name of the place where the summit was held. It’s full of peace as it’s a full time retreat center run by what some refer to as “angels on earth.” The hosting organization is The Brahma Kumaris affectionately known as the “BK’s.” I’ll let you read about them with my links but whenever I have to describe who they are, I call them peace missionaries. And, the distinction that I love to share about this spiritual group, which spans around world in over 80 countries, is that it is run by women, has been for decades.

I think that’s divinely unique. Uniquely divine.

So, ok, Kim, get to the summit.

The theme: Engaging Our Audience: Effecting Change in Ourselves and the World. The participants: around 100 of  the most brilliant and creative journalists, artists, musicians, documentary filmmakers, photographers from around the globe, and yours truly.

We gathered to do what the IV of Hope folks like to do best. Examine the vast realm of communication and how we might positively affect it. This doesn’t mean just telling nicey nice stories and closing our eyes to the sadness and horrors of the world. It means how can we do it better.

When someone said “we’re among giants,” he wasn’t kidding. Around me were people well known in the media and many who deserve to be.

On Friday, we sat in rotating groups in the exercise of “appreciative inquiry” exploring how we are engaged by the media on a grand scale and in our personal lives. There was a recurrent micro to macro theme weaving through the groups and throughout the weekend.

After the circles of rich conversation came the showcases of the work. I’m talking lump in your throat work. Documentaries about child slavery (Jody Hassett Sanchez), an epic dimension anti-war mural (Huong), songs from an emmy award winning composer (Gary Malkin), environmentally powerful photographs (Chris Jordan) and a host of other amazing stuff.

Then, on Saturday we witnessed Bob Steele, the country’s leading expert on ethics in journalism interview some more giants. There was Maura J. Casey from the New York Times, Renee Ferguson from NBC5 News Chicago, Maude Beelman from the Dallas Morning News (formerly AP war correspondent) , Victor Merina, an award winning investigative reporter and to top it off, Jon Alpert, producer/reporter/co-director and co-founder of the Downtown Community Television Center (known for his years on the Today Show and his current HBO special, “Baghdad ER“) and then…be still my beating heart…Steve Hartman. Yes, the Steve Hartman who, on CBS, throws darts over his shoulder on the evening news at a map, goes to that location, and finds the subject of his next story in the phone book. He’s a rock star to me and often a part of the show that Charles Kurault used to host on Sunday mornings.

Steve Hartman and fan (moi)

We watched the first presidential debate together with people who worked on Jimmy Carter’s presidential campaign. My jaw rarely closed.

There was an impressive Saturday night awards program, meditation sessions for ambitious early risers, delicious vegetarian food, all going on inside of a lush landscape of orange, gold and green speckled mountains. There was actually a noticeable change of autumn colors from when we arrived to when we left. Just for us.

Today, I wanted to paint a broad brush of what the summit at Peace Village was like. There was so much going on in our heads, our hearts and our bodies that I’ve still not assimilated it enough to convey more detail. I’m hoping that will happen.

What I did take away from the weekend was something I know has been in short supply for me and surely for the rest of the world.

Hope.

Yes, hope. It was and is so comforting and so inspiring to know that there are many really smart, really talented and hard working people out there that really give a damn. Whose work is about affecting change.

Thank you Judy Rodgers, Meredith Porte, Gayatri Naraine, and Veronica McHugh for inviting me for the last ten years.

I finally made it.

*The mission of IV of Hope:

“To expand awareness of the choices those in media make that raise public trust, generate constructive meaning, and amplify human hope, thus enhancing humanity’s capacity for life-promoting action.”

ah...smell the ink

There are all your “p” choices, and believe me, I find it hard to keep up with this stuff.

To publish. To print-on-demand (POD) or to print on your own. Dying is really not necessary.

Today’s post is a very abbreviated overview of how these routes differ. Surely, you and I will both require more sleuthing. Especially before any decisions are made.

Publishing:

That which relies on the acceptance of an enclave of people who think they know what readers want. They take you on, they foot the bill. Unless you are very clever at contract time, they take charge of your timeline, your title, your cover, some direction of your content, your promotional campaign, your destiny. You get a buck or two for every book sold. You may have to wait a few publishing cycles for your book to be born, but you have no cash outlay (except for the hidden suggestions that you really should be proactive in marketing your book. Proactive translation: expensive)

If you get a big fat advance, remember, all that money needs to be made by the sales of your book before you see any more of it.

POD:

You hire a company to act as your publisher but you pay them. Hey, what? It’s true, but you retain some semblance of control as you employ them. They do all of the front end fussing like getting you an ISBN number, designing your book, choosing the paper, and they even offer some promotional packages (that’s extra) or a la carte services. What do you get? Books when you want them, no warehousing woes, limited distribution (be careful here, this can be misleading), and some help along the way if you need it. Beware, the company OWNS your ISBN number and your files. You are bound to them. Can’t just pick up your files and take them down to the neighborhood printer. And, the unit price for POD printing is pretty high. Hard to  profit this way.

Printing on your own:

I kind of like this option. We even have a division that does this at HCI. There something a little more freeing about it. You get total artistic license, you are the master of your own castle. Hire your own editors, proof readers, researchers, whatever you need. Take your finished manuscript, download it into some “Quark” or “InDesign” or other file and turn it over to some master printers. The more you print, the cheaper the unit price is. So, whatever you sell it for, once you get the money, everything but your investment goes into your pocket. True, you now need to investigate fulfillment houses and think about marketing your book. That’s where people like me come in – hee – hee! All kidding aside, at this phase you either become not only a self-published author but a self-marketer, too. Or, seriously, you can hire any number of very talented people to help you promote your book. For both the POD and this route, getting books distributed into stores is a little tricky. It can happen, but it’s hard. Trust me, distribution is hard even for the big league publishers.

So, if you’re an author who does a lot of lectures, special events, or have an online presence, you may have plenty of opportunity to sell books this way. This is really one of the primary secrets to the legendary Chicken Soup for the Soul success. The old selling books in the back of the room routine. It just so happened they had a publisher. The same can be done if you don’t.

If you’re just a woodshed writer waiting to be discovered and handled, these are not for you. 

Whatever your publishing scenario is, at least now there is a bigger variety of choices. And, the alternate publishing routes are gaining more respect and credibility all the time. Just be sure to do your homework, always ask to see samples of a POD or printing company’s wares. Talk to former customers. Just because a book gets self-published doesn’t mean it has to look self-published. 

I’d like to hear about your experiences particularly working with the self-publishing companies like Lightning Source, iuniverse, authorhouse, etc. You don’t have to mention them by name, but I am curious about how things went for you. I have heard mixed stories.

So, until the next time

May the force be with you.

p.s. Coming Thursday AND Friday: Your election haikus and limericks. They turned out pretty well!