In this conversation, Ruthie reveals why Instagram is so valuable for writers, lots of strategies for using it well and not spending a lot of time doing it, how to use personal and professional accounts in conjunction, the difference between posts, reels, and stories, and much more!

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One of the core functions of being an author is launching your books. After you’ve written a book and gone through all the steps to publish it… it has to be launched out into the world.

I’ve seen book launches in all shapes and sizes. I’ve done a few of my own, in addition to helping my ghostwriting clients with their launches at times. As important as book launches are, it’s easy to forget that a book doesn’t launch itself. It takes time and energy to ensure people know about your book and how it can help them.

I’m excited to have my friends Teresa McCloy and Lindsay Sterchi on the show today to talk about Teresa’s recent launch for her book Do What Matters: Live From Rest, Not Rush, Using The REALIFE Process®.

I was honored to be one of the few dozen people who received a very cool book launch box from Teresa before the launch last Fall. I also attended a fantastic book launch party in Effingham, Illinois. Teresa and Lindsay did an incredible job making this one of the most creative and fun book launches I’ve ever seen.

Let me share a bit about Teresa and Lindsay.

Teresa McCloy is the creator of the REALIFE Process®, a faith-focused company that helps entrepreneurs, coaches, and consultants develop and diversify their businesses through certification, content, coaching, and community to grow their impact and increase their income.

She is an ACC Certified Leadership & Life Coach through the International Coaching Federation, Podcaster, and Keynote Speaker. As a recovering workaholic who was addicted to all the latest apps, software, and best-selling books on productivity, Teresa is passionate about helping others assess their habits and execute a process to take their everyday, ordinary life to something extraordinary through REALIFE Being, Action, Time, and Living.

Teresa lives with her husband Dale on their 3rd Generation family grain farm in South Central Illinois. She still drives a tractor when needed and loves a great cup of coffee or a long lingering meal with friends!

Lindsay Sterchi is the Marketing Director at the REALIFE Process® with Teresa McCloy, developing vision and content for the website, social media, and external marketing. Lindsay served as the Launch Team Leader for Teresa’s book, Do What Matters.

She is also a Content & Copywriter who helps coaches and business owners clarify their message through written content. She loves taking complex ideas and putting them into clear, concise, and compelling wording.

Lindsay lives in Effingham, IL with her husband Tyler, Lead Pastor at New Hope Church, and her twin daughters Addy and Lissy. She has an M.A. in Transformational Leadership from Bethel Seminary and a B.A. in Communication Studies.

In this interview, I got to ask Teresa and Lindsay all my geeky questions about how they put together this fun book launch, including the gift box, launch event, and the book publishing itself.

I highly recommend that you check out Teresa’s book by visiting https://dowhatmattersbook.com!

The post Teresa McCloy & Lindsay Sterchi on Organizing a Creative Book Launch appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.

When you talk to writers, there are certain themes that come up repeatedly in conversations. One of those themes is that authors know they need to market their books, but get confused about how, when, and where to start.

I’m thrilled today to have a guest who is not only the #1 expert on self-publishing… she’s also a bona fide expert on book marketing, as well. You can scour the internet, and I promise you will not find anyone who has more experience, credibility, or success when it comes to publishing and marketing their own books and creating a multi-layered, successful business from their ideas.

Her name is Honorée Corder, and she is the author of dozens of books, including: You Must Write a Book, The Prosperous Writers book series, Vision to Reality, Business Dating, The Successful Single Mom book series, and many more.

Next week, she’s releasing her brand-new book, You Must Market Your Book: Increase Your Impact, Sell More Books, and Make More Money. This is a fantastic book that is concise, to-the-point, and exactly what you need to start selling more books.

I would be hard-pressed to say there is anyone who has had more impact on my mindset and growth over the last couple of years than Honorée. I’m in my second year of her amazing Empire Builders Mastermind, and it has truly been life-changing.

In this interview, we dive into a few topics in her new book, You Must Market Your Book, including: where book marketing really begins, how to think like a business person, how to market with your book, and much more.

You can get the book now on Amazon via this link, and I highly recommend signing up for Honorée’s extremely helpful email list at https://honoreecorder.com.

The post Self-Publishing Expert Honorée Corder on the Best Book Marketing Strategies appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.

Most authors focus on strategies such as email marketing and social media when connecting with readers and promoting their books. On today’s episode, you’ll hear from an expert who gives you the keys to unlock the power of traditional media—perhaps something you hadn’t considered before.

Mary O’Donohue is a Media Coach for Authors, #1 bestselling parenting author, and former post producer for “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” She has worked in high-profile television for decades including years on “The Today Show,” “NBC Nightly News,” and “Meet the Press.”

As founder of Authors In Media, Mary teaches women nonfiction authors how to get publicity and do media interviews that sell books, expand their impact, and change the world.

Her unique coaching framework, The Media I.M.P.A.C.T. Method, is a proven path to publicity with purpose, and has consistently led to author success in national media, with her clients reaching audiences of more than a billion people—so far.

In this conversation, you’ll learn how traditional media is different than other types of media, a few obstacles authors face when navigating traditional media, and the 6 pillars that create media success for authors.

And, as Mary mentions in the interview, she’s getting ready to offer her Publish to Prime Time program for women nonfiction authors. To find out more, you can book a time on her schedule.

In addition, I encourage you to download her free podcast one-sheet templates by visiting her website, https://maryodonohue.com. I’ve already downloaded these myself and will be using them immediately!

The post Media Coach Mary O’Donohue on the 6 Pillars of Media Success for Authors appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.

One of the most important jobs we have as authors is marketing our books. I know most of us would rather hide out in our offices and avoid the challenge of putting ourselves out there, but marketing is a core part of serving your audience well and building your author business.

My guest today is Susan Neal, and she’s going to share a strategy that can help you sell one thousand books in three months.

Susan has a master’s in health science and an MBA. She lives her life with a passion to help others improve their health. After suffering a health crisis, she became an author and health coach to provide others with the tools they needed to heal their bodies and reclaim their ideal weight.

Her award-winning #1 Amazon bestseller is 7 Steps to Get Off Sugar and Carbohydrates. The third book in her Healthy Living Series, Healthy Living Journal, won the Golden Scrolls award “2019 Best Inspirational Gift Book.” Her newest release, Solving the Gluten Puzzle, helps many determine if they have a gluten-related disorder and how to treat it.

Susan has been featured in many media outlets including The Bridges TV show, Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), Charisma magazine, and numerous podcasts and radio shows. You can learn more about Susan and find all her books at SusanUNeal.com.

In this interview, Susan shares specific strategies she’s used to sell books. Best of all, she talks about the importance of having a marketing plan in place. You will want to take notes because Susan will give you tons of clear, actionable advice for marketing and selling your books.

The post Bestselling Author Susan Neal on How to Sell 1,000 Books in 3 Months appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.

As a writer, you use lots of different products and services. Many of those have an affiliate program that pays you a percentage of what they receive from the customer whenever the customer purchases through your individual affiliate link.

I love affiliate income because it’s like getting paid to recommend things you are already using. For example, I’m an affiliate for ConvertKit, the email marketing service. When people use my link to sign up with the service, I get a portion of what they pay ConvertKit. The basic idea is that ConvertKit is rewarding me for recommending their product because they may not have had that customer without my recommendation.

Another example is the course Book Marketing Mastery, created and taught by Honorée Corder. I promote this course a couple of times a week here on the podcast because Honorée is great, the course is great, and I know it’s something that will benefit you. Plus, it doesn’t cost you any more to sign up through my affiliate link because Honorée gives me a portion of what you pay her for the course.

And by the way, if you’d like to sign up for Book Marketing Mastery, visit https://dailywriterlife.com/bookmarketingmastery and use the code “DailyWriter” (that’s all one word) to get 10% off.

One thing I want to mention is that an affiliate is different than a sponsor. The difference is in how you get paid. With an affiliate partnership, you get a percentage of what the customer pays the affiliate. With a sponsorship, the company or person behind the product or service you’re promoting pays you directly to advertise it. For example, starting next month, the Vellum app will be a paid sponsor of this podcast. That means they are paying me directly to promote their product on my show.

Here is the main key with affiliate marketing: you must do it in an ethical and responsible way. I never promote things that I don’t personally use or recommend, whether it’s an affiliate partnership or a sponsor. If you’re already using and recommending certain products or services, check to see if they have an affiliate program, then start promoting them in an ethical way. It’s a great way to grow your bank account and have a lot of fun in the process!

Question: What products or services are you already using that have an affiliate program?

The post Making Money as a Writer: Affiliate Marketing appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.

Many writers create hats, t-shirts, mugs, journals, and an endless array of other merchandise and products based on their brand. One of my favorite examples of a writer who creates unique and interesting products based on his writing is Ryan Holiday. His products include special editions of his books, coins featuring figures and mottos of Stoicism, a calendar, rings and jewelry, prints, and much more. See https://dailystoic.com for some great examples.

Products can be a great way to set yourself apart from others who are writing about the same topics. But let’s be honest: most writers don’t have the business mindset or the persistence to go through the stages of developing a successful product. However, if you are committed to building your audience and thinking like a business owner, and not just a writer, products can be a great source of income.

This is an area I absolutely want to dive into more over the next couple of years. At our recent Daily Writer retreat, I had special journals, pens, and tumblers made with the Daily Writer logo. Everyone loved them! This was an experiment to see the response to some potential products, and it convinced me to dive into this area more.

My personal view on products is that you need to be willing to test some products and have a real entrepreneurial spirit to make these successful. You also need a customer base who can buy the products consistently in order for them to be profitable and justify the time and effort to create them.

That said, products can be a great way to stand out as a writer because most writers won’t go to the trouble of messing with them. So I definitely encourage you to give it a shot!

Question: If you were going to design a product with your logo or brand, what would it be?

The post Making Money as a Writer: Products appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.

These are related but not the same thing. Let’s begin with editing first.

The essence of editing is that you are getting someone’s writing or book manuscript ready for publication. But there are different types of editing.

If you are great with content organization or story structure, you might consider developmental editing. That means thinking through the structure and flow of the book on the front end. Or, it could mean re-working a book that has not been properly organized or written. Maybe the author is stuck and needs expert help.

You could also consider line editing, copyediting, or proofreading. Line editing is more of an art than a science. It mainly concerns making sure sentences flow as well as possible. Copyediting mainly focuses on the mechanics of language, ensuring that the writing adheres to correct English usage, grammar, punctuation, citations, and so forth. Proofreading literally refers to reading the proof, which is the final version just before or after it goes to print as a last measure of defense against errors.

Another form of editing is working for a magazine or publication. A few years ago, I worked for The Good Men Project as a lead editor. This means people sent me articles, and I decided which ones to run in my sections, which are also called “verticals” in the publications world. Then, I would give the authors feedback if I needed changes. I almost always made changes in spelling, grammar, punctuation, and so forth. It did not pay very well but the experience was absolutely priceless because I learned to think, write, and edit quickly.

If you enjoy the self-publishing process, you can also help others navigate their way through getting their book published. If you are detail-oriented and like to manage complex projects, you can help people get their book cover and interior formatting designed, manage editors, get their book uploaded to Amazon and other online vendors, and market their book.

The bottom line is that if you can write and publish your own books, you can also help other people do the same thing. Most of the writers I know, no matter their level of success, do some type of client work in addition to writing for themselves.

I really like doing client work as one of my income streams because I learn something from every project. Whether you are editing or helping other people publish their books, it’s a great way to serve authors and make money at the same time.

Question: Have you ever considered helping other writers with editing or publishing services? What specific services could you offer?

The post Making Money as a Writer: Editing & Publishing Services appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.

Book sales is probably the first thing you think of when it comes to making money. But let’s dig into this a little bit.

First of all, it presumes that you have books to sell. So, if you haven’t yet written a book, or haven’t even thought about it, get started on that.

Second, a book can lead to a lot of other things. A book basically proves that you can write a sustained piece and that you have the discipline and vision to complete a big project. One of the big reasons why having a book is such a special thing is not just because it demonstrates your writing skills. It also proves that you can tackle a big, complex project.

Most people are not willing to go to the trouble of doing that, which is what makes that skill rare and valuable. It’s also why authors who have written books can command much higher speaking fees.

In other words, by virtue of the fact that you have written and published at least one book, you are showing to the world that you have done the work and completed something difficult that most people want to do, but aren’t willing to actually put the work in to do.

Let’s talk about making money with books.

In order to make money with books, you have to embrace marketing. Good marketing is a way to serve people. A lot of writers don’t want to mess with the marketing side of things because they think they’re above that. They’re the “creative” type, not the business type. You need to embrace the business side because that is where the action happens.

Your books are not just going to sell themselves. The sooner you embrace that idea—that you have to be a business person as an author—the sooner you can get busy doing the marketing activities that will help your books sell.

What’s more, this income stream can be greatly expanded when you have many books on multiple platforms, and you create ancillary products related to those books. We’ll get to making products in a later episode.

But for now, I want you to get comfortable with the idea of not only WRITING and PUBLISHING books… but also doing the marketing work to MAKE MONEY with them.

Question: Have you embraced the idea that you are not only an author, but a business person as well?

The post Making Money as a Writer: Book Sales appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.

One of the common misconceptions among writers is that success is a mystery. Many people believe that some books are just magically successful for no good reason, and others languish forever with no readers. It’s all just luck of the draw, right?

Not so fast. My guest today is here to help us understand the simple yet incredibly effective formula for crafting a bestselling book.

Her name is Honorée Corder, and she THE self-publishing expert. Honorée is the author of dozens of books, including: You Must Write a Book, The Prosperous Writer book series, Vision to Reality, Business Dating, The Successful Single Mom book series, and many more. She is also the co-author of The Miracle Morning book series, which has over a dozen titles.

Honoree coaches business professionals, writers, and aspiring non-fiction authors who want to publish their books to bestseller status, create a platform, and develop multiple streams of income. She also happens to be my writing and business coach, and I’ve benefitted greatly from her wisdom through her courses, books, and the Empire Builders Mastermind.

In this conversation, Honorée breaks down the Bestselling Book Formula, which consists of four key elements. If there’s a book that stands the test of time, makes the author money, grows their platform for years, it probably contains some version of this formula.

Today’s episode is sponsored by the Book Marketing Mastery course. Use the code “DailyWriter” to get 10% off.

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