TIPS for PASSIVE MARKETINGby MARY DE LA PENA

As many of you know, currently I am taking an Advanced Media Marketing for Authors class offered through Tom Bird and his Publish Now Program. One of my many "homework" assignments is to blog, which of course I LOVE!

However, sometimes things come across my path I feel I need to share with everyone, whether they are author or not. Below is one such example. I hope you enjoy it and get some important tips!

SIMPLE TIPS FOR ATTRACTING BOOK BUYERS

By Mary de la Peña, attorney and author of

A Layman’s Guide to Criminal Defense; An Immigrant American Hero

Visit her website at marydelapena-author.com

A great lady I know, Jan Fowler, author and radio host, shared with me three simple tips to turn everyday communications into book sales. These tips came from a guest she had on her show, John Eggen, who is a best-selling author in his own right.

Here are these great simple tips:

·         Turn Every E-mail into a Client Magnet: Create an e-mail signature line that announces you are authoring a book. Then place the title in the signature line for all your e-mails using these exact words: “Author of the forthcoming book, (insert title and subtitle here)”. It’s that simple. [as a side-note from me, I’d add a link to either the buy page at Amazon, or to your own website’s buy page]

·         Turn All Your Introductions into Business Magnets: In all of your prepared introductions add the title of your book and sub-title. This would include introductions made by others, or by you, in all of your public presentations, marketing materials, Website, bio and media kit. (This is a proven method as tested by Kathleen Holland who used it and booked an additional $48,000 in fees in just the first four months)

·         Put Your Elevator Speech or Audio Logo on Steroids: Add news about your forthcoming book into your elevator speech or audio log and automatically attract more business. An example of this is to do an audio intro on your website, make sure to highlight your book! Again, this is a proven method of attracting business and insuring your credibility. John Cannon started using this method when writing his first book, and he increased his “first meetings” with intended markets by 30-40%!.

These are all easy tips, and available to you at no cost! No go forth and increase your book sales!

TRANSITIONING IS A BITCH!

by

Mary de la Pena, Esq. also writing as M.J. Hatch

It pulled me from a deep slumber, the sharp pain crushing my chest, spreading up to my throat and grabbing my jaw in a death grip. From there it spread down through my upper abdomen to my groin area, leaving my body in writhing pain.

Holy Christ! Was this the big one?

I tried to breathe through the pain, taking deep breaths, holding them and letting them out slowly. But no matter how much I tried to control my breathing it didn’t help. I took in the air as gasps and let it out in groans. The pain would not be appeased by my lowly attempts to control it with breaths.

I NEEDED AIR!

I staggered out of bed, only to be met with a wave of nausea, my undigested diner from the night before catching in my throat.

“What are the symptoms of a heart attack in women?” I kept asking myself as I staggered to my computer.

A quick perusal of http://Symptomfind.com I found an article by Dr. Tom Iarocci  from October 11, 2013, which gave me the list of symptoms which include:

• ·         Angina: pain, discomfort, pressure or tightness in the middle of the chest that lasts for more than a few minutes or goes away and then comes back; sometimes mistaken for heartburn
• ·         Pain or discomfort in upper body including arms, left shoulder, back, neck, jaw or stomach
• ·         Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• ·         Cold sweat or sweating
• ·         Feeling of indigestion, choking or heartburn
• ·         Nausea or vomiting
• ·         Feeling dizzy, light-headed or extremely weak
• ·         Feeling anxious
• ·         Rapid or irregular heart beats

Hmm, close, but was it really a heart attack?

As it turned out, it was a warning shot over my bow.

My heart was reacting to the unrelenting stress of trying to transition from my law practice into being a full time author. I was doing neither well, and the stress of underperforming was wearing on me and my body.

My choice was clear—leave the practice of law—or DIE!

Whoa! Really? The choice was that clear?

Transitions are never easy. The stress of making the choice to make the leap can be incapacitating. Leave what I have known for more than 28 years, a career in which I have been very successful, and jump into a pond with so many wide-eyed dreamers, but with so many broken hearts and broken dreams?  

Today I took the first step. I swallowed my pride and put the courts and clients on notice—I am DONE!  I can’t do it anymore.

Whew—I get cold sweats just thinking about it. But, my heart doesn’t race when I think about the future. My heart remains calm when I write, and most of all no matter how difficult the transition, the alternative when it includes dying is a BITCH!

KNOW THE EARLY WARNING SIGNS!