Ray Brehm's Blog, page 40

Workbooks – One Minute Book Clinic

I am here with my new One Minute Book Clinic in honor of the Avengers. And today we’re talking about Workbooks and I only got 50 seconds left, so I’m going to go fast.

You need an interior and a cover. Obvious, right? So the interior, you got to do that first because otherwise you don’t know how big the spine it’s gotta be. Now, you can use Word, Pages, InDesign.

I like using something universal like Google​ Docs. Check it out. You can go to Google Docs, create a doc, you can use one of their templates. I’ve used all their templates: I’ve created my own planner and I’ve got a workbook here. It’s all done in Google docs.​

Pretty simple. And then you just export it as a PDF and now you’ve got your interior and you have to work in your cover. Now, I would use a professional cover designer if you can, but if you can’t go to Canva and you can quickly create a cover in there, export that as a PDF, go to kdp.amazon.com upload it, and you can have Author Copies for less than $3 USD.

I want help getting your book done! Go to www.mybookchallenge.com
Check it out!

And we just finished in 60 seconds, so boom!​

One Minute Book Clinic

I am here with my new One Minute Book Clinic in honor of the Avengers. And today we’re talking about Workbooks and I only got 50 seconds left, so I’m going to go fast.

You need an interior and a cover. Obvius, right? So the interior, you got to do that first because otherwise you don’t know how big the spine it’s gotta be. Now, you can use Word, Pages, InDesign.

I like using something universal like Google​ Docs. Check it out. You can go to Google Docs, create a doc, you can use one of their templates. I’ve used all their templates: I’ve created my own planner and I’ve got a workbook here. It’s all done in Google docs.​

Pretty simple. And then you just export it as a PDF and now you’ve got your interior and you have to work in your cover. Now, I would use a professional cover designer if you can, but if you can’t go to Canva and you can quickly create a cover in there, export that as a PDF, go to kdp.amazon.com upload it, and you can have Author Copies for less than $3 USD.

I want help getting your book done! Go to www.mybookchallenge.com
Check it out!

And we just finished in 60 seconds, so boom!​

How To Write A Book Even If You Have No Time, Have Never Written Before And Can’t Sit Still

Even if you have never written anything before, you don’t have any time and you can’t sit still because like most entrepreneurs, we can’t sit still.

How are we going to write a book?

Well, here’s how you do it. You’ll pull out your phone and you start talking and guess what! That creates a conversational tone for your chapters that makes it much easier to read and more enjoyable for most readers.

But here’s the thing, you can’t just whip out a phone and dictate a book. You got to have a plan and it doesn’t have to be super elaborate.

You don’t have to script the entire thing to dictate to a phone, of course not, but you do need a solid outline to follow and you do that by doing a one page book plan and then turning that into a draft using the book plan.

That is what we do at mybookchallenge.com so check it out.

If you’re interested in writing a book, check out mybookchallenge.com and we teach you everything. How to get your book playing down, turn it into an outline, and then dictate the chapters. 

And now you have got the draft. You’ve got something to work with.

And by the way, you’ll never get it perfect the first time. Of course not. But the most important thing is getting it done, getting the draft done so you can have somebody else look at it, an editor, or beta readers, anything else.

mybookchallenge.com 

Check it out!! You can do it !!

Do this before you write your book – Positioning

I help entrepreneurs write bestselling books and make them the engine of their business, but before you start writing, there’s a few things you got to figure out. And the first one is it’s not about just starting to churn out your content. You need to think through a few things before we start writing and one of them is positioning and obviously positioning your book is important, right So how’s my book going to look What’s the cover going to look like All of that kind of stuff.

How’s that going to be seen in the public eye But you got to figure it out to other important pieces of positioning. One is what is the position of your Avatar after they read your book Because if you can explain that to him and say, look, you read this book and now your position is going to be here and maybe it’s not something higher but it’s better or successful or they’re going to feel better or they’re going to know more, they’re going to have learned

something.

You need to be able to describe that to upfront and it should be re acknowledged throughout the book. So if you know how you want your Avatar to be positioned after they’re done reading your book, super important. Also, how are you going to be positioned after you write your book So are you going to be the expert

at such and such If you know how you want your book to position you after the reader finishes, it’s a lot easier to write the book and you can write from that context. So I hope you take that advice and do that. Figure out the positioning of your book before you write it, and then use that to guide you in your writing of the book. Hope that helps. Talk to you soon.

Product Launch Blueprint

Jeff Walker’s Roadmap. This tells you about the whole blueprint itself. Uh, big picture tactics, eight types of launches, the Gotchas, your launch path, depending on what you’re doing and four freedoms that you get from launching and resources to talk about the big picture. And he goes through things like strategy, creating a crushing offer, building your list, all that good stuff. Um, he talks about the mental triggers that ha that help you connect with people and get them to get in your workshops and your product launches and uh, what the different sequences, the sequence of the entire launch. So you know, there’s a pre prelaunch, prelaunch launch, all that stuff. And by the way, the thing that’s super cool is he’s launching, he’s showing you how to launch while he launches. So awesome stuff and back to the, the a blueprint. But, um, there’s tactics, what you sell, how to create the offer, guaranteed bonuses, all that kind of

stuff.

The eight types of launches. This is critical if you got to learn this for basically anything you want to do on the Internet, you should know this stuff. So that’s why I liked the PDF. It’s super, super informative, big Gotchas, what to do if you don’t have a list, all that kind of stuff. And then he starts talking to you depending on what type of person you are. So you might be a current business owner or you work with clients one on one, but you don’t really have a leverage business or your want to start from scratch or you’re an author. So that pulls at my heart right there. If you’re an author, you want to have a course, a book, he’s got a path for you using his launch formula. Here’s the four freedoms that you want, financial time, who you work with in freedom of purpose, which I’ve been harping on all day to day.

He’s got the tools that you would use for a lot for launching and and all the different tech tools. This is in itself is worth downloading just to see what everybody’s using. So I, for me it was worth it. I got it. So I hope you check it out. Check out the link below, grab it while it’s free. It’s free for the next, I dunno how many days, three or four days at least, but maybe not less. Not more than a week. So grab it now before you forget, move it over your kindle or whatever. Read this thing and see if you are ready to embark on that next step. Download Jeff’s Blueprint Now!

https://launchworkshop.raybrehm.com/blueprint

The Southwest Airlines of Self-Publishing

I recently boarded a flight to Cleveland, I am going to pick up our new puppy (a golden doodle) named Luna. Though I have flown Southwest Airlines before, I was really impressed as I thought about their boarding procedure.

If you haven’t flown them before, they assign you a boarding number when you check in (which you can do online 24 hours prior). The number is essentially first come first serve, and gives you your exact spot in line.

The boarding process is about as clean and efficient as it gets. You line up according to you number at a kiosk. There is no one crowding the line, no one pushing or blocking.

Here is what most airlines do

On most other airlines, there are always those who try to board before their boarding group has been called and that holds up the line. Or then there are those that congregate and block the way to get in line for whose groups have been called.

It is not really anyone’s fault. It is just that everyone is required to somewhat “invent their own boarding procedure.” This results in 200 different ideas for how to board the plane, all being implemented at once.

On Southwest…

You line up according to your number and board. Easy Peasy. They have nailed it.

People should not have to think about what the boarding procedure is when traveling. Their job is just to do the traveling part.

The same goes for self-publishing. 

The only thing you should have to worry about is being creative.

But most self-publishing websites, blogs or courses still require you to figure out how to navigate them and how to implement the information they give you.

One of my pet peeves is when I take a course that gives you good information, but still leaves it to you to come up with a plan to implement material and the order to do things.

That is why I created the Author Startup Masterclass.

In the Author Startup Masterclass, I provide students with:

the exact order to start executing each task
my template for chapter structure, which leads you to complete your chapter
a roadmap to answer the 12 Enigma Code Questions every reader wants answered
how to separate tasks into creative and logical categories (if you don’t it can take you 10 times as long!)
in fact, the order to do everything to publish that first book

So, as you are thinking about the content of your book, or your course, or whatever you are working on, remember this……

Make your readers or clients “boarding experience” as easy and efficient as Southwest Airlines!

Keep It Simple Superstar!

Ray 

The Simplify Guy

P.S. My Author Startup Masterclass is off to an awesome start! Check it out here if you want to try the Southwest Airlines of Self-Publishing!!

Using Pre-Order to launch your book

Hi everyone! There have been a lot of questions and misconceptions about pre-order out there the last few months, so I want to set the record straight. 

The first rule of Pre-Order is:

DON’T USE PRE-ORDER WITH YOUR FIRST BOOK.

Now that you have agreed to that (haha), here is the other side of it.

Pre-Order is a very powerful way to launch, especially if you already have your first book published and have some kind of list. I have seen a lot of misinformation in mastermind groups about pre-orders, especially from people who have never actually used it.

No matter what you are looking for, always remember to please make sure the people you are getting advice from have actually done what they are advising you on !

PRE-ORDER

Pre-Order seems scary, but……You simply have to have all your ducks in a row, and once again, don’t use pre-order with your first book. You have to have handle on all aspects and gotchas of publishing before you try it yourself.

That being said, Pre-Order is the only method I use to launch books now. I find it easier to hit Bestseller and a less stressful way to manage a stealth period.

I read someone post recently that Amazon weights against Pre-order. I have found no evidence of Amazon “weighting against” your book, in fact the quite opposite! My experience has been that the Orange Banner appears slightly easier during Pre-Order. You can also get the banner with zero reviews (because reviews cannot be posted during pre-order).

Should you listen to me? That is debatable (haha), but in the last 6 months I have launched 4 of my own books, and managed the launches of at least 20 others, all using Pre-Order, and ALL became Bestsellers.

Here is the way I see it:

Benefits:

Divide up the tasks, during Pre-Order no one can buy or download your book, so you can perfect your Amazon Book Description page, and more importantly just focus on marketing your book






Get Bestseller Banner out of way (in some cases) and use that in advertising once you release: “Became a Bestseller Before It Was Released”






Sales carry forward (as a batch), and allocated across first three days towards the big lists USA Today, etc (Amazon does Bestseller lists hourly). This helps you concentrate sales to the first three days of release (and you can work other promos during that time). Think about having 30-60 days to batch up all your sales, and then have them release across your first three days.




You can test your message, and conversion rates on that message, before it is even live.

Drawbacks:

Can’t use most many types of promos (those that require reviews). That’s ok, you can line those up for right after release. A Pre-Order Launch can be very effectively done by focusing your efforts with Bookbub Ads (not Featured Deals).






You are not doing a Free Launch and you will not get a post Free Launch bump (but I have found this). You can still set a free period up to occur after the release date.






There is a risk of not being ready. This is simple, just like a regular launch, do not press the button to set up pre-order until you have everything back from (editors, formatters, cover designers). Do not do it until you do and you are in complete control. Set Pre-Order release date at least 30 days out.






You won’t have your launch team sending you errors in your mobi file, unless you send them the upload. So make sure you have it right. That being said, you can upload new versions of your cover, or interior file right up until 3 days before release.




Like anything, it will be a little nerve racking the first time.

Oh, and one more thing, did I mention:

Don’t use Pre-order on your first book.

My next launch will be a pre-order and if you want to see a pre-order launch up close, feel free to join my launch team. I am sharing a behind the scenes documentary on what I do, with my launch team for my new book Rock Star Business Card. You can check it out at RockStarBusinessCard.com.

Or you can have me handle your launch using these techniques, and get trained on how to do it yourself next time: ghostlauncher.com

Using Pre-Order on Amazon

Hi everyone! There have been a lot of questions and misconceptions about pre-order out there the last few months, so I want to set the record straight. 

The first rule of Pre-Order is:

DON’T USE PRE-ORDER WITH YOUR FIRST BOOK.

Now that you have agreed to that (haha), here is the other side of it.

Pre-Order is a very powerful way to launch, especially if you already have your first book published and have some kind of list. I have seen a lot of misinformation in mastermind groups about pre-orders, especially from people who have never actually used it.

No matter what you are looking for, always remember to please make sure the people you are getting advice from have actually done what they are advising you on !

 

PRE-ORDER

Pre-Order seems scary, but……You simply have to have all your ducks in a row, and once again, don’t use pre-order with your first book. You have to have handle on all aspects and gotchas of publishing before you try it yourself.

That being said, Pre-Order is the only method I use to launch books now. I find it easier to hit Bestseller and a less stressful way to manage a stealth period.

I read someone post recently that Amazon weights against Pre-order. I have found no evidence of Amazon “weighting against” your book, in fact the quite opposite! My experience has been that the Orange Banner appears slightly easier during Pre-Order. You can also get the banner with zero reviews (because reviews cannot be posted during pre-order).

Should you listen to me? That is debatable (haha), but in the last 6 months I have launched 4 of my own books, and managed the launches of at least 20 others, all using Pre-Order, and ALL became Bestsellers.

Here is the way I see it:

Benefits:

Divide up the tasks, during Pre-Order no one can buy or download your book, so you can perfect your Amazon Book Description page, and more importantly just focus on marketing your book
Get Bestseller Banner out of way (in some cases) and use that in advertising once you release: “Became a Bestseller Before It Was Released”
Sales carry forward (as a batch), and allocated across first three days. If you did not get the orange banner during pre-order, this helps you concentrate sales to the first three days of release (and you can work other promos during that time). Think about having 30-60 days to batch up all your sales, and then have Amazon count them across your first three days.
You can test your message, and conversion rates on that message, before it is even live.

Drawbacks:

Can’t use most many types of promos (those that require reviews). That’s ok, you can line those up for right after release. A Pre-Order Launch can be very effectively done by focusing your efforts with Bookbub Ads (not Featured Deals).
You are not doing a Free Launch and you will not get a post Free Launch bump (but I have fo
und this). You can still set a free period up to occur after the release date.
There is a risk of not being ready. This is simple, just like a regular launch, do not press the button to set up pre-order until you have everything back from (editors, formatters, cover designers). Do not do it until you do and you are in complete control. Set Pre-Order release date at least 30 days out.
You won’t have your launch team sending you errors in your mobi file, unless you send them the upload. So make sure you have it right. That being said, you can upload new versions of your cover, or interior file right up until 3 days before release.
Like anything, it will be a little nerve racking the first time.

Oh, and one more thing, did I mention:

Don’t use Pre-order on your first book.

My next launch will be a pre-order and if you want to see a pre-order launch up close, feel free to join my launch team. I am sharing a behind the scenes documentary on what I do, with my launch team for my new book Rock Star Business Card. You can check it out at RockStarBusinessCard.com.

Or you can have me handle your launch using these techniques, and get trained on how to do it yourself next time: ghostlauncher.com

“Eddie The Eagle” Edwards

Have you ever heard of “Eddie The Eagle” Edwards?

Michael Edwards, known as “Eddie the Eagle“, is a British skier who went to the Olympics in 1988. He became the first competitor since 1928 to represent Great Britain in Olympic ski jumping.

He finished last in both 70m and 90m events.

He also became the British ski jumping record holder and arguably the most famous olympic ski jumper of all time (to those of us who don’t follow the sport closely, which is a large percentage of the world). A film was made about it called Eddie the Eagle in 2016, starring Taron Egerton as Eddie Edwards, with Hugh Jackman and Christopher Walken.

The movie does a great job depicting what was happening in real life. Everyone was telling him he could not do it. Then when he started getting close to qualifying, there were those who tried to prevent him from going. The other competitors laughed and made fun of him.

For all intents and purposes, he should have quit. Couldn’t he see that when compared to everyone else, they were much better?

That is exactly the point. Eddie The Eagle became one of the most famous olympic athletes at the time, because he did not measure his value to the world by comparing himself to everyone else. He measured his value by his own self-improvement. He finished last, but no one was more excited by their own jumps than Eddie. His attitude was contagious.

If he had said I am not as good as those other jumpers yet, he never would have tried. But he was determined to make the Olympics, and he focused on what he could do and improve.

The same can be said for all of us authors and entrepreneurs. It is so easy to get caught up looking at our heroes or those we want to emulate, and say, “No way will I ever be that big, or that knowledgeable, or have that many followers……”

But all of our heroes started the same way. They all started with their first customer, follower, or sale. They all stared somewhere.

The one thing they figured out that puts them ahead?

Don’t compare yourself to others. You have something to share, or teach, or coach. Don’t get caught up worrying how far you need to go. You just need to start.

And you are not alone. I look up everyday and say, “OMG, when will I get to that (inspiring) person’s level?”

Then I correct myself and say, “Today, I move forward (no matter where I am).”

You got this!

Ray

P.S. This is your Eddie The Eagle moment. What will you do?

P.P.S. My Eddie The Eagle moment was 15 months ago, and I decided to just start delivering help to others based on what I knew. And it worked. It all started with Jeff Walker’s Product Launch Formula. It is only available until Friday:

Product Launch Formula

I am an affiliate.

The BLUEPRINT to Launch your COURSE (or online business)

The game changer for me in creating an online business (I now have more than 3 I created this past year) was figuring out how to create it and release it (launch it, attract my ideal clients, etc…). I mapped it all out using Jeff Walker’s Product Launch Blueprint. 

Jeff Walker just released his all-new “Product Launch Blueprint”… it’s a downloadable, 18-page PDF, plus a full-length training video that walks you through each step of the Blueprint.

It’s 100% free, there’s no hidden upsells, no cross-sells, and no catch. The only thing you need to do is opt-in (no credit card or any other payment required).

You can download it free for a limited time and watch the video for a full explanation:

DOWNLOAD: Jeff Walker’s Product Launch Blueprint + Video

IMPORTANT: Make sure you print out the PDF so you can take notes as you go through the video.

You can do it! 

Ray

PS: There is A LOT to this blueprint, but don’t worry, Jeff walks you through it in the companion video:

DOWNLOAD: Jeff Walker’s Product Launch Blueprint + Video



P.P.S. There’s even a hidden “resources” section that Jeff snuck in at the last second. It barely shows up in the training video, but it’s in the Blueprint… and it rocks.

P.P.P.S. I am an affiliate of Jeff’s, but this was an absolute gamer changer for me or I would not be recommending it.