Kevin Tumlinson's Blog, page 4

Become a Slinger and You Could Win a Kindle fire HD6!

Just in case you haven't heard, or maybe forgot, I'm giving away a FREE Kindle fire HD 6 on Monday, 9 March 2015! To enter, all you have to do is register on my mailing list.

That's it.

Just go to www.kevintumlinson.com/kindleme and register and BOOM. Done. Pop the fireworks and serve the champagne. 

And if you're already on the mailing list, you're already entered to win! So why not spread the love and forward this to someone you know who might need a little Wordslinger in their life, and who might appreciate a chance at a free Kindle? 

I'm stupid excited to be able to offer this to the people who follow my work and support me in everything I do. So THANK YOU to every blessed one of you! Thank you for having my back as I figure out exactly how to serve you and others like you. And thank you for giving me so many reasons to want to serve! 

And good luck! I secretly hope YOU win. Yes. You. Reading this right now. Don't tell the others, but you're my favorite.

3 Tools for Reaching the Mobile Global Marketplace

Mobile technology is the new ecosystem of the authority business entrepreneur. With smartphones and tablets connecting us no matter where we are, the reach of a business in our information economy is wider than it has ever been at any other time in history. Startups are already popping up to leverage this reach, and the results are world-changing.

This story from Yahoo Travel is a great example of life in the new global economy. 

“We are excited to be a resource where therapy isn’t an option,” explained founder Bea Arthur. “When you travel, often a sense of constancy is incredibly important to your mental health. We provide that. We want to make this as easy a possible.” 
Read the entire article here >>

What are some ways you can use freely or cheaply available digital resources to expand your reach in the global, mobile marketplace?

Here are three suggestions:

Use Skype to do local and international calls, or even video chats

Getting a Skype phone number is surprisingly inexpensive, and makes it possible to call landline phones from your laptop or desktop computer as well as from your mobile device. For international clients, Skype gives you the ability to voice chat or video chat for free.

Use Ecamm Call Recorder to record Skype calls

Ecamm sells a plug-in for Skype that allows you to record calls from your laptop or desktop computer (sadly, it isn't available for mobile platforms yet). Call Recorder for Skype gives you a way to offer something extra to your clients. You can send them a copy of the audio or video file, so they can listen and/or watch back any time they need to. You can also have the call transcribed and send them a text document for their reference and use. 

Use Evernote to share documents and resources with your clients

Evernote's free version is powerful enough to take care of a lot of your needs as a business. But the Premium version of Evernote gives you some features that will let you share folders and files with clients no matter where they are in the world. Create a folder for your specific client, or create one big shared folder for all your clients, and give them access as part of their relationship with you. Keep PDFs, bookmarks, affiliate links, slide decks, videos and just about anything else you can think of in Evernote and your clients can sync and use these resources on the go from their mobile devices.

With tools like these at your fingertips, you have the ability to reach a broader market than ever before. Start thinking in terms of "how can I use this, and how can it benefit my customers?" You'll find that your reach is bigger than you imagined.

Broken Eggs and What We Make of Them

What's the biggest mistake you've made in the past 30 days?

What can you create from it?

Call me at 281-809-WORD (9673) and tell me, and I may play your story on the Wordslinger Podcast.

 

Pretend to Water the Fake Plants

“My fake plants died because I did not pretend to water them.”

— Mitch Hedberg

There's a success philosophy that goes, "Fake it 'til you make it" (Amy Cuddy does a great TED Talk about this, you should definitely watch it). 

This is about more than pretending you've got your game together. It's about feeding yourself the diet of someone who is succeeding in what you're trying to do. 

Read the books successful people read.

Watch the videos successful people watch.

Incorporate the exercise and diet that a successful people have in their lives.

Pretend to water the fake plants.

Keep layering on all the things that successful people do, and you will think the way successful people think. And thinking like a successful person means taking the actions a successful person would take. And taking action is how success is actually built. 

Go grow a forest of fake plants, and treat them as real until, one day, they are.

 

Does your career need a master plan?

“If you just work on stuff that you like and you’re passionate about, you don’t have to have a master plan with how things will play out.”

— Mark Zuckerberg, Founder of Facebook.

The 3 Commandments of Building an Authority Business

Recently I wrote this post on the Happy Pants Books blog. It outlines what an authority business actually is. 

This is what I do, and it's what I help other people to do. And at the heart of it, the way to make an authority business successful is to focus on three important ideas. I call them the 3 Commandments of an Authority Business.

1ST COMMANDMENT: Find a pain, and create a solution.

This is the whole point of your authority business. Keep your eyes open. Do you see a pain somewhere? Do you see someone struggling with something that you can solve? Once you've identified a pain, and created a solution for it, you have a product.

2ND COMMANDMENT: Market that solution to the people who need it most.

The best-written book in the world does no one any good if nobody knows about it. The finest-crafted jewelry doesn't matter to the person who isn't aware it exists. The greatest WordPress plugin of all time means nothing to those who have no idea it's out there. "Marketing" may be a dirty word in some circles, but good marketing means that you're answering a call and soothing a pain. You owe it to those who need what you have, to promote your work so they can find it. So start looking at ways to market and promote your authority business.

3RD COMMANDMENT: Do the work only if it comes from a place of love, not if the motivation is purely money.

Money is useful. It lets me buy the things I want and need. It puts food on the table and clothes on my back, but it also gets me a Playstation or a pool table. Money lets me travel—my primary muse for inspiration. Without money, I'd be in pretty bad shape. But money can't be my primary motivator in life (nor yours). "Doing it for the money" alone won't be enough to keep you going when things get tight. There are far easier ways to make money than building an authority business, so your primary motivator needs to be the love you have for the work and for others. Do it if you're passionate. Don't do it if you're not. The money comes as a result of doing what you love and solving a problem for someone else. 

As simple as all that sounds, it can be daunting for someone starting an authority business—an author, a speaker, a coach or consultant—as they hang their shingle and step out of their door to face the world. That's why it's important to get a little help, when you can.

I've had hundreds of mentors. Some of them have come to me via podcasts and blogs. Some via books and videos. And some have come as consultants and coaches who have worked with me one-on-one. 

If you need some guidance in building or growing your authority business, there are three things I'd recommend:

Listen to podcasts — The Wordslinger Podcast is a good place to start, but you can search iTunes and Stitcher for podcasts on any topic you can imagine. These are free, highly valuable sources of information on your topic!Read books — Depending on your chosen area of expertise, there are tons of books I could recommend. But some basics to get you started include The Four-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss and The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau. You can find more books and more useful, Wordslinger-recommended resources for the budding authority business on my Resources page.Find a mentor — Look around at the people who are successful doing what you want to do, and read their books, listen to their podcasts, read their blogs. You might even reach out to them and see if they offer coaching. You can also contact me for some one-on-one consulting about how to build, promote, and grow your authority business. 

Whether you want to be an author, build a consulting practice, or start speaking for a living, the resources above are a good start and a good best-practice. But the most important thing on this page is the advice to do what makes you feel passionate. Do it because you love it, and you want to help, and you'll find that money and success just happen, and that your energy and freedom and happiness go up with every day. So start now, find a pain and solve it, and build the business and life you've wanted with all the authority you already have.

Indie Author Spotlight - K.C. O'Neill

I'm a big fan of anyone who takes charge of their own dreams and makes them into a reality. And no one does that better than the indie author. I'm proud to be a part of this community, because the whole industry is filled with helpful, supportive, brilliant people who are out to accomplish their dreams, no matter what. They're self aware, generous, responsive, innovative thinkers who take responsibility for their own path in life. What's not to love? 

This week I'm putting a spotlight on one indie author in particular, my new friend K.C. O'Neill. She's recently released her book, "Just Parker," now available on Amazon. Put it on your Kindle and give it a read. But before that, get an inside peek into its development and promotion, and the author behind it.

—

ABOUT YOUR BOOK—

Tell me a little about your book. What's the basic plot and setting?
The story is set at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. At it's most basic, it's about two people trying to manage the unexpected turns their lives have taken, and at the same time they manage to forge a relationship which is something kind of big and scary for both of them. There are a lot of bumps and potholes along the journey.

What inspired this story? Is there a personal connection to it?
In the story, Parker, the female protagonist, is taking care of her terminally ill mother. On top of that, her mom is, generally, a pretty crappy person. A lot of that emotion and angst came from my own relationship with my father, who passed away almost three years ago after a somewhat quick but ugly battle with pancreatic cancer. Him and I had a pretty rocky relationship while I was growing up so when he got sick, I felt a lot of conflicting emotions and writing this book was a great way to work some of them out. 

Besides that though, I put a little bit of myself into each character I write. So, sure, this story grew from things that I personally experienced, but at the same time I have a pretty personal connection with everything that I write.

Who is your protagonist, and what makes him or her interesting?
The story is written from two POV's, so there's really two. Parker, the female protagonist, has been through so much and I just think that the way that she tries to keep going and always do what she thinks is the right thing is really commendable in a way. She can be shortsighted but ultimately she has a big heart and she's easy to love. Ash, the male protagonist, is something else entirely. His story remains hidden right up until the last few chapters so I don't want to give too much away, but he's dealing with something that would rock the foundation of the strongest person you know, and even if you don't entirely agree with his actions, I think it's really hard to say that he's not doing his best to fix his life and turn things around. I love him, for that.

Who is the ideal reader for this book?
Anyone who loves a good romance, first and foremost, but it's more than that. You know, I love this genre because to me, people are the most interesting thing in the world. I love knowing how they think and why they do the things they do, and romance novels are one of my favorite ways to get to know people. So ultimately, if you're a people person, there's something to take away from my story.

ABOUT YOU AS AN AUTHOR—

Why indie publishing? Did you explore other options?
I spent a lot of time looking at what the other writers in my genre were doing, honestly. New Adult is this new exciting thing and a lot of the best voices are going the indie route to get the books out there. Even authors who've done both or who use an even mix are more and more switching back to indie publishing, so it just seemed like the best choice for me. I think the freedom it gives you is incredible. And there's also something empowering in knowing that every success (or failure) that comes my way is a direct result of my effort and ability. I like being able to hold myself accountable and this way I can.

 

What's the biggest challenge an indie author faces?
In my experience so far, the biggest thing is really just getting your work discovered by readers, but that said, there are some really fantastic tools nowadays that help you do that. I have to say, the entire publishing process has been so much easier than I ever would have thought. Sure, there have been a few challenges but for the most part, I've been pleasantly surprised by how simple it seemed.

How are you promoting your work? Do you have a marketing strategy?
First and foremost, I sent out a lot of messages to book bloggers. I think that's one of the most important tools for any indie author - reviews are critical. I also use a lot of social media and Facebook is probably my biggest promoter. Their ads make it really easy to get people viewing your posts so I've definitely been taking advantage of that. Goodreads is pretty great too. I'm doing a giveaway through them and it's gotten me a lot of To Be Read adds, which is definitely exciting.

Who or what are the biggest influences on your work?
Honestly, the best answer I can give to this is life. I'm inspired and influenced by things I read or hear as well as by things that happen in my own life. That said, I probably wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the work of authors like Jamie McGuire, Cora Carmack and Colleen Hoover. They really turned New Adult into what it is now, which is a community of readers and authors that I'm proud to be a part of.

How do you work? What's the basic process you go through to produce a book?
I start with an idea. Usually a line or scene that just pops into my head and grows on itself. I tend to write the first ten chapters or so and then I'll usually map out the rest of the story. On a day by day basis, I'll usually read a chapter or two and do some revisions and then I pick up right where I left off. I absolutely cannot write out of chronological order because, trust me, I've tried but it never goes well. From there, I let the characters define the little things because to me, they're real people who just happen to live in my head.

Do you listen to music while you write? If so, what kind, and how loud?
Most of the time, I'm listening to music when I write. I actually make playlists for each story that I'm working on and I'll either listen to those or I'll start a radio station based off of a certain song that really sets the mood that I'm going for. My musical taste ranges all over so those playlists are strange and varied. I can tell you that the Just Parker playlist has songs from Johnny Cash, Death Cab for Cutie, Night Ranger and more, so definitely strange and varied.

Do you have an office or some other writing space?
If you wanted a photo, it'd have to be a slideshow because I take my laptop everywhere. I write a lot in bed because hey, when you're writing romance... Besides that though, I write all over my house and even outside, so long as the temperature is above about 40 degrees. Changing spaces helps me combat writer's block a lot, so I like to switch up my view as much as possible.

Visit Katrina onine at katrinaoneill.com

On Facebook: facebook.com/KCONeillWrites

And on Twitter: @TrinaMarieOh

You could win a Kindle fire HD6 just for joining my list!

Now's your chance to get your hands on a Kindle fire HD6, absolutely FREE!

All it takes is becoming a Slinger! Sign up for my mailing list and you're automatically entered to win!

Already a Slinger? You're already entered! I could never ignore you, my little buttercup. Because you're the whole reason I show up every day. So that's why I've decided to include everyone already on the list, as a "thank you" for being here!

You can help me out by telling everyone you know about this!

I have a goal: Put 40K subscribers on this mailing list in the next 18 days. Sound impossible? I get that a lot. And that's why I know, without a doubt, that it's going to take amazing people like you to help me get there! So please, spread the love. Tell your friends. Drag people to this page and give them all the encouragement they need to join. Because I'm here to help, and I can only do that if there are people here who need helpin'!

Drawing is Monday, 9 March 2015

That means you have until 11:59 PM CST on Sunday, 8 March 2015 to get on the list and be entered for your chance to win! Go now, do it, take a chance and get some Wordslinger joy!

CLICK HERE TO GET ON THE LIST AND ENTER THE DRAWING!

 

 

Slinger News for 18 February 2015

February has been an interesting month, with all the contacts made and the projects that have come my way. I've met some incredibly fascinating people—many of whom I've had the absolute honor to interview for the Wordslinger Podcast! Here are some episodes that are coming up over the next few weeks:

Upcoming Wordslinger Interviews

Vic Mignogna — Vic is a good friend of mine from way back. You might know him as the voice of Edward Elric on Cartoon Network's "Full Metal Alchemist." Or you might know him from his hundreds of voice acting roles in animation and video games. But these days, many people know him as Captain Kirk, from the phenomenal web-based fan series Star Trek Continues. If you're a fan of the original series, or just curious about the passion that goes into creating a fan series, don't miss this episode!

Johnny B Truant — Thousands of people listen to Johnny B Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright on the Self Publishing Podcast every week. These guys have produced millions of words, in bestselling books that dominate in both fiction and non-fiction. Johnny is a principal part of the group's growth and success, churning out ~8-10K words per day in a process that he and his partners keep refining over time. Johnny talks about the success of their publishing empire, the value of the podcast, and his love of the audience. This interview has some solid, practical advice for anyone looking to get into the book business.

Tara Jacobsen — Marketing genius extraordinaire Tara Jacobsen has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs (including this Wordslinger!) to find focus for their business, define their audience, and build a strategy for continued and phenomenal success. This interview has some seriously solid and practical steps for marketing your own authority business and reaching a bigger audience than you might have thought possible. Definitely do not miss.

Francesca Hogi — Francesca was a contestant on TV's "Survivor" for two different seasons. And on both, she was the first to be eliminated from the challenge! But she's moved on from that in a big way, and grown into a career that proves she's more than just a survivor—she's winning at life. Francesca now coaches people in life and love, helping them find their own strengths, shore up their weaknesses, and build a life for themselves that makes them happy. I talk to Francesca about her business, and what it takes to be a matchmaker and then a coach and consultant. 

Joseph Michael — Joseph is best known as the Scrivener Coach. He's built a career out of teaching people how to use Scrivener to make their dreams of writing into a hyper-organized reality. Now he's teaching people how to create authority businesses of their own, and he joins me to talk about his career path and his philosophy. We get lots of practical insight in this one!

A New Focus on Authority Business

You may notice that the Wordslinger Podcast has become a lot more focused on authority businesses lately. And that's by design. The more I work with entrepreneurs and professionals in my consulting work, the more I recognize the need for education and guidance for people who want to create their own authority business.

Consultants, coaches, keynote speakers, authors—anyone who makes their living with their expertise is in this industry. I've shifted the focus of my creative agency and my publishing imprint—Happy Pants Creative and Happy Pants Books—to provide author services to people creating or trying to grow authority businesses. I've also shifted my own consulting and speaking work to aim squarely at this audience. The Wordslinger Podcast is just one more branch for reaching out to educate, inform, inspire, and (hopefully) entertain this audience!

If you have ever dreamt of being an author or consultant or any form of authority, in business for yourself and deciding your own career path, feel free to contact me and set up a chat. I'd love to help! I offer paid consulting on building and growing an authority business (including becoming an author), and I'm always happy to just chat about your goals and dreams, and offer some free advice when I can.

Chat with you soon, Slinger!

 

 

How Many Horses?

How many horses do you see in this photo?

Your answer is going to depend on the kind of person you are, and the way you think about a problem. But go ahead, take a second and answer this in your head. I'll wait.

... ... ...

Ok, got it? Good. Now, here's the answer:

If you read this question as "How many actual horses are in this photo?" you might answer "14." Because that's the number of actual horses that are on the ground, being reflected into the water ahead of them.

If you read the question as "How many representations of horses are in this photo?" you'd answer "28." Because the number of actual horses plus their reflections comes to 28 total.

If you're extremely literal, and not much for symbolism, you'll say "None." Because this is a photo, and not a real-world view of actual horses at all. 

If you're someone who prefers clever answers over facts and figures, you'll say "All of them." Because that's just the kind of answer you like to give. Short, clever, all-encompassing, and impossible to contradict. 

The truth is, all of these answers are right, and all of them are wrong. It's the perspective, temperament, perception and attitude of the viewer that determines what's "true" and what's "false."

The same applies to what you're communicating to your audience. Depending on who they are and how they think, they are going to get different "truths" out of everything you write, say, or produce. 

Learn to love that. Because that's where the real magic of being a communicator comes in. Don't try to force your own meaning down someone's throat. Let them come to meaning on their own. Your job is to communicate your ideas as clearly and effectively as possible, whether writing a book, giving a speech, or just talking to your kids about bullying or peer pressure.

State what needs to be stated, in honest and clear terms, and let the audience determine meaning for themselves. They'll often come up with wonders you would never have imagined. And that's when you get to learn something new from your own work.

So ... how many horses do you see? And why? How about telling me in the comments for this post?