James L. Paris's Blog, page 232

Travel The World On $50 Per Day - Special Guest Matt Kepnes

Discount Travel expert Matt Kepnes joins Jim Paris Live to discuss his book, How To Travel The World On $50 A Day. Avoid paying bank fees anywhere in the world, Earn thousands of free frequent flier points. Find discount travel cards that can save on hostels, tours, and transportation, get cheap and free plane tickets. Make money as a travel blogger.

Publish Your Own eBook In 2 Weeks Or Less

Jim discusses a new shortcut publishing method that can be used to write and publish short eBooks in under 2 weeks. Holiday job opportunities are plentiful. Is the next tech breakthrough eternal life? New social network takes direct aim at Facebook. iPhone 6 does bend according to reports. Chicago man destroys FAA facility and causes massive travel delays.

Credit Repair: Why Old Negative Accounts Are Not Usually The Issue

One of the most common misunderstandings about credit repair is the amount of importance given to negative accounts. When most people begin to review their credit report, the first thing they are drawn to are the so called 'bad accounts.' They mistakenly believe that if they could just clear up these items they would end up with a good score. Oddly enough, tinkering with these accounts will usually do nothing to raise your score, and will many times do just the opposite.

The Absence Of 'Bad Credit ' Does Not Make A Good Credit Score

The misguided and uninformed will spend countless hours on the phone trying to make settlements with old creditors. Many of these creditors have forgotten about them and have not reported fresh data on their account to the credit bureaus in years.  When Bob and I owned a mortgage brokerage company we dealt with this situation on a daily basis. We even had a special term for it, 'waking up the dead.' Negative accounts that have not been reporting fresh data on you within the last 18 months have very little impact on your score. Once you pick up the phone and start contacting old creditors, you will only stir up a hornet's nest. You are now red meat for these collection agencies, and they know that you are desperate to raise your score. They will start reporting fresh data, update your account, begin making collection calls to you again, and will likely be seeking top dollar (original balance, late fees, interest, etc...). There are times when settling an old account makes sense, but most often this is not the main issue.  When a negative account is currently reporting, there is a way to deal with it. I will be discussing my proven method on my upcoming online workshop.

The Most Important Factors In Your Score

Most of your credit score is based on the payment history of your current open credit, your outstanding balances (compared to overall available credit), and the type and number of accounts you have. This means that the fastest path to boosting your score is not trying to make deals with old creditors, but establishing new credit. Even if your credit is completely destroyed, it is still possible to open up new credit accounts. This is typically done through secured credit cards and secured loans. These types of accounts require that you make a deposit equal to your credit line. Not all secured credit accounts are equal. Your best secured credit options are not with the national card issuers, but with local banks and credit unions. This will be covered in detail in my live workshop.

Live Credit Repair Workshop Wednesday Night (October 1, 2014)

This will be a 60 to 90 minute online webinar (length will depend on the number of questions). We will be doing this live on Wednesday night at 8:05 pm Eastern. I want to do this on our webinar platform which will allow me to do a more complete overview using the tools I don't have on a Hangout. Frankly, I am also not willing to give this valuable information away. If you are already a member of ChristianMoneyPlus, you can go for free. Just send me an e mail and I will reply with the link. If you are not a member, we would love to have you and the tuition is only $15. If you can't attend live, no worries - I will send out a link to the replay to all those that are enrolled for this session. 

I am limiting this one to 50 students as I want to keep things at a level where I can handle the Q and A without it getting crazy. Our shopping cart is already programmed to limit enrollment to 50 and go into 'sold out' mode after that.  Here is your link to sign up. $15 and you are on your way to a good credit score!

Helping you make the most of God's money!

James L. Paris 
Editor-In-Chief ChristianMoney.com 
Follow Me on Twitter Twitter.com/jameslparis
Christian Financial Advice 
Jim Paris 24 Hour Radio

Your eBook - From Idea To Amazon In Two Weeks

I am very excited about our new two hour video, 'The Shortcut Publishing Method.' I embarked on this topic a bit backwards. I filmed a two hour video first, and am now in the process of writing the ebook version. Of course, it is always smart to make available content in different formats. In this case, however, I have a feeling that the video will be especially popular. One of the distinct advantages of the video is screen sharing. This allows me to really 'show' students while we are explaining these new concepts. Just one example; I took a few minutes to demonstrate Amazon's new eBook pricing tool. Being able to take viewers into the dashboard of my Kindle Publishing account and show them how to use this was invaluable.

How Can I Possibly Write A Book In Just Two Weeks?

In the video, I address this question at the very beginning. In fact, it is the centerpiece of this whole new approach. The idea is to write a 35 to 40 page ebook in a 10 day period. This gives you 4 days to edit and publish to the Kindle store. The 35 page length is based on double spacing and should end up around 9,000 to 10,000 words. This is only about 4 to 5 pages a day. 1,000 words a day is a very achievable goal, especially if you use the outlining method we cover on the video.

The Short eBook, Your Ticket To A New Income Stream

My business partner Bob Yetman and I share how we made a fundamental mistake with our eBook marketing over the last three years. We noticed that one of our eBooks (only 33 pages in length) was outselling all of our other eBooks combined. Yes, we were happy to see the sales, but this was not at all what we expected.

We put in months writing a book on the JFK Assassination and it has done OK, but not nearly as well as Credit Scoring Secrets. What is really strange is that even though the JFK book is double the page count, the suggested price from Amazon is just 49 cents more! Not only is it twice the number of pages, but writing on a heavy historical topic like this took months of late night research and writing. Our friends were all impressed when we announced the launch of our JFK book. It may have made us look great and give us a bit of bragging rights as authors, but the little 33 page credit repair book is what is bringing in the money. 

Finding The Sweet Spot In The eBook Market

The key error that we made was assuming that eBook buyers were the same as print book buyers. While it is true that there are a lot of traditional print books that are also available in the eBook format, this is not where the bulk of the money is being made the Kindle store. Readers are looking for 'how to' eBooks that they can get through in one to two hours that solve a problem. In the video we share the long list of topics that this includes (and there are many). We also point out that you don't personally have to be an expert on a given subject to write on it. Many people can research a topic in just a few hours and then they are off the races. You can even use different names (pen names) for the different subject areas that your eBooks cover.

The $2.99 Price Level And Why It Makes Sense

Another integral part of the puzzle here is the $2.99 price level. As an eBook writer you do get to set your own price. That is both a good thing and a bad thing. We made every mistake in the book (no pun intended) on our pricing. In the beginning we set our prices entirely too high. Later we thought if we went down to .99 cents that we would see a spike in sales. Oddly enough, we learned that at 99 cents sales dropped like a rock. So much for the notion that a lower price would generate more sales. At $2.99 the royalty payout is 70% and this means we earn about $2 for every book sale. If we go below $2.99 the royalty drops to just 35%. Weird but true, we sell more copies of the same book at 2.99 than at 99 cents. Making $2 per book is also much better than earning just 35 cents.

Other Topics Covered -

How to use free giveaways to generate a following, reviews, and additional promotion from Amazon's shopping cart
Why you should exclusively publish your eBook on Amazon
How to get your eBook covers designed for $5 or less (and this is very important!)
The simple method of formatting your eBook without special software
How to pick a winning topic before you even start writing
How to put together an outline so that writing your eBook will be faster and easier than ever

How To Get The New Video

There are two ways you can get the two hour video. First, it is available for free within the members library of our eBook coaching program. The second option is to purchase it individually for only $15. This is a digital download, and you can begin watching it immediately after placing your order. To order the video, click here. After placing your order you will receive both a download link and also a link to a page where you can simply watch it online. Unlike other video download offers, we don't limit the number of times you can watch the video or set an expiration date for the link. Watch it over and over again. There is a lot of information to absorb, so watching a second time would be a good idea.

My New Writing Plan

I am about to embark on a new journey of writing myself. Starting this week I am going to make it my goal to write at least one new eBook per month using my own Shortcut Publishing Method. I am also going to record an audio version of each of my eBooks as well. Run, run, as fast as you can, you can't catch me I'm the Gingerbread man (or in this case, the 35 page eBook man). All kidding aside, I would love it if you caught me or even passed me up with your own writing. I love nothing more than to hear from a student that has released their first eBook. There is more than enough money for all of us to cash in. Save yourself a few years of making all of the mistakes that I have and grab the video, I know you will be glad you did.

A Final Word To The Fiction Writer

We are both non-fiction writers, and that is the focus of this video. It should be noted, however, that short fiction is a very hot market in the Kindle store. I don't claim to know much about this niche, but many of the same marketing principles of writing short non-fiction would also apply to short fiction. Even though the focus of this video is non-fiction, I believe you will find most of it easily adaptable to short works of fiction as well.

Helping you make the most of God's money!

James L. Paris 
Editor-In-Chief ChristianMoney.com 
Follow Me on Twitter Twitter.com/jameslparis
Christian Financial Advice 
Jim Paris 24 Hour Radio

How A Low Credit Score Can Destroy Your Life

Live Workshop Wed October 1 at 8:05 pm Eastern

I am contacted on a daily basis by people that are not only being treated like third class citizens, their lives have been ruined due to a low credit score. A poor credit score follows you everywhere you go and has an impact on virtually every aspect of your life. Not only will you be stuck with the highest interest rates, you may not be able to borrow at all. Those with damaged credit end up renting and have given up on any hopes of owning a home. Insurance rates in many states include a credit pull, and those with lower scores get charged more. It is common today for employers to review an individual's credit score before making an job offer.

Moving From Bad Credit To Good Credit Is Easier Than Most People Think

There is a 'formula' that will result in the highest score. With the right number, type, and configuration of open credit accounts, anyone can achieve a good credit score. 

The information that Bob and I will be sharing comes from the years that we both owned a mortgage brokerage business together. We had direct access to credit reports and helped hundreds of people clean up their credit and become homeowners. Many of these people had completely destroyed their credit. Bankruptcies, foreclosures, and other major credit blemishes were common. This is why our book, Credit Scoring Secrets, is in the top 25 on all of Amazon on the topic of credit repair.

This will be a 60 to 90 minute online webinar (length will depend on the number of questions). We will be doing this live on Wednesday night at 8:05 pm Eastern. I want to do this on our webinar platform which will allow me to do a more complete overview using the tools I don't have on a Hangout. Frankly, I am also not willing to give this valuable information away. If you are already a member of ChristianMoneyPlus, you can go for free. Just send me an e mail and I will reply with the link. If you are not a member, we would love to have you and the tuition is only $15. If you can't attend live, no worries - I will send out a link to the replay to all those that are enrolled for this session. 

I am limiting this one to 50 students as I want to keep things at a level where I can handle the Q and A without it getting crazy. Our shopping cart is already programmed to limit enrollment to 50 and go into 'sold out' mode after that.  Here is your link to sign up. $15 and you are on your way to a good credit score!

Helping you make the most of God's money!

James L. Paris 
Editor-In-Chief ChristianMoney.com 
Follow Me on Twitter Twitter.com/jameslparis
Christian Financial Advice 
Jim Paris 24 Hour Radio

Well, They Finally Shut Down My Texas Bitcoin Scheme

It was almost two years ago and I was hot on the trail of a group of scammers promoting a bogus daily interest scheme known as Profitable Sunrise. After I had exposed the phony office of Profitable Sunrise in England, that the company was not licensed, and the mathematical impossibility of the returns, the promoters got very desperate. As I mention in my book, Exposing The Ponzi Masters, the Profitable Sunrise promoters (led by Nancy Jo Frazer) publicly announced that a private investigator was hired to dig up dirt on me. This was not enough to take the spotlight off their scam, so they started a rumor that I was running a Bitcoin scam in the state of Texas  (and that I was going by the name Trendon Shavers). This was really very funny at the time, but there is now some breaking news to share about 'my Texas scam.'

Click on the audio player below to hear the announcement of a private investigator being hired. Speaking is one of the leaders, David Steckel (Notice the giddiness as he references the 'new information' they have on me). This audio was from Good Friday 2013.

Trendon Shavers AKA Jim Paris

The News

It was announced this week that the Bitcoin Savings And Trust, run by Shavers, was ruled to be a Ponzi scheme by a Texas judge. I honestly don't know how sincere the Profitable Sunrise folks were in their belief that Trendon Shavers and I were one and the same. They hatched this whole story based on the fact that I was teaching an online course on Bitcoin, and one of their minions tripping across a picture of Shavers online (that supposedly looked like me). 

I don't think this guy resembles me at all. I can guarantee you that I would have come up with a more creative name than Trendon Shavers. I would also have felt obligated to 'shave' if my last name was Shaver. He appears to be one of those poor souls that does not know that he can't grow a beard. Also, with my Tom Selleck moustache, how can anyone mistake me for this guy that has barely a sprout of peach fuzz under his nose?

 

 

Judge Amos L. Mazzant

Although I don't think that I look at all like Trendon Shavers, what about the judge in this case?  Now, at least you have a nice looking moustache here. With the glasses and the hair style, maybe... But, I guess there would be nothing gained spreading a story that I was using a fake identity and working as a judge on a Bitcoin Texas scam case. 

Nancy Jo Frazer, her husband David, and their associate Albert Rosebrock, will go on trial in February of 2015. The trio faces a wide array of civil charges related to their involvement with Profitable Sunrise.

Frazer now denies that she had any part in promoting the Profitable Sunrise scheme. We found that she now has a new web page up attempting to rewrite the story (and in the process remove herself as the leading character).

'She agreed to help as a non-paid volunteer those who already owned a company website and found her contact information inside the site. She did not publicly promote or advertise the company's collateral lending program. She was a skilled graphics artist and created code protected online  training materials and videos to assist.' Source: Smart Fortune Cookie

There is just one small problem with this claim; it is not true. In Exposing The Ponzi Masters  you can listen to hours of audio of Frazer pitching the scam. I plan to be in attendance at the trial and publish an updated version of the book with the outcome. Prior blog posts on the Profitable Sunrise scam. Check out my new Profitable Sunrise playlist on YouTube (AKA Profitable Sunrise - Their Greatest Hits). Frazer, a former Miami Vice actress now a pastor, promoted the scam to the Christian community - this is how it landed on the doorstep of ChristianMoney.com.

Helping you make the most of God's money!

Trendon Shavers   James L. Paris 
Editor-In-Chief ChristianMoney.com 
Follow Me on Twitter Twitter.com/jameslparis
Christian Financial Advice 
Jim Paris 24 Hour Radio

Is An ISIS Homeland Attack Imminent?

http://christianmoney.com On this episode Jim discusses the White House fence jumping incident, Roger Goodell and the Ray Rice Case, Tony Stewart case going to a grand jury, is a homeland terrorist attack imminent? A man billed $117,000 from a doctor he does not know, and a new website to find out if someone has died in your house.

The Bible And UFOs - Special Guest Ted Peters

Ted Peters, theologian and author of UFOs:God's Chariots? Joins Jim for a fascinating discussion on the topic of Christianity and UFO's. A topic so important that the Vatican has even recently addressed it. Would the confirmation of extraterrestrial life have any impact on our Christian faith?

New Shortcut Publishing Method Gets Your Book From Idea To Amazon In Two Weeks Or Less

I am taking my writing in a new direction. I am going to focus on writing short eBooks going forward. Short eBooks are hot, they are easy to write quickly, and they produce a fast paycheck.

There are some important things to understand about how this new approach works. So important, that this is not going to be a FREE Google Hangout. Sorry, but this one will be a private webinar.

I will be discussing how to know in advance if your topic will make money. How to get an eBook cover for $5 or less. How to get organized so you can write and edit your book in two weeks or less, and how to format for free and upload to the Kindle Store.

This will be a 60 to 90 minute online webinar (length will depend on the number of questions). We will be doing this live on Wednesday night Sept 21 (2014) at 8:05 pm Eastern. I want to do this on our webinar platform which will allow me to do a more complete overview using the tools I don't have on a Hangout. Frankly, I am also not willing to give this valuable information away. If you are already a member of my eBook Coaching, you can go for free. Just reply to this e mail and I will send you the link. If you are not a member, we would love to have you and the tuition is only $15. If you can't attend live, no worries - I will send out a link to the replay to all those that are enrolled for this session.

I am limiting this one to 50 students as I want to keep things at a level where I can handle the Q and A without it getting crazy. Our shopping cart is already programmed to limit enrollment to 50 and go into 'sold out' mode after that. $15 and you are on your way to your first eBook! Link to register.

Helping you make the most of God's money!

James L. Paris 
Editor-In-Chief ChristianMoney.com 
Follow Me on Twitter Twitter.com/jameslparis
Christian Financial Advice 
Jim Paris 24 Hour Radio

Giving Away 10,000 Of My Books On Amazon - Was It A Good Idea?

This week we gave away another 1,000 of our eBooks on Amazon.com. I was adding up the numbers and over the last couple of years we have given away more than 10,000 books. This may sound a little crazy, but it is one of the best marketing moves we have made. I have to admit that in the beginning I was not convinced, nor was my business partner Bob Yetman. But, everything I read said that giving away your books for a few days at the time of launch and again two to three times per year is a proven path of success for Kindle authors.

Why Giving Away eBooks Makes Sense

Building A Fan Base

There are principally three benefits gained by giving away eBooks. First, if you are a new author you will be able to build a following. For those looking to build a career by writing eBooks, you need fans. It will be hard in the beginning since there is so much competition. If you have truly put together a great book, giving it away will give you a starting base of followers and fans that will be eager to buy your next one.

Reviews

Books that have no reviews will languish in the Kindle Store. Think about your own book buying habits. Would you buy the book with fifty or more reviews and an overall decent rating, or would you buy the one with no reviews? Reviews (especially good ones) are the key to getting your book noticed. The truth is that getting reviews is largely a numbers game. Only a very small percentage of people that read a book will go back and write a review. It might take one thousand readers to generate your first ten reviews. Giving away your book will produce reviews that might take years (if ever) to accumulate.

Amazon Recommendations

Perhaps the biggest benefit of giving away your books is that it will trigger Amazon recommendations. When you click on a book and scroll down the page a little, you will see 'What do other customers buy after viewing this item?" Your book will start to show up in these lists. This is huge, and a few hundred free books could lead to thousands of people tripping across your book in this fashion.

What Are The Requirements For A Free Book Promotion?

There are two 'strings,' and some authors can't go along with these. First, your five days of quarterly free promotion are granted for every title you enroll in the Kindle Direct Publishing Select Program. KDP Select requires that you sell your eBook exclusively on the Amazon platform. In our own case, we are totally OK with this arrangement. Amazon is the gorilla of book selling and we don't think we are losing out on much by agreeing to this. The exclusivity does not include print versions of your books. So, in the case of How To Pray For A Financial Miracle, Amazon has the exclusive on the eBook, but we are free to sell the paperback version in any venue that we choose.

The other requirement is that your book will also be included in the Amazon lending library. This means that people can check your book out and read it for free (again, another great way to get fans). It is free for the reader, but you do get paid from Amazon's Global Fund. Authors are paid a pro rata share of the monthly fund based on how many times their book is borrowed. I have read different figures, but the earnings on a 'borrow' are about 20% to 30% of the amount of a sale. We do get a lot of borrows of our books and we have no problem with the compensation model.

Ready To Publish Your First eBook?

Bob Yetman and have been writing books since the early 1990's. Although we have both been published with numerous traditional publishers, we are focusing our career these days on self publishing. We spend most of our day writing, but we also love helping others get started in the world of self publishing. More on our coaching program here.

Helping you make the most of God's money!

James L. Paris 
Editor-In-Chief ChristianMoney.com 
Follow Me on Twitter Twitter.com/jameslparis
Christian Financial Advice 
Jim Paris 24 Hour Radio