Honoree Corder's Blog, page 8

How to Craft Your Title & Subtitle

I got a book in the mail last week from someone inspired to write a book. I think they’ll have a hard time selling their book organically (outside of their intimate circle of friends and family) because they didn’t quite nail the title or subtitle. And, I get this question a lot:
How do I title (and subtitle) my book?  

Think of your title as the “what.” Answer this question:
What is the book about?  

With  You Must Write a Book , that’s what the book is about. My newest book (released yesterday) is: The Miracle Morning for College Students. Easy, right? Actually, yes. Your book title should very easily and succinctly tell what your book is about (and hopefully, be easy {enough} to remember). More great examples:
The Four-Hour Work Week
Crush It!
Never Pay Retail for College
Money Talks

When titling your book, go with the obvious and easy. Don’t over-think, go with your gut!
The subtitle seems like it could be tricky, but ultimately it’s the answer to this question:
What is the promise of my book?  

In other words, what will the reader get as a result of reading the book? The subtitle of the book I received is Crossing the Finish Line is Just the Beginning. I don’t even know what that means (and no, I’m not calling out the author or telling you the name of the book). I don’t know what I would get as a result of taking the time to read the book. So I’m probably going to add it to my “to donate” pile instead of my “to read” pile.

Let’s use You Must Write a Book ‘s subtitle again as an example:
Boost Your Brand, Get More Business, and Become the Go-To Expert

You know exactly what you’re going to get when you read the book: you’ll boost your brand (get more name/logo recognition), get more business (make more money!), and become the go-to expert (differentiate yourself from the crowd). Everyone says they’re the expert, but you have a book and that, my friend, makes you the expert!
You have about six seconds to convince someone to buy your book when it crosses their path, and your title and subtitle have gotta be fantastic. Make sense?
In 2012, Pam Grout wrote the international #1 bestseller E-Squared: Nine Do-It-Yourself Energy Experiments That Prove Your Thoughts Create Your Reality . It’s sold bajillions of copies (give or take) and is still ranked in the top 5,000 on Amazon after five years. Way to go, Pam! But she first published the book under the title  God Doesn’t Have Bad Hair Days . Same book, bad title and subtitle. It’s ranked about 300,000 on Amazon (a.k.a. it’s not selling very much).
The right title and subtitle can make tons of difference in the success of your book. Have questions? Press reply and send me an email, or leave it in the comment section of the blog.

{Big Announcement}: I’ve started the You Must Write a Book LinkedIn Group. Have questions or need help with any aspect of your book? Join the group and I’ll answer your questions!

I hope you have an awesome couple of weeks! Stay cool, writer friend!



 
***RESOURCES***

~11 Things You Should Know About BookBub Subscribers
~ Why You Should Check Your Email in the Morning
~ You Must Write a Book LinkedIn Group
 
 
BookBub!
Do you like BookBub? This site is crazy awesome and notifies you when books go on sale (think 99 cents). I have an Author Page with BookBub and if you follow me there, they will send you a personal note when I have a book sale. It’s that easy! Click the box below and hit the “Follow Me” at the top right of my profile.

 

 

Not receiving these posts in your inbox quite yet? Get everything you need to finally get your book written. Just go here .
 

Believe You DESERVE It!

 

Success can be yours. All you have to do is: think you can. Believe you can. Then …
You have to believe you deserve what you want.
Now we’re gettin’ crazy! What do you believe you deserve? What should you believe you deserve? In a word: everything. It is my belief (and I’m the author, so that makes me the expert) that just because you’re a human being walking this planet you deserve anything and everything you would like to have. Deserving it doesn’t mean you will just have it handed to you without a lot of smart planning, hard work, and effort, but nonetheless, you deserve whatever you want and would like to achieve.
You can choose to take on my belief and be off to the races, or you can spend some time figuring out if I’m right. Either way, get to the place where you feel in your heart you deserve your desired outcomes, and that positive mental space in turn will help you to get there faster, easier and while you’re enjoying the process.
To Believe: I believe I deserve everything I desire, including success!
To Do: Make the mental shift into believing you deserve success by affirming “I deserve success” hundreds or even thousands of times a day until you believe it. Ask your mom, spouse, or best friend what you deserve to achieve. Chances are they will say what I said (and no, we haven’t conspired). It’s up to you to step up and into total belief in your deservability (your “how much do I feel like I deserve this”).
Do it now.
YOU MAY ALSO WANT TO READ:

 

 

Fire Up Your Prosperity!

Today I’m at The Smarter Artist Summit, learning new golden nuggets of writing knowledge (more on that later), and I wanted to check in! How are you doing this week? I hope you’ve manifested that magic money from your wallet or purse! I’d love to hear from you. *smile
I hear talk of the starving writer everywhere, probably because I listen to lots of author and writing podcasts …
I had a few thoughts I wanted to share, thoughts that cross my mind when I hear someone reference how hard it is to make money as a writer, or talk about hard times or lack. I’m on a mission to change the basic setting from “struggling” to “super-prosperous” for all writers (creatives, for that matter).
This is what I believe and know for sure:
Number 1: A prosperous writer is a happy writer. If you’re only half riding the happy train, it’s time to jump fully on there. I mean, it’s never good to half-ass something, right? You’re gonna need your full ass for this one.

You’re Fifteen Minutes a Day Away From Your Book!

How long has it been since you’ve wanted to write a book? Since you were 7? Or when you realized you wanted to become the expert in your field? But you haven’t done it because even before you found You Must Write a Book, you were already using all 24 hours of your day. I get it–I have a husband and a daughter, and they both want love and food every single day. I mean, can you even imagine? We all have jobs or work (or both). Friends. Football obsessions. Cats. The desire for a nap. And we also need to write the words in order to eventually have a book.
The one question I always get is:
Honorée, how do you have the time to write?  
You know what? I don’t have the time to do anything! I make time for what is important to me by putting it on my calendar. When my alarm goes off or my calendar reminders beep at me, I do what I’ve previously decided is important for me to do.
For example, I write every single morning from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. I brew and mainline some Death Wish Coffee then sit down to write. I get an hour because writing is my job.
And I understand writing isn’t yours.
You’re a busy professional with the desire to write a great book, and publish it to great success. You indeed want to boost your brand, get more business, and become the go-to expert.
But without a book, you might just stay right where you are.
Great news! The average person can write about 1,000 words an hour, which is about 250 words every 15 minutes. Why is this important?  Because it’s the key to you reaching your goal of writing your book!
Here’s how! 
You can get your book written by:


Setting your goal and giving it a deadline. I must write 30,000 words in my book. At 250 words per day, my book will be finished in 4 months (120 days). Incidentally, 120 days from today is Wednesday, August 23, 2017.


Block out an hour or two to outline your book. My author pal Shelley Hitz has a great super tiny book  Outline to Finish Line  (and it’s either free or .99!) that can give you an easy-to-follow process for deciding what goes in the book.


Schedule at least 15 minutes every day to write. I wrote a whole book around this concept, and I receive an email a day from someone who has used it to write their entire book!


Keep in mind you’re the expert! You already know what you’re going to talk about! As the SME (subject matter expert), your best bet is to write as though you had your reader doing a 1-1 consultation with you in your office. Make sense?


Get off track? You can write more on one day or throw in another Nifty 15 later in the day. Just review your goal, recommit to it, and begin again.


I know I say it all the time, but you are gonna love having a book! I promise! “I wish I hadn’t written my book,” said no-one ever! What they do say is  I wish I’d figured out a way to write it sooner!
Did it work? Are you inspired to get your book written? (Man, I hope so!) Please hit “reply” and tell me about your book, and anything else that’s on your mind.
I hope you have an awesome couple of weeks! Stay cool, writer friend!

 

***RESOURCES***

~6 Automatic Editing Tools That Will Make Your Writing Super Clean
~ Why Every Entrepreneur Should Become an Author
~ How I Got 25K More BookBub Followers (And Why I Did)

 

BookBub!
Do you like BookBub? This site is crazy awesome and notifies you when books go on sale (think 99 cents). I have an Author Page with BookBub and if you follow me there, they will send you a personal note when I have a book sale. It’s that easy! Click the box below and hit the “Follow Me” at the top right of my profile.

 

BELIEVE You Can!

In the previous post, we talked about the fact that to become a success, you first have to think you can become a success.
The next magical step in the magic formula for success:
You have to believe you can.
Thinking is just the first step. Believing is another level in the process of goal achievement. How much do you believe in yourself in general? This belief, or lack of belief in yourself, factors in heavily to whether or not you will actually achieve success on any level that matters to you. When you think about something you would like to achieve, whether or not you believe this, too, is something you can achieve will determine the end result, right then and there.
We all come equipped with the ability to believe absolutely in our abilities and ourselves. Unfortunately, we confront multiple people, situations, and events that cause us to doubt our abilities. If upon reading this idea, you find yourself lacking in self-confidence and belief, now is absolutely the time to challenge your lack of belief and begin to build a new level of self-confidence. {You can work on your self-confidence by reading this .}
To Believe: I believe I can achieve my goal.
To Do: Make a list of your accomplishments to date. Put that list where you can see it often (as a Post-It® on your computer monitor, as a list on your bathroom mirror, or on a notepad next to your bed) and be sure to review it twice a day.
Your belief in yourself is a major factor in your success.

 

Cool things to ensure your success …


Listen:  The Power of Positive Thinking  by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale. I have some original recordings by him, and he was truly amazing.


Read:  10 Habits of Successful Mindful Creatives   by The House of Muses and   T he Power of N ow  by Eckhart Tolle


Watch:  Rocky… yes the movie!  I dare you to watch it and not get inspired!


Hack:  7 Mental Hacks to Be More Confident in Yourself  (Success Magazine)

 

If enjoyed this article, then join my free newsletter and you’ll get a free copy of my networking book, Business Dating: Applying Relationship Rules in Business for Ultimate Success.
If you’d like to receive more articles about writing and making money as a writer – and how to become a prosperous, full-time writer go here .

 

 

You Have a Magic Purse or Wallet!

Hello, my happy rich writer friend!
It’s been raining cats and dogs, which provides lots of reminders there is truly an abundance of water in the world.

BEFORE You Write Your Book

What are you contemplating writing a book about (or actually writing about now)? Send me an email or tell me in the blog’s comment section, I’m looking forward to hearing from you!
Do you think just having a book, any book, is enough? Well, no. That would be like me delivering a couple of pizzas to you on Thanksgiving and expecting that feed your 30+ relatives from all over the country. No sale.
Make no mistake … having a book is better than not having a book. But not by much. Allow me to explain.
Before you write your book, there are several things to consider, think through, and decide. I’m going to address three of those critical pieces here by giving you three key questions to answer.
1. What’s in it for you? What do you want a book to do for you? Examples: provide an additional source of income or replace your business card/brochure or generate income or establish you as the authority in your field or all of those.
Always start with Number One: YOU! A book requires a lot of time, money, and energy, and you must know what you want out of something before you begin (a book or anything else)!

 

2. What do you want the readers of your book to do, not do, or both? Example: For You Must Write a Book, I want every reader to write a (quality) book, and not write a bad one! There’s a lot of misinformation out there, and I wanted to help as many people as I could with a truly informative guide (how did I do? Tell me!).
Another example, from a computer services provider: prospective clients hire me because they recognize I am the expert in my field and sign a 5-year contract and not continue to try to piece-meal those services through multiple providers or on their own.
One more example, from a single mom blogger: to connect me with single moms and drive them to buy my book, take my course, and even hire me as a keynote speaker. (Nope, for those of you who know about my book series for single moms, this actually isn’t me!)
Writing your book with a clear purpose helps to inform and influence all of the content of the book.

 

3. How will you know your book is successful? Examples: I sell more than 25,000 copies, or I engage X more clients per month, or I am recognized as the authority in my field, or I raise awareness about my company/organization/position and XYZ happens.
Having clear objectives and goals for your book will ensure you’re always moving in the right direction. It’s best to define them in writing, just as you would any other business goal.

 

I know lots of people who have written books, only to discover they didn’t do for them what they originally intended … because they didn’t know to take the time to strategize the different aspects of their book before putting pen to paper. I definitely don’t want you to add yourself to that list! I do the occasional strategy session for future authors, in case that’s of interest.
I hope this was helpful. If it was, I’d love to know! Have a question? Ask me!
I hope your journey to being an author is going amazingly well! Happy writing!

P.S. If you haven’t downloaded the free bonuses from You Must Write a Book yet, get them right here.

 

***RESOURCES***
~How to Write a Book Description that Sells (& here’s my article about why book descriptions matter).
~After you do the pre-book strategy, you can outsource almost the entire process if you’d like. Check out Book in a Box .
~ I Must Write My Book: The Companion Workbook to You Must Write a Book  is the perfect place to put your book idea down on paper.

 

Not receiving these posts in your inbox quite yet? Get everything you need to finally get your book written. Just go here .

 

What Precedes YOUR Success?

Before someone {you} can become truly successful, there are four psychological elements that inform the ease with which you achieve that success, including how long it’s going to take you and how painful or pleasure-filled your path will be.
The truth is that what determines your success is, in large part, how much you believe you can succeed. For the purposes of our conversation, let’s ask what comes first and is most important in achievement: the achievement of a goal or the belief that the goal can be achieved or believing you deserve to achieve the goal or committing to the goal? Yes!
You must think you can achieve your goals and outcomes. You must then believe achieving your goals and outcomes is possible. You must believe you deserve to achieve the goals and outcomes you truly desire. Finally, you must be absolutely, 100% committed to achieving those same goals and outcomes and be willing to do whatever it takes to achieve them.
First and foremost, you have to think you can achieve the success you desire.
When you don’t think you can achieve an outcome, you simply won’t achieve that outcome. It is as simple as that. However, when you think you can, you have the beginnings of the achievement of that goal. Thinking you can is the first glimmer of possibility showing itself to you. Seeing that possibility of achievement and thinking that achieving your goal could be true are crucial to your success.
The fun part comes right after a goal has been conceived. When you think about your goal, see yourself achieving it in your mind’s eye. When you can do just that simple first step, you have set the possibility wheels in motion.
To Think: I think about my goal all the time and see it as already achieved.
To Do: Make it a motion picture in your mind that lasts two to three minutes. Turn your motion picture into a twice-daily visualization exercise.
Thinking you can achieve your heart’s desire is the first magical step in the magic formula of achievement. {Tweet this!}
I’ll address the other three in upcoming posts, so stay tuned.*
Have a terrific couple of weeks, and be sure to let me know how you’re doing!

 

Cool things to ensure your success …

 

Listen: T he Magic of Thinking Big  by David Schwartz


Read: The Power of Focus (10th Anniversary Edition) by Jack Canfield


Watch: Depressed? Discouraged? Defeated? Watch this and get inspired in just 2 1/2 minutes!


Hack: 3 Networking Hacks for the Shy Professional and if this resonates with you, you’ll love my book on networking.

 

If enjoyed this article, then join my free newsletter and you’ll get a free copy of my networking book, Business Dating: Applying Relationship Rules in Business for Ultimate Success.
If you’d like to receive more articles about writing and making money as a writer – and how to become a prosperous, full-time writer go here.

Listen Up to Rock Your Prosperity Mindset!

Hello, my writer friend!
I’ve been having an amazing time lately–how about you?
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been enjoying the fruits of my labor and having lots of fun conversations, meals, and coffees with my fellow writer friends. And, well, napping. Brian Meeks has gotten me addicted to napping and data (and understanding my data means I can take more naps! Yeah!). But I digress.
In some of those conversations, I would say I heard on the Sell More Books Show or On The Writer Files Podcast I heard … or It was interesting to listen to hear Pat Flynn talk about his first book on … and have the person I was talking to say, I don’t know that podcast.
(As an aside, I am so happy to have found “my people.” I love talking all things writing and the book business with them … and you!)
I’ve gotten so much of my inspiration and many tips and strategies from listening to the writers and successful authors who have gone before me, or who have made major progress in areas I hadn’t cracked yet. I don’t know how much longer my learning/figuring-it-out curve would have continued (and continues!) to go on without the insights, resources, and straight-up information from those podcasts. Read: I think I’ve gotten better at writing and made more money and some really great friends because of my listening habits.
So, I thought I’d share some of my favorites with you.
I hope you’ll tune in and find yourself on the expressway to full-time prosperous writer, or accelerate your success to heights you haven’t before imagined (or didn’t quite know how to get there)!
Authority Self-Publishing with Steve Scott, Barrie Davenport & Ron Clendenin
Creative Writing Career with Stephan Bugaj, Justin Sloan & Kevin Tumlinson
The Creative Penn with Joanna Penn
The Wordslinger Podcast with Kevin Tumlinson
The Writer Files with Kelton Reid
The Author Hangout with Shawn Manaher
Authorpreneur with Jim Kukral
The Sell More Books Show with Jim Kukral & Bryan Cohen
Author Strong with Mat Morris & Nancy Elliott
The Author Biz with Stephen Campbell
Rockin’ Self-Publishing with Simon Whistler
All of the podcasts on the Sterling & Stone network (there are more than 8 and they are all great)!

You might be wondering how in the world I have time to listen to all of them. I always start Monday mornings in the gym with Joanna Penn. I usually extend my workout until it’s done. Then I go with what’s in my queue.
My secret? I listen at 1.5 or 2 times the speed. I skip podcast topics that don’t really apply to me. I listen every chance I get.
It took me awhile to get used to listening at such a rapid pace, but now I can knock out 2-3 podcasts or more in about an hour. I also have lots of “mom duties” (laundry, cooking, you know, the fun stuff), and so I always have earphones in and I’m listening whenever I’m doing something “mindless” (ahem), and when I’m driving. Sometimes I’m waaaaay behind, and I keep listening until I get caught up when I can (thank you weekend trips to the in-laws).
I hope some of your favorites made the list, and you’ve discovered some new ones. Listening to podcasts can be just what you need to get started, keep going, or give you a shot in the arm right when you need it. I always get an idea or two captured in my Bullet Journal from each podcast, which is always awesome.
I’m a little scared to ask, but I will anyway, what are your favorites/who am I missing? I’d love to know.



More Good Stuff …


~ 71 Ways to Promote and Market Your Book (ideas for everyone!)

~The single best motivational video I’ve ever seen (3 minutes!)

~ One of my favorite resources for writers



If you’d like to receive more articles about writing and making money as a writer – and how to become a prosperous, full-time writer go here.
Website: HonoreeCorder.com
Facebook: facebook.com/Honoree
Twitter: twitter.com/Honoree

Your Book’s Description is Key to Your Book’s Success

 

How’s your book coming along? I hope it’s going very well! Is there one question you would love me to answer? Something that’s holding you back, or you’d like clarity on a piece of the process? Feel free to ask me anything via email or in the blog’s comment section, and I’ll write a post about it (and email you the answer post-haste).
In the past, I’ve talked about the 5 Components of a Bestseller which included your back cover copy, a.k.a. your sales copy, a.k.a. your book’s description on the various online retailer platforms (and your website!).
The mac-daddy of all book promotion sites is BookBub (I’ll talk about them in a future post), and I love the post they did recently about book description A/B tests. It really emphasized two important points to me:


You need an amazing book description!


Unless you’re a professional copywriter, you’ll want to hire someone skilled in the art of copywriting!


The great news is there are tremendous copywriters available for hire who are worth every penny you’ll spend. In fact, I stand firm in my opinion that a book’s description is even more important than the book’s cover (and you’ll spend 3-7x more for the cover).
Two more thoughts:


Please (please!) don’t go to all of the trouble to write a great book and then fail to spend a couple hundred dollars on a book description that does it justice… and,


By all means, don’t skimp on your cover! People still do judge a book by its cover, and they won’t even bother to read the description if your cover isn’t terrific.



Need an editor, designer for your book cover, copywriter, or interior designer for your book? I’ve got a terrific bench of book production professionals, so let me know what you need!
Remember, you’re gonna love having a book!
Happy writing!

 

***RESOURCES***

 

~ How to Get Blurbs for Your Book & Use Them in Your Marketing
~ Why You Should Publish at least 2 Versions of Your Book at the Same Time
~ I Must Write My Book: The Companion Workbook to You Must Write a Book  is available today! Many of you have requested a way (and a place!) to do each of the steps in  You Must Write a Book  and now you have one.