Michal Stawicki's Blog, page 26

Book Review: Exercise Every Day

The Essence of Common Sense

This book is so down to earth, that you can smell the mud.

In a couple of places, it was its weakness. You shouldn’t use common sense against lazy bums who “are not motivated” or against “mental” cases (Mental Stumbling Blocks). Whoever expected a pep talk at these moments would have been disappointed. Scott’s answer is almost the same every time:

“Get real and grow up! Nobody will do the job for you. It’s your body and your exercises. On the ground and gimm’e 50!”

Well, maybe not exactly these words, but I’m apt at reading between the lines

Thirteenth Income Report – April 2014

Are you curious about a one-year delay? I explained it in my first income report.

On the 1st of April, I celebrated another small victory. I summarized March’s sales and well over 800 copies sold, including more than 300 copies other than “Master Your Time.”
#amazonprime

At the beginning of the month, I did a small experiment on Twitter. I sent a Tweet full of hashtags, encouraging to borrow “Master Your Time” through AmazonPrime. It made a difference. Within 2 days, I got 1/3 of March’s borrows. I hardly controlled the urge of spamming my Twitter feed with #amazonprime ads

Book review: Will the Real You Please Stand Up?

Wow, this book spoke to me on so many levels that I could have written it myself. But who am I kidding? I don’t have such extensive experience and knowledge like Kim possesses.

The message of “Will The Real You Please Stand Up?” was definitely something close to my heart. I feel that authenticity means everything in the online world.

You could have dismissed her message saying that it’s naive, utopian, and that the guys with big bucks always win in the end.

However, I can’t say this. I started my first-ever online business in May 2013. I had zero knowledge, zero authority, zero skills, and no connections. But I was authentic. And I still am. My business continues to grows. I earned about $4.5k in 2014. Until the 28th of April 2015, I earned $5.9k. It works.

If a guy who hadn’t seen a webinar till November 2012 could do that, anybody can. It’s just enough to be yourself.

Confirmed by Experience

So everything that Kim teaches, I found true by my own experience. I’m far from viral success (although I managed to get my tweet retweetted by a rock star with 2 million followers―that day, my traffic increased more than 100 times).



I am a solopreneur, so I just don’t have time for fancy techniques on social media.

Your brand is you. — Jeff Goins, You Are A Writer

Time. Do you know how much time authenticity saves? I don’t have to wonder what I have said in the past and if it’s congruent with my brand. I AM my brand. When I’m authentic, it takes no effort to spread my message.

I work hard to one day be free from the 9 to 5 grind. Maybe then, I will be able to go bigger with my marketing. But if authenticity works so well when I have no time and resources to commit to my marketing, I’m excited to think what will happen when I will finally give it proper attention.

No Headache

If anything, I think Kim didn’t emphasize enough how much a headache authenticity spares you. It works even when you are not a nice guy/gal. I know an internet marketer who is simply a jerk, but he doesn’t hide it. It’s clearly visible in the contempt he emanates when talking about people who are “not ready” to listen to his bright advice. However, people still flock to him. There are people who like to think independently and there are those who like to be told what to think and how to spend their money.

Of course I also know people who genuinely care about their audience and it seems that more (and better) people flock to them. But the basic message of “Will The Real You Please Stand Up?” is not to be nice, but to be yourself.

I liked the book a lot. And do you know what the best part is? Those who will dismiss this message and keep trying to move their businesses forward using smoke and mirrors will be left behind in a short, few years. As Kim repeated many times, people are not idiots. Years of massive media attack on our perspective have made us wary and sharp in discovering duplicity.

I grabbed “Will the Real You Please Stand Up?” for a buck thanks to Buck Books service for readers. I recommend it for every frugal reader.

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There Is Nothing Wrong with the World

A few weeks ago, I read an outstanding book: How to Find Peace. Peace is definitely something I’m still looking for. If you are curious, I wrote a review about it in another post. In short, the author claims that all turmoil comes from inside of us. In order to take advantage of this philosophy, you need to accept everything that happens in your life.

Anything.

Not so easy, is it?

Well, it dawned on me this very morning: it’s easy. You need just a bit (in my case, a couple of years) of training in changing what’s wrong with your perspective.

Because, in reality, there is nothing wrong with the world.

Enlightenment

How have I come to this realization?

I commute to work by train. I wake up every working day at an ungodly hour like 4 or 5 a.m., I do my morning routine, and I go to the train platform which happens to be located next to a small forest. I don’t like my job. “Hate” is too strong of a word; I just don’t enjoy it very much. I enjoyed it even less once I discovered the joy of writing and influencing the lives of fellow humans. For me, my job is just a way to put bread on the table. Sometimes, there are days that I almost hate my job―when being away from my family for 12.5 hours is more than I can bear.

Today was such a day. I slouched and leaned against a street lamp to meditate a few minutes before the train came. And I heard the birds sing. The whole forest seemed to be singing. I adore this sound.

It dawned on me: I wouldn’t have heard this beautiful sound if not for my stinkin’ job. I’m forced to the walk near the forest every day at dawn, thus I have the opportunity to listen to the birds sing their morning songs. My commute is not so bad after all.

Hard times

And this way of thinking pertains to every single thing that happens in my life. I remember how crushed I was when my publisher nullified our contract. It was one of the most awful experiences in my life. I felt so alone. I was back to being a solopreneur facing the whole world. Dozens of tasks were back in my lap and I had no time for them.

My sales dwindled to nothing (to be exact, sales fell to 97 copies till the 25th of January).

But on the 26th, I published another book and it became a bestseller. In the first month, I sold 1162 copies. The best part of it? I was no longer required to give away 30% to my publisher. And I have a cool from rags to riches… errr, moderate means, story to tell.

There is a seed of greater good in everything that happens. In fact, most of the time, the “evilness” lies only in our perception. The moment the contract was dissolved, I knew my share would grow, but I anticipated less sales, not the same or a higher amount.

The purpose of purposeless

Similarly, my book about how to write a personal mission statement is a success; exactly because I was a lazy bum and had no idea where my life was going. Thanks to that experience, my readers have a more compelling story than Mr. Covey’s―he was already a man of success pursuing an academic career when he started developing his philosophy. When I faced the challenge of thinking about my life’s purpose, I was in a place where most of society is nowadays―nowhere.

Being nowhere at the age 33, having an unfulfilling job and a family to take care of, and having the feeling that all you want to do is to lay down and cry, completely sucks. But thanks to these circumstances, I was able to help people whom Stephen R. Covey was unable to reach.

Happy perspective

I can examine one awful experience of my life after another and within each, there was a hidden lesson or gift. And no, I’m am not some special case, this apply to you too. That’s how this world functions. “High drama” is its essence as Jim Rohn said.

I didn’t appreciate my hardships at that time only because I was so focused on MY vision of the world: you know, the one in which I’m its emperor and everything serves my pleasure. When you focus on such a vision, it’s quite easy to perceive only wrong out there. Bah, it’s the only thing you can see.

But there is nothing wrong with the world.

In the hindsight, I see so clearly that I would have been more happy in the process of experiencing such hardships if I only could have taken a step back and learn from those lessons.

One thing is sure: From this morning on, I will enjoy my commute a lot more.

 

Can you find a gem of goodness in your hardships? Share in the comments section:

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Book Review: How to Find Peace

I’ll tell you how good this book is. It’s so good that when I came back to it to write down some quotes (and they hit me again like a ton of bricks) I finally decided:

“That’s it! I’m buying Kindle as soon as the next royalties come. I can’t afford reading such books without highlighting!”

I usually read on my old eReader device and use those reading sessions as speed reading practices. This is a short book; I’ve read it within less than an hour. But it’s precious. Don’t read it in a rush. This book should be contemplated sentence by sentence.

Beau Norton is not the best writer in the world. He even managed to contradict himself in the same paragraph, admitting that his ruminations may sound like “philosophical nonsense,” but “you need to practice it to see benefits.” Well, have you ever tried to practice philosophical nonsense?

But even the best writers of the world have trouble describing spiritual life in mere words. I know this very well because for the last 2.5 years, I’ve been studying the works of saints. By the way, Beau doesn’t try to preach Catholicism or even Christianity; however, his conclusions would have been dear to every saint.

Several months ago, I read a very similar book about spirituality and I was dismayed. I judged it as “utter hogwash.”

Beau’s message is basically the same, but he presented it in a more coherent way.

“How to Find Peace” was much closer to my heart. I also went through some serious life changes and above average spiritual turmoil a few years ago, so I can appreciate both the message and author’s struggle with words. Some things just must be lived, not explained.

I loved the tone of this book: uplifting and heartwarming and at the same time serious to the point of pain. We like to lie to ourselves so much that when the truth is finally presented, it’s simply painful.

I knew most of this stuff, but still the message made me scrutinize my internal life and admit my shortcomings. “How to Find Peace” also helped me verbalize some feelings I had deep inside. I felt, but I didn’t comprehend. I read chapter after chapter, nodding to myself.

I found the chapter about success especially mind blowing and enlightening.

What else can I say? What you are waiting for? Grab it and read it!

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Your Mindset and The Art of Persistence

All of those “tools” I mentioned here and here are fine and can do the miracles with your consistency, but they won’t help much if your personal philosophy is wrong. What is personal philosophy?

“A system a person forms for conduct of life.”

You live, so it’s an axiom that you have some system for conduct of life. Your personal philosophy determines absolutely every output in your life. It directs all your actions. Part of it is your overall attitude towards consistency. It undoubtly affects your ability to stick with a long-term task or habit.

If your personal philosophy is messy, you need to adjust it before you attempt any consistent activity. If consistency is not something worthy in your worldview, then all such attempts are doomed for failure. The best techniques and tricks are not going to help you if your self-talk sabotages your consistency.

The good news is that forming a personal philosophy is a natural process which takes place around the clock, since you were born and to the minute of your death. It’s just a fancy designation for the process of absorbing and interpreting external sensory inputs. You only need to adjust it via your focused, conscious effort. I emphasize three pillars for an effective personal philosophy change:

1. Data sources.

Simply put, these are all the places you refer to for information: the books and magazines you read, the shows you watch, the podcasts you listen to, and so on. You can’t control every sensory input you get, it’s not humanly possible. But you have the power over which information you consume.

2. Internal interpretation.

Even if you completely transform all your data sources, it doesn’t automatically mean that your personal philosophy will be shifted. For example, if an atheist decides to read the Bible for 30 minutes a day and always murmurs “What a crap… I don’t believe any sane persons sees any worth in this garbage,” then the chances for spiritual growth are still slim to none. How you interpret the incoming data is just as important as what the data is.

3. People.

People can act both as data sources and interpretation of your inputs. You will judge the same information completely different if you read it somewhere on the Internet versus if it is delivered by a trusted friend with great emotional charge.

 

In order to tweak your personal philosophy, you need to change your data sources, people around you, and your internal interpretation, to encompass the concept of consistency as an important part of your life.

Below I mention some beliefs and convictions which you may find handy in keeping your consistency:

—

Success is a process, not destination.

—

You are bound to work for the rest of your life. Even if you reach a certain level of success, the world won’t stop at that place.

—

Time is your only asset; anything else is just a function of time.

—

Every action gives results; sometimes it’s experience, sometimes feedback, sometimes the output you desired. It’s never in vain.

—

The fruits of your work may serve others long after you are dead.

—

Each of your past experiences may be used to your advantage; each of them helped to shape who you are now.

—

Work on your important goals every day.

—

People are incapable of enjoying the same state for an extended period of time.

—

You can act only now; the past is settled; the future is still undefined.

—

You can do only one thing at a time; choose wisely which one.

—

Discipline is choosing between what you want now and what you want most.

—

Motivation doesn’t last. That’s why it’s recommended daily.

—

Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.

Start Changing Today

The easiest part is changing your data sources. You can subscribe to a new blog, new YT channel, ditch watching TV, start reading business books or periodics. Those things are tangible and measurable. You can gauge your exposure to them in minutes, number of watched videos, or pages read.

Meeting new people is not very hard too. In the Internet era, you can do it virtually and it still counts. I’m involved in a few online communities. Some of the people I know from there I know only virtually. I’ve known them no longer than 2 years, yet they are very important to me. I’m always ready to do them a favor if they ask, to help them and support them. And I know they would do the same for me. Many times, they’ve already done so.

Your self-talk is another matter. It’s more “coo-coo” and less tangible. It’s also outside of the scope of this book. The best tangible practice you can immediately implement is to keep a journal.

This discipline gives you continual insight into your internal world. The best approach for changing your attitudes requires an incremental, stable way and daily journaling can help you immensely.

Consistency For You

I wrote a book about developing consistency. The Art of Persistence is available on Amazon for free till the 7th of April 2015. Download and enjoy it.

My close friends nicknamed me “Mr. Consistency.” I hope you’ll get similar nick after reading this book

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Twelfth Income Report – March 2014

Are you curious about a one-year delay? I explained it in my first income report.

On March 1, 2014, I checked my sales. I painstakingly loaded them from each market separately (this was before fancy sales reports that Kindle authors now enjoy). I counted them a few times. I estimated my earnings. That was a big day for me.

I sold 995 copies.

The royalties reached a bit over half of my salary.

For some time, I knew they would be high. But this summary made it real for me. It was time to celebrate.

In a “by-the-way” matter, I shared this news with my wife. Until that day, I kept her in the dark about the success of Master Your Time.

She was surprised and proud of me.

Translation

On the 7th of March, I got an email offer for translating Master Your Time into German. I was briefly hesitant about handing over my work into a stranger’s hands. But what had I to lose? In the worst case scenario, this guy could steal my work and publish it in English. But the same could happen with any one of my readers. I scolded myself for thinking like big, greedy corporations.

Even if he would have abused my consent for German translation and wouldn’t have paid me a dime, I still would be the owner of my work. And some readers in Germany, who had no access to my work, could manage their time better.

If everything went according to our agreement, I would get another stream of passive income from my book.

We exchanged a few messages and I signed the contract. I spent no more than a few hours on communicating and meshing together necessary changes for the German edition.

Cooperation

Another result stemming from my success was that I was interviewed on a podcast―for the first time in my life! Although it was a show of my friend, Chris Bell who edited the book and helped me with marketing, the fact was I was on air.

I made a deal with Chris and we became accountability partners. I also started to write how-to advice for Kindle authors and published my ideas on his site.

Sales

My sales were gradually decreasing. Very slowly, but surely. At the beginning of the month, Master your Time was around the #8k position in the Kindle store, but near the end of the month, it slipped closer to #15k. However, there was also a very positive sign―my other books were selling better than they had in February. I sold 80 more copies of four other books than in previous month. I was no longer the author of one book. Master Your Time consisted of “only” 64% of my sales, not 75%.

Loose ends

In March, I checked Goodreads and discovered that my books were listed and reviewed there! Learn to Read with Great Speed had particularly negative feedback. I inquired three readers who gave it 1 star as to their reasons. One of them listed some convincing arguments, among which “poor English” was the most significant. But the sales of this book jumped by more than 50%, so I just noted this down and did nothing about it.

I dedicated quite a chunk of my time towards improving this blog. I wrote a few new posts and I was constantly sending old content to Fiverr for proofreading. By the end of March, I had completed the task of editing my older work and since then, I only material that has been proofread.

That month, aside from my own blog posts and how-to articles, I wrote the next book, From Shy to Hi. I finished the first draft on the 25th of March.

A promo

To remedy the decrease in sales, I organized a free promo of Master Your Time on the 27th of March. My wife helped me submit ads to freebie sites. I also spent $40 on paid advertisement. The promo was prepared very carefully. By then, the book already had 18 positive reviews. When I was preparing the book launch, only five sites actually published my ads. This time it was more like a dozen, plus three which I paid for it. I, of course, promoted it on Facebook too, in various freebie groups.

The promo results were amazing! The book was downloaded 7,000 times. It reached #25 in the whole free Kindle store. It was #8 among free non-fiction books and #1 in business and self-help categories!

Then, after switching to the paid status, it was:

2nd in the time management category (Only GTD by David Allen did better)



#4 in Self-Help -> Creativity.

#1 in two categories in short readings.

It got a bestseller badge. It reached #2,869 in the paid Kindle store. I got 19 new subscribers (about 12% growth within 2 days).



My whole catalogue got a lot of exposure. All of my other books were under the #100k rank. That was cool!



Afterwards, the sales were even better. The day after the promo, I beat my daily sales record: I sold 92 copies of my books in one day!

I easily reclaimed my investment with paid services in this single day.

That free promo reversed the sales trend for some time.

Master Your Time dove below the #10k rank again and during the last four days of March, I sold over 230 books.

Success begets success. Many things happened in March, because I was willing to try many new routes. And I was willing, because my mindset has shifted a bit. Previously, I was determined to succeed. After February, I realized that success was much closer than I thought.

The Income Report Breakdown

Income: €57.7 (about $75.01).

Wow, I earned 75 bucks! This was approximately 3.75% of my salary. That was the payment for January when my sales increased by 18%.

Cost:

$19, Aweber services.

$40, freebie sites paid submissions.

$20, proofreading my blog content.

$150, yearly payment for domain and hosting.

$80, 1 TB USB Disk (I needed a device to backup my works).

$13, yearly credit card fee.

Net result: -$246.99

Previous Income Report: February 2014

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The Second Method to Developing Persistence

The first method to developing persistence is described here.

The next tool is a vision board. A vision board is literally any type of board on which you display images that represent whatever you want to be, do, or have in your life.

Humans think in images. Whenever you recall a memory, concept, idea, or event, the accompanying pictures automatically materialize in your mind. By referring to your vision board, you reverse this association. You induce your mind to contemplate concepts and ideas by observing the pictures connoted with them.

To create one, you just need a bunch of pictures which associate with a specific goal. In comparison to the personal mission statement, a big asset of a vision board is that it’s easy to use―just place it in a visible spot where you are sure to look a few times a day. For example, you can place it on your closet door―every time you dress, you’ll look at your vision board and be reminded about your goal.

Dreams

This word conveys three meanings which are interconnected:

a series of thoughts, visions, or feelings that happen during sleep
an idea or vision that is created in your imagination and is not real
something that you have wanted very much to do, be, or have for a long time

From these meanings, I want to highlight that they involve thoughts, visions, and feelings, which all happen only in your mind.

The problem with dreams is that they come true. It annoys materialists beyond imagination (pun intended). For me, the second meaning should be modified to “vision in imagination that is not yet real.”

Dreams employ images and are better than a vision board―you can always carry images from dreams with you. You can visualize in practically any moment and any situation. When I was fighting my shyness of strangers, I visualized during my commute to work during rush hour, in crowded buses and trains. You can sit and meditate upon your dream in peace and quiet in the morning at your apartment or you can recall a picture of your dream when running to the bus stop. Visualization is unbelievably flexible. However, the vision board, especially when strategically placed in a highly visible place, has one advantage over visualizations. You spend almost zero energy using it. The board just happens to appear in your sight and you are instantly reminded about your goal.

Effort

Unfortunately, visualizations require a bit more effort on your part. You have to remember to do them and you must actually do them. Wallace D. Wattles, one of the fathers of Law of Attraction and the author of “Science of Getting Rich,” wrote that

There is no labor from which most people shrink as they do from that of sustained and consecutive thought. It is the hardest work in the world.

I completely agree with him and I think it’s the main explanation behind the less-than-advertised effectiveness of LoA in the real world.

Emotions

Dreams stir strong emotions. They can act as your turbo boost whenever you feel low. And that combines with visualization perfectly. The more emotions attached to the pictures in your mind, the less likely you will forget about them. If you remember a task or habit, a good chunk of the battle has been won. Now you just need to perform it.

However, emotions can be a two-edged sword. If you passionately want something, let’s say a great body, when you fail to act in accordance with your vision (you eat burger instead of salad), you are also more likely to beat yourself up. A single misstep can cause a much stronger and more negative emotional reaction on your part than it really deserves.

High Performance

And there is another problem with dreams and visualizations. They are “coo-coo.” Only lunatics do such things and it is below your dignity, right?

Well, not exactly. When I was doing research for my book “From Shy to Hi,” guess what Google spit out when I typed in “self-talk?” The stories and research about top sport performers. While common folks focus on training methods and intervals, the equipment and other material factors, top performers focus on what’s happening in their minds.

Of course I don’t encourage you to lay on your back and dream about the bright future, when you will be consistent like a machine. Doing things get things done. But if you want top-level consistency, you should use the techniques practiced by top performers. Dream.

When asked about my consistency I initially wrote a blog post. My friend kept asking me questions about my grit, so I wrote a whole book about developing consistency, “The Art of Persistence”. It will be published in a few weeks.


If you are interested in growing your willpower, persisting when the things get tough and pursuing the mundane, but fireproof path to success sign up to the dedicated mailing list below:

You will get sneak peaks into the book and I’ll send you a notification at the moment of “The Art of Persistence” (FREE!) launch.

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Book review: Writer’s Doubt

Wow, what a great book it is!

It encapsulates everything a good indie book should have, even to the very last letter: personal experience, authentic voice, an author’s transparency, integrity and genuineness; sound advice and some questionable issues. You don’t feel like it’s a book written by you where you agree with everything. A profound position.

A hero

I can’t imagine a better candidate for discussing writer’s doubt. I could relate well to Bryan because I have experienced similar struggles… however not on the scale he did. When I decided to write, I had no writing experience (Bryan at least attended some writing classes), no authority, and I started publishing outside of my native language. But once I set myself on a writer’s path, doubt did not have a chance with me.

Bryan had it much worse than that… and he overcame everything: naysayers, critics, and the internal, ultimate doubt itself! Wow, he is a hero!

One critical remark

I liked everything about this book. Stop! Not everything. In “Writer’s Doubt,” I found one recommendation I don’t agree with, and that’s fine, because we are all different. Namely, it’s the suggestion that everyone should try traditional publishing. I see no reason why. To bleed my nose on the wall? To build up my character by experiencing rejection after rejection? Well, I prefer different ways to develop my character. If I want to improve the quality of my book, I can hire professionals to edit it. I don’t need to sell my rights for pennies and alms (read: a meager share in royalties).

However, I only wanted to dispute just a fragment of the book―the rest seemed to be written straight from my heart (but much better).

Rejection

For example, I’d like to mention the idea about positive lessons coming from rejection. Bryan is totally right. When I started writing, I decided to write fiction in my own language. I posted my first short story on the biggest Polish Science Fiction forum and was (rightfully) criticized. My doubt had a feeding frenzy. I realized I lacked a lot in the area of craft. At the same time, I was looking for additional income sources. I knew I have to leave my 9 to 5 in order to live a fulfilled life. So, with a little encouragement from a friend, I switched to publishing non-fiction on Amazon. I sold about 10k copies of my books within 20 months. February is the first month when royalties will exceed my salary. If not for that critique, I wouldn’t have been in this place. And I found this kind of writing very fulfilling.

Solid advice

I loved the tone of encouragement prevailing throughout the book. It was so refreshing. Bryan is really a kind soul.

Every time I found some list with tips―whether how to self publish, how to “slay the beast,” or how to develop writing rituals―I found myself nodding. The author of “Writer’s Doubt” has really been there and has done that. Instantly, I felt that the advice came from a practitioner, not a theoretician.

I confirm that writing everyday helps immensely. My doubt has almost starved since I began my writing log in September 2013. Since then, I haven’t missed a day and the beast has almost disappeared.

Bryan’s advice about book marketing was among the best I’ve ever heard. No hype, hard work, and pure grit―this is what gets you results.

I myself have written a book about writing. It is not published yet, but I found so many common causes with this book that it’s almost unbelievable: connection and authentic relationships, writing something dangerous, refusing to blend in and conform… I’m convinced that it was exactly those qualities that made the publishing revolution possible, that this is the unfair indies’ advantage over publishing houses.

For writers… and for others

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who wants to start writing or has already started, but doesn’t consider himself a writer yet. You cannot get a better book at the beginning of your writing career.

But even a “seasoned” writer like me (1st book published on May 2013, 7 titles under my belt) can get something out of this book. I learned I’m a professional writer. It was a relief because as I said, I wrote a book about writing and The Beast was trying to say something doubtful about my right to do so. Thanks Bryan!

Oh, one more thing. I don’t think The Doubt Beast is a thing reserved for writers only. I think it is applicable to any venture which extends beyond your comfort zone. Whatever your internal voice is trying to talk you out of―starting a new business, a marriage, and so on―the journey Bryan shared will help you. Many of his tips are applicable only for writing, but most of his techniques are universal and will help you cope with every doubt.

And the story for the end:

In November 2012, I created my personal mission statement and wrote

I’m becoming a writer

in it. At that time, I had no blog and had never published a single word. At that time, saying “I’m a writer” was too bold for me. It took me 15 months and about 180k words till I changed this entry in my mission statement to:

I’m a writer.

I needed external validation and I introduced this change after my 5th book became bestseller.

But I was a writer long before that, I just didn’t know. “Writer’s Doubt” showed me why.

Read it and you will discover why you are a writer, possibly a professional writer at that.

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Eleventh Income Report – February 2014

Are you curious about a one-year delay? I explained it in my first income report.

On February 1, 2014, I was very carefully checking the promo stats after 10 a.m., so after midnight in the USA.

Wow, my book landed in #100 free books on the whole Amazon, #84 to be exact

The last day of the promo was good. I got over 2,000 downloads. There were almost 4,000 put together for the whole promo period.

I was apprehensive. It was four times better than any of my previous promos so I could expect sales four times bigger. Something like… 250 sales a month of this book! And it was my first book I priced at $3; the first book to earn 70% of the price. Even with 30% tax withholding it meant a few hundred bucks, which equaled to about 15% of my salary from the single book!!!

I could not resist to check my sales later on. By three p.m., (so it was still an early morning in the USA) I already sold seven copies!

I was like:

I knew intellectually that the process [of the free promo] works well; other authors confirm that all the time, but it is different to actually experience it!

I feel like an author! My book was ranked higher than Brian Tracy’s Eat That Frog! or Writing Habit Mastery of my mentor, Steve Scott. It’s SOOOOOO FRICKING COOL!!!!!

(that’s the actual entry from my Progress Journal)

I earned 20% of my January’s royalties from a single book in the single day. I went bonkers.

The next day was even more shocking. I sold 59 copies of Master Your Time in one day plus an additional 15 copies of my other books. I earned 3.7% of my salary in one day…

I was dazzled with realizing that I had seventy-four sales in one day! More than May’s, June’s, and July’s sales combined.

I painstakingly tracked my sales in February. The zero sale days became the thing of the past. Master Your Time In 10 Minutes a Day stayed on the first page of the Business -> Time Management bestseller category for the whole month.

Investments

I worked a few days on the monster post describing Master Your Time launch in the vivid details. I shared it with a few authors’ communities and got some positive feedback.

Starting with that post, I proofread all of new content on Expand Beyond Yourself. I just went to Fiverr and hired some proofreaders for that job. It was some trial and error, but (unlike with cover designers) I was very satisfied with their job. Even an average native speaker could find numerous mistakes in my posts and when I finally found the pro-editor, I spent at least $50 in coming months going through my old content.

I also decided to re-do all of my book descriptions. I hadn’t even proofread them prior to Master Your Time launch. Chris Bell who helped me with the launch rewrote the descriptions for $120.

With my sales skyrocketing, I felt confident enough to invest more in my business. It was a very wise move. On February 28, I noted in my journal:

“I replied to a few comments on my blog. It stops to be a ghost town. People actually read and comment my stuff. What a pleasant turnaround.”

Failures

February 2014 wasn’t all honey and sugar. At the beginning of the moth, in the last possible moment my guest post for Firepole Marketing was rejected. I was optimistic related to this endeavor. Their negative feedback undercut my confidence about my next book project and discouraged me completely. I put the started draft (about 7,000 words) in the back burner. I started writing a book about overcoming shyness instead.

I also noticed that TOC in my books on Kindle is not integrated properly with the Kindle app. I spent long hours to fix that issue. Well, in February I wasted many hours because I was able to fix this issue only after a few months.

I made a free promo of my parenting book because it was doing poor. The promo didn’t go very well. I spent a lot of money on improving book description and marketing, but I gave away just under 500 copies and it helped the sales only temporarily.

The Income Report Breakdown

Income: 8.79 euros, (about $11.51).

December’s royalties have arrived.

Cost:

$19, Aweber services (aff. link).

$20, marketing services for parenting book.

$120, book descriptions of my old books.

$10, proofreading my blog posts.

Net result: -$157,49

Previous Income Report: January 2014

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