Category Archives: publishing

Publishing Industry Continues to Consolidate

magazines, media companies, Men's Health, publishing
www.aws.amazon.com

Penguin Random House, a division of Bertelsmann, purchased the assets of Rodale Press. Rodale published such well-known magazines as Men’s Health, Prevention and Runner’s World. The deal is believed to be worth $225 million.

Headquartered in the thriving metropolis of Emmaus, PA, Rodale also published a number of bestselling books. Included in that list are An Inconvenient Truth (by Al Gore), Eat This, Not That (by David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding), The Honest Life (by Jessica Alba) and Onward (by Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks).

Rodale had a good run. Founded in 1930 with an office in New York City, they launched the organic movement in the 40’s. Their mission was to “inspire health, healing, happiness and love in the world.” In 1947, JI Rodale started a farm to study organic agriculture. Located in Eastern Pennsylvania, the 333-acre farm revolutionized the food system, proving that healthy soil = healthy food = healthy people.

Young Blood

Maria Rodale was the third generation leader of the company. She was no doubt in a power struggle with Zinczenko, who was appointed Editor-in-Chief of Men’s Health when he was 30 years old. He later left and founded Galvanized Media. After he left, Rodale told the press, “It’s not Dave’s Health. It’s Men’s Health.”

During his tenure at Rodale – and beyond – Zinczenko managed to brand himself very well. In addition to Eat This, Not That, he has 13 other New York Times bestsellers. With over 10 million books in print, additional titles include The 8-Hour Diet and Men, Love & Sex. He even has his own publishing imprint at Random House called Zinc Ink.

People magazine recognized him in both 2002 and 2007 as one of the 50 most eligible bachelors. In 2013, he was named the Nutrition and Wellness Editor at NBC News. He’s appeared on Good Morning America, World News Tonight and Nightline. Before that, he appeared for 10 years on The Today Show, where he primarily featured Eat This, Not That. So, during this transition, it should come as no surprise that Zinczenko is being brought back as the interim director of Men’s Health.
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The Truth: Hearst

Bicycling and Runner’s World will comprise the new “Hearst Enthusiast Group,” which will remain in the Lehigh Valley (part of Pennsylvania near Allentown). Hearst bought Rodale’s Global Content Business in October of 2017.

Hearst has a stellar lineup of magazines, including Car and Driver, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Esquire, Food Network Magazine, Harper’s Bazaar and Town and Country. They are very well diversified with 300 media brands across the globe. They’re the biggest monthly magazine publisher in the world. Two-thirds of their profits, believe it or not, come from print, claims David Carey, CEO of Hearst Magazines. He thinks there’s still plenty of money to be made in the print business. On a Recode media with Peter Kafka podcast, he questions the durability of digital media companies. Because of the low barriers to entry, Carey suggests, pure play (digital only) companies are headed for a crash.

The demise of Rodale is sad. I still have several of their books on my shelf. Since the 1990’s, The Doctor’s Book of Home Remedies: Thousands of Tips and Techniques Anyone Can Use to Heal Everyday Health Problems, has been my trusty companion. Russell Wild, who I met through my wife’s French class, is one of the editors. I remember one time I had a plantar wart on my foot. One of the suggestions in the book was to will it away, which, fortunately, I did.

Meet the Parents

Publishing continues to evolve. And media businesses will bifurcate even more.

The parent company of Hearst – and now Rodale – is Bertelsmann, a media conglomerate that operates in 50 countries. It includes the RTL Group (Europe’s leading entertainment network), Penguin Random House, Gruner + Jahr, the Music Company BMG, Arvato (“One Stop Everything”) and three other Bertelsmann entities. Penguin Random House comprises nearly 250 editorially independent imprints, including Doubleday and Alfred A. Knopf.

About the Author

Frank Felsburg is a content strategist in Western North Carolina.

Spoonerisms, Malapropisms and Figurative Language!

author, humor, marketing, publishing, writing

With all the content out there these days, you can separate yourself from other content providers. You can make your writing stand out. It’s nice to know that people will read your work. It IS worth their time!

Good marketing helps to get people’s eyeballs. If people have a favorable impression of you as a writer, they should like your work. The best marketing you can do for your craft – whether you write books, poems, articles or blog posts – is to be downright good. Ben Franklin said “Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.” As it turns out, he knew not only writing, but also entrepreneurship.

How would people describe your writing style? Direct? Humorous? Informative? Crafty? Sarcastic? Subtle? What devices do you use so your writing differs from all the “noise” out there?

The English language can be a lot of fun. Add pizazz to your composition with some interesting devices. Here are a few:

Alliteration

When the same sound or letter is used at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words, it is called alliteration. Examples include “busy as a bee,” “dead as a doornail,” and “fit as a fiddle.”

Rhyme

When the words correspond to one another from an acoustic standpoint, you have rhyme. In other words, the sound is repeated. Here’s an example from Tennyson’s poem, The Eagle. The first stanza reads:

He clasps the crag with crooked hands;

Close to the sun in lonely lands,

Ring’d with the azure world, he stands.

Most poems use rhyme to some effect.

Rhythm

There are five rhythms in poetry. Sounds that are stressed – as opposed to unstressed — produces rhythm. Take the word “today,” for example.  The rhythm is buh BUH. The first syllable is unstressed and the second one is stressed.

Many readers and/or writers recognize this as an iamb (as in iambic pentameter). Pent meaning five, iambic pentameter is when this happens five times in a row. So it comes across as Ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum.  One of the most famous lines of iambic pentameter is from Romeo and Juliet, when Romeo says “But soft, what light through yonder window breaks.” The human heart beats in this rhythm.

Other devices include spoonerisms, malapropisms and figurative language. While you might not want to incorporate them into your writing, it is nevertheless a good idea to be familiar with them, if only for language’s sake.

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Spoonerisms

The transposition of initial sounds of words in a phrase is a spoonerism. It was named after William Archibald Spooner (1844-1930), a British clergyman and educator. He spoke in public a lot and often got tongue tied. He would say things like “a blushing crow” when he meant “a crushing blow.” Another example is “The queer old dean” – instead of the “dear old queen.”

Malapropisms

The mistaken use of a word in place of a similar sounding one, often with unintentional comedic effect (think Archie Bunker), is a malapropism. It was introduced in the play The Rivals, which had a character named Mrs. Malaprop. Sheridan took the character’s name from the French term mal à propos, meaning “inappropriate.” An example of a malapropism: “That was a mute point,” when what they meant was that it was a moot point. It is similar to a Freudian slip, which is an error that reveals someone’s subconscious mind.

Figurative Language

Figurative language is when a word or phrase is given a specific meaning other than the literal definition. An example is “I am so hungry I could eat a horse.” Obviously, it isn’t meant literally.

Are you appealing to the senses by using figurative language?

Instead of being superfluous, sometimes you can be more descriptive by using these or other literary devices. Personally, I love the way David Feherty describes Jim Furyk’s golf swing. He says it is like “an octopus falling out of a tree.”

What literary devices are you using? You may be using some and not even realizing it. Are you just slapping words together, or are you tapping into your readers’ senses?

Say it with style and tap into their senses!

What are some of your favorite phrases?

About the Author

Frank Felsburg penned Men Really DO Listen, which is selling well, but would sell better if women would stop looking for it in the fiction section of libraries and bookstores. In addition to ghostwriting, he also publishs and specializes in PR. Call 828.595.2485 to reach him.

What is Your Strategy?

baseball, publishing, writing

If you are an author or a speaker, you should have a strategy. Both industries are very competitive. And, unless you manage to stay head and shoulders above your competition, you, as they say, are a “nobody” in the marketplace.

Toward that end, there are some basic questions you should ask yourself (or have someone else ask you) that, once answered, give you a clearer direction of where you are headed. They can also serve to position you as a thought leader in the mind of decision makers.

Some of these questions might seem impertinent, unusual or downright annoying. But there is a reason why you should not let another minute go by without getting started answering them. Here we go:

What?

  1. Products & services are you selling? Do you know? Is it a “me too” product? Or does it disrupt the industry in a positive way?
  2. Makes you truly unique? Why should media planners hire you or readers invest their valuable time reading your book?
  3. Hard cover publications do you think your audience reads?
  4. Would be the ideal gig for you? Who would be in the audience? How large an audience would it be? What would you like to happen after you speak? A. Immediately B. Over the long run
  5. Marketing materials do you have? This should go without saying but, Do they cast you in a favorable light? Are the materials professional? For example, if you have video, make sure it is in a modern format (that means don’t give someone a cassette audiotape or VHS videotape in this day and age).
  6. Specifically makes you unique?
  7. Are some of the conferences you attended in the past? Would you still enjoy attending them if you could?

Why…?

  1. Should meeting planners hire you?
  2. Should someone buy your product/service?

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  3. Specifically should they buy from YOU?
  4. Should they buy your product or service at your PRICE?
  5. Should they buy your product or service NOW?

Who?

  1. Is your Target Market?

Where?

  1. Do you suppose they hang out? A. Physically B. Online

Additional Questions

  1. Are you open to media appearances? You may say “Of course,” but have you been trained in dealing with the press? They can be brutal and make you look real bad if you aren’t sure what you’re doing or who you are speaking to. Believe it or not, they might lead you to believe they are going to ask you about one thing and then while you are on the air in front of millions of people, put you on the spot and ask you about something else. As you could imagine, it could be devastating for your career as well as your confidence.
  2. Would you say the attendees of those shows are in your Target Market?
  3. I know you say you would do keynote speeches… Would you also consider doing break-out sessions?
  4. Are you checking out your local convention center (if you have one) to see what conferences are coming up in the future? Perhaps you can speak at the conference (or be available as a substitute in the event that a speaker doesn’t show up). Wally Pipp of the New York Yankees once missed a game at first base. The person who replaced him became a legend. Known as The Iron Horse. Lou Gehrig played in 2130 straight games.

What’s your strategy? Do you have one? If not, you might want to start thinking one through by asking yourself these questions.

Dying to Write Something

marketing, publishing, writing, ,

I recently travelled to Europe on a ski trip. On the way over and back, I read Paul Kalanithi’s riveting book, When Breath Become Air, which was posthumously published by Random House in January of 2016. The book was voted Goodreads’ Best Memoir & Autobiography and was on the New York Times bestseller list for a while.

It is a poignant story written by a neurosurgeon who develops Stage IV metastatic lung cancer and passes away shortly thereafter. His wife, Lucy, finishes the book.

My slogan is “Most people die with their book still in them.” Kalanithi’s courageous and herculean effort is a rare exception. How many people, when faced with a life threatening illness or a death sentence would bother to write about it? Very few, I am sure. Lucy was blessed to have married such a gritty human being.

Talk is Cheap

Many people put off writing, saying “Someday I’ll write a book.” Well, frankly, some “day” turns into months, months into years and years into decades. And decades add up. With apologies to Everett Dirksen, “a decade here, a decade there, pretty soon you’re talking about your entire life.”

As someone I know once said about painting, “I’d rather be whipped than paint.” Is painting a room really that grueling? From where I sit, it is mostly the process of getting started that intimidates people.

In painting, it is the setup that takes time and borders on the mundane. You have to move furniture and use drop cloths. Then you have to remove wallplates, patch up holes and cracks. After that, you apply a primer coat. All this before you apply the actual paint. So, there’s a lot involved. However, physically it isn’t exactly cruel and unusual punishment.

The same goes for writing. Most of the effort involved in writing isn’t the work itself. The challenge is more that you have to convince yourself to create something out of nothing. There’s research that needs to be done. You have to read and make sense out of what source material is already out there. And you have to carve out the time for the actual work. It is imperative, however, that you understand the topic before actually putting pen to paper.

The Process

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That’s pretty much it.

It can be overwhelming if you let it be. But if you break it down into its component parts, it is doable.

And, if you would rather have a professional – whether that be a painter or a writer – do it, that is always an option.

Your turn. You could start a blog, write an article or get take on a book. There are plenty of genres to consider. What do you read? Whatever content you consume on a regular basis could be source material for what you will ultimately write.

Start now. Before it’s too late.

About the Author

Frank Felsburg is an APE (Author, Publisher and Entrepreneur) as well as an occasional amateur painter.

When is a Good Time to Curl Up with a Book?

author, books, publishing

We’re all so busy these days. And information is coming at us at warp speed. There’s a lot of drinking from a fire hose. It’s exhausting!

With everything going on in the world, and all the various opinions out there – right or wrong – wouldn’t you like to get away from it all – at least for a few hours?

You probably would. But do you ever take the time to curl up with a good book and enjoy the simple pleasure of reading a page turner? Some people do. Many don’t.

As I look out my window and see the snow coming down, I can’t help but think of simple pleasures like hunkering down with something that will be good for the soul. I don’t drink coffee or hot chocolate. Instead, I get a high from running or by reading a well written book.

You must have one on your shelf. If not, they are abundantly available at your local library. You could even order one from Amazon and have it delivered to your door in the next 24 hours. So even if you are snowed in – you have no excuse.

A Good Selection

Here are a few books on many peoples’ radar which are either new or seeing a resurgence:

A Dog’s Purpose (published by Tom Doherty Associates), by W. Bruce Cameron, is written by the same author that wrote 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter and How to Remodel a Man. The general consensus on Goodreads is that it is a feel good book worth the read.

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Political Books

Depending on which side of the political spectrum you are on – or whether you watch Fox News or not – there are 1984 by George Orwell (published by Penguin) and Killing the Rising Sun by Bill O’Reilly (published in 2016 by Henry Holt & Company). Martin Dugard wrote O’Reilly’s book. The Fox News commentator promotes it on his platform.

In addition to 1984, which was published in 1949, also being recycled from a bygone era are It Can’t Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis (published by Doubleday) and Fahrenheit 451 (published in 1953 by Simon & Schuster), written by Ray Bradbury.  

On a personal note, I once attended a Philadelphia 76ers basketball game where Monica Seles, the former professional tennis player, was in attendance. Signing autographs, she came up the aisle I was sitting in. My friend Paul fished for something in his attaché case for her to sign. He pulled out a copy of Bradbury’s classic and she signed it.

I recently read that Seles is engaged to Tom Golisano, the owner of Paychex, since June 2014.

According to Wikipedia, “In February 2011, Golisano became the spokesman for National Popular Vote Inc., a non-profit organization seeking to implement a popular vote system for presidential elections by harnessing the electoral college.

I guess in some ways we can’t get away from it all. But we can try.

About the Author

Frank Felsburg is a content strategist, publisher and marketer of books. He can be reached at 828.595.2485, frank@SpokenAndWrittenWords.com or @fjfelsburg

What’s Wrong With a Few Typos?

communication, editing, publishing

Blood Type is Probably “Type O”

I’ll admit it. One of my pet peeves is misspelled words. Well, not just the words themselves. It just seems like when content contains typos – the person who created it didn’t bother to take the time to read it themselves. I find myself asking, “If they didn’t take the time to read what they wrote, why should I?”

Typos have been known to cause a great deal of embarrassment. Many years ago, I saw a headline in a major metropolitan city newspaper (one that has won 20 Pulitzer Prizes) that was trying to convey a story about how the famous Chinese revolutionary and statesman, Deng Xiaoping, came out of seclusion. The headline read “Deng Returns to Pubic View.”

Guy Kawasaki, in his book, APE: How to Publish a Book, tells the story of how Penguin Australia published a book entitled The Pasta Bible. In it, a recipe for tagliatelle with sardines and prosciutto called for “salt and freshly ground black people.” The company had to destroy 7,000 copies – although it became somewhat of a collector’s item because of the gaffe.

How embarrassing! And costly!

Microsoft to the Rescue?

Many think “Oh, there will be a squiggly red line under all words that are misspelled while I’m writing, so I’ll be fine.” Not true!

Some of you may be familiar with the Spell Check Poem below.

Candidate for a Pullet Surprise
(by Mark Eckman and Jerrold H. Zar)

I have a spelling checker,
It came with my PC.
It plane lee marks four my revue
Miss steaks aye can knot sea.

Eye ran this poem threw it,
Your sure reel glad two no.
Its vary polished in it’s weigh.
My checker tolled me sew.

A checker is a bless sing,
It freeze yew lodes of thyme.
It helps me right awl stiles two reed,
And aides me when eye rime.

Each frays come posed up on my screen
Eye trussed too bee a joule.
The checker pours o’er every word
To cheque sum spelling rule.

Bee fore a veiling checker’s
Hour spelling mite decline,
And if we’re lacks oar have a laps,
We wood bee maid too wine.

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Is checked with such grate flare,
Their are know fault’s with in my cite,
Of nun eye am a wear.

Now spelling does knot phase me,
It does knot bring a tier.
My pay purrs awl due glad den
With wrapped word’s fare as hear.

To rite with care is quite a feet
Of witch won should bee proud,
And wee mussed dew the best wee can,
Sew flaw’s are knot aloud.

Sow ewe can sea why aye dew prays
Such soft wear four pea seas,
And why eye brake in two averse
Buy righting want too pleas.

It turns out that all of the words in this poem are spelled correctly. However, 123 of the poem’s 225 words are faulty. I think it makes a good case for not relying on a spell checker.

Watch Out for the Obvious Ones

Perhaps the word I see misspelled most often is the word “led,” which is often spelled “lead.” Ironically, I noticed, many who misspell the word think of themselves as leaders.

Here’s a link to what “Dr. Language” calls the 100 most misspelled words.

Copyediting vs. Content Editing: What is the Difference?

The two main things a manuscript – as well as a simple blog post – needs are: 1) content editing and 2) copyediting. Many people don’t understand the difference.

Content Editing is basically making sure what is in the manuscript is indeed in there and what isn’t in it (but should be), is. The content editor makes it more appealing by suggesting needed changes not only to the content, but also to the organization, structure and style.

Copyediting, on the other hand, is, in many ways, proofreading. The copyeditor improves the spelling, grammar, usage, style, and factual accuracy of the manuscript.

Don’t skimp on either of these. The consequences can be cringe-worthy, much like this one, which appeared in the New Orleans Times-Picayune in 2011.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Frank Felsburg is a ghostwriter, publisher and marketer of content. He can be reached at frank@spokenandwrittenwords.com , 484.278.4674, or @fjfelsburg

 

 

ME? A book?

ghostwriting cost, publishing, self publishing, Useful Tips, ,

Many people don’t think they are WORTHY of having a book about their life. They think their life is too mundane to warrant a story.

I disagree.

We all have life experiences. Granted, some lives are more exciting and interesting than others. However, even the ones that are seemingly dull have redeeming qualities to them.

We think the only people that lead interesting lives are the ones that are glamorized in the media. The swashbucklers. The bombastic. The rich and famous.

Consider Walter Mitty

Walter Mitty had a “secret life” that was much more colorful than his actual life. Perhaps you are like this and dream dreams that no one has ever dreamt or articulated before. Why not have that turned into a story? You might be surprised to learn how many people would be interested in seeing, hearing or reading it.

In 2013, 20th Century Fox produced – and Ben Stiller directed – the movie “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” with a $90 million production budget. Actors included Stiller, Kristin Wiig, Shirley MacLaine and Sean Penn. There was also an earlier rendition of the story in 1947, which starred Danny Kaye.

Are you an introvert with a wild imagination? You could be the next Walter Mitty.

Outgoing Types

On the other hand, perhaps you are a raging extrovert who is so busy socializing that you don’t have the time – or the patience – to sit down and crank out chapter after chapter about your interesting life.
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And interesting it no doubt is. The people you meet, the places you go and the things you do.

If you put it in print, many people – including those outside your circle of influence – could benefit from it. Therefore, you would be adding value to the lives of others.

Who Are You?

Whether you are an introvert or an extrovert – or somewhere in between – we all have stories to tell. We have all overcome obstacles to become the people we are today.

Don’t be like George Bailey from It’s a Wonderful Life who had to be shown what his life was like if he had never been born.

Consider a Ghostwriter

Many people are readers – but not writers. As Hugh Prather said, “If the desire to write is not accompanied by actual writing, then the desire is not to write.”

If that’s the case, consider a ghostwriter. Joe Pulizzi, in his book Content Inc., says “Believe it or not, many of the books from the authors you love have been written by someone else. I know, hard to believe, right? But it is true.” Did you know that Tom Clancy, Gwyneth Paltrow, JFK, Beyonce and Donald Trump all employed ghostwriters? So did Ronald Reagan. And yes, it is legal. A good ghostwriter can coax stories out of their subjects that make them come alive.

Books are often the source for the script of a screenplay. The movie doesn’t always resemble the book. Sometimes it is better and sometimes it isn’t. In my opinion, the movie is rarely better than the book. But the movie is usually monetized to a greater degree.

We all have a story to tell. Are you telling yours?

Turn Off The TV and THINK!

communication, publishing, Useful Tips

life-without-excuses-dot-files-dot-wordpress-dot-com

If you read good books, out of that will come good writing – and good thinking. The ancient orator Quintilian said an impressive or persuasive speaker is “a good person who speaks well.”

Last week, a friend of mine wrote on Facebook, “In the wake of this election cycle, consider the state of our public discourse. We seem only to be able to digest bombastic platitudes of no more than 140 characters. I believe the result of this election and the choices faced by voters, not to mention the general trend of our political environment, owe themselves in part to a weakness of our national conscience. This is why I educate my children using a classical curriculum. My hope is that they learn to think well, ask good questions, and recognize truth, goodness, and beauty. Encourage the reading of ‘boring’ books, for much wisdom lies there.”

He’s right! I would add that there is something to be said about boredom. In many cases, it simply doesn’t exist anymore, what with all the devices we have. There are so many “distractions” these days that peoples’ span of attention has diminished. And it is getting shorter each and every day. Look at the length of articles in Time Magazine and compare them with years ago. They are much shorter these days.

As a result of less (and shallower) reading today, there is also less critical thinking.

Former President Richard Nixon, in his book In The Arena, which I highly recommend (regardless of what you think – or thought – of him as a president), said “It became racist to teach Shakespeare to Hispanic children, racist to teach traditional English to inner-city black children, racist not to teach white children Latin American literature or not to teach non-English speaking children in their own language.”

He went on to say “Each student should leave twelfth grade reading English at a twelfth-grade level or better. He should have read great English writers such as Shakespeare, Dickens, the Brontës, and, in translation, great Russian writers such as Tolstoy, Spanish writers such as Cervantes, Latin American writers such as Borges. Black students should know something about Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau, and white students should know about Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr.”

Wow! That sounds pretty ambitious! But why not? We send kids to school to learn to think. Often all they learn are what the latest fashions are and that they don’t particularly like school.

This body pack may cause dry skin. buy sildenafil viagra go to site This herbal supplement is developed under the supervision of highly trained and well-educated healthcare professionals using an advanced herbal formula to treat low sperm count and low sperm motility. 2.Female reproductive system: Saffron helps to ease the menstrual flow and acts as antispasmodic. mastercard cialis We have years of experience in moving our cialis price online happy customers all over the U.S. Herbal remedies viagra ordination are reckoned as safe and effective by FDA, and can be taken with or without foodstuff and if taking with meal one should make sure that he should not consume food rich in Vitamin C or iron supplements. We should educate them. Books are amazing. President Harry S. Truman read every book in his library while growing up. He didn’t go to Harvard or Yale or some other Ivy League school. Yet he read Plutarch’s Lives and Shakespeare’s Hamlet many times over. And he learned a lot from those books.

Why read fake news? There is plenty of good solid reading material in your local library in the form of books. Dust off one of these classics and dig in. Many of them are as relevant today as they were when they were written.

You could argue that Nixon, Truman or any of the 44 presidents we have had so far were great or awful. But. if that is your opinion, at least you would have some basis to defend your point, other than what television tells us. Turn off the TV and read! And, while you’re at it, you may as well read good books!

Do you agree?

What do you think?

 

 

 

A Book Is A Game Changer

Professional Development, publishing, self publishing

Shortlists for the National Book Awards will be announced Oct. 14. Winners will be awarded the prize at a ceremony Nov. 18.
www.npr.org

Why should you, or I for that matter, consider writing a book, when there are so many of them out there already?

Good question. The answer is that there are many reasons. Guy Kawasaki in his book APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur says there are four main reasons: 1) to impart knowledge, 2) to further a cause, 3) for the intellectual challenge, and 4) catharsis. Let me explain:

To impart knowledge – it is wonderful when we can get what is in our heads into the heads of others. A book, if well written, is one way to do that.

To further a cause – Rachel Carson wrote Silent Spring to encourage farmers to “put away that DDT.”

For the intellectual challenge – the process of thinking through a concept or a challenge, then editing your thoughts and rewriting them, can be a very meaningful and productive exercise. One thing to keep in mind when I say “exercise,” is that it isn’t a sprint, it is more of a marathon.

Catharsis – when I wrote Men Really DO Listen: How Men Listen Differently Than Others, it felt exhilarating to finally  finish it. Endorphins were released, the stars lined up and everything was right in the world (for the time being, anyway). To me, it gave me the impression that I had just written my doctoral dissertation.

You’ll get fast shipping at cialis no prescription cheap the speed of e-business on all online medications, plus a medical consultation.Regards Daylestain For every teenager it is important to the field of psychology because it is related to trust, openness and professionalism. What are the most popular buys? The site Drugs.com puts the cholesterol lowering drug, Lipitor at the top of the hierarchy forgets to pay attention towards his affected health till it’s too late. purchase levitra online Also still found on the internet, as of the same work that the wholesale viagra online works. There are different varieties of rope slings available in the market like asingle leg, two legs, three and four legs steel cialis samples free wire rope slings. People say to me “Someday I’ll write a book.” Well, someday turns into months and months turn into years. Years turn into decades and decades add up. Pretty soon you are talking about your entire life. Most people die with their book still in them.

The reality is a book can make you a minor (or major) celebrity. A book can get you on TV, radio and podcasts. Financially, it can set you up to receive streams of passive income. A book can open doors for you and lead to more speaking engagements and consulting gigs. And you can command higher speaking fees as a result. It can enhance your brand and position you as a thought leader. A book in the hands of your prospect or client tells them you know what you are talking about. It places the image in their mind that you are the “go-to” person in the market.

Perhaps most importantly, it can also be your legacy for future generations.

So, the original question may not even be a fair to begin with. The way it is posed almost pretends that it has already been done (by someone else), that it’s not worth doing. My response to that may seem quixotic. It is that is there’s always a need for a cogent message. Who know? You might even reach the unreachable. That’s the beauty of it.

The bottom line is the book publishing world has changed. It used to be that consumers decided a book was worthy of reading if it were put out by a well known publisher. If it was a reputable publisher, the thinking went, the book must be relevant and well written. That’s no longer the case.  In the digital world we live in, people put more faith in the number of stars the book got online (e.g., Amazon) than who the publisher is.

A book can be a game changer. Is yours a “dream in a drawer,” or a published work?

About the Author

Frank Felsburg has been in the publishing industry for three decades.

Q&A Regarding An ISBN

Professional Development, publishing, self publishing, writing

isbn barcode explainedQ: I’ve heard of a has-been, but what is an ISBN?

A: Let’s not get political here. ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number. It is a unique code that identifies a book. It has either 10 or 13 digits (depending on when it was issued) and comes with a barcode, which is a graphical representation of it. The barcode might also have some other information embedded in it, like the price and the currency in which it is priced. There is a different ISBN for each edition of the book or other medium (softcover, hardcover, e-book, audio, online version, etc.). The ISBN helps the product flow through the publishing industry.

Q: If ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number, why is it called an ISBN Number? Isn’t that redundant?

A: Yes, it is redundant. And so is “nape of the neck” if you are looking for something to tell the bus driver on the way home tonight.

Q: What does nape mean?

A: Back of the neck.

Where to Buy

Q: Where can I get an ISBN and a barcode and do I absolutely need one?

A: If you are putting the finishing touches on a book, R.R. Bowker, a privately held company, issues ISBNs. Go to www.myidentifiers.com. You need an ISBN if you plan to sell your book in bookstores. If you only plan to sell it online or at speaking engagements in the back of the room, you don’t need a bar code. However, If you don’t have a barcode, you book will look like it isn’t mainstream.

Q: How much does an ISBN cost?

A: $125.

Q: Why should I buy one?

A: It gets your book listed in Bowker’s Books in Print, used by the major search engines, bookstores and libraries.

Q: What’s the difference between ISBN 10 and 13?

A: The 13 digit kind means it was issued after January 1, 2007. The 10 digit kind means it was issued before 2007. The 10 digits are broken down into four parts and the longer one is broken down into five parts.

Q: Can I buy them in quantity?

A: Yes, and the more you buy, the less each one costs. You can buy them in blocks of 10 ($250), 100 ($575) and 1000 ($1000). It is recommended that you select the number of codes you’ll need over five years because you can maintain one publisher prefix. You don’t have to use the first one in the series. The “0” at the end will tip off those in the industry that this is a first book.

Q: So, you’re telling me I need to pay all that money just for a number?

A: Yep.

Q: Are they just a series of random numbers – or is there some meaning to them?

A: The five parts of a 13-digit ISBN are:

  • Prefixed by 978
  • Group or country identifier
  • Publisher identifier
  • Title identifier
  • Check digit, which validates the ISBN

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How About Revisions?

Q: If I revise the book, do I need to get a new ISBN?

A: Only if it is changed substantially. If you just correct a few typographical errors, you don’t have to get a new number. This is simply be considered a reprint. A new edition contains new material, is a major revision, or the addition of completely new elements. You don’t even need a new one if you change the cover, since you haven’t drastically changed the content.

Q: Where do ISBNs go on a book?

A: An ISBN is printed on the copyright page of the book as well as at the bottom of the back cover or jacket, above or below the bar code.

Q: What else should I know about ISBNs?

A: An ISBN also identifies the product’s physical properties, such as trim size, page count and binding type. Do you have any other questions?

Q: What do women want?

A: Who do I look like, the Shell Answer Man?

Q: Who is the Shell Answer Man?

A: Google it.

Q: Can you provide me a link?

A: www.google.com

Q: Where did the Shell Answer Man get all his answers – since Google wasn’t around in the 70s?

A: From the bus driver.

___

About the Author

Frank Felsburg helps people communicate their value through writing, speaking and marketing.

His best answer for what women want can be found in his book Men Really DO Listen: How Men Listen Differently Than Women. Buy it here.