This summer I was contacted by a CEO of a large organization online, who said she got a “nudge” from God about me. She asked me to help edit articles and blog posts for her website, and to post them on her WordPress blog. I know a little about WordPress from having my own WordPress sites and know even less about editing – I have never been an editor before.

After I talked to my husband Ray and prayed about it, I felt God wanted me to help her. Ray really encouraged me to do it because she is successful and he felt she could help me learn new things. He also saw it as an opportunity for me to potentially make some residual income. She would barter her wonderful products, services, and events in exchange for me helping her, and pay me for time-consuming projects, too.

Bartering your gifts, abilities, and services

Bartering is actually quite popular online. I love to barter. You can get some great gifts doing this! Think about bartering your own products, services, events or abilities for someone else, in exchange for something that you would love to have.

Some writers write for magazines, online ezines, freelance write, write resumes, ghost-write, copy-write, become a health writer or travel writer, for either pay or by bartering.

Can you write articles in exchange for taking one of his or her classes? Are you gifted at website design and could help someone with her website in exchange for her newest audio bundle set? Are you willing to speak at an online event for free in exchange for heavy promotion of your name, business, and website?

Since I had never been an editor before, this woman and I agreed to try it for a month. Honestly, I wasn’t sure I could do it! That was in June and I am still helping her. In addition to blessing my socks off with her great products and events, she has been coaching me twice a month and also paid me (yes, money!) for two major projects she needed done quickly. This woman’s coaching services are expensive, so I think I am getting the better end of the deal!

Some people will have you sign a temporary contract in exchange for your services. We have discussed this but haven’t done it yet. But you might want to consider it for legal purposes and to protect your own interests…just so the two of you have an “understanding” about what you will (and will not) be doing, how long, for what amount of pay (or for whatever you’re receiving), etc.

Invest in a coach for your business!

I’ve been praying for a coach for some time now. I am learning so much from this woman as she is a powerhouse success and is so smart and knowledgeable about marketing, social media, and business in general. And I just love her! I encourage you to find a coach, too – whether it’s a writing coach, a business coach, a finance coach, a marketing or social media coach. In whatever area you desire success, find someone who is “ahead” of you in that field, doing what you love and can show you the way.

Emulate him or her. Learn what they are doing that is working, and learn from their mistakes as well. A great coach will be “real” with you about their mistakes to help others avoid their mistakes and to get ahead faster.

Stay true to your core values in your busy schedule

I was concerned about helping her because I homeschool our youngest daughter Leah and have been afraid of getting overwhelmed, trying to do too much. This job has actually turned into an almost full-time job, in addition to my writing and speaking business. This fall I added life purpose coaching to my services and have another online coaching group starting January 2012. (I’d love to have you join us!)

I am asking God to help me balance it all. I have asked Him to help me keep my priorities straight: God first, family second (including homeschooling Leah), and then all else – my business, helping my “boss”/coach, etc. This is Leah’s last year of high school. It’s so hard to believe she is a senior now! I don’t want to miss out on her last year, but want to make precious memories with her.

Live authentically by moving toward your purpose and living out your core values

Our precious daughter, Leah

The key is to stay in that sacred place of prayer and studying God’s word each day, and learning to say NO to anything that is not moving toward fulfilling our life purpose and our core values.  If “family” is one of your core values, then make sure that is what you are putting at the top of your priorities. Then you will be living authentically – and will be more energized, happy, and less stressed. Homeschooling is one of our core values, so I’m asking God to help me keep it a priority, especially this last year of Leah’s homeschooling.

“No” is not an easy word to say. Just this week, I had to say “no” to a friend of mine, a fellow writer/speaker/coach who asked me to write articles/blog posts for her website.

I wanted to do it to help her, but after thinking and praying about it, I realized if I said yes, I was going to get into overwhelm because of all that I’m already doing. To my relief, my friend was not mad or upset, but she understood.

Learn to just say “no”

Learn to say no! Determine which writing and speaking opportunities – or other types of work – are right for you, and will work for you and your family. In learning the power of that word, “no,” we say “yes” to God, our families, and ourselves.

I am anticipating that 2012 is going to be a GREAT year – but we must prepare now through prayer, Bible study, worship of God, and obedience to Him. “Prepare” and “preparation” are the words (theme) God has given me for 2012.

Each year I pray for God to give me a theme for the new year. God began downloading those two words to me early this time, and has confirmed it already through several people. I confess it makes me a little nervous – what do I need to be prepared FOR? But I have faith that God will be with me and has me and my loved ones in His great Hands!

Say “yes” to God!

God will guide our steps in 2012. Learn now to listen to His voice carefully, to heed and obey. Say a holy “yes” to God, and a “yes” to other people and other things only if God directs you to do so.

Learn the freedom and power of the word “no,” so that you can more fully do the things God has called you to do and to be. And be sure to enjoy and love your precious family and friends NOW, without letting work crowd them out. Live your life with no regrets.

“God makes three requests of his children : Do the best you can, where you are, with what you have, now.” – Anonymous

Image: digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

It is so much smaller than I expected, thin, light-weight, but Ray was surprised and happy with it.  (Speaking of ebooks, did you know that my ebook on prayer Walking With God is available for sale in the Kindle edition for just 99 cents? Just click here.)

Just like ebook publishing changed the face of publishing and writing, the Kindle and other ebook readers are changing it once again. One of the biggest questions is the “value” of the ebook.

There is controversy among authors regarding how to price their ebooks on Kindle. Some argue that they are charging for intellectual property, not the cost of paper. The prices of many new releases and best sellers are rising from $9.99 to $14.99 in the next few months, although many readers of ebooks oppose prices higher than $9.99. There are also a LOT of ebooks listed in the 99 cents to $4.99 range.

Douglas Preston, whose novel “Impact” reached No. 4 on The New York Times’s hardcover fiction best-seller list earlier this month, was amazed by the public’s opposition to higher prices and said, “It’s the Wal-Mart mentality, which in my view is very unhealthy for our country. It’s this notion of not wanting to pay the real price of something.”

When his publisher delayed the ebook version of his novel by four months to protect his hardback cover sales, he said it gave him pause when 50 people emailed him, saying, “I’m never buying one of your books ever again.  I’m moving on, you greedy, greedy author.”

I laughed at this. Why are authors labeled as greedy when they simply want to make an honest  living from their mental labor? I agree that while we all want a bargain, what we authors/writers are charging for is intellectual property – our time, our effort, our research, our prayers (!), etc. When I put my ebook on the Kindle, I was stupid hadn’t researched it much and thought that since 99 cents was a common price, that is what I was SUPPOSED to do. I am about to raise my price on it, though – so get the 99 cents price now while it’s still available!

What are your thoughts on ebook prices? Do you think they should cost less than the cost of a regular printed book? Why or why not? What price would you recommend for a Kindle or another Ereader ebook? Leave your comments below.

To learn more about the Kindle, click here: Kindle 3G, Free 3G + Wi-Fi, 3G Works Globally, Graphite, 6″ Display with New E Ink Pearl Technology – includes Special Offers & Sponsored Screensavers.

*Some links on this website may be affiliate links. I only recommend products I believe in and endorse myself.

Below is a video by traditionally published authors Tim Ferris and Rami Sethi regarding the benefits and the drawbacks of traditional publishing and self-publishing. They both lean toward traditional publishing, and Rami used to have a negative view of self-publishing but his opinion has changed since then.

You can read a great post by Trissa Tismal by clicking here.

Some great advice she gave was, “Regardless which route you decide to take, what’s important is learning everything you can to make your book a success. In the end it’s up to you to make your book a bestseller.

I’d love to know your experiences with either traditional publishing and self-publishing, and what you think of this video. Leave your comments below.

Video – self-publishing vs. traditional publishing

PS: Do you have your copy yet of Beth’s new book on women and spiritual warfare? To learn more, click here.

The FLIP is amazingly simple and easy to use, with just the push of a button. It uses the FLIP battery pack or regular batteries. You can plug it straight into the USB port of your laptop or computer and upload your video straight to YouTube. The Ultra HD II is less than $90 for one hour and less than $130 for two hours of recording time…a small investment that will reap benefits for your business.

If you’re like some people, you don’t like the idea of seeing yourself on video. So get creative! Record your husband, your kids, your friends, the beach, nature, the weather, a sports game, driving down the road, an instructional video, or just whatever you want to record!

If you’re a writer or speaker, you need to FLIP!

Vienna Beef, one of the world’s most famous hot dog makers, is suing the owner of a rival hot dog company, accusing him of either stealing Vienna’s 118-year-old recipe or lying to customers by claiming that he’s using it. The rival is the grandson of one of the two men who founded the company after their hot dogs became a hit at the 1893 World’s Fair.

According to this story, the lawsuit accuses Red Hot Chicago of false advertising, unfair competition and trademark infringement. In Chicago, the “meal on a bun” is part of local history and where loyalty to one of the region’s 2,000 hot dog stands is passed down from generation to generation.

One of the funniest quotes in the story was by Tanya Russell, a mail carrier who stops at a downtown stand called Fast Track, to deliver some letters and to grab a Vienna hot dog before finishing her route. “This is Chicago, and we take hot dogs seriously.”

If only we would take our writing and speaking so seriously, right? You might even be able to pass down this gift from generation to generation!

Last night I was on a NACWE telecall, and the guest was Joslyn Johnson, one of NACWE’s youngest members. Joslyn shared how everything we do needs to be related to God’s purpose for our lives. If you read my blog at Tablet Of My Heart, you know that I am passionate about women pursuing their purpose and calling from God, and using their gifts for God’s glory.

If your gift is writing and speaking, I encourage you to set aside any distractions, excuses, or fears, and begin using this great treasure that is inside of you. Don’t wait. Don’t hold back in intimidation, doubt, and fear.  The world needs to hear your great story!

Just write. Share the messages that are burning on your heart for God.

This morning I found this quote by Eric Maisel, author of a book I ordered at Amazon today, A Writer’s Space: Make Room to Dream, to Work, to Write .

“The writing life is defined by the succession of choices you make, primary among them whether or not you will write. You honor your writing space by entering it with this mantra: ‘I am ready to work.’ You enter, grow quiet, and vanish into your writing.”

Isn’t that beautiful? Find your writing space right now.

Have you checked out my latest creation, The Hands Of A Woman: Everyday Women In Everyday Battles? Just $20 – get your copy today!

Today I interviewed one of the contributor writers for my new ebook, and one of the guests in the chat room wasn’t able to hear the sound, although everyone else could (she had never used Talkshoe before and didn’t know how to use it, even though I was trying to tell her how) – and I felt so bad for her! (The interview with Stephanie Buckwalter went great, though! You can listen to it here, with the interviews of the other contributor writers under “Past Episodes.”)

It’s days like these when we just need to lay our heads down in Jesus’ lap like John the Beloved disicple did. To rest. To be renewed and restored.

Just you and God. His hand upon you. You hearing His heartbeat of love for you. His strength pouring into your tired, weary body. His voice soothing your anxieties and your stress. His Spirit calming you like still waters (Psalm 23).

Take some time today to rest. Create a sacred space for God and your writing. To be still and quiet before God. To hear His voice. To write down what He’s speaking to you. Rest, child, rest. Bring your weariness, your troubles to Me, and I”ll take care of them. Set aside your urgent to-do list, and just be in My presence. Let me fill you again.

“Come with Me to a quiet place and get some rest.” (Mark 6:30-31)

 But over the last month, I’ve had a couple of people working on a new website and a new page for the ebook. You can now go DIRECTLY to the new site at http://womensbattles.com to buy it.   When you sign up for my special report there (click on the special report graphic or the link at the bottom of the home page), you will be able to get the ebook at a 25% special discount.  Right after you sign up for the report, you’ll receive an Aweber email from me with the link to the temporary sales page. (I’m working on a new sales page now., and it will be up soon.)

Or you can just click here to go directly to the temporary sales page. With this 25% special discount - you pay just $15, which includes my study guide that covers each of the 10 chapters and Cindy Rushton’s Castles Under Fire audio bundle set.

I’ve had great, positive feedback from this ebook, and I think it will bless you! It contains 8 women’s powerful, inspiring, true stories – their most difficult spiritual battles. Learn how they overcame them with unrelenting faith in Christ.

Then I recommend my mentor Diane Cunningham’s Inspired Business Toolkit*, which you can learn more about here:  Get your Inspired Business Toolkit now!

Diane Cunningham  is one of my fave people. She’s a beautiful, godly, anointed, and successful woman – someone who will greatly inspire you.

Her toolkit is 271 pages full of ideas, resources, and real life experience. I read a LOT of books and articles about business, and this resource is one of the most helpful that I have found yet on how to have your own successful business.

It’s a home study program and provides printable worksheets. templates, and checklists that you can print out and use for your business. I especially love the “Weekly Dream and Idea Space” sheets.  Don’t you love the sound of that – a dream space?

This toolkit covers defining your niche and your message, the necessity of social media, the entrepreneur mindset, overcoming distractions, and other practical, helpful info to get you started right now.

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*This website may contain some affiliate links. I only recommend products I have personally tried and believe in.

“What good is an idol carved by man, or a cast image that deceives you? How foolish to trust in your own creation–a god that can’t even talk!” Idolatry may seem like a sin that modern people need not fear. But idolatry is not just bowing down to idols; it is trusting in what one has made, and therefore, in one’s own power as creator and sustainer. If we say we worship God but put our trust in bank accounts, homes, businesses, and organizations, then we are idolaters. Do you trust God more than you trust what your hands have made?”

I believe with all my heart that God has put great gifts inside each of us that He wants to use for His glory. Writing and speaking, coaching, entrepreneurship, all these are gifts from His hand. At this site I encourage you to write and speak to glorify God, which includes making books, ebooks, audios, podcasts, webinars, teleseminars, etc.

In fact, I just finished writing my new ebook on women and spiritual warfare, The Hands Of A Woman: Everyday Women In Everyday Battles, and encourage you to buy it because it is so powerful. You can find out more about my ebook by clicking here. I’m interviewing another one of the contributor writers for this ebook today, Susan Evans, at 12 p.m. Central Time at TalkShoe.

But it’s important that we trust God more than we trust in what our hands have made! Yes, God may have inspired us to create something wonderful – but we have to trust in God, not in that product/service. We have to trust in GOD”S power to even sell it, not the product’s (or our) ability to do so. Our hearts must belong to God alone.

What  a great reminder from Tyndale’s staff!

After we ate, we went back to her work, where she’s a preschool teacher, and she took me on a tour of the school. It was a child’s paradise – an “exploratorium” where they can read fun, good books; other rooms where they can grow plants and flowers, paint, do crafts, listen to storytime, lay down for naptime, enjoy snacks, and best of all, play outdoors on the playground equipment. The whole preschool was a kaleidoscope of bright colors. Each classroom had at least two teachers. The atmosphere was pleasant and fun.

After that, I went to find some bargains at CVS, where you can earn Extra Care Bucks for shopping, then came home to do some writing on an article for my Armor of God series.

I was thinking that the time I spent with Heather today didn’t last very long – it went so fast! – and that’s how real life is, too. She grew up so fast, and our youngest daughter Leah is growing up fast, too. It’s so important to take time out each day for what really matters – the most important things like spending time with God and your family, making memories, and having fun. All my work was waiting here for me when I came back – but I’m so glad I took this break today with Heather.

Enjoy the “Kodak” moments – those moments you don’t want to forget. Make a memory with those you love today.

Have you started a new business online, begun a new website, or  you’re a new speaker and writer trying to get your name out there and to sell your info products? I’ve had my writing and speaking business for a little over a year now, and have been searching for good resources on the basics of marketing. You hear the word “marketing” thrown around a lot by the experts/gurus, but what is it exactly – and how do you do it?

I wasn’t sure what marketing really means, what the heck a marketing plan is, and didn’t know HOW to market my info products. This week I found an AMAZING – and you’re going to LOVE this! – FREE resource, LaTara Ham-Ying’s Online Marketing Basics series.                                                           

Last night I sat  down and read through every single post – and it’s a 21-day series, LOL. I never do this and usually get bored reading article-sized info, but she’s a good writer and gives very practical, helpful info – just what  I’ve been looking for and needed.  LaTara has wonderful, free downloadable resources for you, too, to work on your marketing plan that you can take action on TODAY.

If you want an incredible resource to help you with your marketing and your marketing plan, check out LaTara’s Online Marketing Basics series by clicking on this link.

PS: I also recommend LaTara as a business coach. She tells it like it is, she’s encouraging, and she will challenge you to do what you need to do to succeed in your business. Check out her coaching services.

The ebook is ready now, and now all that’s left to do is finishing the new website for the ebook.I have bought the new domain name, and have two women helping me with creating the pages for the site. It will be unveiled soon, and I can’t wait to share it with you!

Working on this ebook certainly feels like a long pregnancy, just waiting on that baby to come. But if you’re a woman who’s had a baby, you know the baby comes when the baby is ready!

If you’re just starting to write an ebook, here’s some tips to get you started:

• Jot down your ideas in an idea notebook, your Dayplanner, or Post-it sticky notes. Don’t edit these ideas, just write them down. You’ll be amazed how you can use them and how they tie together. These ideas also will form the skeleton of your ebook’s outline.
• Include in your idea notebook various quotes from other writers, your family, friends, peers, etc. I use The Quote Garden a lot for quotes in ebooks, on my blog, in my ezine, and on  Twitter and Facebook. Your favorite books are also wonderful sources for quotes. The Bible is the greatest quote book of all!
• Your chapters don’t have to be written in order. Did you know that Margaret Mitchell wrote the last chapter of Gone With the Wind first and the other chapters in no particular order? She stuffed the chapters into manilla envelopes and hid it under a towel when visitors came to keep it a secret! While I don’t propose going that far while you work on your book, you can relax from any feelings of pressure to write it “in order.” I wasn’t able to write my chapters for this new ebook in chronological order because I had multiple contributor writers for it, and received their stories for the chapters at different times – so I worked with what I had at the moment.
• You can use the free tool Open Office to work on your ebook. Open Office has an option to instantly create your document into a pdf that your customers can download. Pdfs  make your ebook portable, so that readers can take it with them on their pc laptop or Iphone wherever they go.
• Proof/Edit. Yes, PLEASE use a Spellchecker in your document, and go over your finished copy numerous times yourself to catch any mistakes – spelling and grammar mistakes, typos, etc.  – so you don’t look dumb and have damaged credibility. (I need to proof this blog post again before I publish it!) Also, have a family member, friend, and/or an editor edit your copy before publishing it on the web because two pairs of eyes – and usually more – are better than one. But keep in mind that even with multiple edits, there will probably be at least a few mistakes because no one is perfect. Stop aiming for perfect, and aim for excellence – your best job – instead. Only Jesus is perfect! I love what The Barefoot Executive, Carrie Wilkerson, says: “Not perfect – just DONE!” This will help to set you free from the trap of perfectionism.
• Remember to enjoy the journey, not just the destination. Do you love to write? Don’t let the technical details of creating an ebook ever take that love away from you. Just write!
• Don’t wait until the day your ebook is completed to shout it from the rooftops. Begin marketing and promoting it when it’s still floating around in your head.  Start telling people now: “I’m writing a new book about the habits of sea lions!” Tell them what it’s about. They may either laugh or give you great ideas to add to it. They can encourage and support you, and pray for you as you’re writing it. You need a prayer cover over you as a writer and speaker, anyway! For the nay-sayers who criticize you with things like, “Writing a book? Why don’t you get a real job?” or as I was told in my youth, “You’ll starve to death as a writer!”, just ignore it and go on with the vision God has given you in your heart. Begin sharing about your ebook NOW on your blog, in your ezine, on Facebook and Twitter, at your friend’s 30th birthday party, at church, at the post office, to the policeman telling you to slow down (just kidding) – wherever you go. Word of mouth is still the best advertising!
• Finally, and certainly not least, pray. God is the greatest writer of all time.   Ask for God to inspire you and to help you write with the pen of a ready writer. “My thoughts are filled with beautiful words for the king, and I will use my words as a writer with pen and ink.”

My hair is now much closer to its natural brown color (although it has some red tint to it) with the blonde highlights, the way I’ve had it the last several years.

I feel so relieved! Yes, as Christian we’re to focus primarily on beautifying our hearts. But it’s amazing how a woman’s hair (or any part of her appearance) can affect the way she actually feels about herself. The Bible says a woman’s hair is her glory. (1 Corinthians 11:15)

Do you have any hair disaster stories? Feel free to share in the comments below.

The ebook is now available to those who are on my update list at my main website, www.bethjones.net, before its official launch the third or fourth week in May – AND those who buy it now receive a special 25% discount off the regular price of $20. So you only pay $15!

When you buy it, you also receive complimentary bonus gifts of my study guide that covers each of the ten chapters of the book and Cindy Rushton’s incredible Castles Under Fire audio bundle set. (Cindy is my writing/business coach. She is amazing!)

As Christians we are in a war every day with our enemy, Satan. This ebook shares about the everyday battles that women face today – and how we can have victory through faith in Christ.

This ebook is 120 pages long, has solid Biblical content, and has an application section following each story. It contains eight women’s stories that are heart-wrenching and powerful. You will be encouraged and inspired.

To get your copy today at the special 25% discount (a limited time sale!), go to www.bethjones.net and sign up with your name and email on my update list. It’s on the right sidebar under the little red pencil (it’s NOT the ezine, but the opt-in form underneath that). This ebook will bless and encourage you!

coffee

I’m enjoying this morning drinking my coffee and surfing online. I don’t drink coffee that often, but today I made some, and of course added lots of creamer. As I shared on Twitter, it’s not Starbucks but still good!

Today I found a resource for freelance writing jobs. I haven’t applied for any of these jobs yet, but I found the Christian Work At Home Moms site on Twitter, and I saw these and thought I’d pass them onto you. Let me know if any work out for you! 

One dream I have in my heart is to someday be a travel writer (traveling + writing + chocolate + coke classic = nothing better!), so I’m going to start researching this online how to get started. Wouldn’t it be heavenly to be paid to travel and write?

What is your writing dream? Leave your comments below.

One of my loves is pretty shoes like the ones pictured here. And another is finding resources online to help my writing and speaking business which are free or low-cost.

This year I found a treasure of a website, Pix-O-Sphere, which is a family-friendly photo community. They allow you to share your own and others’ pictures. You can also sell your own pictures if you upgrade to the paid membership.

It’s a great place to get free pics for your blog or website, and to network and make new friends!  You can also show off your photography skills.

To use someone’s picture for your blog from Pix-O-Sphere, it’s a courtesy to first add him or her as a friend and then copy their pic to your private album. That way if they leave Pix-O-Sphere, you will have your own copy. Then you simply copy the html and paste it in your WordPress blog (using the html feature).

The site has tutorials to help you, and the owners, Scott and Lisa, are great if you have any questions.

I just joined Pix-O-Sphere, but I’m already lovin’ it. It’s a resource that I wanted to share with you, because Istock and other photo communities can add up to be expensive if you like to use lots of pics at your blog and you’re on a shoestring budget, just starting out in business.

Beth Jones

Beth Jones

I am so excited because this week I’m having my very first teleseminar, The Power Of Your Purpose. You and I have an incredible purpose from God, beyond what we can even imagine. We also have a very real enemy, Satan, who wants to destroy that calling.

As writers and speakers, coaches, entrepreneurs, we know that God has given us a message to share with others to help them. Learn on this call some practical steps for living out your purpose victoriously through Christ.

The teleseminar is free, and the replay will be available for 48 hours after I email it. You also receive a complimentary gift for attending.

Sign up for the teleseminar here today.

Are you a Twitter lover? Use the hashtage #pwrpurpose to share about this teleseminar and invite others to it with this link.

I thought you might enjoy this article that was in an ezine I read this moring, which I really liked from Catriona Welsby at http://www.myWOBA.com.

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Devouring books??  No, I don’t have a crazy craving for books or paper, although I do hear that some women have some very odd cravings for ‘food’ such as coal!  What I mean by ‘devouring books’ is that I’m spending every spare moment educating myself and increasing my business development, brand awareness and internet marketing knowledge.

You’ll see me waiting for my son’s swimming lesson to finish with a book in my hand.  I’ll be waiting for school to finish with a book in my hand.  I’ll be waiting to see the midwife with a book in my hand.  Basically, any time which is normally wasted is being used far more effectively by using the time to read and devour!

You would think that with so many books out there it would be easy to find something that is genuinely worth reading.  Unfortunately the opposite is true.  There are so many books out there that it is a nightmare sorting the good from the bad.  And with the days of self-publishing well and truly with us, the marketplace has even more of the ‘rubbish’ than ever before.

I don’t mean to say that all self-published books are a waste of ink, many of them are genuinely good, solid books.  But unfortunately without a publisher rejecting the rubbish, there are a lot people who go down the self-published route just to say they’re a published author and to build credibility.  The problem is, that makes it really hard for you and me to find the gems!

The way I find good books relating to business development, brand building and marketing is by paying attention to books recommended by other authors who I know and respect.  That has currently led me to read Mark Joyner’s “The Irresistible Offer”.  As it happens, I already knew a lot of the content, but there’s nothing like being reminded of something to spur you into action.

If a book inspires you and you find you can’t control the new ideas popping into your head, then it’s a great book!  I know a book is good if I scribble on almost every page, if my list of things to do grows at an alarming rate, and if I feel motivated and enthusiastic to carry out some of the ideas.  And it’s not just ideas given in the book that make a book worthwhile, often a book can mention something or give an example of something, and it’ll trigger different ideas or avenues to visit.

There is no way I can actually implement all the ideas I get from books before baby is due but I can prioritise them and delegate those that can be done by one of my assistants.  And some of them I can plan to have completed before baby is due, whilst others I can schedule for after the baby is due and put some ‘first steps’ in place.

Just because things will be quiet business-wise when the baby is born, doesn’t mean I’m halting all ideas, developments and long term planning.  In fact, that would be madness.  Just think how much can be done while I have my baby, with my assistants working on those ideas, tasks and plans that I’ve formulated for them!

Whatever the subject matter, I love to read.  Give me a transcript of a teleseminar and I’ll read an hours worth of audio in about 10 minutes along with scribbled notes and ideas.  I just don’t have the time to sit through a teleseminar that I can ‘read’ in a fraction of the time.

But others are different and hate to read, and learn better by listening.  Isn’t it great how so many options are available?   That’s why I almost always release a transcript of our teleseminars as well as the audio itself, in order to cater for both types of people.

So over the coming weeks I’ll let you know what I’m reading and whether or not I recommend it.  I certainly DO recommend Mark Joyner’s “The Irresistible Offer” whether you are new to internet marketing or whether you are well established.

It’s written in that ‘easy to read’ manner where you can (almost) switch off while reading!  And despite my years of internet marketing experience and my success, there’s still so much to learn, ideas to be re-discovered, and general overall business building to be done.

Time now for me to go and pick my son up from school.  I have to get there 15 minutes early to find somewhere to park, but I’ll be using those 15 minutes of waiting to speed-read yet another book….

*********

Catriona Welsby publishes her Women’s Online Business Academy (WOBA) newsletter for women who want to gain 100% control over their working and home lives, by achieving online business success on their own terms. If you want to create or expand a successful, flexible, income-generating online business, then get your free tools, tips, and advice now at: http://www.myWOBA.com ]]> http://bethjones.net/writingroom/learning-about-business-through-books/feed/ 0 http://bethjones.net/writingroom/how-to-create-info-products-with-alyssa-avants-diy-program/ http://bethjones.net/writingroom/how-to-create-info-products-with-alyssa-avants-diy-program/#comments Wed, 02 Mar 2011 23:33:59 +0000 Beth http://bethjones.net/writingroom/?p=188

Alyssa Avant's DIY program

As a writer and a speaker, would you like to bring in some more money for your business with an info product, but can’t afford to hire someone to help you create it? Well, you can do it yourself.

Alyssa Avant has a great product that has six modules using videos, audios, how to guides, and checklists, to help you create your info products for your business. It will save you money and teach you how to do it yourself in just a few hours of work.There’s also a bonus webinar replay.

I love Alyssa’s inspiring website, her beautifully created products, and her live webinars and telecalls, and believe you will, too.

Want to get started today? I highly recommend her Do It Yourself (DIY)Info Creation Product Program for only $47. You can learn more by clicking here.*

*This is an affiliate link.

One Thousand Gifts

One of the great things about the online community in social media is that you make some great new friends. Recently on Incourage I found out about a book club using Ann Voskamp’s incredible book, One Thousand Gifts.

Ann is the kind of writer that makes you squint at your own writing and think, “Should I just give up?” Her writing is raw, transparent, deep, is filled with beautiful description, and goes right through you with its sharp truth and intolerance for religious, pat answers – asking and answering the question, “Is God good?”  Even in the hard times?

“Do not disdain the small. The whole of life – even the hard – is made up of the minute parts, and if I miss the infinitesimals, I miss the whole … There is a way to live the big of giving thanks in all things. It is this: to give thanks in this one small thing. The moments add up.”  ~ One Thousand Gifts

The first video for the book club is this Sunday, February 6 at Incourage.  There is still time to join!  Watch the video below and hop on over here to Incourage, where you’ll find out all about it!  Then invite your family and friends!
Video of One Thousand Gifts

Kindle

Technology is changing rapidly, and it is changing the face of writing and publishing. One hot trend right now is putting your ebooks, special reports, and tip sheets on the Kindle. 

I have been praying about this, and this week made a decision to put my baby, my ebook Walking With God, on the Kindle.

It is now available on the Kindle for the ridiculously low price of 99 cents!

I will not keep it at this rate long, so if you, family, or friends have a Kindle, now is the time to get my ebook at a great price!

You can purchase my Kindle ebook  Walking With God right here.

After the purchase, it’d also really help me out for you to put a favorable customer review on my Amazon page, and rate it (the more stars, the better!) My friend Susan Evans already has an excellent customer review on there. Be sure to tell all your family and friends!

Do you have ebooks, special reports, or other documents you’d like published on the Kindle?

Below is a video by Denise Wakeman showing you how to upload and publish your ebook on the Kindle. It takes Amazon about 24 to 48 hours before it goes live, and  you do not have to have an ISBN number to do it. Easy!

Success sign

Recently I had a reader email me and ask me for tips on selling information products online. Frankly I didn’t feel qualified to answer the question since my product sales aren’t what I want them to be…but I am persevering until I achieve my dreams!   However, I have an incredible writing coach who IS very successful and my inspiration (we’re talking a six-figure income for the last several years!), and I have studied other writers and speakers over the last year who have also experienced great online success. These tips are what I’ve gleaned from listening to them, which I’d like to pass onto you.

• Pray and ask God to direct your path. Study His word. It will give you wisdom and help.
• Ask for His divine appointments. God knows people we don’t know who could help us, mentor us, coach us, and show us the way to success.
• Social media is huge. Be active on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other social media sites. You can choose 2-3 to be active on consistently. That is better than being on 20 of them and not being on them enough.
• Blog regularly – 2 to 3 times a week at least is best.Offer great content.
• People need to see you, get to know, trust, and like you. Let people get to know you through blogging, social media, articles, audios, videos.
• Be yourself, be authentic and transparent.
• Know who you are, what you’re about, what your niche market is (your audience), and what problem you can help them solve or pain you can help to heal.
• Comment on other blogs in your niche.
• Be a life-long student. Take seminars, webinars, classes, read lots of books.
• Be a friend to others. Love others.
• Use lots of video. Video is hot right now. 
• Do public speaking. I’ve never had to ask for a speaking opportunity. God has always opened the door. Speaking will help you to sell your books on tables in the back of the room.
• Tell other people about your books. Tell everyone.
• Use Aweber or another autoresponder and send out an ezine – twice a month or at the very least once a month. Write articles in it, share practical tips, and give other good content.
• Do article marketing. Write articles for Ezine articles. It has a resource box at the end of your article where you put your name and website.
• Submit articles to magazines for publication. This gains you credibility. Credibility is vital.
• Network with successful people. Learn from them. Glean all you can from what they’re doing.
• However, follow the unique path God has for YOU. You have a calling that only YOU can fulfill – gifts He has put inside of you that no one else has.
• Find out what sets you apart from others in your same field and capitalize on that. It’s called your Unique Selling Point. Ask yourself (and answer), “Why would people want to buy from me? Why would they want to buy this book?” Then share it.
• Above all, PRAY, PRAY, PRAY and DON’T GIVE UP. Press on. Persevere. Have faith in God. Seek His face and obey Him, and He WILL bless you!

Prayer, Purpose, Passion ebook

When I discover something new, I get so excited and I have to share it with my friends!  This week I was reading Alyssa Avant’s ezine and she recommended an ecover graphics generator site that is easy and inexpensive, My Ecover Maker. Best of all, you can try it for free before signing up (for a minimal fee each month).  Oh,  I love free! 

So immediately I tried it out and created a new cover for my ebook, Prayer, Purpose, Passion. I think it’s a lot prettier than the plain green one I had on there.  Tell me what you think of it!  Leave your comments below.  And try making your own ecovers at this site. It’s a lot of fun!

writing room

A new year is here, and Ellen Goodman – American journalist and Pulitzer prize winner for Distinguished Commentary-suggests a new approach to the age-old tradition of making new year’s resolutions: “We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives, not looking for flaws, but for potential.”

Beautiful advice. We can do all things through Christ.  One way we can look for potential is through creating a vision board. Habakkuk  2:2 (ESV) says, “And the LORD answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it.”

A vision board is a tool you can use to focus on and to accomplish your dreams and goals.  You can make it very inexpensively, with a poster board, old magazines, and glue, tape, or staples. This past year I made a video, showing how to create your vision board. You can watch that video at my blog post here.

My friend Susan Evans also created a vision board that is beautiful. You can see it on her blog post, Visual Goals for the New Year.

Susan has been making smoking tracks this year in all she’s done. Be sure to check out her post, 50 Things I’ve Accomplished This Year, for inspiration!  I was simply amazed (and felt just plain lazy!) when I read this. I better get busy! 

Have you created a vision board yet?   What is the vision you have for your life this year?  Set it before you today!

2011-beach

How were your holidays? We had all our kids and grandkids over, and they enjoyed Ray’s traditional sweet, holiday ham – enjoyed it so much that there were no leftovers! Today is the start of 2011, and if you’re like me, you’re ready to put the old year behind and start fresh.

Resolutions always leave me feeling like a failure (by about the 2nd week of January!), so I’ve decided to do a “theme” word instead and concrete goals where I can take steps of action to accomplish them. I got the idea of a “one word theme” from K-Love Radio Station here.

The one word can be a character trait you want to work on, or something you want to focus on this year. You pray and ask God to speak to you His “one word” for you this year.

Radio listeners’ comments about their theme included words like “dream,” “destiny,” “more of God,” and “forgiveness.” That one word will stick with you all year long, and will keep you motivated. And one word from God can change your life!

What would your one word be? Leave your comments below.

blank page

There is nothing scarier for a writer, and yet more exhilirating, than a white page. The white is your breathing space – and yet it leaves you so vulnerable. What if you mess up – with spelling, grammar, or worse, it sounds so silly, bland, boring? This can freeze you up and you get stuck.

One thing that can help with writing are writing prompts. At Daily Writing Tips blog recommended  on ProBlogger, you’ll find a great post on Writing Prompts. A writing prompt is a topic around which you start writing down ideas to give you something to focus on as you write. You can stick closely to the topic or wander off….(which tends to be my style!).

Take one or two of these prompts, and jot them down. “His feet were already numb. He should have listened,” or “She woke, shivering, in the dark of the night.”  Then run with it. 

I also recommend not punctuating, not paying strict attention to spelling or grammar. Tell the internal editor with the critical eye to just sit down and be quiet. Don’t listen to him or her – just write.

What did you come up with?

How do you get unstuck in your writing?  Leave your comments below.

Here is a picture of precious Annabelle and Violet on the beach. They love it!  Heather says the weather’s not cold, but the water is!

Annabelle and Violet on beach

Here is Violet admiring a seagull.

Violet on beach

Annabelle loves digging into the sand.

Annabelle on beach

I’d love to be there with them, and am praying to be able to go soon. The ocean is so peaceful and beautiful. It’s also a great place for inspiration to write. Each time I go to the ocean, I think that there is no way for people to look at something like that and not believe in God, a Creator. The Bible says this is true:

“For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.” ~ Romans 1:20, NLT

What is your favorite beach or vacation spot?

Where do you go to reflect on and write about God? Leave your comments below.

During junior high school, I’d pour out my heart into a diary about the latest crush I had, or how I hated doing the family’s endless loads of laundry. In college, I joined the campus newspaper staff, and then became a reporter for the city for several months, handling the general news and police beat and occasionally writing features.

I’ve written my entire life. 

I still have dreams in my heart about being a very successful writer and speaker. If you’re a writer, a real writer, you know that you simply can’t not write. It’s in your blood. We’re obsessed with it. If we were one of the passengers on Oceanic 815 who crashed and landed on the island, we’d immediately have to look through the wreckage to find still-working laptops, pens, paper.

At some level I think we are writing to find out who we are. Who are you? What are you really trying to say? Why do you write? 

 Finally, how do you sometimes avoid writing?  Oh, you know you do!  We clean and decorate our writing rooms. We wash dishes or organize closets.  We go to the book store and buy books on writing.  We write long letters or emails to friends to avoid real writing. Writing is hard work – but fun work. 

Writing can be scary, especially when you’re writing about real events from your family. It’s going for the jugular to actually write about that alcoholic relative and how everyone in the family is in denial about it, or that your parent never really gave up smoking, and would hide it from the other parent – as if you can hide the smell of smoke on clothing and breath.  Family members will get mad at writers for writing the truth.

No, we as believers in Christ don’t want to air dirty laundry to everyone we meet, but there is a certain freedom in writing down the truth. It unshackles us from fears, from the prudish editor in our head that says  “That isn’t very nice,”  it helps us to find ourselves, our convictions, our history as it really was and is. We stare at ourselves in the face and say, “Oh, I finally see.”

We write to draw wells of truth from within us. To make not just others – but ourselves – face it. Of course, we should be as kind as possible and should use discernment and wisdom. Just as not everything needs to be said when you’re talking with someone – even if you’re just about to bust to say it, like I frequently feel – not everything needs to be written.

But we shouldn’t fear or avoid it either.  Today, write down something that takes courage to write. You will be surprised at how it makes you feel a little lighter inside.

“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” ~ e.e. cummings

Hey, come on in, relax, and have a hot latte’.  This place is to encourage writers, speakers, and bloggers from God’s word and to share great resources from writers and speakers. Here you’ll find inspiration, tips, resources, time-savers, and a growing, close friendship from people just like you, who desire to to share your heart’s burning messages to help others and to make a difference here for God’s glory.

I remember the first time I ever went to a writers’ conference several years ago. It was in the beautiful Albuquerque, New Mexico mountains, and it was the only time I’d ever met other people who “got” me – writers and speakers. They had to write; it was an obsession…even late into the night!  Finally here were people who were really different than people in my daily, routine world – they actually wanted to get up in front of a  LOT of people and talk about things on their heart!

Let’s do it together here in A Latte’ and A Writing Room.
Jump in and share your thoughts. Ask questions. Let’s pray for each other so that we can become all that God has created us to be.I’d love to hear from you! You can contact me at elizabethdjones@gmail.com.