Yes, ultimately you have control! But that control has to rely on several other factors when it comes to determining the worth, the value, and the asking price for your goods. If you overprice, nobody will buy them. In essence, you’ll price yourself out of the market. However, if you underprice them, potential customers might be reluctant to invest in what they psychologically deem to be an inferior product.

In our current economy, I am finding that people are willing to spend money on experiences – possibly, life altering services (such as joining Michael Jordan’s Basketball camp in Vegas, learning how to sail a boat in the South Pacific, and writing a book, perhaps! ) – rather than spending money on products that teach you these things (Why read about sailing in the South Pacific, when you can just go do it!).  

Case in point, sales of info-products have steadily decreased for the past few years (The last thing people want is another DVD binder product to place on the book shelf!), while the percentage of people working one-on-one with coaches (dating coaches, business coaches, marketing coaches, life coaches) has been increasing massively. The latter can obviously be more expensive, but people are willing to pay more for quality experiences if they see them as valuable.

So, how do you determine your value? Well, there are several things you can research to determine a realistic price range for your product or service—a price a customer is likely to be willing to pay for the value they will receive. Let’s take a look at them:

1)  Do your homework and find out the price of similar goods and services in your area. What are your competitors charging their customers? Is their product or service selling at that price? And, last, does your product or service have more or less value than their offerings? If either, adjust accordingly.

2)  Ask previous clients to give you feedback. Did they find value in your product or service? Was it worth what they paid? Did they get more than they expected for the price, or less? If they had to do it again, would they pay the same price for the same product?

3) Test your market. Perform telephone surveys, distribute questionnaires, and try to find out how much your target market is willing to pay for the goods or services you offer. Find out what they like or don’t like about your business, and how they compare it to others within the vicinity. Then, set your price based on their honest feedback.

4) Ask yourself this question, Is your product or service scarce? Let’s face it, there are so many hours in the day. If your coaching practice is keeping you on the phone 40+ hours a week, and you have a wait list of clients wanting to work with you, you are obviously not charging enough for your time. In this case, raising prices will not only make you more money, but will ‘buy’ some of your time back!

Do one or more of these four things and you’re likely to establish an asking price for your product or service that is within the expected range that potential clients will pay. If you overprice, you’ll lose customers to the competition. If you set your price too low, they’ll assume that your product has less value or worth.  As you can see, this is one area that’s far too crucial to your success to leave to guesswork. Do your research, do your homework, and you’ll find your answers.

The reality of traditional publishing...

A writer/editor contractor, whom I often work with often, sent me this comic from The New Yorker magazine. The reality is, whether you self-publish, or publish through a Vanity publisher or traditional publisher, you will have to market your own book. Period! Actually, traditional publishers are only interested in authors (specifically non-fiction authors) who already have a built-in audience, a following, prospects, basically a list of people who are interested in your message.

Did you think writing the book was the hard part? Well, the reality is that marketing is the true challenge….

What’s their secret? They use public domain material. It’s something I teach in my 17 Day Book Challenge Program.  It’s a well kept secret, too. Virtually very few people know how to use public domain content as a way to write a book. That concept consists of taking previously written material and repackaging it in a different book.

Before we go any further, though, you need to know what public domain really is. It’s an intellectual property designation for the range of content that is not owned or controlled by anyone. These materials are “public property” and available for anyone to use freely for any purpose. For instance, the words “public domain” float around in computer lingo often to describe software code. These are programs that anyone can use at no cost—no purchase necessary. The social network site Facebook has public domain software called Dolphin which they make available for anyone to use. There are also books which in the public domain—books you can access for free, and you can repackage and repurpose them to meet your needs and call them your own. One historic book that has joined the public domain catalogue is Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.

How do you use public domain books and legally repurpose them? Well you can use programs which help you accomplish exactly that—one that comes to mind is a program by Yannick Silver which teaches what you need to know. Note, though, that using public domain books to write your own does not mean that you can copy or plagiarize anyone else’s writing and call it your own. But, you can take the message, the thoughts and the ideas and reword them so they’re in your voice. And believe me, that takes a large bulk of the work out of writing a book.  First, though, I always advise and strongly encourage everyone to make sure they follow all legal channels when doing so, and that means consulting an attorney who specializes in intellectual property law.

If the idea of repurposing public domain books to jump start your own sounds like something you’d like to explore further, consider the advantages you’ll get when you follow this path.

1)  It saves time. You do not have to write a book from scratch. Instead you can take the content as a base and add an introduction. You can adapt the work, copy it, and sell it. You can be really creative and make it your own.  In this way, you have the ability to do more than personalize it, you can even make it better, more interesting, or more in-depth by adding your message, ideas, stories, and suggestions.

2) You can copyright the adapted version. This is really cool. Although other people can go to the original source material and do the same thing as you, they cannot adapt your material because it’s not in the public domain – it is copyrighted material that’s protected. Keep in mind though, that only new portions of your book can be copyrighted. Any use of the public domain material will not fall under the copyright and you have no true ownership over that.

3) You can create derivative works based on the public domain, and profit from those. You can create audio, video, DVD, and coaching programs based on the original public domain material. So what your doing is using the public domain material and repackaging it in another format with your name on it, and, of course, any variations or additions you choose to make to the content. You’re creating a totally new product on the foundation of someone else’s writing.

Using public domain books to write your own is like building a house – rather than taking individual boards, cutting each of them and nailing them all together to frame your house, you’re starting with the complete framework totally assembled and ready to go. What a timesaver! You know what it’s going to look like and how to build on it but you don’t have to invest the time and the labor to get it there. Imagine how much faster you can complete your manuscript when the thoughts, ideas, and words have already been pre-assembled for you!

The biggest challenge you’ll have is finding the right material to use, but the search is worth your effort. You can find some really useful information and sources in Yannick Silver’s program. To get more detailed information on using public domain books, check out Public Domain Uncovered: Discover exactly how to find and use copyright-free works without fees or permission.  It tells you how to “borrow” an almost endless source of content (on practically any subject you could imagine).

1. Ensure your book is appropriately placed in the correct browse and sub-categories.

Certainly, if you want your book to be a bestseller on Amazon, you’d love to see it ranking in the ‘Top Twenty overall category. But, you’ll see much more progress and have more success if you strive to become number one in a specific topic or sub-category. It’s also much easier to achieve bestselling status within a specific category than it is to hit the top 20 ceiling.

By categorizing your book correctly, people who are interested in books on your topic will be steered your way. When they review your book, they’ll see that it ranks number one in that category. Wow, that’s just what they were looking for! A bestselling book on a particular topic that is of interest to them. Besides that, becoming number one in a certain category will contribute toward raising your book’s sales rank in the “overall” category, as well. And even though your book is a bestseller only in one category, you still get the boasting rights of being an Amazon.com number one bestseller.

2. Ensure your book is available on POD (with a guarantee of 100 on stock) or there is at least 500 books on site at the Amazon warehouse.

If your book is not available and in stock at Amazon, or available via print-on-demand (POD) through a reputable POD company or Ingram distributor, your book will read OUT OF STOCK. Of course, when a book is out of stock, people don’t purchase it—it’s not available. Thus, you want to avoid the “out of stock” notation because it really discourages sales. Unless you’re famous or already have achieved notoriety as a bestselling author, Amazon.com will only keep on hand minimal numbers of your book. When they witness a steady sales flow, they’ll increase that number. Amazon.com makes it difficult for self-publishers or Independent publishers to provide stock-up requests, so you want to make sure you research this thoroughly before conduct your campaign. You don’t want to send 200 people to Amazon.com to buy your book if they only have 12 books on hand.

3. Select an appropriate Amazon.com bestseller date.

Amazon.com uses a formula to determine your book’s rank. The fastest and easiest way to move up the sales rank is to select one date to market to the masses. Heavy sales on one day will move you past the competition into bestseller status. However, you don’t want to pick just any day out of thin air. Other authors are using this strategic tactic, too. Look at your competition. Find out when their books are going to be released and choose a different day. It will not serve you well if your campaign push falls on the same day that the next Harry Potter book is released. Choose dates wisely – do your research.

There’s more to becoming a bestselling author than writing a great book—you have to know the inside tips to creating sales. Following these three tips are critical in achieving that status.

Want more help becoming an Amazon.com bestseller, listen to this.

More information about Amazon.com Bestseller Program, click Amazon Bestseller Homestudy Program.

The Secrets of Female Sexuality places #8 overall...

As I’ve coached authors, helping them make their book a business, I’ve had a front row seat to their success. A successful book is quite a feat, but I’ve witnessed firsthand how transformational it is when a book reaches bestseller status. The perks are phenomenal!

Why should anyone want to be a bestselling author? Here’s a quick list of the benefits:

If your book becomes a bestseller:

1. You get bragging rights! And you’ll deserve them! Very few authors achieve bestselling status, so when you uncover the secret to marketing your book the right way, you are among the cream of the crop. That’s something to talk about. It also helps you to create more buzz about your book and the interest it receives.
2. You can add the title “Amazon bestseller” to your marketing materials and website. Everyone knows Amazon, and everyone knows that to become an Amazon bestseller, you have to beat a lot of competition. There are millions of books available through Amazon, so when you become a bestseller, you’ve earned a prestigious title that is more than an opinion—it’s indisputable and based entirely on fact—sales numbers which outrank all the rest!
3. People can introduce you as an “Amazon bestseller” before radio and TV interviews or speaking engagements. Being called an “Amazon bestseller” automatically provides you with credentials. It makes you an expert in your field, stating that you have something different to say and that people want to hear it. It’s an accomplishment that automatically portrays success.
4. You gain credibility in the corporate world. As an author, you are one of millions. As a bestselling author, your commendable achievement is acknowledged. Suddenly, you’ll become a sought-after speaker or consultant to businesses who place great value on credentials and accomplishments.
5. You establish yourself as an expert in your field. If you want to be an expert, write a book. If you want everyone to agree that you’re an expert, write a bestselling book. When you’ve written one of the top ten books in your industry, your expertise will have much more value and people will view you as the authority on your topic.
6. You can distribute a press release the next day – toting the fact you are a bestseller. By quickly getting the word out that your book is a bestseller, you spark more interest, accolades, and prestige. A press release that once might have gotten buried will go to the top of the pile when it touts such a remarkable achievement. When it does, you’ll benefit from the speaking engagements, interviews, and articles it will produce.

Best of all, your bestseller placement puts you in front of an audience that may have never heard of you at all. Once Amazon and Google know who you are, the sky is the limit.

CALL-IN DETAILS
Host Name: Sally Shields and Alicia Dunams

Teleseminar: How to become an Amazon.com Bestseller!

DATE & TIME: Tuesday, October 13th at 9:00pm Eastern
FORMAT: Simulcast! (Attend via Phone or Webcast — it’s your choice)
TO ATTEND THIS EVENT, CLICK THIS LINK NOW…

http://instantTeleseminar.com/?eventid=9506163

As of 9:58 am PST, my client and colleague David Shade became an Amazon.com bestseller.

There are many authors, or wanna-be authors, who also want to achieve this status, and I always get inquiries on how one becomes an Amazon.com bestseller. Well, you can pay an expert 20K + to orchestrate the campaign for you (Currently, I charge anywhere from 12 to 15K to coach and strategize all of the intricacies of a bestseller and book launch campaign for my clients.) Or you can do it yourself, which is tough if you don’t know where to begin (see 3 tips below to help you get started). Or, there is always something in between.

And with that, here are the following programs I recommend:

My friend, colleague and best-selling author, Sally Shields has crafted an amazing program called the Amazon Bestseller and Free Publicity 101 Homestudy Program. She walks you step-by-step through the Amazon Bestseller Campaign Process, and shows you exactly what you need to become a Amazon bestseller and garner FREE national publicity. *An aside: I just spoke to Sally today and she was taping the Rachel Ray Show – so this woman is definitely someone to follow!

Also, if you are a wanna-be author who needs to write their book before they even think about becoming a bestseller, you want to check out my coaching course and product, The 17-Day Book Challenge. In this course, I coach you on how to get your book done in less than 17 days, as well as develop your book marketing plan, which goes into depth in launching your book and making it an Amazon.com bestseller. I’ve gotten steller reviews about the 17-Day Book Challenge, which also includes as a bonus a private 1-on-1 60-minute telecoaching call with me.

Nonetheless, if you do decide to ‘go it alone’, here are a few tips to get you on your way to being an Amazon.com bestseller:

1. * Ensure your book is placed in the correct browse and sub-categories.

As you see from the screen shot, David’s book is not only in the top-20 overall, but is #1 in specific sub-categories. That way, people interested in dating topics will see it’s the #1 book of the day. Also, this step is crucial, because it is much harder to become an Amazon.com “Overall” bestseller. The chances you are a bestseller in a specific category are greater.

2.* Ensure your book is available on POD (with a guarantee of 100 on stock) or there is at least 500 books on site at the Amazon warehouse.

If you book is not available in-stock at Amazon, or available on print-on-demand (POD) through a reputable POD company or Ingram distributor, your book will read OUT OF STOCK and discourage sales. Amazon.com makes it difficult for self-publisher or Independent publishers to provide stock-up requests, so you want to make sure you research this thoroughly before conduct your campaign.

3.*Select an appropriate Amazon.com bestseller date..

Authors don’t normally do these campaigns on days that Harry Potter or a similar powerhouse book comes out. Choose dates wisely – do your research.

Of course, I hope this information helps. If you want further support, I offer 15-minute complimentary sessions to discuss what is the best route to go! – To your success – AD

First held in January 2008, the Wealthy Girl Summit is a powerful seminar that featured 13 women who have defied the odds and become leaders in their fields. By sharing the secrets and knowledge of the top female leaders in their field, we created a network that inspires and empowers women to create their own personal and business growth and wealth. Covering topics like financial planning, investments, entrepreneurship, and wealth creation, these amazing women shared their diverse backgrounds and experiences as financial and legal experts, investors, authors, consultants, and branding experts.

A transformational experience, the Wealthy Girl Summit created an explosion of interest from women across the globe who wanted to benefit from the insight of our network. So, we offered The Wealthy Girl Summit to women everywhere, providing them with the opportunity to benefit from one of the most powerful networks of women available! It’s been a more rewarding and, yes, rich experience than we had hoped!

That’s why, one year later, we are reuniting! The Wealthy Girl Reunion and Networking Event promises to be as fulfilling and enlightening as our first summit, which was launched just a year ago. We invite you to join and discover the changes that the last year has brought and the opportunities it offers. Reunite and network with Sanyika Calloway Boyce, Tiffany Bass Bukow, Adryenn Ashley, myself, and the other business owners and investors for this awesome event on October 15 from 6:30 to 9 pm at Wellington’s Wine Bar in Sausalito, CA. As a bonus, you’ll enjoy in the celebration as WGS speaker Sanyika Calloway Boyce launches her book, Give Yourself Credit, which promises to be a hit among people everywhere!

If you haven’t yet had the opportunity to benefit from the profound seminar, now is your opportunity to do so. The modules contained in our original summit are accessible to women everywhere for a mere fraction of the cost that attendees paid because we want you to enjoy a richer, more rewarding, successful, and fulfilling life than you ever dreamed possible! Learn how to become a wealthy girl and make your finances, investments, and business work for you by ordering all five modules. When you do, you’ll receive 12 bonuses—one of which is an autographed copy of my book Goal Digger.

Never before has the opportunity for women to succeed been as great as it is today. Embark on your own journey and join me and the network of wealthy girls at the top today! To order your personal copy of The Wealthy Girl Summit modules, go to www.beawealthygirl.com and enter the promo code: FREE OFFER. To learn more about our awesome reunion and networking event, visit http://bit.ly/ooHQPf.

And, to ensure all women have access to a successful and wealthy life, there will be a requested $10 donation at the door – 100% proceeds going to Dress for Success, SF Chapter. If you wish, you can bring a gently used suit, in lieu of the cash donation.

I hope you accept my invitation to become a wealthy girl and start living the life you’ve always dreamed of today!

That said, publishing a book is a great way to make money. If that sounds like a contradiction, read on.

Your book is a tool for creating multiple streams of revenue. It’s a calling card, a résumé, a sales tool, and a door-opener. I can provide you with all the information you’ll need to leverage this tool most effectively, beginning with…

17 Ways to Make Money and Boost Your Business With a Published Book.

1. Increasing Your Core Business. Nothing marks you as an expert in your field better than a book with your name on the cover. When you’ve written a book, you become an author, and people regard you as an authoritative voice. As an expert, you can charge higher fees for your goods or services – a book can as much as quadruple your current asking price. Additionally, by writing a book you’re duplicating yourself, in the sense that, while you cannot be everywhere promoting your business, your book can stand in for you; it represents you and your business. Finally, readers love meeting authors, and will flock to book readings and signings. The bottom line is, a book enables you to reach a much wider audience and, naturally, increase your business.

2. Public Speaking. There’s quite a bit of income to be made on the public speaking circuit. Schools, corporations, non-profit organizations, government agencies, and many other kinds of groups are always looking for experts on topics of interest to speak at their meetings and conventions. To be invited, though, people have to know about you, and they usually find out about speakers through their books. You can sign with a Speakers Bureau, of which there are many – and they expect to see a book. A good speaker can earn upwards of $5000-7000 per appearance – and that’s on the lower end– but you need to have that book by way of introduction.

3. Workshops. As with public speaking, groups are always looking for experts to offer workshops at conferences that last anywhere from a day to a week, and they pay handsomely for the right teacher. Again, they tend to hire authors: to most people, a book signifies intelligence and gives you an air of authority. People feel safer hiring someone they don’t know well, or at all, when they’ve written a book. It proves they know what they’re talking about.

4. Trainer/Continuing Education Units. Most schools of higher learning offer Continuing Education Units (CEUs) to students – accountants, nurses, lawyers, etc. – for attending workshops and trainings. If you’ve written a book, you can be certified to provide CEUs, increasing your pool of clients. I worked with a PhD who’s an expert on child psychology. Since publishing her book she’s been able to realize her dream of travel, going all around the country training educators how to heal children.

5. High-End Consulting. Maybe you’re already being called upon as a consultant to individual or group clientele; if so, you know how lucrative consulting can be. A book is something tangible that attracts the attention of large corporations and high-end entrepreneurs. It’s also something to give your clients as an adjunct to in-person consultation. With a book you automatically increase your fees.

6. Product Placement. Corporations and their PR agencies look for appropriate books in which to promote their products. With the right marketing and eventual visibility as a celebrity expert, you can get paid for mentioning products and services in your book. One author sold placement of a line of female products such as lingerie, toiletries, and hair products in her best-selling dating book; for each mention she was paid $10,000.

7. Expert Placements. Some authors invite other experts in the same or related fields to write guest chapters for their books, and then include information on their products or services that are relevant – but don’t compete with! – theirs. In this way you automatically increase your audience by attracting your guests’ followers, and, especially if they’re famous, you can significantly expand your business.

8. Marketing Tool. A book is a vital component of an effective marketing plan. Once your book is done, you’ll no doubt sit down and brainstorm with your coaching team, targeting people and places to send complimentary copies for reviews and publicity. This can be an exciting, idea-popping process, and can go a long way towards the creation of a comprehensive marketing plan for your core business.

9. Selling Foreign Rights. Your book might be bought by a publisher who wants to translate it into Spanish, Vietnamese, French – every language represents a potential audience. I had this experience with my book Goal Digger: a Korean publisher saw the book on Amazon, and called to ask if they could buy the rights. I agreed, and eight months later they sent me a check – possibly the easiest money I’ve ever made.

(This is called pull, as opposed to push, marketing. The latter comprises all the things you do to promote your business, while pull marketing occurs when clients simply fall into your lap – which is more likely to happen when you have a book out there.)

10. Coaching. Readers might want to further enhance their understanding of your book’s content by having you directly teach them the philosophies and principles outlined in it. I once helped a group of women publish a book on networking; now, because of their book, they’re being hired to coach other groups of women on networking and client acquisition techniques.

11. Become a Bestseller. Okay, it’s rare that a book written to promote a business ends up reaching the sales heights that comprise best-sellerdom – rare, but not unheard of. The people who wrote the first Chicken Soup for The Soul book had no idea it would end up as a runaway best-seller, becoming so popular it spawned several more Chicken Soup books for targeted audiences such as women, Christians, and others. So it can happen. It’s good news for writers that the New York Times Best-Seller List is no longer the only game in town: regional newspapers now put out lists of what’s being read in their geographical areas, as do niche magazines and bookstores, both chains and independents. The more educational content your book provides beyond your specific product or service, the likelier it is to reach best-seller status. This is something you might want to think about as you map out the outline for your book.

12. Movie Rights. Again, it’s rare that a book of this kind is snapped up by Hollywood, but it does happen. Moneyball, by Michael Lewis, which describes a system of selecting baseball players for major league teams, was to be a movie, with Brad Pitt in the starring role. (Unfortunately, the project was dropped halfway through production.) A book that did make it to the cineplex is Julie and Julia, one woman’s adventure cooking all the dishes in a Julia Child cookbook. Starring Meryl Streep as Julia Child, it’s received both critical and public acclaim.

13. Public Relations. What could be a better PR tool than a book? It’s your ticket onto television, radio talk shows, podcasts, videocasts, and blogs. Your little book goes out into the world as an ambassador for your business, and in roll invitations to appear places, reaching wide audiences, and expanding your business. Which can lead to…

14. …Celebrityhood. If you’re the kind of person who thrives under the spotlights – and you might not even know yet if you are – then you’ll love the life of a celebrity that publicity from a book can bring about. Think Suze Orman. Martha Stewart. Donald Trump. We all recognize these names from television – people who began, just like you and me, as entrepreneurs writing their first books as marketing tools. They’re now widely recognized as the top experts in their respective fields, get called by CNN and MSNBC to serve as news pundits, and regularly appear on The Today Show and other popular programs. In recent years, authors have even been asked to do their own reality shows. If celebrityhood with all its glamour and glitz appeals to you, remember: the first step down the red carpet is to write that book!

15. Non-Profit Organizations. You can package and sell books in bulk – usually discounted or at cost – to non-profit organizations for use in their fundraising drives. The group puts them into gift bags or donor baskets used to solicit donations. In this way your book finds its way to donors and philantophists, who are frequently high-income or wealthy. This is a win/win situation for everyone involved.

16. Corporate Sponsorships (see below). After you’ve written a book and developed your platform enough to make you a business celebrity, doors to corporate sponsorships will open up. David Bach, the author of The Automatic Millionare and Smart Women Finish Rich obtained sponsorship from Wells Fargo Bank, becoming a spokesperson for their financial services.

David Bach for Wells Fargo

Long-term homeownership is the key to growing wealth and financial security. The Great American Homeowner Challenge, sponsored by Wells Fargo Home Mortgage and financial coach David Bach, is inspiring millions of Americans to buy a first, second or investment home. “The single most important investment a person will ever make is a home — it is the secret to building life-long security.”- David Bach, The Automatic Millionaire HomeownerTM .

17. Repurpose Your Book. Finally, books these days have way more than one or two lives. Time was, a book came out in hardback, and a year later in paper, after which it hit the remainders pile. When audiotapes became a trend, books got a third spin. Today, thanks to the Internet, a book has even more incarnations: as an e-book and a podcast, to name just two. As technology changes and grows, we’ll no doubt see more ways to increase a book’s lifetime and, therefore, its earning potential.

Now that you know 17 ways to make money on your book, what are you waiting for? Write that book!