July 2019
It’s summer time – a time when things slow down, people take time off and get outside more. I live near Valley Forge National Park, and drive through the park every day. At this time of the year, there are many more people biking, running and walking on the trails through the park – I love seeing people enjoying themselves outside.
Personally, I like getting out to play golf. It’s time consuming and often frustrating, but the satisfying feeling you get when you hit the ball right makes it all worthwhile.
What do you enjoy doing in the summer? Whatever that is, I hope you find a way to take some time to do what you love.
It’s hard to believe that the year is half over already. Is getting a book done on your list for 2019? There’s enough time left, if you get started soon, and it can really help you achieve more in 2020. I’ve got some helpful resources to assist you. Contact me at judy@skillbites.net if you’d like some assistance.
1. The SkillBites Show
The SkillBites Show is taking a break for the summer. We’ll resume in September.
Last month we heard from Dr. Kim Redman, Founder and CEO of Creatrix Go Quantum. Dr. Kim touched on several topics related to achieving “crazy success”, including hypnosis, Neuro Linguistic Programming and the power of imagination – when you can imagine your success with all your senses, you are more likely to achieve what you seek. If you missed this presentation, you can listen to it by clicking here, or you can read a summary of the show on the SkillBites blog at http://resources.skillbites.net/blog/.
Do you have expertise that you believe would benefit the SkillBites community of entrepreneurs and authors? If you would like to be the guest on the monthly SkillBites Show, contact me at judy@skillbites.net or 610-783-4519.
2. Impending Publication
We are close to publishing the book of co-authors Don Stohler and Gary Brunson. This is Brunson’s second book with SkillBites. In this book, the authors illustrate a process for meeting the right people, gain trust quickly, and help hundreds of people identify problems and discover solutions by connecting them to the best resources available. If you read and follow the process outlined in the book, you will become much more effective and comfortable meeting influencers and members of your target market, and the process can apply to many aspects of your life.
We are also pleased to be working with Joe Tumolo again, to publish an expanded edition of his book, Simplify: A simple approach to building a sustainable planned giving program. According to a study done by Decima Research, roughly 34 percent of those surveyed said they would consider including their favorite charity in their estate plans. So for every ten donors, three to four said they would be open to a conversation. Sadly, only 17 percent of those donors said that their favorite charity ever asked. Much of what holds people back from pursuing planned giving is that they see it as something complicated, taking a lot of time and way too much effort. Simplify provides a simple approach to planned giving, allowing you to get in the game and get results in a short amount of time. Through a blend of stories and real examples, the author touches on all the aspects of starting and sustaining a successful planned giving program. Joe’s conversational tone makes this an enjoyable read and is an essential tool for nonprofit leaders, board members and fundraisers.
3. Tip of the Month: Amazon’s Kindle Select Program
When publishing your eBook on Amazon, you have the option of choosing to enroll your eBook in the Kindle Select program. Note, this program applies only to eBooks.
The advantage of enrolling in KDP Select is that you have access to a new set of promotional tools, including Kindle Countdown Deals (limited time promotional discounting for your book) and Free Book Promotion (readers worldwide can get your book free for a limited time). As explained in an article in an earlier newsletter, offering your eBook for free or at a steep discount has many benefits. If you promote your free or discounted eBook campaign, you will undoubtedly get more people downloading your eBook, which could lead to more people contacting you for your expertise. You are also likely to get more reviews for your eBook. Most people find that the momentum of the free eBook campaign continues after the campaign has ended, as the readers who got the free eBook then tell others about your eBook, and you not only get more readers, you get a royalty for each copy of the eBook that is purchased.
KDP Select eBooks will also be included in Kindle Unlimited (KU)and the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library (KOLL). When members of the KU or KOLL programs choose to read your book, you will earn a share of the KDP Select Global Fund based on how many pages KU or KOLL customers read of your book. This is in lieu of any other royalty you would ordinarily earn when someone purchases your eBook.
However, when you enroll an eBook in KDP Select, you’re committing to making the digital format of your book available exclusively through KDP while it’s enrolled in the program. Your eBook cannot be available on your website or on any other site. If you want to have your eBook available on Barnes&Noble.com or iBooks, for instance, you cannot have your eBook in the Kindle Select program.
You can decide to run your free eBook campaign and then terminate your membership in the Kindle Select program. Your enrollment must be for a minimum of 90 days . So if you do want to have your eBook on other platforms, but you also want to take advantage of the Kindle Select program, you should join the Kindle Select program first, run your campaign, and after 90 days, disjoin the program and get your eBook on the other platforms.
For more information on how to run a Kindle Select free eBook campaign, contact me at judy@skillbites.net.
4. Ready to Get Your Book Published?
I have recently completed the development of an online course called Publish It! This course provides guidance on the steps needed to go from manuscript to publication, as well as how to get your book on Amazon, and how to promote and leverage your book. I am seeking beta testers to review the course for me and let me know if there is anything in it that is confusing, or that I need to explain better, or that is missing that should be added. If interested in being a beta tester, email me at judy@skillbites.net, and I’ll fill you in on the details.
5. It’s About Time
Earlier this year, I ran a 4 week workshop on book writing. The reviews were so favorable that I have decided to run the workshop again. As one participant exclaimed, “Wonderful program and enjoyed the group energy! Gets the momentum going!” If you’ve wanted to write a book but are struggling with finding the time, or aren’t sure what topic you should write on, or don’t know how to proceed, this would be a perfect program for you. The workshop is virtual, so you don’t need to go anywhere. If you miss one of the sessions, you can listen to the recording. The fee for the 4 one-hour sessions is just $197. To sign up for the upcoming workshop, contact me at judy@skillbites.net. Only a limited number of spots still available.
6. Earn Commissions For Referrals
Do you know anyone who has been wanting to write a book but has been stalling? Let them know that SkillBites offers a variety of services to make book writing and publishing easy, quick and convenient. When you sign up to be a SkillBites affiliate, you can get a commission for each person who signs up to purchase SkillBites services through your unique referral link.
Thanks for supporting SkillBites. If there is anything you think we ought to be doing better or anything we should be doing that we’re not, please let us know. We value your input.
Cordially,
