Looking Forward

January 11, 2024 in Newsletters

January '24 Newsletter

It’s a new year, and we have a golden opportunity to do things differently from last year. What will you do differently this year? What do you want to accomplish in 2024? If getting a book done is on your list, let me know how I can support you. Read below for my offer to help you get your book done.

January is a special month in my family. My husband’s birthday, my birthday and my daughter’s birthday all fall in January. In celebration of my birthday, I am offering the members of the SkillBites community two valuable gifts, worth $150 each! See below for more information.

I hope you enjoyed your holidays and wish you a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.

1. Get Your Book Done in 2024

If you’ve set a goal of getting your book written this year, I want to support you in achieving this goal. Writing a book is a great way to increase your credibility and enhance your reputation, as well as attract your ideal prospects and grow your business. As a business owner or professional, you may have lots of questions, such as:

How do I find the time to write a book while running a business?
How do I decide what topic I should write on?
Will anyone be interested in my book?

You can learn the answers to these and other questions in my upcoming workshop, It’s About Time … To Get Your Book Done. Click here for more information. AND, if you sign up by the end of January, 2024, my first birthday gift is a $150 discount on the course registration fee! Just use coupon code BDAYGIFT at checkout.

My second birthday gift for you is a free half-hour coaching session, worth $150! Sign up for a half-hour (or longer) coaching session, and I’ll add an additional half-hour at no additional charge. Email me at judy@skillbites.net or call 610-783-4519 to order your coaching session.

2. Accelerate Your Writing

My favorite AI writing tool, QuickWrite, is going on sale for one week, from January 16 – 23. It will be on sale for $197 ($297 is the regular price for partners, or $497 for non-partners; lucky for you, I’m a partner!). In addition to this amazing writing tool, the developers of QuickWrite are also offering Author Keywords as a bonus add-on along with a training video on how to use it to increase web traffic to your site by blogging.

If you want to see how easy it is to use QuickWrite, I did a demo of it that is available to watch at https://skillbites.net/episode-72-judy-weintraub-quickwrite-ai-demo/

As I’ve mentioned in prior newsletters, QuickWrite was designed by writers for writers. It greatly accelerates the time it takes to write a book, a blog post, a speech, social media posts and other written material. Here are just some of the tasks that QuickWrite can do in just seconds:

Generate a list of powerful book titles,
Create an outline of your book,
Create outlines of each chapter,
Draft a motivating book description,
Draft emails, blog posts, social media posts and other marketing material,
And even provide content for your book.

To take advantage of this $100+ saving and obtain the Author Keywords tool, click here. Do it now, before the sale goes away.

3. SkillBites Podcast

Each month, we bring you an expert to help you get your book done, leverage your book, grow your business or improve your life. The shows are recorded, and you can listen to the recording by clicking here.

In this month’s episode, I will be delving into the tactics for optimizing your meta data to increase the likelihood that your book will be found by your target reader when searching online for a book on your topic. You might have written the best book on a given topic, but if your title or subtitle doesn’t convey what the book is about, or your book description is boring, or you haven’t chosen the right categories or key words, it will be much harder for your potential readers to find your book, hurting your book sales. In this episode, I will share tactics for selecting the right keywords and categories and writing a compelling book description.

Last month, my guest was Lisa Snyder, the founder of Silver Hoop Edge. Lisa’s expertise is in assisting professionals in starting, enhancing, and managing their web presence. In this episode, Lisa unravels essential elements that can help kickstart an author's journey in crafting a website, a powerful tool to amplify their book's visibility. Lisa shares insights into commonly overlooked website areas. Listen to this episode to access Lisa’s gift by clicking here.

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. If there is a topic you would like to hear on the podcast, let me know and I’ll look for an expert to cover that.

4. New Business Reporting Requirements

As reported last month, there are two new business reporting requirements. The first one applies to most businesses registered anywhere in the US, including foreign businesses registered to do business in the US. The new law is called the Corporate Transparency Act, promulgated by the federal government to create a database aimed at stemming the tide of money laundering. If you or your employer own a business that is registered with a state as a corporation, LLC or other structure, the company will be required to file this report starting January 1, 2024, unless it qualifies for one of the exemptions. The exemptions apply mostly to businesses in already heavily regulated industries, such as securities and commodities. Failure to comply with this requirement can result in penalties of $500/day or more until the report is filed, against the business and the person responsible for filing the report.

The second business reporting requirement applies only to businesses registered in Pennsylvania. The state previously required a report to be filed every 10 years, and as of January 1, 2025, is requiring all businesses to file a report annually. The penalty for not filing the report includes dissolution or termination of your business and potentially loss of your business name.

I have developed an overview of these two laws. If you would like a copy of the overview, email me at judy@skillbites.net and I’ll send it to you.

5. Tip of the Month: Strategies for marketing and promoting your book: Step 1 - Define your target audience

Last month, I provided an overview of 7 effective strategies for marketing and promoting your business book. These strategies are generally useful for non-business books as well. Over the next 7 months, I’ll be diving in depth on each of those strategies, the first of which is to define your target audience.

Define your target audience: Before you start marketing your book, and even before you start writing your book, it's important to define your target audience. Who would benefit from reading your book? What are their interests?

Defining your target readership helps you understand your audience's needs, preferences, and interests, allowing you to create a more tailored and engaging book and to tailor your book’s message and your marketing efforts to reach the right people and increase the chances of success. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to define your target audience effectively:

Identify the genre and core theme of your book: Start by determining the genre and core theme of your book. This will serve as the foundation for understanding the interests and preferences of your potential readers.
Conduct market research: Perform thorough research to gain insights into the current market trends, popular books in your genre, and the target audience's demographics. Look for similar books and analyze their readership to understand who might be interested in your work.
Create reader personas: Develop fictional profiles of your ideal readers based on their characteristics, preferences, behaviors, and demographics. Consider factors such as age, gender, education level, geographic location, personal interests, and buying habits. This will give you a clear picture of who your target audience is.
Consider reader motivations and desires: Delve deeper into your target audience's motivations, desires, and needs. Ask yourself what problems or challenges your book helps to solve or what emotional satisfaction it offers. Understanding these factors will help you connect with your audience on a deeper level.
Engage with potential readers: Engage with people who may be interested in your book through social media platforms, blogs, or communities related to your genre. Observe their behavior, engage in discussions, and ask questions to gain a better understanding of their preferences and concerns.
Analyze feedback and reviews: Pay attention to reviews and feedback of similar books or books in your genre. Look for recurring comments or themes to identify the elements that resonate with your target audience. This will help you focus on those aspects while marketing your own book.
Leverage analytics and data: Use data analysis tools or social media insights to understand the demographics and interests of your existing readers or followers. This data will guide your marketing efforts and help you target similar audiences.
Refine and narrow your audience: Once you have gathered sufficient information, refine your target audience further. Avoid targeting too broad of an audience, as this can dilute your marketing efforts. Instead, focus on a specific niche where your book has a unique appeal.
Tailor your marketing strategies: With a well-defined target audience, customize your marketing strategies to reach them effectively. Use appropriate language, imagery, and channels that resonate with your audience. Leverage social media marketing, book events, online promotions, collaborations, book clubs, or newsletters to reach your potential readers directly.
Continuously evaluate and adapt: Monitor the effectiveness of your marketing efforts by tracking sales, engagement, and reader feedback. Be open to refining your audience and adjusting your strategies as you learn more about your readers' behavior and preferences.

Remember, defining your target audience is not a one-time task but an ongoing process. As you interact with your readers and gain more insights, adjust your strategies accordingly to maintain a strong connection with your audience and effectively market your book.

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,