October ‘20 Newsletter

The Chinese curse “may you live in interesting times” has come to haunt us.  First, we have the pandemic, with over 210,000 deaths in this country, not to mention the 7.5 million people who have gotten sick from Covid and the millions of people who have lost their jobs.  Then there are the fires in California, which have destroyed over 4 million acres, and the five hurricanes that have hit the South. We also are dealing with the multiple unwarranted shootings of African Americans by the police.  And we have perhaps the most acrimonious and divisive political situation in the history of this country.  It’s nearly impossible to listen to the news and not feel depressed.

It is timely that October 10 is World Mental Health Day.  With everything that is going on, there are many more people suffering from anxieties, stress, anger and other mental health issues.  If you know anyone who might benefit from learning more about how to overcome these issues, you can download free resources at https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/publications.

Also, on October 15, we will celebrate Conflict Resolution Day.  As some of my community know, in addition to my publishing work, I am a mediator and arbitrator.  Resolving conflict peacefully is much better for all involved.  If you would like any information on conflict resolution, please let me know; I’d be happy to share resources.

 

  1. New Book

 

SkillBites will soon be publishing the second book by Barbara Hunting, called Who’s In The Universe:  Let’s Look.  This delightful children’s book has been illustrated by Barbara herself.  Have you ever looked into the sky at night and wondered…..is there something out there? And, if so, what could it be?  Our small critter and its critter bear wondered the same thing. So, they decided to take a trip into the universe to discover just what might be out there.  And this is what they found……Join them as they explore the planets and stars and discover fanciful critters that may…or may not…live in outer space.

 

 

2. The SkillBites Show

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, so if you can’t listen to one live, you can listen to the recording by clicking here.

Our next the SkillBites Show will be on October 21 at 1 pm ET / 12 pm CT / 11 am MT / 10 am PT.  My guest will be Barbara Hemphill.  Barbara is founder of Productive Environment Institute. Her passion is helping people accomplish their work and enjoy their lives and organizations to increase profit, productivity, and peace of mind.

Barbara has been featured on national media platforms including Good Morning America, The Today Show and CNN Nightly News. She has also been showcased in publications including USA Today, New York Times, Fast Company, Reader’s Digest, Real Simple and Guideposts. She is a contributing writer for Formidable Woman magazine.

Barbara has published several books, including the best seller Taming the Paper Tiger.  Her most recent book, Less Clutter More Life, reveals that physical and digital clutter is a symptom of emotional and spiritual clutter.  Barbara will share some of her de-clutter tips as well as discussing how her books have been a significant component of her continuing success.

To listen to the live presentation, you can go to https://zoom.us/j/98012759802?pwd=ZW51UjQ0OGlDWnlCWHZ1M2pNWnhnQT09 or call in, using a line local to you:

+1 929 205 6099 US (New York)

+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)

Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/abAXTgmoXv

Meeting ID: 302 156 4627

 

Save The Date:

Next month, on November 16 at 1 pm ET / 12 pm CT / 11 am MT / 10 am PT, my guest will by Jackie Lapin, founder of SpeakerTunity.  She provides speakers, experts, authors, coaches and entrepreneurs comprehensive lists of speaking opportunities and the contact information for those opportunities in their market of choice.  In this episode, Jackie will talk about getting booked on stages, radio, podcasts and virtual summits.

There are people out there waiting to hear you! They need what you offer–your inspiration, guidance, wisdom, coaching, books and products. And the only barrier for them becoming your next client or raving fan is they just don’t know about you! 

In order to grow your business, you have to be visible! You must reach these new prospects where they already are—at events, meetings and venues; on radio, and on virtual summits!

Find out EXACTLY what it takes to be a sought-after superstar to get booked time and again for all of these!

  • How do you get your speaking calendar revved up and rocketing
  • How to find the radio shows and podcasts that will give you a great showcase and connect you with their legions of listeners
  • How to get on the virtual summit circuit and start building your list and leads
  • How you can get bookers to say “yes” to consistently

.

Last month, we heard from Arline Warwick, founder of Find Corporate Sponsors.  Arline helps businesses, entrepreneurs and nonprofits find large sums of money to build their businesses. Arline shared tips on finding and getting corporate sponsorships.  Arline offered to members of the SkillBites audience a gift of a list of 100 corporations that provide sponsorships and their contact information.  To obtain that gift, send an email to info@findcorporatesponsors.com and put the words SkillBites Podcast Gift in the subject line.

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 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.

 

  1. Tip of the Month: Bookplates

Let’s say you are running a pre-sale campaign, or a virtual book signing, and you want to offer autographed copies of your book to those who purchase it and are not local.  Rather than buying copies of your book, autographing them and then shipping the autographed copy to each purchaser, you can use bookplates.  A bookplate is a printed self-adhesive label that you can write a note on and sign, and then send to the purchaser, who can stick it on the inside front cover of the book to have a personalized signed author copy.  You can have each person let you know the name they would like you to personalize it to and the address of where to send it.

You can use a bookplate template or design your own style.  Bookplates can be ordered online or from any good printer.  And they’re pretty inexpensive.  A sheet of 20 will run between $6 and $20, depending on the design.  It’s a good idea to include your book title, website and contact information on the back, so the recipient knows what book to put it in and how to reach you.

 

4. 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.  To obtain more information and to sign up for our referral program, click here.

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,