February 2018
We’re celebrating in Philadelphia the first Super Bowl win in the Eagles’ history! What a game! Both teams played well, and it was a nail-biter all the way to the end. Quarterback Nick Foles was a class act in his post-game interview. He referred to his being only one component of the package that led to the win, commending the coaches and the whole team. He also said he was only able to reach this point because he had failed so many times before this. He encouraged anyone going through a tough time to think of it as a time for growth.
Besides the Super Bowl win, we’re celebrating at SkillBites, as February is our anniversary month. SkillBites was launched 6 years ago, and we’ve come a long way since then. In honor of our anniversary, as well as Valentine’s Day, we want to thank the loyal fans in the SkillBites community. To show our appreciation we are offering a 10% discount on all services purchased during this month. Just use Coupon Code FEB10[JW1] at checkout; or, call me at 855-SKILLBITES or email judy@skillbites.net when purchasing SkillBites services to get the discount.
SkillBites will soon be publishing Lynda Barness’ second SkillBites book, The Man I Knew: Herbert Barness In The Press, 1957 – 1998. The book is a fascinating portrait of the man who helped build Bucks County, Pennsylvania and usher in the era of modern real estate, as seen through the eyes of the press that covered him for over forty years, with insights from his daughter. The book covers the story of how he grew his hugely successful real estate business as well as his many landmark contributions to Pennsylvania politics, sports and community life.
1. In The News and Tip of the Month: Copyright Law FAQs
Last month, I was a featured guest on the Book Marketing Mentors podcast, hosted by Susan Friedmann, international bestselling author, speaker and owner of Aviva Publishing Services. During the podcast, Susan asked me to talk about copyright law and why authors should register their copyright interest in their books. The podcast can be listened to by clicking here.
Since many people have asked me questions about copyright law, I decided to make that the topic of this month’s tip. There’s a lot of confusion about whether you need to register your copyright interest. As the author, you own the copyright interest in your content without having to register that interest and without even placing a copyright notice in your book. By including the copyright notice in your book, you put the reader on notice that you do own the copyright. However, if anyone were to steal your content, you would have limited recourse unless you register your copyright interest. Once you register your interest with the US Copyright Office, you are entitled to statutory damages when you win your lawsuit, which makes the expense of bringing the lawsuit worthwhile. You should register your copyright interest within three months after publishing your book.
You can register your copyright interest as soon as the book is fully written. Be aware, though, that there can be a considerable time lapse between the time the book is written and the time the book is published. Most authors prefer to have the latest copyright date possible, as this makes their book appear newer. A book that is published in 2018, for example, would seem a year old if it has a 2017 copyright year. It’s not unlike the thinking behind the model year for new cars: the 2018 cars start selling in the Fall of 2017. If you are publishing your book after October 1, then it is appropriate to use the following year as your copyright year. If you have registered the copyright in 2017, however, then the copyright year in the book should be 2017.
Another issue that comes up frequently is whether an author needs to get permission to use someone else’s content. Certainly, any use of someone else’s content should be put in quotes with proper attribution. Do you need to obtain their permission as well? That depends on the circumstances. Under the fair use doctrine of the U.S. copyright statute, it is permissible to use limited portions of a work including quotes, for purposes such as commentary, criticism, news reporting, and scholarly reports. There are no legal rules that define the specific number of words or percentage of a work that qualifies as fair use. In general, if you are using more than a line or two from a short work (such as a line from a poem or a song) or more than a paragraph from a long work, it is better to seek permission to avoid any doubt.
2. Get Your Book Done in 2018
Becoming a published author can establish you as an expert in your niche, which will enable you to 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 the SkillBites Book It! Course, and you’ll get a roadmap that will make it much easier and quicker for you to get your book written. This course has a 100% MONEY BACK GUARANTEE, so what do you have to lose?
Alternatively, if you want to get a book written but don’t have the time or interest in writing it yourself (or figuring out how to find a good editor, layout designer and cover designer, and how to publish your book), SkillBites has you covered. We are now offering a Done For You package, where we conduct interviews with you to get your expertise out of your head and then write your book for you. Not only is your book done with minimal time and effort on your part, but we also handle all of the steps from manuscript to publication as well as book launch and promotion services. You can be a published author in as little as 6 months!
3. 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 SkillBites Show will be held on February 21 at 1 pm ET. Our guest will be Dr. Gayle Carson, otherwise known as “the Spunky Old Broad”. As President of the Carson Research Center, she served as a consultant to 50 industries on six continents, advising them on current business trends and cutting-edge opportunities to stay ahead of their competition. The author of five books, she hit the Amazon’s best sellers list, was a winner of the Best Seller Quill Award and was inducted into the National Academy of Best Selling Authors. Currently, she hosts a dozen radio shows per month and is the founder of the sobradionetwork.com. Gayle will share her wisdom on how to get media exposure and give a good media interview.
To listen to the live presentation, you can call in at (641) 715-3660, Access Code: 467398.
Last month we heard from Mitchell Levy, the AHA Guy at AHAthat (http://AHAthat.com). Mitchell spoke on getting a book done quickly, how to repurpose content from your book on social media and best practices of thought leaders. If you missed this presentation, you can listen to it by clicking here, or you can read some of the tips from this show on the SkillBites blog at http://resources.skillbites.net/blog/.
SAVE THE DATE: Next month, the SkillBites Show will be on March 21, from 1 – 2 ET. Our guest will be Rick Itzkowich Vistage Chair, Entrepreneur, Speaker & Author of The Referral Playbook. As an official member of the Forbes Coaches Council and recognized Forbes CommunityVoice™ Contributor, Rick is a successful millionaire entrepreneur who creates turnkey lead-generating products to meet today’s demand for tools to increase your business. Rick will share tips on how to increase sales with proven networking strategies. Rick will touch upon the mindset you need to have in order to win at the game of getting people to know, like and trust you. He’ll share how he uses technology to save time and stay top of mind with his connections – so when they are “ready to buy,” they think of him.
4. Earn Commissions For Referrals
Do you know anyone who should 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. For each person who signs up to purchase SkillBites services through your unique referral link, we’ll give you a commission on the revenue from your referrals.
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,
