There is a lot of buzz today centered on digital publishing: whether it be a Seth Godin blog circulating about the magazine world, book publishers racing to get their backlisted titles converted to digital format, or every online portal available racing to get a piece of the DIY author. All these conversations are important to listen to and keep a pulse on as the publishing world continues to adapt to new technologies. With that said, what I don’t hear anyone talking about is promoting online books. Case in point, the WSJ article we posted last week barely touched on the social media aspect or author promotions - the article focused on author royalties and the monthly incomes generated for DIY systems, which is why every software mogul is jumping on board to spearhead the potential cash flow.
Selling books still takes a lot of work, and simply having an eBook converted, will not sell your book. Steve Jobs reported today at the WWDC conference that 22% of the market share is already owned by the iBook store. This will put you in position to sell digital books but you still have to promote them.
To help the cause, we put together a punch list of reasons why most digital books will fail and so will their authors...
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Remember life before the smartphone? With the apps, e-mail access and web access I can easily forget it’s also a phone. Problem is, so did the makers of my Blackberry. Not a day goes by without someone saying, “Can you say that again? I can’t hear you?” Turns out the crummy mic on my phone makes me sound like a robot gargling mouthwash.
All this technology and I can’t have a simple phone conversation. Did Paul have smartphones in mind when he wrote to the Corinthians, “Unless you speak intelligible words, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air?”
It’s a great reminder of how many ministry organizations operate. Lots of fancy ringtones to captivate but the core message is getting distorted. Jack Welch said, “Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion.” I would add that poor leaders create a vision but can’t articulate it, get distracted, splinter their energies and resources in a hundred noble affairs and end up with a shell of what could have been...
Our apologies... In the original posting there was an incorrect link. So, I'm re-posting this. I encourage you to read it and comment. It is well done and provocative.
Every media professional in the church world should wrestle daily with the moral implications of how we "market" the Gospel to our culture. Leave it to the always provocative and thoughtful John MacArthur to make us sweat a bit. Check out his recent post and feel free to comment.
Click here to read.
I always enjoy contributing to an article that will bring value and helpful advice to other business owners. It’s in the sharing of ideas that we gain insight to new ways of doing things for the betterment of our customers.
Such is the opportunity I was afforded yesterday. Linsey Knerl (from American Express Open Forum for Small Businesses) posted an article on the 20 Important Lessons I Learned from My Marketing Mentor. There is some good marketing counsel in here. American Express Open Forum online network offers a huge resource of tips and insider tactics that work so make sure you visit them often for advice.
Most of us remember the first person who opened our eyes to a new way of thinking with regard to marketing. Maybe it was an author who spoke to us through the pages of a book, a speaker at an industry conference, or a relative who showed us the ropes of a dedicated family storefront. With an emphasis on the entrepreneurial spirit, we recently interviewed 20 successful small business men and women to get some insight into the teachers that mattered most to them over the years, as well as the truths that helped to set them on the path to winning in their chosen industry.
Read all 20 tips including Fresh Impact PR Group’s here.
Reading Mike's recent interview with Seth Godin - especially his comments on "Free" - has me thinking:
Whether they've read Godin's new book or not, people/ministries like John MacArthur and John Piper have studiously read THE book (ummm...the Bible) and they totally get it when it comes to "free" and it is working for them in a truly miraculous, biblical way via their websites (gty.org and desiringgod.org). Their ministries are growing, their reach is expanding, the gospel is advancing in pretty dramatic ways – contrary to what many would’ve thought when it comes to giving away most of your life’s work. That's right, they give most of their "product" away for free and are thriving.
Hmmm…giving your life away….that sounds like the gospel.
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And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works.
-Hebrews 10:24