The LAST Word

  This week, I the value in using all my resources. I recently joined P.O.W.E.R., an organization for women of excellence. As a member, I have the ability to target these women business owners with e-mails and to connect with them on a one-to-one basis. This feature has proven a good benefit of my membership. I can read profiles and find women that I believe I could help or women who could help my clients. I can get to know them. In addition, I am making important connections. Here are some tips for you to use your resources. Tap Associations – Go to the memberships and build relationships. These people could lead you to profitable marketing opportunities . Even if they can't be your target client, they might know people who can be your target market. Building relationships with people in groups you already join will help you continue to build your sphere of influence and eventually increase your profitability and name recognition. Go for Broke – Business consultants...

   As a journalist and author , I am concerned about the precedent set by taking Dr. Seuss from schools and libraries. Banning books is the first step toward having a government telling us what we are allowed to read, what we are allowed to think and what we are allowed to say. His books might offend some people, but they have a right be available. He is allowed to have his say. And, the replacements might offend more people. When does it stop? Huckleberry Finn will be next or To Kill a Mockingbird will be found offensive, but at the times they were written, that was what common. You can't impose 2021 political correctness on 1960s or older books. Goes Against Constitution We have a Constitution and first amendment that guarantees free speech, which includes printed books, electronic books, information on the Internet and newspapers. While the publisher is within its rights to remove books from print and not sell certain books, the libraries are not allowed the same...

  You might be surprised to know that I write romance novels but hate Valentine's Day. This might seem odd. I write about love, but I don't like the day dedicated to love. In novels, the romance and love you write is a permanent love, one that lasts forever, not just one day. However, you don't have to like Valentine's Day to write about it. Here are some tips to include Valentine's Day in your writing, regardless of the type of author you are. Have Something Happen – In The 1776 Musket , a bombing takes place on Valentine's Day. Although it seems like I did it because I don't like the day, that wasn't my motivation. I needed a date that involved a lot of people who go out on dates. My novel was set in winter, so Valentine's Day made sense. Now, I see that my unconscious mind might have been a influential piece in this case. For you, if you are a science-fiction author or a fantasy author, you could have a spaceship land on Earth on Val...

    January is a great time to reflect on the previous year and revise your marketing plans for the next year. You can decide where to focus your marketing and what you can do differently. It always is a good idea to try something different in the new year. This is true whether you are an author, small business owner or employee. Although employees are told what to do every day, they do have to market themselves to land the job in the first place and to keep their job. Here are my tips for your market plans this year. 1. Do Video Marketing -- Authors often don't like being in front of the camera, but they should do some videos about their books. Having someone interview you on their podcast or YouTube channel would be great. Creating your own YouTube channel also works. I started posting to my YouTube channel regularly last year and posted the first two this year. Search for The LAST Word on YouTube to find the tips I give on video. You also could search for LAST Research an...

  Writers are always looking for inspiration. They will use art, nature, family life and quotes. They even get inspired from other writers. Marketers also are looking for inspiration for blog ideas or places to sell your products or services. My favorite way to get inspired is through watching television or movies. Here are my favorites. Year Without a Santa Claus – This will inspire you to do whatever it takes to reach a goal. If you don't know the movie, Santa is sick and doesn't want to travel around the world to deliver the gifts. He thinks no one cares about him. Two elves, Jingle and Jangle, go to Southtown USA to find children who care about Santa. They have to get their reindeer from the pound, talk to the mayor and deal with the Miser brothers, but they are successful. The mayors declare a holiday for Santa and show him that children still care about him. They kept trying new ideas until they got what they needed. You can keep trying new things to be succ...

      November is a time to remember. On Nov. 1, we remember the saints. On Nov. 2, we remember those who have gone before us. On Veterans Day, we remember those who serve our country and those served many years ago. We remember the wars that are represented by Veterans Day, which used to be Armistice Day and still is in Europe. That was the day World War I ended. On Thanksgiving, we remember to thank God for our blessings. We remember family, and we remember those who couldn't be part of our celebrations. Therefore, November is a perfect time to remember our writing and add remembrances in writing. Memoirs – Writing down events that took place in your life is called a memoir or autobiography. You can write these books to pass down your family for future generations to know what happened in your life and in the world when you were alive. You can write these books to pass on knowledge that you have that others do not. And, you can write them for yourself to reme...

  Authors are sometimes afraid of video. They don't like being in front of the camera. They don't know what to say. They don't understand why it matters. They don't understand technology or simple actions relating to video. Despite these obstacles, authors should use video marketing for their books. Businesses also should use video marketing. Here are some reasons why. Building a Brand – You have to distinguish your book from so many others on the market. A good way to create a brand for your book is through video. You can hire video marketers or you could do it yourself with YouTube. When you create a YouTube channel and making it look like your books, you start to build your brand. While video is important, you also need to send press releases , use social media and do digital marketing to create a brand. Ranking Higher – YouTube videos rank higher than print content on Google. If you create a channel and post them to your Amazon author page and you...