Attitude - A Conversation with Jeri-Lyn McCrea, Author of Words in Action - A Journal to Inspire Change [9:22m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is one of my favourite podcasts so far – Jeri is really clear about issues related to Attitude, and how it’s a choice that we all make every morning when we get out of bed. In her clear-cut no-nonsense style, she gives us the opportunity to question our own attitude, and how we can improve it. Thanks, Jeri!

 

 Setting Goals - A Conversation with Jeri-Lyn McCrea, Author of Words in Action - A Journal to Inspire Change [9:06m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Here’s a podcast I recorded last week with Jeri-Lyn McCrea, Author of Words in Action – A Journal to Inspire Change. Jeri’s major theme in the book is setting goals, and achieving them. In this podcast, we talk about some obstacles to goal setting (real or imagined) and how we can overcome those obstacles.

Stay tuned for a second podcast shortly!

Jeri-Lyn McCrea, the Author of Words in Action, has offered to fund scholarships through a partnership with Rotary. It works like this: any Rotary club worldwide can place an attractive ad banner on their website that directs people back to a custom web page, where anyone can buy the book. When a book is purchased through this link, our system calculates a payment of $5 per book for that club. Simple.

Does your Rotary club want to sign up for this program? Click here to apply. The qualifications are that your club must be able to cash a check in US dollars, and you must direct the funds back to a scholarship that meets Jeri’s specifications.

Jeri explains… “To align with Rotary values, and those of my book, this scholarship would benefit students who exemplify the characteristics of action, effort, determination, courage and dedication. Therefore, using the existing Instructor jury process already in place by many of the local Rotary clubs, the scholarship would be given to the student who displays the best consistent effort toward his or her future goals. It is not necessary for this student to achieve a high GPA. It is only necessary that this student applies their best, consistent effort.”

For more information, or to apply for a scholarship in your area, call me at 1-866-907-4084.

I have been on a diet for most of my adult life, but I’ve only been practicing social media marketing for less than a year. I’ve decided I like doing the marketing part more, not only because the results are quicker, but because it’s almost as rewarding as chocolate at midnight.

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about how I’m conducting a marketing experiment on a client of mine, Jeri-Lyn McCrea. Jeri is a perfect candidate for social media marketing (SMM) for several reasons. She’s beautiful, clever, and is also now a published author. (Did I mention she’s single, guys?) It’s easy to talk about her and her lovely book online, because the book demonstrates a number of things we all have in common: hope, struggles, stress, and believing in ourselves. You don’t need to be in the same room with someone to understand these universal themes.

I’ve been using the five major techniques from that post, and several minor ones, to tackle the job of creating a “buzz” about her book. Until a few days ago, I didn’t know if it was working. But just like that morning when you step on the scale and see yourself a pound less than you were yesterday, the effects are starting to add up.

One of the so-called minor efforts we’ve been making has been to use a handy-dandy SMM tool that’s been around for a relatively long time in online terms, Meetup.com. We setup a meetup.com meeting for Jeri, called the Words in Action Meetup Group, and linked it to the Facebook group for Jeri, which is now getting attention by capitalizing on the friend networks that both she and I already have there.

The first meeting is meant to be a very casual “meet the author” sort of thing, at a local coffee house. It makes sense that the group could be a really strong regular thing after that time, because journaling is an activity that often benefits from a bit of support. Setting goals, keeping them in your sights, and constantly working towards them is very, very hard work. All the Meetup.com group really needs to be self-sustaining is a regular clique of people who want to attend. There isn’t even a cost involved, because we’ll keep paying the fees.

Dieting is hard work. So is SMM – researching target markets and mechanisms, sending out emails (individually written for each person – no form letters, please), spending hours on the phone, sending out sample copies of the book to various people, etc. I’ve done so much of that this week that I’m working up a sweat. But that’s ok – SMM is such good exercise that I’ve already lost two pounds. That’s better than I did last time on South Beach.

What a weekend it has been for Humanus Publishing! A launch party for one of my authors, a new release from another of my authors, and the rollout of our new affiliate program, all in the last 4 days!

Sunday was the launch party for The Freshman FlyFisher, (ISBN 978-0-978-3292-1-1) by Rick Passek of Surrey, BC. Rick held his launch event at the Little Campbell Hatchery at the Semiahmoo Fish and Game Club on 184th in Surrey. What a huge success for all involved! Rick not only sold plenty of books, but made numerous contacts related to promoting family outdoor events in the Surrey area. We are grateful to the Rotary Club of Cloverdale BC, for their wonderful management of the food concession stand, and to the City of Surrey for their support. As always, Rick was a real star, and was cool as a cuke from Friday morning’s appearance on Breakfast Television on City TV, to his interview on CBC Radio’s BC Almanac Friday afternoon, right through Sunday’s festivities. My favourite moment was little 6-year old Gracie’s fishing lesson on Breakfast Television Friday morning. She picked up the fine art of casting in a matter of minutes, due at least in part to Rick’s careful tutelage. Good going, Rick!

Another one of my authors, the lovely Jeri-Lyn McCrea, is the author of Words in Action – A Journal to Inspire Change, (ISBN 978-0-9809325-0-8) which is scheduled for release on April 25th. I saw the first copies back from the printer’s on Saturday, and boy, do they look fantastic!! The matte-coated hardcover is sooooo soft in the hand, and the pages look truly inspiring. I’m really excited about this journal (I guess we should stop referring to it as a “book”), because it breaks entirely new ground in the area of motivation and self-improvement titles. Jeri is so right when she talks about people “figuring it out for themselves”, and not looking to others to “complete their lives or tell them what to do”. Her journal is a book you ultimately write for yourself, and get a little burst of energy and motivation every day. Setting goals and making up your mind to achieve them – that’s what Words in Action is all about. Watch this blog for more info about events coming soon to the Langley and Surrey areas.

The cherry on the cake of this weekend was our new Humanus Publishing Affiliate Program. I started this project a few weeks ago to solve the problems of one author’s quest to market their product online, and it has now snowballed into something that can be used by any self-publishing author who wants to sell their books direct to consumers over the internet. Authors want to be freed of the hassle and overhead of online sales in order to keep writing, and this system means that they do not need to put up any money up front to make that happen. It’s cheap, fast, and keeps writers doing what they should be doing – writing. I hope that this system will expand into something resembling a marketing co-op for self-publishing authors, while continuing to align itself with the values of Humanus Publishing. If you know of a publisher who wants to sell their products through our program, you can earn money by referring them. Simply email me and let’s find a way to make it happen.