Arizona Council of Professional Genealogists

Annual Meeting – Phoenix May 30^th, 2009

www.rootsweb.ancestry.com

Have Courage, Passion and Commitment - it is Exciting!

Ø  Feasibility Study - Business Plan - Marketing Plan

Ø  Do you have the START-UP Costs and long term Capital?

Ø  Is it the right time to LAUNCH?

Ø  Do you know how to PREVENT Failure?

Understand if the idea is viable

Ø  Who is your TARGET Market?

Ø  Are you going to fill a NEED?

Ø  Will you sell enough to make a PROFIT?

Ø  Do you have a Competitive EDGE?

Plan, Start, Manage and Visualize your Success

Ø  Feasibility STUDY determines if it is a go

Ø  Business PLAN tells the story

Ø  Marketing PLAN – One Hour FREE consultation w/coffee – in 2009 – MY OFFER!

Ø  Do you have Partnerships or Influential Contacts?

Listen to your Legal/Financial Sides

Ø  Taxes, Licenses and Compliance

House Rules   Licensing and Federal tax ID - Taxes and Code enforcement

Trade Name registered

Cannot change exterior of residence - Notify homeowners association

No retail sales - No excessive pedestrians, signs, ads to impact the neighborhood

 

Attract Them and Keep Them in a Marketing Strategy

Ø  Are you able to BUILD Relationships with features and benefits?

Ø  Do you understand GOALS, Objectives and Strategies?

Ø  Will you satisfy the MARKETING MIX – product/price/place/promotion

Ø  Do you know how to RESEARCH (primary and secondary) Analyze and use Data?

Enhance your Product and Relationships

Ø  Web Pages – Links - Blogs - Forums  

Ø  Linked In - 2003 – professional - $100 M

Ø  FaceBook – 2004 – more personal $300 M

Ø  Twitter- fastest growing – 1400% growth – personal service/voice 2006 - $57 M

Ø  Communication Vehicles – brochures, sales sheet, biz cards, postcards, posters

Ø  Public Relations- FREE – print and broadcast media, electronic/viral marketing

Ø  TV Media – some paid – some FREE

Ø  Radio – local, national and Internet (on the rise)

Hard work, Time Consuming Efforts, Fun and Rewarding Experiences

www.business.gov/start/home-based/

QUESTIONS:             Is any of this for me?

Should I take a Webinar?

How do I join?  Who do I join?

How will I have the time for all of this?

My blog:         www.blog.brooksgoldmannpublishing.com

Twitter:           www.twitter.com        PatriciaBrooks

Facebook:      www.facebook.com    http://profile.to/patricialbrooks

LinkedIn:        www.linkedin.com     Patricia L. Brooks

**Web:          www.plbrooks.com     and www.brooksgoldmannpublishing.com

 

THANK YOU for coming – best of luck to you!

 

  Why do you want to write?            Why do you want to publish?

 

 

Three Revisions may be the Charm!

 

Do you inform, entertain or engage?

Do you have a clear focus?

Do you write for your readers?

 

Ghostwriters are not “Scary”

 

Allow you to be an author if not a writer

Fill in for what you might lack

Take a vow of “perpetual” silence

 

 

 Developmental Editing Stage

 

Partner out of the starting gate

Honor compelling, clear  copy

Cultivate a must read boo

 

Content Editing Stage

 

Shape it for your  Needs  and Purpose

Size it for the Reader

Improve your Voice structure, Flow, Story line

 

 

           Copy Editing Stage

 

Welcome the “Eagle Eye” to mature the book

Approve a proof of grammar, punctuation

Use mostly power, active verbs

 

The “Hottest” Selling Point

 

Allow your book title to Sizzle

Make your title Succinct – 7 to 10 words

Dress it up with Clarity and Curiosity

 

Peer Reviews

 

 Someone you trust with open eyes

 Not usually friends or family

 One willing to listen with an open heart

 

 The Back Cover Counts

 

Short testimonials

Your photo and your message

Advocacy and charity

 

 

The Cover Design

 

 Seven seconds to Success from Six feet

 Influences the Buying Decision

 Competing with no national Borders

 

 Photography and Illustrations

 

  Creatively enhance your book

  Pictures are worth another 1000 words

  Stand out in the crowd of books

 

  Interior Design

 

 Show off more than Word Processing

 Make it easy on the Eyes 

 Deliver a delight to Read

 

 Printing Particulars

 

  Digital printing  vs. Offset Printing 

  Book size, pages count, paper weight, color

 Soft cover vs. hard cover or both

 

Book Launch

 

 Warehousing and storage – where and why

 Distributors can increase sales  and are  costly

 Online , retail, specialty, events

 

 Traditional Publishing Planning

 

Book Proposals for niche markets

Agents to the publisher (80-90%)

Advances, Marketing

 

Self Publishing/Independent Perspective

 

You are in control, make more per book

Go through the process much quicker

Costs for book production

 

 You are now in Business!

 

Organization is Key

Objectives (steps, destination), Strategies (how)

E books and Audio books

 

 Suggested Reading

 

Writing Down the Bones – Natalie Goldberg

On Writing: a memoir of the craft  – Stephen King

Your Life as Story – Tristine Rainer

The Power to Write – Caroline Joy Adams

The Right to Write – Julia Cameron

Lessons of a Lifetime of Writing – David Morrell

 

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING - QUESTIONS?