(Listen to this episode via itunes, audioboom, or stitcher)

We don’t get what we want, we get who we are.

If we want to attract excellent clients then we must strive for excellence ourselves. After all, we can’t lead others where we haven’t led ourselves.

In this episode I share how attracting excellent clients comes down to one word: GIVE.

G = Generosity
I = Initiative
V = Victor
E = Enthusiasm

Enjoy your gift for a limited time. 

In the second half of this episode I also give a gift, as much as I am legally allowed to give away. Just listen and you’ll see what I mean.

———–

To download the entire gift for FREE use this link:
https://bit.ly/2gBpQIE

And then select the Elixir Project Audiobook:
https://amzn.to/2gDHIlX

OR if you’re already an audible member, for a limited time the complete audiobook is $1.99 here:
https://adbl.co/2mtylYx

In this blog post I’ll show you 18 streams of income you can create from your book.
If you want my advance training immediately, access it for FREE here.
Best wishes and enjoy the blog post and the training. 

Your Book Shouldn’t Be a Business Card

Many times I meet authors who treat their books like business cards. Why? I’m not sure. Perhaps a self-proclaimed guru or mentor gave them this advice somewhere along the way.

Although there are major differences between business cards and businesses, most authors don’t know them. Sadly, this is why most authors are also broke. Here are just a few of the differences:

 

 

 

Poor Authors Make These 3 Mistakes

I started out as a poor author and I stayed a poor author, despite being a traditionally published. Put it this way, although I wanted to be a full-time writer I kept my day job. I made 3 critical mistakes in the beginning.

18 Streams of Income for your Book

Then in 2010 with my 4th book I started to get smarter. I changed my perspective and my influence, impact, and income began increasing. As a result, I turned my next 4 books each into 6 figure+ businesses. These 18 Streams of Income helped my dream of becoming a full-time writer become a reality. (If you want my advance training immediately, access it for FREE here.)

1. Audiobooks

A few months ago I wrote a blog post and recorded a podcast called: Why Audiobooks are the Fastest-Growing Format in Publishing and How to Cash In. If your books aren’t on audio you are missing a huge opportunity.

The “Try Audible and Get Two Free Audiobooks“ offer got me started on audiobooks a few years ago. Now I’m hooked! I’ve turned most of my books into audiobooks including my December release Elixir Project.

Here are 3 reasons why audiobooks are exploding in popularity:

* Audiobook players (a.k.a. smart phones) are always within our grasp.
* Audiobooks create an entirely different experience. (The spoken word adds a     new dynamic.)
* Audiobooks allow us to do two things at once (1 cognitive and 1 non-                 cognitive).

2. ebooks

Similarly to audiobook players, ebook readers are now as close as your smartphone. The average person touches their smartphone over 2600 times a day. Reading an ebook can happen while standing on a subway, sitting in a doctor’s office, or waiting in line at the grocery store. The deal sweetens rather quickly when most ebook royalties now pay authors 70% of the retail price.

3. Hardcover

Hardcovers make a statement unlike any other format. They scream expensive and they are. They often retail at more than twice the price of the paperback version. However, self-published authors and top selling traditional authors can benefit from getting massive discounts for their hardcover books when they order in bulk. (This is why you sometimes see certain authors “giving” away 10,000 copies of their hardcovers at their conferences—one copy per attendee.)

4. Softcover

Softcovers (also called paperbacks) are still hot sellers. This format gives your readers the benefit of your book without the higher cost of a hardcover.

5. EPUB

EPUB is an e-book file format with the extension .epub that can be downloaded and read on devices like smartphones, tablets, computers, or e-readers. Why not maximize your book sales by making it available in every format possible?

6. Mastermind Group

Napoleon Hill defined a Mastermind as, “Two or more people, who work in perfect harmony for the attainment of a definite purpose.” Masterminds can range in price from FREE to over $100,000 per person per year for high end versions.

I’ve created Masterminds around several of my books including this one that centered around Day Job to Dream Job.

7. Self-Study Online Programs

Many readers want to experience your content on a deeper level. As a result, we’ve created an online coaching program for each of my last 4 books, including my fiction book too.

Clients can access the content 24/7. Best of all, you only need to create this once and then you can increase your influence, impact, and income for the rest of your life. Here is a description for each of our 4 Online Programs:

* Your Secret Name 5 Week Journey
* The Deeper Path Coaching Cohort
* Dream Job Bootcamp
* Elixir Project Experience

8. Live Coaching Programs

I love the rush I get from coaching clients through my books in a live setting. Although I started in 2012 with in-person coaching programs, after a few months I quickly moved these coaching programs to include a live virtual programs too. This is easy to do with Zoom for as little as $15 a month. You can even record the session and send the video to clients who had to miss. It’s as easy as connecting with your phone, tablet, or computer.

9. Certification Program for Speakers, Trainers, Coaches

One of the smartest ways to increase your influence, impact, and income is to certify other people to speak, coach, and train on your content. We began this process in 2011 and today we now have over 100 team members in over a dozen countries. It’s been a wonderful process for everyone involved.

We open up our Igniting Souls Teams four times a year. You can check out the benefits and the process for each of our three teams below:

* Your Secret Name Team
* Deeper Path Team
* Dream Job Team

10. Paid Webinars

You can run FREE webinars through Go To Webinar or many other platforms. These webinars can be live or recorded. We run several FREE ones like How to Become Unhackable. However, you can charge a fee for these webinars too. It’s a great way to bring in some extra income and extend your reach.

11. Paid Conference Calls

Paid conference calls are cheaper and just as effective. I ran dozens of conference calls several years ago. With FREE tools like eventbrite and freeconferencing there is no reason not to. We use eventbrite monthly and have for the past five years.

12. Keynote Speaking

Getting paid to share your message is an incredibly rewarding experience. Why not? You’re the expert…and you literally wrote the book! You should be the one to speak on your subject matter. Keynote speaking often involves traveling to breathtaking places and connecting with amazing people.

13. Live Seminars

I’ve done over one hundred live seminars on topics from my books. These ranged from 30 minutes to several hours. I love this format because it gives people the opportunity to experience you and your content in a small way without a high level of commitment. Don’t forget to have a table in the back where you can make your books and coaching programs available.

14. Conferences

The past 5 years we’ve had an annual event called the Igniting Souls Conference. People come from all over the world come to attend. Think of it as a family reunion chocked full of practical content. Last year we designed the entire conference around my most recent book—Elixir Project. Attendees learned how to become Unhackable in work and life.

15. Workshop Immersion

Don’t think your event needs to take place within the four walls of a hotel or conference center. My book Day Job to Dream Job uses a Shawshank Redemption metaphor to describe how the prison of our day jobs keep us institutionalized. In the book I teach people how to go from Prison to Plan to Payoff.

I thought it would be cool to have an event called Escaping Shawshank at Shawshank Prison. We taught people how to escape the prisons holding them back. Every attendee said this event was life-changing.

Think outside the box. Maybe your immersion experience could be at a castle, a bed-and-breakfast, a museum, or some other exclusive location relevant to your book.

16. High-End book Creation Consulting

Once you create a few of these streams of income, people begin to take notice. They look to you as an authority who can help them in their own author journey. If you’d like you can begin consulting with individuals or organizations. I call these 1/2 day experiences Igniter Sessions. I find them incredibly fulfilling for me and the author alike.

17. High-End book Marketing and Launch Consulting

Again, at this point you’re creating an amazing enterprise. I document everything I do in my own launches so I can help others save time and money when it comes time to create their own launches. Marketing the book is as important as writing and publishing the book. Although I charge for my consulting, I share many tips, tricks, and tools, in this FREE training. Over 50,000 authors have benefitted from this content.

18. Author Program

After creating 17 streams of income you might want to think about creating your own author program. I’ve helped over 300 authors write, publish, and market their book the right way. Each of them started by watching the FREE training below. On the webinar there is no click to buy anything. Rather, you’ll receive a webinar guidebook that will help you on your author journey.

Every minute is designed to bring you value. I’ve reduced the most important lessons I’ve learned in my 13+ year career as a 6 time traditionally published author.

 

Now it’s Your Turn

I hope this blog post has helped you imagine what’s possible for your book. And I hope you never refer to your book as a business card. Books change lives, including your current or future one. If there’s anything you need or if you’d like to share your thoughts about this post please comment below.

I read every single one and my heart is to serve and help you on your author journey. If you know another author who would be inspired to dream bigger by reading this post please share it with him or her. And don’t forget about the limited time FREE author training.

Your Author Coach,

 

—Kary Oberbrunner

 

 

(Listen to this episode via itunes, audioboom, or stitcher)

It’s been said that you should be choosier about picking a business partner than even picking a spouse. While I don’t necessarily agree with that I do know that business partnerships often begin on a napkin at a restaurant and end with a judge in a courtroom.

 

Choosing the right business partner is incredibly important. It can sink your future or solidify your present. In today’s episode I share how to pick an UNHACKABLE business partner.

U = Unique
N = Noble
H = Happy
A = Adept
C = Collaborative
K = Keen
A = Achiever
B = Believable
L = Learner
E = Electric

For additional content have you and your current or future business partner take the FREE Unhackability Assessment.

 

Or watch the FREE Unhackability webinar.

 

 

https://elixirprojectexperience.com

“I’m going to build my platform before I become an author.”
“Just like all those other big-time authors, I need a bigger following first.”
“I don’t have enough fans to publish now.”

These statements might sound wise or even prudent, right?
And you might have said them or heard other people say them.
But these aren’t justifications for delaying your dream of becoming an author.

It’s time to label them for what they truly are.

EXCUSES!

Stop comparing. Start creating. 
We need you and your message.

 

As an author of 7 books—spanning the past 13 years—and as a coach to over 300 authors I’ve gotten pretty good at smelling fear. The truth is I used to believe these same lies. When I first started, before I saw my writing dreams come true, I was scared and stuck. I didn’t know whom to trust or what to believe.

An author named Max took a couple hours and invested in me way back in 1998. He helped me believe that I could one day become an author.

Seems like many aspiring authors can relate to feeling stuck. They cling to the soundbites above so they can rationalize their tendency to procrastinate. Besides, they’ve heard that unless you have a big platform they don’t have a chance in the marketplace. Focusing on getting a bigger platform gives them the illusion that they’re being productive.

The truth is it’s a delightful distraction that keeps you from making your dream come true. 

In this post we’ll separate fact from fiction. We’ll unpack the real issues one at a time. Then you can decide for yourself if you need a bigger following before you write your book.

What is a platform?

While platform is a buzzword that strikes fear into would-be authors, the truth is many people toss around the word without having an accurate definition.

Platform is the ability for you and your message to be seen and heard. 

In the old days, people would stand on “soapboxes” and communicate their message. These raised platforms were often wooden crates originally used for shipment of soap or other dry goods from a manufacturer to a retail store. “Soapboxes” functioned as inexpensive and portable temporary platforms for street corner speakers attempting to be seen and heard at improvised outdoor meetings. Today our platforms are more sophisticated.

How big should your platform be?

I get this questions all the time.

Hey Kary, I don’t have a big platform. I don’t have a big following. Should I still write a book or should I focus on building my platform first?

The answer is start NOW…wherever you are!

You’ll be building your platform for the rest of your life. It’s true for everybody. Look at the biggest celebrities. Did you know the Pope has a twitter account? And Oprah Winfrey and her team are trying to increase her reach every single day. She is focused on getting more listeners, viewers, and touching more people around the world. Why? Because there are more people around the world who do not know about her.

The Pope and Oprah are still focused on building their platforms. Therefore, you and I will be building ours for quite a while too.

If you wait until your platform is “big enough” or until you have “enough followers” before you publish then you will be waiting for the rest of your life. It’s just another excuse.

How do I know this?

Because way back when in 2004, when I published my first book, I didn’t have a platform. But I wrote it anyway. And then guess what happened?

I gained readers. Then I wrote another book and got more readers and more media gigs. And then a few years later, I published again and then again. The point is I got started.

You have a dream inside you for a reason. Don’t let your story die inside you. If you do you’ll regret it. I meet people all the time who are full of regrets.

3 Ways to get a Bigger Platform

Don’t think I’m against platforms. They certainly help you spread your message by getting you seen and heard. But from the beginning, my strategy has always been both/and NOT either/or.

The most successful authors do BOTH. They write their books AND increase their platforms.

Also, don’t think getting a bigger platform is a one size fits all. There are 3 ways to get a bigger platform. Intuitive authors know this and use it to their advantage.

1. You can BUY a Platform

Investing money to increase your platform is usually classified as Interruption Marketing. According to Seth Godin, interruption marketing is communicating messages that interrupt customers while they are doing something of their preference.

Examples include advertisements on television, radio, or social media. Most businesses prefer interruption marketing because it’s faster, easier, and cheaper. Here are a few examples:

Purchasing email lists
Spamming (illegal)
Running ads
Placing flyers on windshields
Delivering free community papers to your door

Unfortunately, this type of marketing doesn’t work in the long run. For starters, think of the internet as one big, noisy room. Over time people naturally tune out these interruptions. Secondly, it requires more and more money to get people’s attention. Consider this year’s Super Bowl. According to Forbes, the cost of a 30-second spot is a whopping $5 million dollars, the equivalent of $166,667 per second.

2. You can BUILD a Platform

Building a platform is effective, it just takes a very long time. I should know. My first book released in 2004 and I’ve been building my platform ever since. Examples of building a platform are:

Writing a blog
Launching a podcast
Shooting a video

When you build your platform you’re usually engaging in permission marketing versus interruption marketing. Notice the difference, also explained by Seth Godin:

Permission marketing is the privilege (not the right) of delivering anticipated, personal and relevant messages to people who actually want to get them. Real permission is different from presumed or legalistic permission. Just because you somehow get my email address doesn’t mean you have permission. Because I don’t complain doesn’t mean you have permission. Just because it’s in the fine print of your privacy policy doesn’t mean it’s permission either. Real permission works like this: if you stop showing up, people complain, they ask where you went.

3. You can BORROW a Platform

There is a much faster and effective way to getting a bigger platform. It’s not a result of buying or building. I increased my platform exponentially by BORROWING other people’s platforms.

Borrowing someone else’s platform means that they invite you on their stage. They extend their trust to you and promote you and your message. Over the years I’ve:

Stood on other people’s stages
Spoken on other people’s podcasts
Talked on other people’s TV stations
Written on other people’s blogs
Shared on other people’s radio stations

If I waited to get a big enough platform before I wrote any of my 7 books I would have been waiting forever. Thankfully I didn’t.

I wouldn’t have been able to buy or build a platform fast enough. Instead, I wrote my books AND borrowed other people’s platforms. Don’t get me wrong. Buying and building aren’t bad. However, they have limitations.

Buying a platform often costs a bunch of money.
Building a platform often takes a bunch of time.
Borrowing a platform doesn’t require time or money.

Over the past 13 years I’ve discovered how to have other people invite you onto their platform. Here are just a few examples.

 

I Want to Help you Like I Helped Them

I love to help aspiring authors. Over the years I’ve helped hundreds write, publish, and market their books. They all began just like me…scared and stuck. They didn’t know whom to trust or what to believe.

They clung to the soundbites floating around so they could rationalize their tendency to procrastinate. They heard that unless they had a big platform they didn’t have a chance in the marketplace. Today these people are authors. Here’s a picture of just a small amount of authors I’ve helped. They’re each holding their book. Many have gone on to do amazing things. They’ve spoken all over the world and helped many people. They’ve also increased their influence, impact, and income. (I’m the bald guy with a girl’s name in the middle.)

 

One aspiring author named Dalia asked me to help her get in front of a particular celebrity with 2 million followers. I shared my process with her and within days she was featured on this actress’ instagram account.

 

 

Enjoy my Free Author Training

I’ll never forget how Max invested a couple hours in me. To this day I still have his letter way back from 1998. He changed my life by believing in me. His encouragement convinced me that one day I could become a full-time writer. (See a picture of that letter below.)

As a result, I want to pass on what Max did for me and help you overcome your obstacles and help you achieve your dreams. I have a FREE training that has helped over 50,000 authors. There is nothing to buy in this FREE training. I give you nearly ninety minutes of solid content.

Since I believe in practicing 100% integrity, I’ll tell you up front that at the end of that training if you want more from me, there is a simple form where you can request more information. My FREE training even comes with a helpful interactive guidebook to help you on your author journey. I know you’ll enjoy it.

Most importantly…just get started. Stop delaying your dream and remember…I believe in you. 

Please comment below and let me know a little bit about yourself. What do you want to write about?

 

(Listen to this episode via itunes, audioboom, or stitcher.)

Are you leveraging the hottest tool on social media?

If you’re not using video for your book, brand, or business you are missing out on increasing your influence, impact, and income.

The truth is though, most of us are scared or at least a little intimidated to enter the brave new world of video or vlogging.

There is a solution. I invited special guest, the queen of vlogging, Amy Schmittauer, to join us.

 

Her #1 Bestselling book—Vlog Like a Boss—is sweeping the globe. She has now captured the word VLOG on all of Amazon.

Amy is here to show you how to kill it online with video blogging. With a collection of strategies and tactics from years of experience in online video, Schmittauer shares time-tested, proven methods to creating brand awareness with vlogging that will build a loyal community for years to come.

Listen in and learn. Your future clients will thank you.

And to learn how I can help publish you through Author Academy Elite like I helped Amy, watch our FREE author training for a limited time.

(Listen to this episode via itunes, audioboom, or stitcher.)

Are you ready to sell your first online product or program?

Using our latest Elixir Project Experience launch, I share the backstory behind all of our Transformation Invitations (sales pages). Integrating these 6 tips will make yours a much smoother experience:

1. Pain
2. Proof
3. Picture
4. Process
5. People
6. Purchase

(Listen to this episode via itunes, audioboom, or stitcher.)

(Listen via itunes, audioboom, or stitcher.)

Audiobooks are on the rise

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’ve probably heard of audiobooks. Maybe you’re even one of the millions of people who use an audiobook subscription service? Places like Audible are getting smarter. They remove all the risk by giving you a 30 day free trial with audiobooks included.

 

The “Try Audible and Get Two Free Audiobooks“ offer got me started on audiobooks a few years ago. Now I’m hooked!

Like many people, I found my margin for reading getting smaller and smaller. Yet, I also realized I had unencumbered time when I was driving, running, and doing errands. Rather than wasting this time, I popped in my bluetooth earpiece (when driving) OR wore some inexpensive headphones (when running). {There are hundreds of options for both, including the pair I use for driving and running.}

Business guru Brian Tracy reveals what’s possible in our daily “drive time.” He says:

The average person drives 12,000 to 25,000 miles per year which works out to between 500 and 1,000 hours per year that the average person spends in his or her car. You can become an expert in your field by simply listening to educational audio programs as you drive from place to place.

 

After a short amount of time, I found myself working out my brain and my body simultaneously. Since then, I’ve consumed many quality books and kept my edge physically, emotionally, and professionally—even as a husband and father of three little ones.

I’m not alone. Audiobook downloads have doubled in the past 5 years.

 

3 Reasons why audiobooks are exploding

In episode 96, I share several reasons why audiobooks are quickly becoming the preferred medium (listen via itunes, audioboom, or stitcher).

1. Audiobook players (a.k.a. smart phones) are always within our grasp.
2. Audiobooks create an entirely different experience. (The spoken word adds a new dynamic.)
3. Audiobooks allow us to do two things at once (1 cognitive and 1 non-cognitive).

Heather Masters, the narrator of Elixir Project, joins me on the Igniting Souls Podcast.

We reveal key business principles like:

• How to attract top level talent to work with you and for you.
• Why your first email to top talent says everything about you.
• How vision-casting is essential to drawing out the best in your teammates.
• Why you should treat the people you hire as your clients.

Enjoy episode 96 and click HERE to  Try Audible and Get Two Free Audiobooks. Who knows? Elixir Project might be one of two you choose.

(Listen via itunes, audioboom, stitcher, or click on the pic below.)
There comes a time when the stakes are so high that you need to lay it all on the line.
This is that time. And this is that episode.

Are you with me?

• P = Party
• O = Order
• G = Group