Self-Publishers Online Conference News

Welcome to Day 3 of SPOC! Here is the May 10 Ebooks and Beyond Day Agenda: Note ALL Times are PACIFIC time. To find out the time in your area, visit http://www.Time.gov 9 am -10 am - Joshua Tallent - Ebook Design, Formats and Workflow 11 am -12 noon - Carolyn McCray - Maximize Your Book Sales on Amazon.com 1 pm - 2 pm - Ebooks & Beyond  Q&A Roundtable 3 pm - 4 pm - Roger C. Parker - Leveraging Your Book into Prospects, Products, & Profits...

Welcome to Day 2 of SPOC! Here is the May 9 Promotion Day Agenda: Note ALL Times are PACIFIC time. To find out the time in your area, visit http://www.Time.gov 9 am -10 am - Dan Janal - Build Your Brand and Get More Prospects with Publicity 11 am -12 noon - Sandra Beckwith - What’s Your Hook? 1 pm - 2 pm - Book Promotion  Q&A Roundtable 3 pm - 4 pm - Dana Lynn Smith - Top 10 Book Promotion Strategies for Authors 5...

Welcome to Day 1 of SPOC! Here is the May 8 Writing and Publishing Day Agenda: Note ALL Times are PACIFIC time. To find out the time in your area, visit http://www.Time.gov 9 am -10 am  - James Byrd & Susan Daffron - The Big Picture: How to Bring Your Book into the World 11 am -12 noon - Chris Garrett - Be More Productive and Build Your Authority 1 pm - 2 pm - Writing & Publishing Q&A Roundtable 3 pm - 4 pm - Peter Bowerman - The...

I met Andrea Vahl through Gary Barnes (another SPOC speaker). We were both on a call with Gary and realized that we also were both in the same marketing forum. Sometimes the Internet is a small place. Around the time I met her, Andrea had just "come out" as the real person behind her alter-ego Grandma Mary, social media "edutainer" persona. Grandma Mary is on a mission to make the world of social media a little less confusing. (Andrea is too, but it seems to involve a lot less finger pointing and she doesn't have to wear a gray...

I've been trying to remember how I met Dana Lynn Smith. I think it must have been quite a few years ago before she branded herself as the Savvy Book Marketer because I always remember her company name: Texana Publishing Consultants. The reason I remember it is because she told me stories about the various animals on her farm in Texas. Even though I live in a rural area, I don't have large animals like cows and goats. Because we both live in the country and love dogs and books, we discovered we had quite a bit in...

Sandra Beckwith is one of my favorite "book people" online. She's smart, funny, and just a pleasure to work with on SPOC. I also had the opportunity to take her online book publicity course and it's great. Sandy is a wonderful teacher who really "gets" what the media is looking for, so when she critiques your homework assignments, you start to get into that "news mindset" and get a feel for why some stories make the news and some don't. Sandy has spoken at SPOC before, but she'll be doing a new presentation this year called "What's Your Hook?"...

Like a lot of people, I met Dan Janal "virtually" through his PR Leads service. I'm sure we communicated way back when I signed up, but it was a while ago. More recently, I got an e-introduction (or re-introduction) from someone I met online. Sometimes the Internet is a small place. I will say that I got my biggest and best media "hit" by using the PR Leads service. I was featured in an article in Redbook magazine because I responded to a PR Leads query. (Yes, these things really do happen.) Redbook sent a professional photographer out here...

The fourth Self-Publishers Online Conference is May 8-10, 2012. Many people have asked us what it's like to attend a virtual conference, so in this post, we'll share the experience of a typical "day in the life" at SPOC. Obviously, as the organizers, during the three days of SPOC, we are bit busier than an attendee, but here are a few the things you can expect at SPOC. (Note that all times are Pacific time.) 8:50 am Last year, we opted to start SPOC a bit later, which gave people more time to stop by the site,...

Kathy Goughenour is one of my favorite people because she is so enthusiastic about so many things. When I sent her an email asking if she'd be willing to do a SPOC preview call, she replied in all upper case letters: YES! (She's like that in person too.) Kathy and I met many years ago on a marketing discussion forum, but even after we both left the group, we kept in touch through email. One of the great things about doing business online is that you meet people all over the country. I have online buddies that...

I read Peter Bowerman's The Well-Fed Writer years ago at some point after I started my own business. When I decided to start self-publishing, I bought a copy of The Well-Fed Self Publisher too. In fact, I went a step further and bough his "Well-Fed Self-Publisher Biz in a Box," which has examples of all his book promotional materials. The thing that's great about Peter's materials is that they are so practical. Although he doesn't give you the misguided impression that self-publishing is easy, he does make it sound doable. And his writing is so fun to read. By...

Chris Garrett is well known in blogging circles as the "Authority Blogger" guy. After I met him in a forum, I discovered he's also a really smart and helpful guy. Like James and me, Chris comes from a rather nerdy programming background and is a self-described introvert, so we have a lot in common. Even we hermits do come out and play every once in a while, and I was able to entice Chris to speak to our audience even though he's a really busy guy (in fact, he'll be traveling back from another conference right before SPOC). ...

by Susan Daffron, SPOC Organizer I first heard Gary Barnes speak on a “traction call” which is a question and answer session with a twist. The “traction” aspect is what makes these calls unique. Generally a caller explains how he is stuck with some problem. Gary then helps that person “get traction” again, so they can move forward. Gary has a gift for looking beyond what people are actually saying to unearth the real reasons behind why they are doing (or not doing) something. It’s hard to describe, but his insights can be extremely powerful. Everyone I know...

James and I have been busy working on 4th annual Self-Publishers Online Conference (SPOC).  Once again, we have an amazing line up of speakers this year. We also just got back from 2 weeks on Kauai. Relaxing in a tropical paradise instead of enduring North Idaho mud season has a lot to recommend it. Plus, we sold books while we were gone, so we actually made money while on vacation. (How cool is that?) Like we did last year, we're hosting 3 free preview calls before SPOC, so you can get a feel for the type of high-quality...

It has been quiet here at SPOC World Headquarters, but behind the scenes, we’re lining up some great speakers for you to enjoy and learn from during our fourth annual Self-Publishers Online Conference. I figured it’s time to say something, even though we’re still working out schedules, so people know that yes SPOC is coming and it’s already shaping up to be another great event. Please make sure to mark your calendar for May 8-10, 2012. We’re still working out schedules, but in addition to Dan Poynter, Dan Janal, Carolyn McCray who you can see on the home...

It has been a whirlwind three days for us and I hope you enjoyed the sessions with all our fantastic speakers. A couple of people said, "my brain is buzzing with ideas." Me too! Here are a few SPOC Gems from the Day 3 sessions: Susan Daffron & James Byrd - "Cashing in on your content is not a get rich quick scheme, but as you start creating more products, they build on each other. Ideas beget more ideas as people tell you how things helped them and what they need next." ...

Carol has been busy launching her new anthology Cheers! To Your Success and also a new magazine, so I haven't had as much personal contact with her as some of the other speakers. However, I am looking forward to her presentation on The Business of Branding Your Book. After reading her Web sites, I've seen how Carol inspires successful women with her message. She has several coaching programs that focus on success, branding and building additional revenue streams. In her session at SPOC, Carol will go over marketing techniques you can use to increase sales and uncover...

If you've been around book publishing for a while, you've probably run across Rick Frishman's name along the way. He has been one of the leading book publicists for more than 30 years and a speaker at many publishing conferences. Amazingly, when I emailed Rick about speaking at SPOC, he agreed within minutes. In my experience, not many people answer email that quickly. I was thrilled. I've been keeping an eye on Rick's Author 101 University site for a while and seeing if I can fit one the events into my schedule. It hasn't happened yet, but...

Of all of the SPOC 2011 speakers, Carla King probably wins the prize for the most diverse tweets on Twitter. She talks about everything from motorcycles to book publishing. (It's nice to know I'm not the only one who has wildly different interests and multiple Web sites.) Although she’s the author of the Self-Publishing Boot Camp Guide for Authors, most of Carla's books are about her travels on two wheels, and her blog "Motorcycle Misadventures: A motorcycle travel writer's writings, readings, journeys, gear and recommendations" is currently running a series called 31 Days of Women in Motorcycling. It's a...

When we do the call for speakers for SPOC, it's always fun to meet new people. Although I think I had visited her Web site in the past, it's been a pleasure getting to know Elinor Stutz, even if it's just via email so far. If you've never organized a conference before, you may not know exactly how much email flows back and forth between speakers and the organizer. (Let's all hope my inbox doesn't collapse under the load before SPOC!) Working with Elinor has been such a pleasure. I'm starting to see why her book is called Nice Girls DO Get...

I first heard about Fern when I decided to learn more about self-publishing. I bought a bunch of books including Fern's book, The Publishing Game: Bestseller in 30 Days. It walks you through strategies to help market your book. The book does a great job of showing you how taking a bunch of small steps can lead to great results. When I invited Fern to speak at SPOC last year, I was thrilled when she agreed. As I've mentioned, it's a huge privilege and thrill for me to meet and learn from people whose books I have enjoyed for...

I suspect Sue Collier and I have virtually passed each other in cyberspace dozens of times before we actually met online. We finally connected after Sue wrote a great article called "Cutting through the confusion about printing options available to self-publishers"  that referenced a guest post I did for the Matt About Business site about using Create Space or Lightning Source to print your book. In the original post, I discussed the difference between being a true self-publisher and owning your own ISBNs versus going with a subsidy (aka vanity) press. Anyway, Sue liked my take on the subject ;-)...

Rachel was one of the folks who responded to our call for speakers and I have to say she submitted one of the most interesting and intriguing speaker proposal forms I've ever read. Plus, I love her moniker "The ProNagger" because I've met so many people who really do need their own personal nagger to get stuff done. Rachel offers everything from a daily phone nag (essentially 1:1 consulting) to "nano nags" that give you a little boost to meet a deadline or help you get through a stalled out project. There's even a free "accountability chat"...

It's been long enough now that I'm not entirely sure when I first met Joel Friedlander online, but it was probably through his blog, The Book Designer, which has become an amazing resource for self-publishers. On The Book Designer, you'll find great posts with titles like the "Top 10 Worst Self-Publishing Mistakes--Explained!" Who could resist a title like that? Plus, the article is full of practical information like explaining why selecting Arial as the font for your book is a mistake. (Hint: "...because the name reminded me of my middle school girlfriend.” is not the right answer!) One...

[Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Elinor Stutz who will be speaking at SPOC on May 11 at 3 pm (Pacific). As you can see, Elinor really walks her talk!] Have you ever noticed when you finally conquer the pile on your desk you feel renewed energy and motivation kicking in?  What if you were to do this every working day, would it make a big difference in your success? Today, I had a conversation with two other authors...

I've been a graphic designer for a long time and my bookshelf is full of books that relate to layout, desktop publishing, and graphics software. Every once in a while, my bookshelf gets so completely packed that I can't fit any more books, so I do a purge and donate a big box of books to the library. One book that has survived countless book purges is Roger C. Parker's classic Looking Good in Print. I checked my copy and the copyright date on my edition is 1990. It's dog-eared and clearly been used a lot. I also noticed...

When we first came up with the idea for the Self-Publishers Online Conference in 2008, the first or second thing that popped into my mind was "hmm, I wonder if Dan Poynter would be willing to speak?" It seemed like a pipe dream, but to my amazement, Dan said "yes" when I asked him to speak at the 2009 event and then again in 2010. Over the last two years, I got to experience first hand what many people had told me. Dan is not only a great speaker, he's just a really nice person too. It's been a pleasure...

Ever slogged through a cavernous exhibit hall during a publishing conference? If sore feet and trekking to New York City to learn about publishing doesn't appeal, the virtual Self Publishers Online Conference (http://SelfPublishersOnlineConference.com) offers another option. This three-day virtual event features expert speakers, Q&A roundtables, online discussions, and a virtual exhibit hall on May 10, 11, and 12, 2011. Thanks to widely publicized self-publishing success stories like ebook sensation Amanda Hocking, interest in independent publishing is at an all-time high. The Self-Publishers Online Conference (SPOC) is at the forefront of two key trends: the dramatic increase in self-publishing and...

[Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Karen Robertson, who graciously offered to share her experience self-publishing material for children with the SPOC audience. Thank you Karen!] Do you have books or stories that you know kids of the world would love, if only they could see them? What if I told you there is now a cost effective way to reach a global market without the need to pay a fortune in printing, binding, warehousing and shipping? No inventory to manage. No returns to deal with. If you are a self-published or unpublished children’s writer or illustrator, or if you’re published...

Chuck Anderson is the Director of Marketing for The Internet Marketing Center (IMC). He filled out a speaker proposal for SPOC and I appreciated his no-nonsense approach to product development. In fact, after we selected him to speak, I realized that the Internet Marketing Center might be the same company that's been around for almost as long as I've been online. Chuck said yes, IMC was founded in 1996 by world-renowned online marketing expert Corey Rudl. For those who haven't been online as long as I have, Cory was one of the earliest Internet marketing success stories....

by Susan Daffron, SPOC Organizer I first heard Penny speak on a teleseminar for an association that generally had fairly "fluffy" salesey stuff (look out for the upsell!). But Penny's presentation was all content full of tons of actionable things I could do right now to market books. So when we came up with the idea for SPOC in 2009, Penny was one of the first speakers I approached. The last two years, people have raved about her presentations. For those who don't know, Penny is an author and the owner of Author Marketing Experts (AME). She says she...

by Susan Daffron, SPOC Organizer [On May 5, 2011 at 1:00 pm Pacific, James Byrd will be moderating a panel with me, Tricia Lawrence, and Penny Sansevieri about the radical changing going on in book publishing now.  If you would like to listen in on this FREE call, click here to sign up, and we'll send you call-in information before the call. Need more information? You can learn more about the call at the end of this article.] Today’s SPOC Speaker Profile is Tricia Lawrence. I met Trish in a marketing forum that we both have belonged to...

by Susan Daffron, SPOC organizer I first ran across blog posts by Joshua about a year ago in various forums and was impressed at the depth of Joshua’s knowledge about creating ebooks that actually look good on the Kindle and other platforms. Then earlier this year, James heard Joshua speak about ebooks during a Digital Book World call. We both agreed that we wanted to invite him to speak at the Self-Publishers Online Conference. Fortunately, he graciously agreed. Both James and I have experience the struggles of trying to get an ebook that looks right on multiple platforms....

Over the next few weeks before the Self-Publishers Online Conference (SPOC), we're going to profile the speakers you'll hear during the event. Since we (James Byrd and Susan Daffron) are both hosting and speaking at SPOC, we figured we should start with us. So without further ado, here's an interview with the questions we often get about our background and SPOC. How did you get involved in book publishing? I (Susan) graduated from college with an English major. As any English major will tell you, the first question you hear is "are you going to teach?" My...

The third Self-Publishers Online Conference is May 10-12, 2011. Over time, a few people have asked us what it's like to attend a virtual conference, so in this post, I'm going to share the experience of a typical "day in the life" at SPOC 2011. Obviously, as one of the organizers, during the three days of SPOC, I'm a bit busier than an attendee, but here are a few the things you can expect at SPOC. (Note that all times are Pacific time.) 8:50 am This year, we've opted to start SPOC a bit later, so people...

The third annual Self-Publishers Online Conference (SPOC) gives entrepreneurial writers, authors, and publishers the opportunity to learn from experts in book publishing from the convenience of their own home or office. At SPOC, everyone is encouraged to "Live Long and Publish!" This three-day virtual event features expert speakers on May 10, 11, and 12, 2011. Authors and self-publishers can attend SPOC when they have time in their schedule. Attendees can wander the virtual exhibit hall, take part in online conversations, attend informative teleseminars, participate in Q&A roundtable discussions, and discover helpful information about writing and publishing quality books. Sixteen publishing experts...