Self-Publishers Online Conference News

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...

by James Byrd I first encountered Carolyn McCray through a series of articles she wrote for the Digital Book World web site. The articles were related to optimizing your book sales on Amazon.com, and I was amazed by the information she provided. When I heard that Carolyn was giving a free webinar last year on the same subject, I had to attend. I was impressed by her research and her delivery, which were both illuminating and fun; the lady has a sense of humor. By the time the webinar was over, I was certain that I wanted to...

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...

Over the next two weeks, we'll be posting a profile for each of our SPOC 2012 speakers. To kick off the introductions, we're going to start with the speakers who have already been profiled for past SPOC events. Although their seminars for 2012 are new, they are still the same great speakers who help make our conference such an informative event every year. The links below take you to the speaker profiles. Below each link, you can see what the speaker will be presenting at SPOC 2012 (all times are Pacific.) Interview with James Byrd and Susan DaffronThe Big...