Author Archives: Ray Brehm

*** For More: Check out https://www.youru.tv ***

Hi Blog,

Happy Friday!

I just had to share this story with you.

This week, Paul Brodie and I took many, many complimentary consulting calls to discuss virtual summit ideas with authors and entrepreneurs.

As the saying goes…

_There is one in every crowd. _

On one call, it was obvious from the start that it would not go well.

Paul and I consider ourselves very fortunate that we can pick and choose who we will work with.

Now, we will generally work with anyone but…

this call started with “tell me why you are better than everyone else out there.”

Now, perhaps that is not an unreasonable request, but the tone of delivery wasn’t exactly amiable.

Paul politely indicated that we don’t audition with our work.

But I still thought I would give a shot at answering (because I believe we go far beyond what anyone else offers).

However, after being interrupted about 3 times in the first 45 seconds (not in a courteous way), I gave up.

This wasn’t going to be a good fit for us.

Paul politely began ending the call and provided some parting gifts (free books).

A few minutes later, we each received an email _”thanking us for ending the call”_ and suggesting that the call with us _”felt like a scam from Nigeria”_ because we ended it early.

If I responded to emails like that, which I don’t, but if I did I probably would say,

_”WELL, THIS IS THE WORST NIGERIAN SCAM IN HISTORY, BECAUSE WE WERE TRYING AVOID TAKING ANY MONEY FROM YOU. “_

Do you know what is not a scam, though?

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_Leap. Love. Grow._

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P.S. two things:

Thing #1. This offer expires on Tuesday, March 16th at 11:59pm. After that it’s gone

Thing #2. This offer comes with an industry-leading, 60-day, 100% happiness guarantee.

Still on the fence? Explore Writer’s Craft 2.0 risk free today. [https://raybrehm.krtra.com/c/ja3iTC1opbdT/DGoV]

P.P.S. Want to get on Podcasts? Don’t miss this month’s Youru.tv course called PODCAST GUESTING FOR AUTHORS. Our guest instructor, Derek Doepker, teaches a framework for consistently discovering and guesting on podcasts.

The main goal of Youru.tv [https://raybrehm.krtra.com/c/W5SpVytcujCp/DGoV] is to get you started on your path, while protecting your time (and money). It is all based on quick start frameworks (that I use).

Check it out here. It is 50% off right now (goes up April 1).

https://www.youru.tv/ [https://raybrehm.krtra.com/c/W5SpVytcujCp/DGoV] (Think of Youru as _You the Guru_)

by Ray Brehm 

Hi everyone! There have been a lot of questions and misconceptions about pre-order out there the last few months, so I want to set the record straight. 

The first rule of Pre-Order is:

DON’T USE PRE-ORDER WITH YOUR FIRST BOOK.

Now that you have agreed to that (haha), here is the other side of it.

Pre-Order is a very powerful way to launch, especially if you already have your first book published and have some kind of list. I have seen a lot of misinformation in mastermind groups about pre-orders, especially from people who have never actually used it.

No matter what you are looking for, always remember to please make sure the people you are getting advice from have actually done what they are advising you on!

PRE-ORDER

Pre-Order seems scary, but……You simply have to have all your ducks in a row, and once again, don’t use pre-order with your first book. You have to have handle on all aspects and gotchas of publishing before you try it yourself.

That being said, Pre-Order is the only method I use to launch books now. I find it easier to hit Bestseller and a less stressful way to manage a stealth period.

I read someone post recently that Amazon weights against Pre-order. I have found no evidence of Amazon “weighting against” your book, in fact the quite opposite! My experience has been that the Orange Banner appears slightly easier during Pre-Order. You can also get the banner with zero reviews (because reviews cannot be posted during pre-order).

Should you listen to me? That is debatable (haha), but in the last 6 months I have launched 4 of my own books, and managed the launches of at least 20 others, all using Pre-Order, and ALL became Bestsellers.

Here is the way I see it:

Benefits:

• Divide up the tasks, during Pre-Order no one can buy or download your book, so you can perfect your Amazon Book Description page, and more importantly just focus on marketing your book
• Get Bestseller Banner out of way (in some cases) and use that in advertising once you release: “Became a Bestseller Before It Was Released”
• Sales carry forward (as a batch), and allocated across first three days towards the big lists USA Today, etc (Amazon does Bestseller lists hourly). This helps you concentrate sales to the first three days of release (and you can work other promos during that time). Think about having 30-60 days to batch up all your sales, and then have them release across your first three days.
• You can test your message, and conversion rates on that message, before it is even live.

Drawbacks:

• Can’t use most many types of promos (those that require reviews). That’s ok, you can line those up for right after release. A Pre-Order Launch can be very effectively done by focusing your efforts with Bookbub Ads (not Featured Deals).
• You are not doing a Free Launch and you will not get a post Free Launch bump (but I have found this). You can still set a free period up to occur after the release date.
• There is a risk of not being ready. This is simple, just like a regular launch, do not press the button to set up pre-order until you have everything back from (editors, formatters, cover designers). Do not do it until you do and you are in complete control. Set Pre-Order release date at least 30 days out.
• You won’t have your launch team sending you errors in your mobi file, unless you send them the upload. So make sure you have it right. That being said, you can upload new versions of your cover, or interior file right up until 3 days before release.
• Like anything, it will be a little nerve racking the first time.

Oh, and one more thing, did I mention:

Don’t use Pre-order on your first book.

My next launch will be a pre-order and if you want to see a pre-order launch up close, feel free to join my launch team. I am sharing a behind the scenes documentary on what I do, with my launch team for my new book Rock Star Business Card. You can check it out at RockStarBusinessCard.com.Or you can have me handle your launch using these techniques, and get trained on how to do it yourself next time: ghostlauncher.com

I recently boarded a flight to Cleveland, I am going to pick up our new puppy (a golden doodle) named Luna. Though I have flown Southwest Airlines before, I was really impressed as I thought about their boarding procedure.

If you haven’t flown them before, they assign you a boarding number when you check in (which you can do online 24 hours prior). The number is essentially first come first serve, and gives you your exact spot in line.

The boarding process is about as clean and efficient as it gets. You line up according to you number at a kiosk. There is no one crowding the line, no one pushing or blocking.

Here is what most airlines do

On most other airlines, there are always those who try to board before their boarding group has been called and that holds up the line. Or then there are those that congregate and block the way to get in line for whose groups have been called.

It is not really anyone’s fault. It is just that everyone is required to somewhat “invent their own boarding procedure.” This results in 200 different ideas for how to board the plane, all being implemented at once.

On Southwest…

You line up according to your number and board. Easy Peasy. They have nailed it.

People should not have to think about what the boarding procedure is when traveling. Their job is just to do the traveling part.

The same goes for self-publishing. 

The only thing you should have to worry about is being creative.

But most self-publishing websites, blogs or courses still require you to figure out how to navigate them and how to implement the information they give you.

One of my pet peeves is when I take a course that gives you good information, but still leaves it to you to come up with a plan to implement material and the order to do things.

That is why I created the Author Startup Masterclass.

In the Author Startup Masterclass, I provide students with:

• the exact order to start executing each task
• my template for chapter structure, which leads you to complete your chapter
• a roadmap to answer the 12 Enigma Code Questions every reader wants answered
• how to separate tasks into creative and logical categories (if you don’t it can take you 10 times as long!)
• in fact, the order to do everything to publish that first book

So, as you are thinking about the content of your book, or your course, or whatever you are working on, remember this……

Make your readers or clients “boarding experience” as easy and efficient as Southwest Airlines!

Keep It Simple Superstar!

Ray 

The Simplify Guy

P.S. My Author Startup Masterclass is off to an awesome start! Check it out here if you want to try the Southwest Airlines of Self-Publishing!!

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Hi Blog,

Ever wonder what the secret is to creating your best writing space so you can create without distraction and get straight into your flow?

My friends Cary and Tom spoke with five writers and bestselling authors who share their #1 tip for creating your perfect writing space below.

I’m hopeful one of these tips will help boost your writing life today.

But before we begin…

TIP #1. MAKE IT AS COZY AS POSSIBLE. COMFORT = CREATIVITY.

Creating something out of nothing is hard work, so why not make your creative space as comfortable as possible?

According to Kristen Martin, catering to what you like and spoiling yourself in a haven of coziness is the ticket to falling quickly into flow!

Kristen’s an entrepreneur, bestselling Amazon author, and YouTuber with over 60,000 subscribers who empowers women through her writing. Her advice is simple:

“My best tip for creating your perfect writing space can be summed up in one word: cozy. Candles, loungewear, slippers, and a specially-curated writing playlist filled with instrumental music has never failed me!

“The more comforting your surroundings are, the less distracted you’ll be, and the more you can pay attention to what really matters: writing your book.”

TIP #2. GO SOMEPLACE NEW TO STIMULATE CREATIVITY.

Feeling stuck? It might be because writing at the same spot every day has caused creative stagnation. You might be surprised by how much your creativity opens up in a new environment.

Irish author and Forbes magazine contributor, Bryan Collins suggests:

“It’s good to write in a new environment every now and again.”

“Take your writing and go to a coffee shop or a library. These places are usually free of the subconscious baggage that comes with working in the same place repeatedly. And sometimes the brain craves a new writing environment.

“Ambient noise encourages creativity too. JK Rowling would agree — she wrote the earlier parts of the Harry Potter series in a coffee shop. If you can’t leave wherever you write, “Coffitivity” (is that a word) will recreate the ambient sounds of a coffee shop for you.”

TIP #3. MAKE SURE TO KEEP INSPIRATION HANDY.

We all do it. Pop onto Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest, searching for quotes to inspire us and keep us going when our creative spirit starts to flag…

But then once we are there, we’re scrolling and not writing.

Lead editor and writer at The Novel Smithy and bestselling author of the “Ten Day Novelist” series Lewis Jorstad share’s his #1 tip to get inspired but also stay focused:

“The perfect writing space is very personal, but in my opinion, every writer needs something inspiring.

“Whether I’m working at my kitchen table or my local library, I keep a handful of writing quotes on index cards to set out around me.

“This way, whenever I’m feeling stuck or unmotivated, I can look at my favorite inspirational quotes and remind myself that everyone struggles with their writing—but that you can always push through if you’re patient.”

TIP #4. GO LOW TECH, AND THEN ADD IN WRITERLY SOUND EFFECTS…

If you work from home, the demands of the job are bound to disrupt your creative flow. To make your writing space ideal for productivity you need to roll up your sleeves and meet the distraction head on.

Donna Barker & Crystal Hunt are co-founders of The Creative Academy for Writers, successful indie romance authors, who offer these tips…

“If work pulls you away from focus on your book, set-up an old computer with nothing but your manuscript on it — no email, no social media pings, and no work! Just you and your book.

“When you sit down with that computer you can focus without work distractions.

“If you have a home office, do your book writing in a different room, to draw on different energy than you bring to your work.

“If that’s not possible, change the energy of the room by playing special book-writing music or noises (coffee shop sounds, train, rain), or sit at the opposite side of your desk, or use different lighting.”

TIP #5. IDENTIFY AND ELIMINATE WHAT ISN’T WORKING.

Unless you live in a cabin in the mountains, it’s likely there’s going to be issues that make it more difficult for you to write. Instead of trying to write around them, why not find new ways to protect your writing space?

Fantasy fiction writer, author of “Build Your Best Writing Life,” and founder of Well-Storied.com, Kristen Kieffer says:

“To create your perfect writing space, identify your pain points. Take note of your biggest distractions (e.g. loud neighbors, lack of organization, that pile of bills on your desk) and seek out ways to resolve these issues.

“When you eliminate what isn’t working, you make room for focus, productivity, and creative fulfillment.”

Now it’s your turn

Which of these 5 tips will you take with you and apply to YOUR writing space?

Like the ideas, but want even more help taking your writing to the next level?

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See the full lineup here.

Explore everything you can get before it’s gone. [https://raybrehm.krtra.com/c/YBj9HiPFNclF/DGoV]

_Leap. Love. Grow._

[10712847_1592266490lLtNo_FM_-_Ray-Brehm-_EMAIL_SIGNATURE_black-high-res_150x75.png]

P.S. This fantastic offer expires on Tuesday, March 16th at 11:59pm EST…after that, it’ll be gone. Don’t miss out! Check out Writer’s Craft here. [https://raybrehm.krtra.com/c/YBj9HiPFNclF/DGoV]

P.P.S. Want to get on Podcasts? Don’t miss this month’s Youru.tv course called PODCAST GUESTING FOR AUTHORS. Our guest instructor, Derek Doepker, teaches a framework for consistently discovering and guesting on podcasts.

The main goal of Youru.tv [https://raybrehm.krtra.com/c/HencCGU9aTdT/DGoV] is to get you started on your path, while protecting your time (and money). It is all based on quick start frameworks (that I use).

Check it out here. It is 50% off right now (goes up April 1).

https://www.youru.tv/ [https://raybrehm.krtra.com/c/HencCGU9aTdT/DGoV] (Think of Youru as _You the Guru_)

by Ray Brehm

Jeff Walker’s Roadmap. This tells you about the whole blueprint itself. Uh, big picture tactics, eight types of launches, the Gotchas, your launch path, depending on what you’re doing and four freedoms that you get from launching and resources to talk about the big picture. And he goes through things like strategy, creating a crushing offer, building your list, all that good stuff. Um, he talks about the mental triggers that help you connect with people and get them to get in your workshops and your product launches and uh, what the different sequences, the sequence of the entire launch. So you know, there’s a pre prelaunch, prelaunch launch, all that stuff. And by the way, the thing that’s super cool is he’s launching, he’s showing you how to launch while he launches. So awesome stuff and back to the blueprint. But, there’s tactics, what you sell, how to create the offer, guaranteed bonuses, all that kind of stuff.

The eight types of launches. This is critical if you got to learn this for basically anything you want to do on the Internet, you should know this stuff. So that’s why I liked the PDF. It’s super, super informative, big Gotchas, what to do if you don’t have a list, all that kind of stuff. And then he starts talking to you depending on what type of person you are. So you might be a current business owner or you work with clients one on one, but you don’t really have a leverage business or your want to start from scratch or you’re an author. So that pulls at my heart right there. If you’re an author, you want to have a course, a book, he’s got a path for you using his launch formula. Here’s the four freedoms that you want, financial time, who you work with in freedom of purpose, which I’ve been harping on all day to day.

He’s got the tools that you would use for a lot for launching and and all the different tech tools. This is in itself is worth downloading just to see what everybody’s using. So I, for me it was worth it. I got it. So I hope you check it out. Check out the link below, grab it while it’s free. It’s free for the next, I dunno how many days, three or four days at least, but maybe not less. Not more than a week. So grab it now before you forget, move it over your kindle or whatever. Read this thing and see if you are ready to embark on that next step. Download Jeff’s Blueprint Now!

https://launchworkshop.raybrehm.com/blueprint

by Ray Brehm

I help entrepreneurs write bestselling books and make them the engine of their business, but before you start writing, there’s a few things you got to figure out. And the first one is it’s not about just starting to churn out your content. You need to think through a few things before we start writing and one of them is positioning and obviously positioning your book is important, right So how’s my book going to look What’s the cover going to look like All of that kind of stuff.

How’s that going to be seen in the public eye? But you got to figure it out to other important pieces of positioning. One is what is the position of your Avatar after they read your book Because if you can explain that to him and say, look, you read this book and now your position is going to be here and maybe it’s not something higher but it’s better or successful or they’re going to feel better or they’re going to know more, they’re going to have learned something.

You need to be able to describe that to upfront and it should be re acknowledged throughout the book. So if you know how you want your Avatar to be positioned after they’re done reading your book, super important. Also, how are you going to be positioned after you write your book? So are you going to be an expert at such? If you know how you want your book to position you after the reader finishes, it’s a lot easier to write the book and you can write from that context.

So I hope you take that advice and do that. Figure out the positioning of your book before you write it, and then use that to guide you in your writing of the book. Hope that helps. Talk to you soon.

*** For More: Check out https://www.youru.tv ***

Hi Blog,

Yesterday, I wrote about the extra special offer that has just come up for a limited time for storycrafters and writers with the Writer’s Craft 2.0 Super Stack. [https://raybrehm.krtra.com/c/Wc72ytQBCYCp/DGoV]

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It is especially designed for our needs as creators to help us with so many things that can save us time and money, like not paying for the editor we don’t need, avoiding novel-wrecking plot holes, saggy middles, and endings that don’t satisfy.

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I love these Infostack deals, because the value is crazy high for a very small one time investment.

If you’re a romance author, you’ll also get access to award-winning Mills & Boon romance author CHRISTINE MERRILL’S EXPERTISE ON HOW TO WRITE BINGE-WORTHY BOOKS.

You’ll find her ecourse + 50 other premium tools and resources inside Writer’s Craft 2.0.

Reminder: this offer ends on Tuesday, March 16th at 11:59pm EST.

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_Leap. Love. Grow._

[10712847_1592266490lLtNo_FM_-_Ray-Brehm-_EMAIL_SIGNATURE_black-high-res_150x75.png]

P.S. This fantastic offer expires on Tuesday, March 16th at 11:59pm EST…after that, it’ll be gone. Don’t miss out! Check out Writer’s Craft here. [https://raybrehm.krtra.com/c/Wc72ytQBCYCp/DGoV]

P.P.S. Want to get on Podcasts? Don’t miss this month’s Youru.tv course called PODCAST GUESTING FOR AUTHORS. Our guest instructor, Derek Doepker, teaches a framework for consistently discovering and guesting on podcasts.

The main goal of Youru.tv [https://raybrehm.krtra.com/c/aTIjpsrwPcXc/DGoV] is to get you started on your path, while protecting your time (and money). It is all based on quick start frameworks (that I use).

Check it out here. It is 50% off right now (goes up April 1).

https://www.youru.tv/ [https://raybrehm.krtra.com/c/aTIjpsrwPcXc/DGoV] (Think of Youru as _You the Guru_)

by Ray Brehm

Even if you have never written anything before, you don’t have any time and you can’t sit still because like most entrepreneurs, we can’t sit still.

How are we going to write a book?

Well, here’s how you do it. You’ll pull out your phone and you start talking and guess what! That creates a conversational tone for your chapters that makes it much easier to read and more enjoyable for most readers.

But here’s the thing, you can’t just whip out a phone and dictate a book. You got to have a plan and it doesn’t have to be super elaborate.

You don’t have to script the entire thing to dictate to a phone, of course not, but you do need a solid outline to follow and you do that by doing a one page book plan and then turning that into a draft using the book plan.

That is what we do at mybookchallenge.com so check it out.

If you’re interested in writing a book, check out mybookchallenge.com and we teach you everything. How to get your book playing down, turn it into an outline, and then dictate the chapters. 

And now you have got the draft. You’ve got something to work with.

And by the way, you’ll never get it perfect the first time. Of course not. But the most important thing is getting it done, getting the draft done so you can have somebody else look at it, an editor, or beta readers, anything else.

mybookchallenge.com 

Check it out!! You can do it !!

by Ray Brehm

I am here with my new One Minute Book Clinic in honor of the Avengers. And today we’re talking about Workbooks and I only got 50 seconds left, so I’m going to go fast.

You need an interior and a cover. Obvious, right? So the interior, you got to do that first because otherwise you don’t know how big the spine it’s gotta be. Now, you can use Word, Pages, InDesign.

I like using something universal like Google​ Docs. Check it out. You can go to Google Docs, create a doc, you can use one of their templates. I’ve used all their templates: I’ve created my own planner and I’ve got a workbook here. It’s all done in Google docs.​

Pretty simple. And then you just export it as a PDF and now you’ve got your interior and you have to work in your cover. Now, I would use a professional cover designer if you can, but if you can’t go to Canva and you can quickly create a cover in there, export that as a PDF, go to kdp.amazon.com upload it, and you can have Author Copies for less than $3 USD.

I want help getting your book done! Go to www.mybookchallenge.com

Check it out!

*** For More: Check out https://www.youru.tv ***

Hi Blog,

Feeling a bit overwhelmed creating a story, check out this quote…

> “Writing is not about inventing life; it’s about reinventing > what you have already lived.” > > — ROSEMARY JENKINSON, POET, SHORT STORY AUTHOR, NOMINEE EU PRIZE > FOR LITERATURE

Which means no matter what we all have a unique voice ready and waiting to create stories readers will love. [https://raybrehm.krtra.com/c/fkMl9aAx0gCp/DGoV]

> “Whether you realize it or not, yOUR LIFE EXPERIENCES, PERSONALITY > AND WORLDVIEW GIVE YOU A VOICE THAT IS ENTIRELY UNIQUE. When you > share that voice with the world, you may be surprised by the power > of your written word and who it will reach.” > > — JULIANA MAIO, AUTHOR OF “CITY OF THE SUN”

All we need is that little dash of know-how [https://raybrehm.krtra.com/c/fkMl9aAx0gCp/DGoV] to go from inspiration to gripping page turner…

> “If you have a good, unique story idea and develop it well, you > can cut out 90% of your competition.” > > — MARK O’BANNON, FANTASY AUTHOR

Which means story crafting is part passion, part skill. We’re definitely good with the passion, but the other parts…can be daunting…or even downright off putting…

You have a story that deserves to be told. And told well.

WHAT IF YOU COULD WRITE YOUR STORY WITH MORE EASE AND SPEED THAN EVER BEFORE?

Whether you’re just getting started, looking for the best way to get the story stuck in your head out onto the blank page…

…or you’re a writer who wants to hone your passion for the craft (and earn while you’re at it)…

There’s no better place to start than with The Writer’s Craft 2.0 Super Stack. [https://raybrehm.krtra.com/c/fkMl9aAx0gCp/DGoV]

(or “Writer’s Craft 2.0” for short)

Writer’s Craft 2.0 is your complete, A to Z resource to take your story from idea to publish-ready manuscript. [https://raybrehm.krtra.com/c/fkMl9aAx0gCp/DGoV]

Writer’s Craft 2.0 will help you:

* 🖋️ organize your ideas and turn them into a published masterpiece… * 📕 polish your narrative into a page-turning, award-winning fiction… * 💻 discover a system that can help you write 1,000 words a day (in less than an hour a day)… * 🎯 get your story outlined in as little as thirty minutes…

And so much more.

In fact, there’s so much included in this special collection I can’t cover it all in one email.

Go on, see for yourself everything you can pack into your writer’s toolbox. [https://raybrehm.krtra.com/c/fkMl9aAx0gCp/DGoV]

> “Everyone has at least one book in them.” > > — CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS, AUTHOR, AND ORWELL PRIZE WINNER

It’s time to bring your story to life. Beautifully. [https://raybrehm.krtra.com/c/fkMl9aAx0gCp/DGoV]

_Leap. Love. Grow._

[10712847_1592266490lLtNo_FM_-_Ray-Brehm-_EMAIL_SIGNATURE_black-high-res_150x75.png]

P.S. This fantastic offer expires on Tuesday, March 16th at 11:59pm EST…after that, it’ll be gone. Don’t miss out! Check it out here. [https://raybrehm.krtra.com/c/fkMl9aAx0gCp/DGoV]