Spence Smith

Have you ever heard people say “Everyone has a book in them.” Well, I think it’s probably true which means there are probably a lot of people out there who want to know how to secure a book publishing contract but don’t know the first place to start.

Over the past few years I’ve been learning a lot about the book-publishing world. I have a few great friends who work for publishers and when I hear how their industry works, it’s not to far off from how the music industry works.

In fact the early days of popular music were based around sheet music since radio didn’t exist.

Since I am around a lot of creative people (songwriters/authors) I often get asked about where to start.

Obviously, a great story or idea is number one and key to the success of any book. If you think you have a great idea or a great story then here’s where it all begins.

The Book Proposal

Now… you may be saying to yourself “I’m going to self publish, I don’t need to do a book proposal.” That might be true but have you considered that the key elements of a book proposal could help guide you through the key elements of what makes a great idea or story a great book? A proposal can help keep you focused and on track in the writing process and help you think through how your audience will read it.

Here’s the greatest nugget of information I could ever share with you.

Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, has written an easy to read document called How To Secure A Book Publishing Contract. There are actually two versions. One for non-fiction and one for fiction. Think about this for a second. This information is coming from the CEO of one of the largest book publishing companies in the world. He is giving you the answers to how publishers like to read a book proposal. You really can’t get much closer to the source than that right?

You can click on THIS LINK or on the banner to the right to take you to the page he has set up for more information on these versions. The cost is minimal and worth it. I have friends who are working on their proposals using these versions and I have to say… the way these documents are laid out takes out all the guesswork. All you have to do is provide the content. I know… easier said than done right?

Now… does this insure you to get a book publishing contract? NO… not at all.

Does it give you a better chance of getting a publisher to take you more seriously as a first time writer? Absolutely. It’s one of the very best ways to communicate your story without having any relationship to the publisher who is reading your book proposal.

And if you happen to get a literary agent along the way to help you get a publishing contract, then believe me… You just made your agent’s life a whole lot easier by being proactive and on the ball.

It’s time to start telling your story…

I’m going to start working on mine.

LifeWork 2.0 yesterday had to be one of the best days of teaching Randy and I have had so far. It was hosted by Michael Hyatt, Lindsey Nobles and the fine folks of Thomas Nelson. It was well attended and the interaction was over the top for us.

There’s nothing greater than learning from others. In an environment like LifeWork 2.0. we tend to have the kind of discussion where even Randy and I walk away learning something new. Why? The internet changes so fast everyday. There’s always something new technology popping up that people are finding.

The graphic in this post is just the beginning of the real time conversation that was happening during the seminar through our twitter hash tag (#lw2tn). If you would like to see the day as it unfolded through the eyes of the registrants and those following along on twitter. Just click here.

You gotta love technology that fosters feedback in real time.

Some people have no idea what we are saying when Randy Elrod and I start talking about Search Engine Optimization(SEO), and having a presence online…and simply the ability to be found online! . Sure… you might have an easy dot COM name that is simple to find if you Google it (spencesmith.com). But that’s just one part of it. And it’s one part of what we teach at LifeWork 2.0.

If you want people to find you because of the products you offer or because your content is of a particular subject matter, then learning how to optimize your site so that the search engines (google,yahoo,etc) recognize what you are about is crucial. This is a huge way to create traffic and key to creating a conversation online with your fans and clients.

There are a lot of SEO (search engine optimization) experts out there who are getting paid a lot of money to get a company to pop up on the first page of Google.  In fact some of these people are on monthly retainers. There’s nothing wrong with this as long as you are getting what you want.

At LifeWork 2.0, Randy and I teach you ways to do this on your own in such a simple way that YOU can do this yourself and save YOU and YOUR company a lot of money in the process.

We consulted one company who had misspellings in their keywords. They were paying a guy who was an “expert” thousands of dollars a month for good SEO and in a matter of minutes Randy and I showed them how they had been wasting their money. For them it was like paying a mechanic to fix their car but for some reason they had to always get their car fixed. HMMM I wonder why? Job security maybe?

Google makes it very easy for us everyday-non-programmer-types to do this well. But in order for a person to learn how, there are a few valuable components that you must know in the process.

So… During a LifeWork 2.0 seminar we teach Search Engine Optimization that anyone can do. But it’s just one part of the day.

If you so choose to come to one of our seminars, you will learn all about online reputation, blogs vs. traditional websites, social networking as well as twitter from beginning to advanced uses.

Come join us and let us teach you how to create a two-way conversation with your fans and clients. It will be fun… I assure you… and you will leave with your head-spinning full of refreshing new ideas for the future of you and your brand.

The next LifeWork 2.0 Seminar is July 30, 2009 in Nashville, TN and it’s hosted by our friends Michael Hyatt and Lindsey Nobles from Thomas Nelson. You can follow them on twitter too. @michaelhyatt, @lnobles, and  @thomasnelson.

Click here to register for LifeWork 2.0.