What Do I Know About Publishing?

{{This Blog More than Likely Needs the Disclaimer:  This is also NOT going to be a quick read, but it’s one you should read until the end}}.

Many people ask how I got started in publishing, and it’s always easy to tell the short version of my story, “I was writing a career column for a national newspaper.  I went to my PO Box one day and there were copies of my articles with a note attached saying, “put this stuff in a book!” and I expounded on the articles, arranged the contents so they would flow and that’s the story behind my first book,  Why Should I Hire You? ”  Exciting, right?  Keep reading.

While all of that is true, THERE IS another story BEHIND that story.   Fast Forward to 2001, I had just over 10 years of experience in human resources, a degree in Business Administration (with a minor in human resources), 3 industry certifications as a PHR (Professional in Human Resources), CCP, (Certified Compensation Professional and a CHRM (Certified Human Resources Manager) and my annual salary was $85k.   So what does this have to with publishing?  None of that stopped me from being laid off – but it qualified me to write a career column (long before anyone could just up and start a blog) which became my first publishing platform.

What many don’t know is I wrote my career column and my first book while I was homeless. 

We’ve all heard the saying, “many people are one paycheck away from being homeless”.  Despite the fact that I made good money, was single, didn’t have any children, and every dime I made was on my back – – literally.  I wore  designer clothes, handbags and shoes, lived well, ate well, and travelled whenever and wherever I desired.  When I was laid off, I did not have a savings, did not have anything in my 401k and went through my severance like water.   One year after being laid off, I had lost my apartment and was homeless.  Hey…I was single and living it up. *don’t judge me*.  My point is… I had not been a good stewart of the money I made and unlike many of you reading this, I was NOT part of the 80%.  According to a study by the Jenkins Group, 80% of people believe they have a book inside of them.  The advantage for those of you in the 80% is that you are beginning with a publishing goal in mind.  I never sat out to write a book, so I was completely clueless about the publishing process.

When I wrote my book, I was trying to survive!

I figured if people loved my career column, they would be knocking down my doors for my book (and thankfully they did!)  My book became a calling card for me to BECOME “the person” you see today.  The author, career expert, speaker, radio host and Publisher of CAREER Magazine.  Yes…all of it began with a book.  Prior to writing a book, I was “just” a phenomenal human resources professional (giggling).  My first book thrust me into the speaking world.  My second book opened the door for me to become an employment expert on radio (free advertising to 2.5 million listeners). Consecutive books kept my name circulating and clients coming. Despite the success, there were many many many lessons that I had to learn along the way.  Those lessons came through mistakes, but they should have come through mentors. Some of my mistakes could have been prevented if I only taken the time to do a little more research and ask the right people, the right questions.  Could I pick up the phone and call Dan Poynter?  No, but Dan wasn’t the only person who had written a book so I could have asked others who had and were willing to share.  I didn’t and I paid for it – – literally! The good news is you don’t have to, you have benefit from what I’ve learned.

Many of my mistakes were a result of me being lazy.

I never said I was a lazy person.  But I’m okay with admitting that I was lazy about learning the publishing process. My experience is why I am so passionate about sharing tips, tools and strategies with authors.  I was clueless about the publishing process and experienced many setbacks INCLUDING being taking advantage of because of what I didn’t know. I paid $75.00 for my ISBN and paid $250 for someone to turn my book into a PDF, and we wont even talk about the $3 grand in websites – because that will only make me angry.    People saw me coming with the “clueless sticker” on my forehead.  So I began to educate myself on publishing and learned to look before I leap.  I self published my first book.  My second book went through a publishing house and before I signed the contact, my advisory board and a lawyer changed 40% of my contract so that it benefited me.   There were several reasons, I opted to self publish the rest of my books after that (but that’s another LONG blog).

A few things I do know about Publishing include:

• How to Build A Monetizable Brand with A Book
• How to Create Multiple Streams of Income with a Book
• How to Secure a $50,000 Publishing Contract (not an advance)
• How to Run A Book Business (not just sell books).
• How to Help You Become a Successful Authorpreneur (because BOOKS ARE A BUSINESS)

If you are a friend of Stephanie C. Harper or CAREER Magazine, you can pick up the Books Are  A Business™ kit today and today only for $50 (digital version only).  Click here to view the Table of Contents

The buy now button will be removed on 4-25-1013 at midnight.

If miss this special, you can get the kit later at full price if you so desire on the Books Are A Business website~

***fair warning, I never professed to be a singer – you may have missed my book release, but here’s a snippet – EnJOY!***