The year I won the San Francisco Writer’s Conference pitch conference, I had just gained some really valuable information in a morning session. (I mentioned this in an earlier WNFiN post.)  The session was taught by writing-career-coach Teresa LeYung Ryan and public relations/marketing consultant Elisa Southard.  I’ve never forgotten the lesson Elisa taught me and shares again in today’s WNFiN post: “Use power verbs to describe how people profit from your books.” I was able to apply this even to my novel (yes…a novel), and to see the contest judges’ eyes light up when I made my pitch. Later, other agents’ eyes also lit up when I pitched the manuscript to them. I volunteer at the San Francisco Writer’s Conference each year, and although I still think Elisa and Teresa have more expertise, I help a lot of writers hone their pitches using the skills I learned in their session. I also use this ability when writing pitches for query letters and book proposals.

Elisa has a wealth of great marketing information to offer, so I thought it fitting to end WNFiN’s series of posts on this topic with one from her. She has compiled really terrific tips on avoiding some common marketing traps.

7 Nonfiction Book Marketing Traps to Avoid
By Elisa Southard

You smile as you sign on the dotted line with your publisher. Bravo! Let’s clink glasses! Your work is done. Or is it? Your publisher provides limited marketing, which puts this urgent hat square atop your head. Keep your eyes on the footpath as you advance to avoid the jaws of the following marketing traps. Your fan base awaits…

1. Concentrating on what you can’t control

You give your business card to someone at a writing conference or agent panel. What assurance do you have he or she will contact you? None. Instead, gain control over the follow-up by getting the other person’s contact information. You walk away with a smile and control of the next step.

2. Taking too long

How long does it take to introduce your passionate offer? If you don’t get your message across quickly, you won’t get it across at all. Use power verbs to describe how people profit from your books. Here’s an example: “Through my book, Break Through the Noise, I help professionals power up, build and recharge their marketing and public relations messages.” Strong verbs generate strong interest—straightaway.

3. Focusing on facts

An avalanche of facts detracts from your message. Instead, launch the ultimate writer weapon—a story. With a story, you nudge readers to consider his or her personal life. Think in bullet points; limit your facts to three. Even an avalanche starts with snowflakes.

4. Hiding behind status

Do you feel you’ve earned your stripes? Do you think it’s time for agents or editors to come to you? Unless you provide an unrivaled book for a particular need, think again. Copious options tease your readers; feeling entitled traps you, the author. Instead, put status aside by sharing yourself. Show a friend how to research, step up to volunteer, speak up to support. With these actions, you’re memorable. You’re marketing.

5. Reacting not reaching

Blew it on the last agent or editor pitch? You didn’t give yourself the okay to practice without pressure. It’s time to take a tip from world-class athletes, who always warm up. Don’t you smile seeing those pre-game stretches or pre-season bouts? Model those rituals to conquer your skills under pressure. How to do it? Select one aspect of your pitch, set a mini-goal to practice with a friend until you master it without reservation. Then move on to the next until you ace it as a whole.

6. Assuming rather than swapping

When you assume people know the importance of your topic, you risk going on autopilot. Instead, keep your message fresh by swapping sides. Judge from your reader’s viewpoint. Browse through a blog or trade magazine in your area to access their viewpoints. Examine the top topics in your motif for current language. Take a quiz online. When you swap sides, you shift to your readers’ viewpoint. You hone your instinct to design messages that resonate in their own language.

7. Knowing without showing

An industry authority once said, “Marketing is talking to a passing parade.” How observant. Parades of potential fans come in the form of invitations to volunteer at a conference or event. You join the committee, bond briefly, move on. However, without sustaining relationships, you never convert colleagues into fans. Here’s how to stay in touch without straining your current commitments. Show what you know. Right now, write down one concept you advocate in your book. For Break Through the Noise, it’s, “Marketing is easy. You can do it, too.” Now write down the rewards of using this tip or technique. How many items do you have? I bet at least a dozen—enough to stretch this concept into a year of ideas. Write short “What If…” tips from your list. Show what you know by spreading these tips through your favorite venues, online and off.

With these seven antidotes to marketing traps you no longer need to fear turning your attention from manuscript to self-promotion. The next time you meet an agent or future fan, your marketing hat will be more than an accessory. You’ll wear it with conviction to build the fan base you always knew you deserved.

About the Author

Through her book, Amazon business best seller Break Through the Noise: 9 Tools to Propel Your Marketing Message, Elisa Southard loves to help professionals be their own best advocate. Elisa also serves as a faculty member of the San Francisco Writers Conference and a contributor to Helmet Hair.com Motorcycle magazine. She is researching her second book, Bring Your Inner Newbie Out for professional women launching into a new sport or pursuit.

ElisaSouthard@gmail.com
BreakThroughTheNoise.com

Help writers find the wonderful information and resources at Write Nonfiction in November all year:
Vote  WNFIN One of Writer’s Digest’s Annual 101 Best Internet Sites for Writers

Please visit www.copywrightcommunications.com and sign up for the free newsletter to receive a gift at the end of the Write Nonfiction in November challenge!

Don’t forget to sign into the WNFiN social networking and chat room and tell us what you are writing about or start a discussion.
http://writenonfictioninnovember.ning.com/

Situation: CIA Agent sitzt auf einer Parkbank und möchte ein Donut verspeisen

Frage: Was passiert wenn der CIA Agent plötzlich Besuch von einer Taube erhält?

Sehr schön gemachter Animationsfilm.

heh heh – so the fuck what.

Its a barrel of laughs, when you’re on the receiving end.

Just remember, sometimes we are a never ending story

Please note:  I have friends, who are dear to me.  Very, very dear.

I am in full compliance

Just wanted to say one thing.

>I love you.

Goodbye.

[hope the image on display is correct]

I do not need a copy.  Over.  Please canal boat or take a jump in the lake. Stomach ache?

[embed]http://celticclothing.com/mm5/art-products/611_prv.jpg[/embed]

I laid my cards clear on the able this morning, unexpectedly I received two “reverse” comms.  Unsure what to make of it.

Understand me.

I do not require any further comms.  Except a card of your choice.  Could I make one small suggestion.  There is a Jack of Hearts loose.  Over to you.

In order of preference. NOT.

Black Herring contact on this Sunday 13:00.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_star Contact on Friday 15:00

Problem: Unable to remember dates/times/year – on occasion.

We all know the story.  What next.  When ever you’re ready.

PARIS 2 AVIGNON WITH butterfly. Year uncertain.  I did try and reply but myspace deleted comms. [comms out]

I’m not watching that.

STUCK.  For the moment.

Nancy Viau – http://www.nancyviau.com  Read more about Nancy in this issue of Sprouts Magazine.

Katia Riana – http://www.katiaraina.com

Lorraine Dey – http://www.deystudio.com/ - don’t miss seeing her artwork.  Fan page for book: http://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Sweater-for-Duncan-book-club/168203024239

Keep the good news coming,

Kathy

Update: If my house is #1 there is a chance I will give away 1000 cazmo cash!!!

Hey guys it’s AC I have big big news! If you haven’t noticed yet I purchased a new domain name planetcazmoguide.com and I renewed my css upgrade. I will be either reverting the css back to my usual theme or a winter theme (comment your opinion!) I will also update all of the pages and my header etc. Also Cazmo has announced that they will be giving away prizes to the top house owners! Ok so here’s the deal- if I win a prize for having one of the top houses I will give away atleast 100 cazmo cash!!! If my house is #1 in any of the categories I will give away atleast 500 cazmo cash!!! I will not give out anymore deals on the contest but I highly recommend you rate my house 5 stars (internal and external) on all of your accounts and tell your friends!!!

ALLISON IRAHETA CONCERT IS COMING NEXT WEEK!

ALLISON IRAHETA DETAILS
Visit the Caz Rox Cafe Friday December 4th and Saturday December 5th to watch Allison Iraheta of American Idol fame perform!
WHEN:
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4th – 7-12 PM ET
SAT, DECEMBER 5th – 12 noon – 12 midnight ET
Concert begins every hour, on the hour

TOYS FOR TOTS BIG HOLIDAY BENEFIT SHOW!

On December 18-19th Planet Cazmo will be hosting the first of it’s kind, holiday music festival, with all the Cazmo Cash proceeds from the week going to the charity Toys For Tots, helping kids in need this holiday season! Don’t miss this amazing event featuring some of Cazmo’s biggest stars, as well as surprise guests!

BEST RATED ROOM CONTEST!

With the new rate room feature comes the Best Rated Room Contest! Spruce up that room to win prizes!
———————————————-
Wow all this looks amazin, I can’t wait!

Hey guys it’s AC I arrived in Boston MA earlier today to see my cousin I apologize for posting the updates late but here they are:

There’s a cool new dance move that’s a combination of spinning and flipping!

The newspaper has been updated with previews of Allison Iraheta performing on cazmo. Also the owner of the top rated house has a chance of winning a WII and other cool prizes! (more details about that soon).

Some New Hot Deals

There was a double concert! I wasn’t able to get pics of the concert but that’s what the ticket from the VIP area looks like.

One lucky cazmo per concert has the abilty to control the lights for the concert! Congrats to Millionare for being that lucky person.

There are two new notifications similar to the texting notification when you are changing clothes or viewing the newspaper.

-Agent

This post is dedicated to one of my best friends Morgan. As you know we here at SD love Stop Motion. Love it.

This is probably one of the better stop motion finds in a while. It’s quite literally the bullet time scene from the original Matrix film…. done in legos. Time it took to complete this? 400 hours.

I’ll post the side by side under the cut. It’s definitely worth checking out because you can see how impossibly accurate it is to the actual movie.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, “there are more than 31 million people currently unemployed. In the face of the worst economic upheaval since the Great Depression, millions of Americans are hurting.” Below is a link to an interactive map that serves as a vivid representation of just how much. “Watch the deteriorating transformation of the U.S. economy from January 2007, one year before the start of the recession, to the most recent unemployment data available today.” Click here to view the map. Please take a few minutes to visit our website at www.kimberleyvassal.com

Croatia is quickly becoming one of the hottest spots in the world to buy property. Foreigners are finally realizing what the locals have known all along – the stunning seascapes, breathtaking country scenery, and comparatively low prices to other similar destinations offered in this delightful country are unmatched anywhere.

Now, as it embraces its decade of independence, real estate has never been more desirable and investors, retirees, and the adventurous are all seeking their chance to own a piece of this once-hidden European gem.

However, with the best locations and prices getting scooped up at a startling rate, the temptation for many is to rush in and buy, buy, buy. And, while it’s true that those who wait are going to miss the opportunity to acquire inexpensive and beautiful property, those that rush in too quickly and without the right preparation are going to get burned! When you try to live or invest in Croatia without having the inside scoop, your dream paradise can quickly turn into a full-blown nightmare!

With something for everyone – from its beaches that rival those in Italy, France, and Hawaii to its glorious mountains and quaint towns – Croatia is a great place to start your dream life. But, it’s so very important to make sure you equip yourself with the latest information, strategies, and techniques to make sure your investment in a new life pays off. Specifically, you’ll want to avoid some of the most common pitfalls of the Croatian real estate market. That’s why I’ve compiled a list of the top 3 things you must do if you want to find your paradise in Croatia.

1. Find a Real Estate Agent
When buying real estate in any foreign country, it’s always a good idea to enlist the help of a local real estate agent. This is true in Croatia. There are three criteria you must verify to make sure you have the best realtor working for you:

* Make sure that the agency you use has an available agent that speaks your na­tive language. Miscommunication can lead to very bad deals.

* Find an agency that has a large database of material for you to look through. You want to be able to see pictures, learn the property’s history, and find out all the minor details that could affect your choice.

* Use an agent that will help you by offering an in-house lawyer or a highly recom­mended one (more on this in a moment). When it comes to the legalities of buying a property under Croatian law, you want to make sure that you follow all the rules. Choose not to do so at your own risk.
When following these three criteria and using your commonsense, you’ll definitely find a qualified realtor for your needs.

2. Find a Real Estate Attorney
It is highly recommended that you enlist the help of a local reputable real estate attorney. They should have little difficulty tracing the history of the property you wish to buy. Also, there are some important legal considerations indigenous to Croatia that you should know about before making any deals with the locals. A realtor can help save you a lot of time, energy, and legal fees. Only an established attorney has the resources to determine whether or not your property has a clear title. Failure to do so will result in legal battles, not something that makes your piece of paradise all that heavenly!

3. Find Power in Knowledge & Title Insurance
It is important for you to realize that the Croatian real estate market is not as simple as that in the U.S. – this can be good or bad for investors or both. The good news is that those with the insider information can still get amazing deals. The bad news is that confusing areas of real estate transactions, particularly title clarity, gives rise to disputes over the proper ownership of many properties. Attempting to purchase some of these could truly open a can of worms that you just don’t want to deal with.

This is why it’s imperative that you purchase title insurance when you buy property in Croatia. Knowing that the seller is truly the registered owner of the property and legally allowed to sell is something many Americans overlook, but more and more real estate scams arise with people selling property that doesn’t actually belong to them. It’s outrageous, but you can easily understand how a great price, a language barrier, and other factors can lead to foreigners jumping on a deal that “sounds too good to be true.” But, rest easy, both your realtor and attorney should be well-versed in the process involved. The peace of mind you’ll gain when you know that the property you’ve bought is really and truly yours is going to be priceless.

When it comes to avoiding real estate pitfalls in Croatia, the three tips above are really just the tip of the iceberg. Again, the Croatian market is hotter than ever. Take the time necessary to educate yourself, then jump in to one of the most exciting adventures and rewarding experiences of your life – owning property in this European gem.

Children’s Writing Mentoring Workshop

Where:  Princeton Theological Seminary - Princeton, NJ

When:  January 17th, 2010

Mentors: 

Allison Wortche, Asst. Editor, Knopf and Crown
Adriana Dominguez, Agent, Full Circle Literary
Kelly K. Smith, Senior Editor, Children’s Dept. Sterling Publishing

Cost:  SCBWI Member price: $195, Non-member price: $235

Includes:  One-on-one critique – Full Picture Book critique or the first 30 pages of novel with a synopsis with mentor, group critique, breakfast, lunch, Q&A and First Page Session.

Please note:  Due date for manuscripts is December 14th, 2009.  So sign up before you get involved in the holidays and forget.

For registration and more info go to:http://www.newjerseyscbwi.com/events/100117.shtml

Hope to see you there.  These workshops have been the catalyst for many contracts.

Kathy

?  http://www.cgjungpage.org/

? http://www.freud.org.uk/

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=terence%20mckenna&hl=en&rlz=1C1GGLS_en-GBGB317GB317&sa=X&tbo=1&output=search&tbs=ww:1

Word up – yo yo yo

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=bauhaus%20curriculum&hl=en&rlz=1C1GGLS_en-GBGB317GB317&sa=X&tbo=1&tbs=ww:1

Actually, intergrity is the basis of dual complexity poppycock marlarky…

Hi:

I have been fostering this sweet kitty, “Agent”,  for some time and he needs a permanent home.  He is about 3 years old, male, indoor cat, shots up to date, and in good health. I am downsizing to a small apartment and Agent needs more room than I can provide  + a loving owner. He gets along with other cats and dogs.  Please contact me if you are interested or know someone who is.

Ruth Usher

ruthdusher AT gmail DOT com

I will no longer keep comms please.

Thank you for your understanding

It is beyond my control -

Please find yourself a HERMIT – http://www.learntarot.com/gddesc.htm

Available through ebay, using paypal – okay.

btw – cheers

Please watch

Notice of Overbidding Guidelines for FHA Financing

FHA guidelines will limit the underwriter to insuring the loan for the lower of two values; the offer price or the appraised value (displayed as the As-Is Value). If your offer price is higher than the appraised value, the FHA underwriter will require that your buyer(s) cover the overbid amount with a cash deposit. The buyer(s) will not be allowed to build the overbid amount into an FHA loan.

HUD’s mortgagee letter 2000-27 will require that the FHA UW use the appraisal obtained by PEMCO. This mortgagee letter instructs the FHA UW NOT to obtain a new appraisal; nor can the FHA UW request that new comps be pulled and the PEMCO appraisal updated.

If your offer price is higher than the appraised value and tentative acceptance is extended to you, the options available to you are:

1.       Proceed with contract execution. PEMCO will require that the selling broker verify that the cash reserves are available to cover the overbid amount before we execute the contract.

2.       Use cash or conventional financing. All of the guidelines outlined above apply to FHA financing only. A conventional lender will have their own set of guidelines not governed by HUD.

3.       Cancel prior to contract execution. If there is an acceptable backup, we will award tentative acceptance to the backup offer. If there are no acceptable backup offers, the property will be relisted.

 All of this information can be found at www.hudpemco.com.

To purchase a HUD owned FHA insured home contact Rick Duda, HUDREGOV Certified Agent and Specialist

Based on current statistics, 2010 is looking at an improved real estate market with REALTORS® waiting to take advantage of it. Are you ready to meet the challenge of improved conditions and intensified competition with your current real estate skills?

Even the most seasoned of REALTORS® must stay on top of the latest trends, tools and data to increase their business every year.

As an agent you need to ensure that you have all of the most innovative and trend-setting tools available to you at your office.

EXIT Realty Talbot and Company offers its agents access to free online training as well as on site live interactive training courses on all aspects of the real estate business in their Ashburn, VA office. EXIT agents attending these real estate training courses benefit from a high-impact course schedule as well as the skills of four on-site Certified Real Estate Instructors.

EXIT Realty Talbot and Company is building a Company by design that honors the production and success of its agents. The Company’s goal is to have their agents end up wealthy at the end of their career. Agents who are interested in being mentored by experienced Top Producing Brokers and their team, please

Contact Helena Talbot directly at 703-574-3800, or to learn more about Exit Realty, please visit www.ExitRealty.com.

This solution works for both Agents uploading data to a Grid Control Repository or to DBConsole.

We have a 3-nodes RAC and we are using dbconsole to monitor our production systems. We will be deploying Grid Control any time soon (providing Oracle fixes couple of bugs we discovered some time ago).

Until then, dbconsole is good enough.

Our configuration is as follows:

1.- Linux x86-64

2.- Oracle ASM (using ASMLib) 10.2.0.4

3.- Oracle Enterprise Edition 10.2.0.4.1

As you may know, Oracle recommends to run the listener from the ASM home instead of the database home and to have a different set of binaries for ASM in case you need to upgrade ASM (or you have more than one database running on the same server using different Oracle versions).

We run dbconsole from the Database Oracle home. This is as expected, but this leads us towards our problem, as the default location for SQL*Net configuration on RAC is the Oracle Home for the database.

For some time we have to deal with not knowing if the listener was down (as displayed on dbconsole) or pending (which normally indicates the agent is not uploading information to the repository.

Steps to deal with the problem are:

1.- Stop dbconsole/agent on all nodes.

2.- localte the target.xml file (normally under $ORACLE_HOME/sysman/emd/targets.xml if using dbconsole or $ORACLE_HOME/agent/sysman/emd/targets.xml if using Grid Control).

3.- make a backup of the file (always good practice)

4.- edit the  file:

you need to search for an entry with the following format:

<Target TYPE=”oracle_listener” NAME=”LISTENER_xxxxxx”>

then you need to change the path on two properties:

<Property NAME=”ListenerOraDir” VALUE=”xxxxxxxxxx”/>
<Property NAME=”OracleHome” VALUE=”yyyyyyyyyyy”/>

where xxxxx should be your $ORACLE_HOME/network/admin

and yyyyyyy should be your $ORACLE_HOME

ie: /u01/app/oracle/admin/product/10.2.0/asm_1

5.- start dbconsole/agent on all nodes

6.- check the status of those listeners are up.

I read some documents on Oracle Support (old Metalink) and none work for us.

One of them was interesting by the fact of suggesting to add an environment variable (TNS_ADMIN) on the server. This is not recommended (at least on our systems) as we run ASM and DB and, hopefully one day, Grid Control Agent, and we like to keep things separated.

As always, comments are welcome.