Authors Archives

This morning I had the pleasure of being the featured speaker at the Central Florida Economic Cooperative's Executive Seminar Series, with my new presentation Becoming a Recognized Leader in Your Industry.

The audience was fantastic! They were very engaged and asked a lot of great questions.

The books I mentioned when asked what I am reading now:

Rescuing Sprite: A Dog Lover's Story of Joy and Anguish by Mark Levin - read that this past weekend. It's an incredible read for anyone who has ever lost a beloved dog (or any pet for that matter). Grab a box of Kleenex before you open the cover. Trust me.

Life's Golden Ticket: An Inspirational Novel by Brendon Burchard - I actually read this earlier this Spring (thanks BB for the autographed copy). It will make you think, and I love those type books (there may even still be time to get in on the gifts if you use this link to purchase the book). Brendon is hosting The Life's Golden Ticket Seminar Sept. 26-28 in LongBeach Shoreline (CA). If I wasn't co-hosting the Small Business Summit in Orlando Sept. 26, I would be there. I'm a huge Brendon fan, which is why I readily agreed to provide a giveaway for his recent sweepstakes promotion.

The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About Itby Michael Gerber, one of our featured speakers at the Small Business Summit on Sept. 26.

The Appeal by John Grisham (I was on vacation; besides, he's one of my fav fiction authors). Thinly veiled as fiction, The Appeal is a scary depiction of politics when you consider how close to reality it actually is.

I didn't mention it this morning, but I also read Honor Thyself by Danielle Steel while I was laying on the beach a few weeks ago. Her writing style has always fascinated me.)

Special note for those who attended this morning: the presentation has been uploaded to my website. If you gave me your card, I'll be emailing you shortly with the specific URL; if you didn't have a card with you, leave a comment (or email me directly) with your email address and I'll get the link to you.

This afternoon I received an advance copy (also known as a galley copy) of Patricia Cornwell's new book The Front. I can't wait to read it.

It goes on sale next week (May 20). I've got an intense couple of weeks with client work but am going to make a concerted effort to get it read and post a review on Amazon.com within the next few weeks.

Publishers Weekly is reporting that Thomas Nelson has pulled out of the 2008 BEA (Book Expo America).

Could this be the start of a trend for publishers as they seek to maximize the efficiency of their marketing dollars?

I had the pleasure of working with the team at Thomas Nelson while producing the book launch for Mark Victor Hansen and Art Linkletter's How to Make the Rest of Your Life the Best of Your Life. They are a top-notch group of professionals.

Preliminary photos from Mega Book Marketing in the flickr badge below. 'll be updating the photo set throughout the weekend.

www.flickr.com Wendy Kurtz's Mega Book Marketing 2008 photoset

Mark Victor Hansen's 2008 Mega Book Marketing is off and running. With a powerful opening keynote by Mark himself, the conference is already in high gear.

Initial photos are up. I need to play with the settings on my camera to adjust for the lighting in the room.

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We've gotten some great mentions in the media this week as we continue to solicit stories for Chicken Soup for the UCF Knight's Soul, the latest in the series co-created by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen.

St. Petersburg Times

Orlando Sentinel

UCF News & Information

Submit your story!

If you or someone you know is affiliated with UCF (parent, student, faculty, staff, donor, etc.), submit a story and you (or they) too might become a published author. The list of contributing authors already includes some of UCF's most prominent alumni. You don't even have to be a writer. We have editors lined up that can help you.

For submission guidelines, visit the UCF alumni site.

Last week, Patricia Cornwell donated $1M to establish a new academy to teach CSI techniques.

What an amazing woman.

I've shadowed homicide detectives and CSIs, going to crime scenes, the morgue, even a victim's home to interview his family. Fortunately, the ones I've spent so much time with are truly top-notch professionals. Sadly, as in any profession, there are those that strive for excellence and those that just want to get by. I've seen firsthand the frustration when someone does something that screws up a case. Unfortunately, it happens more often than gets reported. Sometimes it happens because someone is careless or just plain lazy, but other times it really is just a matter of inadequate training.

It's refreshing to see someone of Ms. Cornwell's experience and success step up to help improve a situation instead of just sitting back complaining. So why is she getting grief for it?!?

In her open letter in today's USA Today (page E3), she says "My grant is meant as a gift to help those who devote their lives to safeguarding ours, and who do so in a world that poses difficulties, the likes of which none of us has ever seen." She's right. These dedicated people (homicide detectives, CSIs, etc.) must deal with things on a daily basis that the rest of us cannot begin to imagine, nor would we want to.

People seem to forget that shows like CSI (which I admit I do enjoy watching) are written purely for entertainment. Our world is changing at a faster pace than ever before. As crime continues to escalate and criminals become "smarter," training must keep pace. Patricia Cornwell is doing something to make sure it does. Her donation will help start the Crime Scene Academy at New York's John Jay College of Criminal Justice, set to open this fall.

Kudos to Patricia Cornwell. And, from someone who recognizes and appreciates the sacrifice and selflessness of law enforcement for our safety and survival, THANK YOU!

http://jobview.monster.com/GetJob.aspx?JobID=68345304&aid=62037316-1028&WT.mc_n=MKT000351

Casey Wohl, the Getaway Girl, is counting down the days 'til Christmas. We launched the 12 Days 'til Christmas online promotion this morning to help girls beat the holiday madness.

Today through Dec. 21, Casey will be randomly selecting a daily winner to receive one of several wonderful gifts provided by businesses featured in her book, Girls Getaway Guide to Orlando: Leave Your Baggage at Home. Gifts include gift certificates to local boutiques, hotel resort packages, spa treatments and more.

Sign up for Casey's monthly newsletter, which features a variety of tips, resources, events and more, and you'll automatically be entered into the daily drawing. You can also stay up-to-date on Casey's activities by visiting her blog.

Happy Holidays!

Wishing Casey Wohl another successful book signing tonight for her just released Girls Getaway Guide to Orlando: Leave your Baggage at Home.

5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Highlands Art League, Inc.
351 W. Center Avenue
Sebring, FL 33870

Order your own copy of the book today.

Meet Casey Wohl, author of the newly released Girls Getaway Guide to Orlando: Leave Your Baggage at Home at one or more of the upcoming book signings we have planned:

Thurs., Sept. 20 - 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Urban Think! Bookstore
625 E Central Blvd, Orlando, FL 32801

October 4 - 5:30 - 7:30 PM
Highlands Art League, Inc.
351 W. Center Avenue, Sebring, FL 33870

October 11 - 6:00 – 8:00 PM
Le Bri Boutique
1437 Town Center Drive, Lakeland, FL 33803

Check out the Girls Getaway Guide website for more info or to order the book online.

I'm working with a group of speakers and we're in the process of getting everyone's brochures designed and printed. We've had a lot of discussion about the printing process and costs so I thought I'd share some of my thoughts and experience with you.

Printing comes with a very wide variety of options, all of which affect your pricing: color, size, quantity, paper type, special processing and more.

These options can include black and white, two-color process, four-color process, bleeds (ink flows off the page) vs. non-bleeds (there's a border of white around the edges so the ink "stops" before it gets to the edges of the paper), single-sided vs. double sided, folded vs. flat, etc. Adding to the cost is the type of paper, the weight of the paper, the size of the piece, and additional processing functions such as scoring, folding, perf'ing (running a perforation on part of the piece so readers can easily tear off something like a registration form or response card.

Further, the larger the quantity you print, the lower your cost per piece becomes. I've literally had print jobs where the difference between 2,500 and 5,000 was less than $20! That's because the bulk of the printing cost is in the preparation and set up. Once the presses are running, the individual paper price per sheet becomes nominal. You're realizing economies of scale.

Still further, if you gang everything together (run multiple pieces at the same time), you can save a bit as well. For instance, when I did my first brochure, my budget was limited. So, to save money, I did my entire stationery kit at the same time (business cards, letterhead, envelopes, etc.). This meant they didn't have to change ink on the press to run other jobs between mine. I did a single color (using the green in my logo) on Beckett Enhanced cream-colored paper. The Beckett line had the same paper in heavier cardstock (weight) for the business cards so everything flows together quite nicely. I also chose a larger quantity (5,000 I believe) over the 1,000 piece option because I knew I'd be using this stuff forever and the cost savings was substantial.

All of these details factor into final printing costs. And pricing varies from printer to printer so you should always get two or three quotes if you don't have an established relationship with a printer.

Obviously, you want to be budget conscious with your printing, but you also want to make sure you are getting a good quality product. This single piece will often be the first and only impression anyone has of you, so you want to make it count. It's important to look as professional on paper as you are in person.

And that, dear grasshoppers, is my lesson for the day. I hope it helps!

It's official! I am going to be a co-author with Mark Victor Hansen and Jack Canfield on the latest edition in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series.

Chicken Soup for the University of Central Florida Soul is now underway. Proceeds will benefit the UCF Alumni Association.

If you are a member of the UCF family - student, alumni, parent, faculty, staff or administrator - and have a great Chicken Soup story, we want to hear from you. The critical point, though, is that it has to be WELL WRITTEN. You may have a truly great story that you tell very well, but if it's not WRITTEN well, we won't be able to use it.

How do you write a great Chicken Soup for the Soul story? Download the story guidelines for complete details.

I picked Wally Amos up at the airport and headed downtown for a late lunch. We were walking to Dexter's in Thornton Park and passed a house where there'd obviously been a little partying going on the night before. There were some party cups laying around on the sidewalk. Without missing a beat, Wally bent down, picked them all up as if it were his own yard, and carried them down the street until we got to a garbage can.

It's just part of who he is. He cares about his environment and is not too proud to clean up after others' thoughtless behavior. I've found myself stopping to pick up a few pieces of trash myself this afternoon. Wow, if only we could start a movement, sorta like the old Prell commercials: I pick up two pieces, and you pick up two pieces...and so on and so on...

Lots of great events coming up, more details to follow, but mark your calendar now:

April 26, 7:00 p.m.
Journey to a Hate Free Millennium
A Community Conversation and Program
Apopka, Florida

Featuring Brent Scarpo, producer of the multi-award-winning Journey to a Hate Free Millennium documentary and educational program. A former teacher, actor and Hollywood casting director (Shawshank Redemption, Air Force One) Brent has presented the Journey to more than 1,000,000 in all 50 U.S. states and 12 foreign countries over the past eight years.

May 24, 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
SMART Awards Luncheon
Hosted by the Association for Corporate Growth Orlando chapter
Downtown Orlando Marriott
Orlando, Florida

Featuring Wally "Famous" Amos, father of the gourmet chocolate chip cookie industry, and recognizing Central Florida companies leading our business community in financial strength, active social and community participation as well as appreciation for the company and its employees.

Nominate a client's, associate's or even your own company.
Register by May 11 to receive early bird pricing.

May 31, 2007 8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
MEGA Book Marketing
A One Day Crash Course in Book Marketing
Hosted by Mark Victor Hansen, co-creator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul Enterprise
New York, New York
Seating is limited. Register today!

July 26-28, 2007
HDPR: Creating the Clear Picture
PRSA Sunshine District Annual Conference
Disney's Contemporary Resort
Orlando, Florida

Hosted by the Orlando Chapter of PRSA.

MEGA Book Marketing University
Learn from the best of the best!
March 2-3-4, 2007
The Westin LAX
Los Angeles, CA

Register by Midnight PST this Thurs., Feb. 1 and bring a friend for free! Plus, you'll get the complete $349 home-study course at no additional charge.

One reason I recommend and attendees return again and again to MEGA Book Marketing year after year is the amazing faculty of best-selling authors, marketing mavens and publishing pros the MEGA team pulls together for each event.

It's an inviation-only event, so this is your personal invitation from me. Here's the catch, you have to register using this link so Mark will know I invited you.

Mark hand-selects each speaker, so you get a comprehensive education in everything it takes to become a best-selling author. Everything is covered… from how to get your book proposal noticed ... to cutting-edge marketing techniques ... to staying sharp mentally and finding the inner strength and persistence to never give up on your dreams.

This year, you’ll learn from not only Mark but his ”Chicken Soup” co-founder Jack Canfield...one-of-a-kind motivational mentor and “A Child Called It” author Dave Pelzer ... nationally syndicated columnist and best selling author Harvey Mackay...superstar literary agent Jillian Manus, and others.

You'll also have the opportunity to meet a variety of top agents and publishers that always say "yes" to Mark's personal invitation for them to come and scout for talent.

Read more about this year’s faculty and what you’ll learn.

The length of ISBNs (International Standards Book Numbers) will change from 10 to 13 digits effective January 1, 2007.

According to the ISO (International Organization for Standardization), in its current format, the ISBN system would have run out of numbers:

As a result of electronic publishing and other changes in the publishing industry, the numbering capacity of the ISBN system is being consumed at a much faster rate than was originally anticipated when the ISBN system was designed for printed books in the late 1960's.

I wonder how long before the system will need to move from 13 to an even higher number.

Today we kicked off the first leg of the book tour for Mark Victor Hansen and Art Linkletter, promoting their new book How to Make the Rest of Your Life the Best of Your Life.

It's been a whirlwind day of private events, speaking engagements with audiences of several hundred people, and a few more media interviews. I've posted a few of the photos online.

Today is the fourth annual I Love To Write Day, a grassroots effort to have people of all ages practice their writing skills. Created by Delaware author John Riddle, I Love To Write Day is an opportunity for people of all ages to write something: a poem, an essay, a letter to the editor, a short story, start a novel, finish a novel the possibilities are endless!

It takes place every November 15. Since I just found out about it, it's too late this year, but I'll mark it on next year's calendar as the deadline to finish that homicide novel I've been working on.

For more info or to download the media kit, visit the site.

I'm off to do a site visit for a book launch/signing I'm doing for clients tomorrow night. I've got two great co-authors with whom I've been working and this will be their first "official" book signing.

A fundamental rule in event planning: Always, always, always do a site visit in advance, especially if it's at a location to which you've never been (better to get lost going to a site visit than be an hour late to the actual event).