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For this month's feature, we interviewed Dan Miller,
bestselling author of No More Mondays. Dan has
been a guest on CBS' 'The Early Show,' MSNBC's 'Hardball
with Chris Mathews,' 700 Club's 'Living The LIfe' and TBN's
Praise The Lord'. Dan is also a frequent speaker and guest
on such popular Nashville TV and radio programs such as
Talk Of The Town, Chris Clark's Open Line, and The Dave
Ramsey Show. He specializes in creative thinking for personal
and business development and can be found at www.48days.com
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Dan specializes in creative
thinking for personal &
business development
& can be found at
www.48days.com |
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Author's
Edge: "Motivational Speaker Jim Rohn says, 'Work
harder on yourself than you do on your job.' What do you think
he means by that? Do you think this principle relates to writers
and authors?"
Dan: "I absolutely agree. I believe a person
will never go further in business success than they have gone
in personal success. When working with a CEO, entrepreneur or
author I frequently recommend that they 'unplug' from their work
for a time – to allow creativity and authenticity to increase.
I encourage them not to be so busy making a living that they forget
to make a life. Writers are successful not because they have mastered
grammar, semantics and syntax, but because they have content that
is bursting out – the expression of their own authentic
passion that they have to share."
Author's Edge: "What is the one common denominator
that you think all bestselling authors have in common? What personal
transition/choices did you make in your life that ultimately led
you to sell so many books?"
Dan: "I do think my books touch a need in
lots of people. And especially the way I combine the spiritual
side of a life well lived with the necessity of meaningful daily
work. That seems to make my work do well even when there are so
many other “career” and “work” materials
available.
"But in saying 'bestselling author' you have identified the
critical element. “Bestwriting authors” seldom receive
any recognition. If you are going to be a bestselling author,
then focus on selling – not writing. I know that may sound
counterintuitive but it’s a fact. Learn how to sell your
own books. I love the marketing process and continue to study
it daily. I am my publisher’s biggest customer and create
a ton of ancillary products around any “published”
book. Royalties are a nice bonus but my real income comes from
product sales we create."
Author's Edge: "What sells more books; what
you do or who you are?"
Dan: "I believe who I am is an essential
foundation for writing with honesty and integrity. But ultimately,
what I do is what gets books out the door. The old days of thinking
that 'build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path
to your door' are over. You have to market aggressively. You can
write the best book ever written and it will die on the shelves
if you are not marketing it creatively."
Author's Edge: "You are clearly well-versed
in Internet Marketing. Do you think this is something every author
should put in place if they want their books to be bestsellers?"
Dan: "Yes, in today’s marketplace
an author would be foolish to not have a strong Internet presence.
I would love to open a warm, fuzzy little bookstore right here
in Franklin,TN, the wonderful community I live in. Then I would
have about a 5-mile radius of potential buyers. I would need to
have a large percentage of those potential buyers and be dealing
with sign permits, leases, inventory challenges, entry-level employees
and retail hours to make that work. What a hassle! Instead I have
an Internet site that allows me to have the same market that Microsoft
or IBM does – the whole world. And I can get just a tiny
little portion of the potential buyers in that market and still
knock it out of the park as a small businessman."
Author's Edge: "Any other tips, stories
or bits of wisdom?"
Dan: "Start with what you already enjoy.
Don’t try to just be a writer. Just be an expert on some
topic and then have multiple ways you get that information out.
You can speak at civic luncheons, write a blog, do a workshop,
host a teleseminar, create an e-book of your material, have affiliate
links to similar material on your website, be a frequent guest
on radio and TV, host your own radio show, offer to do a seminar
on a cruise, interview experts in your field to add credibility,
and join relevant associations. Be committed to “re-purposing”
your content in 8-10 different ways. I don’t know any wealthy
authors who make more than 20% of their income from advances and
royalties. They all are leveraging their expertise to create multiple
sources of income."
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