Book Profit Secrets with Ray Brehm

I’m back with Derek Doepker and in case you don’t know his story, he went from being a broke valet parking attendant to a best-selling author. He’s sold over 100,000 books using free or low-cost marketing strategies. Today, he shares those strategies with his fellow authors to empower them to turn their passion for writing into businesses and rewarding careers. I got to know Derek by originally being a member of his email list and eventually buying one of his courses. The reason why we wanted to talk about email marketing for authors is because it made me a super fan of Derek’s and it’s led to my introductions to many other folks in the business.

Many authors start out with email marketing by creating an opt-in but never follow through. Here, Derek dispels all the email marketing myths and provides valuable secrets and tips that can help you succeed. We talk about how to overcome the intimidation factor, how to create your own unique strategy and set expectations, and the value of an email list in Derek’s business. We also discuss referrals, collaborating with other authors, and where to find inspiration to write great emails for your audience.

What’s Inside:

• Email marketing secrets and tips for authors.
• How to develop your own custom email marketing strategy.
• The value of collaborating with other authors and cross-promotion.

Mentioned In This Episode:
Ray.fm
DerekDoepker.com

Amy Dix is a two-time international best-selling author. She’s also a sought-after keynote speaker, professional artist, founder of Authority Speakers Agency, and one of the happiest people I’ve ever met! Before she became the queen of speaking, Amy wrote a business-focused book that allowed her to see the business side of what a speaking career had to offer. Then, she wrote a more motivational book which helped her see the full picture. This session is all about the secrets of best sellers and here, Amy and I get into how authors can make the transition into speaking gigs.

Amy shares tips on which comes first: your book or speaking opportunities. It all depends on where your passions are, so if speaking lights you up, you don’t have to wait until you’re published. Once your book is finished, you can use that as leverage to gain credibility in your niche and book more events. You can also sell copies of your book at events in a number of different ways. Amy and I discuss how to speak at different stages, who to contact if you want to start speaking, and how virtual summits can help you find your audience.

What’s Inside:

• Why you shouldn’t wait until your book is done to pursue speaking gigs.
• How to leverage your book to land more speaking opportunities.
• How to use virtual summits to gain experience and find your audience.

Mentioned In This Episode:
Ray.fm
Authority Speakers Agency Website

Philip Duncan is an award-winning and Amazon best-selling author. He’s also the host of the Powerhouse Authoring Summit. Philip’s success story is a great example of an author who knows exactly how to build an audience. Almost two years ago, Philip and I discussed working together on one of my done-for-you summit services, but it wasn’t in his budget at the time. A year later, I sent him info on a pilot program for my lower-investment Summit Lab course and he went for it. Six months later, Philip hosted the Powerhouse Fiction Summit, and today, he’s in the middle of another summit that’s crushing it. It’s even beating my own numbers from a recent summit!

When Philip first heard about summits, he was skeptical. After taking Summit Lab, he realized it was something he wanted to get into, especially since he was looking for a way out of his day job. In March 2022, he launched his first summit, and it was a game changer. Philip took a lot of risks to get to where he is today and they’re paying off in a big way. Here, we talk about what he learned from his first summit and how he created a follow-up program for authors. Philip also shares his numbers from his first and most recent summits, the value of business relationships and a solid email list, and details on his core offer.

What’s Inside:

• Philip’s virtual summit journey and lessons learned.
• The importance of an email list and business relationships.
• Details on Philip’s core offer and his plans for the future.

Mentioned In This Episode:
Ray.fm
[email protected]
PowerhouseAuthoringSummit.com

Jackie Lapin helps leaders and authors get booked faster, easier, and more frequently through her company, SpeakerTunity. She also does done-for-you radio and podcast tours for authors and has a lot of wisdom to share with those who want to create a speaking career from their book. Jackie is passionate about helping people gain the visibility they deserve, as they’ve poured their heart and soul into publishing their work. She started her career as one of the first female sports writers in America. Jackie then started her own public relations agency. As that was winding down, she wrote two books herself in personal growth. She then changed gears to serve conscious authors and creators.

SpeakerTunity started as a subscription service to provide speaking leads all over the nation. It has since evolved and grown to include more in-demand offerings, like podcasting. Jackie and I discuss what to do if you’re a new author interested in starting your speaking career. She recommends having a great pitch letter that summarizes your vision and story and having both a hard copy and a digital copy of your book.  We also talk about virtual summits, the best ideas for freebies and giveaways, interview tips, and more.

What’s Inside:
—How and why Jackie created her company, SpeakerTunity.
—First steps to take if you’re an author pursuing a speaking career.
—How to find and book virtual summit speaking gigs.
—Ideas for freebies and giveaways.

Mentioned In This Episode:
Ray.fm
SpeakerTunity.com

Alfonso Inclan is an entrepreneur who helps investors, authors, public speakers, and other entrepreneurs write books and become best-sellers in order to promote their businesses. He’s based in Phoenix, AZ close to where I live, and is also a successful real estate investor. Alfonso’s work is focused on helping Hispanic entrepreneurs and he’s had an incredible journey so far. One of the things he works on with clients is helping them craft a persuasive narrative to turn their readers into customers. Alfonso started by writing his own best-selling book and many people started asking him how he did it. At first, he helped family and friends which then led to him opening his own academy for aspiring best-selling authors.

Building confidence and trust with your readers is a huge factor in long-term success, both as an author and a business owner. Alfonso and I discuss the importance of having the right title for your book, as well as cover design and what content to include inside. We also talk about how to plant seeds to lead your readers to more offerings, a story about Robert Kiyosaki, and the delay between a reader buying your book and investing in your products or services.

What’s Inside:

• How Alfonso helps his clients publish best-selling books to promote their business.
• The importance of having the right book title.
• How to plant seeds in your book that lead to your offerings and services.

Mentioned In This Episode:
Ray.fm
Alfonso Inclan on LinkedIn
AlfonsoInclan.com

My friend, Alinka Rutkowska, is the founder and CEO of Leaders Press. She’s also a Wall Street Journal and USA Today best-selling author and a top 100 Amazon best-selling author in business and money. Alinka has sold over 100,000 copies of her books. Her book creation process has been showcased in Entrepreneur magazine and she’s been featured in several top media outlets, including ABC, NBC, and Fox Business. She’s also the founder of LibraryBub, which connects independent authors with over 10,000 librarians worldwide.

Alinka’s been on the show before, and here, we talk about how she started Leaders Press. Her done-for-you concept has helped several thought leaders establish authority in their niche. Alinka shares tips on how to take your own book to best-seller status on today’s top lists. Along with ads and promotions, Alinka uses email marketing and influencer networking to take her clients to the next level. She shares the details of her strategy from beginning to book launch, the criteria used to qualify an author on the most popular best-seller lists, and how being in an anthology can be a shortcut to best-selling status.

What’s Inside:
—How to get on the Wall Street Journal and USA Today best-selling author lists.
—Why networking and having the right connections is the key to a successful book launch.
—How Alinka’s anthologies can serve as a shortcut to success.

Mentioned In This Episode:
Ray.fm
Leaders Press

Kent Sanders is the author and co-author of several amazing books, including 18 Words to Live By, The Artist’s Suitcase, and The Faith of Elvis, which he wrote with Elvis’ stepbrother, Billy Stanley. Kent is also the host of The Daily Writer Podcast as well as the founder of The Daily Writer Club, a membership community for writers who are building a business. Kent’s here to share his story as well as what you can do to get your own podcast going, which is incredibly useful to authors looking to establish authority and grow an audience.

Kent spent time as the music director at a church and had a teaching career. After 10 years, he realized he wanted to build a side business, and he began freelance writing. He built his side hustle up to a point where he was able to quit his full-time teaching job and he’s now a full-time ghostwriter. He also coaches and helps authors through his online community and podcast. Kent loves the power words have in the world and loves to share that with others. We discuss how Kent got his ghostwriting career off the ground, how to analyze your podcast listener data and statistics, how frequently to record and release podcast episodes, how to develop content, and more.

What’s Inside:

• How podcasting has allowed Kent to grow a full-time ghostwriting career.
• How to analyze your podcasting data and statistics.
• How often to record and release podcast episodes.

Mentioned In This Episode:
Ray.fm
DailyWriterLife.com/Free

If you’ve ever been a participant in a virtual summit, you may have wondered how you could create a similar experience for others. Virtual summits are not only profitable, but they help you build your audience as well. I had the opportunity to be part of one of Derek Doepker’s summits and here, we dive into how authors can collaborate with experts in their niche to create a winning summit of their own. You can create a valuable asset without carrying all of the burden. We kick off by talking about my own story and journey into creating summits and all the benefits that come with hosting these events.

Summits are the perfect way to build a business from your book and generate income beyond royalties. One of the biggest benefits of virtual summits is how much they boost your email list. They also boost your authority in the field, which sets you up to do more summits and events in the future. Derek and I discuss the value of the relationships you make and maintain with summit speakers. We chat about who is the best fit for a virtual summit and the importance of having a purpose in mind before getting started. Other topics we discuss include tips for hosting your first summit, creating courses and offers, how to find people to speak at your summits and how to reach out.

What’s Inside:

• My story and why I decided to get into virtual summits.
• The value of building relationships with summit speakers.
• Tips for putting together the perfect virtual summit.

Mentioned In This Episode:
Ray.fm
TheSummitGuy.com

Kris Safarova is a USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Amazon best-selling author. She’s an entrepreneur and consultant with extensive experience in online businesses and publishing and has been in business for over 12 years. Kris has written more than 20 books and publishing is very close to her heart. Kris and I are also working on some projects together as well. Here, she shares her wisdom about how to maximize your chances of your own book becoming a best-seller on an ongoing basis. It’s one thing to hit the top of the charts and head right back down to zero, but ideally, we want to stay there at the top over time.

When Kris put her first book on Amazon, she realized how powerful publishing is. Receiving emails from all over the world from her readers who got results is something she cherishes. Today, she primarily serves two types of clients: entrepreneurs and people looking to develop top management consulting skills. Amazon has become a sort of resume potential clients check and through publishing books, you can establish yourself as an authority figure. Kris provides her best tips on where to start if you’re looking to make your book a success. We also discuss what to include in your book, how updating your book helps sustain growth, and the type of content to include in your book to provide the most value.

What’s Inside:

• How Kris became a best-selling author and authority in her field.
• How updating your book helps you sustain growth.
• What types of book content provide the most value for readers.

Mentioned In This Episode:
Ray.fm
29 Steps to "Outsource" Your Book

Brynne Tillman is the CEO of Social Sales Link which helps sales professionals have better sales conversations through the power of LinkedIn. Brynne’s been in sales since she graduated college and she says she became a LinkedIn expert by accident. Although she loved the problem-solving aspects of sales, she didn’t like cold calling. Brynne dreamed of having access to her clients’ Rolodex and today, LinkedIn can provide the same information. For the last 12 years, she’s been teaching folks how to use LinkedIn for business development.

There’s no cheating in sales and it takes a lot of hard work. However, by using the right LinkedIn strategy, you can make the process easier. Brynne shares her recommendations on how to use LinkedIn if you’re an author just starting out. Your branding as an author is super important and your LinkedIn page should have the right graphics and links. If you’re brand new to LinkedIn, start with your existing connections and go from there. Brynne and I discuss who LinkedIn is and isn’t for, why you should create an email list on the side, why you shouldn’t automate or schedule LinkedIn posts, and more.

What’s Inside:

• How to structure your LinkedIn page as an author.
• How to start networking on LinkedIn.
• Why having an email list is important.
• Why automating LinkedIn posts is a bad idea.

Mentioned In This Episode:
Ray.fm
Social Sales Link