Book Profit Secrets with Ray Brehm

When I was first starting out and thinking about products to launch, I went to a Jeff Walker live event where he discussed something called a “seed launch”. The idea behind it is you sell the course but create it on the fly. When delivering a course, it’s common to find out that some of the things you’re teaching are things people already understand. You might also find out that you cover some material that people don’t know enough about. The beauty of creating a course on the fly is being able to customize things based on where your students are coming from.

When you sell a course but make it up as you go, you’re getting paid to develop the curriculum. When I ran my first summit course this way, I got amazing feedback, made valuable connections, and sold over $40K in upgrades to my done-for-you services. Creating a course on the fly allows you to restructure your plans in real-time while making money.

What’s Inside:

• How creating a course on the fly allows for a customized learning experience.
• Success stories from my first summit course.
• Advantages of creating on the fly vs. creating a whole course before delivery. 

Mentioned In This Episode:
Ray.fm

• Why do book funnels set you apart from the competition? 
• Components of a typical book funnel.
• How a book funnel can engage partnerships.

As Tony Robbins says, success leaves clues. A few years ago, I was determined to figure out how people were seeing massive financial success from their book launches. At my very first virtual summit, I asked people how they made money and the common theme was that they all looked beyond royalties. From the feedback I received, I put together a list of the five pillars of an online business.

Whenever you create a new book or product, it has to be worth your while to fulfill. You also have to grow an audience to be able to sell to, and you can’t go wrong with a traditional email list. Building authority in your niche builds credibility and helps you form strong partnerships with top influencers. Once these foundational pillars are set, it’s time to make sales. There are many ways to sell and it’s important to get over any mental hurdles preventing you from making money.

What’s Inside:

• The five pillars of an online business.
• How to think beyond royalties to build a successful business from your book.
• Why it’s important to clear mental blocks around selling.

Mentioned In This Episode:
Ray.fm

The truth about publishing on Amazon is they can turn off your publishing account at any time. They don’t always give you a clear reason for it. I’m not saying don’t publish on Amazon but being at the mercy of a big corporation is thinking like an author, not a publisher. A publisher would make sure that there are several avenues to get your book out into the world. A publisher mindset is a business owner’s mindset. Taking control of all aspects of your book can make you exponentially more money.

From a strategic point of view, you should be selling your book wherever you can. Although Amazon is a great platform for selling, the royalties are just pennies compared to what you could make elsewhere. Thinking like an author means you’re at the whim of a bigger power. When you think like a publisher, you broaden your horizons and put yourself in the driver’s seat.

What’s Inside:

• Why you should think like a publisher, not an author.
• Why it’s important to think beyond Amazon to sell your book.

Mentioned In This Episode:
Ray.fm

Today, I want to talk to you about what I call the “bittersweet symphony. I went to visit my parents in December 2016, fired up my laptop, and found that my first book hit bestseller. It took ten or eleven months of work, self-editing, writing, and more and I made it! I had multiple books in my mind ready to go, and I envisioned bringing in more and more passive income.

But the bittersweet part of the story is, about three weeks later, I checked my royalties, and my heart sank. What I thought was going to be a major amount turned out to be much, much less. If you’ve had a similar experience, you’re not alone. Your book could play any number of roles in your life and business and there are so many ways to earn money. Writing your book is just the beginning of your journey.

What’s Inside:

• Why your book launch is just the beginning of your journey.
• Why you shouldn’t be disappointed in making fewer royalties than you expected.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Ray.fm

Jan Koch is the owner of Virtual Summit Mastery. VSM is a leading course that teaches people how to run successful virtual events and it’s my favorite course on the internet. It’s helped students bring their content to countless attendees to their summits. Jan experienced burnout in his former career which led him to become self-employed. The previous owner of VSM taught Jan how to run his own virtual summits which took him to the next level. Today, he helps others stand out from the crowd to see their own massive successes through their own events.

The opportunities that come after the event are often better than the summit itself. The partnerships formed can become life-long relationships that can skyrocket your business. Virtual summits do take a lot of work, so if you’re planning on hosting a large one, it may help to have a team helping you. It’s important to think about the future years ahead when you’re planning your summit, as it can completely change your trajectory. 

What’s Inside:

• Tips for planning your first virtual summit.
• Technology to use to set your summit up for success.
• Upselling products through virtual summits.
• Why you should build relationships before you need them.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Ray.fm
Virtual Summit Mastery
VSM on YouTube
Virtual Summit Mastery Podcast

COO of Real Fast Publications, Anthony Hall, creates email campaigns that are responsible for over seven figures in sales. He started over five years ago in a support desk role and was given more responsibilities until he eventually landed in his current position. One of the biggest tasks in his role is email marketing, which he loves because he gets to see the ROI and it forces him to continue to develop his writing skills. He’s an expert on being concise and compelling and he shares why email marketing is so important.

Email is such a huge part of your post-book business strategies and it’s not emphasized enough. Offering free resources to potential customers is a great way to keep them engaged and provide value. It’s important to make your campaigns fun, informative, and educational. Make sure you write as personalized as possible and keep your readers in mind as you’re creating. Anthony’s strategy on how to write an email campaign offers some great tips no matter where you are on your book and business journey.

What’s Inside:

• Why email marketing is a key component of any business.
• Anthony’s email marketing strategy tips.
• Why you should offer free resources as a part of your email marketing plan.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Ray.fm
DanielHallWebinars.com/freebonus

Alex Strathdee is an Amazon ads expert. He married his passion for books with technology to create his company, Advanced Amazon Ads. Alex started out as an eager author, under the impression that his book was going to sell tons of copies. He quickly realized that without a game plan, that just doesn’t happen. Alex’s first attempt at running ads on Amazon didn’t turn out so well. He wound up working with someone who was more of an expert and learned as much as he could about the process. He also noticed that there was a lack of affordable ad services for authors and so he decided to start his business. Through word-of-mouth marketing, Alex now manages over 130 accounts. His background in tech allowed him to automate many of his processes to keep his rates in a reasonable price range.

There are many myths about the Amazon algorithm and it’s difficult to optimize your ads without knowing what you’re doing. Alex doesn’t take anyone’s word on what works and what doesn’t, and he puts everything through testing. To be the best in this space, he believes you have to try out things for yourself and do your due diligence. Alex shares some of the ad strategies he uses to make his clients successful so you can put them into practice yourself. If you’re interested in learning more, check out his website below.

What’s Inside:

• Alex’s story of how he got into Amazon ads and why he started his company.
• Facts and myths about Amazon’s algorithm.
• Strategies Alex uses to get his clients results.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Ray.fm
Advanced Amazon Ads

Karen is a master of everything related to illustrations. Her passion for illustrating children’s books prompted her to start her own business, Get Your Book Illustrations, in 2016. Her company has grown and now includes a team of ten amazing illustrators. Karen helps indie children’s book authors win during every step of the journey, including writing, publishing, and marketing. She hosted her own virtual summit and is a guest on others as well.

Karen was inspired to do a virtual summit for many reasons. She went in without any major expectations and the results were way better than what she had planned for. Her email list went from a few past clients and connections to a group of potential customers that she was able to market her products and courses. When reaching out to influencers, Karen believes in honest admiration and working with people she resonates with. People can tell when you’re not being sincere so it’s important to be genuine. A virtual summit is a great way to establish yourself as an expert in your field, and you don’t need top influencers to boost your audience and credibility. Karen saw so much success with her first summit and is excited to offer it again later this year.

If you want to learn more about Karen and illustration, head to her websites linked below.

What’s Inside:

• Why Karen decided to do a virtual summit and how it went.
• Karen’s advice on reaching out to influencers.
• Lessons learned from the first summit and how to improve the next.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Ray.fm
ChildrensBookMastery.com
QUIZ – Which Illustrator Type Is Right For You?

Ted Demopolous has been running his own business for over 30 years. I collaborated with him on a virtual summit that catapulted his business afterward. Ted had been thinking about running a summit for a while, since he’s a pro at product launches. His computer security business is very niche and the speakers he had didn’t have email lists. His opt-in rate wasn’t as high as some others, but his conversion rate and engagement were off the charts. Ted used his first summit as more of a proof of concept and was thrilled with the outcome.

The offerings Ted launched after his summit were very successful and made more money than the summit itself. His customers got to know him better through the summit which helped him sell. The speakers he hosted and the feedback he received also helped him make changes to his course to make it better. Ted has made both good friends and partners through his summit and is looking forward to his next one.

What’s Inside:

• How virtual summits can work for niche businesses.
• How Ted structured his post-summit offerings.
• What worked well and what Ted would do differently at his next summit.

Mentioned In This Episode:
Ray.fm
teddemop.com