Notes in the Margin

This week's podcast is brought to you by cartoon TinySheep, misery tea, and a LOT of interruptions. Vicky and Joe answer more of your questions, hindered by the cats. Want to know if there's any point trying to get traditionally published? How to get your book printed? How to design a cover? Listen in, because we answer your questions. You'll also hear all about Picard the naughty miniature sheep and how he got his comeuppance.

Key Takeaways:

[1:15] Vicky and Joe have some new chickens!

[4:05] Today we answer your questions! First from Charles: Is there any point in trying to get traditionally published?

[8:20] Is there a point to paying an editor?

[10:30] How do you decide what to put in a book?

[14:45] Terry asks: How do you get your ebook printed?

[20:00] How do I get an amazing cover?

[22:55] Dennis asks: What new spin can I include in my book that will make it unique?

[24:00] How can I get my content to really stick in people's minds?

[25:35] Have you listened to every podcast episode? Email Vicky and she will send you a gift!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Vicky Fraser

Vicky's Podcast

Vicky's Blog

Join the Superheroes

Vicky's Business For Superheroes Book

The Inner Circle

Borrow My Brain

Vicky's Book Club

Vicky's new book! Write & Publish Your Book in 90 Days

Email Vicky

Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, and Overcast

Elite Publishing Academy

Vicky drags her good buddy Dominic Hodgson (the UK's leading Pet Biz Wiz) onto the podcast and grills him about books. Because they like big books and they cannot lie. Dom talks about his big pile of tomes, how he wrote them, why he bothers, and explains how they've helped him claim the top spot in his industry. He is a book machine – although that wasn't always the case. Tune in to find out what was stopping him writing his first book, how he pulled himself together, and what he's doing now.

Key Takeaways:

[1:15] Why did Dom decide to write his first book?

[4:40] Dom also has a fun new book (Dirty Derrick) coming out as well!

[9:30] How has Dom's business changed ever since he started writing his books?

[12:05] What has writing a book done for Dom's brain?

[13:15] Dom shares what he likes the most about writing books.

[15:45] What has been the hardest part about writing a book?

[17:30] You can't wait for your muse to show up.

[22:05] Dom will be hosting a pet summit this April 6th. Link in the show notes!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Vicky Fraser

Vicky's Podcast

Vicky's Blog

Join the Superheroes

Vicky's Business For Superheroes Book

The Inner Circle

Borrow My Brain

Vicky's Book Club

Vicky's new book! Write & Publish Your Book in 90 Days

Email Vicky

Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, and Overcast

Mydogssuperhero.com

Growyourpetbusinessfast.com

Impact Pet Summit

This week, Vicky and Joe answer YOUR questions. Vicky's been asking her email subscribers if they have any questions for her about writing and publishing books, and boy do you have questions! Great questions. The BEST questions. And Vicky and Joe drink misery tea and answer them. Tune in: if you've a burning question about books and publishing, maybe we've answered it. This episode contains bonus Angry Cat.

Key Takeaways:

[1:45] Vicky gives a quick update on her latest soon-to-be-released book.

[3:55] Vicky will be answering your questions today!

[4:05] Roy: What bits of digital marketing actually work?

[8:15] Leslie: I don't have anything unique or novel to say. Where does inspiration come from?

[14:45] Leslie: Do I really need a website?

[18:00] Charles: I don't know enough to position myself as an expert.

[22:00] Charles: What would you do differently about writing your book knowing what you know now?

[27:30] Tune in next week as Vicky will answer loads, loads more of your questions!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Vicky Fraser

Vicky's Podcast

Vicky's Blog

Join the Superheroes

Vicky's Business For Superheroes Book

The Inner Circle

Borrow My Brain

Vicky's Book Club

Vicky's new book! Write & Publish Your Book in 90 Days

Email Vicky

Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, and Overcast

Mark Dawson's Self Publishing Formula Podcast

A Technique for Producing Ideas, by James Young

Vicky and Joe answer every budding author's burning question: if I write a book, will I be in line for a £34 million J K Rowling payday? Answer: probably not. But that doesn't mean your book won't pay you handsomely. Just not in the way you might think. Join the Podsters as they wax lyrical on cooking with phalanges, sock-based tea, and the secret joys of writing a book. Plus a FREE bonus Dingle update.

Key Takeaways:

[1:00] Vicky and Joe are still drinking old socks (tea).

[1:55] Vicky and Joe have a Dingle update for you!

[5:20] You should not be writing a book for the money.

[6:20] So, why should business owners consider writing a book?

[10:40] It's not easy to write a body of work, but you gain authority and become an expert by doing it.

[11:00] Vicky doesn't think most people can knock out anything that's worth reading in a weekend. These things take time!

[13:30] Vicky has people writing in to tell her that her book (which she spent a lot of time working on) has changed their life.

[14:25] Books open doors for you.

[16:10] Your potential buyers or customers will have a better understanding of how you work.

[22:45] Vicky's book will be out soon! End of March timeframe!

[23:00] Questions? Reach out!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Vicky Fraser

Vicky's Podcast

Vicky's Blog

Join the Superheroes

Vicky's Business For Superheroes Book

The Inner Circle

Borrow My Brain

Vicky's Book Club

Vicky's new book! Write & Publish Your Book in 90 Days

Email Vicky

Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, and Overcast

Project Dingle

Vicky and Joe drink herbal tea flavoured with steeped socks and swerve wildly away from the topic they'd planned to talk about. Instead, they clamber gracelessly out of the boozy wardrobe and go on a verbal safari about The Alcohol Experiment, journaling, habits, and failing to do the splits. This episode is not powered by gin, but it just might help you if you're feeling overwhelmed, stressed, or basically like you'd just like to improve your life a wee bit. Oh, and you get the opportunity to join Vicky's Launch Team for her brand new book, out soon.

Key Takeaways:

[1:30] Vicky and Joe drink….tea! They are doing an alcohol experiment.

[8:25] Since going alcohol free, Vicky is surprised that other people around her are doing the same!

[12:55] Vicky recently signed up to a habit builder that helps you with your daily writing.

[19:40] Why do people fail to write their book? They just don't form the habit.

[20:15] What other habits has Vicky been building?

[25:55] Vicky and Joe feel pretty good about this podcast! It's gone pretty smoothly, better than any of the other ones.

[26:30] Feeling overwhelmed? Spend 5 minutes journaling and getting those nasty thoughts out of your head.

[28:55] Vicky's new book is going to be out soon. There's a link below!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Vicky Fraser

Vicky's Podcast

Vicky's Blog

Join the Superheroes

Vicky's Business For Superheroes Book

The Inner Circle

Borrow My Brain

Vicky's Book Club

Vicky's new book! Write & Publish Your Book in 90 Days

Email Vicky

Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, and Overcast

Bit.ly/moxieteam

750 Words.com

Vicky sits down with the UK's answer to Don Draper – direct marketing expert Drayton Bird, described by David Ogilvy as the man who "knows more about direct marketing than anyone in the world". And described by Vicky as a "cheeky bugger with the best tall tales ever". Drayton talks about what businesses find most difficult about marketing, the only three questions you ever need to answer in order to sell more, and why he lived under an assumed name for seven years. Not your usual marketing interview – but if you listen up, you're in for a treat.

Key Takeaways:

[1:30] Why do small businesses struggle with marketing?

[3:20] What can you do for your customer, and can you do it better than anybody else?

[5:30] We're living in a pretty easy time despite the craziness that's going on with Brexit.

[7:40] What do you do when you go broke? Drayton has gone broke twice. All you can do is cry.

[9:10] How did Drayton get started?

[14:45] If you have a skill, nurture it. If you don't have any skills...well, go out there and get one!

[18:30] What was it like working with David Ogilvy?

[23:15] What hasn't changed about marketing throughout the years?

[24:55] Within 8 seconds, can you answer the 'why choose me' question?

[25:45] How can someone get started in marketing?

[28:15] You don't have to be bright to succeed. Be determined, be wrong, and don't give up.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Vicky Fraser

Vicky's Podcast

Vicky's Blog

Join the Superheroes

Vicky's Business For Superheroes Book

The Inner Circle

Borrow My Brain

Vicky's Book Club

Vicky's new book! Write & Publish Your Book in 90 Days

Email Vicky

Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, and Overcast

Drayton Bird

Drugs, kids: just say NO! Also say "NO" to things that make you feel small, things that make you feel clammy, and things that you just plain don't want to do. Join Vicky and Joe as Vicky explains how saying "NO" made her taller, and Joe dispenses the best piece of advice he's ever offered on this show. Also: there is pride because neither of them managed to electrocute themselves. Hurrah!

Key Takeaways:

[0:50] Vicky and Joe are very cold. Their house is filled with gaps.

[4:20] Let's talk about the power of 'no'!

[5:25] Do you feel like you have to say yes to everything?

[9:00] We all know people who are chronically negative.

[15:00] If people know you say yes to everything, you're training them to keep asking you for things!

[16:00] If you're not enthusiastic about doing the task, then say no.

[18:00] Everything you say yes to is incrementally one more thing to support and you die a death by a thousand paper cuts.

[24:15] Next time you feel like saying yes, first ask yourself why!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Vicky Fraser

Vicky's Podcast

Vicky's Blog

Join the Superheroes

Vicky's Business For Superheroes Book

The Inner Circle

Borrow My Brain

Vicky's Book Club

Vicky's new book! Write & Publish Your Book in 90 Days

Email Vicky

Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, and Overcast

Project Dingle

Do you have a Zombie Plan? You'd better. And not just because it's a fun game to play. Find out how putting together a Zombie Plan gets you using your noggin for creative problem solving – and find out what Jon Maiden's Top Secret survival plan is. This week, Vicky ditches Joe in favour of a chap who's changing the face of education – and not before time. Tune in and find out why you ought to be gamifying your business, and dig up other nuggets of purest gold.

Key Takeaways:

[:50] Who is Jon and what does he do for Panjango?

[2:05] Why did Jon start Panjango?

[4:55] How does Jon teach 'contextual learning' to children?

[6:35] What results has Jon seen so far?

[7:55] What kind of proposal does Jon give to schools for them to see the benefits of this new and more modern way of teaching children?

[11:25] Jon shares the story behind the name 'Panjango'.

[14:25] Are teachers incorporating games into their lesson plans now that they've been introduced to Panjango?

[15:40] What has been Jon's biggest challenge so far?

[19:25] Jon shares an example of how Panjango games work.

[21:40] Panjango even has a board game as well as booster packs!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Vicky Fraser

Vicky's Podcast

Vicky's Blog

Join the Superheroes

Vicky's Business For Superheroes Book

The Inner Circle

Borrow My Brain

Vicky's Book Club

Vicky's new book!Write & Publish Your Book in 90 Days

Email Vicky

Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, and Overcast

Panjango.online

Panjango.com

Have you ever seen tiny sheep doing agility courses? Well, hold onto your hats, because this episode contains sheep agility. Also Dingle renovations – all because Vicky and Joe abandoned their Not-A-Plan in favour of a Plan, which is much more useful. Grab a cuppa and a pen and paper, because Vicky is about to organise your entire life so you can achieve all the things you want to – without giving up sleep, family, or general chilling out (because after all, those things are flippin' majestic, amiright?)

Key Takeaways:

[1:45] Vicky and Joe have a Dingle update.

[2:35] Vicky has been teaching sheep agility training.

[4:30] Most people have intentions, not plans.

[5:55] Vicky and Joe have been overwhelmed with renovations to-dos because they didn't have a plan.

[8:50] Vicky and Joe now know what they're going to be doing in the next 12 weeks. It feels great and exciting!

[9:25] But what does this really have to do with your business?

[10:40] Always start from the end point and then work backwards.

[14:50] Vicky's new book is coming out March 19th.

[15:20] If your idea doesn't work on paper, then there's no way it's going to work in real life.

[16:00] Vicky likes to work in 12 week blocks (3 months).

[17:45] How does Vicky structure her week?

[24:25] You need your sleep. Don't try to cut that short.

[27:20] You have to be realistic with your schedule. You might have to give up some things in order to get your goals done.

[29:20] If you don't organize your time, your plans are nothing more than dreams.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Vicky Fraser

Vicky's Podcast

Vicky's Blog

Join the Superheroes

Vicky's Business For Superheroes Book

The Inner Circle

Borrow My Brain

Vicky's Book Club

Vicky's new book! Write & Publish Your Book in 90 Days

Email Vicky

Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, and Overcast

Project Dingle

Blogging, Brexit, Rupert Murdoch, and the future of video: this podcast has it all. Joe and Vicky are back in the saddle with the final installment of the 7 Quirks of Successful Business Owners series they started approximately 4,873 years ago. Tune in for the scoop on why you need to have your own media platform, which options you can choose from, and what to do if you can't decide (hint: get yourself an amazing red lippy). Vicky also reveals the launch date of her new book. OooooOOOOOOoooooo!

Key Takeaways:

[2:20] Vicky and Joe are back from Christmas break to continue their 7 Quirks podcast series.

[2:30] Today we'll be diving into Quirk number 7, which is owning the media!

[4:00] It's important to read multiple sources about a certain news topic, even if it's an opinion you disagree with.

[4:20] Quick update about Vicky and Joe's cottage house, The Dingle!

[5:40] What is classified as 'media'?

[11:00] There are a lot of local radio stations who are in desperate need of content!

[12:00] By the way, Vicky's new book will be out in March!!!

[13:10] It's so important to have your own following outside of social media because they can kick you off it whenever they like.

[16:10] Vicky has some stats for you on why video is king!

[17:55] Use your media to build relationships.

[21:30] Create your own content to build credibility and authority.

[23:15] Don't be afraid to repurpose your content on other platforms.

[25:40] Have questions? Email Vicky!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Vicky Fraser

Vicky's Podcast

Vicky's Blog

Join the Superheroes

Vicky's Business For Superheroes Book

The Inner Circle

Borrow My Brain

Vicky's Book Club

Vicky's new book! Write & Publish Your Book in 90 Days

Email Vicky

Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, and Overcast

Project Dingle