Join me @ the Publishing Business Virtual Conference & Expo
Digital Content Day @ Your Desk

Here are a few details:
When: Thursday, October 29, 2009
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. ET
Where: Your Computer – It’s Virtual & It’s Free

Register now to get in on the goodies:

Digital Content Day @ Your Desk is a free, virtual event (you’ll be able to access all sessions from your computer) that will explore how book publishers must adapt to succeed in today’s multimedia publishing world.

Topics of discussion will include:

* E-book Pricing Strategies (this is one I won’t miss)
* Shifting Role of Publishers in a Digital World
* The Piracy Threat and DRM Strategies That Work
* Social Media Strategies That Sell Books (I’ll be here too)
* How to Evolve to Remain Relevant and Profitable
… and more!

In addition to the dynamic conference agenda, you can take advantage of this fully interactive event featuring live chats, social networking opportunities, downloadable resources and giveaways. Best of all, we can accomplish all of this and more for free … and from the comfort of our own offices.

The event also includes an exhibit hall fully staffed with world-class suppliers, including Worldcolor, Zmags and Book Business magazine, to name a few. Sponsors include Oce and Lightning Source.

Register now, again – it’s a free event:

Hope you can join me on Thursday, October 29th.  If you attend, e-mail me and let’s compare notes afterwards.

Nancy

Will E-Books Rule Them All?

Do you remember in Lord of the Rings how the Age of the Elves was ending as the Age of Man began? I think we’re seeing the same colossal change as the Publishing Empires of Old fade (so sorry, Elron), and the Era of Digital Media blossoms.

E-books have long been the step-child of the publishing world; tolerated to a degree, but looked down upon by those who wrote and published “real books”.  With the launch of Amazon’s Kindle 1, 2, and now DX (and of course, Sony and Plastic Logic), not only are “real books” available in digital format, but anyone who wants to write an e-book can knock one off in an afternoon, publish on Lulu, Kindle, or their own site and (in effect) toss a virtual rock through Barnes and Noble’s front window, along with a note declaring “just try to keep me out!”

So how can an author or entrepreneur benefit?

There has never been a time in the history of man (or elves) with such an information-hungry audience.  As infopreneur Eben Pagan notes in one of his vids, we have left the culture of manual labor behind and have moved into the era of “mind-work”.  And with that era comes the need for information—and lots of it.

For you authors reading this, that means more and more eyes on your work (and hopefully bucks in your pocket).

For entrepreneurs, the outlets for digital media provide you a) a legitimacy that comes with having your name on a published work; b) cash; and (perhaps the most important) c) being seen as an authority in your field. Why? Look at the “authority” figures in your own industry – - you listen to what they say, you read their blogs and newsletters, and buy their products, hoping to emulate their success.

Plus (and this is a bonus) – - when media folks search Google for an expert in a field and your name keeps coming up, who do you think they’re gonna call?

[note: Because I'm known in a particular little niche (Internet genealogy), I've been interviewed by the New York Times, Kiplinger's, Better Homes and Gardens, plus numerous websites).  Trust me . . . it PAYS to be seen as the industry expert.]

Action Steps

I loathe going to meetings and coming out without any action steps, so:

1.  Dust off the articles, special reports, or books launguishing on your computer

2.  Polish, edit, update

3.  Sell on your site, format for Kindle, and pop them up on Lulu.

4. Let everyone you know that you have valuable information for sale.

5.  Once your stuff is on Kindle, gets your pals to leave you a glowing review on your Amazon page.

6.  Wash, rinse, repeat