Advantage Magazine Summer 2011

Th e M a r k e t i n g M a g a z i n e F o r E n t r e p r e n e u r s , Bu s i n e s s L e a d e r s a n d I d e a - M a k e r s

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S ummer

2011

The Name Game: Sam Horn on the importance of raising eyebrows

Connect Three:

A trio of tips for reaching your speech’s entire audience

Red Hot Appeal: How a book can boost your brand equity

S U M M E R 2 0 1 1 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | 1

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In this Issue...

8 A Heart Filled With Hope

45 years ago, Nido Qubein spoke very little English, and his pockets were almost empty.

He was either facing his first big defeat– or looking at his first great opportunity.

What happened next is the stuff of Melting Pot Patriotism. Advantage Q&A

6 Speaking Volumes

Don’t lose your back row: three tips that are crucial to keeping your audience engaged. By Yolanda Harris

DEPARTMENTS

7 Cover Stories

Adam’s Advantage: 4 No matter how daunting the challenge, the right tools might be all around you.

From preparation to press, what you can do to get the most out of your designer. By George Stevens

Advantage Activity: 5

7 Let's Talk About You

Your Advantage: 11

Don’t take your title lightly; it might just be the difference between bust and bestseller. By Brooke White

12 Title Role

New releases, best sellers.

Author Spotlight: Sid Fuchs Giddy-up: brand equity may be worth a few dollars more.

Advantage People: 14 From Discovery Days to book launches, the Advantage family continues to grow.

Sam Horn knows a thing or two about naming books.

In fact, she’s perfected a process that has helped her and her clients dream up the kind of memorable monickers that capture a niche. Sam lays out the techniques that have earned her the title of Intrigue Expert.

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written in invisible ink and clamoring to become visible.” Vladimir Nabakov

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Advantage Magazine Issue 15 Summer 2011 © 2011 Advantage Media Group. All rights reserved. Trademarks used by permission.

S U M M E R 2 0 1 1 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | 3

Adam’sAdvantage

Facing a challenge, confronting the odds | Five keys to a fighting chance, and why preparation is adversity’s worst enemy

R

ecently I had dinner with Advantage author Pat Williams. Many of you know of Pat for his incredible accomplishments: as the Founder of the NBA’s Orlando Magic, as the author of over 65 books, as a motivational speaker, renowned sports executive, and, gulp, the father of 19 kids! Pat has spoken at our Marketing Summit, has graced the cover of this magazine, and has been an inspiration to many.

I first met Pat when I was in college at Clemson, some 12 years ago. Pat agreed, much to my pleasant surprise, to mentor me. He accepted a seat on the Board of the company I was running at the time, TicketAdvantage. A sports fanatic, my dream was to run an NBA basketball team. Why not learn from the guy that brought NBA basketball to Central Florida? Over the years, Pat and I have had hundreds of meetings, phone calls, e-mails, and voice messages. Aside from my own father, I can think of no other person that has taught me more about business and leadership. I owe a great deal to Pat. In February, Pat was diagnosed with a rare form of blood cancer, Multiple Myeloma. I remember speaking with Pat two days after the diagnosis. I said “Pat, if anyone can beat this, it is you. Second, you are going to beat this.”

As we had dinner, I asked how treatment was going and what his doctors were saying.

“My doctor says I have five big advantages in fighting this disease” said Pat. I knew it was time to get out my notepad.

1. Family. The doctors say that having a loving family is the first critical ingredient to overcoming a serious health challenge. With 19 kids and a loving wife, Pat certainly gets a big check mark on that one!

2. Faith. Believing in someone bigger than yourself cannot be underestimated.

Having a relationship with God gives patients peace, equanimity, and solid 4 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | W W W . A U T H O R A D V A N T A G E M A G . C O M

footing. Being comfortable with any outcome actually gives the body energy to recover. A devoted Christian, Pat is a Sunday school teacher, and openly talks about his faith.

3. Attitude. As Pat Williams told me many years ago, “Attitudes come in two flavors, Positive and Negative. You choose the quality of your life by choosing what attitude you have when the going gets tough.” Pat is Mr. Positive, from his 65 motivational books, to the famous motivational quotes on his voice mail, Pat “drinks the positive Kool-Aid” 24/7!

4. Fitness. A former college baseball player, Pat has always been a fitness buff. He has run in over 50 marathons, he exercises at least 1 hour every single day. When I traveled with him to Detroit to launch our book on Coach Chuck Daly, Pat was doing wind sprints in the hallway of the hotel. Seriously. Pat has always eaten a sensible diet. His overall state of good health gives him a huge advantage when fighting cancer.

5. Professional Network. Just as having strong support from your family is important, so is having strong support from colleagues and business associates.

There are few organizations as fine as the Orlando Magic. The level of support Pat has received from co-workers and the current owner of the club, Rich DeVos, is unparalleled.

As Pat shared all of this with me, I thought, “Gee, it would sure be nice to be Pat Williams if you ever got sick.” But as I reflected further, I realized that these five so called “advantages” that Pat has are purely of his own creation.

He has worked his tail off over a lifetime to prepare for this day. Pat’s hard work has been a giant insurance policy. Upon further reflection, I realize that you don’t have to be the author of 65 books, the father of 19 kids, or a renowned sports executive to have the exact

Pat Williams poses with a framed print of his Advantage Magazine cover.

same insurance policy for your own life. All it takes is hard work.

Although it is still too early to tell the exact progress of Pat’s treatment, I can tell you this: you would never think the man has cancer. He was upbeat, full of energy, and executing on all aspects of his life, without missing a beat.

When I was in Boy Scouts, we had a motto, “be prepared.” What are you doing today, to prepare yourself for tomorrow? If cancer or any other challenge strikes, are you giving yourself the best fighting chance to win? A good question for all of us.

Words of support can be sent directly to Pat at pwilliams@orlandomagic.com or by snail mail: Pat Williams, c/o Orlando Magic, 8701 Maitland Summit Blvd., Orlando, FL 32810.

Adam D. Witty, Chief Executive Officer awitty@advantageww.com

AUTHOR S PO TL IGHT

AdvantageActivity Get Off the Bench Sid Fuchs

Are you someone who realizes

and the Truth That Sets Them Free Dan Lok DJ Richoux

people and networking, or do you avoid or don’t understand network

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the opportunity to help those who need it. Get Off the Bench takes you through concepts, techniques, examples

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As technology and

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Jimmy Bailey

building and maintaining a powerful network is more important than it has ever been.

Sid Fuchs is a leading executive with more than 25 years experience in Intelligence, National Security, Aerospace and Defense, Commercial IT Services, and Private Equity.

Advantage Best Seller List: June 2011

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Protecting and Growing Your Money in Any Market

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S U M M E R 2 0 1 1 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | 5

Let's Talk About You with Brooke White What’s in a Name? | The power of a book title

C

hoosing the right title for your book might be surprised where an original idea will is, in many ways, as important as come from. what lies within. Your book, no matAside from grabbing the reader’s attention, ter how well written, needs compelyou want to be sure to keep your audience ling promotional copy to make anyone who in mind. Who is this book for and what are sees your book, decide on the spot, that they they going to respond to? need to read it. The In nonfiction, readers consumer will spend, What one sentence are seeking solutions. at most, four seconds What are you going to scanning and processsummarizes your book? give them? What “fix” ing your book title on Enlist your friends, family, can they expect to the shelves. That’s how colleagues and advisors. find? It’s okay to make long you have to make them want to pick it up a promise, but be wary and learn more. of over-promising.

Words such as “cure” The most effective titles and “guarantee” can that pack a punch are lead to legal trouble short, yet descriptive, down the road. Let and accurately reflect people know what you what the reader can are thinking and offer expect to find inside. it to them up front.

Choose your words wisely. Choose clarity over cleverness. You don’t want to alienate Of course, every author wants their book to potential readers because they don’t get the stand out from the crowd and to be unique. joke.

Copyright law does not apply to book titles,

You might be surprised where an original idea will come from.

Start by brainstorming and make a list. Practice your elevator speech. What one sentence summarizes your entire book? Enlist your friends, family, colleagues and advisors. You

however, and it is common for there to be more than one book published with the same name. To ensure a distinct and memorable title specific to your field, do your research.

A note from Seth

Advantage’s in-house tech guru Digital magazines can deliver interactive-rich content that paper magazines just cant. You can engage your customers and readers in ways never before possible. And if your magazine is on the Apple AppStore, there’s no better digital marketing venue right now. Get on the AppStore and your product or business will be in front of millions upon millions of potential buyers–with credit cards attached to their accounts and itchy trigger fingers. Advantage is in the process of converting Advantage Magazine into an iPad magazine. Look for it in the fourth quarter!

6 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | W W W . A U T H O R A D V A N T A G E M A G . C O M

To learn more about developing a book title, turn to page 12 for an article by Sam Horn.

Sam, author of Pop!, is an authority on book titling. She’ll be the keynote speaker at the 4th Annual Advantage Marketing Summit, taking place in Charleston on October 14-16, 2011.

Be sure to do an Amazon and Google search for the title you have in mind. Peruse the bestseller list.

Some favorites of mine include: The 4-Hour Work Week (sounds good! Now how do I do that?), The 17-Day Diet (who doesn’t want to lose weight is just 17 days?), 20 Years Younger (sign me up), and The Secret (ooo, what is it? I want to know).

Don’t forget to evaluate how the title sits with YOU. Practice saying, “Check out my new book, Book Titles that Sell: How to Reach Your Target Audience with a Few Choice Words.” Now how does that sound? Trust your instincts–this is your book!

Brooke White is Advantage’s Senior Editor and Marketing and Publicity Manager.

CoverStories with George Stevens

Get what you give | Don’t leave your designer guessing– what you can do to add to the creative process

O

ne of the benefits of working with a customer-intimate publisher is your direct involvement in all phases of the process. But as Spiderman taught us, “With great power must also come great responsibility.” This means design is a two-way street. We, the designers, need you, the author, to work with us in order to arrive at the perfect concept for your book. Here are a few tips to help make the process as smooth as can be.

Come prepared. The first step is to have a design consultation, either in person or on the phone. The goal here is not to walk out of the meeting with a firm concept. Rather, it’s exploratory in nature. The designers want to learn about you, your motives, your tastes

and your demographic. These factors will help guide your designer’s decisions and allow them to arrive at a concept that’s right for you.

To prepare for a consultation, do some homework. Print out or bookmark covers that appeal to you. Observe what other published professionals in your field have done.

Be responsive. When you receive cover mock-ups, you need to give your designer feedback. As with any project or professional relationship, communication is the key element to yielding a successful product. Thorough, reasoned responses will help the designer fine-tune a concept.

Keep an open mind. We designers expect that you might have some ideas for your cov-

SpeakingVolumes with Yolanda Harris

A new level of connecting | Three simple tips for speakers to grab the attention of their audience

T

he speaking business is all about connecting. To deliver a successful keynote, you must master the art of grabbing the attention of your audience within the first few minutes, and keep them engaged throughout the entire presentation.

I recently worked with one of my clients to zero in on specific speaking skill training for an upcoming presentation. Bill, who is both very humorous and personable, believed that he was connecting with his audience through various gestures. What Bill discovered after our training was a whole new level of connection.

Three Tips to Connect with Your Audience on a new level:

1. Pre-Keynote Meet and Greet: If possible, arrive early or attend any available social events prior to your scheduled keynote. Finding time to meet a handful of audience members prior to speaking is a great way to build rapport, and also provides you with a better understanding of the group you will be speaking to.

2. Eye Contact: Maintaining positive eye contact with audience members is a key element for connecting with them. A mistake many speakers make is to focus their attention only on the front of the room. No matter the size, the trick is to designate spots throughout the space to appear you are covering the entire audience. The back of the room is the hardest to connect with and often audience members feel left out. When you do an audience interaction, do not be afraid to specially target the back rows by shouting out to them. By doing this once or twice you will keep them feeling involved and connected.

er, and we welcome it. By the same token, we may draw up some concepts that hadn’t crossed your mind. Be sure to give them a fair shake. Who knows? One of them could be the design of your dreams.

Designers need the author to work with them in order to arrive at the

perfect concept.

Don’t write-off entire designs. Just because you don’t like one aspect of a concept (say, the color or the font) doesn’t mean it’s useless.

Like the color on concept A but the font on concept B? Your designer can pull these elements together to salvage an existing design or create a new composite that’s right for you.

You don’t have to lift a finger when it comes to actually laying out your book. But remember: your level of preparedness and mindset will have a profound effect on the end product.

As staff designer at Advantage Media Group, George Stevens has designed dozens of successful books and other publications. He’s also the art director of Author Advantage magazine.

3. Audience Shout Out: Bill, who specialized in marketing and branding, began his keynote with a back-and-forth dialogue between himself and the audience. To prove the effectiveness of appropriate branding, Bill began his keynote by announcing the first part of a popular tagline, allowing the audience to finish the second half.

For example, Bill began with “What happens in Vegas,” allowing time for the audience to complete the sentence with “…stays in Vegas.” By inviting the audience to be a part of the presentation, you are creating a fun and connected environment, and also sending your message in an interactive and memorable environment.

Often presentations become so routine that we forget the little things that make a big impact on the success of a keynote. What makes someone memorable is their ability to connect and make the audience feel connected right back. The basic formula for a successful keynote is getting the attention of the audience, meeting their expectations for your presentation, and presenting your message in a clear and memorable manner.

Yolanda Harris is President of The Keynote Group (thekeynotegroup.com) and The Business of Speaking. We would like to hear from you! E-mail us your questions at speaking@thekeynotegroup.com S U M M E R 2 0 1 1 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | 7

AdvantageQ&A

What will $50 and a

Heart Filled With

Hope Buy You?

Everything America has to offer. Just

D

r. Nido Qubein’s version of the American dream started in 1966, when he first arrived fresh from Lebanon -- a nation most Americans today associate with sausage, civil wars, and Danny Thomas. Sixteen-yearold Nido spoke very little English, and his pockets were almost empty. He was either facing his first big defeat–or looking at his first great opportunity.

What happened next is the stuff of Melting Pot Patriotism.

ask Dr. Nido Qubein.

one of the most successful entrepreneurs, speakers time with is who you become,” or she’d say, and business leaders that I’ve ever encountered. The “You know, Nido, what you choose is what you first question is the simplest to ask: how? get.” In other words, the person you become is NQ: Well, you know, in life if we want to get dependent almost entirely on the choices that really good results we must not focus on our you make in life.

behaviors as much as we must focus on our beliefs. What we believe tends to lead us to how we behave and that of course leads to whatever results we get. And so in my view I believe that America’s the land of opportunity. I believe that Advantage Magazine caught up with Dr. Qubein if you work hard enough and smart enough you for this two-part Author Advantage Q&A. can make something of your life.

AM: So you came to America barely able to speak a lick of English with less than $50 in your pocket and you have become the president of an important university, the CEO of a flourishing company, you sit on the board of major corporations, and you’re 8 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | W W W . A U T H O R A D V A N T A G E M A G . C O M

Listen, I landed in a small town in eastern North Carolina and worked really hard, went to school and worked my way through school.

Transferred to what was then High Point College. Worked hard again, went on to graduate school at the University of North Carolina in Greensboro, came out of there and began my I came here with a few dollars in my pocket, a very first business. I had assembled by then few English words on my tongue but a heart some $500 in savings. filled with hope and a soul overflowing with de- And with this $500 I began a business and I sire to make something of my life. My mother worked 17 hours a day, 7 days a week publishwould say things to me like, “Who you spend ing leadership materials and paying people to

write some of these materials and selling them by direct mail. And before you know it, somebody wanted me to come give a little speech.

Somebody else heard this speech, invited me and by 1977 or ’78 I was one of the busier speakers in America even though I was only in my 20s. But somehow somebody thought I was a breath of fresh air and somehow somebody wanted to hear what I have to say.

Then somebody heard me speak and said, “Hey, will you do some consulting with us?”

And by 1980 I had a consulting business and that consulting business went on to generate a lot of revenue -- enough to help me start a bank with a couple of other guys in the mid‘80s which we then sold in the late ‘80s. And then in the year 2000 I bought a large share of Great Harvest Bread Company. Today, we have 240 stores in 44 or 45 states today, and today I’m the seventh president of High Point University. Two weeks ago, High Point University announced that we have received eight gifts of $10 million dollars each. I was one of the eight who gave the $10 million. And so if you make smart choices, $50 can lead to $10 million dollars and that’s how.

NQ: Well thank you for this very nice compliment, I appreciate it. Let me tell you my secret: 3x5 cards. Every day, I put ten English words on a card and learned them and at the end of the year, I had 3650 words in my vocabulary. The average American has a speaking vocabulary of something like 5000 words. People could have called me disadvantaged, linguistically speaking, or handicapped vocabulary-wise, and yet I went on to write 15 books in a language not my own and recorded well over 100 CD and DVD programs that have been translated into 20-plus languages and sold in over 70 countries around the world. And along the path of life,

ity and with conviction. Because people like to listen to someone whose messages are pregnant with solid information and framed with meaningful knowledge. Otherwise, you know, it’s just a waste of our time.

And so I did it the hard way. I mean, you know, it takes time. You begin, you speak, you’re not that good. You remember that it’s never ok to be discouraged. It’s ok to be disappointed. And so I was disappointed more than once at my delivery, at my content whatever. But I kept working at it.

I believe that I am an authentic speaker who speaks from the heart. I do not memorize any

“When you speak from the heart...you begin to connect with the heart of the individual in the audience.” –NQ

AM: Is there a principle that guides your decision making? How do you see which choices to make?

NQ: I think you do it in a number of ways.

You have desire, you have belief and maybe you have belief first and then you have desire. You have a strategy of how you’re going to travel down the path. Where am I today? Where do I want to be? How do I get there? And then you employ practical systems. The reason a lot of people don’t achieve their goals is because they dream big but their dreams are not practical, they’re not realistic, they’re not as likely to happen. And then of course consistent execution.

And when you do these things and do them with vigor and with zest, sooner or later you achieve some of your goals and people get excited about it and, you know, everybody wants to be on the side of the winner, so when you succeed why you find that that success gives birth to more success.

AM: Let me switch the topic for a minute to speaking. Most people that have heard you speak, I think, would all agree that you’re one of the most eloquent and powerful speakers they’ve ever heard. I certainly speak for myself in saying that. And what’s amazing to me is that English is not your native language. How did you overcome the initial obstacles to become the gifted orator that you are today?

I’ve given some 6000 presentations. I started out making $100 or $200. Today, I’m paid $30,000 or more for a presentation and I get tons of invitations.

AM: We both know that 95% of the money in the speaking business is probably made by the top 5% of the speakers. You are clearly in the top 5% if not the top 1% of the 5%. What’s the secret or secrets to getting there?

NQ: There are really two parts to your question, you know. How do you get there and why do you get there.

I think how you get there is you work hard at it; you make it a priority in your life. I understood that if I want to live in America I must learn the English language. More importantly I must commit myself to speak it in a fluid, flowing and fluent manner. In other words I have to think quickly and the words must formulate in my mouth quickly and I must speak with clar-

presentations. I don’t really even prepare them thoroughly. I have evolved into a speaker who has used his experiences, I hope wisely. Not just in the speaking business, but in business generally. I not only own several companies, I own pieces of several more companies and I serve on the boards of a number of companies including three New York Stock Exchange companies. So by sheer fact that I live in that world obviously I’m going to appeal to business people because I speak their language and I understand the message. But I think when you speak from your heart you tend to do beyond communicating a message with an audience and you begin to connect with the heart of the individual in the audience. And something magical happens when someone listening to you in the audience hears you, understands you and feels connected to you. Somehow they begin to believe your message more, they see greater value in it, they remember it longer, S U M M E R 2 0 1 1 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | 9

they’re more likely to act upon your advice and they have a sense of gratitude for your sharing.

And so for me I put authenticity above charisma any day of the week. When I am speaking to an audience I give it everything I’ve got.

And whatever I do, I do it wholeheartedly. Audiences today are so smart. They can see you coming a mile away and they can distinguish clearly and thoughtfully and swiftly whether you’re giving a book report or whether you truly understand what you’re speaking about.

Now, I don’t know that there are any secrets but there are certainly some systems to getting there and I’ll give them to you -- not necessarily in the right order but as they come to me.

Obviously number one: you must be someone who renders value, solid value. In other words people will pay you more if what you deliver is solid, is something I can use, something that will save me time, save me money, build my business, et cetera. So value is number one.

Second, the really smartest speakers that I know are not just value deliverers but they’re value interpreters. So they deliver a lot of value but they also interpret that value in a way that the audience immediately relates to and finds useful and meaningful. So they begin to tell you why this is useful, how this is going to help you, and not just lay it out there as if the whole world will recognize its value.

Third, I think, is a question of longevity. Most people will not stick to something long enough for it to really produce its best results. Most people give up way before they get to the end of the game. And so perseverance has a lot to do with it, I think.

Fourth, I do believe that life is about who you spend time with and I have really been very fortunate to know and to have as some of my best friends some of America’s best CEOs and some of America’s top business leaders. I’m a member of the Horatio Alger Association for Distinguished Americans. There are 280 of us -- people like Henry Kissinger and Colin Powell and Oprah Winfrey and Michael Bloomberg and Leonardo Di Caprio and people like that who are really excellent at what they do.

So when you are in that kind of an environment, when you live some of your time in that kind of a zone, it penetrates who you are and it affects and influences the person that you become – and especially what you have to say.

Finally, you be the best speaker on the platform and you don’t necessarily make the most 1 0 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | W W W . A U T H O R A D V A N T A G E M A G . C O M

money in the field. It depends how you add up that money. If you do it with fees alone or you do it with fees and products. You know, the best and most successful speakers do it with fees, with consulting, with products -- all the little pieces that are intentionally congruent with the primary service or services that one renders. And I have been very, very effective in my own career to connect synergistically all of these pieces in such a way that every one of them fed into all the others and created for me a very significant return on my investment of time, energy and talent.

AM: It sounds as though most of your success is the result of being very intentional as to what you want to accomplish in your life.

Can you talk about the strategic planning that you go through for your own life and for your businesses and what kind of approach do you take to planning things out?

“I try to keep my feet solidly on the ground, as with my

NQ: Well, I’m a highly focused person. So when I have a goal or a plan to work, I focus on it wholeheartedly, I give it all that I’ve got. I’m also a very disciplined person. So I don’t waiver and I don’t get scared quickly and I don’t give up easily and I don’t become disappointed or discouraged. And those are all very important points. I do think that these are sort of the foundation. I have faith and I have courage and when I put them together you got faithful courage and that’s a pretty strong combination.

arms stretched out I try to reach out to the stars.” –NQ

As for planning, I use “zero base planning.” A sheet of paper and a plan and questions you begin to write down the answers to those questions. If we were starting High Point University from scratch and there were no hindrances, no obstacles in the way and there were no limitations on resources, if anything were possible, what would it look like? And then we ask the next question: what would keep us really from getting what we just said we would have if there were no limitations. That kind of planning unlocks your mind, unlocks your potential and resources. You move onwards with strength and with power of conviction.

I’m a risk manager. I’m a paranoid optimist so I don’t like people who say, “Don’t worry

about it -- it’s going to work out.” I don’t believe in that. I believe that proper preparations prevents poor performance and therefore what we must do is really assume the worst and plan for it. And if something better than that happens, so be it. And so I try to manage my risks by asking several questions. What is the best thing that can happen as a result of taking this action? What is the worst thing that can happen as a result of taking this action and what is the most likely thing to happen as a result of taking this action?

And if the most likely thing will get me closer to my goals and if I’m willing to deal with the worst thing that can happen, then I go for it.

I try to keep my feet solidly on the ground as with my arms stretched out I try to reach out to the stars.

YourAdvantage

Adam Witty’s 1001 Best Reasons to Publish a Book

No. 372: Use a Book the Way a Cowpoke Uses Hot Iron | If you want your brand to stand out of the herd, you need a book, partner Have you heard of Starbucks Coffee Company? Do you have a cup of Starbucks’ best joe in your hand right now while you’re sitting around the campfire singing cowboy songs? (Or

Use your book to make your brand

Red Hot:

while you’re sitting around your office reading this magazine?) If you said, “yup,” here’s why: In 1999, Starbuck’s chairman and CEO, Howard Schultz, wrote a book titled Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time. It corralled me as a ‘bucks brew-addict.

Before reading the book, I had never stepped foot into a Starbucks store.

However, as an entrepreneur, I was very interested in the subject matter of building a company and thought I could benefit by reading the book. After finishing the book, I was so moved by Starbucks’ corporate values and way

If you want your product to succeed, you have to mark it for the market.

it treated its employees, vendors and suppliers, I became a regular customer.

Do you think the CEO of Starbucks wrote his book as a networking tool or business card? Maybe not. But, Howard Schultz did write the book to create goodwill for the Starbucks brand and drive new people into the stores. And it worked with me, and thousands of other readers. In 1999, when the book was published, Starbucks had 2,500

libraries for children in third-world countries. John has a fascinating personal story (as most of us do), and decided to put that story into book form. John’s book, Leaving Microsoft to Change the World, was recommended to me by a friend. After reading the

store locations. In 2008, Starbucks

book, I was so excited about John’s

had more than 17,000 store locations.

organization that I immediately made a

That’s a stampede.

financial contribution.

Here’s another: It’s the story of John

Since there were thousands of other

Wood, the founder of Room to Read,

readers who had the same positive

a nonprofit organization that builds

reaction I did, John’s book has brought

thousands of new volunteers and contributors to his nonprofit.

How can you leverage a book to build brand recognition and brand equity for your company or nonprofit organization? Use your book to make your brand red hot. If you want your product to succeed, you have to mark it for the market. And nothing marks your business for success like a book. Come on! Saddle up! If John Wood and Howard Schultz can do it, why can’t you?

Adam Witty is Advantage’s CEO and the author of 21 Ways to Build Your Business with a Book.

S U M M E R 2 0 1 1 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | 1 1

Want Your Book To POP! Off the Shelf? It’s all in the name.

by Sam Horn, The Intrigue Expert and author of POP!

I

’ll always remember the first year of the Maui Writers Conference. We were proud to give authors from around the world an unprecedented opportunity to pitch directly to publishing decision-makers. One woman emerged from her 10 minute meeting with tears in her eyes. I asked, “What happened?”

is yours different? Why is it worth trying and buying?

Here are examples of two of the POP! techniques you’ll be learning at the summit.

Contrary to the promise of Field of Dreams, if we write it, readers won’t necessarily come. Our book needs to have an intriguing title and elevator pitch so people are motivated to say, “Tell me more.”

Corner a Niche by Coining a Brand New Word

“I gave the editor my 300 page manuscript.

He took one look at it and said, ‘I don’t have time to read all that. Tell me what your book is about and why people would want to read it.’ My mind went blank. I thought it was his job to sell it. I just tried to write the best book I could.”

You may be thinking, “You’re preaching to the choir. I know it’s important to stand out; I just don’t know how to do it.” You’re in luck. I’ve created a step-by-step methodology for getting people interested in what you have to say.

Question: would you run right out and buy the latest book on economics? Probably not, unless you’re a finance geek.

Over the next few days, I discovered she wasn’t the only one who thought the quality of her work would speak for itself. There are thousands of well-written books. The point is, how 1 2 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | W W W . A U T H O R A D V A N T A G E M A G . C O M

It’s called POP! and it can help you craft a title, Table of Contents and page-turning material that helps your book POP! off the shelf. The good news is, I’ll be sharing these techniques at the Advantage Marketing Summit in October in beautiful Charleston, SC.

“Let’s give ‘em something to talk about.”

– Bonnie Raitt song

That was the challenge Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner faced when wondering what to call their new book that compared the economic equivalent of apples to oranges (i.e., “What do school teachers and sumo wrestlers have in common?”)

What to do?

Well, use a POP! technique called “alphabetizing” in which you run your core word through the alphabet – and change the sound of the first syllable to match the corresponding letter. For example:

Intrigued? You should be! Let Sam tell you more in person: Who: Sam Horn, The Intrigue Expert What: Speaker at the fourth annual Advantage Marketing Summit.

Aeconomics, Beconomics. Ceconomics, Deconcomics, Economics, Feconomics...

Where: Charleston, SC

Wait a minute. You’ve heard of spell check? Let’s try to spell chuck. Chuck the normal spelling and come up with your own unique spelling.

How about Freakonomics?

When: October 14-16, 2011 Why: “Innovative ways to create one-ofa-kind titles, tell’n’sell descriptions and page-turning content.”

Now, that’s original. And when you coin an original word, chances are you’ll be able to get the domain name, which is crucial since you want to wrap a website around your book title. Chances are, you’ll be able to trademark that word which means you have a proprietary phrase that can be merchandised and monetized in perpetuity.

I’m speaking from experience. My first book was on how to deal with difficult people – without becoming one yourself. The problem was, there are a lot of experts who write and speak about “conflict resolution.” It’s a crowded genre and topic. So, what did I call my book to help it stand out?

Tongue Fu!® And yes, I’ve trademarked that phrase and profited from it for more than 15 years by certifying instructors around the world and teaching it to hundreds of organizations ranging from Hewlett-Packard to NASA to Boeing. Its title has also helped it attract international media and it has been featured in Readers Digest, The Washington Post and Jay Leno’s Tonight Show.

Would that have happened without the clever title? Probably not. When it comes to a successful book, quality content isn’t enough. You have to be able to POP! it if you want to break out instead of blend in.

Create the Next New Thing “Remember, you’re more interested in what you have to say than anyone else is.”

– Andy Rooney The good news is, there are ways to get people interested in what you have to say.

One way is to create a word they haven’t heard before. It’s one of the quickest ways to get people’s eyebrows up.

(By the way, the “Eyebrow Test” is a quick way to test how intriguing your title is. Just tell your title to someone and watch their eyebrows. If

For more information, visit: www.advantagemarketingsummit.com

their eyebrows knit or furrow, it means they’re confused. It means they didn’t get it. And if they don’t get it – you won’t get it because confused people don’t buy books. You want people’s eyebrows to go up. Try it right now. Lift your eyebrows. Do you feel intrigued, curious – like you want to know more? That’s good. It means we just got our book in your mental door.)

one more example of how a creative title can save your book from obscurity and help get it noticed...for all the right reasons?

For example, Dr. Francine Kaufman was concerned about a health issue she feels is reaching epidemic proportions. “Ten years ago, if a child had walked into my office diagnosed with Type II diabetes, it would have been so rare, I would have written it up in a medical journal. Now, such children fill my clinic at Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles.”

I said, “Oh Andrew, that wasn’t out of the blue. That’s called Serendipity. Some people call these coincidences happy accidents, but I don’t think they’re accidents. Your paths crossed for a reason. You’re supposed to figure out why.

Maybe you’re meant to collaborate with Ryan on something.” Andrew was intrigued and came up to me later and said, “Mom, I really love that concept of...SerenDestiny.”

The challenge? To come up with a name for this cultural phenomenon to help it get the attention it deserved in the press and from the public. Let’s use a POP! technique called Half and Half. Get a fresh piece of paper and divide it in half with a vertical line down the center. Now, start describing your topic or book, putting some of the words in the left hand column and some of the words in the right hand column.

Now, take the first syllable of a word on the left and starting fusing it with the last half of the words on the right. Let’s see, we’re talking about DIAbetes, and some of its contributing factors include obesity. Now combine those and you have: DIABESITY. Voila. That first-of-its-kind phrase landed Dr. Francine Kaufman a book deal, many media appearances and turned her into a respected spokesperson on this important issue. Want

A few years ago, my sons Tom and Andrew and I were having dinner. Andrew said, “Hey Mom, I ran into Ryan last night. I had been thinking about him, wondering what he was up to, and there he was...out of the blue.”

Ah, out of the mouths of 20-somethings.

Guess what the title of my next book is? That’s right: SerenDestiny: How to Lead a Life that Keeps the Light on in Your Eyes.

If you’d like 25 more innovative ways to create one-of-a-kind titles, tell n’ sell descriptions and page-turning content that helps your book POP! plan on being in Charleston for my keynote on this topic in October. And plan on bringing plenty of paper as we’ll be brainstorming and strategizing your book. I look forward to meeting you there.

Sam Horn, The Intrigue Expert and author of POP!, Tongue Fu! and the upcoming SerenDestiny, has been featured on NPR, MSNBC, BusinessWeek.com and in The New York Times. She helps clients create signature messages on the page and stage – and is thanked in the Acknowledgments of hundreds of books from grateful authors who say, “I couldn’t have done it without you.” www.SamHorn.com • www.SamHornPOP.com S U M M E R 2 0 1 1 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | 1 3

AdvantagePeople

Ready to Launch

u

You’ve been through the editorial wringer, powered through production and let the presses roll. The fruits of your labor finally in hand, now’s the time to celebrate with a launch party.

1. Advantage author Tom Watson celebrated the release of his first book, Man Shoes, with a Western-themed launch party. Advantage CEO Adam Witty, Keynote Group president Yolanda Harris and assistant Rachel Mackles traveled to Vancouver, Canada for the occasion.

2. Watson, with sons by his side, speaks to the crowd of 400 attendees. 3. Watson and Witty



pose in front of a custom-made ice sculpture–one that ably captures what a Western-themed Canadian book launch party is all “a-boot.” 4. Back home in Charleston, the Advantage team recently played host to a number of clients. Advantage author Tonya Shadoan (left) spent two days with the team, including her Talk Your Book™ session and Author Immersion Workday™.

5. Dr. Moore Hislop attended Advantage’s inaugural Discovery Day. Dr. Hislop will publish his book with Advantage. 6. Advantage author Cathy Newton spent a day in the Advantage



Television studio recording material for her custom online education courses.

 1 4 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | W W W . A U T H O R A D V A N T A G E M A G . C O M





Join Adam Witty and the

Advantage Media Group team for the...

4th Annual

Let us help you Choose your own adventure, and attend the sessions that interest you: • How to Put the Marketing of Your Business on Autopilot • How to Get Paid to Speak • How to Write for Maximum Influence • How to Benefit from the Latest Trends in Online Marketing and Social Media • How to Prepare Your Business for the Future of Selling Information • How to Build a Multi-Million Dollar Brand on a Budget 100% • How to Make Customers Approach You, Raving Fa the Science behind Gravitational Marketing n Guarantee : • PLUS, don’t miss our Business Makeover Hot Seats, Expert Round Be Thrilled or Receive All Your M

Table Discussions, and Best of the Best Competition on

And, join our Celebrity Speakers:

ey Back + $500 T oward Tra v el

Mike Veeck

Sam Horn

Author of Fun is Good!

Owner of 5 Minor League Baseball Teams

Author of POP!

The man behind world famous promotions like Tonya Harding Mini Bat Night, Vasectomy Night, Nobody Night, and Enron Night will teach you how to make your marketing fun, how to delight your customers, and keep them coming back for more!

The highest rated speaker of the 2010 Summit is back! Sam will teach you how to take your expert status to the next level by creating a remarkable and memorable brand. Sam will share her 7P’s of strategic positioning that will increase your influence, authority, and respect.

Early Bird Discounts and “Bring a Guest for Free” Until August 15.

See the full conference agenda at AdvantageMarketingSummit.com or call Deb at 843.300.4980

Advantage Media Group PO Box 272 Charleston, SC 29402 advantagefamily.com

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New episode every other Wednesday AuthorAdvantage.tv

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2011

Beach Vacation

2,500 Copies of Your Book

2012 Super Bowl for Two

Islands of the Caribbean Includes Roundtrip Airfare

Printed and Delivered to You Includes Shipping & Handling

In Indianapolis, IN Includes Roundtrip Airfare and Hotel

How does Advantage Client Get A Client work?

Do you have a family member, friend, or business associate that would benefit from working with us? Please pull the rabbit out of your hat and share the secret of being an Advantage client.

Client Get A Client is open to any client, vendor, partner, or friend of Advantage Media Group. There is no cost to participate.

Simply help us grow the Advantage Family with introductions to folks you know that would benefit from working with us. Every time that happens, you receive a ping-pong ball in the hopper with your name on it. If you make 1 introduction, you have 1 ping-pong ball in the hopper. If you make 5 introductions, you have 5 ping-pong balls in the hopper.

Questions? Want to make an introduction? Please contact:

Alison Morse

Vice President of Business Development

Tel 843.300.4973 amorse@advantageww.com

For a real-time summary of the ping-pong balls currently in the hopper, visit: www.AdvantageFamily.com/CGAC