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You’ve got the bright ideas and the smart people, and the
market is just ready for you. But why hasn’t your business
taken off as you predicted? Maybe the problem is in your
execution. What does it really take to get a business
going? You need the right people combined with realistic
strategies to create effective operating procedures. Let
Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan tell you how.

A business leader’s most important job is the execution of
plans, the “detail work,” making sure that the staff is
getting results. This is the sort of responsibility that
cannot be delegated. It is the leader’s primary duty to see
that every member of the team is carrying out his part
of the big plan to ensure the whole company’s success.
There are no excuses for failure: the market will always
be tough. What spells the difference between successes and
failures is the ability to execute plans.

Too often, too much intellectualizing and philosophy occurs
at the planning level. The leaders are busy with their
dreams and plans for success but there is little focus on
implementation, thus the promised result is not delivered.
The emphasis on execution as an integral part of the
business process has not received enough attention in terms
of accumulated knowledge and literature.

The Building Blocks of Execution

The Leader’s Seven Essential Behaviors

1. Know Your People and Your Business.

2. Insist on Realism.

3. Set Clear Goals and Priorities.

4. Follow Through.

5. Reward the Doers.

6. Expand People’s Capabilities through Coaching.

7. Know Yourself.

Creating the Framework for Cultural Change

You can’t just institute changes for the sake of shaking
things up at your company. Your changes must be geared
towards getting results. Be specific: what sort of
behavior is acceptable in your company? What’s unacceptable? Change must begin at the top-level, to set an example down the line. Don’t just expect it to happen either. Reward successful implementation of your plans to instigate change.

The Job No Leader Should DelegateHaving the Right People in the Right Jobs

Hiring the right people is as important as planning ahead; you need people who are not only capable, but also full of potential for growth as your business expands. Take time to focus on your staff, because in effect your business is in their hands. Take time to develop your staff’s leadership capabilities so that they can bring results to your plans and visions. Assess individual capabilities and determine if you can further develop your employee through training, coaching
and exposure, or if he’s better off elsewhere. If you can properly develop your people, you should be able to fill top administrative posts from within. Hire a talented person and she will hire a talented person.

The Processes of Execution

A. Linking People to Strategy and Operations

Break your strategy down into manageable near-, medium- and long-term goals. Determine kinds of skills you need for the upcoming goals and start laying the foundations early. Then design an action plan for each step of your big plan.

B. Developing the Leadership Pipeline Through Continuous Improvement, Succession Depth and Reducing Retention Risk

Meeting your goals depends on the quality of the people you have. Assess today those who can be leaders in the future through the following: The Leadership Assessment Summary, The Continuous Improvement Summary, Succession Depth, and Reducing Retention Risk Analysis.

C. Dealing with Non-performers

Non-performers are people who aren’t meeting their established goals. This does not mean that they’re unqualified or incapable. It just means they aren’t performing at the level required for your company’s success. Sometimes you just need to coach a person to get them better acquainted with a job. Sometimes they just need to be transferred to another division or responsibility that’s better suited to their capabilities. Other times there’s no choice but to let him go. However, do so in a manner that allows the person to keep his dignity.

D. Linking HR to Business Results

The role of the HR department in a company is different now. The HR function must set out to fill the positions that are and will be important as projects and plans progress over the upcoming monthseven years. Use the HR division to keep track of your company’s top people across the whole organization, to see who can be groomed, or even promoted already, for key positions. HR should not only be able to assess people in their current jobs but also the people below themif one person is to be promoted, someone should be adequately qualified to fill the upcoming void.

Examine all your strategies and determine the sorts of skills you need for these plans. If you can’t develop the right people in time, determine if you need to hire from outside. Identify which jobs are critical, and which ones will be critical down the line. Are they filled with the right people? Monitor also the top positions in the company and spell out criteria for filling them. If there is a sudden vacancy, is there someone you haven’t considered who might be more than qualified? If you know your people and their capabilities, filling the vacancy
should be a small problem, especially if you’ve done your
job in developing them for leadership.

The Importance of Hows

Even brilliant strategies are bound to fail if not grounded in realitiesregarding the competition, the capabilities of the company’s own people, the market, the product offerings. When creating strategies, consider not only the current realities of all relevant factors, but also unexpectedif unlikelyturns of events. There must always be backup plans, or at least people who can quickly think up alternative plans to make the best of
a botched situation. Adaptability to change should always be a consideration: constantly review your plan to see if it is being executed properly, if current and future steps are still feasible, and if the people in charge are still getting results.

Building the Operating Plan

1. Set the targets: Keep your targets realistic. Base them on track records and histories.

2. Develop action and contingency plans: Study the possible outcomes that might leave the company most vulnerable and base your contingency plan on that. In other words, plan for the worst.

3. Get agreement and closure from all participants: Communicate agreed-upon goals to the people concerned after the meeting, to reiterate your expectations and what they promised to deliver.

Outcomes of the Operations Process

Think carefully: what does your business want to achieve? Think of this vis–vis what your company is likely to achieve. Watch how the operations affect your company, especially for the need to reallocate resources. Conduct quarterly reviews to see if you’re still on track, who’s keeping you there, and if you
should even be there in the first place.

By: Regine P. Azurin and Yvette Pantilla
Regine Azurin is the President of BusinessSummaries.com, a company that provides business book summaries of the latest bestsellers for busy executives and entrepreneurs.

http://www.bizsum.com
“A Lot Of Great Books… Too Little Time To Read”
Free Book Summaries Of Latest Bestsellers for Busy
Executives and Entrepreneurs

Mailto: mailto:freearticle@bizsum.com
BusinessSummaries is a BusinessSummaries.com service.
(c) Copyright 2001- 2005 ,BusinessSummaries.com - Wisdom In A Nutshell

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http://www.plagiarism.org and http://www.Turnitin.com

Latin kidnapped the word “plagion” from ancient Greek and it ended up in English as “plagiarism”. It literally means “to kidnap” - most commonly, to misappropriate content and wrongly attribute it to oneself. It is a close kin of piracy. But while the software or content pirate does not bother to hide or alter the identity of the content’s creator or the software’s author - the plagiarist does. Plagiarism is, therefore, more pernicious than piracy.

Enter Turnit.com. An off-shoot of www.iparadigms.com, it was established by a group of concerned (and commercially minded) scientists from UC Berkeley.

Whereas digital rights and asset management systems are geared to prevent piracy - plagiarism.org and its commercial arm, Turnit.com, are the cyber equivalent of a law enforcement agency, acting after the fact to discover the culprits and uncover their misdeeds. This, they claim, is a first stage on the way to a plagiarism-free Internet-based academic community of both teachers and students, in which the educational potential of the Internet can be fully realized.

The problem is especially severe in academia. Various surveys have discovered that a staggering 80%(!) of US students cheat and that at least 30% plagiarize written material. The Internet only exacerbated this problem. More than 200 cheat-sites have sprung up, with thousands of papers available on-line and tens of thousands of satisfied plagiarists the world over. Some of these hubs - like cheater.com, cheatweb or cheathouse.com - make no bones about their offerings. Many of them are located outside the USA (in Germany, or Asia) and at least one offers papers in a few languages, Hebrew included.

The problem, though, is not limited to the ivory towers. E-zines plagiarize. The print media plagiarize. Individual journalists plagiarize, many with abandon. Even advertising agencies and financial institutions plagiarize. The amount of material out there is so overwhelming that the plagiarist develops a (fairly justified) sense of immunity. The temptation is irresistible, the rewards big and the pressures of modern life great.

Some of the plagiarists are straightforward copiers. Others substitute words, add sentences, or combine two or more sources. This raises the question: “when should content be considered original and when - plagiarized?”. Should the test for plagiarism be more stringent than the one applied by the Copyright Office? And what rights are implicitly granted by the material’s genuine authors or publishers once they place the content on the Internet? Is the Web a public domain and, if yes, to what extent? These questions are not easily answered. Consider reports generated by users from a database. Are these reports copyrighted - and if so, by whom - by the database compiler or by the user who defined the parameters, without which the reports in question would have never been generated? What about “fair use” of text and works of art? In the USA, the backlash against digital content piracy and plagiarism has reached preposterous legal, litigious and technological nadirs.

Plagiarism.org has developed a statistics-based technology (the “Document Source Analysis”) which creates a “digital fingerprint” of every document in its database. Web crawlers are then unleashed to scour the Internet and find documents with the same fingerprint and a colour-coded report is generated. An instructor, teacher, or professor can then use the report to prove plagiarism and cheating.

Piracy is often considered to be a form of viral marketing (even by software developers and publishers). The author’s, publisher’s, or software house’s data are preserved intact in the cracked copy. Pirated copies of e-books often contribute to increased sales of the print versions. Crippled versions of software or pirated copies of software without its manuals, updates and support - often lead to the purchase of a licence. Not so with plagiarism. The identities of the author, editor, publisher and illustrator are deleted and replaced by the details of the plagiarist. And while piracy is discussed freely and fought vigorously - the discussion of plagiarism is still taboo and actively suppressed by image-conscious and endowment-weary academic institutions and media. It is an uphill struggle but plagiarism.org has taken the first resolute step.

About the Author

Sam Vaknin is the author of Malignant Self Love - Narcissism Revisited and After the Rain - How the West Lost the East. He is a columnist for Central Europe Review, United Press International (UPI) and eBookWeb and the editor of mental health and Central East Europe categories in The Open Directory, Suite101 and searcheurope.com.

Visit Sam’s Web site at http://samvak.tripod.com

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PropertyIndex.com make it easy to find property in Dubai, whether you are looking for a villa or an apartment, they can help you find the right property.

Although PropertyIndex.com may be considered a fairly young organization, (they were established only in March 2007), they were quick to attain to expert status. In actuality they are a unbelievably incomplex organization specialising in proposing guidance to anyone meaning to rent, buy, etc. real property in many parts of the world. Their affirmation: to assist you find smack what you require swiftly plus, of course, painlessly. Real property is across the globe now, unquestionably the most exclusive area being real estate you can purchase in Dubai City. It should really be easy as pie to chart the terrific real property you can purchase in Dubai City, the rationale for picking real property here is real estate on the market and the great chance to live amongst this keen and spirited population.

This is one of the most favored property markets now, and in view of the scenic splendor and the wonderful climate surrounding you here, how could you say no! Real property in Dubai City is immersed in culture, art and history, this region has been and is still home to a number of indigenous nations. About 30 years back you’d find only very few of Englishmen who are looking for real property in Dubai City. Just ask about anyone who has chosen to move to Dubai City and they will be certain to corroborate this. Plenty of people would look upon it as a fairly insignificant craze and others look upon it as a that’s more or less an addiction! Patrons intending to move over here will typically range from young couples keen on a challenge to retired customers looking to have fun in life.

Note that you might hit on some bugbears when purchasing real property abroad — there are, of course, hundreds of different procedures whether scheduling, sightseeing or signing the documents. If you miss out on one single minute action that is certain to well engender comprehensive bugbears plus, even more importantly, financial damage. As everybody will expect with this sought after region, real property could be quite costly in this area which is absolutely owing to the increasing buyer demand. Regardless of this the customer is particular in a place so richly blessed by golden land and good view. It’s got practically all a patron might fall for and plenty more.

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Outdoor camping has received huge popularity throughout years to be a complete alternative from your very frantic life. Taking a couple of days away from hectic work agenda provides much fun & amusement selection than any other holiday idea. If you intend to have a camping vocation this winter then it is recommended that you try and find the best of camping accessories to carry with for the utmost pleasurable camping experience.

Outdoor camping accessories usually come in the form of camping tents, camping lanterns camping gadgets and so on. Since the camping sites chosen are often different so are the camping tools that are needed for particular tasks. A great number of people love to go camping in the plains, whilst some prefer to go in the mountain areas, some in fields & some in woods. This means that the camping gear required will depend on the location you have selected to camp in.

To enjoy the fun & excitement fully, it is important to carry camping accessories that you will need during your camp stay. There are various hikers and campers who enjoy to camp & find out the most extreme parts of the world. Hence the camping requirements fluctuate from person to person.

So before going camping outdoors it is important that you purchase the gear that you will require. To locate the best camping tools its better to find a cheap camping equipment dealer & order the stuff you require to carry along. The light weight tents, portable camping stoves, handy weightless chairs, disposable utensils, sleeping bags, hiking boots, light fabric weightless clothes and additional camping accessories can be obtained online at the greatest reduced rates. It’s crucial to carry camping gear that is light so as to provide you as much liberty while trekking and hiking. Find cheap camping equipment online at Sportswear-Equipment.com.

Several kinds of camping tools are not cheap to purchase & can be afforded only when you have a very big budget. As a result you ought to make a list of items that you cannot do without while camping. Depending upon how frequently you go for camping, renting camping tools is a wise choice. Otherwise if you are a camping fanatic then having a collection of your own camping tools is worth. Have a breathtaking camping experience this year by keeping all your camping needs toned up.

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In part 2 of this series, we focused on ebooks formatted in PDF. We will now continue with HTML compiled ebooks.

Hypertext Markup Language Format (HTML)

Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) formatted ebooks are simply a group of web pages compressed into one .exe file for distribution. HTML ebooks are completely interactive with the Internet and can be as simple or dynamic as you’d like. Your HTML files can contain live links, graphics, forms, JavaScript, embedded video, and more. You can easily create a dynamic presentation utilizing the latest technology.

Ebooks formatted in HTML are basically designed just like website. They can contain an unlimited number of pages that are navigated via hyperlinks. Unlike ebooks formatted in PDF, the design of an HTML ebook is only limited by your imagination.

Depending upon the type of HTML compiler you purchase, HTML formatted ebooks can have customizable fields that will enable your users to customize fields you specify. This technology can enable you to provide your affiliates with an ebook they can use as a sales tool to sell your products and services. Your affiliates can have the ability to customize your ebook with their affiliate ID and earn commissions simply by giving the ebook away.

HTML files can be distributed in the following ways:

- Internet download

- CD-ROM

Advantages:

- Complete control over your ebook’s look and feel.

- Completely interactive with the Internet.

- Software very reasonably priced starting at $30.00

- Most compilation software is easy to use.

- A wide variety of ebook compilers to choose from.

Disadvantages:

- Users must have the ability to run “Windows” programs.

- Users must have Internet Explorer 4.0+ installed on their
computer.

Compilers:

E-ditor (Recommended)
This is a nice ebook compiler that includes a step by step interface that will guide you through the entire process. Unlike other programs, this compiler comes with five “skins” to enable your ebooks to have a unique look. It also includes a pop-up message box that loads prior to your ebook loading when your ebook is launched. This box can contain system requirements, copyrights or whatever text you’d like.

Cost: $97.00

Ebook Edit Pro (Highly Recommended)
This is a great ebook compiler. Not only is it easy to use, but it also includes a pop-up message box that loads prior to your ebook loading. In addition, you can display your own product icon and select the buttons you would like to be displayed such as, navigational, print and home buttons. It also has an added feature that enables you to include an affiliate ID within every ebook you create and make money for referral sales. As an added bonus for purchasing this great compiler, you will also receive an “eBrand-It” software that will enable you to set up special fields so that your affiliates can customize your ebook. A free demo is available. This is a great compile.

Cost: $87.50

Activ E-book (Recommended)

This program isn’t as easy as E-ditor Pro or Ebook Edit Pro, but with the aid of the instructions you can easily create a nice ebook. The great thing about this compiler is that it assigns an ESBN number to each ebook you compile. In addition, this great compiler will also enable you to create a “Rebranding” software. This additional software can be used to enable your users to modify parts of the ebook that you specify without recompiling. It also has a free demo that is fully functional for up to 10 files to be compiled (including graphics). You can create and distribute ebooks with the free demo, but you must register the software if you’d like to sell your ebooks.

Cost: $29.95

As you can see, both ebook formats have a number of advantages and disadvantages and the decision may be a little difficult.

The best ebook format for your project will really depend upon your own preference. However, it is also important to take into consideration the type of ebook you’re creating and the number of pages it will contain. For example, if you’ve written a manuscript with hundreds of pages and have it typed into your word processing program, you won’t want to waste your time creating an HTML page for each page of your ebook. Your best option will be to purchase Adobe Acrobat and compile your ebook into the PDF format. HTML compiled ebooks are better for smaller projects such as “how-to”, “instructional” or “informational” ebooks.

Another consideration of great importance is your sales plan. If you’re planning on marketing your ebook yourself, then it really doesn’t matter which format you use. However, if you’re planning on selling your ebook on one of the ebook publishing sites, many of them will only accept ebooks in the PDF format.

A good way to cover all of your bases is to simply publish your ebook in both formats. Let your customers decide which format they would prefer.

In part 4 of this series, we will focus on designing an ebook in PDF format.

Copyright © Shelley Lowery

About the Author:

Shelley Lowery is the author of the acclaimed web design course, “Web Design Mastery” (www.webdesignmastery.com) and “eBook Starter - Give Your eBooks the look and feel of a REAL book” (www.ebookstarter.com)

Visit www.Web-Source.net to sign up for a complimentary subscription to eTips and receive a copy of Shelley’s acclaimed ebook, “Killer Internet Marketing Strategies.”

You have permission to publish this article electronically, in print, in your ebook, or on your web site, free of charge, as long as the author bylines are included.

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Are you scanning the market attempting to pin-point the optimum foreign currency exchange rates? The online world is a wonderful place to asses what is on offer and secure the choicest offer. In spite of this, it is certainly not exclusively about searching the market place the lowest exchange rate - additional fees, commission and transfer charges might often all transform a winning exchange rate all of a sudden horrible value.

In this period of world wide financial trouble you obviously need to deal with an established firm that you can really trust - to not only purchase you the greatest deal attainable at the time but furthermore to furnish you with help and sound advice. Foreign Currency Direct has been mentioned in such prestigious newspapers as The Sunday Time and The Observer as a market leading enterprise with whom to have a relationship with when obtaining foreign currency. And so, you know you’ll be dealing with a reputable & highly thought of firm.

Trading in foreign currency might well be a hard area of business - the prices regularly alter, therefore, if you don’t have access to the most recently updated numbers and capable knowledge you will often end up losing a great deal of currency. Foreign Currency Direct are experts when it comes to dealing with currency exchange rates - operational ever since the year two thousand the firm has moved from strength to strength. Dabbling in foreign currency exchange rates is a great way to make money - find out how with Foreign Currency Direct.

Foreign Currency Directs exchange rates are calculated by using live, constantly updated interbank’ prices (the price at which one particular institution sells to another) that are given in real time, making them significantly more competitive than those offered by far less specialised banks and building societies.

The first thing you really should do is set up an account with Foreign Currency Direct and you begin trading - you can receive exchange rate quotations by telephone, if you accept the offer you will obtain an email, fax or postal conformation of the contract.

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If you’re going to have a successful online information marketing (e-Book) business, you have to have something to market, and usually that something begins in the form of an idea.

Ideas can be like fireflies on a hot summer night. You never know where they’re going to be when they light up, and you can only hope that you’ll be in the right place to catch it when it comes your way. But unlike fireflies, you can greatly improve your odds of catching the random great idea by preparing for it and being ready to catch it at any time.

Once an idea flits through your cranium, you’ve got to do something with it or it will die before it gets out of your head. You may feel like you don’t have enough ideas, or at least that you never have any ideas worth marketing. But realistically, most people have more and better ideas than they give themselves credit for. Usually the problem is that you don’t realize when a usable idea is going through your head. You can’t let any ideas slip by without recording them, because you never know which one will be the big one.

That’s why you have to catch them on the fly as they happen. If you don’t, then they will probably be gone forever. You might think that you can keep them in your head and remember them later, but if you’re like most other humans on this planet, something will come up before the end of the day that will bump that million-dollar idea off the top of the heap. Then before you know it the most important thing rumbling around in your head is your grocery list.

You need a way of harvesting or collecting your ideas as they happen. I usually carry a small notebook around with me wherever I go. Of course you need a pencil or pen too! Or, you could join the 21st century and keep your ideas on a palm or pocket pc or one of the many small electronic devices that’s all the rage these days. Each method has it’s advantages and disadvantages. The benefit of the electronic method is that once you’ve jotted your ideas down you can easily transfer them to your workstation or laptop without having to type them all in again. One word of caution, though…keep your batteries fresh (or charged), and keep your device synced so you won’t lose all those great ideas. The benefit of the paper method is obvious…no batteries, no back-ups, and no operating system to learn. Personally, even though I’m a big fan of technology on my desk and in my home, I’ve found that I’m quite the luddite when it comes to electronics that I have to carry around. So for me at least, it will always be the pen and paper.

Once you get in the habit of jotting down all the ideas that come through your head, you’ll be surprised at how many ideas you actually have. Granted, most of them won’t really end up going anywhere, but like everything, it’s a numbers game…the more you have, the better your chances of coming up with a winner. Even the princess had to kiss a lot of frogs before she found the prince! Sometimes your ideas will come faster than you can jot them down, which is frustrating, but you have to look at the big picture: at least you’re recording some of your ideas now, which is way better than how it used to be.

You’ll find that ideas began to come more easily, because now you’re on the lookout for them. Common everyday occurances that used to just slip by unnoticed can become the catalyst for the next idea that might just be the big one. Plus, once you’re in the habit of paying attention to your creative side, you might find that sometimes multiple ideas will begin to ping-pong around in your head and synthesize into a single winner of an idea.

And after all, isn’t that what it’s all about…catching the million-dollar idea?

Till next time…Success to you!

-Ted

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Today, more than every before authors are presented with publishing opportunities that have never existed before. This is not to understate the hard work that authors have to go through to get recognition, write great books, and make a full time living from their passion of expression. However, it is to say that today, due to advances in communications technology, authors can now get their books distributed much easier than they could a decade ago. One very popular way that authors are distributing their work is digitally through ebooks. Digital books are gaining so much popularity that even some of the most popular authors in the world have used it to distribute their books. Stephen King for example published “Riding the Bullet” exclusively in ebook format. When this ebook began distribution over Barns and Nobel and Amazon.com there was so much demand for the download that the servers of these two book giants slowed down almost to a halt. People that wanted to download the ebook were put in a large queue with the hundreds of thousands of other who downloaded the ebook as well.

It’s not only big name authors that are finding success in ebooks. We at Ebook Architect have been helping authors create, market and sell their ebooks online for years now with great success. Many of these people are first time authors and are often amazed with the success of their ebook sales. Below are some of their ebook writing tips.

Don’t underestimate the power of the Ebook

Ebooks are still looked upon as unpopular by many authors who have not yet taken the time to learn about the success within this industry. For example, while the traditional publishing industry growing at the sluggish rate of 5% a year the digital publishing industry is growing at rates between 30% -50%. This means that the opportunities within the publishing industry are growing at a fraction of the rate that opportunities within the digital publishing industry are growing.

To set up an ebook you don’t need to be a tech wizard

Setting up your ebook from the idea conceptualization stage to the selling stage can’t be completed overnight but it is definitely something that can be done by anyone regardless of your technological background. If you can use a word processor then you can create and sell an ebook online. While it is recommended you set up your own website, it is not necessary. There are outlets such as amazon.com, EBay and Lulu.com to name only a few sites that allow you to post your ebook on their servers.

Setting up an Ebook site is virtually costless and you keep 100% of the profits

With traditional publishers you’ll be lucky to see 10% of the profits from your book. With ebooks however, you keep 100% of the profits minus the fees required to set up the site which are minimal. Here is the fee breakdown for ebooks vs traditional books

Ebook vs Book cost
Ebook = Free to create an unlimited number of copies
Book = Approximately $1500 for 200 copies of a 200 page soft cover book

Rights and profit
Ebook = You keep 100% of the profits and rights to your ebooks
Book = You get 10-40% royalty (usually about $2-$5/ book)

With the above examples it is easy to see that for first time authors ebooks make a lot of sense. The risk associated with publishing an ebook is much lower than it is with distributing a soft or hard cover book. Likewise, as an ebook author you’ll keep virtually all of your own profits.

If nothing else, it is something worth consideration. Ebooks may not replace traditional paperback books, but they certainly are gaining popularity at a rate that should make all authors stop to think about how they could use ebooks to their advantage.

Written By John R.
Ebook Architect
http://www.zizzoo.com/guides/ebook/index.php

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Are YOU ready for the eBook authoring adventure? Do you have what it takes to author an eBook? Is there an eBook author inside of you? Are you not sure whether or not you have what it takes to write that book that’s been living inside of you for years? Are you reluctant to start writing your eBook, fearing that you won’t complete it?

Let’s examine your attitudes, skills and knowledge that you bring to the eBook authoring process. Let’s look at some key questions you can ask yourself to see if your “readiness” for embarking on this authoring adventure is obvious.

The following questions are not meant to cover everything you should know about yourself before beginning the authoring process but they will give you a good idea where you stand. You may be surprised at some of the criteria mentioned.

This is not your conventional assessment of what it takes to author an eBook. Criteria like knowledge of the subject area, experience with the problems addressed in the eBook, familiarity with members of the target market for your eBook, and previous work done on your eBook topic are assumed.

This is a reflective look at what you should and could bring to the eBook authoring process. It’s the non-conventional criteria that will be addressed here.

Remember that we are talking about eBooks not pBooks (standard published books) and therefore the attitudes, skills and knowledge you require are different. eBooks are a marriage of creative writing (for non-fiction primarily) and eBook technology. Your eBook is designed to be viewed on a computer monitor. Your eBook is very much like a living web page. You have at your disposal for use in your eBook the wonders of internet, web and eBook technology. Writing is but one part of the eBook authoring process.

Every step of the eBook authoring process is affected by the fact that eBooks are inventions of technology, software programs, creative writing and the World Wide Web among other aspects.

Consider: The Ten Steps of eBook Authoring -

I Idea

II Reflection

III Commitment

IV Big Picture

V Chunking

VI Writing

VII Editing

VIII Publishing

IX Marketing

X Celebrating

There is not one step in this process that will not require a different way of thinking compared to the conventional ideas of writing a book. That’s not to say that there is no carry-over from pBook to eBook. There is much in common but it is also necessary to approach the writing of an eBook with a much different audience in mind that the one who would normally purchase your book at a book store.

As an example, the fact that your customer will not be able to physically touch your eBook before purchasing it means that your “Big Picture” idea of a jacket for your pBook now becomes a look at an eBook cover graphic digitally reproduced but no less appealing than your standard pBook cover. In fact, cover design for eBooks is sometimes even more important than for a standard book.

Another example is the technological expertise of your target market. eBooks don’t require any special skills to use them properly but it does require that your target market have access to a computer, know how to download information from the internet, and regularly seek answers to their questions from the web.

All of these issues and plenty more make the eBook an interesting, exciting, worthwhile, and rewarding venture into authoring. Add to this list the fact that your expertise level will be enhanced in the same way a standard published authors’ would be but at a much reduced cost. You have complete control your eBook all the time. You make much more money selling eBooks than standard book unless you are already a well-known author. You can become a published author quickly and inexpensively while maintaining control of all aspects of the eBook authoring process. You can share your expertise with a world-wide audience 24/7.

Leave a written legacy of your knowledge and expertise. Author an eBook.

6 Key Questions

Question #1

Do YOU relish the opportunity to share your expertise, knowledge, and skills?

The excitement generated when someone downloads your free eBook or purchases your “expertise” makes your work well worth the effort. eBooks provide an opportunity, at a very reasonable cost, to target a world-wide market of people sharing your interests.

The Internet is the number one source of instant information. Your eBook should be written to address the needs and problems of your target market. Your objective in writing your eBook is to share what you have learned with others. You will be seen as an expert. Your job is to help people solve problems by sorting through the glut of information available to your readers and get right to the heart of the problem.

Readers want instant solutions to problems. They want the delivery of the eBook answers immediately without leaving the office or home. Readers appreciate the time you have taken to help them solve their problem. Making contacts with “like minds” is a bonus, especially for the author.

Do you have something about which you are passionate? About which you have experience? About which you have gained insights and knowledge that would be of value to others? About which your wisdom would best be shared before it is lost forever?

So the very first question you have to answer is do you have an interest or area of expertise that you are anxious to share with others. Your passion for the subject will carry you throughout the entire eBook authoring process.

Are you interested in sharing your knowledge, skills, attitudes, and passions with the world?

Question #2

Are YOU willing to continue along the road of life-long learning? Are you willing to improve your computer literacy, word processing skills, and Internet savvy?

Regardless of where you currently stand in terms of your knowledge, skills, and attitudes regarding computer and Internet technology, you will have plenty of opportunities to improve in these areas. The option is always yours to learn what you need to know yourself or turn the step over to someone who does. A big part of the adventure is learning how to enhance the message in your eBook through the best techniques available to you. The Internet is all about information. Information sells if packaged well. Information sells when the purchaser sees the benefits of the purchase to enhance his/her life, solve problems or prevent mistakes.

By simply learning more about your word processing software you will have taken a big step! Purchase a good instruction manual that has plenty of pictures, is bright in color and uses the actual images you will see on your computer monitor to help you learn how to do things. The average person using word processing software has only a superficial knowledge of what the software can do. Now you have the opportunity to use this new-found knowledge in the best of all places - your eBook.

eBook technology, properly used, enhances your enjoyment in presenting the material and your audience’s reading enjoyment as well. Consider for example that every single web page in the entire universe can readily be placed into your eBook for easy reference. There is no need to reproduce tons of material when a link from your eBook to a web site will do the same thing. Not only that, but the reader doesn’t have to wade through material they already know. They can choose to follow the link or not. Another marvelous use of eBook technology is that the reader who leaves your eBook to visit a web page can just as easily come back to your eBook.

Color is another example of eBook technology at its best. You have the entire palette to use in your eBook. Your eBook comes alive with color. There are no limitations unlike the standard pBook where adding color means added costs and added costs mean higher prices and higher prices mean fewer sales. You get the picture.

Considering this question about your personal learning curve, look at your decision to author an eBook as an opportunity to embark on a tremendous learning experience. You take on the role of both teacher (eBook author) and learner (eBook author) with one experience.

Do the “learning” possibilities excite you? You will learn as much about yourself as you will about eBook technology and computers if you have the courage to take up the eBook authoring challenge.

Are you a life-long learner?

Question #3

Are YOU willing to do the research required for your eBook?

It is very probable you already have a fair amount of information readily available for the content of your eBook. This can come in the form of personal experience, articles written by you, web site resources, books and videos on the subject, workshop materials you have presented, and seminars or training sessions you have done.

Research skills will be necessary to make your work accurate, relevant and up-to-date. One of the most amazing aspects of eBook technology is the fact that you continuously update the information in your eBook with relative ease. It won’t require producing an entirely new product and tossing out the old books. All that’s required is an electronic update of your current eBook. And it costs little or nothing to produce your new eBook. In fact it costs so little you could even afford to give all previous purchasers a copy of the revised eBook for free! There are virtually no distribution charges.

This “up-to-the-minute” research is a two-edged sword. As the author charged with providing your readers with accurate information using the Internet and sorting through that information to find what is truly relevant, you also have the obligation to keep your eBook updated. It’s not a problem as an eBook. Your reputation will be enhanced among your readers. Their trust in you will make up-selling other products and services so much easier. You’re credible and incredible!

Research isn’t just about providing your target market with valuable information. You must also be prepared to do your market research as well. You must be willing to spend time “where your target market hangs out”. This means getting to know the right people, the right places, and the right things that will help sell your eBook. In most situations, eBook authors are also active members of organizations, subscribers to magazines and periodicals, attendees at conferences and workshops that your target market is likely to frequent. You are a member of “the group”. This is called marketing research for sales and distribution of your eBook.

Of course, there are the technical aspects of the entire process that will also require some attention on your part such as ePublishing. Publishing in the traditional sense is usually done after a contract is signed and the publisher takes over the entire process. No so with eBooks. You are the one! Don’t worry. It’s not that difficult. Remember, like any other aspect of the eBook authoring process, you can always hire someone else to do it!!! ePublishing or compiling is the term used to convert your book created using word processing software into a format that becomes an electronic book (eBook) so your reader can make best use of it. There are many formats to choose from. Adobe Acrobat - Portable Document Format (PDF) works with all platforms. Like all of the eBook formats available to you, Adobe provides a free Reader so your eBook can be used.

Research in its various forms should be considered part of the dues you must pay to successfully author an eBook. One aspect of eBooks that most appeals to authors and readers is that the writing style is informal and the annotations and formal references used in University papers isn’t required. In fact, your readers will welcome that fact that you can talk to them person to person in your eBook and they will get the message. The research component in this question is more behind the scenes but it’s an important consideration when embarking on writing an eBook.

Is research a dirty word for you or does it excite you?

Question #4

Do you see yourself as a team player?

Success in anything is seldom accomplished without the help of others. One of the most important methods of leverage is working cooperatively with others to accomplish a particular goal. It makes success quicker and easier. It’s all about synergythe concept that one plus one does not equal two but eleven! Working together with your team you can accomplish more and do it faster than trying to do everything yourself.

In eBook authoring there are many opportunities to work with others. In fact, it would be safe to say that it is impossible that anyone could do it alone. Consider these aspects of eBook authoring that may require the assistance of others.

Mentors can make a tremendous difference to your personal success as an author. Mentors can provide the emotional support you require to keep you on task and encourage you to reach your goal. Mentors can help with specific skills that you may be lacking like learning how to more effectively use your word processing software. Mentors can be experienced writers with whom you can share ideas and experiences. Mentors can be ‘experts’ in your topic that provide you with insights you might otherwise have not thought about. And mentors can also be your proof-readers and editors when your draft copy requires ‘outside’ approval and scrutiny.

Technical members of your team may be required to help you design and operate a web site in order to sell your eBook. Technical expertise is often required to compile or ePublish your book from the word processing software to eBook format. Graphic experts can help you design your eBook cover along with other graphics used on your web site or for promotional purposes. Banners on sites and logos for your eBook sales and ad copy many also require outside assistance.

And don’t forget those people who form your inner circle of friends, relatives and immediate family. Without the support and encouragement of these people your eBook authoring experience will become more work than adventure.

The last step of The 10 Steps to eBook Authoring is Celebrate. It’s no accident that this step is included. The celebration is a team celebration. Without a team, you will not succeed. If you are not a team player, you will find the authoring experience a difficult, in not impossible one.

Are you a team player?

Question #5

Is the entrepreneurial spirit alive in YOU?

Whether or not you have previous entrepreneurial experience you will be able to see how the self-employed and small business operators make money. As an author you will become a small business. Your active involvement in all aspects of the process is essential even though you may not be doing some things like compiling your finished eBook. Learning the business of writing, publishing, and marketing your eBook is fascinating.

It doesn’t matter whether you plan to give away your eBook as a bonus for purchasing other products or services or use it to advertise your expertise or sell your eBook as a product, your entrepreneurial skills will need to be addressed. Once more, your attitudes, skills and knowledge will be tested. The learning curve will appear once more. You will become a self-employed author operating a small business just like thousands of other small business owners. Be prepared for this unique adventure. It’s exciting.

Time is your biggest investment in the authoring process. Some money will need to be spent to publish and market your eBook. eBooks can be written, published, marketed and sold for an investment of a few hundred dollars at most. Recouping your expense will be much easier than any other form of publishing - self-publishing, standard publishing through a company contract, or print on demand. Should you choose to sell your eBook you will generate life-long income in the order of 40- 95% of the selling price of each book depending on the methods you choose to reach your customer. In addition, your eBook authoring, related speaking engagements, and workshops qualifies you for tax benefits as a self-employed person. An option always remains open to you to publish your eBook in standard paperback or hard cover format.

eBooks are the “doors of opportunity” for anyone wishing to enhance their current careers, establish themselves as an expert in their field, or begin a new career. Published eBooks put the author in a unique position to build a business around this one eBook or other eBooks related to the first one. Business opportunities are generated by your status as a published author. You will have the opportunity to conduct workshops, host teleseminars, produce other products, provide additional services like consulting or coaching, facilitate training sessions, do keynote addresses and of course write other eBooks. Your eBook can become the center of your new entrepreneurial universe.

Does the entrepreneurial spirit in you lead you to eBook authoring?

There they are! Five questions worth your reflective consideration. Five questions that will help you decide whether you have what it takes to author an eBook.

The decision is yours. Let the journey begin! It all starts with an Idea!

© 2005 Paul Jackson

Paul Jackson, a published eBook author and retired educator, clearly appreciates what it takes to author an eBook. His experience as both a writer and an instructor helping people realize their dream of authoring a book qualifies him to ask these very important questions. His business, eBook Authoring Services, at http://www.ebookwritingandpublishing.com
is a great starting point for aspiring eBook authors.

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If you have dogs, then you have a lot more work to do. If you have a little dog then you will have a much easier time training you dog to be ready for the baby. If you have a big dog like mine, who is clumsy, I had my work cut out for me. You need to try to trick the dog, that you already have a baby. Get a baby doll from the store and walk around with it. If you have some friends with babies, you can get a tape of their baby crying, and let the dog hear in occasionally. That way, he wont freak out when the baby starts to cry. Give the dog a good bath and get his nails clipped and have all of his shots. What ever you can do to make the dog safer for the baby is worth it. Get baby gates around where the baby is going to be to keep the dog out…if that is throated that you want to take. Before the baby is home form the hospital, you should take something that the baby has been using like a cloth or a toll home for the dog. Let him smell it and have it so that he gets used to the smell of the baby. This will let the dog know that baby belongs in his house. Don’t hide the baby format he dog. You keeping the baby away and hidden from the dog, will only make him feel more curious and strange about having the baby at home.

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