Do It Myself Blog – Glenda Watson Hyatt

One key to making the 4-Hour Workday a success is to efficiently use the tools that I choose to use, and, surprisingly, that includes Amazon. Unless an author has a humongous following, simply uploading a book to Amazon means that it will most definitely be lost amidst the millions of other titles vying for book lovers’ attention and money.

The good news is that authors can do much to increase the likelihood their books will be found. This is particularly good news for indie authors who are working with a thinly worn shoestring budget.

Thanks to Michelle Vandepas’ Amazon Bootcamp and other research that I have done over the last couple of months, I have discovered easy-to-implement tips and tricks to increase my Amazon exposure and ranking, and, subsequently, book sales. In fact, the last several weeks have been been the best yet since uploading my autobiography I’ll Do It Myself to Amazon in December 2010. I won’t mislead you by saying sales are staggering; they aren’t, yet. But, I am awaiting a royalty cheque; my second in two years. Woohoo!

However, in learning how to use Amazon efficiently, I have discovered that one boundless energetic resource is glaringly overlooked in these strategies, and that is the raving, cheering book readers who would do almost anything to promote their favourite books. Amazon book readers play a crucial role in the success of a book, if only they knew how to cheer effectively.

For this reason I am excited to release Become a Raving, Cheering Book Lover: A Guide to Sharing Your Favourite Amazon Books (PDF). This guide offers 7 easy-to-implement ways (with simple and clear instructions) you can use to share your latest read with others.

The guide is absolutely free. (No email address, personal measurements or first born required!)

Please share freely among your fellow authors, book lovers and book clubs.

Happy reading and happy sharing!

Sometimes we, bloggers, break free from scheduled posts and have silly fun with memes – posts that spread throughout the blogosphere. Today, I am excited to participate in “The Next Big Thing: Authors Tagging Authors!"

I was kindly tagged by Wendy Naarup, author of Wake Up! Traveling from Good Enough to Great. As I wrote in my Amazon review, :Wake Up! is Wendy’s incredible story of overcoming adversity and becoming the happy, successful person she was meant to be. I cried, laughed and cheered. If you are living on auto-pilot, grab your Kleenex and be prepared to be awakened.“

I’m happy to keep this going by answering the following questions about my book I’ll Do It Myself – available for half price on the Amazon Kindle until Tuesday morning – and then tagging five more authors to do the same.

What is the working title of your book? My book title is I’ll Do It Myself, which reflects my independent nature. I’ve recently added the subtitle “Cerebral Palsy Can’t Stop Me” to the Kindle edition to give my book a slightly better chance of being found amidst the millions of books available on Amazon.

Where did the idea come from for the book? I dreamt of writing this book, my autobiography, since I was around the age of ten. Egotistical? Perhaps. I saw it more as part of my legacy, as my way of passing on the lessons I’ve learned in hopes of making someone else’s life a little easier, as my way of showing that having cerebral palsy is not a death sentence, but rather a life sentence.

What genre does your book fall under? My book is an autobiography, a memoir, for those who are looking for an inspiring read.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? Definitely Julia Roberts! Her bubbly energy and love for fun is perfect.

Now, I am pleased to tag the following five authors who I am privileged to call friends:

• Karen Putz, author of Barefoot Water Skiing, From Weekend Warrior to Competitor
• Marti Lawrence, author of River of Possibilities
• Suzie Cheel, author of Emergings: A Meditation on the Emotions of Change
• Michelle Vandepas, author of Two Empty Bedrooms, One Woman’s Journey of Frustration, Hope and Joy Through Foster Parenting and Adoption
• Becky McCray, co-author of Small Town Rules

Happy reading!

In a society where a cell phone is obsolete in six months (if you are lucky), anything that survives into the fifth year is definitely worthy of being declared a tradition!

Thanks to you – my family, friends and loyal readers- this blog now officially has a tradition of giving to individuals in desperate need. Since 2008, when that little voice inside of my head distinctly said, “Feed 100 people!” we have fed 330 people a warm Christmas dinner through the Union Gospel Mission (UGM). Your generosity is overwhelming and heart-warming. Thank you.

Why the UGM? On Darrell’s and mine wedding day, Mom and my brother Kevin packaged up the leftover food and delivered it to the Union Gospel Mission. Since then, the UGM has held a special place in my heart.

Can we do it again this year?

The UGM is once again offering a hot meal for $3.29 during their Christmas campaign. Together, let’s feed Christmas dinner to 100 individuals in need of hope and show them they are still valued members of our community.

Would you join me, please? Click the orange ChipIn button below to give whatever feels right for you at this time. This ChipIn widget expires on Sunday, December 9th. I will forward the total amount to the UGM the following day.

Thank you and best wishes to you!

Reflecting on yesterday’s post Communication Devices: An Communication Equivalent, But An Equal?, I realized how it doesn’t portray my complete SOBCon experience.

Despite a moment or two of conversation ineptness, the last SOBCon was actually the best one for me, personally; largely because of my communication equivalent: my iPad.

Because of my iPad and because of some confidence accumulated over previous experiences, I participated in the Mastermind sessions – in both contributing and receiving – like never before.

Because of my communication equivalent, I was able to carry on several conversations during the informal times of the weekend.

Because of my chosen communication device, I was able to share my one main takeaway with the entire group – something that was not quite as possible merely two and a half years ago. Before my iPad, I likely would have passed on that opportunity and the pass would likely have been accepted by the group. This time around, my participation was expected and my method of contribution was accepted because I was surrounded by people who would not let me fail. The significance of that milestone was not lost as I held back a high-water moment.

Perhaps it isn’t a matter of whether or not communication equality exists, but rather what does equality look like in a particular social interaction, in a particular moment.

If equality existed, perhaps we would not experience the diverse richness in social interactions.

What are your thoughts? Share in the comment section below.

To keep up with my adventures, musings and insights, be sure to subscribe to DoItMyselfBlog.com.

Earlier this week I had the privilege of previewing one chapter from Kel Smith’s upcoming book Digital Outcasts: Moving Technology Forward Without Leaving People Behind, which addresses key trends in technology and their relevance to forgotten populations.

The entire chapter is refreshingly insightful, but one sentence in particular jumped out at me:

Achieving equivalency with technology is not necessarily the same as achieving equality, when interacting with others in social situations.

Thank you, Kel! You obviously get it.

Many people don’t. They seem to think: here’s the device, you can communicate and everything is all fixed now.

It’s not that simple; using a communication device during face-to-face communication, especially in a group situation, adds another layer of complexity. When an individual needs to tap out a response on a device while the conversation continues around her means the time-delayed response appears disjointed, even inappropriate, in the flow of the conversation. Her contribution might not have the same impact, value or meaning as it would have had she been able to interject verbally.

One-on-one can be a little more equal because, with the back and forth nature of the conversation, it is easier for one person to wait for response than for a group to pause the conversation while a response is prepared.

But, there are times when even one-on-one interactions are difficult. Take this one example: while attending SOBCon in Portland a couple of months ago, one fellow kindly came over to introduce himself. We knew each other from online and I had seen him at other events, but we hadn’t yet introduced ourselves, until now. As he stood there in front of me, my iPad at the ready, I knew I should say something intelligent, to ask him something, to hold up my side of the conversation. I mentally ran through a list of possible questions I could ask him: No, he is probably tired of talking about that. No, that is lame. No, that probably isn’t any of my business. Nope, I’ve got nothing. After a few awkward moments, he made his leave. I felt like a total dolt.

My iPad was on and ready, like it had been all morning. I had the ability to communicate. I had enough communication skills to know I had to take a role, a responsibility, in keeping the  conversation going. I even had a few possible questions in mind. But I lacked the confidence to ask one of them. I lacked the confidence because, really, I haven’t had that much experience carrying on a two-way conversation with someone not well-versed in Glenda-ish. I have had my iPad for only 2.5 years now; having the ability to converse with those beyond who understand my unique dialect is still new to me and I am still learning. And, that is hard to admit at the age of 46; an age when carrying on an intelligent conversation shouldn’t require so much conscious effort.

The iPad affords me a communication equivalent, but, because of the nuances of verbal communication (and the temporary lack of experience), I don’t feel my tapped responses are as equal as verbal ones – in some situations.

I look forward to reading Kel’s entire book. Digital Outcasts can be pre-ordered from the Elsevier Store.