July 6, 2025 • 21 mins
We wrap up our three-part series on becoming an author by focusing on the essential tools and technologies that can make your writing journey more efficient and effective. Packed with practical recommendations from recording software to email marketing solutions, this episode gives you the exact tech stack you need to succeed.
• Author Media podcast (authormedia.com) - Longest-running book marketing podcast hosted by Thomas Umstott Jr
• Hindenburg Pro - Professional audio recording software ideal for audiobooks and podcasts
• Filmora 14 - User-friendly video editing tool for creating promotional content
• Buzzsprout - Podcast hosting platform with AI-powered features for distribution
• KingSumo - Platform for running book giveaways to grow your email list
• WordPress - Recommended website platform with extensive plugin options
• KIT - Email system for building and managing your author community
• Genius Link - Creates universal smart links that work across all book selling platforms
Join my email list for updates on my upcoming book, "The Plus One Theory," plus early access for pre-orders. While you're there, check out the Book of the Month giveaway and catch up on the Piney Woods short stories.
Be a Guest on The Plus One Theory Podcast!
Are you someone who believes in the power of kindness, resilience, and intentional growth? Do you have a story about how small, meaningful steps have made a difference in your life or career?
I’d love to invite you to share your journey on The Plus One Theory Podcast!
This podcast is all about exploring how we can apply the Plus One Theory to create ripples of positivity and purpose in our personal and professional lives. I’m especially excited to feature guests who work in heart-centered careers—nurses, teachers, counselors, nonprofit leaders, caregivers, or anyone who dedicates their energy to helping others.
Your story could inspire listeners who are navigating their own challenges and looking for ways to take that next small step forward. Whether you’ve used kindness to overcome adversity, found strength in vulnerability, or applied intentional action to make an impact in your community, I want to hear from you!
Interested? Here’s How to Reach Out:
- Email me with a brief introduction about yourself and your story.
- Let me know how the Plus One Theory has played a role in your life or career.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Hey friends, welcome back to the Plus One Theory
Podcast.
I'm your host, pam Dwyer, andtoday, well, it's the big one.
First because we've made it to30 episodes and thank you all
for being a part of it, andsecondly, because today wraps up
our three-part series.
(00:33):
So Ya Wanna Be an Author?
If you haven't listened to thefirst two parts yet, I would go
back and check them out.
They'll give you the heart andthe mindset work behind writing
a book.
Today we're diving into thetools and the tech that make it
all possible.
Plus, I'm sharing a fewpowerful stories about why your
(00:56):
voice matters and howstorytelling can change lives.
But before we jump in, I want togive you a quick disclaimer and
introduce something I call theplus one theory.
The plus one theory is simple.
You don't have to have it allfigured out.
You just have to be one stepahead of where you were
(01:18):
yesterday, or one step ahead ofthe person you are helping.
That's it.
You bring what you've got, youshare what you've learned and
you keep showing up.
That's how we grow.
That's how we make a difference.
Now from the disclaimer.
I'm not a tech guru and I'm notclaiming these tools are the
(01:40):
only way to go.
I'm just sharing what hasworked for me and what I've
tried, what I've learned andwhat I believe can help you if
you're on this journey tobecoming an author.
So let's talk tools, let's talkstorytelling and let's talk
about becoming the kind ofwriter and human who moves
(02:01):
people.
Just so you know, before wetalk about these tools, for each
one that I discuss today, justknow that I probably tried 10
more different types of the sametool and a lot of trial and
error, learning the hard way,sort of thing, and then I ended
(02:23):
up here, so maybe I can save yousome time and trouble.
So the first thing is you needto educate yourself.
Right and the best way.
I've listened to so manypodcasts, you know just trying
to educate myself and becomewiser about speaking, writing,
you know, and all that, evenentrepreneurship I mean my
(02:44):
business.
I still have my business, tpkkconcepts, so I'm always willing
to learn.
But the best of the bestpodcasts that I've ever ever
found and I still listen toevery single day, I won't dare
miss an episode.
It's called authormediacom andThomas Umstott Jr hosts the
(03:05):
longest running book marketingpodcast in the world.
His episodes have taught memore than some high ticket
coaching programs and, yes, Iinvested in those too.
If you want to know how topublish well, market smart and
make impact well, market smartand make impact, you need to
(03:29):
start there.
Because, number one, hispodcasts are free.
He does have paid programs thatgo deeper, but, man, he's just
a plethora of knowledge, thisguy, and he's such a genuine
caring soul so you can tell hereally cares about the success
of people that want to sharetheir story.
So I would highly adviselistening to author media and
(03:51):
you can find all the podcastsand other information, his
website and social medias.
He's got a great YouTubechannel, so listen to him for a
while and you can even go backand check out all the other
episodes you know, especiallyfocused on topics you're wanting
to know about, because heprobably has about 10 episodes
(04:11):
on each topic.
But he's really sweet and he'sreally very knowledgeable.
Number two I am first of allworking on an audible of my book
from the Piney Woods andeveryone kept telling me Pam,
it's so easy to record anaudible and then you just upload
(04:32):
it to Amazon.
Well, I've learned my lessonwith my book right.
I wrote my story, did not haveit professionally edited or
anything, and I simply uploadedit to Amazon and it was easy to
do.
But that doesn't mean that mybook was ready to upload.
It was awful.
So I ended up, you know, payingan editor and a publisher to
(04:56):
have it done right.
Because guess what, if you havea badly edited book published,
they're not going to hear yourstory.
They're not going to hear yourstory, they're just going to see
all the oopsies.
And so, after I had it editedand republished it as a second
(05:17):
edition.
So anyone looking for my bookFrom the Piney Woods by PJ
Hamilton, make sure it sayssecond edition, because the
other one is still rowing aroundout there in cyberspace.
I can't get rid of it, darn, itCan't hide my boo-boo.
But if you want the correctversion, I would definitely look
(05:39):
for second edition.
Or you can just go topamdwirespeakercom and click on
the link.
It's a lot easier.
So, anyway, I'm working on theaudible, the recording of my
book, and I have software that Iuse for my podcasting and stuff
.
But it wasn't the quality thatI thought it needed to be, and
(06:02):
so listening to author media ornovel marketing.
He called it before.
He recommended Hindenburg Pro,and so I went online.
He recommended Hindenburg Proand so I went online, I looked
at it and it looked fairlysimple to use.
So I went ahead and tried thefree trial and guess what?
Amazing.
I would highly recommend it.
(06:24):
Even if you're just doing apodcast recording or you work
with video audio.
It's amazing and it's easy touse and it's great Hindenburg
Pro, and that's what I use toedit this podcast actually.
So it is.
I think it's made forstorytellers, okay, thirdly, all
(06:45):
right, so Filmora 14, this ismy video tool.
I use it for promos, clips,socials, anything visual, and
it's easy, fast and it gets thejob done and it's so
user-friendly.
So even if you don't know whatyou're doing, you can play
around with it.
But they have online tutorials,people.
You just watch those tutorialsand you'll be an expert in no
(07:08):
time and you'll have amazinglooking videos.
Okay, number four is, uh, is thetool that I use for my podcast,
for publishing it actually, andit's called buzz sprout,
buzzsproutcom.
And oh and just in case folks,I'm going to have all of these
listed in the show notes, so asa link so you can click on them.
(07:30):
It'll be easier, so I don'thave to worry about spelling it
out for you.
You don't have to say.
What did she say?
Anyway, buzzsprout it allowsyou to upload recorded audio.
It doesn't do video visual, itjust does the audio piece and so
you upload it, and it even hasall these cool tools that you
(07:52):
can pay a little extra for, butit does all the editing and it
gives you a summarized notes, itmakes all your chapter notes,
it does it all, folks, and it'sall ai driven.
Yes, so you should check thatout.
And it also just it splattersit out to the world, to to all
the different platforms.
(08:14):
Next, number five Okay, this isthe coolest thing I found out
recently and this is what powersmy book of the month giveaway.
Because, folks, first of all,my biggest advice to you as an
author would be to grow thatemail list.
So, everything you do for yourbook, you should be collecting
(08:36):
email addresses, because that'syour lifeline, that's how you're
going to communicate with yourreaders and grow a community,
grow a tribe.
So I need to collect emailaddresses.
So how do I do that?
Well, you have to offer someonesomething before they'll give
it up, because, let's face it,none of us like to give our
(08:59):
email address, because we don'twant one more piece of spam in
our box right.
So, anyway, I have a book of themonth giveaway and I use a
program.
It's called King Sumo and it'sso cool.
It does everything for you.
You just have to put the bookand the link and then it does
the rest for you.
And what you do is you put thelink out there for people to
(09:21):
click on it and enter.
So they have to give you theirname and their email address to
enter the contest, the giveawayfor the free book.
So every month I have a bookgiveaway, the giveaway for the
free book.
So every month I have a bookgiveaway.
And it also allows me to do asecond thing, because the next
and most important thing as anauthor is for you to network,
(09:42):
for you to meet and befriend.
I mean just be friends withother people that think like you
, and that is other authors.
I've met so many and they'reamazing people.
I'm so thankful that they're inmy life.
But we can help each other out,and that's what we need to do.
And so the book that I feature,I try to reach out to the
(10:03):
author and say, hey, you knowI'm going to be showing off your
book for the whole month, sowhy don't you share this link on
your network, so they know thatit helps me grow my list and
they're very thankful for memarketing their book.
It's a twofer you get twothings for the act of one.
And what are those?
(10:26):
Let me just remind you, I'mgoing to be the teacher now, so
it allows you to grow your emaillist, which is very important,
and then it also helps otherauthors market their books.
Okay, so, number six I don'tknow a lot of you may not know
what I did in a previous life,but I used to be a web designer,
(10:48):
believe it or not, and so I doknow a little bit more about
this topic than you know justthe average person that doesn't
know how to do web design, andso I've used a lot of different
platforms.
But WordPress is by far the wayto go, and I'm going to tell
you, from a techie point of view, is that there's these plugins
(11:09):
that allows you to do specificthings on your website and as an
author, if you haven't, youneed to have an author website.
It's important, it representsvery well and it can be like the
landing spot for all the thingsthat you're doing.
If you have a website and it'sdone by WordPress, then you can
(11:29):
use all these great plugins.
Well, I, in one of my coachingescapades, they provided a free
website for your speakingbusiness and they would only do
it through Wix.
And I thought, well, I've neverworked with Wix before, so I'll
(11:49):
, and they're going to designand create it.
And so I let them do it.
And so now my author website isis actually on a Wix platform,
and I've never been more unhappyin my life.
My suggestion is to always, ifyou get a website designed, make
sure it's done in WordPress.
You'll be happy that you did,and so will the designer.
(12:09):
All right.
Number seven is KIT K-I-T.
If you go to kitcom, you willsee that this is an email system
.
It's smooth, it's powerful andit's totally worth it, because
guess what?
You're going to collect allthese email addresses.
Where are they going to live?
(12:31):
They have to live in some formof database, right, that you can
easily reference, where youjust click a button to email all
of them at one time, becauseyou're building your tribe, your
community, and so you're goingto be emailing them regularly.
And it also makes sure thatyour subscriber is opting in.
(12:53):
It's very important.
If they don't opt in, it'sgoing to get spammed.
It doesn't like it at allbecause there's a lot of
compliance laws and things thatwe have to abide by, and it gets
more strict every year because,well, all those spammers out
there are taking advantage.
But anyway, there's ways aroundthat and that is how you do it
(13:15):
Go to kitcom, set up youraccount and then invite everyone
you can, using a link, to joinyour email list.
All right, number eight and thisis the final one, is called
Genius Link.
It's the most incredible thing.
It's the most incredible thing.
You can paste your Amazon booklink into the program and then
(13:36):
it gives you a smart, universallink, one that works everywhere
your book is sold.
I mean, it goes out there andit searches, it finds all the
places that your book is forsale and then it will, you know,
attach that to the one link.
So whenever you are trying tosell your book online, you put
the Genius link in and whenpeople click on it, it pulls out
(13:59):
all their options, because,guess what people Not everybody
shops Amazon.
Some people shop at Barnes andNoble, some people shop at
Target or Walmart, you know, toget their books or their e-books
.
So, anyway, it lists all theavailable outlets for your book,
which is smart.
You can sell more books thatway.
So now I'm going to share alittle story with you.
(14:23):
So last week I was able to meetwith one of my friends and I
haven't seen her in a while.
So we planned ahead andscheduled a cookie decorating
class.
And the woman running it well,she was amazing.
She helped everyone, evennon-artistic people like me make
(14:44):
these beautiful cookies for the4th of July.
Well, actually it wasn't the4th of July, it was more like
the watermelon dump in Luling,texas.
You can look that up, google it.
So anyway, we were makingreally cute cookies shaped like
watermelons and sunglasses andsummer sandals, the sun, all
those things.
But we had to decorate it withicing.
(15:06):
My friend and I took this classand we were trying our best to
make straight lines with thepiping of the icing and it was
hard.
You don't think about how hardthat is.
They didn't just look great,they tasted amazing.
And the lady told us that ifyou see little black specks in
(15:26):
the icing that's because I usereal vanilla beans.
It was such a small detail, butit said everything about her
care and her craft.
And then, after the class, Iheard her story.
She learned.
She started baking cookies, ofcourse, with her family, and
loved it, and it just carried onfrom there.
(15:46):
She was very passionate aboutit and loved it.
So she started building abusiness and everything she does
she gives back throughnonprofits, you know, and to her
community.
And that's when I knew that herstory belonged on the Plus One
Theory podcast, because not ineverything she does she adds an
(16:09):
additional step.
So she doesn't just bakecookies and sell them, she has a
class to teach other people howto decorate cookies.
She reaches out and helps thecommunity and nonprofits and she
just it just goes on and on.
I loved her story.
I invited her as a guest andshe said yes.
So hopefully that will be soon.
(16:29):
I think you all will reallylove her story.
So, remember, everyone has astory and part of being an
author is learning how to see it, hear it and help others tell
it.
Also, this past Tuesday I gavemy second talk for the Seeger
Circle Support Group and it wentso well.
(16:50):
Why?
Because well, I've been doingthe work.
Every day.
I am practicing how to speak,how to write, how to communicate
in a way that people can feel.
That's the foundation of mymessage Doing one small,
intentional step, additionalstep, each and every day to
(17:13):
improve on what I'm passionateabout.
So let's talk about that, whatI'm passionate about.
I guess the slogan of a businessthat I used to have and that
did not survive was inspire,motivate, educate.
And it wasn't just a tagline,it was my why, why I do what I
(17:37):
do.
So, back when I worked withsmall business clients, I
noticed something they allstarted with passion, but as the
weight of the daily operationspiled up, the energy fades, you
know, and the reality of owninga business sets in, when I would
(17:57):
meet with them, we would talkabout website design because
that's why I was meeting withthem and marketing, but by the
end of every meeting I would endup giving them a pep talk,
reminding them why they startedin the first place, reminding
them that their team reflectedtheir energy.
I realized that's where Ialways landed lifting people up.
(18:22):
Now I get to do it throughwriting and speaking.
But let me be real.
Passion isn't enough.
You have to educate yourself,invest in growth, and for me,
lived experience has been thebest teacher of all.
So everything I do this podcast,my writing, the giveaways comes
(18:47):
from the heart.
Every Tuesday, I post a newstory in my series.
Every Tuesday, I post a newstory in my series, stories from
the Heart of the Piney Woods.
These are personal, powerfuland filled with the kind of
truth that sticks with you.
Here's what I'd love for you todo.
Number one join my email list.
(19:07):
You'll get updates on myupcoming book, the Plus One
Theory, plus early access forpre-orders.
And while you're there, checkout the Book of the Month
giveaway and catch up on thePiney Woods short stories.
And if this episode helped you,share it.
Post it, tag me, send it tosomeone who needs a nudge.
(19:29):
That is the best fuel in theworld for me, and my creativity
is to get input from you, tohear from you how my stories are
making an impact in your life,how this podcast affects you.
Are you enjoying it?
Does it help you?
Have you shared it with yourfriends?
I just I want to get to knowyou, and so the only way we can
(19:53):
do that is if we respond backand forth.
Yes, and I do.
I respond to each and everyemail or text that I receive.
I make sure that I make apersonal connection with you,
one-on-one.
Let me leave you with this whenmy son, kyle, was in second
grade.
His teacher asked the class howdo we learn?
(20:17):
And Kyle raised his hand and hesaid by messing up.
His teacher was so impressedshe told me congratulations,
that's a powerful lesson toteach your child.
And she was right.
We don't learn by being perfect.
We learn by trying, failing,fixing and growing.
(20:42):
You know messing up.
Next week we'll go even deeperinto that truth with a new
episode called we Learn byMessing Up.
I'll be telling the story of myfirst ever company called
Empower Plus One, and I built itand then I stumbled and then I
(21:03):
learned the hard way.
You know what happens when youdon't educate yourself and learn
how to thrive and remember yourwhy.
So until then, keep writing,keep showing up.
You just need one more small,intentional step.
Hey friends, welcome back to the Plus One Theory
Podcast.
I'm your host, pam Dwyer, andtoday, well, it's the big one.
First because we've made it to30 episodes and thank you all
for being a part of it, andsecondly, because today wraps up
our three-part series.
(00:33):
So Ya Wanna Be an Author?
If you haven't listened to thefirst two parts yet, I would go
back and check them out.
They'll give you the heart andthe mindset work behind writing
a book.
Today we're diving into thetools and the tech that make it
all possible.
Plus, I'm sharing a fewpowerful stories about why your
(00:56):
voice matters and howstorytelling can change lives.
But before we jump in, I want togive you a quick disclaimer and
introduce something I call theplus one theory.
The plus one theory is simple.
You don't have to have it allfigured out.
You just have to be one stepahead of where you were
(01:18):
yesterday, or one step ahead ofthe person you are helping.
That's it.
You bring what you've got, youshare what you've learned and
you keep showing up.
That's how we grow.
That's how we make a difference.
Now from the disclaimer.
I'm not a tech guru and I'm notclaiming these tools are the
(01:40):
only way to go.
I'm just sharing what hasworked for me and what I've
tried, what I've learned andwhat I believe can help you if
you're on this journey tobecoming an author.
So let's talk tools, let's talkstorytelling and let's talk
about becoming the kind ofwriter and human who moves
(02:01):
people.
Just so you know, before wetalk about these tools, for each
one that I discuss today, justknow that I probably tried 10
more different types of the sametool and a lot of trial and
error, learning the hard way,sort of thing, and then I ended
(02:23):
up here, so maybe I can save yousome time and trouble.
So the first thing is you needto educate yourself.
Right and the best way.
I've listened to so manypodcasts, you know just trying
to educate myself and becomewiser about speaking, writing,
you know, and all that, evenentrepreneurship I mean my
(02:44):
business.
I still have my business, tpkkconcepts, so I'm always willing
to learn.
But the best of the bestpodcasts that I've ever ever
found and I still listen toevery single day, I won't dare
miss an episode.
It's called authormediacom andThomas Umstott Jr hosts the
(03:05):
longest running book marketingpodcast in the world.
His episodes have taught memore than some high ticket
coaching programs and, yes, Iinvested in those too.
If you want to know how topublish well, market smart and
make impact well, market smartand make impact, you need to
(03:29):
start there.
Because, number one, hispodcasts are free.
He does have paid programs thatgo deeper, but, man, he's just
a plethora of knowledge, thisguy, and he's such a genuine
caring soul so you can tell hereally cares about the success
of people that want to sharetheir story.
So I would highly adviselistening to author media and
(03:51):
you can find all the podcastsand other information, his
website and social medias.
He's got a great YouTubechannel, so listen to him for a
while and you can even go backand check out all the other
episodes you know, especiallyfocused on topics you're wanting
to know about, because heprobably has about 10 episodes
(04:11):
on each topic.
But he's really sweet and he'sreally very knowledgeable.
Number two I am first of allworking on an audible of my book
from the Piney Woods andeveryone kept telling me Pam,
it's so easy to record anaudible and then you just upload
(04:32):
it to Amazon.
Well, I've learned my lessonwith my book right.
I wrote my story, did not haveit professionally edited or
anything, and I simply uploadedit to Amazon and it was easy to
do.
But that doesn't mean that mybook was ready to upload.
It was awful.
So I ended up, you know, payingan editor and a publisher to
(04:56):
have it done right.
Because guess what, if you havea badly edited book published,
they're not going to hear yourstory.
They're not going to hear yourstory, they're just going to see
all the oopsies.
And so, after I had it editedand republished it as a second
(05:17):
edition.
So anyone looking for my bookFrom the Piney Woods by PJ
Hamilton, make sure it sayssecond edition, because the
other one is still rowing aroundout there in cyberspace.
I can't get rid of it, darn, itCan't hide my boo-boo.
But if you want the correctversion, I would definitely look
(05:39):
for second edition.
Or you can just go topamdwirespeakercom and click on
the link.
It's a lot easier.
So, anyway, I'm working on theaudible, the recording of my
book, and I have software that Iuse for my podcasting and stuff
.
But it wasn't the quality thatI thought it needed to be, and
(06:02):
so listening to author media ornovel marketing.
He called it before.
He recommended Hindenburg Pro,and so I went online.
He recommended Hindenburg Proand so I went online, I looked
at it and it looked fairlysimple to use.
So I went ahead and tried thefree trial and guess what?
Amazing.
I would highly recommend it.
(06:24):
Even if you're just doing apodcast recording or you work
with video audio.
It's amazing and it's easy touse and it's great Hindenburg
Pro, and that's what I use toedit this podcast actually.
So it is.
I think it's made forstorytellers, okay, thirdly, all
(06:45):
right, so Filmora 14, this ismy video tool.
I use it for promos, clips,socials, anything visual, and
it's easy, fast and it gets thejob done and it's so
user-friendly.
So even if you don't know whatyou're doing, you can play
around with it.
But they have online tutorials,people.
You just watch those tutorialsand you'll be an expert in no
(07:08):
time and you'll have amazinglooking videos.
Okay, number four is, uh, is thetool that I use for my podcast,
for publishing it actually, andit's called buzz sprout,
buzzsproutcom.
And oh and just in case folks,I'm going to have all of these
listed in the show notes, so asa link so you can click on them.
(07:30):
It'll be easier, so I don'thave to worry about spelling it
out for you.
You don't have to say.
What did she say?
Anyway, buzzsprout it allowsyou to upload recorded audio.
It doesn't do video visual, itjust does the audio piece and so
you upload it, and it even hasall these cool tools that you
(07:52):
can pay a little extra for, butit does all the editing and it
gives you a summarized notes, itmakes all your chapter notes,
it does it all, folks, and it'sall ai driven.
Yes, so you should check thatout.
And it also just it splattersit out to the world, to to all
the different platforms.
(08:14):
Next, number five Okay, this isthe coolest thing I found out
recently and this is what powersmy book of the month giveaway.
Because, folks, first of all,my biggest advice to you as an
author would be to grow thatemail list.
So, everything you do for yourbook, you should be collecting
(08:36):
email addresses, because that'syour lifeline, that's how you're
going to communicate with yourreaders and grow a community,
grow a tribe.
So I need to collect emailaddresses.
So how do I do that?
Well, you have to offer someonesomething before they'll give
it up, because, let's face it,none of us like to give our
(08:59):
email address, because we don'twant one more piece of spam in
our box right.
So, anyway, I have a book of themonth giveaway and I use a
program.
It's called King Sumo and it'sso cool.
It does everything for you.
You just have to put the bookand the link and then it does
the rest for you.
And what you do is you put thelink out there for people to
(09:21):
click on it and enter.
So they have to give you theirname and their email address to
enter the contest, the giveawayfor the free book.
So every month I have a bookgiveaway, the giveaway for the
free book.
So every month I have a bookgiveaway.
And it also allows me to do asecond thing, because the next
and most important thing as anauthor is for you to network,
(09:42):
for you to meet and befriend.
I mean just be friends withother people that think like you
, and that is other authors.
I've met so many and they'reamazing people.
I'm so thankful that they're inmy life.
But we can help each other out,and that's what we need to do.
And so the book that I feature,I try to reach out to the
(10:03):
author and say, hey, you knowI'm going to be showing off your
book for the whole month, sowhy don't you share this link on
your network, so they know thatit helps me grow my list and
they're very thankful for memarketing their book.
It's a twofer you get twothings for the act of one.
And what are those?
(10:26):
Let me just remind you, I'mgoing to be the teacher now, so
it allows you to grow your emaillist, which is very important,
and then it also helps otherauthors market their books.
Okay, so, number six I don'tknow a lot of you may not know
what I did in a previous life,but I used to be a web designer,
(10:48):
believe it or not, and so I doknow a little bit more about
this topic than you know justthe average person that doesn't
know how to do web design, andso I've used a lot of different
platforms.
But WordPress is by far the wayto go, and I'm going to tell
you, from a techie point of view, is that there's these plugins
(11:09):
that allows you to do specificthings on your website and as an
author, if you haven't, youneed to have an author website.
It's important, it representsvery well and it can be like the
landing spot for all the thingsthat you're doing.
If you have a website and it'sdone by WordPress, then you can
(11:29):
use all these great plugins.
Well, I, in one of my coachingescapades, they provided a free
website for your speakingbusiness and they would only do
it through Wix.
And I thought, well, I've neverworked with Wix before, so I'll
(11:49):
, and they're going to designand create it.
And so I let them do it.
And so now my author website isis actually on a Wix platform,
and I've never been more unhappyin my life.
My suggestion is to always, ifyou get a website designed, make
sure it's done in WordPress.
You'll be happy that you did,and so will the designer.
(12:09):
All right.
Number seven is KIT K-I-T.
If you go to kitcom, you willsee that this is an email system
.
It's smooth, it's powerful andit's totally worth it, because
guess what?
You're going to collect allthese email addresses.
Where are they going to live?
(12:31):
They have to live in some formof database, right, that you can
easily reference, where youjust click a button to email all
of them at one time, becauseyou're building your tribe, your
community, and so you're goingto be emailing them regularly.
And it also makes sure thatyour subscriber is opting in.
(12:53):
It's very important.
If they don't opt in, it'sgoing to get spammed.
It doesn't like it at allbecause there's a lot of
compliance laws and things thatwe have to abide by, and it gets
more strict every year because,well, all those spammers out
there are taking advantage.
But anyway, there's ways aroundthat and that is how you do it
(13:15):
Go to kitcom, set up youraccount and then invite everyone
you can, using a link, to joinyour email list.
All right, number eight and thisis the final one, is called
Genius Link.
It's the most incredible thing.
It's the most incredible thing.
You can paste your Amazon booklink into the program and then
(13:36):
it gives you a smart, universallink, one that works everywhere
your book is sold.
I mean, it goes out there andit searches, it finds all the
places that your book is forsale and then it will, you know,
attach that to the one link.
So whenever you are trying tosell your book online, you put
the Genius link in and whenpeople click on it, it pulls out
(13:59):
all their options, because,guess what people Not everybody
shops Amazon.
Some people shop at Barnes andNoble, some people shop at
Target or Walmart, you know, toget their books or their e-books
.
So, anyway, it lists all theavailable outlets for your book,
which is smart.
You can sell more books thatway.
So now I'm going to share alittle story with you.
(14:23):
So last week I was able to meetwith one of my friends and I
haven't seen her in a while.
So we planned ahead andscheduled a cookie decorating
class.
And the woman running it well,she was amazing.
She helped everyone, evennon-artistic people like me make
(14:44):
these beautiful cookies for the4th of July.
Well, actually it wasn't the4th of July, it was more like
the watermelon dump in Luling,texas.
You can look that up, google it.
So anyway, we were makingreally cute cookies shaped like
watermelons and sunglasses andsummer sandals, the sun, all
those things.
But we had to decorate it withicing.
(15:06):
My friend and I took this classand we were trying our best to
make straight lines with thepiping of the icing and it was
hard.
You don't think about how hardthat is.
They didn't just look great,they tasted amazing.
And the lady told us that ifyou see little black specks in
(15:26):
the icing that's because I usereal vanilla beans.
It was such a small detail, butit said everything about her
care and her craft.
And then, after the class, Iheard her story.
She learned.
She started baking cookies, ofcourse, with her family, and
loved it, and it just carried onfrom there.
(15:46):
She was very passionate aboutit and loved it.
So she started building abusiness and everything she does
she gives back throughnonprofits, you know, and to her
community.
And that's when I knew that herstory belonged on the Plus One
Theory podcast, because not ineverything she does she adds an
(16:09):
additional step.
So she doesn't just bakecookies and sell them, she has a
class to teach other people howto decorate cookies.
She reaches out and helps thecommunity and nonprofits and she
just it just goes on and on.
I loved her story.
I invited her as a guest andshe said yes.
So hopefully that will be soon.
(16:29):
I think you all will reallylove her story.
So, remember, everyone has astory and part of being an
author is learning how to see it, hear it and help others tell
it.
Also, this past Tuesday I gavemy second talk for the Seeger
Circle Support Group and it wentso well.
(16:50):
Why?
Because well, I've been doingthe work.
Every day.
I am practicing how to speak,how to write, how to communicate
in a way that people can feel.
That's the foundation of mymessage Doing one small,
intentional step, additionalstep, each and every day to
(17:13):
improve on what I'm passionateabout.
So let's talk about that, whatI'm passionate about.
I guess the slogan of a businessthat I used to have and that
did not survive was inspire,motivate, educate.
And it wasn't just a tagline,it was my why, why I do what I
(17:37):
do.
So, back when I worked withsmall business clients, I
noticed something they allstarted with passion, but as the
weight of the daily operationspiled up, the energy fades, you
know, and the reality of owninga business sets in, when I would
(17:57):
meet with them, we would talkabout website design because
that's why I was meeting withthem and marketing, but by the
end of every meeting I would endup giving them a pep talk,
reminding them why they startedin the first place, reminding
them that their team reflectedtheir energy.
I realized that's where Ialways landed lifting people up.
(18:22):
Now I get to do it throughwriting and speaking.
But let me be real.
Passion isn't enough.
You have to educate yourself,invest in growth, and for me,
lived experience has been thebest teacher of all.
So everything I do this podcast,my writing, the giveaways comes
(18:47):
from the heart.
Every Tuesday, I post a newstory in my series.
Every Tuesday, I post a newstory in my series, stories from
the Heart of the Piney Woods.
These are personal, powerfuland filled with the kind of
truth that sticks with you.
Here's what I'd love for you todo.
Number one join my email list.
(19:07):
You'll get updates on myupcoming book, the Plus One
Theory, plus early access forpre-orders.
And while you're there, checkout the Book of the Month
giveaway and catch up on thePiney Woods short stories.
And if this episode helped you,share it.
Post it, tag me, send it tosomeone who needs a nudge.
(19:29):
That is the best fuel in theworld for me, and my creativity
is to get input from you, tohear from you how my stories are
making an impact in your life,how this podcast affects you.
Are you enjoying it?
Does it help you?
Have you shared it with yourfriends?
I just I want to get to knowyou, and so the only way we can
(19:53):
do that is if we respond backand forth.
Yes, and I do.
I respond to each and everyemail or text that I receive.
I make sure that I make apersonal connection with you,
one-on-one.
Let me leave you with this whenmy son, kyle, was in second
grade.
His teacher asked the class howdo we learn?
(20:17):
And Kyle raised his hand and hesaid by messing up.
His teacher was so impressedshe told me congratulations,
that's a powerful lesson toteach your child.
And she was right.
We don't learn by being perfect.
We learn by trying, failing,fixing and growing.
(20:42):
You know messing up.
Next week we'll go even deeperinto that truth with a new
episode called we Learn byMessing Up.
I'll be telling the story of myfirst ever company called
Empower Plus One, and I built itand then I stumbled and then I
(21:03):
learned the hard way.
You know what happens when youdon't educate yourself and learn
how to thrive and remember yourwhy.
So until then, keep writing,keep showing up.
You just need one more small,intentional step.
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