Author: WaelBadawy
Submitting Your Manuscript: Getting Started
I am often asked “Do you know of a publisher who would be interested in my book?” There’s no easy way to answer this question. You see, according to the PMA Newsletter, there are over 86,000 publishers in existence (https://parapub.com/statistics). It would be impossible to know what each one is looking for at any given time. However you do know that you’re not going to submit your manuscript or book proposal to 86,000 publishers. It would be a waste of your time and money. To improve your chances in the submission process, you have to do your homework. Here are a few tips so your research will be most effective:
Publishing Houses: Get the Facts
Can you submit your manuscript to more than one place at a time? Depends on where you’re sending it. Unfortunately, each publishing house has its own set of rules for reviewing a manuscript that will have multiple submissions. You have to find out what those rules are. You can check out the 2006 Writer’s Market, published by Writer’s Digest. It’s an excellent source for publisher’s guidelines. So is the website, Literary Marketplace.
While reviewing these resources you should also note what kind of material the company publishes and what kinds of manuscripts and proposals they would like to see. Another way to get more specific information on this topic is to go to your local bookstore and look at books similar to yours. Note the publisher as well as the agent and editor who handled the book (they’re usually mentioned in the acknowledgments). Granted, a publisher might turn your manuscript down if they feel they’ve “been there, done that”, but on the other hand if the company has had success with the subject matter they may be scouring the landscape to find more of the same!
Looking for an Agent
Your research may tell you that the publishers who seem right for you don’t accept unsolicited manuscripts. That means you’ll need an agent so you’ll have to start your submission process with literary agencies. If that’s the case, the 2006 Guide to Literary Agents is a great place to begin your search. Writer’s Digest publishes this hefty tome listing more than 600 non-fee charging agents.
All of the agents listed in the guide adhere to the ethical guides established by the Association of Author’s Representatives (AAR). Members of AAR are forbidden from charging fees. So in one book you get the security of knowing the agent you’re dealing with is on the level, plus you get a full understanding of what material the agent represents. That means you won’t be sending your manuscript out on a fruitless–and costly mission.
Manuscript Mechanics
Don’t get too caught up in the specifics of what your manuscript should look like. Your research will tell you if the agent or publisher wants your manuscript a certain way, but for the most part as long as it’s double-spaced and printed with a clear, easy-to-read 12-point font such as Courier or Arial you should be fine. Put your name, book title and page numbers on each page and–this is key–don’t staple anything. Leaving the pages loose make it easy for the recipient to make copies. This is necessary because usually more than one person will be reading your work.
One note: These days more and more agencies and publishing houses are accepting electronic submissions. Find out if this is the case for your targets. You can save yourself some money and a trip to the post office!
The Entrepreneurial Mindset
Banish all fear. I know that’s easier said than done, but look at it this way. If writing is something you really want to do, then manuscript submissions will become a regular part of your life. You don’t want to go through your days and nights in a constant state of submission angst! It makes me feel tired just to think of what that would be like!
Instead put yourself in the mindset of being a writer and a businessperson. Your writing is your product. You will put out the best product possible. Know that the bulk of your rejections will have nothing to do with the quality of your product so don’t take it personally. You move on to the next prospect with the same positive attitude that the next one may be the right one. Know that writing is part of your work. Being afraid isn’t.
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Will I make money online?
This is the number one question people ask when they are looking for profits on the internet. Will I make money online? 95% of the people who start to look for ways to make money online fail eventually. The classic story is – start looking for information then a flood of misleading information hits you and you drown. You will try this then try that but fail at all of them and soon you will quit. Just to find yourself in that old crumpy day job you wanted to run away from to begin with. Today I will try to stop this and do a little mind arranging and show you one door to success.
I am not intending to prattle here and waist your time, lets get directly to the point. Making money online is actually based on one simple very basic formula:
Find a hungry crowd-> Find what they want -> Give it to them
Thatís it there you have it, in a nut shell the whole internet marketing big philosophy purified in one short sentence.
OK, you think to yourself this is real nice but how do I manage all this? I will give you one way, among endless ways, to your success today. But before that you must remember the most important thing in internet marketing: What ever it is you choose to do, keep doing it and doing it and doing it. Do not jump from one program to another program, failing them all. Choose one path and keep moving forward, for this is the only way you will ever, manage to make money online.
Now letís break the formula into few basic steps you can start performing today.
Find a hungry crowed
You must find what people are searching for to be able to supply it. This is the ìWhat should I sell online?î question everyone asks. Technically you can use search engines and find popular search terms ñ but remember to look for something people want but not too popular. Another way is using any free keyword suggestion tool, simply look for these exact words, to find what people are looking for online.
Find what they want
Now you now what people are looking for but what will you give them? Letís say that you have found that people are looking for solution to some medical problem, you can give them information on how to solve their problem or products: pills, instruments, etc.
One more sample: if they are looking for ways to keep their dog from barking, give them a book which tells them exactly how they should train their dog. Finding what they want is all about finding specific solution to a certain problem.
Give it to them
Now you think: I have to look for what people need, find out what can solve their problem and then give it to them. But how will I find it? I donít have it at home, or at my car. Should I start create solutions? Writing a book? Build a real sophisticated machine? No you donít!!! This part is actually taken care for you, along with the entire customer handling.
The answer is Affiliates programs. They are free to join. And you will find almost any thing you can think of. They take care of creating, shipping, and customer support for you. All you need is to bring home the hungry crowd in because dinner is already served!
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10 steps must do, to start your business
Starting a business is exciting—but also demanding. This how to start a business guide addresses some of the most common startup steps to ensure that your company is ready for success.
Prepare a business plan and materials
1. An important first step is preparing a business plan to define your business, products and services, and outline your goals, operating procedures and competition. If your company needs funding from a traditional loan or venture capitalists, a business plan will be required. Make sure your plan includes a marketing approach, so people are aware of what you’re selling and how to find you.
2. Create a business logo, cards and stationery. These items establish your company’s identity and help potential customers find and remember you.
Meet legal requirements
3. Of course, incorporating your business or forming a company with a province or state is important because it protects your personal assets from business debts and liabilities. Other benefits of forming a corporation are tax advantages and greater credibility with customers, vendors and business partners.
4. Select an accountant and attorney. Many small business owners seek advice from accountants and attorneys. As you search for an accountant and attorney, get referrals from friends or family, and look for professionals who have worked with other small business owners or companies in your specific industry.
5. Get necessary tax identification numbers, licenses and permits. A federal tax registration is required for corporations that will have employees. Also keep in mind that most businesses need licenses and/or permits to operate—in your city, municipality, county and/or state.
6. Insure your business and investigate other requirements. Some industries have specific insurance requirements. Discuss your needs with your insurance agent to get the right type and amount of insurance. Remember to look into any other government tax and insurance requirements that might apply to your business, particularly if you have employees. For example:
Unemployment insurance
Workers’ compensation
Federal tax
Self-employment tax
Payroll tax requirements
Sales and use tax
Prepare yourself financially
7. It is crucial to separate business finances from personal ones, so open a business bank account. Most banks require company details, such as formation date, business type, and owner names and addresses. If your business is not incorporated, most banks will require a DBA (doing business as or fictitious business name). Contact your bank about requirements prior to opening an account.
8. Arrange your business accounting and apply for loans. You may want to use an accountant, or handle finances yourself with a small business accounting solution. Either way, properly account for all business disbursements, payments received, invoices, accounts receivable/accounts payable, etc. And if you don’t have enough capital to start a business, this is also the time to seek funding from banks or through Small Business Administration (SBA) loan programs.
9. Establish a business line of credit. This will help reduce the number of times your company prepays for purchased products and services. It also helps establish a strong credit history, which is helpful for vendor and supplier relationships. Getting a Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) DUNS (or D-U-N-S) number for your business is advisable, as it is often used to check business creditworthiness.
10. Ready your workspace. For home-based businesses, ensure you are meeting city zoning requirements for your area. For non home-based businesses, you’ll likely need to lease office space. Don’t forget to purchase or lease furniture and office equipment to get your business up and running.
Seven Secrets of Writing a Book That Sells
Ensuring the success of a book is something even the biggest publishers have never been able to guarantee. Mitigating circumstances, flash trends, and world events will all affect buyer preferences. That said, there are still ways to leverage the sales-factor in your favor and here’s how you do it.
It’s one thing to write a book, it’s an entirely different thing to write one that’s a saleable, viable, marketable product. Ensuring the success of a book is something even the biggest publishers have never been able to guarantee. Mitigating circumstances, flash trends, and world events will all affect buyer preferences. That said, there are still ways to leverage the sales-factor in your favor and here’s how you do it.
1. Know your readers. We’re not just talking about whether your readers are male or female. You’ll want to know myriad factors about your audience. How old are your readers (age range)? Are readers married, single, or divorced? Where do your readers live (generally)? What do your readers do for a living? What other books/publications do they read? Develop a profile that includes where they shop, what clubs they belong to, etc.
These elements will help you incorporate these aspects into your book *and* help you unearth salient marketing opportunities (i.e., publications and stores).
2. Know your market. What’s the market like for your book? Is there a trend out there you’re positioning yourself toward? Are you reading all the publications related to this topic/trend? Are there any “holes” out there your book could fill? What’s the future for this market/topic? For example, let’s say you’re a fiction writer looking to publish chick lit. Go to any bookstore and you can’t help but spot the cutsie, pink, cartoonish covers. Many thought this trend was dying out, but it has recently seen another surge. What do you know about trends related to your book/topic/audience?
3. Similar books. What else has been published on your topic? Have you read all ten books in your category? If you haven’t, you should. You’ll want to know everything you can about what’s out there and how it’s being perceived in the marketplace. It’s never a problem having a similar topic. When I published No More Rejections – Get Published Today, I knew there were other books out there on marketing. I read them all–then angled my book differently.
4. Getting and staying current. What’s going on in your industry today? What are some hot buttons? What are people looking for? What’s next on the horizon for this topic/audience? If you can’t seem to gather this information through traditional channels, why not survey your target audience? There are a number of places to run free surveys, Survey Monkey is one of them: https://www.surveymonkey.com
5. Follow the media. What’s the media talking about these days? Keep track of media buzz–what they’re paying attention to and what they’re writing about. Delve beyond the front page of your paper to the second or third page and see what’s filling the pages. If you can get your hands on out-of-state papers, do a comparative review. Do you see a trend in coverage? Is there something that seems to be getting more buzz even if it’s on page six?
6. Talk, teach, listen. One of the best ways I’ve found to get in touch with my audience was to teach a class and do speaking engagements. When I was putting together my book, Get Published Today, I found that the classes I taught provided valuable information for creating a great book because they put me directly in touch with my audience!
7. Timing is everything. When do you plan to release your tome? Are you releasing around a holiday or anniversary? Could you take advantage of any upcoming event and/or holiday for your book launch?
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Simple Steps Lead To Successful Books
Like most first time authors, I figured that once the word was out that I’d written a book, the world would beat a path to my door wanting to buy it. I’ll admit I gave little thought to marketing until the day my first printing of Handbook To A Happier Life was delivered. In a panic, I called a published author I knew and asked, “What do I do now?” She suggested several books about book marketing, which I bought immediately. I was on my way.
Success in book selling is a three step process: 1. Write the book. 2. Print the book. 3. Sell the book. That last one can be bit tricky:-)
Space does not permit me to go into all the details of my process or to list the many people who helped, however, there are a couple of very important points I learned early on which made all the difference.
The most important thing I learned was to identify my reader. As much as I hated to admit it, not everyone would buy my book. My early feedback told me entrepreneurs, network marketers and salespeople were buying my book. I began to ask myself focused questions as to how I could best reach these people. I set goals. After all, if you don’t have a goal, how will you know when you’ve succeeded? I took specific actions daily. That’s important. Consistent action will make all the difference.
There were days when I was ready to give up but I kept taking action. I refused to give up. Another important point. Never, never, never give up! One day, a door opened. I had located a distributor who was selling to the market I wanted to reach. They reviewed “Handbook To A Happier Life” and it was put on a recommended reading list. It went into eight printings with almost 100,000 copies sold and was translated into several languages, and then sold to a big publisher. I knew all along that once people saw this book, they would want to read it.
I firmly believe most books will sell once you have taken the time to clearly define your market, set your goals and commit to taking daily action. And more action – keeping in mind that there are many places you can sell books besides bookstores. Go for it!
The Best Business Card You Ever Had
“Keep in mind Jim, this is a great business card.” That was my first lesson as a new author and it has served me well over the years. On a lark, I sent 20 copies of my new book to the presidents of several big direct sales companies. The result was a glowing testimonial from the president of one of the companies, along with an order for 250 books. Was it worth the cost of giving away the 20? You bet it was! I like to think of giving away books as planting seeds. You never know which ones will spout or when.
Many professional speakers and coaches willingly give away their $12 paperback book (with a cost of a $2-$4) and attract clients and bookings worth thousands of dollars from it. Others obtain high priced consulting contracts using the book as a door opener.
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Publicity From Thirty Thousand Feet
Sketching out your marketing campaign will also give you a chance to see what’s been leveraging you results and what hasn’t. Keep in mind that some things like bulk sales and national media might take longer than other items so you’ll want to keep putting forth effort toward those long-term goals.
We all know that marketing a book is a process. But sometimes the process takes longer than we’d anticipated. That’s why it’s nice every now and again to hop aboard the publicity jet and get a look-see at what you’ve been doing from the thirty-thousand foot level. Why? Well, first off this birds-eye view will reveal to you areas you might be overlooking or other options for marketing you hadn’t considered.
To accomplish this bird-eye view you’ll want to get yourself a big white board, or something else big enough to chart your flight plan on. Then, once you’ve gotten that start charting the course you’ve taken so far. Don’t leave a single thing out; it doesn’t matter what it is. What you want to end up with is a serious list of everything you’ve done from the time you held your first proof book in your hands.
One of the things this type of a project will do is give you a new perspective on what you’re doing. It will show you areas that you’ve possibly been spending too much time on or potential holes in your campaign. Sketching out your marketing campaign will also give you a chance to see what’s been leveraging you results and what hasn’t. Keep in mind that some things like bulk sales and national media might take longer than other items so you’ll want to keep putting forth effort toward those long-term goals. But let’s say you’ve been spending tons of time doing radio but nothing really seems to be happening in that area. You then look over to your speaking engagement section and realize you haven’t done a lot with that recently. Perhaps it’s time to pull back on radio and start pushing speaking events.
Once you’ve spent a good long time in this birds-eye view mode, start developing a to-do list of items or add to an existing list to help reinvigorate your campaign. One of the many things you’ll learn from doing this thirty-thousand foot perspective is that we often become myopic in our campaigns, focusing too hard in one area and not hard enough in another. Stepping back from your work will allow you the breathing room you need to regroup and reset your goals. Then you can focus in on particular areas or tasks that might need a boost. ‘
It’s been said that a plane flying from Hawaii to Los Angeles is always off by three percent. If left to fly without any adjustments to the course, however slight, the plane would land up in Seattle instead (a difference of almost 1,200 miles!). But through corrections and readjustments the pilot eventually reaches his destination. As you pilot your own campaign, remember: don’t leave your marketing on autopilot. Realign, readjust, and refocus and eventually you too will reach your destination, wherever that might be.
Happy flying!
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Build in Canada Innovation Program (BCIP) – 55% success rate in testing innovation
Government of Canada committed to supporting innovation in Canada’s business sector by launching the Canadian Innovation Commercialization Program (CICP) as a pilot program. Budget 2012 committed to make the pilot program permanent and add a military procurement component. The permanent program is known as the Build in Canada Innovation Program (BCIP).
Build in Canada Innovation Program (BCIP) helps companies bridge the pre-commercialization gap by procuring and testing late stage innovative goods and services within the federal government before taking them to market by:
- Awarding contracts to entrepreneurs with pre-commercial innovations through an open, transparent, competitive and fair procurement process.
- Testing and providing feedback to these entrepreneurs on the performance of their goods or services.
- Providing innovators with the opportunity to enter the marketplace with a successful application of their new goods and services.
- Providing information on how to do business with the Government of Canada.
The BCIP targets innovations in the following priority areas:
Standard Component
Environment
Safety and security
Health
Enabling technologies
Military Component
Command & Support
Cyber-Security
Protecting the Soldier
Arctic and Maritime Security
In-Service Support
Training Systems
The BCIP is managed by Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC), and implemented by the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises (OSME). OSME advocates on behalf of small and medium enterprises in federal procurement. The government also organizes and/or participates in regional events and trade shows (see Event Calendar) so that Canadian businesses can showcase their innovative concepts to federal representatives.
Five Call for Proposals were published, the first was on 2010-10-05 and closed on 2010-11-16; and the fifth was published on 2014-06-19 and closed on 2014-09-17.
Out of these process over fife years the following reported 55% innovations has been tested. as of the reported information of August 11, 2015.
the details is as follows:
120 Project Awarded
87 Technologies available for testing
17 bid expired
6 has been withdrawn
for the list of the projects visit this page on buyandsell.gc.ca
if you like to discuss this post shout me an email. badawy@badawy.ca
One Author's Solution For Publishing Creative Writing Output
It has never been easy to have your creative writing output accepted by traditional publishing houses.
Witness these famous masters of fiction who were all obliged to take the route of shelling out hard cash to have their debut novels printed.
Alexandre Dumas
D.H. Lawrence
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Rice Burroughs
George Bernard Shaw
Gertrude Stein
James Joyce
John Grisham
Mark Twain
Mary Baker Eddy
Rudyard Kipling
Stephen Crane
Upton Sinclair
Virginia Woolf
Walt Whitman
William Blake
Zane Grey
John Grisham, incidentally, sold copies of his first novel A Time to Kill out of the boot of a car which at the outset was his sole ‘vehicle’ for distributionÖ
And it is getting tougher all the time ñ even for established authors.
It can be doubly frustrating when youíve written something that you are desperate to see in print; something you want other people to read.
There is always recourse to the expensive vanity publishing houses but I wouldnít take that route come what may.
Would you?
Imagine my surprise then when I stumbled across the perfect solution for publishing creative output that you cannot place elsewhere.
I have a string of traditionally published titles currently selling in bookstores world wide but I have an almost equal string that I have never been able to get into print.
That is until now
The little known but highly reputable POD (print on demand) source I have discovered requires an initial membership fee that covers UNLIMITED titles – perfect bound with ISBN and free shipping to customers
In a nutshell: Instead of requiring you to place an initial order for 10 to 100 books, this innovative publisher provides the first copy of your book free of charge and then prints-on-demand and ships when they receive subsequent orders from you and your customers.
This website featured in the resource box below is well worth a visit especially if you are still struggling to get your first book into print. You could have your own personal library up and running in next to no time.
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Search Engine Optimization And Why You need It
The web is a cut throat business. You have to arm yourself with the proper know-how and the tools to make your site a cut above the rest. Each day, more and more sites are clambering to optimize their rankings in websites and if you lose your guard, you may just get trampled on and be left in the abyss filled with so many failed e-commerce sites.
Search Engine Optimization or SEO is a term widely used today by many websites. For the past few years and the next ten years or so, search engines would be the most widely used internet tool to find the sites that they need to go to or the product or information they need.
Most people that use search engines use only the ten top search results in the first page. Making it to the first page, more so to the top three is a barometer of a sites success in search engine optimization. You will get a higher ratio of probability in being clicked on when you rank high. The more traffic for your site, the more business you rake in.
But, it is essential to grab a hold of that spot or make your ranking even better. As I aforementioned, each day is a new day for all e-commerce sites to make them selves rank higher using search engine optimization. It is imperative to make your site better and better everyday.
So just what is search engine optimization and do you have to use it? The answer to why you have to use it is an easy one. You need search engine optimization to be number one, or maybe at least make your site income generating.
With search engine optimization you can get the benefit of generating a high traffic volume. Letís just say you get only a turn out of successful sales with 10 to 20 percent of your traffic. If you get a hundred hits or more a day, you get a good turn out of sales already. If you get only twenty to ten hits a day, you only get one or two if not any at all.
So once again, what is search engine optimization? Search engine optimization is utilizing tools and methods in making your site top ranking in the results of search engines. Getting yourself in the first page and better yet in the top half of the page will ensure that your site will generate public awareness of your siteís existence and subsequently generate more traffic, traffic that could lead to potential income and business.
Search engine optimization requires a lot of work to be fully realized. There are many aspects you have to change in your site or add as well to get search engine optimization. These will include getting lots of information about the keyword phrases that are popular in regards to your sites niche or theme.
You may also need to rewrite your sites contents so that you could get the right keyword phrases in your site without making it too commercial but light and informative. There are certain rules and guidelines to be followed with making your siteís content applicable and conducive to search engine optimization.
You will also need to collaborate with many other sites so that you could get link exchanges and page transfers. The more inbound and outbound traffics generated by sites among others are one of the components search engines uses to rank sites.
Try to search the internet for many useful help. Tips, guidelines and methods for search engine optimization are plenty to be found. Read many articles that can help you optimize your site in search engine results. The more knowledge and information you gather the better. This will all help you in getting those high rankings. This may require a little time and effort in your part but the benefits will be astounding.
If you can part with some money, there are many sites in the internet that can help you in search engine optimization. There are many sites that help in tracking keyword phrases that can help your site. There are also some content writers that have lots of experience in making good keyword laden content for your sites that have good quality.
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