Review: How to Sell Simple Information for Fun and Profit by Robert W Bly

I purchased How to Write & Sell Simple Information for Fun and Profit by Robert W. Bly because I'm interested in creating information products for my membership site, and for other purposes. I wanted to discover tips on how to improve the presentation of information to make it more user-friendly. And I also thought that some of my readers might be interested in knowing if such a book is worthwhile reading.

The book has 18 chapters, two appendices, which include further reading, resources documents and forms (Sample query letter, permission letter, copyright form and much more). And it is structured so that you can start anywhere depending on what your needs are. For instance, five of the 18 chapters are titled, Make an Online Fortune Selling E-Books, Recurring Revenues With Membership Sites, Speeches Presentation and Workshops, Training Coaching and Consulting and Managing Your How-To Information Empire.

While reading How to Sell Simple Information for Fun and Profit I often felt like Bly was personally speaking to me and giving me the content I needed to do what I wanted to do. In the past, I have felt frustrated when I purchased a product expecting to learn how to do a certain thing, and was given the "what-to-do" and not the "how-to-do" so I was no further ahead. Bly goes down to the basics, clearly presenting the steps, which I'm sure readers will appreciate. In fiction writing, they often say show and don't tell, How to Sell Simple Information for Fun and Profit demonstrates the "what" and the "how".

Bly provides 10 Topics That Are In Demand for How-To Writers to assist you in choosing what how-to topics to write about that will have a good audience.
Saving or making moneySaving timeSex and relationshipsInvesting and tradingCollecting (Art, stamps, coins and so on)HobbiesMarketingSmall business adviceSelf-helpPets

If you'd like to create information products and are not sure how to choose your niche, here are 10 questions to answer:
What do I like?What am I interested in?What am I good at?What do I have the aptitude for?What is my education?What do I know?What is my experience?What have I accomplished?Which of the above areas afford the least competition?Which of the above areas pay high rates?

After you have answered all 10 questions above, possible niches should become clear to you.

There is a lot of information in the book that I knew already, but it was a great reminder, and I like the idea of having all the information in one place. As a researcher I appreciated Bly's attention to detail, and I particularly liked the pricing information that he included. Now that I have read How to Sell Simple Information for Fun and Profit, I have a new sense of awareness about the scope of information and information products that anyone can create and sell. When I thought of information and information products, it involved the usual suspects like books, webinars, teleseminars, articles, CDs, DVDs, newsletters - I wasn't thinking about consulting.

There is lots of information out there, but you can differentiate yourself from the crowd by picking out the salient points from the information and creating clear actionable steps for the client. That's the way to add value. I read this book from beginning to end because I am reviewing it, but for those who are interested in creating high impact information products whether it be e-Books or webinars, I recommend that you look at the Table of Contents and focus on the types of products that you are interested in creating.

How to Write & Sell Simple Information for Fun and Profit: Your Guide to Writing and Publishing Books, E-Books, Articles, Special Reports, Audio Programs, DVDs, and Other How-To Content by Robert W. Bly is a great book which I recommend, but don't take on too much so that you become overwhelmed. And instead of starting off with new content when creating your first how-to information product, take a look on your computer hard drive to see what information you can repackage and sell.

Avil Beckford, Chief Invisible Mentor, has over 17 years writing, research and analysis experience. If you enjoyed this article, please subscribe to The Invisible Mentor Blog by email or by RSS Feed.

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A Practical, Inspirational, and Innovative Guide to Becoming Successful

The Affluent Entrepreneur by Patrick Snow more than lives up to its title in multiple ways. While "affluent" is generally used to mean "wealthy" in terms of money, Snow expands that title by showing how all aspects of our lives can be affluent when we follow our passions, remain focused upon our families, and use practical steps to create businesses that will provide us with the money, security, and happiness we need to thrive in life. Snow also quotes the Bible to make it clear there is nothing wrong with being prosperous, and we should not let self-limiting beliefs hold us back from making the world a better place-in fact, true Affluent Entrepreneurs not only enjoy their success but share their prosperity with others through giving both time and money and by setting an example of hope for others.

Snow breaks down his book into "20 Proven Principles for Achieving Prosperity" and those principles are definitely proven. There is not a bad principle in the list. Just a few of the principles include "Building Income Security," "Participating in Mastermind Groups," "Getting Your Family's Support," and "Developing a 'No Matter What' Mentality." While many of these principles are basic common sense, or they have been discussed in other books, what is so valuable about The Affluent Entrepreneur is that Patrick Snow is a creative genius when it comes to being an entrepreneur. He takes these principles and provides personal and creative examples of how to use each principle to achieve prosperity and success. I've read many other self-help and business books, but Snow's presentation and stories of how he achieved success often kept me on the edge of my seat and ready to cheer for him, whether he was landing a publishing contract or being hired as a public speaker for a major corporation's annual conference.

An added benefit of The Affluent Entrepreneur is that Patrick Snow does not only tell his story, but he provides in each chapter the profile of another Affluent Entrepreneur who successfully, through hard work, determination, and creativity, not only made millions or even billions of dollars, but also revolutionized his or her industry. Examples range from nineteenth century legends like Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller, to twentieth century legends like Henry Ford and Sam Walton, and to people today living the lives of Affluent Entrepreneurs including Oprah Winfrey, Martha Stewart, Donald Trump, and Ralph Lauren. With the examples of these twenty Affluent Entrepreneurs and Patrick Snow included, any reader will be sure to find the information necessary to achieve all his or her dreams of prosperity-because the Affluent Entrepreneur of the title is, after all, not Patrick Snow but the reader.

Finally, I wish to testify here that I myself have Patrick Snow to thank for leading me down the road to becoming an Affluent Entrepreneur. I first met Patrick Snow in April 2007. After spending just one evening together, we came up with a business plan that resulted in my starting my own business as an independent book reviewer, freelance editor, proofreader, and writer, which ultimately became Superior Book Promotions. Within a month, I was working for myself while still keeping my day job. By January 2009, I had created such a demand for my services that I made the frightening, risky decision to quit my job and work full-time doing the work I love to do and being my own boss.

Since that time, my annual income has more than surpassed what I earned at my day job. I am my own boss, set my own hours, love my work, and best of all, I am helping other people succeed in their dreams to become published authors. I like to think I would have gone down this path regardless, but meeting Patrick Snow kick-started me in the right direction by making me realize it was time I got a return on my investment of hard work and higher education. And it should be noted that I accomplished this goal despite the United States being in its worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

I am a living example that Patrick Snow can teach you how to build a business that is recession-proof because it is your own and your vision is the guiding force behind it. It is not an exaggeration to say that Patrick Snow has been one of the most important influences in my life, and I am confident that multitudes of his readers-many of whom have already learned to follow their dreams from reading his first book, the international bestseller Creating Your Own Destiny-with dedication and the courage to apply the principles he teaches in The Affluent Entrepreneur, are bound to become equally impressive success stories.

The most inspiring and practical business book I've read since The Four-Hour Work Week, Patrick Snow's The Affluent Entrepreneur is filled with stories to make you laugh-and Patrick Snow isn't above laughing at himself-but after the laughter fades, you will be left with shrewd advice that will keep the brains in your head spinning until you succeed in becoming the Affluent Entrepreneur and living the affluent lifestyle you deserve.

Tyler R. Tichelaar holds a Bachelor's and Master's Degree from Northern Michigan University and a Ph.D. from Western Michigan University. His family's long relationship with Upper Michigan and his avid interest in genealogy inspired Dr. Tichelaar to write his Marquette Trilogy: Iron Pioneers, The Queen City, and Superior Heritage. Dr. Tichelaar is also a professional book reviewer and editor. For more information about Tyler R. Tichelaar, his writing, and his author services, visit:

http://www.marquettefiction.com/

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How to Build Wealth Like Warren Buffet by Robert P Miles

If you're familiar with Warren Buffet, then you know he was a self-made millionaire. How to Build Wealth Like Warren Buffet by Robert P. Miles is about getting back to basics. You've most likely heard of how he so gracefully created his own success by investing in stocks and bonds. Everything he did, he did on his own. In this guide, you'll find out how you too can create similar success.

Another thing you may have heard about he is his simple $100.00 investment in 1957. After he made this particular investment, he then grew into the second richest individual on the planet known to man. People are often baffled when they hear about the simplicity of Buffet's methods. How to Build Wealth Like Warren Buffet by Robert P. Miles break down into "A-B-C" format as to how everyone can become a billionaire, simply by following the methods given in the guide.

The investment business is where the wealth is. Most people don't know a thing about investing, much less the type of investor they are. This guide will help you to gain an understanding of what the investment business is, and how you can also obtain your very own piece of the pie.

It talks about how to choose the right type of investments, not just the one's that will help you along over the short-term, but the investments that will continue to give back, over and over again. It also talks about why you should focus on investing your money into Main Street instead of Wall Street. Another item in particular that this guide discusses is how your character can potentially transform every aspect of your life, and how to obtain the type of winning character needed to succeed, just like Warren Buffet.

You'll learn all of the investment strategies practiced by Warren Buffet, as well as find out who his mentors were and how you can learn from them as well. How to Build Wealth Like Warren Buffet by Robert P. Miles talks about how you can break away from following all the current trends while still managing to bring in loads of income through investing.

You might be surprised to find out that this guide discusses that it is better to become an investment owner rather than a trader. With such a low amount of funding, you may not see that as a possibility, especially not at the current moment. However, if you follow the tips and techniques discussed in this guide, you will find out that what seems impossible, is more possible than you think, and even sooner than you imagine.

His strategies are tried and true, old fashioned, and a promised guarantee for your success. How to Build Wealth Like Warren Buffet by Robert P. Miles informs you that it is important to follow the footsteps of a self-made successful investor. By understanding how someone who has never failed went about achieving their own success, you'll come to realize that success is the only possible option.

Please visit The Personal Development Company if you would like to learn more about How to Build Wealth Like Warren Buffet by Robert P. Miles.

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How to Develop Unstoppable Self Belief

Self Belief is the Building Block of True Success

An unshakable self belief plays a big part in being truly successful in business and in life because with self belief comes freedom. When you unconditionally believe in who you are, you become free to begin really appreciating life and all that you already have. You gain the space and energy to create your dreams, and the courage, confidence and commitment to be the kind of persona and leader you want to be. Why... because you KNOW you can. If you have found yourself being self critical or doubting yourself in the past this post will help you to understand how you can avoid it in the future.

How to Develop Unstoppable Self Belief

Lets be honest you can forget everyone else, nothings caused you more misery and got in your way of success more than your own psychology. When you know at your deepest level, beyond doubt that you are a great, capable and loving man worthy of all that you desire in life, in that moment true success is achieved. At least it is as far as I'm concerned, and if you embrace this fully you open up avenues that lead to your dreams so long as you get off your backside and get into action! Yet I know this isn't an easy belief for many to accept as true.

Like everyone else you have flaws, imperfections and things you might not necessarily like about yourself, who doesn't! If you can change them great - do it! Work on them them but if not to then please learn to accept them. Your perceived flaws and imperfections are seen as endearing features of beauty by those who truly matter in your life. Whatever you think you're lacking let me tell you now you're lacking nothing, think yourself lucky for whatever you have because if you don't true success will never be yours. There will always be people who have more experience, knowledge and expertise than you, that's just life! I still have thoughts such as "I am not as good as them", or "I don't know enough yet.." and so on, and sometimes if I listen to that voice inside my head for long enough it can stop me dead in my tracks.

Overcome Self Doubt

If you're like me and I suspect almost everyone in this world, you too have moments of self doubt when personal criticism and thoughts of impossibility enter your mind. Times when unresourceful thoughts and beliefs seem to appear from nowhere. What no one told me is that I didn't have believe them! In the past I accepted them as gospel because they had always there! Beliefs I had picked up from other people, parents and so. The more I believed these thoughts the dreams I had fell by the wayside, and I continued looking for an escape from my own thinking in drink and drugs. Then I discovered something very refreshing - a lot of what I used to think was in fact lies! Lies about myself, my situation, my life, the world, other people and so on. When I questioned their validity, more often that not I found then to be untrue. I discovered the thoughts that had stopped me in my tracks, filled me with sadness, fear and misery were a complete load of rubbish!

Shut the F**k Up!
So if at anytime that voice inside your head wants to bring you down, criticise or chastise you, ignore it, turn down the volume, in fact better still turn it off completely. If what you're hearing isn't creating feelings of love and support ignore it, tell it to be quiet at least for a while! Make friends with that voice because it isn't going anywhere! That voice isn't who you are - you have the power to question it or simply dismiss the ideas it try's to sell you altogether! With continued practice you will begin to easily notice those thoughts which in the past may have stopped you being your best, will become less frequent meaning you are free to fill your mind with thoughts that support your continued success. You see it isn't the thoughts you have that are the problem, it is the thoughts you have about the thoughts that can be!

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A Practical Guide to Starting a Successful Personal History Business

Jennifer Campbell was one of five women profiled in the February, 2011 issue of More magazine as an entrepreneur who started her business for only $150.00. As a collector of women's success stories, I was immediately intrigued and decided to investigate how she had done this. My research was pretty easy because Campbell had written a book about her undertaking called "Start & Run A Personal History Business - Get Paid to Research Family Ancestry and Write Memoirs".

I ordered the book through Amazon and sat back to wait for its arrival. Less than 10 days later, I held her book in my hands.

Campbell explains. " This is a 'hot' profession: a young industry with vast potential for income and growth. When I started Heritage Memoirs in 2002, I just wanted a creative outlet for my interviewing, writing, and editing skills. Through my father's death and my mother's dementia, I had lost my own family stories and thought there could possibly be a business helping other people avoid that loss." (page 2)

And, as her fledgling business grew, it became obvious to Campbell that the next step was to write a how-to book that covered every aspect of start up for a memoir writing business.

An unexpected bonus is the CD-ROM included on the inside back cover of the book that includes additional resources and templates you can download. Think of this book as your own personal workbook. Each page has lots of white space for note taking.

Chapter one lays the foundation by defining what a personal historian is and does and then broadening the scope of the profession by describing the "why" of this business. This chapter, like all of the others, is clearly arranged with sub-topics and bullet points for easy reading.

One of the features of the book that I like is the quiz Campbell includes on page 13. She lists 25 characteristics that she believes someone should have if they are considering becoming a personal historian. Should you come up on the short end of this list, rather than discourage you from moving forward, Campbell suggests that you simply "...start planning to work on those areas you identified as ones in which you need help." (page 13)

Chapters 3 - 5

As I read further, I found myself thinking that Campbell's book should be required reading for everyone who has ever thought about having a home-based business.

Why? Everything that she covers in these three chapters can be easily applied to any new start up business.

Campbell examines what makes for any good business owner. She distinguishes between two personality types: someone who she describes as a "pair of hands" (page 18) versus that dynamic individual who wants to control their professional/financial destiny - an entrepreneurial spirit.

What is it that separates these two types? "It's mainly one of attitude." (page 18) Some of us know this as the difference between being an employee and being an owner. The former are content to go to their job every day, following the directions of someone else. Their job has a beginning and an end to it.

The owner is someone who has a "...vision of what the business could be in a year or two or five, and they accept that they'll have to do a lot of grunt work and learn all aspects of running a business. They tend to be leaders. They have enough confidence in their abilities and their products to patiently but assertively build a clientele, and carve out a lucrative niche for themselves in the marketplace." (page 18)

Knowing which category you fit can go a long way to helping you be successful. There are happy, productive employees and there are happy, productive business owners. Taking time to figure out which category you want to fit into can save a lot of heartache.

Chapters 6 - 16

The day-to-day action steps, to-do lists, and practical applications for how to get started as a personal historian are clearly laid out in the rest of this book. Campbell leaves no stone unturned as she walks you through start up. If you're researching possible business opportunities for yourself and think that helping people to write their memoirs might be something you'd like to do, you will find no better road map for success than this book.

Kathy H Porter (aka Mrs BizWhiz) blogs about baby boomer women seeking to re-invent themselves either personally or professionally. She invites you to visit: http://www.mrsbizwhizconnects.com/ to join the conversation.

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Bestselling Books For Business And Entrepreneurship

David Brooks writes the novel called The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement. In this novel, you will discover ways in which emotions and character are shaped and affected by all of the various factors in life. Brooks merges the scientific facts of the brain and biology with the intersection of social effects in order to perform a kind of map quest into your mind. Reading this book will help you discover the ways in which these things affect how you love others, live, eat, and make the choices that you make, as well as how you interact with others around you. Also, the book will help you figure out ways to form your moral decisions as well as your wisdom and overall character. With this kind of rich understanding, you will be able to have the tools that are essential to starting your own business.

Another book that is great if you are thinking of starting a new business is by Jim Collins who writes a novel called Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...and Others Don't. This is a novel that explores the behaviors of a variety of other companies who made daring moves by embracing a spirit of change. This book is a good one if you are thinking to start a company or if you have already started a business and are at the helm and want to start some changes that will help you make that move that will take your business to a whole other level. You can not only see examples of what to do, but Collins includes tips through examples of businesses that failed, too, so you will have a comprehensive picture of what tactics will work best.

How To Be The Luckiest Person Alive! By James Altucher is another novel that can help you with your business as it focuses on helping you create luck, and figure out how to have the health, the success and the happiness and dreams that you succeed. You will be able to learn techniques and tips that will help you get lucky in the places where it counts, but not in a fashion of disarray, but rather one that will behoove you in your business ventures.

Patrick Lencioni writes The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, is a book that provides useful information that is easy to read and follow by following a story that happened in Silicon Valley and the way it chose an unlikely leader to lead the company. It shows how the unit of staff failed to connect and how the unlikely boss decided to pull everyone together and create a workplace with a special dynamic that helped fuel the success of the team. Finally, Alexander Osterwalder writes Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers, a book that strives to help you abandon old models and embrace new visions that will take your business to new heights and wonderful heights. For books that help you reach your potential and take your business to new heights, you will benefit from these books.

Roberto Sedycias works as an IT consultant for PoloMercantil

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Business Bestsellers Review

The Millionaire Messenger: Make a Difference and Fortune Sharing Your Advice, by Brendon Burchard, is a book that is about how to use your personal life story and experiences to help better your business, and your entire life, as a whole. This book allows you to take a deeper look into yourself so you can discover what it is that you can share with others to use as inspiration. You can use your personal stories and share them to use as advice for others, such as life lessons that you picked up because of the things you've been through. Burchard's main objective is to impact people with a ten step plan that can help make an impact on others as you discover the great value of your life story, as well as realize that you're on this planet to make a difference and that you are really important because of your perspective and unique voice. Also, he mentions that you can get paid for this contribution as you share it with the masses in a lucrative way.

Erik German writes My Father's Dream, a novel about a salesman from a network marketing company who made a pitch to the author's father in the 80s and caused a darkness to fall upon the entire family. The book is told in an investigative style from the perspective of the author who explores this corrupt company that seems to be selling soap but is actually selling something much darker. Particularly focused on exposing the details of the company, Amway, this novel is a mysterious probing look into a situation that affected one man and many others' lives.

The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement, by David Brooks, is an exploration of how our subconscious mind affects the things we do, the things we eat, the people we love, and all of what we are. He studies not what the brain does, but what it all means. How all of the things that our brain is doing should affect the way one raises children or does business or handles relationships, to provide a better understanding of one's self and the people around them.

Jim Collins' book, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don't, is an examination of thousands of companies, searching for which ones made substantial improvements during their rise to power. And then the book seeks to examine what factors helped them make that leap, finding common things among the big companies that succeeded, like Walgreens, Wells Fargo, etc. This is a book that CEOs will find particularly useful.

Finally, William Clement Stone writes The Success System That Never Fails, a book that talks about the various formulas, maps, equations, systems, and techniques that help a person succeed while others continue to fail. And once you follow these techniques it leads you to knowledge, and then you get experience, and then finally, you get inspiration which is all your really need to make a change and a difference. Thus, this book contains immense inspirational material for business building or life improvement.

Roberto Sedycias works as an IT consultant for PoloMercantil

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