The buzz word in publishing houses and at writer's conferences these days is platform. As in, What is the author' s platform?
With more than 175,000 new titles published each year, publishers want to sign authors who are capable of helping to sell their book. The platform may be that the author is a widely syndicated columnist, is the internationally acclaimed expert in his field, or is a highly sought-after motivational speaker. Or perhaps the author is a New York City television news anchor. These types of platforms make a publisher's mouth water. But what about authors who aren t widely known or acclaimed? How does the ordinary guy build a credible platform? The answer: the Internet. Today you can build an international platform right from your kitchen table even if your kitchen table is in Manhattan . . . Kansas.

Are you ready to Own Your Niche?Manipulative sales tactics, long sales letters with big and bold headlines, and spammy emails aren't the only way to get visibility and capture sales online. Own Your Niche brings authenticity back to internet marketing, teaching you how to showcase your business with practical, easy-to-use strategies that you can implement yourself.You will learn how to: --Identify and connect with your target audience--Turn up the traffic generation on your website--Build an effective blog--Get results with social media-in less than an hour per day--Distribute content that demonstrates your authority in your field--Create email marketing campaigns that build loyalty--Handle your own PR and get media to come to you--Add online revenue streams to your business--Generate exposure with proven offline methods including professional speaking, direct mail campaigns, and publishingAlso included are interviews with successful service-based business owners who share how they have built their audiences and created successful enterprises. If internet marketing sounds intimidating to you, or you've gotten started but need more guidance, this book can remove the fear and give you the solutions you need to achieve your goals. Stephanie Chandler is the author of several books including LEAP 101 Ways to Grow Your Business, From Entrepreneur to Infopreneur: Make Money with Books, eBooks and Information Products, and LEAP 101 Ways to Grow Your Business. Stephanie decided early on to avoid internet marketing tactics that didn't pass her internal "gut test" and despite her refusal to comply with the masses, she has built several successful businesses, is a frequent speaker at business events and on the radio, and has been featured in Entrepreneur Magazine, Wired magazine, BusinessWeek, and many others. She is currently a blogger for Forbes and can be reached via www.StephanieChandler.com, www.BusinessInfoGuide.com, www.AuthorityPublishing.com, or @bizauthor on Twitter.

If you have ever considered opening a used bookstore, here is your chance to learn from someone who knows first-hand what it takes. In 2003 Stephanie Chandler left behind a career in the Silicon Valley and opened a 2800-square foot bookstore in Sacramento, California. Along the way she documented her processes, noting what worked and didnt work, and compiled the results into this comprehensive, real-world guide that explains what it takes to start and run a successful used bookstore. Features in this workbook include: WORKSHEETS: Budget planning, evaluating competition, forecasting, and more BUSINESS BASICS: What you need to get started INVENTORY: Twelve sources for acquiring used books SUPPLIERS: Library supplies, printed goods, retail supplies and more SHOP SET-UP: Store layout, book categories, bookseller software and tools OPERATIONS PROCEDURES: Trade policies, overstock, and a sample operations manual MARKETING: Low-cost and no-cost tactics for maximum exposure WEBSITE: Steps for setting up a website and selling books online RESOURCES: Dozens of useful website links BUSINESS PLAN: Sample business plan (actual plan used by the author) Chandler doesnt sugar-coat her experiences. Instead, she offers realistic and practical information that can save you countless hours in research and planning, while preventing you from making costly mistakes. This is an essential guide for anyone who is serious about starting and running a bookstore. Reader feedback from the first edition: "I just wanted to say thank you. I used your book to set up my used book store and we celebrated our one year anniversary on August 1st. I couldn't have done it without your book. Many thanks - Lou Grantt, www.hidesertbookoasis.com "Thank you SO much for this great book find My sister and I are planning to open a new and used bookstore within the next few months, and I thought we had thought of everything already, yet I found very valuable information in your book. You have really given great website resources and information to think about and consider... I just wanted you to know that I am one happy customer and can't thank you enough for having taken the time to actually put all your thoughts onto paper to help people like me " - Janet Long "Starting any business can be terrifying, especially if you have never done it before. You wish you had someone to tell you the ins and outs of the overall business world and someone else to tell you the specifics of your field of interest. Thankfully for us, Stephanie Chandler is both. In developing our used bookstore, her wealth of hard earned wisdom, experience and passion are invaluable to us. While you can't avoid every mistake, her book comes as close as possible to helping you do just that] Her material is well worth the money, time and energy. Trust me, without it, you'll needlessly waste far more of all three." - Jamie Arpin-Ricci, founder of The Dusty Cover