Blog | Jay Magpantay

Alcohol banned for the New Year?

Last call for email-list building training.

Crafted in Bangkok with love for my fellow hustler. Last updated: XYZ.

It was 3pm yesterday when the news started spreading like stampeding wildabeasts through the Pride Lands…

“Starting midnight, the Thai government is banning all alcohol sales until the end of the month.”

“Wait… WHAT!?”

“Yeah. I guess they’re banning alcohol so people don’t go crazy during Songkran.”

Okay, a little context…

Every April, Thailand celebrates Songkran (Thai New Year) with a 3-day water fight…

And it’s super funsies!

Remember that childhood water fight you had at the park?

The one where you pegged Little Johnny with a water balloon with pinpoint accuracy… Then he started crying because he didn’t wanna get wet? (Get off the grass then Johnny).

Well…It’s like that but multiplied by a million…

That’s what Songkran is.

The country-wide supersoakers, the wet parties, and the Waterworld reeanactment goes on *day and night* for 3 WHOLE DAYS!!!

It’s as awesome as it sounds.

But it’s also a recipe for germ-sharing and rapid-spreading of corona (the virus, not the beer).

That’s when the Thai government stepped in to discourage new year lunacy by banning alcohol.

Makes sense, I guess?

But here’s the part where it got a little loco:

Since there was no warning…

Since everyone had 7 hours to horde as much alcohol as they could until the end of the month…

A massive rush of people flooded the stores to stock up on their favorite potions.

Can you imagine it?

It’s 3pm on Thursday… New Year starts tomorrow… Everyone’s stressed about this corona madness… Then outta nowhere, the news says “You have until midnight to get all the alcohol you need for a month.”

Most people would drop everything to stock up, right?

And that’s what happened.

Long lines, crowded stores, empty aisles.

All triggered because of a last-minute ban without warning.

That’s the reason for this email.

Last week I mentioned I’ll be hosting a free training on how to build your email list.

We’ll build out your assets: landing pages, opt-in forms, and most importantly, an email sequence that turns passer-byers into loyal fans & dedicated clients…

I won’t dig into the deets because you should know by now if need this…

Just know that out of all the marketing I do for my business:

I’D SAY 80% PERCENT OF MY REVENUE COMES FROM EMAIL.

Roll around in that for a moment.

So don’t rush my inbox like an alcoholic begging for the bar to re-open.

You’ve got enough time to get in so if you want my personal help to build out an asset that you absolutely need anyway, reply and let me know…

We start Monday, April 13th, 6pm PACIFIC time.

Until then, drink responsibly.

Jay “Fully Stocked” Magpantay

Author of the books, Live Free & Retire Young and The Write Way To Sell

P.S.

This training is centered around writing persuasive emails more than actual list-building (you’ll learn how to get subscribers for free but that’s not the focus).

P.S.S.

There won’t be a lot of people on this training as most people have their email lists *somewhat* started already. So it’ll be a nice, chill, relax session where if I have time… I’ll dig in and help as many people as I can personally.

April 3, 2020April 13, 2020

Is Everything In Slow-Motion? + FREE OFFER

FREE COURSE

GOALS

Is everything in slow-motion? + FREE OFFER

3:36 min read

Free 5-Day Coaching To Build Your Email List

Crafted in Bangkok with love for my fellow hustler. This is NOT an evergreen offer.

It was like day 600 of quarantine (aka: Day 3) when I thought:

“Let’s. Get. Bizaaaay!”

I was gonna build a new email onboarding sequence, superfly the copy on my website, and give birth to an irresistible man bod (one that didn’t have love handles)…

Wanna know what happened?

Instead of Stone-Cold-stunning my to to-do-list…

The wretched bastard just got bigger!

Does anyone else feel like the world is in slow-motion?

With all the new time that magically appeared on my fitbit, I’ve had time to analyze the assets I have online.

This includes the stuff you see: websites, graphics, social media.

And a steamy pizza buffet of stuff you don’t see:

Process Building
Email + Sales Page
Copywriting
Chimpanzee Training
Content Planning
Things-to-add-to-a-bullet-list Listing

Anywhoo.

So I’m looking through these assets, some of them a few years old, and I’m thinking…

“Wow. This stuff sucks!”

Okay, maybe I’m my harshest critic…

But it’s kinda like that song you loved where you realize you only liked it because your ex always played it.

And now that you guys broke up, you feel like swallowing a grenade anytime you hear it.

Yeah.

Like that.

My style & delivery is like night and day compared to how I used to be so my old stuff is cringey…

But here’s how my “cringey assets” help you…

Right now, nobody can join my list because I scraped my all my landing pages and opt-in forms.

When I reopen, I want my new subscribers to know what I do (and the snazzy way I do it)… While so move them from “just browsing” to “ready to bribe me with a burrito if I take them as a client.”

I’ll be re-writing my email onboarding sequence and since I thought you might wanna do that too AND since we’re all stuck at home, I thought…

“Why not do it together?”

Jus’ thinking out loud…

If you have a business and want to use the internet to grow it
If you know email marketing is the cornerstone for any online strategy
If you want to start building your email list
If you don’t have a website but want one
If your landing pages aren’t converting
If you aren’t strong on writing copy but can’t afford a copywriter

Then I’m down to help you… FOR FREE.

Starting next week or the week after, we’ll work together for 5 days and when we’re done, you’ll have your BARE MINIMUM assets fully-built where all you need to do is add your own flavor.

By the time we’re done, you’ll have:

A oh-so-pretty website (if you don’t have one already)
A high-converting landing page (if you already do)
And a email onboarding sequence that turns new leads into ready-to-enroll clients in 5 days or less

This is completely free by the way.

I’m not asking you to pay me anything.

I’m doing this because:

I’m gonna do it for myself anyway
I could use your results as a testimonial
I’m gonna sell these trainings as a bonus in the future.

Got it?

If you’re interested, hit reply and tell me you’re in.

If you’re not interested but think you might know someone who might be, forward them this email and let’s all use our time wisely.

This is the ONLY time I’m doing this so let’s try and get as many people onboard as possible.

Lez GO!

Jay “Cringe-Worthy” Magpantay

Author of the books, Live Free & Retire Young and The Write Way To Sell

P.S.

If you want to join a FREE 5-day email list building course where we’ll build your first email sequence together…

Reply and tell me you’re in.

P.S.S.

This is non-techy.

No need to hire your niece or nephew.

No bells and whistles.

Just plain-jane vanilla… Slick & smooth emails that get clients for your business.

March 27, 2020April 16, 2020

My 4 a.m. Freakout

CORONA VIRUS

ANXIETY

My 4 a.m. Freakout

3:36 min read

Thank goodness for anxiety.

Crafted in Bangkok with love for my fellow hustler.

On Thursday I woke up at 4 a.m. not able to breathe…

Holy shit.

Isn’t “shortness of breath” a symptom of the corona virus?

I held my breath for 10 seconds no problem, but I was still freaking-the-fugg-out because…

Just because! OKAY!?

All shapes of madness crowded the space in my brainbox.

“Am I gonna die? How much longer do I have to live? Will there ever be a reunion episode of The Office?”

But just as quick as this mini-panic attack came, I was able to paint a picture in my eyelids and wake up feelin’ fresh as a newly-opened pack of underroos…

That’s when I realized that my shortness of breath wasn’t a corona virus symptom.

It was just anxiety.

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It’s been a few months since I’ve been anxious like that (my therapy sessions with Dr. McGinty have been a godsend) so when I couldn’t breathe, it was like re-discovering a new, super-fuckin-scary sensation.

I’ve never been so thrilled to be anxious.

I worked out, went for a socially-distant walk while I head-bobbed it to Post Malone, and let myself pig out on a tub of French Vanilla that was literally made in France.

Just kidding, it’s from England but that would’ve been pretty cool, huh?

So in light of Day 9 of my quarantine…

I have a few reese-horses that’ll ease the tension and help you stay productive in between your reminiscing of the better days (the days when going to the grocery store didn’t require combat gear):

How To Stay Productive While Working From Home – My friend Ann was telling me how she was having a hard time working from home. If you’re like most people who find themselves workin’ in their undies, this presentation might be the juice you’re lookin’ for.
Corona Virus Thoughts From A World-Reknowned Healer – This is a totally new take on the virus. I’ve been following this guy for awhile and his philosophy is fascinating. It’s not for everyone, but if you believe that the U.S.-based pharmaceutical companies are way too powerful, you’ll get alotta value outta this.
Digital Millionaire Secrets – I’m an hour into this book by Dan Henry (it’s 3 hours long) and I’m sharing my notes so you can skip the reading. This link will update automatically, so check back during the week as I finish it.
Blinkist – If you like the notes I shared above, you’ll dig Blinkist. It’s a summary library of most major books out there and they just made it totally free for a month (until April 25). No payment details needed.
30-Minute Quarantine Buster Workout – My buddy Steve was voted #1 fitness trainer in Thailand. Here he gives you 8 exercises that you can do without any equipment.

What am I doing besides digging into all of the above?

My #1 project is that I’m injecting steroids into my email onboarding sequence.

I’ve found a new method for teaching the most-critical marketing principles and I’m making it 100x easier for newcomers to understand it.

But that means I hafta first unravel the quilt to pull out the golden threads.

Don’t worry, as the lovliest person in my email list, you’ll get the sequence when I finish it (I’ll even let you in on the psychology).

My #2 project is hiring a graphic designer to build some images for social media.

Social’s not really my thing, but I’m bored, so whatevz.Most of them will go on my Instagram so if you’re not following me there yet, here’s where to go to see me be silly on my stories.

And my latest ongoing project (that I’ve recently deemed un-classified) is taking a totally new life coach and helping her build her business from scratch.

That’s all for now, folks.

If you wanna gameplan your rise to the top while the rest of the world is binge-watching mind-numbing shows on the telly, I’ll make the time for you, my beautiful, fun-loving friend.

Let’s have a chat.

P.S.

Fine I’ll admit it.

I watched 8 episodes of Jack Ryan in a day.

Binge-watching for the win!

March 20, 2020April 13, 2020

What To Do During The Corona Virus + PICS

CORONA VIRUS

QUARANTINE

What To Do During The Corona Virus + PICS

2:00 min read

Things To Do To Bust The Quarantine

Crafted in Bangkok with love for my fellow hustler. Last updated: March 20, 2020.

One thing I’ve learned is that isolation is good for me (sometimes).

It helps me focus on what I need (rather than everyone else’s). And this year I get the added good-boy bonus of dodging the G.D. corona virus.

My “Aha Moment!” over eggs n’ pancakes

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

FOCUS

My “Aha Moment!” over eggs n’ pancakes

3:36 min read

3 Tips For Brand New Bhiz Owners

Crafted in San Diego with love for my fellow hustler. Last updated: March 11, 2020.

According to Family Feud (yes, the one with Steve Harvey), March is the “least eventful” month of the year.

That might be true for most peeps, but for me, March is the busiest.

For me, I’m celebrating my sister’s birthday, my grandpa’s, my mom’s, my dad’s, my parents’ anniversary, and of course, my own birthday on the 20th.

That pretty much means that all my weekends are booked.

Besides the birthday pounds I stack from this month’s events, March is extra special b’cuz these occasions remind of all the fairytale blessings I enjoy on the daily basis.

I’m talkin’ about the freedom to give to my family in all the ways they deserve. While also having the freedom to jetset and fly the friendly skies on my own when I need it.

Last week I came from an 8-day “workcation” in Colombia.

Soon I’ll be spending 8 months traveling around Southeast Asia.

None of this would’ve been possible if I stayed at my job in Corporate America or if I played Captain Jack and stayed sailing in the Navy.

The risk was worth the reward.

But for most people, the risk is overwhelming.

So here’s what to do, my fellow good-hearted peddler of knowledge.

Start small. Hustle on the side but spend your every free moment either learning or doing.
Find a mentor. If you’re lucky to find one who’ll teach you for free or in person, awesome. But if you hafta pay for someone distant, do it. You’ll save yourself months (if not years) of spinning your wheels in the wrong direction.
Submit to accountability. If you do #2, this is already taken care of. But if you hesitate to find a mentor (which most hustlers do for reasons I don’t care to dive into right now), find an accountability partner. Someone who’ll call you on your excuses-shmesh-musses when you’re wasting time or bein’ lazy.

Don’t listen to the insta-memes that tell you to “jump off a cliff, build a parachute on the way down”.

It’s bull-tish.It worked for me, sure.

But dammit, if I can save you from all that stress/panic, I would.

And that’s what I’m doing now.

I’m telling you that it’s okay to dip your toe in the water.

And that there’s a whole lotta ways to do it…

If you want to chat about the best way (my way), hit reply and let’s talk.

My schedule’s been open this week for talking with potential teammates anyway so I’m sure I can squeeze you in (check my last email for details on how to partner with me).

Free, no pressure chit-chats go away on Friday.

One love, you beautiful devil.

P.S.

At my sister’s birthday brunch yesterday, I got an outta-the-blue message from a friend on Instagram. She sent me the clapping hands emoji x 3 and a follow-up message saying “Finally!” (in response to me sharing content on a regular basis).

I realized that I was being shy when I shouldn’t be. And that the things that come second-nature to me are the ideas that people sometimes need to refocus on the right things in their business.

I’m not an almighty guru by any stretch, but if I can brighten someone’s day or “right the ship” for a hustle that’s headed for deep waters, then I have a moral obligation to do it.

Anywhoo – excuse the brain fart…

Photos to come in the next one.

March 4, 2020April 12, 2020

High Impact, Minimal Effort

PRODUCTIVITY

FOCUS

High Impact, Minimal Effort

2:30 min read

How to get 10x more work done in half the time.

After 8 days of masterminding in Colombia, my boy Daniel introduced me to the concept of “High Impact, Minimal Effort.”

It’s not the name of 50 Cent’s new album.

It’s a concept of getting all the work you need done in a half the time it takes to do it.

I’ll share it in its entirety in a second…

But first, you need to hear this story:

So… I’m not a huge fan of social media.

Not because I don’t believe in it but because I don’t get hyped at creating content for an audience who may or may not be interested in the content I care about.

So I focus on one thing:

Sharing biz-growing tactics in the form of stories that I send weekly via email.

That’s it.

If you’re in my email list, you know me on a level that most people don’t.

You know that I’m a gorilla-sized geek and that I can dissect someone’s marketing and tell you what they’re doing (right or wrong) and how you can copy or avoid it.

These aren’t secrets, by the way.

The clues are in plain sight. You just hafta know where to look.

Anyway, Daniel told me a story about how he grew his Facebook Page to 20k+ followers (and sold thousands of info-products as a result from it).

He didn’t do it himself.

He had help.

At first, he hired a guy with amazing talent but was a total pain in the whazoo to work with (the dude came with a whirlwind of delays and needed to be pressured daily to deliver).

That didn’t work out.

So he emailed his list to gauge if anyone would be willing to work with him as his Content Manager.

The content manager’s job was to take video content that he’d send them, break them down into separate lessons, mini-videos, and photos to be distributed across social media.

He gave a girl from Venezuala a shot.

She’d been following him and didn’t have results of her own at the beginning.

He trained her from scratch.

Not just in the duties he needed to get done…

But also his complete business model and how to build a successful remote business (just like his).

They’d get on weekly calls and after a few weeks into the partnership, his content manager was a key player of his organization and she mastered a valuable craft that would follow her anywhere.

But that’s not the best part…

Since Anngi Avila, his content manager, also learned everything about the business, she branched off to start her hustle, grew her own following, and is now teaching others how to start their own content managing agencies.

This is her, here:

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This is how success breeds success…

And it’s where “High Impact, Minimal Effort” comes into play.

Because here’s the deal:

I need a content manager of my own.

Someone to do what Anngi Avila did for my bro Daniel.

For me, managing content is:

Low Impact – because it takes me away from talking with prospects and serving my clients.
Maximum Effort – because it aches my bones to edit, schedule, and stick to anything consistent for social media.

Bad combo.

But for the right teammate who comes onboard, it’d be:

High Impact – because you’d be getting a world-class education that’ll accelerate your “biz smarts” faster than any college program ever could.
Minimal Effort – because it’s 100% remote, on your own time, and the bulk of the work can get done in one day (once you get good enough).

Good combo.

You agree?

If working with me sounds like it might be fun, hit reply and let me know.

You don’t need a ton of experience, just be willing to learn and ask me questions when you have them.

TL, DR.

I’m looking for someone to partner with and become my content manager.

The work is 100% remote, on your own time, and you’ll learn how to build a business from ground up. If that’s interesting at all, hit reply and let’s talk about it.

March 3, 2020April 10, 2020

Hijinx And Hustle In Colombia

BOGOTA

COLOMBIA

Hijinx & Hustle In Colombia

7:56 min read

A Run-Down Of An 8-Day Workcation In South America

Prefer video? Turn up the volume and tap here to watch this (and other exclusive episodes) on YouTube.

Crafted in San Diego with love for my fellow hustler.

I had so much fun in Bogota.

Not because I did a whole lot of sightseeing, but because I worked and had a balance of hijinx and hustle..

I met Daniel Paez and Marco Reeves in 2015 at a mastermind in Phuket.

There were a lot of folks at this Mastermind. Peeps from all over the world, from different industries and businesses. And we boys gravitated to each other because we were the youngest people there.

When I moved to Bangkok 3 months later, they both moved there as well (with their significant others) and our friendship as the 3 amigos became solidified.

via GIPHY

Marco’s originally from Australia and was headed to Daniel’s part of the world (Colombia) for work. Marco hit me up on Facebook and planted the seed about meeting up with them.

In unspectacular fashion, I had free time in my calendar so I joined the party.

Sorry, no story of coincidence or chance meet-up. There was a chance to catch-up with my boys and I took it.

I’m sharing the story here so when anyone asks for Bogota Travel Tips, I’ll be able to send them something. So here goes…

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At The Airport

El Dorado Airport.

If you’re meeting a friend, get their address and phone number in advance. Write it down so you can give something to the immigration officer if they ask. Marco was hassled for having nothing, so thankfully I had that information ahead of time.
The day before I got there, the government allowed people to use Uber. You can use that, one of the taxi drivers that hound you from all angles, or wait for your buddy to pick you up like I did.
If you don’t have an international plan for your phone, you might want to get a SIM card at the airport. You get an hour of free wi-fi at El Dorado but if you have T-Mobile and are relying on that for your whole trip, you’ll be disappointed.
I got my SIM card in town at a Claro. I paid less than $10 bucks for 2GB of data for the week. I used about 1.8GB by staying on Wi-Fi if it was available. Your mileage may vary.
If you’re feeling peckish, there’s a Dunkin’ Donuts and a few mini cafes around. Get an empenada.

Language

Everyone speaks Spanish and there’s not that many English speakers in Bogota.

Google Translate is awesome. Learn how to use the “Speak” button for easy back-and-forth.

Safety

Safety’s a big deal in Bogota. The reputation of violent crime is real and it’s better to be careful than it is to risk it.

For example, Daniel was stabbed twice for his phone when he was a teenager. And my friend Gia was robbed last month by some dude with a machete.

If you’re looking to stay in an AirBnB, you’ll notice the descriptions will emphasize how “safe” their neighborhoods are.
I stayed in Usaquén, which was a nice area where I could go for a run in the day or night without worrying about getting stabbed. There’s also some nice eats here.
“Don’t show papaya.” It means don’t be flashy with your belongings.
Always grip your phone because people are known to do drive-by snatching.
Tuck in your chain, put away your earrings, don’t use designer handbags.
Be aware of pickpockets.
Double check your Uber drivers. Standing on the sidewalk with your phone could be a sign of someone waiting for a ride and an opportunistic person might pick you up and take you wherever they want. Also, the cab drivers are upset about Uber being legal. Ubers won’t come to an area if there’s a taxi stop nearby.

Working

Luckily for me, Daniel has an office in WeWork and I was able to hustle as his guest the whole time.

There’s a bunch of WeWork locations spread throughout the city. The one I was at was in the Oracle building. It was 3 stories, had a massive community area, and served free beer from noon til 6:30 pm, perfect for opening the flow of conversation.
There are some scattered Starbucks around the city, but they don’t get much love as the Juan Valdez Cafe’s which are more popular.
Wi-Fi is everywhere so finding a spot to work shouldn’t be so hard. Just make sure it’s safe to have your laptop out.

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Nightlife

Bogota is a major city with a ton of districts for partying. But that wasn’t in my plan so I only went out 2 nights out of the 8 that I was there.

One night was at La Negra, which was cool to salsa dance and boogie to reggaeton. At the time, it was fun. But looking back, the next place we went to was better because it had an open roof and was so much cooler.
I don’t know what the next place was called but it was in “Zona T” area. It was a rainy night where everywhere was packed. We got turned away from 3 places because they were full and ended up at a spot with an open ceiling and a separate rooftop. It was nice because it wasn’t crowded.
District is a sports bar with a huge TV. That’s where we watched the big rematch between Wilder and Fury. They have a pool table, darts, and board games.

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Restaurants

I’m no foodie. But I’ll share what I remember eating. There was a lot of good eats.

KO Asian Kitchen – Asian Fusion spot in Parque 93. Get the Nori Tacos. Nothing in the world tastes like it. I also had the samosa, chicken tikka masala, and a tuna poke bowl. The tacos were the best though.
District – Sports bar I mentioned above. The beer was fine but the food there wasn’t good. But then again, all I had were nachos and french fries.
Home Burgers – The veggie burger is a mushroom burger with melted cheese inside.
Sipote – Colombian Chipotle. I don’t know if its the same company but the way you order and the menus are mostly the same. If you’re a Chipotle fan, it’s worth a shot. The chips have a corn taste instead of a lime one. It’s not Chipotle, but good in its own right.
Andres Carne De Res – This place is a must visit. The problem is that the one you need to go to is the original location and it’s in Chia, about 40 minutes out of the city. For this, you’re going for the environment.
Andres Carne De Res – The location near Zona T has 4 floors: Hell, Earth, Purgatory, and Heaven. It has a similar feel and decor to the original but since it’s in the city, it loses the “rustic” feel of the countryside (Chia).
El Taqueria – I was craving tacos (I’m from San Diego) and this place hit the spot. Shrimp tacos, fish tacos, and ceviche tostadas were amazing. I want that right now…
El Corral – Burger franchise. It’s really good. Worth it to try one of the popular fast food joints.
Muy – Clean eats for a light lunch. Several locations.
Oma – Another 3-letter restaurant. Went here for light breakfast of eggs and fruit. Several locations.

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Other Sights & Places To See

Monserrate

Monserrate’s a good place if you want to get away from the city and be surrounded in nature.

It’s a mile and a half stone path to the top of the mountain, where you can catch gnarly views of Bogota, some happy dogs wearing mini-clothes, and at church at the top if you want to get some prayers in.

If you don’t want to hike, you can take a cable car or the train to the top.

There’s also some restaurants up there. I was told it’d be a good spot for a date night with the views, but I’m sure you’d have to plan that one far in advance.

Link: Monserrate Homepage, on Wikipedia, and on Trip Advisor.

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Old City

The old city is a lot of fun. It’s full of character but it’s one of those places you have to be extra careful with all your stuff.

There’s street performers, musicians, vendors, and all the restaurants around are cheaper than you would find then in the northern areas.

Be careful of the people with llamas. I tried to pet one and this lady put a hat on me, gave me the reins, and told me to hold the Colombian Flag.

It was an obvious tourist trap for photos. She was super intense but I didn’t mind. Once I knew what she was doing, I wanted the picture.

I paid 2,000 pesos (less than a dollar for these pics) because she ambushed me. But since Marco asked to take the photo, they got him for 10,000 (about 3 dollars).

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Gold Museum

The gold museum is look back in time at the ancient days of Colombia.

There was a lot of gold to be mined in the mountains of the country and this place tells the stories.

You won’t know it from looking in on the outside, but this place is 4 stories tall.

Link: Gold Museum on Wikipedia and on Trip Advisor

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Graffiti

There’s graffiti all over the city so if you’re into it, there’s plenty to admire.

There’s a 2x daily graffiti tour that happens at 10am and 2pm. Meetup is in the old city by the dome.

Link: Graffiti Tour

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Tejo

Colombia’s national sport.

It’s similar to corn hole where you’re trying to get a bean bag into a hole a few feet in front of you.

The difference is that instead of bean bags you’re throwing metal discs called tejo.

Instead of wooden boards, you’re throwing at a sheet of mud.

And instead of quiet sounds of bags landing on wood, you hear explosions from the triangle-shaped fireworks going off when a player hits the target.

Final Thoughts

I started this article talking about how I met Daniel and Marco and they made it a good time.

I had no expectations of things to do or places to see, but it was a good trip regardless because I caught up with my boys, my girl, Gia, who is doing big things with her company, Deplanta, and I reminded myself that I’m a bug on this big, blue planet (which is a good thing because it keeps me motivated).

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By the way, there’s also a video on the “World’s Scariest Drug” that was filmed in Bogota.

It’s no joke and it’ll scare you shitless like it did me.

I was so freaked out at times that I’d hold my breath when strangers would walk by me, afraid I’d get burundanga blown into my face.

If you have time for it, watch it. It’s both fascinating and terrifying at the same time.

If you’re traveling to Bogota, do more research than this page.

I’m sure there’s more to see and do but with no expectations, everything I did was awesome and I don’t have anything to compare my experience with.

In hindsight, I probably would’ve bought 2 bottles of Old Parr Whiskey to take home. Mix that with 7-up and you’re good to go with a delicious mix that’ll make you feel like a kingpin.

Have fun on your trip!

February 24, 2020April 12, 2020

Weekend Adventure in Bogota

BOGOTA

COLOMBIA

A Weekend Adventure In Bogota

1:00 min read

Collaboration brewing with a Personal Branding Expert…

Prefer video? Turn up the volume and tap here to watch this (and other exclusive episodes) on YouTube.

Crafted in Bogota, Colombia with love for my fellow hustler.

Buenos dias!

If you follow me on social you’ll have noticed that my hips are swingin’ to a new sound in Bogota.

Bogota is the capital of Colombia and here’s an interesting factoid…

Check out the pic and see if you can guess why they call it “The Orange City”:

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The buildings are all made of bricks so the city looks like a habanero pepper from above.

Okay maybe not as bright as a pepper but you get the point. There’s a uniform color that makes the city vivid.

Anywhoo.

After a weekend of salsa-dancing and arepa-face-stuffing, this week I’m hustlin’ with friends I met at my first mastermind (in 2015).

And one of my buddies is a pro-marketer with a list of good deeds that’s longer than a CVS receipt:

2 months ago, he turned a $100 USD advertising budget into $25,000+ revenue over a weekend (for a plant-based skincare company).
Last weekend he sold out an event where he shared his philosophies for branding and got a deafening round of applause after 3 hours.
And this week, I’m gonna bribe him with some recipes of my own to see if he’d be willing to share his secret recipe for personal branding with you.

I guess you’ll hafta wait and see…

For now here’s some entertainment.

Watch the video on top of this page or go to YouTube for a 5-minute video of the hijinx from last weekend in Bogota.

Enjoy!

February 13, 2020April 13, 2020

How To Write A Book In 2020 (The Best Way For First-Time Authors)

A 4-PART COURSE FOR ENTREPRENEURS

PART 4 OF 4

How To Write A Book In 2020

AN ACTION-PACKED ARTICLE TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE & BUSINESS

The Best Way To Write A Book For First-Time Authors

I’ve heard that 80% of people want to learn how to write a book.

I don’t know if that’s true or if the publishing industry it made up to get wanna-be authors to behave during Christmas.

But I do know one thing:

Few people look into it, few will start writing, and even less will achieve the dream of being a published author.

That’s why the folks who get it done are rare as unicorns and as unique as the Sasquatch.

If you want to write a book and earn notoriety as the Bigfoot in your field, you’re at the right place.

Everything you need to write a book is on this page.

But you hafta know—these steps aren’t like other “how to write a book” steps out there.

There’s no focus on writing a book that captivates readers with an enchanting story. No talk about building a plot, developing characters, or delivering a climax

There’s no talk about:

Building a plot
Developing characters
Or delivering a climax

Nope.

Everything here is tailored for entrepreneurs to write a book that makes sales and gets clients for their business.

It focuses on speed where the end result is authority, differentiation, and new relationships with as many peeps as possible.

This is Part 4 of a 4-Part Course called “The Small Business Equalizer.” If this is your first time here, I recommend that you start at the beginning:

If you’re writing fiction, these steps will might confuse you.

But for the expert who wants to spread their wisdom (and grow their revenue in the process) every step is critical.

These are the steps I used to write 2 books that under-performed at the bookstores but over-delivered buyers for my goods/services.

And today, writing those books have still made the biggest impact on my business (and continues to do so).

The entire process is broken down from start-to-finish.

NOTE: Before we dig into the gritty-nitty of how to write a book with The Write Way To Sell process, I recommend you visit Parts 1-3 through the links above.

This page gives you the “what” while Parts 1-3 give you the “why.” Plus, the process make more sense when you go through those parts first.

Ready to start?

Let’s do this dance.

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The process breaks down into 9 steps, grouped into 3 stages (Proclaim, Produce, Propel).

With this process, you won’t hafta wait until your book gets published to reap the benefits of being a published author.

Each stage delivers results as you go through them.

Here are the 9 steps in order:

Table Of Contents

Stage I – Proclaim

Identify Your Book’s Perfect Audience
Use Timeless Methods To Craft An Irresistible Book Title
Get Your Book’s Cover To Make Your Brand Bulletproof

Stage II – Produce

Build An Eager Team Of Supporters To Help You Write A Book And Launch It
Turbocharge Your Writing With A “Questionified” Outline
How To Write A Book In A Single Sitting

Stage III – Propel

Level Up Your Book With Biz-Boosting Upgrades
Orchestrating A Book Launch That Attracts A Tidal Wave Of New Leads To Your Business
Leverage Your Book Launch To Make Mass Sales In Your Business

What’s Next?

The Most Powerful Advice For First-Time Authors

Stage I – Proclaim

Here we’ll identify your book’s readers, craft the perfect title, and dazzle your fans with your book’s cover.

With the 3 steps of Stage One alone, you’ll be publicly known as a sought-after expert in your field.

And this happens before a word is ever written in your book.

1. Book Targets

Identifying Your Book’s Perfect Audience

via GIPHY

If you’re researching how to write a book, then you have a calling to serve and there’s an audience waiting for you to do it.

But before you start writing, we need a clear picture of who your target audience is in the first place.

We’ll get that in 2 steps.

Step 1 – Identify YOUR Purpose for writing.

Think about your goals.

Do you want to:

Build a business empire?
Lead a mass movement of Jedi fighters?
Or simply deliver a dream lifestyle for your family?

If so, good.

That’s what I’m talkin’ about.

Frame your purpose like this:

My purpose for writing a book is to be known as an authority in (your industry) so I can (your goal).

For example:

My purpose for writing a book is to be known as an authority in the “how to write a book” space so I can sell courses and get clients for my coaching business.

Once you know your purpose for writing a book, we’ll use it in Step 2.

Your book’s audience is made of people who can help you to achieve your purpose.

Let’s say you’re a basketball coach and your purpose for writing a book is to land a coaching job with the Orlando Magic.

Who’s got the power to make that a reality?

The team owner and general manager, right?

That’s your audience.

But there’s a catch…

Because if you just realized that an NBA team owner and his GM would never read a book from an unknown coach, in this case, you’d have to change your purpose.

Step 2 – Figure out who needs to be in your audience (and ask yourself if you can connect with them).

Would your content interest them?
Can you solve their problems?
Do you understand them?
Do you even like them to begin with?

If the answers are no, go back to step 1 and change your purpose.

Once you’re confident you can connect with an audience that’ll help you achieve that purpose, sweet.

You’ve done what most first-time authors won’t and we’re officially in business.

When you’re clear on your target audience, it’s time to promote your book.

“Huh? I haven’t written anything. How can I promote it?”

Relax, grasshopper, I got you.

Building buzz around your book is a must at the beginning.

Don’t wait until the end.

It’ll be easier to launch a book when people who’ve been tuned in from the start.

Promote your intentions to your email list and if you don’t have a list, start with social media:

It’s OFFICIAL!

I’m thrilled to announce that I’m the author of an upcoming book.

My book is about [your topic]. If you’re interested in what I’m doing (and getting a free copy of my book when it’s ready), comment below and I’ll be happy to talk about it!

We’re not trying to sell anything (yet) but we do have to plant the seed of your book and draw engagement.

Don’t skip these public updates.

A good time to post would be anytime you finish one of the steps.

You might feel nervous about sharing your progress but you have to do it.

This is important.

You’ll see why later.

2. Book Title

Use Timeless Methods To Craft An Irresistible Book Title

Your book’s not published yet you’ve already earned the title of author.

The literal definition of the word, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is the writer of a literary work (such as a book):

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That’s why we don’t say: you’re writing a book.

Instead, we say: you’re the author of an upcoming book.

This subtle tweak in wording makes a huge difference, doesn’t it?

In this step, we’ll dignify you further by adding your book’s title.

The intention is to get people curious off you and your book’s title alone.

Like this:

“Hi. I’m Jay Magpantay and I’m the author of the books, Live Free & Retire Young and The Write Way To Sell.”

Your book’s title is its calling card.

It’ll be part of your intro, bio, business cards, email signature, and anywhere else you have a chance to flex your authoritative know-how.

In other words…

Your book title is a massive part of this operation.

Don’t slap a title on your book just because it “sounds cool”.

Instead, use any of these 5 proven methods to come up with the perfect title for your book.

1. How-To

How To Win Friends and Influence People
How To Stop Worrying and Start Living
How To Read Literature Like A Professor
How To Talk So Kids Will Listen
How To Make Sh*t Happen…

These 2 words trigger a burning curiosity in readers who have an appetite for improvement.

If someone’s interested in your subject, flirting with their craving to be an expert with a “How To” title makes it impossible for them to resist asking questions.

2. Use A Number

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
The Five-Minute Journal
The 4-Hour Workweek
The 5-Second Rule
48 Laws of Power

Humans crave predictability.

That’s why numbers work well because they give readers an expectation of time and structure.

3. The Book On

The Book on Flipping Houses
The Book on Writing
The Book on Rental Property Investing
The Book on Estimating Rehab Costs

If you’re the author of “The Book on (anything)”, munchkins from Oz will worship you like the Wizard.

Not really.

But you’ll be regarded as the head honcho because you literally wrote the book on your topic.

4. The Art Of

The Art of War
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
The Art of Persuasion
The Art of Learning

A small tweak to The Book On method for a different feel.

5. Use Your Creativity

Freakonomics
Live Free & Retire Young
The Power of Habit
You Are A Badass
Extreme Ownership

Choose one of the methods above for your title and another method for your subtitle.

Keep your main title 7 words or less and use more words in your subtitle to add context.

Come up with a few pairings for your title & subtitle then pit them against each other on social media.

Even if you’re 100% set on a title for your book, ask your peers to vote on their favorite anyway.

Remember, the goal of our public updates is to build anticipation for your book so that it doesn’t launch to a silent auditorium of no one.

These 5 methods are timeless.

They’ve worked in the past and will continue to work again in the future.

But if you want more ways to come up with the perfect title for your book, especially if you’re going the creative route, Sam Horn’s book, POP!: Create the Perfect Pitch, Title, and Tagline for Anything is a must-have book in your arsenal.

3. Book Cover

Get Your Book’s Cover To Make Your Brand Bulletproof

via GIPHY

People will fact-check you once they find out you’re the author of an upcoming book.

They’ll Google you when your back’s turned so you hafta show up on the search results or else they’ll think you’re a phony.

The simple fix is to make your book real by putting a face on it.

Every book cover has these 4 basic elements:

Title
Subtitle
Author’s Name
Design

You have the first 3 already.

For your design, you’ll go to Upwork, 99Designs, Fiverr, or any other design route you’re familiar with.

But before you start the design process, I recommend you add the next 3 bonus elements.

1. Foreword

A foreword is a letter, written by someone else, that tells the world that your book is the greatest thing since the invention of carrot cake.

You’ll get details on how to get a celebrity to write your foreword in Step 7.

For now, if you want a foreword, tell your designer to save a spot for the words, “Foreword by [title], [name].”

2. Bonus

Not all books come with bonuses.

That’s why yours will.

It’ll give extra value for your readers and grow your email list for you.

Ask yourself, what else, apart from your book, would your readers want? What else would they need after reading? How can you help readers on a deeper level? Can you make things even easier, faster, simpler?

Here are examples of what you could add as a bonus:

Quick access to key information:

Checklist
Guidebook
Video Series
Webinar
Audiobook

Exclusive access to you:

Personal Strategy Session
Private Facebook Group

Extra clarification:

WorkbookScripts/Templates
Case Studies
Flow Diagrams

3. Website

Get a unique domain (website) for your book.

This is where you’ll send readers to get their bonus.

If your book title is available, use that (thewritewaytosell.com).

If not:

shorten your title (thewriteway.com)
add book (thewritewaytosellbook.com)
add get (getthewritewaytosell.com)
add today (thewritewaytoday.com)

You might be tempted to use your website if you have one already.

Don’t do it.

Your book isn’t like the others, it’s the best in the industry and deserving of a website of its own.

That doesn’t mean you need to build a new one from scratch.

Buy your book’s domain and redirect it to a page hosted on your main site.

By giving readers of a free bonus with your book (and telling them where to go to get it), you’ll get a flow of never-ending traffic as long as your book is published.

Here are examples of how I used all 7 elements on both of my book covers.

Can you spot them all?

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As in the previous steps, now’s a good time to build anticipation for your book.

Get a few samples and post your favorites to get feedback from a growing audience who’ve been tuning in.

By the way…

Don’t design your book cover on your own.

Like your title, your cover is an huge part of the success of your book.

Leave it to the pros who know what they’re doing.

Regarding the site you’ll send readers to get their bonus, keep it simple.

Use a landing page that offers your bonus in exchange for an email address.

ConvertKit is a free email marketing software that lets you build landing pages without a web designer and it’s the same one I use to build and send emails to my list.

Stage II – Produce

Stage Two is where you’ll learn how to write a book with ease & speed.

Most folks spend months on this but people who follow this process only need a few days.

Sound impossible?

With a tactic for squeezing research from your readers, we’ll unearth the core topics that people want to learn about in your book. We’ll build an outline that stops leaks before they happen. Then, with a rapid-writing hack, you’ll finish your book in a single day.

You’ll be surprised at how fast authors are doing it.

4. Book Team

Building An Eager Team Of Supporters To Help You Write A Book And Launch It

via GIPHY

Your Advanced Reader Club serves 3 purposes:

They’ll tell you what to put in your book (this step)
They’ll give your book the testimonials it needs to make ongoing sales (Step 8)
They’ll spread the news about your launch (Step 8)

For now, we’ll focus on the first part.

You have everything you need to write a book.

The problem isn’t a shortage of content, it’s hand-picking content that’s worthy to be included.

Instead of deciding by yourself, give your audience a voice and let them tell you what they want for themselves.

Books that satisfy readers reward authors with word-of-mouth marketing.

And the no-nonsense way of finding out what’ll satisfy readers is to simply ask.

There’s 2 steps to this:

Step 1 – Build a 3-question form to gather & organize feedback.

There’s a bunch of services that do this but I keep it easy-peasy and stick with Google Forms.

Build a form with these 3 questions:

What’s the one question that comes to mind about [your topic]?
(Optional) Is there anything else you’d like to know?
(Optional) Do you want a free copy of [your book] when it’s ready? [Add a photo of your book cover].

With this tiny-teeny form, our Ask Campaign is ready.

Here’s a copy of the form I used when I ran my most recent.

Step 2 – Get people to fill out your form.

Again, your existing email list or social media is a good place to start:

I need help!

I’m writing a book on [your topic].

If that’s something you’ve been interested in before, would you spare 30 seconds and enter your #1 question about [your specialty] into this Google form?

It would be help me make sure that I leave nothing out of my book when I publish it:

[Link to your Google form]

You can post this publicly but don’t forget to contact people through good old-fashioned direct messaging.

Everyone that’s commented on your previous updates will be happy to help.

That’s why posting public updates is crucial.

Anyone that’s shown support will continue to do so because they’ve done it already.

All you need to do is ask.

Aim to get feedback from at least 50 people, which will be easy if you’ve followed the steps and posted updates about your book in Steps 1-3.

The more entries on your form, the better.

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When 50 people fill out your form, you’ll end up with over 100 questions about your topic because while you ask for one, most people will give more.

You’ll also end up with 30 or so people who will want your book when it’s ready.

These people are prime nominees for your launch team, which we’ll activate later.

5. Book Outline

Turbocharge Your Writing With A “Questionified” Outline

via GIPHY

A pantser “flies by the seat of their pants.”

In the writing world, that means someone who writes organically, letting the words unfold out of their mind as they write them.

Some authors are good at this.

But it’s the same as a gifted artist who paints upside-down portraits of people from memory. It’s a rare skill that takes time to develop. And telling someone to do the same is as reckless as having a pet gorilla.

For a non-fiction writer, you’ll write a book like a plotter, someone who organizes their thoughts into an outline before writing.

There are 7 steps to doing this.

Step 1 – Brain Dump

Get your ideas out.

List any topics, lessons, stories, or experiences that support your book’s dominant message.

Here’s some topics if you’re lost for ideas:

Steps to get results
Behind the scenes of your process
How you put your process together
Stories of how you learned things the hard way
Stories of failure/success
Transformations as a result of your teachings
Common mistakes & how to correct them
Things you wish you knew sooner
Personal stories
Client/customer stories

Step 2 – Mind Mapping

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This isn’t a foreign exercise:

Using the list you just created, structure your topics into a visual mind map that represents dependencies and relationships.

Step 3 – Rough Outline

With your topics visually mapped out, re-frame your mind map into a rough table of contents that resembles a traditional outline.

There’s a natural order to be present your knowledge and a traditional outline is the way to structure it.

Step 4 – Trim The Fat

The anxiety of not having enough content for a book plagues authors who write a book for the first time.

To calm their nerves, they stuff gobbledygook between the pages, giving as much as they can in fear of not giving enough.

But this is a book, not a gift bag.

A fluffy book will only frustrate readers who are pull their hair while they wait for you to get to the point.

Keep the concrete steps and evidence while getting rid of the extra stuff.

Step 5 – Ask Campaign

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This step holds the magic feather that’ll spread your book’s ears and let it fly.

If you used Google Forms, a spreadsheet is automatically built for you with all the responses.

These reveal what people want. And plugging them into your outline is how you’ll write a book that gets the best reviews.

If people ask about something specific that’s not in your outline, now’s the time to add it.

Case in point, in my book, The Write Way To Sell, there’s a short section on how to get an ISBN for your book.

That wasn’t part of the original outline but because enough people asked how to get one, a section for “ISBN” made its way in.

You’ll slide more topics into your outline because what you know and what your readers think they should know will always be two different things.

You need to give them both.

And this step is where you’ll do it.

Step 6 – Duplicate

If you worked on paper, transfer your outline to a document on your computer and save it.

Make a copy of this file.

Step 7 – Questionify

Detectives, prosecutors, girlfriends, and psychiatrists are great at squeezing juicy intel out of people, aren’t they?

They don’t do it through hypnotism, they do it with questions.

By reframing our topics as questions, we invite the hidden knowledge to come out from your brain and join us for a party.

In your duplicated outline, “questionify” each line item, Jeopardy style.

For example:

Step 4 – Trim the Fat. What is step 4?

Authors worry about not having enough content to fill a book. Why do authors add so much fluff to their books?

Readers get frustrated when they have to read through fluff to get to the good stuff. Why would a reader get frustrated by a fluffy book?

Make sense?

You’ll have 2 outlines.

One that’s questionified and one that isn’t.

We’ll use your questionified outline to write your book and use your original as a reference.

6. Book-in-a-Day

How To Write A Book In A Single Sitting

via GIPHY

We’re at Step 6 and only now getting to any actual writing.

If you’ve done Steps 1-5, this’ll be a breeze and you won’t hafta suffer through this.

Writing is a skill that takes years of exercise to master.

The more you write, the better your skills will be.

But people don’t do it.

For most of us, writing is a gut-wrenching experience that traumatized us in school.

And that’s why it takes people a full day to write a 500-word blog post or 10 minutes to craft a 2-sentence caption for Instagram.

Speaking your book is the answer.

Sure. You can spend a few months compacting your knowledge into the written word.

But passing wisdom through the paved superhighway between your voice and brain is as easy as pressing pause on your diet to eat ice cream cake on a Sunday.

Speaking a book will get us 80% of the way there so all that’s left is to make edits.

Sounds like a better plan, right?

Get your cell phone, pen and paper, and your questionified outline.
Open the voice recording app on your cell phone and press record.
Read the first question in your outline out loud and answer as if you were being interviewed by a reader.
Use pen and paper to take notes and collect ideas as you go.
Follow your outline and go line item by line item.
Repeat until all the line items in your outline are covered.

Some find it helpful to talk to a photo of a friend, a muted-video of stranger on YouTube, or close their eyes and talk to themselves.

Don’t think about your “uhh’s”, “umm’s”, pauses, or stutters. They can stay. You’ll edit them out later.

If you miss points, don’t restart from the beginning. You’ll add those later as well. That’s what your notes are for.

Don’t try to fit everything in one take. Make several recordings.

To make it even easier, bribe a friend to join you with pizza so you can record your knowledge, interview style.

Your friend will be the talk show host and you’re the guest of honor.

They’ll ask questions from your outline and you’ll answer them.

This’ll free the flow of information because a conversation between two people is natural environment for speaking.

Transcribe Your Recordings

Once your recordings are done, next comes the fun part of converting your recordings to words on the computer (not really).

You can use Rev, your assistant, Fiverr, Upwork, or you can do this yourself.

If you do this on your own, there’s technology that can help you.

SpeechNotes is a free dictation website.
Google Docs also has dictation software built-in.
A more robust app is Dragon Naturally Speaking.

Choose a dictation method and play back your recordings.

Play your recordings loud enough for your computer to hear it and let technology work its voodoo.

Your recordings will play and the app will transcribe them in real-time.

The transcriptions won’t be 100% perfect, but adding punctuation and fixing typos is a walk in the park compared to manual transcriptions from scratch.

Reword Your Transcriptions

Once your recordings are transcribed, revisit your outline to make sure the words you “wrote” make sense.

Reword what you have when it doesn’t.
Rearrange sentences.
Chop the fillers.
Make your first-round of edits.

Keep as much of your conversational tone as possible.

Unless you’re writing for an academic audience, where an ostentatious display of vocabulary is conceivably preferred, keep it casual.

People want to read a book that connects them to a friend, not a university professor that bores the auditorium with dry information.

This rewording is the closest to writing you’ll do because now’s when you’ll add in parts you missed or find room for points you just remembered.

Doing it this way, you’ll never start at a blank page, never combat against writer’s block, and your book will be finished in a quarter of the time it would take if you wrote it.

Stage III – Propel

At this point, your book is pretty much done.

In this stage, we’ll do 3 extra steps to ensure it delivers the results you’re after.

We’ll publish your book with the extra “umph” that comes from a hidden checklist of upgrades and requirements. We’ll use your book to spin a whirlpool of new leads to your business. And we’ll chum the water to spark a weekend buying frenzy in your business.

7. Book Upgrades

Power Up Your Book With Biz-Boosting Upgrades

via GIPHY

Getting a professional round of editing is like brushing your teeth.

It’s optional.

The book police won’t chase you down if you don’t do it.

But you’d be doing everyone a favor if you did.

You know your content inside and out but you won’t know if someone else will understand it the way you do.

This is where an editor steps in.

And it’s how young whipper-snappers write books that sound like they were written by doctors.

A quick search will bring up a wide range of editing services but most will offer:

Proofreading – spelling, grammar, typos
Copyediting (line editing) – sentences, paragraphs, readability
Structural (development) – your content

You need proofreading and copyediting, at least.

Aim to spend around 2-6 cents per word and don’t invest with the first editor you find.

Ask for a sample edit from several editors and listen to your gut feeling.

It should feel like a partnership where your editor has the same goal as you, which is to make the best book possible. They’ll help you, not rush you, and make sure you understand why they’re making their edits.

Also, don’t settle for editing from someone you know.

Feedback from trusted allies is helpful, but a friend or family member won’t tell you if your book is bound to warm hearts from your content or warm bodies from being tossed in the burn pile.

Find an editor and have them start working on your manuscript.

Get Everything Ready To Publish Your Book

While you wait, let’s get everything else ready for your book.

Grab a physical book you own to see their examples for the following:

ISBN
Book Cover
Cover Page
Title Page
Legal Page
Dedication
Table of Contents
Foreword
Acknowledgments
Content
About the Author
Book Description
Back Cover
Spine

Items 1-7 are simple enough to figure out.

You’ll get your ISBN after a few clicks through the Publishing Wizard on Kindle Direct Publishing (where we’ll publish your book later). And the other pages are up to you how you want to style them.

So instead of covering the entire list, I’ll focus on items 8-14.

8. Foreword

Note the spelling, “Foreword” not “Forward.”

A foreword is a 1-page letter, written by a famous celebrity, telling readers that your book is a long-lost spellbook for success.

Unless you have Tom Hanks on speed dial, the workaround is to skip the stress of tracking down Hollywood Superstars and instead, get someone with an impressive title.

For example,

Foreword by the :

Founder of Real News Media, Ron Burgundy
Captain of The Rebel Fight Team, Poe Dameron
CEO of Crack in a Can, Tyrone Biggum
Karate Chop Champion of 1984, Daniel LaRusso

When choosing someone to write your foreword, aim high.

Authors, CEOs, Founders, Inventors, and people who’ve inspired you and directly improved an area of your life through their teachings.

When your sights are set, contact them directly and lead with flattery.

Tell them how much they’ve inspired you and that you’d be honored to give them free exposure as the person who wrote the foreword for your book.

Most people you’ll ask will be drowning in their own busy world to read your entire manuscript so including a short summary of your book is a must.

Also, attach a sample foreword to save Mister or Misses Big Shot from stressing over what to write about.

9. Acknowledgments

Thank your pets, sidekicks, and anyone who has lent a hand on your journey.

But the hidden gold in your acknowledgments section is that it’s a place to open doors and build bridges with people who’d otherwise be untouchable.

Honor the gurus you follow and mention specific ways they’ve helped you and how they can help your readers.

When you publish your book, send printed copies of your book with a thank-you latter to these big wigs can potentially open the floor for a conversation where anything can happen.…

10. Content

When your content gets back from editing, sandwich it here.

11. About the Author

The last section that goes inside your book.

You have the green light to praise the all-powerful Y.O.U. so be as grand as a genie and shamelessly plug your cause or business without restriction.

12. Book Description

Your book description is that short blurb that gets people to buy.

It’s an advertisement.

It’s what copywriters are hired for.

And it’s usually the toughest task for an author to conquer.

Here are some tips for writing your book description:

Grab attention with the most frequently asked questions in your bank.
Describe the reader, their demographics, situation, pains and pleasures.
Show them what they’ll get from your book and what they’ll be able to avoid.
Ensure you cover the most frequently asked questions in your bank.
Use bullet points that answer them or list the questions themselves (if you prefer).
Add your favorite testimonials.
Qualify yourself.

You have 4,000 characters to work with, don’t go light here.

Use as much as you can.

You’re persuading strangers to give you money and no matter how small the amount, this always needs a fair bit of convincing.

13. Back Cover

Squeeze as much of your book description here.

You probably won’t fit everything so keep the best parts.

If you can make space for it, add a self-portrait that represents your brand and include that with a short blurb about yourself.

Your ISBN and barcode will go in a 2”x1.2” box in the bottom right corner.

Use fonts that match your cover.

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14. Spine

Don’t leave this empty unless you want your book to feel like a cheap brochure.

Your title and your name should go on the spine of your book.

Formatting

Once your content gets back from your editor and once you upgrade these essential pages, you’ll send everything to get formatted.

Items that need to be formatted are:

Trim Size: A book is printed on smaller sheets of paper than the document you were working in.
Chapter Start: Chapter titles. Font style. Distance from top of the page, distance to text body.
Page Headers: Book title, chapter titles, or author name. Different odd/even pages. Margins. Styling.
Page Footers: Page numbers. Margins. Styling.
Paragraphs: Block style or indented. Line spacing. Justification. Font style.

If you don’t feel like your book is “thick” enough, play with trim sizes, font styles, font sizes (don’t go bigger than 12pt), line spacing, and margins.

Consider adding a few graphics (stick to grayscale images).

Beautiful formatting will go unnoticed while terrible formatting will drown your message. This is a time when blending in is better than standing out.

Don’t give yourself an opportunity to make errors.

Hire someone to format your book.

It’s not expensive.

Find someone on Fiverr.

Format your book in 2 formats: one for print and one for Kindle.

Publishing

When you format your manuscript, head back to KDP where your book comes to life.

Follow the Publishing Wizard and enter the basic information for your book.

Paste in your completed book description.

Choose two separate but relevant categories for your book.

For your book’s keywords, add search phrases that you would want your book to show up for (you don’t need to include your title or name as keywords).

Pricing

Your paperback should be priced high because you’ll also be offering a cheaper alternative with your ebook (Kindle).

For example, $24.97 for your paperback and $9.97 for your ebook.

Don’t go cheap right away.

If you want your book in more hands, mark down the price later.

But for now, your book needs a high value to draw a launch team and attract contestants for your giveaway (next step).

Also, it’s not mandatory, but you’ll want to order a proof copy before you publish your book.

This is how you verify your book looks the way you intend it to.

Once you verify your proof, submit your book for publishing and it’ll go through KDP’s 72-hour review before you get listed on Amazon.

Complete the publishing wizard for both your paperback copy and for Kindle.

8. Book Launch

Orchestrating A Book Launch That Attracts A Tidal Wave Of New Leads To Your Business

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Live Free & Retire Young was a success.

Not in the charts, but in the areas I cared about.

It reinvented me as an authority in the online marketing space and dunked me in a deep sea of results.

I booked clients.
I taught seminars.
I sold courses.
I worked around the world and hustled long enough to empty the fun tank and change directions.

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Thousands of people have that book (having given it away for free) and it never scratched the bestseller’s list.

It sold less than 50 copies in its lifetime.

But it still worked.

How My First Book Went Viral

I modeled what Harry’s did to build a 100,000+ email list in a week.

With a giveaway, I celebrated my book launch by giving away free, digital copies to the public in exchange for a name and email.

People flocked to my signup page, entered their info, then were sent to my thank you page where they got a chance to unlock physical prizes.

The prizes were key.

To win a prize, users had to unlock points by referring their friends.

The more points, the more prizes they unlocked.

People signed up, shared the giveaway to earn points, and with everyone doing the same thing, my email list went from less than 300 to 4,000+.

From that list, I’ve closed clients, sold affiliate products, my own products, and filled up events where I’ve sold coaching packages in front of a crowd.

With an under-performing book that barely sold at the bookstores, my business went through a total makeover.

You need a prize and a viral giveaway app to manage entries.

Build a prize that would make your target audience salivate.

For the giveaway app, there’s Gleam, RaffleCopter, UpViral, KingSumo, and a bunch of others.

These apps create custom share links for each person that signs up (so they can promote your giveaway) and tracks referrals for each user.

They’ll also choose your winner in Lotto-style fashion.

Check out the apps. They have different steps but the process to build a giveaway is straightforward.

Once your giveaway is built, don’t promote it yet, it’s time to activate your launch team.

Anyone that helped in your Ask Campaign or commented on your social media posts is a perfect candidate.

They’ve shown an interest in your book and we’ll draw that interest out further by enticing them with freebies.

Contact them directly and let them know that you’re getting ready for takeoff.

Thank them for supporting your book-writing and offer to reward them when they join your launch team.

You’ll ask them to do 2 things:

Give your book the testimonials it needs to make ongoing sales.
Seed your launch giveaway.

Give your launch team members a free copy of your final manuscript (and a summary) so that they can leave honest feedback for your book on Amazon.

You won’t need all of your launch team members to leave a review.

Your book’s barely on the market so nobody is going to expect double digit reviews this early.

When you get 3-5 reviews, start promoting your giveaway to grow your email list.

Announce that you’re celebrating your book launch with a giveaway (include the end date).

You and your launch team will be the first ones to promote your giveaway and with 20+ people sharing the news, your list will start small but grow as the deadline gets closer.

If your giveaway doesn’t attract contestants, it’s because the prizes aren’t enticing.

Once again, make sure your prizes make your audience drool over its value.

By the way, this works well in conjunction with a free promotion you schedule as a member of KDP Select, an optional program that allows you to have countdown or free promotions of your book on Amazon.

Some authors choose not to enroll in KDP Select because you give Amazon exclusive rights to your book (you won’t be able to offer your book anywhere else).

For those that enroll in KDP Select, giving everyone a “consolation prize” of a free or discounted version of your book is the bonus step that’ll shoot your book to #1 in its category.

But that part is up to you.

9. Buying Frenzy

Leverage Your Book Launch To Make Mass Sales In Your Business

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You’ve celebrated your book launch with a giveaway and you now finally have a respectable email list.

Now what?

This last step is where we’ll use your book to make sales and get clients.

This part isn’t done publicly.

It’s a campaign delivered over 3 days via email.

There are volumes of books written on persuasive copywriting and writing emails is an art in itself.

So I won’t go deep on the details, everyone has their own style and I’ll leave you to fill-in-the-blanks.

But I’ll give you the overall flow so you know how to write a book and leverage it for sales in your business.

Choose a product/service to promote AND a complimentary bonus to partner with it.

For example, if your offer is an 8-week fitness coaching package, your bonus could be a personalized meal plan.

If you choose to sell Facebook social media services, a complimentary bonus could be an Instagram mastery course.

With 3 emails sent over 3 days, you’ll instigate a buying frenzy of this offer so choose something you can fulfill easily when the avalanche of new business sweeps in.

Here’s an outline of the emails you’ll send.

Day/Email #1

This email notifies your people of an offer you’re promoting.
Draw in readers with a case study. This takes up the bulk of this email.
Through a case study, we demonstrate proof of concept and show readers what’s possible when they own your product or use your service.
If you don’t have results or any clients of your own, share the results of your system and what it’s done for you.
There’s little promotion in this email, it’s mostly story.
Drop a link to your sales page and in the P.S., briefly mention your deadline which happens at the end of Day 3.

Day/Email #2

This email is a direct sales pitch.
Reference yesterday’s email so they’ll read it (if they haven’t already).
Explain the benefits of your offer, who it’s perfect for, and why they should get it.
Use bullets for easy reading.
Include a link to your sales page.
In your P.S., briefly mention your bonus.

Day/Email #3

This email is based on urgency/scarcity, a proven psychological trigger that gets consumers to buy.
Like email #2, this email is also a direct sales pitch, but this time, we promote your bonus.
If they aren’t interested in your main offer, your bonus can push them over the edge.
In the P.S., hammer your deadline and emphasize that there’s no way you’ll reopen this offer to anyone who tries to buy after midnight.

For max effect, leverage this campaign during special occasions or holidays.

Hint hint, your recent book launch is the perfect event to celebrate.

What’s Next?

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Now that you know how to write a book, what do you do next?

You start “writing”!

You might be tempted to procrastinate and delay your book even longer.

Or you might feel awkward because this is process isn’t like the other ones you’ve found out there.

I get it.

I’ve been in your shoes…

Fear is the first-time author’s biggest enemy.

And right now, fear might be kickin’ you in the wazoo.

Fear of putting yourself out there and being judged.

Fear of harsh reviews and not feeling like you’re good enough.

I know the feeling.

I was questioning myself while writing both of my books, too.

But here’s the thing.

Your book will never be perfect. It won’t make everyone happy. And there will be people who don’t like it.

Because no matter if you’re the ripest, juiciest, and sweetest peach on the tree…

There’s going to be people who don’t like peaches.

The Most Powerful Piece Of Advice For First-Time Authors

If fear’s got you paralyzed…

If you’re hesitating about writing a book in the first place…

Or if you find yourself researching, editing, or adding more to your book when you know it should’ve been published a month ago…

Write your book and publish it.

Because if it’s not to your standards, you can take it off the shelves and write a new one.

Or better yet, update it later with a second edition.

People don’t realize that you can update books.

True. There’s a few more steps than updating your Instagram bio.

But it’s simple-enough so that your book can (and will) improve as you will.

Want to know how to write a book?

One step at a time.

And if you want to know what to do after your book’s published, sign up to get a world-class biz-boosting education delivered into your email daily.

Good luck, my friend!

And advance-congrats on your upcoming best seller.