Summer’s here! It’s my favorite season, even in steamy Florida. Sunsets at the beach, sipping cool drinks, reading a good book – that’s what summer means to me.
Sharing the Story of a Friend
In honor of the “school’s out, let’s relax” mentality, this post is a little different. Rather than share a green business story or tip, I’m sharing the story of a good friend, Tim Grahl. Tim runs Out:think, a company that helps authors sell more books in this digital age. Authors from Pam Slim to Daniel Pink have all landed on the New York Times best sellers list with Tim’s help.
Tim Grahl knows helps authors sell more books.
I met Tim at a conference for entrepreneurs a couple of years ago. He spoke candidly about his business. For example, one of his challenges was dealing with clients who asked him to work for free. Tim – who is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet – startled me out of my seat by saying, “If they [the prospect] don’t want to pay you, “F*** them.” (Pardon.) The wisdom in that remark is with me every day.
The Courage to Share the Ups AND Downs
Earlier this year I was intrigued when Tim publicly committed to selling 10,000 copies of his own first book – Your First 1000 Copies: The Step-by-Step Guide to Marketing your Book – by June 27, 2014. As of this writing, he stands at 8770 sold. A bit short of his goal.
I bought his book and read it. (8771, Tim!) And I recommend it. Because so much of this short book is just about good marketing in general. His “Connection System” and the notion of building an audience before you write your book are truly marketing philosophies for the future.
So if you’re interested, pop over to Amazon and buy his book now for 99 cents. I get no part of that; I just think you’ll enjoy it or may know someone who will.
One of the Good Guys
Tim Grahl is one of the “good guys.” He has emblazoned the phrase “be relentlessly helpful” on my brain. He made me a better business person. And for that, I’d like to help him reach his goal of 10,000 books by June 27.
There’s no pressure – I just want to help get the word out. It’s a way to start summer in a positive, “pay-it-forward” kind of way.
And if you DO buy, you have my thanks!
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