A Personal Message from Wendy Keller
"Here's a philosophy you don't hear very often in this industry: Help people get their foot in the door. For some reason, there's this idea that any agents who care enough about people to nurture and mentor are somehow 'unethical.' That hurts. It hurts because every successful author or speaker got a helping hand from a guide, mentor, book or friend. Everyone was once a beginner, whether it was writing the ABCs or the latest New York Times best seller. This site is about offering that helping hand to YOU. It's about giving you valuable advice, support and encouragement so instead of just sending you a rejection, you can actually get your dream. I'm Wendy Keller, President of Keller Media. When I started working as an agent in 1989, people with a good idea and decent writing skills could get published pretty easily, even by a big publisher. Then, the information age exploded. Now, even little publishers expect people to show up with one or more of these: a big speaking career, an active website, syndicated column, lots of media AND a good idea and decent writing skills. How in the heck are new writers supposed to adapt to THAT? A lot of people get rejected over and over by agents and they don't know why. This is why: the pre-requisites have changed. It's no one's fault. It's the modern age. But you need to be informed, don't you? You need to know what's really going on, not sit around hoping with misinformation in your head. You need a way in. If you have already achieved a level of preeminence in your subject matter and you have a great book concept, we're going to offer you a contract and work hard to earn our commission. The only money you'll spend before we start sending you the publisher's checks is perhaps to come to New York to meet the top people in the business. See our sold list? 90% of all our authors came to us 'pre-packaged.' For those of you who are just starting out with a dream and some hopes, you've come to a place where that will be honored. The products and seminars this company offers come from a place of faith. Faith in talent, drive and human spirit. Sure, we charge for what we do. Don't you charge for what you do, and want to be paid for your books and speeches? Of course. But the underpinning is concern, compassion and the desire to share the candid facts. This information just isn't easily available to most people. I've climbed down from the Ivory Tower my colleagues and I live in. Our rarified world is too stuffy. I want to open the doors, let people with fresh ideas come in. It's my sincere desire that what you find here helps you get the success you deserve as an author and speaker. If you want to share content that's going to help someone else be happy, grow spiritually, feel healthier, run their business better, whatever - then we want to help you achieve that dream. Please allow me to show you how to be successful, profitable and recognized. I believe that when your voice is heard, your message will help many thousands of people. Here's wishing you all the best." Wendy Keller
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September is BE KIND TO EDITORS & WRITERS Month
SURGICAL REMOVAL TECHNIQUES FOR THE BOOK INSIDE YOU
It’s simple to determine whether or not you have a book inside.Most local hospitals will be happy to charge you for an MRI to help you decide. Normally, a trade book will appear on the scan at about 6x9 inches, a hard cover (which can sometimes be determined by sharp edges poking through the abdominal cavity), is often slightly larger.
For those of you without health plans, or worse, with bad HMOs, determining if you have a book inside you can be done at home without the benefit of your doctor. My strong recommendation is to sit quietly with your “great idea” for a few moments, breathing as you would in an ashram.
After some time, focus on the content of your proposed book. Feel the sensations of eagerness well up within, like the white light from Times Square’s biggest marquee shining down on your body, suffusing your mind with thoughts of fame, service to humanity, and of course money. Oprah’s limo at your front door. Larry King’s producer on your cell phone. You get the picture.
If you find yourself reverberating with glee at the presence of these thoughts, chances are you will test positive for containing a book.
But this, my friends, is just not enough. The book must be given life independent of your guts. Then you won’t just want it to live – you want it to thrive.
There is an easy and most effective first step to forecast the future of your intended project, before it is born. This process is similar in some ways to a pregnant woman having an amniocentesis to determine genetic flaws with her unborn child. You sit down again, this time in front of your laptop. Repeat the breathing process from exercise one and type the words “Amazon.com” into your browser.
Again, you will be suffused with white light, then more colors, as you log onto “Earth’s Biggest Bookstore.” At this magical location, where it says “All Products”, select “Books”. Next, type in the words that most closely relate to the subject of your book-to-be.
Words like “finance”, “management”, “biography” and so forth are all likely candidates. When the Amazon listing returns with a group of books similar to your intended tome, select the top selling 6-8 books most closely related to your book. (To determine which are selling best, look for lowest numbers (between 1-150,000) under “Product Details.) And now, using all the willpower at your disposal, order all 8 of them!
That’s right! Actually support another writer’s work! For every dollar you spend here, the author will be profiting a few pennies, and someday, you too will be in that lush profit zone if you follow through.
When the books come, open them up and read them. Muse on how your unborn title could offer something New, Different, Better or More (NDBM) than the book you are now reading. Ponder this as you would the great mysteries of the Universe. Determine precisely why the world needs yet another book on this topic – one written by you.
Only when you have succinctly determined that the book you are incubating will become something NDBM than the competitors, only when you know that you can do better and can clearly tell a third party why without hyperbole, only at that moment will you know for certain that, boy golly, you DO have a book inside you!
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© 2007, Keller Media, Inc.
Wendy Keller is a published author, professional speaker and literary agent. She helps authors and speakers make a difference in this world and she is behind the scenes supporting their efforts every step of the way. Wendy has developed some of the best writing tools and seminars for authors available at www.kellermedia.com.