Who Enters the EDGE Publish PASS Awards?

 All independent author/publishers of business books are eligible.

 Are Awards Programs Worth the Money and Effort?

It takes time and money to enter award programs but the potential financial and professional rewards can really make a difference in your books success as a personal professional tool.  Awards not only bring personal satisfaction and prestige to the author but they can ultimately influence buyers. The book can keep on selling and influencing decision makers, thanks in part to that gold seal on the cover.

What sets the EDGE Awards Apart?

Winner Honorable Mentions appear for an entire year at www.Publishpass.com, and are featured prominently in our monthly newsletter and on various other award announcement related websites.

How do I know you got my entry?

You ship the books to us. We highly recommend that you send a trackable package, or include a self-addressed stamped post card to help us confirm receipt of your entry. Please include the online entry receipt with the book.

Do the judges read every book from cover to cover?

 Awards judges are trained to assess a book’s quality, much as a buyer at a bookstore or library determines whether or not to purchase for their patrons. The further a book makes it through the judging process, the more likely it will be read completely.

Please send any other questions to:

Shannon Evans Awards Director and Publish PASS Editor at sevans@publishpass.com

·         2009 PASS BUSINESS BOOK EDGE AWARDS – “Printing Your Passion” -www.publishpass.com

·         In today’s financial chaos, business people need new, stimulating ideas that trigger their own entrepreneurial success. Enter and compete with the best independently published business books of the year.

·         Entry fees are based on a per-title, per-category basis. Take advantage of the early discounted entry fees:

$75 per title per category until March 15, 2008

$80 per category March 16 until May 15, 2009
$85 per category May 16 until August 15, 2009

Award Categories

1. General Business/ Economics
2. Career (job search, career advancement)
3. Sales (sales skills, negotiating, closing)
4. Leadership
5. Communication Skills/Networking
6. Business Ethics
7. Operations Management/Productivity/TQM
8. Human Resources/Employee Training
9. Entrepreneurship
10. Philanthropy/Charity/Nonprofit
11. International Business/Globalization
12. Personal Finance (estate planning, debt management)
13. Investing (stocks, bonds, hedge funds, options, futures)
14. Retirement Planning
15. Coaching/Mentoring
16. Success/Motivation
17. Advertising/Marketing/PR/Event Planning
18. Corporate History/Milestone
19. Real Estate (buying, investing, management)
20. Business Reference (legal, how-to, technology)
21. Memoir/Biography
22. Business Fable

Announcing the 2009 Excellence in Demonstrating Groundbreaking Entrepreneurship (EDGE) Award! 

Entry open to independents authors of books and ebooks worldwide who publish for the North American market with a 2008 copyright (or that were released in 2008).

Announcing the EDGE Awards sponsored by Professional Advancement Seminars and Services (PASS) Publishing Company recognize and promote independently published books and ebooks that change people’s lives and promote the professional. EDGE – Excellence in Demonstrating Ground-breaking Entrepreneurship. The EDGE Awards were conceived to recognize and reward extraordinary books by independent publishers.

The EDGE Awards are focused solely on independently published business books and ebooks. Winner, Finalists, and Honorable Mentions appear for an entire year at www.publishpass.com. Winners will also be featured and highlighted prominently in our monthly newsletter. Awards are a great tool for all those involved. Awards influence reviewers, buyers, decision makers and future clients. The gold seal prominently placed on the book cover often captures the buyer’s attention and leads to higher sales. Enter now at: 

http://www.publishpass.com

·         Any non-fiction book that promotes an industry accepted scope of practice in a professional area of expertise will be accepted.

·         A submission should set forth a theory that has justifiable merit and factual basis.

·         The book can cover any professional topic but must give a solution or benefit for issues of that professional practice. 

·         The entry must meet the standards of the professional practice from which it is related.

·         Each entry must list the profession to which it is related.

 Awards: Winning titles will be exhibited in a 2009 Publish PASS EDGE Book Awards Showcase web page. An overall Grand Prize winner, an honorable mention will be awarded. 5 finalists will be named, for each profession submitted a special award will be given to the top book and the top ebook.

Each entry will be judged on and receives an individual evaluation with the judges’ commentary based on the following criteria:

·        Appropriateness of subject matter.

·        Depth of research

·        Is the entry “well-sourced”? Are sources credible and accurate?

·        Presentation

·        Impact of entry on the problem or issue covered

·         How well the book has achieved its goal

·         What possibilities are suggested by the book

·         What the book has left out

·         What specific points are not convincing

·         Eye catching cover

·         Market appeal

·         Client generation ability

Facebook is an incredibly powerful social networking service. Its interface and framework allow a single person to spread news virally through their social bookmarking service. Communities of friends in the Facebook Group apps are growing in popularity.  

As an author you should create Facebook Groups to further promote “brand” presence, promote news/events, share links,  and conduct discussions all in one spot to generate more excitement and build your audience. More than a fan site, Facebook Groups allows you to interact with your audience on a level that is comfortable and easy to maintain.

Unlike a blog, Groups is easier to maintain and keep fresh. You can assign mulitple administrators to help facilitate content growth. Now go out there and select a title, category and description that is relevant to your brand and start directing your existing friends to join your group. Then kick it into high gear, hang on tight, start adding content that stimulates interaction, and watch your group grow!

Have you ever wondered how a local business got to be first in Google Local Search when you click on maps? Is it by address? Nope! Or maybe it is alphabetical? Nope!  It is based on keywords! 

Let’s say you are a dog groomer and your business is  Pretty Paws. No keywords in your business name…so how will people find you if they don’t know your business’ name? What if they were looking for a groomer on the net, would your name show up first? Top three? Probably not!  Google map search ranks sites based on keywords. It takes less than five minutes to do and is worth the effort to get your business listed based on YOUR keywords on their maps! 

Go to local search and take those five minutes to enter your business using your key words. If you were Pretty Paws your keywords might be: groomer, dog groomers, dogs, dog grooming, etc.  Follow these keywords with your town’s name…Dog groomer + Puppytown + WA

After you spend your five minutes, Google sends you an automated email with a pin number. They then call you, you enter your pin number and that is that for confirmation.  Within 24 hours your listing appears. Then you check to see if you selected the best keywords based on how you rank on the maps search. 

Isn’t that easy? Let me know about your experience!  Matter of fact, perhaps you should google yourself on maps using your keywords BEFORE you try this and then AFTER and see how it changes your rank on the Maps page for your community!

Good marketing begins with collaborative efforts and strong organization. What is more organized then a good book? Research shows that when there are solid connections between the customer and the goods and services they desire profits increase. The amazing growth of business information on the net is another market driver.

According to Osterman Research, email volume alone is growing between 35 and 40 % annually. How do you get in front of your niche in a way that demonstrates your creative new and useful ideas that solve the challenges that people face every day?

Creativity is only useful if it is channeled and directed. According to Warren Bennis, “Today’s successful companies live and die according to the quality of their ideas.” Creativity is critical for survival in any career. It is the life blood for constructing a competitive edge.

In order to succeed in the current market requires that entrepreneurs must drop their limiting assumptions, beliefs, and behaviors. They must critically analyze the connection between resources, needs and values. Entrepreneurs must harness their creativity and learn the techniques and behaviors that generate ideas.

Successful entrepreneurs tap into their creativity to throw off existing paradigms. They don’t allow themselves to be rule driven and they avoid preconceived ideas of what the world is or is not. Creativity and innovation are an integral part of entrepreneurship.

Talking Head presentation style is reminiscent of the college professor who began droning psychobabble in your survey course PSY 101 course and never stopped until the end of term. 300 students dutifully trooped in and out of the theatre style room TTH for a class in boredom. Many took the opportunity to do other homework, right letters home to mom and dad, to nap, or to zone out and doodle aimlessly. The point is that no useful knowledge was gained unless it was a promise to never take another course from that professor!

There is a time to talk and present information and concepts but it has to be skillfully interspersed with stories and opportunities for interaction with material and each other. Adults really prefer to learn when they can apply a presented concept to their business practices. They want to know how they can specifically take XYZ technique and use it.

Apply the KISS principle (Keep It Simple Silly) when presenting information to a group.

• Never have more than three to four points to make about your topic. 
• New knowledge must be built on old knowledge. 
• It takes time to make those links and build the connections. 

You only have a limited amount of time to get your audience’s attention and keep them engaged with the topic. Don’t waste it on talk that does not engage and motivate your audience.

Do you want to create a presentation to strut your stuff your next event? Are you terrified by the thought? Do you fear getting the dreadful moniker under your photo of a “bad presenter”? Hosting an event is a great way to hone your presentation skills to a willing and able audience. Here’s a news flash: There are no truly bad presenters…but there are bad presentation techniques!

Have you ever been to an event where the presenter was unprepared, bumbled around aimlessly, read to you, was a talking head or was so enamored by the technology they brought. We have all had the ‘pleasure’ of sitting through one of these at least once in our lives. You become so embarrassed for the presenter you actually want to jump in and help them out or jump out the nearest window and escape!

What are some of the characteristics of a bad presentation and what can we do to avoid them? How can we as presenters motivate our audience and encourage them to participate? What must we as presenters do to make the environment physically and psychologically comfortable in order to avoid irritating and alienating our participants?

One of the most common presentation mistakes made by new facilitators and old parochial school teachers is the Talking Head. Adults want to dig in, participate, interact, and apply concepts. To be a good presenter you need to engage the audience: Don’t read to them.

• Don’t preach to them. 
• Excite them. 
• Make them do something that gives them an opportunity to put into practice what they just learned. 

Good presentation techniques are learned through trial and error and peer feedback. Go to some networking events and see what works and what doesn’t. We are all good presenters when we have the right presentation skills in our toolbox!

Finding the focus and structure of your book takes some trial and error runs on your part. Finding your focus is not the same as finding your topic or your BIG IDEA. Your focus is the dramatic premise or theme of your book. It not only identifies your essential themes for the entire work it also helps focus the writing. This in effect draws the reader into the content and makes the reading much more meaningful.

There are several techniques to find focus. You can begin by identifying a single image, detail or quote that conveys your message or you can list important actions taking place in the work.  This list eventually becomes your working outline as you begin to organize the information into recurring themes or messages. 

Networking is an important part of modern business building. For the solo entrepreneur this is especially critical. Networking is a great way to build trust and rapport with potential customers and establish a publicly recognized presence. It is about giving and receiving and building relationships. It is a great way to make people aware of you, your skills, and how and where to find you. The following steps will help you network at your next event or gathering with confidence and poise.

Step 1 KNOW WHAT YOU BRING TO THE TABLE

What skills, talents, resources, connections, or information that you have to offer the individual members of the group. You DO bring something that no one else there has. We all have unique perspectives and experiences to bring to the event especially if you have a unique talent or years of experience. Your fellow networkers will want to get to meet you based on what you do and how you present yourself.

“Know thyself” means so much in a networking situation. There really is six degrees or less of separation. We live in a world that the connectedness is growing ever rapidly. If you know what you bring to the table and who you want to connect with you can gain access to virtually anyone!

Networking is an exercise in relationship building not an imposition on those you are reaching out to meet. It is an opportunity to:

• Share your expertise
• Exchange ideas
• Learn of educational opportunities
• Meet other experts

Step 2 HONESTY COUNTS

You must have a willingness to provide value to those who meet you. It can’t be all about you and what you are going to get out of the event. Your credibility is at stake! You must be sincere and honest when you interact with others at a networking event. Focus on your integrity and your trustworthiness will help you build a network of other people of high integrity. People can spot insincerity at 20 paces and will avoid those like the plague.

People will avoid those who they perceive as lacking any business quality of real value. You must go with a trust building agenda rather than a goal oriented agenda. Remember, it’s not about you, it’s about them. Focus on the other person and ask them why they are there and what you can do for them. If you can identify what they need you will build a lasting relationship. Ask…listen…and then ask again. Sincerity counts!

Steps 3 DELIBERATELY BUILD YOUR NETWORK

Who do you want to add to your network? What types of people and companies do you want to associate your business with and how will you focus your efforts to connect with these people? What role will each play in your network?

According to networking guru Anthony Robbins, “Successful people ask more questions, and as a result, get better answers. To maintain viability in the rapidly changing business world it is critical to build trust. A good networker knows that a real network is a two-way street of helpful relationships. It is all about Karma. You help someone and they will help you. Good things come back to those who do good.

Step 4 PERSONALIZE YOUR NETWORKING EFFORTS

Where, how, and with who will you network? What types of events do you want to attend? How often will you go? What will you irresistible offer will you make to those you meet? How will you dress? How will you present your business card? What is the most effective elevator speech you will use?

Why should anyone give you their business card? What method is most effective? What works for you?

• Elevator speech – never offer your card to someone without also delivering a sound byte on what you do and how you do it.
• One for one exchange – offer a report, article or free e-book that contains valuable information. Ask them if you can call them afterwards to follow up.

Steps 5 FOLLOW UP

Giving a follow up call demonstrates that you are a professional committed to your business. This can not only lead to new business but to great referrals which will grow your business at a phenomenal rate.

Follow up after every networking opportunity is critical to the trust process. Not only is it courteous but it impresses the heck out of people that you demonstrate loyalty and respect to everyone.

Get the most out of your next networking event. It is a critical part of doing business today whether you are a new business or one with a well established history and clientele. Go in with the attitude that you are building relationships and your are there to give more than you receive. Now let’s get out there and network!