Publishing Your Book with a Traditional Publishing House

Although it has been a reasonable trend as of late to get an online printer to print books from new authors on demand, some new authors still prefer the benefits associated with traditional national publishers. Those benefits include marketing your book to thousands of retail outlets. That being said, for most first-time authors, the struggles outweigh the benefits that accompany the few authors who have books that are selected for publication.

Did you know that out of 100 people, only 50 people will attempt to publish their book once they finish it? Out of those 50, about 25 will quit after their first rejection from a publisher. Of the remaining 25, only 12 will try more than twice. Four of those 12 will not properly follow the submission guidelines. That leaves only approximately 8 out of 100 people who have a chance at publishing their book with a traditional publishing house.

Why do so many people fail? It could be lack of persistence or drive. It could be an unwillingness to make the changes that a publisher thinks need to be made before they will publish it. Publishing is not an easy task. However, if you know some of the vital tips to writing and publishing your book, you can be one of the few that succeed.

1. When writing, start by choosing your audience. Decide what you want to write about and who you want to direct it to. After that draw up an outline to guide your book into the right direction that will lead you to success. Know all the key points from beginning to end that you want to hit before you write. Filling in all the details should come naturally.

2. Never Quit while writing or after. As you are writing your novel, you will run into some writers’ blocks. This is inevitable, but don’t give up. When you can’t think of anything, start a new page and just start writing anything that pops into your mind, it doesn’t have to be well written or even meaningful at first, but as you just let the words fall out of your thoughts, you will find that eventually, they will naturally form the sentences you were trying to write earlier. I’m serious – this might sound odd, but it works!

3. Edit your work. Have your writing professionally edited by a respected company like Articles and Submissions, so that your writing will be absolutely perfect before it is published. Even after initial revisions, some publishers might want to make additional changes. Listen to their constructive criticism. They might not publish your article if you don’t.

4. Submit Everywhere. After you have completed your novel, submit it, submit it, and submit it. There are several traditional publishing houses that you can submit to. We suggest making friends in the publishing business and building upon those friendships as often as possible.

5. Keep Your Rejections. Your first two rejection slips should be kept as prized possessions. They prove that you went above and beyond more than 92% or all authors who attempt to publish their own book.

6. Change it up if necessary. Have the “wisdom to change the things [you] can.” If you have not been accepted after four submissions, change your tactics. Make sure you are trying to publish with the right company, in the right market. Review your good story line and mission. Fix any possible errors and critiques that you receive along the way. Spend time perfecting it.

7. Never give up, just keep persevering through until you finally reach success. Walt Disney was rejected 300 times before he was accepted for his first business loan, and those first 300 banks are now regretting it dearly. So be one out of the few that succeeds and show those who rejected you that they were wrong. Publish your own book.

If all else fails, print your book one at a time or a hundred at a time by a respected printer in your area or online. Do the marketing yourself. If you work hard at marketing, and you have a good book, traditional publishing houses will be coming to you the next time around!

Novel Writing Tips to Success

When you first have an idea that you want to share with the world, one of the hardest parts is trying to find out how to relate the story you want to tell. Below I have listed some novel writing tips that will help the blank page on your computer monitor turn into a novel in no time.
1. Begin with a Bang! If you want your novel to be successful, then you must hook your reader right at the beginning. Think of a plot that will tie the reader in and never let them go until you say “The End.”

2. Develop conflict. Things need to be stressful. If life is too easy for your characters, you will not hold the readers' attention. Make it interesting, if you can’t think of anything just write the first thing that comes to your mind and keep going. Things will usually develop on their own.

3. Make promises and keep them. Romance readers want romance; mystery readers expect a good puzzle, adventure lovers expect fast-paced action. Give the readers what they want. Hint at things to come, and then deliver. Don’t start a circumstance or subplot without finishing it, even your minor details need to be resolved.

4. Introduce or foreshadow your main characters. Know your audience and know your star characters. The key players in your story should be clear from the very beginning, whether they are the ‘good guys’ or the ‘bad guys.’ This also goes hand in hand with point of view, stay writing in one tone, with one view. This will make your story more catching and less confusing for the readers.

5. Establish a clear setting. Let the reader know where and when it is all taking place. Keep it simple and well described. One of the most important tips to novel-writing success is in making sure that the reader can follow when and where the action is taking place.

6. Know your ending before you begin. Throughout the entire story, all aspects must intertwine and coincide. If you do not know how your novel is going to end when you begin, it would take a miracle to have it all make sense. Outlines are a great way to keep on track of your novel.

7. Make your readers happy. When you finish a novel, give them the ending with which they will be happy – even pleasantly surprised. That doesn’t necessarily mean it will end happily ever after for suspense lovers awaiting a follow-up volume. Your readers will only remember the beginning, a few things from the middle, and the way your novel ended. If the beginning and end are not outstanding, then the rest of the book is forgotten and dismissed, so go out the same way you start – with a BANG!


Writing a novel can often be a difficult journey, but these key novel writing tips for success can help you break through your writer’s blocks and help turn your novel into a best seller.

Create a Successful Business Through Customer Service Surveys

Successful businesses are successful because they know that excellent customer service increases profits. One man who started off as just a small entrepreneur, just like many of us, is now legendary in his industry and in the world of business. John Ilhan created Crazy John’s mobile phone company. He is known as one of Australia's biggest mobile phone retailers and according to the BRW Young Rich List, as of 2003 if was the richest Australian under 40 years of age (2003), with assets worth about $300 Million!

One perception that helped him become so successful so quickly was the fact that he was known for creating great customer service through published customer satisfaction rates. The perception that nearly all of his clients were happy clients made it seem as if everything John did, he did to generate happy customers, which of course followed with equally high customer satisfaction rates and reviews.

John recognized that the mobile phone industry was a difficult industry to succeed in because of the almost overpowering competition. He said, “It is a very, very tough market. So unless you do a really good job, you buy the right products from the manufacturers, you service the customer, they keep coming back, they bring their friends in, it’s all about numbers, numbers, numbers.”

So how do you know what products are the right products to purchase from manufacturers?
How can you tell if you are successfully serving the customer?
What are the best ways to increase customer loyalty and increase those numbers?

The answer? Use online customer service surveys.
Customers will tell you what product they want to purchase.
Customers will tell you if you are providing exceptional service.
When they know that you have their best interests at heart, customers will tell their friends and family about your business which will increase sales and customer loyalty. Increasing the number of people you serve all has to do with serving the few customers you start with in a spectacular fashion.

Customer service survey forms can provide your customers with the opportunity to communicate with you. When they know you care, customers will provide honest feedback, which will help you improve your products and service.

Gandhi’s Customer Service Techniques

We all say we that we know how important customer service is to having a successful business, but do we really? Now you may have heard of Mahatma Gandhi who was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement at the start of the twentieth century.

Gandhi wasn’t really known as a business man, more of a philosophical man trying to make a difference in the world. However his business views were spot-on to creating a successful company, and he would have been a fantastic business owner. Mahatma Gandhi quoted once that “A customer is the most important visitor on our premises, he is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him. He is not an interruption in our work. He is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider in our business. He is part of it. We are not doing him a favor by serving him. He is doing us a favor by giving us an opportunity to do so.”

The way that Gandhi phrases each key line is so precise an eminent. If you want to own a successful business then perhaps you should learn your customer service techniques from Gandhi.

1. Your customers are the most important visitors on your premises. They are not dependent on you, so don’t treat them in that manner, treat them like a king or queen walking into the room, and you are the jester – there to meet there every reasonable demand until they are satisfied.

2. You customers are the purpose of your work. Companies that have great customer service understand that without customers, they are without a job. Customer service and satisfaction is the only way to have a profitable company, so understand that they are the reason your company exists.

3. Your customers are a part of your business. They are not outsiders to the business. In fact they know how you should run your business better than you do. Using online customer survey software is a great way to know what your customers think about your business and how to resolve issues quickly and efficiently.

4. You have been given a favor from your customers, by being able to serve them. If you don’t think of your customers as the reason for your business’ existence, then how do you expect to keep your customers and run a successful business? You cannot do it. They are a blessing to you – not the other way around.

Mahatma Gandhi knew and understood the very best customer service techniques. He was able to discern the qualities that make a business have outstanding customer service, and the thoughts that can lead a business to failure through the lack of knowledge. If you want to obtain the kind of customer service that will allow your company to flourish, study some of Gandhi’s customer service techniques and put them into practice.

Positive Customer Interaction Increases Sales

How many of us have ever eaten at McDonalds? I’m going to guess that everyone reading this article has eaten there at least once. Even if it may not provide the healthiest of food or our first choice in dining, McDonalds is still growing after all these years. Ray Kroc had the passion for creating a vast restaurant empire and his vision was carried out further than even he could have imagined.

Perhaps because he started out with great self-motivation, initiative, and with an innovative idea, he became successful. The fact that he focused on providing positive customer interaction to his franchisees, vendors, and customers kept him successful.

In the beginning, as Ray was just starting out, he said, “If you work just for money, you’ll never make it, but if you love what you’re doing and you always put the customer first, success will be yours.”

You will always be able to find new ways to succeed and create an even larger, better company if you have 

the passion for what you do. Ray Kroc’s rules of achieving success by creating a quality product at a reasonable price, promoting a clean environment, and a providing a positive experience with every customer interaction should be our rules for success as well.

Our customers keep our business in business. Interacting with your customers in the same way that Ray Kroc knew we should, by making them feel that “everything we do – we do for them,” is the best way to ensure a successful business.

Successful customer interactions really do increase sales. If our customers are happy, people will spread the word and more customers will flock to our businesses. Now that our customers have access to social media sites and online customer rating and review software, and with almost every US adult owning a cell phone with calling and texting capabilities, the good word spreads even faster and much more often. With outstanding customer service and consistent positive interactions, you and your company has the chance to be just as successful as Ray Kroc was with McDonalds. 

The Importance of Social Commerce

A friend of mine wants to start up his own online business. Last year he attempted to start his own clothing line, but the profit he made was not worth the work he put in. So now he wants to do something simpler and only work online. Before he gets started though, he needs to understand the importance of social commerce.

But what exactly is social commerce? Social commerce is those sections or divisions of business that uses 

social media sites, directories, and other online sources that support social interaction of customers, business owners, and collaborators. It increases traffic generation and creates a larger potential for profit for online businesses by marketing to interested consumers.

If you are an online business owner, make sure that you are utilizing online marketing and social media optimization tools to accurately and prominently display your business. Here are some of the best ways to increase your potential for online profits. 

1. Network, Network, Network! With social commerce and social media, you have to be seen online. This means, among other things, using article and submission sites and increasing your page rank with Google and other search engines. It means using fun, entertaining, and enthralling means to capture the attention of online visitors. The more you are seen online in a positive, memorable manner, the more money you will make.

2. Value your customers! Customer feedback is essential to obtaining customer satisfaction with an online business. Review software like Shopper Approved generates customer satisfaction surveys that can drastically increase online sales through improved communication with customers while creating customers out of visitors through testimonials and high ratings. Customer surveys are important with every online business because they give your customers the chance to critique your business as well as provide positive testimonials to promote your company.

3. Post Positives! When ever you receive a positive customer testimonial that promotes your business put it online! Customers trust other people’s opinions more than your own, so show off to the world the great things your customers think about your business and your sales will sky rocket. 

Understanding and performing social commerce will increase your online sales. 

Customer Satisfaction Training Session

In this customer satisfaction training session you will learn specific tools that will help increase your company’s customer satisfaction. Please keep an open mind and a willingness to adapt what you learn to improve your business with these key customer satisfaction tips that will help you make more money, more often. 

Keeping Customers Satisfied is one of the most important strategies of successful companies. The CEO of Amazon.com Jeff Bezos held, “We see our customers as invited guests to a party and we are the hosts. It’s our job every day to make every important aspect of the customer experience a little bit better.” This brings us to tip number one on how to improve your customer satisfaction.

1. Think of your customers as guests. If you think of and treat your customers as more than just business consumers, but as guests to an event you are hosting, then they will sense this and feel more important to your company. This will also ensure that you and your company are taking care of your customers in a more professional and sincere manner, which increases your customer satisfaction, customer loyalty rate and financial profit. 

2. Listen to your guests at the party. When you invite someone over, you don’t just talk to them about what you have to offer and what you think is right or wrong. Listen to them and try to understand what is new with them and why they feel and think like they do. As business owners, you should do this same thing with your employees. Ask them what they are looking for, what their goals are and see how you can help them. Make them feel in charge and important. In return they will thank you for listening by providing exceptional service to your customers.

3. Satisfaction is the key. Your customers might not always be completely happy after a visit, but if you follow these key components, your customer satisfaction will increase drastically. Customer Satisfaction Surveys are also one of the best ways to guarantee that your guests are happy with you and your business. They allow you to listen to what they have to say and act upon the critiques they give you which can help you improve your company. 

As a business owner it is crucial that you know and understand how to keep your customers satisfied, so remember the three keys in this training session and start increasing your profits with happier customers now.