Ask & It Is Written: Where Spirit Meets Speed in Publishing with Donna Kozik

0:02Who's ready to rock today, Fire Nation. JLD here and welcome to Entrepreneurs on Fire, brought to you by High Level, the all-in-one sales and marketing platform. Today, we'll be breaking down Ask and It Is Written, where spirit meets speed in publishing. To drop these vibe bombs, I brought Donna Kozik into EO Fire Studios. Ask and It Is Written founder and write a book in A Weekend Creator. Donna shows coaches and entrepreneurs how to publish fast and profit smart. And today, our foundation will talk about publishing a book quickly, imprinting instead of publishing, and oh, so much more. And a big thank you for sponsoring today's episode goes to Donna and our sponsors.

0:39Are you ready for the ultimate all-in-one platform for entrepreneurs, marketers, coaches, and agencies? Build funnels, automate follow-ups, manage clients, and even white-label your own software. Say hello to our featured partner, High Level, and visit highlevelfire.com to start your free trial today. Fire Nation, it's time to stop guessing and start winning with a proven playbook inside the Freedom Circle. You'll have access to my step-by-step systems for creating offers, building processes, and driving traffic, all in just 90 days. Ready for freedom? Visit freedom-circle.com to learn more. Donna, say what's up to Fire Nation and share something that you believe about becoming successful that most people disagree with.

1:30This is going to be controversial, steel, but I believe there is no luck involved in becoming an entrepreneur, a successful entrepreneur. I really think you make your own luck. And a lot of times in interviews like this, they ask business owners, do you think it is luck? Do you think it is hard work or a mix? And most people say it's a mix of both, but I don't agree. I think that it's important to open yourself up to opportunity and always be aware and looking and asking, how can I use this? And to me, that's not luck, that's awareness. Yeah, my definition of quote unquote luck is where effort meets opportunity.

2:13So if you're putting in the efforts day in and day out, and the opportunity just arises because it will at some point and you seize it, is that really luck? Or is that just putting in the reps, putting in the work? Now, Fire Nation, today we're talking about ask and it is written where Spirit Meets Speed in Publishing. And ask, and it is written, what is it? Yeah, so it's part publishing imprint, it's part community, and it's part a training ground for leaders. So the publishing imprint is looking to pick up where Hay House leaves off with promotional support for our authors, plus putting them in the spotlight for our podcast, creating a speakers bureau, and more.

2:59And then as a leadership training ground, our authors are invited to host prayer circles, journaling circles, and leadership circles. And you can see that we have a spiritual slant to our publishing house. And then we're also a community of writers and people who just like to hang out together. Now, you do talk about spirit meeting speed when it comes to publishing. Let's talk for our listeners today about how realistic it is for someone to publish a book quickly. It is super realistic once that manuscript is done. And I think that's where a lot of people get hung up is actually in finishing a manuscript.

3:40But just like anything, once that is done, you just move it through the process. We actually have a speed to market system in place. It's streamlined so you can get the book done fast and up on Amazon. I have a Cracker Jack team and there's not a lot of downtime between decisions. It just goes from proofreading to cover design, formatting, upload, and you're published. Let's maybe take a step back now and really walk through that process you just talked about. So let's say there's somebody listening today and they're writing a manuscript. Maybe they've already got that manuscript complete because, of course, that's a challenging part.

4:18But now you're saying that the next step could happen quite fast. Walk through like a real world example, maybe one of your past clients, maybe you with a recent book, like what does that look like down at the ground level at the entrepreneur itself? Yes. So one of the things I do is I talk to the author and look over the manuscript and make sure that it is complete and there aren't any holes missing or things that are covered too superficially. I have a saying that I don't let my clients publish junk. So we want to make sure it is complete. And then also we add in the elements that make it a real book.

4:57So front matter like copyright information, acknowledgements, dedication, a third person about the author, and that all important call to action. So you can turn readers into leads. So once all that is done, I introduce them to my publishing team. They fill out a questionnaire so we can design a cover that fits them and the tone of the book, but their branding, their website, anything that they have going on. Again, so everything is streamlined but matches what they want to do and their goals. And then the interior design is kind of the boring part of publishing, but so important, again, to make the book look real and professional.

5:41So it can be held up against any other book. and have that same kind of look and feel. And then it's bringing the files together and uploading it to Amazon, identifying your key categories, your key words, and hitting that publish button. I have little scenes I do with my authors where we do that upload, and then we have a 3, 2, 1, publish that book moment. And those are my favorite things to do when that button is pushed and Amazon accepts their book and away we go. Fire Nation, I love seeing that being walked through on a step-by-step basis because you can actually feel it coming to life. But I have a question for you.

6:23Why would someone wanna publish under an imprint instead of self-publishing? What does that look like? What is an imprint in this conversation we're having? Sure, so there are three different ways to publish. You can self-publish, do everything yourself. You can seek out an agent and do traditional publishing. Or you can do something in between, which is called hybrid publishing. And the Ask and It Is Written Publishing House is an imprint, and we are a hybrid publisher. And really, the only difference between self-publishing and using our publishing services is that we provide the ISBN, and we give you wider distribution than just being on Amazon.

7:06And usually, most self-publishers are kind of stuck at that point where they're on Amazon, which, don't get me wrong, is great. However, to be able to have a wider distribution is even better. And the coolest thing is that our authors keep their royalties. They own the rights to their works. With our hybrid, it's not always that way, but with our imprint, it is. So it really is the best of all worlds. We help you with distribution. We put the spotlight on you, yet you retain all those cool benefits of being an author. Fire Nation, there are a lot of cool benefits of being an author. And we're going to be talking about some more of those when we get back from thanking our sponsors.

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10:10High level, join the revolution. Hey, Donna, we're back. And the reality is this. Most people struggle when it comes to clarifying their message. I see this all up and down the levels, whether it be a product or a service or a coaching or a mastermind or a book, how do you help spiritual entrepreneurs and coaches clarify their message? Well, writing is a great way to clarify your message because writing is a form of thinking. And so as you are writing, you are thinking thoughts you never thought before as you're putting them on screen or on paper. But I take it a step further and I recommend and encourage my authors to talk about their message.

10:55By putting voice to it, they become more confident and sure of it. So I don't throw them out there on YouTube or a podcast without some practice or training. And that's the cool part about asking it as written. We are a safe community of like-minded people where you can try things out. I have these things called writing parties where we all come together, kind of like a study hall. And we write using the Pomodoro technique, write for 25 minutes, take a little break, and then people share some of their writing with the group, but primarily to with me. And I give them some instant editorial feedback.

11:33And you can hear a lot of things when you read your writing out loud. And so a lot of times I'm like, that's great. I give it the DK stamp of approval. And other times I'm like, okay, I suggest you make this change or you add a little bit more here. So it's more clear. So just like we did before the break, I'd love to have you walk through an example of maybe one of your clients, maybe again, it's you that actually went through and use this process to clarify your message. We don't have to use like names or real specifics here, but what does that look like? Take us through that process. One of the aspects of the writing parties is that we're doing 200 word essays for the community book project.

12:16It's a book under Ask and it is written and it's celebrating 365 days of gratitude. And so people come to the writing parties and one person might come and read their story, say a story about best friends. And she's taking us through her life and how she met and was with her best friends from kindergarten through high school, through college, and then into adulthood. And then as, you know, things are becoming, people are becoming seniors in that. So I listened to an essay like that. And I'm listening for flow and clarity. and that's a lot to fit into 200 words, but if you make every word count, you can do it.

13:07So I'll give some feedback there, see if the introduction sets the tone for the essay, if the conclusion puts that punctuation point on it. And that's an example of how we do things in our writing parties. Now there's a lot of noise out there and a lot of people are saying markets oversaturated. Of course, they've been saying that for all time. They were saying that in the 20s and I'm talking about the 1920s. They're saying that in the 1820s. They were saying it in the 2020s. They're saying, hey, the market's oversaturated. There's too many podcasts. There's too many books. There's too much this.

13:41There's too much that. People are always saying that. So you take it with a grain of salt. But what I want to know is how can a book from a lesser known author still break through? How are you seeing that become reality? Well, a few things that I encourage people to keep in mind. First of all, a reader is a reader is a reader. So people who are out there reading are more likely to pick up a book by you than not. And I know in business and entrepreneurship, we talk about target markets and niche audiences and things like that. And although you want to remember that when you're writing, you also want to remember that anybody who can read really is a potential client, so to speak, for your book.

14:22Another thing I encourage people to do is go an inch wide mile deep. So get something super specific related to your topic and then really do a deep dive into it. And those are the kind of books that can break through the noise because they are specific. And for instance, I have a client who wrote a book about what's the best things to do and see in Disneyland. And so all of these different little hidden things, but that is an inch wide mile deep. But with the Disneyland fans, they're all over it, right? Because it's that connection between the two, that like subject that they really get into.

15:05So you want to get super specific and you'll rise above that noise and find those people who are looking for you. And then also, I think that you want to think beyond Amazon. And that's what we're doing with Ask and It Is Written, really looking to get books in front of readers where they are. So, for instance, church bookstores and New Thought shops and things like that is on our list because we know that's where our readers are. Fire Nation, I love that inch-wide, mile-deep philosophy. I mean, it has been so true for so many things that I've done. I mean, even in this podcasting and YouTube space, I went literally an inch wide with my most recent show about nine months ago.

15:46It's just about one company, a news update on one company every single day. The last 24 hours, what happened? It's never going to be this massive show. It's never going to have this massive audience, but it has an incredibly passionate following, and I have a blast doing it, and it's doing really well because it's the best solution in that market. And that is a problem that has to be solved. And that idea, you know, if you're going to Disney World and you've been there a million times and you love it, of course you're gonna wanna read a book about some hidden secrets that you may have missed before to make things different.

16:19I mean, think about that. It's an absolute no-brainer. So what are the shifts, Donna, that someone needs to make to go from, oh, someday I'll write a book. Because, you know, everybody loves to say, oh, I know I have one book in me. I have a book in me. I have a book in me. to actually holding the book in their hands? Because I can tell you, opening that book up, smelling that binder, kind of flipping the pages, that's a good feeling. It is, absolutely. Well, one way or shift to make is about having those well-defined goals for your book. And whether you wanna have speaking engagements or you wanna create courses or you wanna use it as a client attraction tool, or maybe all of the above.

17:02And that's totally fine. I mean, we want it all, right? But you can do that. But I really encourage people to have one goal in mind, publish that book, and then get one train out of the station first. So use it as a big business card to send to people to get a speaking engagement, to send to conferences or associations. Use it. And this is why having the goal at the beginning is great, because if you want to create a course out of it, well, then that helps you outline your book and know what information to include in it and what information to give a peek at. So then people will then naturally progress from the book to your course and then using it as that big business card to get clients.

17:49I think people really miss the boat here. If I could do a little mini rant. Sure. John, there's this big thing when you get your book on Amazon, I want to make it a bestseller. I want to make it a bestseller. Well, that's fine. And there are ways you could do it. You need an audience to do it. However, just so you know, Amazon is changing its algorithms and they're not updating numbers as frequently as they used to. And so if you're having a bestseller day, it used to be after the top of the hour, all those numbers would be updated and you would see yourself climbing the charts. it's not that way anymore they have other things on their plates so they might be only updating numbers once or twice a day so you have to work even harder to become that bestseller but then once you do so what I mean it's great these people can will buy your book but are they going to read it or are they there just to you know just because it was free or something like that so my my My definition of having a book that's a bestseller is using it to best sell you.

18:57So you take copies of that book. You can buy author copies for like three bucks each. Put them in the mail to the people you want to work with. And who is sending books out there as that business card? So it lands on the desk of a CEO or an HR professional or maybe another entrepreneur or somebody you want to work with. And here's a copy of my book, which is a universal symbol of expertise. That is my definition and my opinion about what people should do with their books. Not worry so much about Amazon sales, but use it as that literal big business card out there. And that's really the beauty.

19:46Because we can publish books now for three bucks each and use them, that's less than a flyer. You know, less than a trifold brochure or something like that. And it has that impact because nobody throws books away and it can really make that impression on somebody you want to work with. And then you just follow up. Did you get my book? That kind of thing. And that can lead to a conversation. So Amazon, of course, is great. It's that Amazon wants to publish your book. Amazon wants to sell your book. However, think like an entrepreneurial author when you write and publish a book. And it drives me bananas when people are all about bestseller or tracking the sales of their book.

20:33Again, great to do if you're getting sales, fantastic. But think about the sales you could get if you use it as a type of lead generator and to help you seal the deal with bigger clients. Donna, thank you for that rant. I love that breakdown for all the obvious reasons. And give us the one key takeaway from everything that we talked about today. What's the one thing that you really want our listeners to get from our conversation? Then give us a call to action about how we can connect with you. And then we'll say goodbye. My key takeaway is to make the decision and take action. As you know, John, you want to set a personal deadline.

21:12Now, here is something else. Don't talk about it to other people, because when you do, they're going to give you some love and they're going to give you attention and your ego will eat that up. And you might never actually write the book. So kind of keep it a secret, keep it a dream, work on it. Don't be scared also by the tech. You can figure it out or hire someone with the know-how. And how can we connect with you? The best way to find me is to go to freebookplanner.com and get your free book planner. Again, that's freebookplanner.com. Fire Nation, you're the average of the five people you spend the most time with.

21:50You've been hanging out with DK and JLD today, so keep up that heat. For links to everything we talked about, visit eofire.com. Just type Donna in the search bar. The show notes page will pop right up. Donna, thank you for sharing your truth, your knowledge, your value with Fire Nation today. For that, we salute you and we'll catch you on the flip side. Hey, Fire Nation, a huge thank you to our sponsors and Donna for sponsoring today's episode. And Fire Nation, over the last decade, I've interviewed more than 4 ,000 of the world's most successful entrepreneurs, and I've created a revolutionary 17-step roadmap to your financial freedom and fulfillment.

22:25I put it all into my first traditionally published book, The Common Path to Uncommon Success, which is personally endorsed by Seth Godin and Gary Vaynerchuk. The Common Path to Uncommon Success is the step-by-step guidance that you need to achieve the lifestyle of your dreams. Visit UncommonSuccessBook.com. I'll catch you there or on the flip side. Are you ready for the ultimate all-in-one platform for entrepreneurs, marketers, coaches, and agencies, build funnels, automate follow-ups, manage clients, and even white label your own software. Say hello to our featured partner, High Level, and visit highlevelfire.com to start your free trial today.

23:08Fire Nation, it's time to stop guessing and start winning with a proven playbook. Inside the Freedom Circle, you'll have access to my step-by-step systems for creating offers, building processes, and driving traffic all in just 90 days. Ready for freedom? Visit freedom-circle.com to learn more.