How to Get Booked on Oprah

How to Get Booked on Oprah By Susan Harrow Media Coach & Marketing Expert

Most authors believe that getting on Oprah will make them a Millionaire and their book a bestseller. For your book and career to take-off like the last space shuttle, you must prepare to make the most of your appearance. Here are some hot tips to help you get invited as a guest on the show, rivet your audience on the air, and ultimately sell yourself along with your book(s). As a media coach and marketing expert, I have helped many people get booked on Oprah, so I know there is a strategy that, if followed, will help speakers increase their chances of getting on the show.

Pitch and prepare.

Before you actually get booked on Oprah, you need to know how to pitch an idea to the show's producers and how to prepare yourself for the big day.

1. Tape and watch Oprah. At least a dozen author hopefuls call me every year for media coaching or to help them create a marketing plan. The first words out of their mouths are: "I want to be on Oprah." When I ask them if they watch the show, 90 percent say, "No." Part of preparing for success is becoming familiar with the content, format, rhythm and pace of the Oprah show.

Your first step is to record two to four weeks of Oprah. Then, sit down in a comfy spot and watch them all at once. This will give you a sense of what's hot on Oprah for the next few months. (It does change and go in cycles). Notice which producers (listed on the credits at the end) are responsible for each particular type of segment. Send a producer information only after you are sure of who you'd like to approach and why.

2. Pitch a hot topic. Never pitch yourself, your product or your book. Instead pitch something that's newsworthy now: a pressing national issue, a controversial subject, a problem for which you have the solution, a common myth debunked. Propose a topic that is relevant to Winfrey's audience (controversy, relationships, personal triumph, makeovers) then prove you are the expert on that topic by telling only the information that is relevant to the idea you're pitching.

For acting coach Cynthia Brian, speaker and author of "Be the Star You Are!" (Celestial Arts), we created a pitch about how she helps teenagers work out their problems by role-playing with them on camera. We proposed a makeover show with before and after footage for parents with difficult teens. Although the show idea isn't directly related to her book this is an area of Brian's expertise--and Winfrey has been doing a lot of shows around parent/teenage relationships. Think about the areas in your personal or professional life where you're an expert and connect that to a provocative theme.

3. Put together a winning press package. Send your book (if you have one; if not, an article will do) along with a pitch or angle page with two or three different ideas, and a paragraph bio highlighting your expertise as it pertains to your pitches. Be as brief as possible. You must be able to sell your idea in one page. Remember Oprah producers get hundreds of packages every day. If Possible, include a two-to-four-minute video of you on other talk shows or doing a presentation to a group. If your demo video includes talk show clips, cue it up to those segments. If not, cue your video up to a short segment that shows you speaking succinctly so the producers can see that you're a viable guest.

4. Explore the show's Web site. Winfrey's Web site, http://www.oprah.com, has as much information as you will ever need to get on the show. There, you can review her entire wish list of subjects. She even makes it easy for you with a link called, "Be on the show." With the touch of a key you can send an e-mail that will reach her producers instantly.

Make your topic relevant in a short paragraph to receive a quick response. Let the producers know that you'd be glad to hop a red-eye at a moment's notice to be a part of their show, and you increase your chances of being invited.

5. Create 6 dynamic sound bites. Mark Twain defines a sound bite as "a minimum of sound to a maximum of sense." Sound bites or talking points, are the essential messages you want to convey. Talk out loud the most important ideas, concepts, and points of your topic as they relate to the idea you are pitching.

Ask yourself, "What do I want my audience to remember?" Carla Fox, the niece of Sol Wurtzel who ran Fox Film (20th Century Fox) with founder William Fox described the success of the studio this way: "For Fox Film it was an excellent director, a good story and a box office star." In her book, The Myth of the Perfect Mother (Contemporary Books), Jane Swigart says, "Being a mother is like asking half the population to do brain surgery without sending them to medical school."

These memory nuggets consist of anecdotes, facts, statistics, stories, or something unlikely, unusual, controversial, shocking, funny, humorous, romantic, poignant, emotionally moving, or dramatic.

6. Get booked on local shows first. Even before you consider approaching Oprah with your idea, get practice on your local news and talk shows. This will give you a chance to fine-tune your sound bites so you won't be shocked by the speed of national television. Many people don't realize that the Oprah Show isn't a platform for their subject. When you're on the show as a guest you'll typically have a total of one to seven minutes to communicate your entire message--in 10 to 20-second increments. Once you have a good feel for the rhythm of television, you'll feel more relaxed and ready.

Smile! You're on Oprah!

Now that you know what it takes to pitch an idea to Oprah, you need to know what to do when you actually appear on the show.

1. Connect with your eyes. It is very important to maintain eye contact with Winfrey 100 percent of the time when she addresses you. This means while you're talking and while you're listening. Audiences believe that you're sincere and knowledgeable if you keep consistent, soft eye contact.

2. Bring visual props. Visual props add liveliness and help your viewers remember your points, which indirectly translates into buying your product or book. Let the producers know how you plan to use your prop(s) ahead of time. During the show you also need to direct the cameraman to your object by pointing to it or holding it up to cue them for a close-up. Never bring your book and try to show it on the air. Oprah is in charge of that. Do bring your book, though, in case producers don't have a copy handy.

3. Introduce yourself with a stellar sound bite. On television your very first utterance sets the tone for all the information you plan to deliver. Say something that instantly brings focus to your most important message that ties into your book.

With dedicated practice, channeling your passion, enthusiasm, and knowledge about your subject will come across to your audience, and people will naturally want to know more about you, your products and your services.

Get more than 100 pages of insights and hot tips in "The Ultimate Guide to Getting Booked on Oprah: 10 Steps to Becoming a Guest on the World's Top Talk Show." Go to: http://www.prsecretstore.com to get FREE chapter excerpts. To SUBSCRIBE to "Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul: 60 Second Secrets" and get more FREE publicity & marketing tips to boost your business ($197/year value!) go to: http://www.prsecrets.com.

SCORE contest

Yet another contest. Check out this contest that SCORE is having.

DO YOU OWE THE IRS MONEY?

Thanks to Georgia, of Georgias Gourmet Delights.

DO YOU OWE THE IRS MONEY?

Starting in January, the IRS will use ‘pain-in-the butt’
Collection Agencies to hound you for the money you
owe. These Collection Agencies will get a percentage
of the money they collect, so don’t expect them to be
kind and gentle with you. Details coming soon from
“Tax Tips You Can Bank On.”

HAVE YOU BEEN A “NON-FILER?”

Nothing personal, but the IRS doesn’t like you very
much. In fact, they think you have been costing the
U.S. Treasury about $250 Billion a year. So they’re
out to get you.

Suggestion: come clean with them before they come
clean you out. But don’t go do it on your own. Get help
from a good tax attorney, or get advice from my friend
and top IRS guru Dan Pilla. (The Associated Press said he
knows more about the Tax Code than the IRS Commissioner
himself.) Dan’s web site is www.TaxHelpOnline.com.
His number is 1-800-553-6458.

ARE YOU A ‘CHAPTER-S’ CORP
OR A ‘PARTNERSHIP?’

These pesky folks in the IRS want you to tell them what
the tax deduction ‘norms’ are for your kind of business.

So, they’ve decided to audit about 5,000 of you to get the
statistics they’ll later use to skewer you. These audits focus
on both “S-Corps” and Partnership entities. They’ll also be
looking closely into whether or not you reported all of your
income.

Recommendation: If you have unreported or under-
reported income from any of the past three years, quickly
file a Form 1040X, Amended Tax Return. (But first, see
Suggestion made to Non-filers, above.)

GOOD NEWS FOR BUSINESS TRAVELERS!

This announcement is HUGE if you frequently travel away
from home overnight on business.

Revenue Procedure 2005-67, just released, has some
very good news in it for any self-employed person who
travels away from home overnight for business.

Deductible business expenses while on business trips,
fall into two categories: (1) Lodging and (2) Meals and
Incidental Expenses (M&IE).

Lodging deductions won’t be changing. It’s normally
100% deductible, BUT receipts ARE required, even if
you stay at the Bates Motel. If you stay with friends,
you get no deduction – unless they charge you
(so are they REALLY your friends?) and they provide
you with a receipt.

Meals and Incidental Expenses (M&IE) … well that’s
a different story!

First, let’s look at MEALS (which includes both food
and beverages). For the past 30 years, meals consumed
while away on business travel, has been deductible at
only 50%.

That just changed.

In fact, the change is RETROACTIVE!

This good news applies to ALL of 2005!

The tax deduction for meals you have consumed
this year, and will be consuming during the rest
of 2005 while traveling on business, has been
increased from 50% to 70%.

Interpretation: This new Revenue Procedure will
add an additional $200 in deductions for every $1,000
you spent eating while on business travel this year.

And the good news continues…

As of Jan. 1, 2006 the deductible percentage increases
to 75%, and on Jan. 1, 2007 it will jump to 80%!

[Reference: IRS Code, Section 274(n)(3), changed
by the Commissioner under authority granted in
Code Section 1.274-5(j)(1)]

Next, let’s look at INCIDENTAL EXPENSES
(which includes such thing as maps, tips, business-
related publications, local phone calls, etc.).

“Reasonable and necessary” Incidentals normally
are deductible at 100%, but you have to document
every individual expense.

Now, let’s look at Meals &Incidentals TOGETHER.

If you’ve ever served in the military or have been a
Civil Service employee, you’ll be familiar with the
term “Per Diem” (which is Latin for “Each Day”).

Rev. Proc. 2005-67 now gives you the option (it’s
not mandatory) of claim a flat amount per day, instead
of keeping track of each meal and incidental expense.

[Reference: Changed by the IRS Commissioner under
authority of Section 1.274-5(j)(3)]

Per Diem rates are set by the GSA (General Services
Administration), and the allowed dollar amount varies
by locality.

There are five different M&IE rates, ranging from
$39 to $54 per day, depending on the location of your
business travel. You can find the current rates (which
became effective on October 1, 2005) by going to
www.gsa.gov, then click on “Per Diem Rates” in the
upper left corner of the screen.

Sometimes a travel day may be a portion of a day,
rather than a full day. If your business travel includes
portions of days, those 5 daily rates are further broken
down specific amounts for breakfast, lunch, dinner,
and incidentals.

For example, a $49 M&IE rate breaks down to
$9 for breakfast, $13 for lunch, $24 for dinner, and
$3 for incidentals. So you see, if you are someone who
likes to eat “on-the-cheap” or are staying in a hotel with a
kitchenette, you might come out better by claiming the
Per Diem rate instead of actual costs for meals and
incidental expenses.

To view breakdowns of the 5 basic rates, scroll to the
bottom of the “Domestic Per Diem Rates” page, and
click on “06 M&IE Breakdown.”

Note: You will see that the government establishes
Per Diem rates for lodging also. These are “special use”
rates, and do NOT APPLY to travel by self-employed
individuals.

TO SUMMARIZE:

1. For 2005, you can claim 70% (instead of 50%) of
the cost of meals purchased while away from home
overnight on business travel.

2. That percentage will rise to 75% as of the first of
the year, and rise to 80% in 2007.

3. If you don’t want to keep records of meal costs and
incidental expenses while on business trips, you can
claim the Per Diem rate instead.

There THOSE are some “Tax Tips You Can Bank On!”

Save a Bundle!
Ron Mueller, Author of
“It’s How Much You KEEP, That Counts!
Not how much you Make,” available at
www.HomeBusinessTaxSavings.com


PS – If you feel these Tax Tips are worthwhile, feel free
to forward them to anyone you know who might benefit
from them.

Where Can I Get Money For My Business?

North Georgia Service Providers

ACCION USA
Provides small or "micro" business loans of up to $25,000 to men and women who have been shut out of the traditional banking sector. Se habla español.
Web Site: http://www.accionusa.org
100 Peachtree Street, Suite 700
Atlanta, GA 30303
Phone: 404-521-0594
E-mail: atlantaloans@accionusa.org

AMEN, Inc.
Serves individuals in Atlanta’s addiction recovery community who are motivated to pursue business ownership. AMEN, Inc. offers life skill planning, goal setting, business plan training, and funding assistance.
Web Site: http://www.ameninc.org
PO Box 76956
Atlanta, Georgia 30358
Phone: (404) 875-7677
Fax: (404) 875-3541
E-mail: artdruck@aol.com

Appalachian Community Enterprises
Provides small business loans, training, and support for moderate and low-income residents of north Georgia counties, especially: Chattooga, Elbert, Floyd, Franklin, Gilmer, Hall, Haralson, Heard, Polk, and Walker Counties.
Web Site: http://www.aceloans.org
1727 Turner's Corner Road
Cleveland, Georgia 30528
Phone: (706) 348-6609
Fax: (706) 219-4976
E-mail: fricks@alltel.net & partin@alltel.net

Atlanta Micro Fund
Provides business management assistance and financing to start-up and existing small businesses in metro Atlanta.
Web Site: http://www.ahand.org
PO Box 89285
Atlanta, Georgia 30312
Phone: (404) 853-7345
Fax: (404) 853-7677
E-mail: mbryant@ahand.org

USPTO Co-Sponsors Invention Contest $25,000 Top Prize Winner Featured on History Channel

The United States Patent and Trademark Office is joining the National Inventors Hall of Fame and the History Channel in sponsoring the Modern Marvels Invent Now Challenge. This is a new contest that invites the everyday inventor to share their vision and ingenious design with the world. Twenty-five semi-finalists will have the opportunity to be recognized, have their invention exhibited and receive valuable information to help them realize the full potential of their invention.. The most remarkable invention submitted will be named the 2006 “Modern Marvel of the Year.” The inventor will win $25,000 and be featured on the History Channel during a special Invention Week of Modern Marvels programs. The deadline for entry is December 31.

Finding a Book Publisher

Finding a Book Publisher
By Jenna Glatzer
Recently, a few writer-friends on the Absolute Write message boards and I were lamenting the fact that many inexperienced writers get tricked into believing that vanity presses and borderline-vanity presses are traditional publishers. We were talking about the numbers, mostly—how did so many new writers even find these publishers?
It all became shockingly clear: search engines.
We found that new writers often type phrases like “book publisher,” “find a publisher,” “book publishing,” or “novel publishers” into search engines like Google. And what comes up when you do that? Vanity presses all over the first page, with enticing messages like “Publish fast! We want your book!” Many writers don't dig much deeper than that. They find those first few publishers, submit their manuscripts, and take the first "acceptance letter" that comes their way.
See, vanity and fringe presses caught on a lot faster than I did. They figured out what new writers were searching for and they optimized their web pages to make sure that when a writer typed in keywords like “book publisher” or “novel publisher,” their pages would come up first.
Now, I love the Internet. It’s a fabulous tool. But search engines are not the best spot to start your research when you’re a new writer in search of a book publishing contract. They’ll take you to the last-resort places first.
If you’re truly serious about building a career as an author, whether you plan to write novels or nonfiction books, you won’t skimp on the research. Aside from the time you spend actually writing the book, researching your publishing options may be your most valuable effort in the publication process. If you put your heart, your labor, your discipline into this manuscript, doesn’t it deserve the best home you can find for it?
Choosing a publisher is no simple task, and it’s not a decision that should be based on impatience. Yes, the easy way out is to find one of these “we’ll accept anything” publishers, turn in your manuscript, and have your book in your hands in a matter of just a couple of months (maybe even weeks). Unfortunately, it’s the easy way out only until you actually try to sell the darn thing—then it’s about the hardest road you could possibly have taken.
The next simplest way to find a publisher is in the Writer’s Market. I look forward to its publication every year; it helps to keep me up-to-date about thousands of markets for my work. You can search through it in hardcopy or online, and it has a genre index at the back so you can flip to book publishers that match your genre quickly. However, it shouldn’t be your only tool.
You may choose to look for an agent first, or you may choose to go it alone. Agents typically take a 15 percent commission from sale money; legitimate agents do not charge anything up-front. A good agent can help you get read faster, can help you get read in places that are typically closed to unsolicited submissions, and can help you negotiate the best possible deal.That said, I’ve made more than half of my book deals on my own. I tend to be more proactive about my career than an agent ever could be, and I’m not afraid to negotiate. It’s all a matter of figuring out what works best for you.If you choose to fly solo, there really are better ways of finding a publisher than doing random searches or reading books of guidelines. Here are my best tips:1. Read Publishers Lunch (http://www.publisherslunch.com/), which gives a run-down of book deals. It tells you which publishers are buying which types of books, and usually includes the name of the editor who acquired the book and the agent who made the deal.2. Read Publishers Weekly (http://www.publishersweekly.com/). It’s expensive, but you can probably find it at your local library. This will keep you up-to-date on industry happenings, trends, who’s buying what, and staff changes.3. Read books! This may be the most obvious, yet most overlooked suggestion. The best way to target your submissions is to find books in your genre or on similar topics at a bookstore or library, then copy down the name of the publisher. Check the acknowledgments section, too, to see if the author mentioned the editor or agent. Then you can hop onto Google and type in the publishers’ name. More often than not, on any publishers’ site, you’ll find a link to submission guidelines. Barring that, there should be a mailing address or e-mail address at the very least. You can cross-reference information with Writer’s Market once you’ve found publishers that interest you, too.4. Ask around. Let’s say you found a book in your genre that you enjoyed, but you’ve never heard of the publisher. There’s no harm in looking up the author, then sending off a polite e-mail to ask if he or she is having a positive experience with that publisher.5. Search Amazon. Look up books you’ve read or heard of in your genre or category. Amazon lists the book publisher in each book’s entry. Then look up the publisher in a search engine or guidebook.Assuming you want to earn a living from your writing, it’s important that your book reaches a large audience. That means it needs adequate distribution. Unfortunately, most print-on-demand publishers can’t achieve decent bookstore distribution because of a number of bookstore-unfriendly policies (no returns allowed, lower-than-average discounts to bookstores, lack of a bar code or price on the back of the book, etc.), not to mention the overall poor quality of vanity-published books due to a lack of editing and lack of editorial standards. This is not the crowd you want to be in if you plan to be a professional writer.Above all else, you must be patient. There’s much more to book publishing than I could ever share in a short article; luckily, there are plenty of professional authors who are more than willing to share their expertise with you. Don’t rush your manuscript out until you feel secure that you understand the way the industry works. A few good clues: Do you know what a distributor does versus a wholesaler? Do you know which trade magazines’ reviews are important? Do you know why it’s preferable to get royalties on list price instead of net? Do you know why it’s important to have an “out of print” clause and what it should look like? There’s nothing wrong with not knowing the answers. Everyone starts someplace. The only wrong thing is rushing into the publishing industry before you get those answers. The more naïve you are about the process, the easier it is for unscrupulous people to get hold of you. A traditional publisher will never pressure you to buy your own books, to pay for editing or cover art or even your own copyright. They’ll cover the expenses. You’ll be expected to pitch in with publicity efforts, but it won’t all fall on your shoulders. With vanity and fringe presses, these standards aren’t there. Those companies make money from authors instead of from readers. I know the road can seem long and difficult. Most authors receive many rejection letters before that first acceptance letter. But it’s a worthwhile wait. In a case like this, your first “instinct” may not be the best one. The kinds of publishers you probably want to deal with are not the ones who are screaming, “Click here! We’ll publish your book!” They’re the ones who are busy actually selling books instead of concentrating their efforts on luring in new writers.Keep working at it until you find the right solution. Take as much care in finding a book publisher as you would a marriage partner; get to know the publisher before you commit, and understand what you’re getting into. When you begin walking into bookstores and seeing readers picking up your book, you’ll thank yourself that you took the time to get it right.
Jenna Glatzer is the editor-in-chief of http://www.absolutewrite.com/ and the author of many books, including Make a Real Living as a Freelance Writer, which comes with a free editors' cheat sheet at http://www.jennaglatzer.com/. Her latest book, Fear is No Longer My Reality, which she co-wrote with Jamie Blyth of The Bachelorette, is hot off the press.

How to Get Your Blog Noticed Quickly and Widely by Greg White

I haven't tried this yet, but I wanted to share. Happy blogging.

How to Get Your Blog Noticed Quickly and Widely by Greg White
1. Submit your blog to all of the directories listed on http://pingomatic.com/. Pingomatic will ping 15 services all at once.
2. Ping your blog after every post at http://pingomatic.com/
3. Here's a real gem: Submit your blog to http://www.pingoat.com/ Pingoat will ping over fifty blog ping services all at once. So you don't have to hunt for ping services and manually ping them. Pingoat pings over fifty blog ping servers (growing) with just one click.
4. Ping your blog after every post at Pingoat at http://www.pingoat.com/
5. Sign up for a free account at BlogExplosion.com and register your blog there: http://www.blogexplosion.com/
6. Submit your blog to all of the directores listed at http://www.rss-feeds-directory.com/blog_lists.html
7. Sign up for a "My Yahoo" at http://my.yahoo.com/ and attach your blog to your own "My Yahoo" account. This will get your blog included in Yahoo very quickly. This is worth the effort to stop what you're doing right and do it, since Yahoo has a PR 9.
8. Use this code: "http://add.my.yahoo.com/content?url= http://www.yourblog.com/urblog.xml" in your blog to allow others to put your feed on their own "My Yahoo" account.
9. Sign up for a "My MSN" at http://www.my.msn.com/, and attach your blog to your own "My MSN" account. This will get your blog included in MSN very quickly. This is also invaluable because MSN has a PR 8.
10. Use this code: "http://my.msn.com/addtomymsn.armx?id= rss&ut=http://www.urblogfeedaddress.com/urblog.xml" in your blog to allow others to put your feed on their own "My MSN" account.
11. Place the link and description of your blog in your signature, so that any posts to Forums, Outgoing Emails, Autoresponder Courses, etc, will promote your blog.
12. Post a link and description of your blog on each of your sites.
13. Place your blog on all the major search engines. AddMe.com will submit your blog free to the top 14 Search engines here: http://www.addme.com/submission.htm SubmitExpress.com will submit your blog free to the top 20 Search engines here: http://www.submitexpress.com/
14. Use Article Directories as a resource for articles to post on your blog. Here are a few: http://ezinearticles.com/
http://goarticles.com/
http://www.knowledge-finder.com/
http://www.informit.com/articles/
15. Locate blogs with a lot of traffic and place useful comments in their comment box. Be sure the blog and your comments are relavent to both your blog and theirs. Senseless posts won't help you, they'll hurt you.
16. Once you get around 5 to 10 posts on your blog, start a PR campaign and announce it to all relevant channels.
17. Make a blog post as often as possible. More than once a day is not really necessary. Remember, if you can't write that much, go to step # 14.

About the author:Greg White, Internet Marketer, Author, Consultant and Project Manager has been running successful web projects since 2001. His sites and blogs cover Blog Marketing Tactics, Internet Marketing Tactics and a variety of 'Niche' topics, in addition to starting and marketing profitable web project. http://www.blogmarketingtactics.blogspot.com/http://internetmarketingtactics.blogspot.com/


AddMe.com, Search Engine Marketing