Be patient. It took 77 days for Googles search engine to become fully functional on this site. I submitted this site two times, 30 days apart and on the 77th day Google had everything on this site added to their search engine. There is no promise that Google will add your site, and you have nothing to lose. You can also upload your banner or header to Google (http://www.google.com/services/free.html) and when a visitor uses Google on your site, it will show up at the top of the search results. Type the word "coaching" in the Google search engine in the left column of this page to see the AuthorsandSpeakersNetwork.com header. For more detailed info, click here.

Google 411  - Need to look up a business phone number? Google now has a no-charge 411 call service. Google Voice Local Search is Google's experimental service to make local-business search accessible over the phone. It will not work for residential numbers. Just dial 1-800-GOOG-411 (800-466-4411) from any phone. Note: Google Voice Local Search is still in its experimental stage. It may ot be available at all times and may not work for all users. For more details, click here.

Comparing Keyword Popularity  - Google Fight (http://www.GoogleFight.com) has no official affiliation with Google, although it uses the Google search engine in the "fight." It's a useful tool to have when you're doing keyword research or copywriting. Enter two keywords or phrases into the "fight" and let them duke it out to see which one is a more popular phrase in Google's search engine.

I was looking at some additional ways to promote my Wedding Website, and I was debating about whether to use the phrase "Puerto Peñasco Weddings" or "Rocky Point Weddings." When I entered one phrase each into each of the keyword boxes, I discovered that "Rocky Point Weddings" won the competition hands-down. I knew that I was on the right track because those are the keywords that I had used to get me the #1 Wedding rating on Google.

Jott.com  - Use your voice to send e-mail and text messages. Sign up for this no-cost service from Jott and you will get a toll-free number to call and record a voice message and then have that message sent to someone as text. You can send messages to yourself as a reminder, or e-mail or text-message friends.

Encourage your Website visitors to write a review for your book on Amazon.com.  - Make it easy for them. For an example of how I use this technique, go to www.CelebrateLove.com/writeareview.htm. When a visitor clicks on a book cover image or the word "review" under one of my books it takes them to a place on Amazon.com where they can write their own review for the book. Try it!

NicheBOT.com - Find what people are searching for. What keywords are they using? This is a FREE keyword suggestion tool powered by Wordtracker and Google. Get more Website traffic by finding "under the radar" keywords and phrases that people actually type into search engines.

www.Marketing-Ideas.org - An incredible list of keyword suggestion tools, ideas and sources from Markus Allen.

Wordtracker - Discover the keywords that will skyrocket your website traffic! Get your FREE top 500 keyword report! Wordtracker helps you find all keyword combinations that bear any relation to your business or service - many of which you might never have considered. Find millions of niche keywords for use in your web pages. This service comes with a No Risk, 30 day Money-Back Guarantee.

Presenters University  - Here you'll find lots of FREE stuff to put Wow! in all your presentations. Try free presentation software and download any of their many free PowerPoint templates or Corel masters. Read hundreds of articles from presentation experts, purchase the latest presentation books and even Ask the Professor your most perplexing presentation software questions. www.PresentersUniversity.com.

A marketing plan may be your most important tool for selling books. Brian Jud at Book Marketing Works is the author of "Beyond the Bookstore." His marketing plan template is terrific. Follow the instructions for each step, then write your response. The exercise leads you through incisive and insightful questions every marketer needs to ask to sell books. You can click a link to create a printer-friendly version of your plan. Go to: www.BookMarketingWorks.com.

Amazon.com Book Sales Ranking - This Website will automatically track your book's sales ranking on Amazon.com. You can view charts and graphs or raw data. Add your book's page and start tracking your ranking. It is a FREE service. You can also check where your website ranks and read reviews of visitors. While you're there, write a review for AuthorsandSpeakersNetwork.com. Thanks!

Authors  - Keep up-to-date on where your books are being sold and for how much. Search for any book at 40+ Web sites and 20,000+ stores. There is a list of nearly 50 bookstores with links to their Web sites and contact information. Tip: If your book is not listed in one of these book stores contact them. Go to: www.AddAll.com. A similar search can be made at: www.FetchBook.info

Authors  - Is your book's cover on the Internet? Make a search at http://images.google.com. Type in your book's ISBN number without the hyphens.

Speaking Secrets of the Masters - A great book by Brian Tracy. If you give presentations this could be the most powerful resource you've ever discovered. In these pages is the collected wisdom of 22 of the most successful and popular professional speakers in the business.

Want Cheap Airfares? - As speakers we often spend lots of time looking for the most inexpensive airline tickets. I've discovered a website that does it for you. They are Qixo.com (pronounced "Kick-so"). Once when a seller refused to accept my credit card without speaking directly to me, they forfeited their fee and provided me with a direct phone number to book the ticket explaining that the situation was unfortunate however they hoped they had made a satisfied customer. They did. QIXO is a travel shopping-comparison engine that searches dozens of travel web sites in real-time to compare prices, flight times, numbers of connections, etc. QIXO is not a seller but a comparison engine. Travelocity and Expedia (both sellers) do not show flights and prices that the other dozen or more web sites have. Travelocity does not even show Expedias flights and prices and vice versa. QIXO shows flights and prices from dozens of web sites, including Travelocity and Expedia.   Shop for the best airfare on www.Qixo.com.   Orbitz.com is another site that offers ticket prices that are often lower than those of Travelocity and Expedia.

Hotels with High Speed Internet Access - If you must stay at a hotel with Internet access check it out before you check in. Here you will find a user-developed list of over 2,100 hotels from around the world that feature high speed Internet access.

Independent Bookstore List - If you are looking for a great, local "independent" bookstore to promote your book, you'll find that store in the state-by-state NewPages Guide. If you will be traveling, be sure to print out the bookstore list for the cities you will be visiting. Support "independent" bookstores!

Who is Selling Your Book? - AND. . . for how much! Check out this book search and price comparison site at www.AddAll.com.

www.BooksPrice.com is a free innovative service of finding the best price on a purchase of several books together. This service is more useful than the standard services which perform one book comparison at a time, and can save more money when buying several books together.

Celebrity Addresses - Need celebrity addresses for book endorsements? Check out www.Celebrity.Addresses.com. This site opens up with this weeks top 10 celebrity searches. It also list celebrity birthdays for today. Type in a name and search for a celebrity. Not all addresses are listed, but it's a great place to begin. Another celebrity address source - click here.

Research Sites for Authors & Speakers - It's better to go right to the source. This page lists links to dictionaries, thesauruses, encyclopedias, statistics, e-commerce info, news release info and technology dictionaries to assist you in your research.

Authors-Experts-Speakers - Post your listing at www.AuthorsandExperts.com and you'll be featured to media and organizations from all over the world! Click here and you will save 10% off the registration fee.

www.PubInsider.com - New and frequently updated media contacts for "The View," "Live With Regis & Kelly," newspapers, TV contacts and much more. Subscribe to PubInsider Monthly, a FREE e-zine packed with information!

Connect with the Meetings Industry - A list of websites that feature free magazines, eZINES and info for associations of interest to professional speakers. Volunteer to take on a leadership role in one of your target industries or local meetings industry associations. It's called: "Contribution Marketing!" You'll be surprised what it will do for your business, credibility, visibility and your own leadership development.

Subscription Website Publishers Association - This is the definitive source of tips, advice, and tools for publishers, editors, writers, and others involved in the world of members-only websites, content management and online newsletter publishing.

Marketing Channel - www.ideamarketers.com is a terrific source for content on online and offline marketing and PR topics. Lots of articles featuring ways to increase your website traffic, sell product and much more.

The Big Guide to Guidelines - The web's largest database of guidelines written by book and magazine editors themselves. You can search the database by keyword, or by specific words or phrases at the bottom of the page. Consult the more than 1,100 sets of guidelines they have collected. From the editors at WritersMarket.com.

US & International Postage Calculator - Those postage rates are a changing. This handy online calculator will tell you exactly how much postage your books and product mailings will need.

US postage going up May 14, 2007 - If you're planning a big mailing, do so before the US postal rates go up. First class will be $.41 for the first ounce. Postcards will be $.26. Priority Mail, $4.60 for the first two pounds. Click here for all the new postage rates.

Foreign Rights - One significant revenue stream that is often overlooked, is foreign rights. Foreign publishers are desperately seeking licensing rights to good non-fiction books in their countries and look to American authors and publishers in search of those quality books. This is a win/win situation for American authors and publishers to develop a major revenue stream with no money down.

For free information on "The Importance of Foreign Rights" and how to create a foreign rights revenue stream with no money down contact veteran publishing and foreign rights Guru Bob Erdmann. Bob gets 5 stars from Larry James. He has sucessfully sold the foreign rights to two of my books which put them in 9 other countries - India, Poland, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines & Vietnam. Send your request to: bob@bob-erdmann.com or call 209-586-1566. Here is an article about Foreign Rights from the "Big Bad Book BLOG."

Foreign Currency Converter - If you are on the Internet. . . you are doing business globally. When you get inquiries from foreign buyers for your author and speaker products, be sure to refer to this page to get an up-to-date currency exchange rate. Click here for French. Click here for German.

Internet 800 Directory - List your 800 number for free. You'll find toll-free resources, toll-free facts and more. The Internet 800 Directory attracts millions of users each year. You can do a search for an 800 number or business by entering a product or service, a company name or toll-free number. They also offer an expanded service that includes keywords, a priority listing and a hyperlink to your Web site for a fee. Go to www.Switchboard.com for non-800 number look-up to find a person or a business.

Writing-World.com - A world of writing tips, articles, columns, contests and much more for writers around the world.

PageOneLit.com - PageOneLit.com is an online home for all pageturners and ink scribblers who are in search of useful, informative, resourceful, insightful, intelligent and thought-provoking, literary-versed news, original essays, interviews, tips and monthly contests.

CopyLaw.com - Fifteen items to negotiate in your next author/publisher agreement. Compare this checklist and tip sheet to your contract to ensure you've not forgotten anything. Remember, contracts may vary, but they should all contain these important provisions. There is also a link to checklists of other useful forms.

Radio-Locator - This site claims to be - and in my opinion is - the most comprehensive radio station search engine on the Internet. With links to over 10,000 radio station Web pages and over 2500 audio streams from radio stations in the U.S. and around the world, listings show call signs, distance from selected cities and towns, frequency, format, and signal strength. For a list of the "Top 200 Radio Markets," click here.

Media Jumpstation - PR expert, Paul J. Krupin, has a handy media locator on his Website. Look up your choice of radio, TV, magazine, & newspaper contacts by keyword, state or by media type. Includes links to each contact. Excellent tool.

Pitch Yourself to National Public Radio - Think your book or topic is NPR material? Here are some guidelines for pitching them along with pitch tips and who to contact. Click here.

www.Addresses.com - Looking for a meeting planner's e-mail address? This site is the world's largest FREE e-mail address directory and you can allow your visitors to easily link to Addresses.com to find e-mail addresses for meeting planners, speakers, friends, cohorts and acquaintances. To "verify" an e-mail, click here for real-time e-mail validation.

Is Your Website Well Linked? - Wanna find out how many other sites are linked to your site?

Make Your Website Stand Out! - Here are several tips that will help people spot your Website and e-mail easier and help them to remember them. E-mail netiquette tips about making your e-mail signature more effective.

Need Help Designing Your eBook? - Chances are, without professional design help, you'll simply color a few lines of type, make your headlines bold, and use the default settings on your word processor. Now you can create a great-looking eBook, even if you think you have no artistic talent at all! Ya gotta see this!

The Write Center - Lots of articles on writing related to business, interviews with authors, link/resource page, and anthologies looking for writers.

Looking for a Book Distributor? - This is a list of distributors and wholesalers used by members of Publishers Marketing Association.

The Maui Writers Conference - This annual event brings together a long list of best-selling authors, award-winning journalists, top editors, agents, publishers, as well as the best in screenwriting and film. The Conference gives you the opportunity to meet the people who can make a difference in your writing career. See and/or print out the entire program at www.MauiWriters.com.

Save $$$ on Inkjet & Toner Cartridges! - This is my own personal place to save a lot of money on popular brand ink cartridges. For example: I recently paid $51.99 for a toner cart for my FAX machine at OfficeMax. I bought it here for only $14.95 plus $5.75 (USP Ground)! Most are reconditioned carts (for many brands), but high quality with excellent customer service.

SimplySpeaking.com - Every speaking opportunity is a perfect match for some speaker. Find YOUR perfect match here! An online database of organizations actively seeking speakers! SimplySpeaking.com averages 30-50 active engagement listings each month.

CafePress.com - Sell yourself and your services by selling t-shirts, mugs, mousepads and more. Free set-up, free online store, no shipping costs, no inventory! CafePress.com has put together a suite of customizable products and services to help you successfully promote yourself. Check our Larry's T-Shirt e-Shop!

PRSecrets.com - Great articles, books and more to help you with your public relations. Susan Harrow is the author of, "The Ultimate Guide to Getting Booked on Oprah - Ten Steps to Becoming a Guest on the World's Top Talk Show" and others! Also read: "Oprah Means Business for Authors" by Mike Stewart of the Chicago Sun-Times.

www.AllYourWritingNeeds.com - Whatever your writing needs, whether it's composing dynamic website content, creating a fabulous press release, constructing a business plan or marketing strategy, writing a unique resume or ghostwriting your memoirs, they will help you stand apart from all the rest. They make your copy shine.

www.SeatGuru.com - When booking your flight online, choose your seat by first visiting the "Seat Guru." There you can click on your airline carrier and plane model, and see a full view of your flight's seating. Learn which seats to avoid (very noisy, right over engine, minimum leg room) as well as those that are a real bonus (extra leg room, full recline, quiet area). Speakers and authors can determine which planes have laptop power at which seats.

FREE Airline Flight Tracking - Never wait for a late flight again! Find out the current status of any commercial flight currently in progress between major cities. More than 275 national and international airlines listed! I've listed 2 sources.

Do You Have a Fear of Flying? - You are not alone! Recent surveys show 1 out of every 3 persons are afraid or anxious about flying. My friend, Captain Ron Nielsen has created the perfect kit for fearless flying!

Best Time to Book A Flight Online! - From one minute after midnight to about 1 a.m. on Wednesday, all airline computer systems are flooded with low-fare reservations that were booked but never paid for. The one-hour window is based on the time zone where the airline is based. This is the time to book flights if you've been turned down on a special that you found to be "sold out," or if you're looking for some cheap seats.

New Report Has More Than *268* Ezine Resources and It's yours FREE with purchase of "The E-zine Queen's" new complete guide to eZINE publishing. Money back guarantee. See a complete table of contents at: www.ezinequeen.com.

Magazine Exposure is Terrific! - I have had reasonable success with being quoted in local and national magazines. I've been quoted in Cosompolitan twice, Family Circle, Modern Bride, Woman's Day, Woman's World, Arizona Weddings and numerous local publications, e.g., Scottsdale Life. To increase the odds of being interviewed for a national magazine article make sure you have a place on your Website that lets the media know you are available on short notice.

Check out the Editorial Calendar, which is usually listed on the magazine's Web site. It usually highlights upcoming article topics and advertising themes. Select an article or theme that matches your area of expertise and send an e-mail to the editor briefly but clearly addressing how your knowledge of the subject matter can contribute to the article. Usually a staff writer assigned to that article will contact you to be interviewed. By the way, while the editor has the final say, make a request that your book and Website be mentioned. Ask for what you want!

www.Printellectual.com - Printellectual has been created especially for authors and publishers as a means to gather book printing quotes in one simple and easy to use process. Printellectual offers competitive pricing from America's best book printing companies offering both offset and print-on-demand services.

AuthorsandExperts.com - This site provides reporters, talk show hosts, and meeting organizers an easy and grrreat way to locate authors, speakers and experts.  AND. . . authors, speakers and experts a place to be listed to be seen! Authors-Experts-Speakers: Post your listing and you'll be featured to media and organizations from all over the world at www.AuthorsandExperts.com! Use this link and you will "save 10%" off the registration fee.

The Writer's Life - Your complete resource to articles relating to electronic publishing from eZINES to writing content to publishers and more.

Create Your Own Holiday! - "The Shameless Diva," Debbie Allen created "Self-Promotion Month! to be celebrated each October. It's easy. It takes some planning ahead. The deadline is April 1th for the next year's publication. You have to get listed at Chase's Calendar of Events, but once you're listed there are lots of opportunities for publicity. Request a form from Chase's Annual Events at www.Chases.com and send it back to them. Once your holiday gets published, you've got your own holiday and can send news releases, post on your Website and promote, promote, promote!

BooksJustBooks.com - Lots of great resources for self-publishers. Site links and recommendations for virtually every phase of self-publishing (See "Publishing Related Links"). Also contains info about submitting children's books.

WriteThisInstant.com - This Writer's Forum is LIVE! You can post your resume, look for writing jobs & markets, network with fellow writers, editors and publishers and post discussion to over 45 different writing related topics in 11 categories.

www.PublishingCentral.com - Stay current on all the publishing news at Publishing Central. You'll find info about book, magazine, newsletter, audio, eBOOK and eZINE publishing.

www.BookWire.com - BookWire is one of the most comprehensive online portals into the book industry. The site provides links to an array of Bowker products, including Booksinprint.com and Ulrichsweb.com. They also provide articles on the latest industry news, access to literary journals and reviews, and an expansive directory of book sites around the world.

Have you ever visited a web page where the text is so small it's barely readable? - Text comes in all different sizes - big, small, short and tall. Sometimes while browsing the Internet we may find it too large or small for our taste (or to see, period!). In such an instance it's nice to know there is a simple way to resolve it. Follow the steps below:

1. While displaying the web page, hold down the Ctrl key on your keyboard.
2. Now use the scroll wheel on your mouse to increase or decrease the size of the text.

That's all there is to it! It's safe to say this won't work with every website, but most support this function. In the event that you don't have a mouse with a scroll wheel, go to View > Text Size > from there you'll have a choice of several different sizing options.

Estimating How Many Books Are Sold by Amazon - This article reflects new changes in Amazon.com ranks as of October 14, 2004. Detailed and interesting. This site also has numerous articles on the various aspects of publishing.

Editing Tip for Writers - Always allow time for what you have written to rest before you begin to edit. I suggest letting 24 hours go by, then read what you have written once more with fresh eyes. I usually do this several times before I feel that the writing is complete and there is nothing else that "I" can see that needs changing. Next, if you are self-publishing, hire an editor. Let them find all the mistakes that you couldn't see. And. . . they will.

Area Code Tip - Ever get a phone message from someone and you don't recognize the area code or know where the call is coming from? This site will find a prefix location in a specific area code. Go to: www.thedirectory.org.

FREE Digital Teleseminars - Several FREE Teleseminar topics to choose from presented by AnnieJenningsPR.com. Listen on your computer.

Is Promoting on U.S. Currency Legal? - Since early 1999 through , I personally have "shamelessly" stamped over $15,400 in U.S. currency with a red stamp in the white border on denominations from $1 to $100 bills with "www.CelebrateLove.com" with no complaints. Is it legal? For the answer, click here.

Search for a Copyright Owner - Or check on the status of your own copyrights. Click here.

Is Someone Stealing Your Copyrighted Articles - It's called content theft! Check to see if you've had content stolen from your Website. I did, and found that someone had plagiarized one of my articles and sent it to a Website that published it under her own name. It was copied word-for-word. After I contacted the Website owner, he gladly change the author's name to mine and posted a brief bio and link to my Website. Copyscape isn't foolproof; it may miss text that has not yet been indexed by Google, but it's a good place to begin.

www.copyscape.com - Copyscape empowers you to defend your site against the threats of online plagiarism. Copyscape provides a free service that allows you to easily search for plagiarism and identify instances of content theft.

Copyscape finds sites that have copied your content without permission, as well as those that have quoted you. Their "Resource Center" offers links to guidelines regarding Internet plagiarism. Simply type in the address of your original Web page, and Copyscape does the rest. It's a FREE service AND they also have a fee-paid monthly service called "Copysentry" which automatically monitors the web for copies of your pages, e-mailing you as soon as they appear.

Have you gone ego-surfing lately? Another way to find your articles on the Internet is to Google "Larry James" + Articles (or "your name" + Articles). Note the quotation marks around the first and last names.

Did you ever get a number on your caller ID with no message and wondered where the call originated? Here is a handy list of Area Codes, by number. The cities listed with each area code are the major cities for that area code. The list is updated only when users submit changes. Not the most up-to-date, but useful.

To find the toll-free phone number for any US-based company, try calling 1-800-555-1212 or do a Google search for the company name plus "phone numbers" or "president office" or "meeting planner."

Did you know that your phone company charges $1.49 or more each time you call 411? Instead, try using 1-800-FREE-411.

For companies who try to hide their phone numbers, many times a Google search will find a page from a disgruntled customer who exposes the phone numbers for that company. For example, see these gripe pages for:

Amazon.com and Amazon Secret
PayPal
eBay

Want to talk to a real person when you call a company? - Next time, before you dial, go to http://gethuman/us/ for lots of shortcuts on how to bypass automated operators and forever-on-hold telephone calls at various businesses call centers.

Secret PayPal Customer Service Number - If you use PayPal for your collection processor and need their services in setting it up or to correct abnormalities, DO NOT call the phone number PayPal gives in their link - you will pay Canadian phone rates. Instead, call 888-215-5506 (or if you are a Payflow customer 888-883-9770, option #2, then option #1).

Travel Security Guidelines - Passengers can greatly affect their experience at the airport by preparing in advance. This includes: Packing liquids, gels and aerosols in checked baggage whenever possible, using 3-1-1 for carry-ons, arriving early and ensuring they are not traveling with prohibited items.

Pick up your phone messages via the Internet - If you're traveling abroad and want an easy way to pick up your phone messages, go to GrandCentral.com, register for a free phone number, then forward your office/home/cell phone calls to this number. It will send you an e-mail when you have a message, and you can even respond to the caller through the Internet. Callers won't know the difference, as you'll make a new outgoing message through GrandCentral.

Protect your e-mail address on your Website - Click here. This page will generate an HTML encoded "mailto" link that is reasonably "spambot" proof. Spambots crawl over Websites looking for e-mail addresses, when they find one they add it to their database for junk email.

The Importance of Editing - When text has been rewritten and reread many times, the human brain "fills in the blanks" and sees what it expects to see. For this reason, the fresh eyes of an editor can be a real benefit for every book. Text that is perfectly clear to the author may be less so to someone who is reading it for the first time. Hiring an experienced editor, rather than a friend or relative who happens to be an English teacher, is money well spent.

There's much more to editing a book than fixing the grammar. A good editor will polish your words without changing your style, and help your book to be the very best it can be, one that will stand up to the tough scrutiny of distributors, booksellers, and librarians. Thank you to Michele DeFilipp for this tip. (www.1106design.com)

Question:  Are there instances when speakers can legitimately fit an organization's budget without altering their fees?
Answer:  Yes. My friend, negotiating specialist Jim Hennig, Ph.D., CPAE, says that speakers can legitimately charge different fees in different situations. (Thank you to Jeff Davidson for this tip)

1. Multiple engagements: two or more bookings deserve quantity discounts.
2. Dual-purpose engagements: when the speaker accomplishes several things at one speech.
3. A shared speaker: when an organization cannot afford a speaker, they include another organization to share the costs.
4. Product sales: book, audio and other products are included or able to be sold BOR (Back of the Room sales).
5. Trades: Many speakers will trade for a needed product or service from host organization.
6. Different fees for special groups: non-profit organizations, government agencies, etc.
7. Time-of-year fees: lower fees for slow months, such as August or January.

SECRET Phone Numbers for Major Companies - When you're sick of pressing 10 or more options in order to reach a human and spending many minutes or even hours on hold, consult the GetHuman database of secret phone numbers and codes that get an actual, live person on the line for at nearly 1000 major companies. Click here for a full list.

Exercise Your Spontaneous Creativity as a Writer! - OneWord.com is designed to create a balance between your creative, flowing side and your logical thinking side. You click “go” and a word comes up and you have 60 seconds to type whatever that word brings to mind as quickly as you can. There are no fancy words here. The words are intentionally very simple so that no time is spent trying to define things. This exercise, as simple as it may seem, will help you on many levels, so try it: Don't think. Just write.

We welcome your suggestions for additions to this page. Share your tips by sending them by e-mail. Be sure to tell Larry that your tip is for the AuthorsandSpeakersNetwork.com Website (he has 5 Websites).

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