GET IT WRITE is finally here!

"Writing a book is a lot like giving birth, it can be a painful, labor intensive exercise … Once your ‘new baby’ is born, the real work begins.” - Heidi Richards, President WUN Publications, INC.

Check out the newest ebook by members of the WECAI Network™ today….

GET IT WRITE! – The Women's eGuide to Writing, Publishing and Promoting Your Book by 20 Best-Selling Authors

For many people the thought of writing a book can seem overwhelming. In fact, people who have never written a book think it takes a lot longer than it actually can and often does take. Some writers spend years laboring over every word in their book and therefore, a project that could take one to two years to complete takes several. And others find a way to get their book onto paper in months, weeks and even days!

That’s why GET IT WRITE! was created. To help you to better understand the process of writing a book, getting it published and coming up with strategies to promote your book once it’s done. Because once it’s published, the real work begins. Whether you go the traditional route or self-publish (or somewhere in between) you must be willing, able and available to promote the book – sometimes in a very short timeframe.

The real question is not will you get your book written. If you have the drive, determination and commitment to the project, your book will get done. The real question is will anybody buy it – or read it? This 94 page ebook is jam-packed with ideas and strategies to write, publish and promote your book.

Part One of GET IT WRITE! takes you through the process of writing, including finding time to write, overcoming writers’ block, generating ideas for your writing projects, copywriting musts, whether or not to work with a co-author, and more.

Part Two of GET IT WRITE! covers how to find out if there’s a market for your book idea, finding a literary agent for the traditional published author, how to approach agents and publishers, and compares the various publishing options available today and the new face of publishing.

Part Three gives solid ideas to promote and sell your book beginning with creating your virtual media kit, doing book signings, selling outside the bookstores, internet marketing strategies for your book , participating in virtual book tours and at least 27 other ideas to sell your books.

Part Four is filled with resources for the new and seasoned author suggested by our contributing authors and the guest experts who spoke during the Women’s Writing & Publishing Summit. These include websites for authors, online forums, books, ecourses, books, organizations and more.

"The ebook looks great, and there's a wealth of information in it; I'm sure recipients are going to love it. And I'll look forward to hearing about next year's conference." Fern Reiss – PublishingGame.com

"Thanks, Heidi, I can imagine the many hours you put into this project. I still am in awe."
Jo Condrill, GoalMinds.com

"Hi Heidi: Wow! Great job, as always. Appreciate all the effort that went into this."
Rosalind Sedacca, CCT, HowDoITelltheKids.com

TO GET YOUR COMPLIMENTARY COPY, VISIT: http://wecai.org/wwps/html/getitwrite.html

Special thanks to Linda Alexander, Moira Allen, Linda & Allen Anderson, Laura Backes, Jo Condrill, Kathleen Gage, Donna Gunter, Marilyn Jenett, Sheri McConnell, Ann McIndoo, Elizabeth Parsons, Dan Poynter, Linda F. Radke, Fern Reiss, Heidi Richards, Lynn Rosen, Melissa A. Rosati, Rosalind Sedacca, Cathy Stucker, Dorothy Thompson and Debra Shiveley Welch for your contributions to GET IT WRITE! On behalf of each of them, I hope you enjoy reading GET IT WRITE! and use the information to further your own writing career. There is no time like the present to get your book onto paper and into the hands of your readers!

GET IT WRITE! WAS A COLLABORATION OF EXPERTS WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE WOMEN'S WRITING & PUBLISHING SUMMIT - You can still get copies of all 15 audios when you visit http://wecai.org/wwps/html/registration.html (and dozens of other free resources!)

Wishing everyone a wonderful day... and more!

Heidi

Heidi Richards, Founder & CEO, The WECAI Network™
Join TODAY - BASIC Membership is FREE! http://www.wecai.org/
Our Mission is to "Help You do Business On and Off the WEB!"

Congratulations to the Baby Boomer Diva Web of Fame!

"But celebrity really doesn't mean anything unless you use it for finding some way to give back and I've always felt that way." Judith Light

Congratulations to Beverly Mahone, on taking the WEB by storm with the Baby Boomer Diva WEB of FAME awards. Several New Celebrities have recently been inducted including Diane Keaton, Natalie Cole, Jaisun G. McMillian, Vanessa Williams, Pam Archer, Diedre Hall, Carol Bayer Sager, Sharon Osbourne, Geena Davis, and more - check these and other exceptional women out at the WEB of FAME at:
http://www.enjoyyourmenopause.com/web_of_fame.htm.

I am honored to be among such an illustious group of women!

*Beverly Mahone is a veteran journalist, author, media coach and motivational speaker who writes about issues affecting middle-aged women in her book, Whatever! A Baby Boomer's Journey Into Middle Age.

In addition, Beverly sent me this - if you qualify you could be on TVLand!

IT’S TIME FOR A CHANGE

We’re looking for 45-55 year old couples who want to change their lives and start living their dreams.

Did you put your dreams on hold to bring up your family?

Is there something you said you’d do once the kids were older and have yet to get started?

Is it time to start living and enjoying this new phase of your lives?

We have the answer.

To find out more call or e-mail - Amber Mike TV Land Associate Producer at
Phone: 646-747-7940 or Email her amber.mike (at) rdfnewyork.com

Wishing you a terrific day.... if you're a baby boomer diva, be sure and stop by Bev's site and check it out. Who knows... you just might be the next celebrity inducted into the WEB of FAME!

Warmest regards,

Heidi

Heidi Richards, Founder & CEO The WECAI Network™ - “Helping Women Do Business on and off the WEB™”
EdenFlorist - "NO Reason is the BEST Reason to Send Flowers!
Did you miss the Women’s Writing & Publishing Summit July 19 – 21 & 25?
You can still register to receive the audio files of all 15 sessions available at – www.womenswritingandpublishingsummit.com (lot's of great bonuses when you do!)

Journey to Freedom - Part Two

"...a time to tear and a time to mend..." Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Yesterday was a perfect day. Almost! It was one of those heavenly days where the weather was perfect, the sun was shining and the seas were perfectly calm. At least most of the time!

It was also a very emotional time for my family. You see it was Alexis' Birthday. Alexis is my middle daughter and yesterday she would have been 28 years old. She never made it to her birthday. She died on February 6th and our family had made the decision to have her cremated.

We did that because we believe that is what Alexis would have wanted and because we wanted to keep a part of her close - her ashes. When she died we ordered a beautiful paper mache' holder for her ashes.

This past week we were trying to decide how we wanted her birthday/memorial to unfold. We knew that we wanted to have a ceremony at sea because Alexis was a certified diver and loved the ocean. We have two friends who are boat captains, one with his own sailboat and the other with access to motor boats of all sizes.

After going back and forth a bit, Jennifer and Suzannah (my oldest and youngest daughters) decided on the sailboat excursion.

I had forgotten about the mache we had chosen until we picked it up from my friends at Boyds Family Funeral Home and opened up the box to check it out. Painted on the top was a sailboat. At that moment we knew we had made the right decision.

At 4:00 pm we set sail from Miami and headed towards the Bahamas. Miami was always Alexis favorite city. It is where she modeled did most of her partying. She loved the night-life.

We left from Dinner Key Marina and went about 1.5 hours out (past the stilt houses). It got a little rough at one point and we decided to turn around and head back. We didn't want to put Alexis out in such rough waters. Her life had been rough enough. And we also knew that we probably would not go that far out to visit her. So we decided to have her ceremony between 3 historic stilt houses built in the ocean about a mile from the marina. It was absolutely breathtaking.

My husband planned a beautiful ceremony complete with words from the bible, Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 which begins "There is a time for everything..." We gently put her memorial out to sea, followed by a long trail of rose petals and 28 hot pink long-stem roses all 14 people on board tossed into the ocean in memory of Alexis.

The boat captain, Conrad and his wife Carol were the perfect host and hostess. My family and I will be forever grateful to them for all the care they took to make us feel at home.

Alexis loved a good "party." She had an infectious laugh and joie de vive and she loved to be the center of attention. She sure was yesterday. Although it was a little on the sober side, I believe she would have enjoyed her day.

It was a beautiful day.

Heidi Richards Mooney

Online Networking that Brings Results

"The biggest challenge I see with conversations in the Social Networking stratosphere is the ability to find a balance between speaking strongly enough so people take notice and softly enough so that people will listen." Heidi Richards

Recently on a RYZE network someone posted the Online Networking Game. I only just found out about it because I never read the original post. And the way I found out was through another network. You see I got 3 private messages (PM's) from people mentioning that someone (only gave me a first name) had suggested they contact me. They did not make any other reference to the referrer nor did they mention they saw my name on the network as someone who should be contacted.

In addition, they did not say what possible connection we might have or why we should network in the first place. I deleted the first two PM's without responding since I had no idea what the person was talking about! I responded to the third one because she indeed gave me more information, said she saw the recommendation on a board and even gave the link in her PM to me. I checked it out and then responded to her.

In fact, I've seen this happen on several networks. You got this great referral or noticed someone online you'd like to connect with. And you cannot wait to reach out. Especially if you got the name via a casual referral as often happens on social networking sites such as RYZE. By casual referral I mean that someone made a post and said to the whole board, I suggest you contact "Jane Doe and tell them I said to call." Well, Jane Doe may not be a good referral for everyone, and yet, like all good networkers, many of us will stop by their RYZE page and send them a PM or sign their guest book and then, nothing! No follow up, no response, nothing!

That's not networking! That's being social. And that's okay. It's good to be social. I am all for it and encourage others to do the same. It can be the beginning of some great conversations if you know what to do next.

To me, networking is like advertising. It can take up to six times (or impressions) before the person on the receiving end really takes notice or tells you to get lost!

So here's some steps you can take to be more effective in reaching out and touching others online.

Before you connect with someone online, visit their RYZE page and website.

If they have a blog, go to their blog and read their posts – comment on them.

Then introduce yourself.

Tell the person why you are contacting them and who suggested you connect. Give the person's entire name and why they had suggested the connection in the first place. Many RYZE members don't read every post (I am guilty of that on some of the forums, especially if the subject line does not interest me).

Interview them. Ask questions to really get to know them.

Don't tell your whole life story in one message – keep your posts brief and fun.

Find things in common with those to whom you connect. Do you live in the same geographic area? Tell them! Do you also have children, grandchildren, pets? Say so.
Do you have a hobby in common? Ask them why they chose that hobby. Read any good books lately? Share your thoughts.

Never, ever try to sell them something in your initial contacts. If you do, chances are the person will never respond and you will end up with a reputation as a drive-by networker.

If you don't get any response, don't get discouraged. It may just be that the person you are trying to reach out to does not have an interest in what you have to say or does not want to connect for their own reasons.

That's okay.

Although RYZE is not as large as MySpace and some of the other social networking sites, (it has close to a quarter million members) if you find a few that don't respond, remember there are thousands more you can reach out to. Social networking is a numbers game as much as a game of patience and persistence and potential. And in the process, let's not forget it's about the PEOPLE!

True relationship building networking takes time. It cannot happen overnight. Virtual Networking is not "love at first sight," rather it is "slow and steady wins the race…" and the race is… to get to know, like and trust one another. And if appropriate, do business together in the process.

Just my 2 cents!

Heidi

Heidi Richards, Founder & CEOwww.WECAI.org - “Helping Women Do Business on and off the WEB™”www.EdenFlorist.com - "NO Reason is the BEST Reason to Send Flowers!Did you miss the Women’s Writing & Publishing Summit July 19 – 21 & 25? You can still register to receive the audio files of all 15 sessions available at – www.womenswritingandpublishingsummit.com

10 tips to On-hold Profits

"You can't move up, unless you STAND OUT." Tom Peters

As previously mentioned, I will be speaking at the 1st annual Entrepreneurs Virtual Convention to encourage and promote partnering and forming strategic business alliance amongst busy entrepreneurs. ...

One of the ten strategies I will be sharing is How to leverage On-hold time to add to your bottom line.

Did you know that the average on hold time in America is 43 seconds? If your on-hold message isn’t selling something or providing your customers and clients additional information, it’s time to do something about it.

Remember the mantra, "The more you tell, the more you can sell." Implement this in your on-hold messages and see how much it adds to your bottom line! Here are 10 tips to increase your profits:

!. Make your on-hold message compelling. If it just tells the listener who you are, where you are and what you do, that’s okay; but not compelling. While the caller is on hold – give them a reason to continue to listen. Tell them about your latest special. Or an add-on product they might not have known you offered or even considered purchasing.

2. Update your message. Tell the caller what’s new or improved in your business and product offerings.

3. Make your on-hold message funny or interesting. Share industry trivia with the caller.

4. Win any awards lately? If you are a recipient of the Best Florist in Dakota award, be sure to include that in your on-hold message. Include community involvement in your message.

5. Include your website URL, fax and email address in your on-hold message.

6. Share any changes in location or hours. Don’t assume the customer automatically knows that information.

7. Include directions to your place of business. Make it easy for the client to find you. Oftentimes this is the only information a client needs and the on-hold message will tell that so you don’t have to.

8. Have a company jingle? Play it while the customer is on-hold. This is a great way to reinforce your brand message, and if it is catchy you might just catch the caller whistling (or singing) along with your message.

9. Use customer testimonials in your message. Audio testimonials are powerful sales tools and make the decision to buy easier for the prospect.

10. Let the caller know what else you can do for them. Does your staff have special skills or talents that can help the caller make a buying decision? Tell him or her.

Are you seeking additional ways to strengthen relationships with current customers? Do you want to know what the other Nine Stratedgies are?

Tehn be sure to register at: http://www.fullcirclementoring.org/eventdetails.cfm?EventID=51

Hope to see you there!

Heidi Richards, Founder & CEO, The WECAI Network™

Walk-by Marketing...

"To drive sales to your door, try walking around a bit." Heidi Richards

Since my topic for the Entrepreneurs Virtual Convention is Rose Marketing on a Daisy Budget I thought I'd share one of my marketing tips.... Walk-by Marketing (low-tech Mobile Marketing).

Instead of the usual printed T-shirt, create a tote bag covered with pins & sayings about the GREAT advantages of doing business with your company - Fill the bag with your sales materials such as catalogs, order forms, business cards, promotional CDs and other items.

Carry this with you when you attend trade fairs and other appropriate networking events. Hand out when the opportunity is right. I often carry one or two copies of my books in my tote bag and give to the hostess/host of the event as a thank you or as a "raffle" prize. I also have one for each of my businesses and my books.

You can buy an inexpensive canvas tote at a local discount department store and take it to your local screen printing company (or embroider) and have them do it. Call first to ask them the requirements - have your sayings and logo created in a gif (or pdf)fromat, and put it on a CD.

Don't have time to take it to your local screen printer? CAFE Press also has a couple of totes and you can upload your file to and create (however I don't recommend the yellow tote) the colors don't come out the same.

Carry the tote with you and viola'! Walk-by Marketing is Born!

Have a great day!

Heidi Richards, Founder & CEO, The WECAI Network™ - http://www.wecai.org/

I'm Speaking at the Entrepreneur's Virtual Convention!

"Give up control and give it away.... The more you give your idea away, the more your company is going to be worth. ” Seth Godin

Full Circle Global Mentoring Inc is hosting the 1st annual Entrepreneurs Virtual Convention to encourage and promote partnering and forming strategic business alliance amongst busy entrepreneurs. ...

.... and I'm one of the speakers!

My session, Rose Marketing on a Daisy Budget takes place online at 11 AM CST on Friday, August 10, 2007.

During my session you will learn:

* How to have an endless supply of qualified prospects

* How to get more customers coming in the door

* How to get more business from past customers

* How to get more referrals from new and existing customers

* How to stop wasting money on advertising and marketing that simply doesn't work

* All this and more!


MORE ABOUT THE CONVENTION:

The mission of this exciting event is to bring entrepreneurs all over the globe together in celebration of entrepreneurialism and fostering strategic business alliances not only locally but globally as well.

This virtual weekend celebration and collaboration will be packed full of powerful and informative seminars being presented by some of the most sought-after guest speakers.

As participating business owners and entrepreneurs you will have access to useful resources, ongoing contests, power networking opportunities, live radio interviews and opportunities for global business exposure and partnering.

Expand your business knowledge and skills. Focus on the issues and concerns of aspiring entrepreneurs and seasoned business owners.

Share information with your virtual colleagues and competitors and capitalize on each others' knowledge and experience. This weekend’s convention will also give you an opportunity to make global connections with other individuals in your field of business.

Are you aware of the latest technologies available to entrepreneurs —blogs, podcasts, and social networking sites—and how to use them for greater success in your day to day marketing efforts?

Do your organization's branding and marketing strategies inspire and engage new clients, to help you fill your work force, membership or product/service marketing needs?

Are you seeking additional ways to strengthen relationships with current customers?

You can read more and register at:
http://www.fullcirclementoring.org/eventdetails.cfm?EventID=51

Hope to see you there!

Heidi Richards, Founder & CEO, The WECAI Network™ - http://www.wecai.org/

ps. everyone who attends my session will get a copy of my latest ebook YOUR MARKETING CALENDAR - How to Make the Most of Holidays, Events and Celebrations to Promote Your Business - this ebook is not even available to the public yet, so you could be the first to receive it! But you have to register to get a copy....

Innovative Online Book Targets Women Planning Financial Future

"The road to financial security begins with the understanding of why and how you need to plan for your retirement.” Teresa Heinz Kerry

Heinz Family Foundation/ Women’s Institute for a Secure Retirement Releases “How To” on Retirement...

Washington, DC – The Heinz Family Philanthropies and the Women’s Institute for a Secure Retirement (WISER) today announced the release of an innovative online book entitled, What Women Need to Know About Retirement. Available for free on the Internet, this 76 page ebook will provide the reader with a blueprint to both get started planning a retirement and to grow that investment.

“Today we are offering a free online publication to help ensure that all Americans have access to sound financial planning advise that is often too expensive and out of reach for working families,” said WISER Chairman Jeffrey R. Lewis. “In particular, we are targeting women with this free book with the understanding that women often sacrifice retirement planning as the result of their traditional roles as mothers and family caretakers. We hope that this substantive guide allows women to get what they need to know without having to pay for a book, and to hopefully use those dollars instead towards their retirement future.”

What Women Need to Know About Retirement contains seven easy-to-read chapters, each written by an expert on retirement security issues. The book was written as an acknowledgment of the fact that poverty in old age is most often the face of a woman, for example:

· Two-thirds of working women earn less than $30,000 a year.
· Nearly half of all women work in low-paying jobs that do not offer any retirement plans or 401(k) plan.
· The median income in 2004 for retired women was $12,080 compared to men’s income of $21,102.
· Social Security continues to be the only source of income for 30% of non-married women over 65 and 46% rely on it for 90% of their income.

“Over the years we have found that most people ---and most women--- simply don’t have enough information about how to build a secure retirement. It doesn’t have to be this way,” said WISER Chairman Emeritus Teresa Heinz Kerry. “While there are no quick fixes, or simple solutions, the road to financial security begins with the understanding of why and how you need to plan for your retirement.”

The book is available to download or read online at WiserWomen.org

To your retirement... may it be a good one!

Heidi

Heidi Richards, Founder & CEOwww.WECAI.org - “Helping Women Do Business on and off the WEB™”