What inspired you to write The Inclusion Dividend?

After 20 years of working with corporations to build a more diverse and
inclusive culture, we have seen a paradigm shift from legal compliance to the business case.  Diversity and inclusion moved from the “right thing to do” to the right thing to do for the business.  It increases shareholder value at so many levels. However, the journey is not always easily
understood.  This book was written to provide a very clear comprehensive strategy to achieving the return on this investment.

What has been your favorite part of the writing and publishing process?

Although co-authoring a book is no easy task, it was the most enjoyable
part of the writing process.  It required us to truly practice what we
preach.  We come from different generations, religious upbringings and
socio-economic backgrounds.  Applying the inclusion concepts we were
writing about in the moment to create a joint piece of work allowed us to
minimize theory and center on realty.  Having a publisher who is focused on
your success not only as a writer, but also as a business was and continues
to be our favorite part of the publishing process.

One great story out of this experience so far: Mark was in Anchorage giving a workshop for BP. After the event, one of the participants did a little research and found that Mark had a book forthcoming. He then reserved the two copies that the Barnes & Noble in Anchorage would receive. We were more excited than anything over this, but also feel a sense of fulfillment as we travel all over the country, speaking about the book, that our message is reaching our audience, and they are actively responding to it.

Were there any unexpected challenges in writing the book?

Keeping the book relevant with the most up to date research was a challenge
we charged ourselves with on a daily basis.  After we finished a chapter, a
new piece of research may have been published.  We were diligent on
integrating any new research or findings even if it meant rewriting a
finished chapter.

The thorough outlining and writing schedule process done with Bibliomotion
helped minimize any unexpected challenges.

If you could do it all over again, would you do anything differently?

Nothing major.  We were very pleased with the entire engagement.

What’s next for you? Career-related goals? More books in your future?

At one of the Bibliomotion author events, one of the authors spoke about the “infectious disease of writing.”  Once you get that first book completed, you realize how doable it really is.  The feeling of closing that last chapter is very addictive.  We already have a list of book ideas on the roster.

The Dagoba Group is constantly evolving with the diversity and inclusion industry.  The book has generated a lot of interest in our leadership development offerings domestically and outside the US.  Our goal is to make investment in diversity and inclusion mainstream on a global scale.

Vicki Hoefle

Just about a year ago, I received an ordinary looking envelope in the mail with a most extraordinary gift enclosed.  It was the first copy of my book, Duct Tape Parenting, signed by my Publisher, Erika Heilman of Bibliomotion.

When Erika first approached me about writing the book, I agreed to the adventure with a mix of excitement, optimism and caution. This would either be a joy ride or a nose dive.  In either case, I was up for the challenge.

Here are just a few of the things I have learned from this remarkable journey.

What I learned since publication of the book a year ago:

1. I learned that a book is a product that requires serious marketing and a commitment to saying yes to every interview, book signing, free speaking request and anything else that gives both the book and my career as a presenter exposure.  Without constant exposure, book sales suffer and momentum slows to a stand still.
2. In my case, I learned that a book can open up new markets in areas outside of Vermont, which lead to new speaking and teaching opportunities. The book acted like a calling card and because people resonated with the message in the book, they were willing to contact me and explore ways of our working together.  I have a west coast tour scheduled for the fall of 2013 as a result of the national exposure.
3. I learned that worst-case scenarios rarely come true.  I worried about two things when I signed on the dotted line. The first worry was that I wouldn’t be able to come up with 40,000 cohesive words and was thrilled when I crossed that threshold and went on to write a total of 60,000 words. The second worry was that no one would read the book and if they did, they would whisper “it’s awful”.  You can’t imagine the relief when the feedback started coming in and it was positive.  Phew.
4. I learned that the book could be used as a launching pad for new products and services.  We are developing an Online Video Series, which will not only support the content of the book; it will also offer our customers my 20 years worth of experience around parenting and child rearing.  I will address all the challenges facing parents today in a convenient, easy-to-use delivery system.
5. I learned that there are tips worth sharing with those considering writing a book and they include: 
   • Write from your heart. There are so many books on the market, that if you are not completely passionate about what you are writing, you will not have the edge you need to be successful.
   • The task does not end once the book is published. The publication of your book actually marks the beginning of another journey – marketing.
   • As soon as the manuscript is sent to the publisher – work on marketing yourself, your ideas and your book. Leverage your customers and the people you know who support your point of view in order to build a strong marketing platform. Once the book is published, keep going. When you get tired, keep going.
   • It does not matter how great your product/book is, if people don’t know about you and your unique message, they can’t buy your book.
   • Book sales are not your only source of revenue. Be prepared to go on the road and promote your book and ramp up your speaking career.
6.  And finally, I learned that writing a book could be one of the highlights of your professional career, so enjoy every minute of the journey.

Brian Klapper is the President and Founding Partner of The Klapper Institute. He is an internationally recognized expert in transformational change, working with a variety of global companies. With The Q-Loop, Brian hopes to help companies make a lasting, transformational change.

What inspired you to write The Q-Loop?

Despite the fact that there are thousands of theoretical books on creating change within an organization, 70 percent of all efforts to do so fail. There are great ideas from those books, but there is not a single practical, hands-on, step-by-step field guide that a company or organization can use to make change successful. So I thought, we need to have one!

The Q-Loop stands apart because it is interactive. Readers become participants; there are surveys, queries, thought questions, and specific approaches to generate the level of change you want to achieve. It really takes the 25 years that I’ve been doing this and making my clients successful to convey how to do this. I wanted to make what I do available to everyone.

What has been your favorite part of the writing and publishing process?

It was really rewarding to take my 25 years of experience, working with dozens of clients to help achieve their vision, and to consolidate them into a book. The book is a journey of my professional life on paper, and creating that was a cathartic and enjoyable experience.

Were there any unexpected challenges in writing the book?

There were a few tough questions I faced in the writing process: What is the most efficient, practical way to take an idea and make it into an action that a reader can use to get concrete results? And how can I do this when I’m not standing right in front of them? I am used to communicating face to face and getting immediate feedback. But that’s not the case when you’re instructing through the pages of a book. I had to step back and think from the readers’ perspective about how to make this guide not only practical and useful, but also enjoyable and valuable.

If you could do it all over again, would you do anything differently?

No, the whole process was extremely rewarding and enjoyable. Working with Erika and Jill was a delight. They gave me a tremendous amount of freedom to write the book I wanted to write. I didn’t feel in any way restricted or limited.

What’s next for you? Career-related goals? More books in your future?

I would definitely be interested in writing a companion book to The Q-Loop. It was a lot of fun. We’ve had great success with the company and I would like to share that with others. I believe that there is an approach to solving an age-old problem. Change is so difficult but it can be overcome. There is a formula to achieving success in an area that’s been littered with failure, and that’s something I hope to convey to readers.

We were very excited to have a mix of eager questions from our new authors, and wisdom from a few veterans.

Jill and Erika lead the program, discussing a range of topics from marketing, to social media, to sales, to taking your content “beyond the book.”

Our authors shared two-minute elevator pitches for their books. It was great opportunity for them to receive feedback and support from their fellow authors, and as always we were delighted to watch and listen in as connections were formed, and plans for working together or sharing leads were made.

Finally, we were joined by an seasoned radio producer who shared great tips for getting on radio shows: writing successful pitches connecting your content to news events, linking to YouTube videos, sharing video of speaking engagements – essentially, making sure you can be seen in action sharing your message. “Never discredit local public radio as an opportunity to successfully market your book,” she said.

Overall, it was a wonderful day of learning, brainstorming, and making connections. We look forward to seeing you again in the fall!

Chuck Wall is the founder of Customer CEO, the customer thinking company. He believes that the most important business opportunity for most companies is hidden in plain sight: knowing their customer. Chuck hopes to help companies by sharing that message through this book.

What inspired you to write Customer CEO?

In my work of starting companies, working with clients, and advising other companies, I’ve had the good fortune to end up interviewing over 100,000 of my clients’ customers. Over time, I began to see a discernible pattern occurring and I felt it was time to tell the story of the power that I feel customers really have over companies. Many companies today don’t really get that. It’s a concept intuitive to those of us living in the social-commerce age, but not to others. The book is to address that, and to help companies understand the power of their customers and to build a better future for their brands.

What has been your favorite part of the writing and publishing process?

My favorite part of this has been going through the process of researching and gathering information on each of the companies we selected. We painted vivid illustrations of what we call the Customer CEO “Champions,” the companies which succeed because they go to great lengths to understand their customers. I really enjoyed digging into the backstories of these companies: Why Ikea does what they do, the secrets of Apple’s customer service success, and even the policies of smaller companies and how they are effective and memorable.

Were there any unexpected challenges in writing the book?

The biggest hurdle for me was summarizing relatively complex information into bite-size pieces. Some of the areas I explored dealing with customer insights, anthropology, and ethnography are so large and multi-faceted. One of the challenges I faced was taking that information, synthesizing it, and turning it into a narration.

If you could do it all over again, would you do anything differently?

Between the extensive research period and relatively quick writing period, I had some really long days. I had a lot of great material to work with and wanted to select the best for the book.

What’s next for you? Career-related goals? More books in your future?

I’ve thought of many other ideas that I would love to explore further, many of which came out of this project. But I feel I have a lot of work to do around this book. For me, it’s a two-part process:
1.    Stop seeing things from their own point of view, and
2.    Listen to the customer’s point of view.

These steps seem obvious, but they are something so few of us do well. I want to spread the message and methodology of Customer CEO and help companies better understand their customers and strengthen their brands.

Judith E. Glaser is the CEO of Benchmark Communications, Inc., and the Chairman of The Creating WE Institute. Her book Conversational Intelligence is set to come out in October 2013.

Our brains are designed to be social. Our need for belonging is more powerful than our need for safety. Rejection brings on the same pain in the brain centers and body as a car crash. But, when we are shown love, respect and honor, it triggers the same centers in the brain as when we eat chocolate, have sex or are on drugs. Learning this will change how you lead.

From birth, we learn to avoid physical pain and move toward physical pleasure. Over time, we learn to avoid pain to protect ourselves from ego pain, building habits and patterns of behavior that keep us safe from feeling belittled or embarrassed.

At work this may translate into avoiding a person who competes with you when you speak up, to avoiding a boss who sends you silent signals of disappointment.

Pain can also come from what you anticipate — not from what is real. If you imagine that expressing annoyance to colleagues will lead to an argument, just the thought of having that conversation will produce the social pain of being rejected.

The feared implications of pain become so real for us that we seek avoidance, since confronting a person with a difficult conversation may lead to rejection or embarrassment. Our emotions are tied directly to feelings of pain and pleasure — in fact they are the source of pain and pleasure.

When does all of this imprinting start? It’s actually hardwired and through our interaction with our environments, our beliefs about the world about relationships and about joy, happiness or pain become layered into our brains and hearts – teaching us who to move toward and who to move away from.

Truth Be Told

Children raised by parents who positively shape a child’s environment with appreciative and value-based conversations become more optimistic about life and more self-confident. Children who grow up in punitive and judgmental environments tend to be less positive about themselves and more judgmental about others.

Those who grow up in families where they are loved, where they learn to discover their strengths and are challenged in positive ways, tend to be very healthy of mind, body and spirit and lead healthier lives.

Many illnesses associated with toxic work places can be reduced by focusing on the “feel” of the conversational environment that we create for our employees. This suggests that mentally healthy people will have a strengthened immune system, affording them increased protection against disease.

We have two types of reactions in conversations – one causes us pleasure, and one causes us pain. Appreciation is pleasure; negative judgment is pain.

How can you create the conversational space that affords deeper understanding and engagement rather than fear and avoidance? Be mindful of your conversations and their emotional content — either pain or pleasure.

Are you sending the message “you can trust me to have your best interests at heart” or “I want to persuade you to think about things my way”?

Being aware of these meta-messages, you create a safe culture for open, candid, caring conversations, allowing all parties to interact at the highest level, sharing perspectives, feelings, and aspirations, while elevating insights and wisdom.

Rose Fass is the founder and CEO of fassforward Consulting Group and does specialized coaching for leaders in the executive suite. She has over 35 years of corporate experience in technology and consumer-based industries. Her book, The Chocolate Conversation, releases today! Here she shares her inspiration for the book and how she hopes to lead business transformation through “bittersweet change.”

What inspired you to write The Chocolate Conversation?

Years ago I attended a death by chocolate party. We were all passionate about chocolate. But that’s where it ended- everyone had their own interpretation- from chocolate fudge to truffles.  Later in my career while attending an all company meeting, I was drawn back to the chocolate party. Everyone in the meeting was nodding their heads in agreement with the direction that the CEO was communicating for the coming year. Back at the office we all had our own take on what was said. It dawned on me that we were having a “chocolate conversation.”

The biggest issue in business today is that people have conversations at a surface level and fail to consider how they are interpreted. Substitute the word chocolate with growth and see where people take it. You’ll get as many different views as there are chocolates.  I thought if people could understand how to have a conversation and avoid misinterpretation and confusion, it could make the difference between success and failure. That was the inspiration for The Chocolate Conversation.

What has been your favorite part of the writing and publishing process?

My favorite part of this process was the collaboration with the publishers and those thinking and researching along with me. I truly appreciate all of the encouragement, feedback and support I received.

Also, I had a real out-of-body experience when I saw the finished book: the accomplishment you feel when you’ve put pen to paper, and see your book for pre-order on Amazon is surreal.

Were there any unexpected challenges in writing the book?

Yes. I think for me it was the transition from one chapter to the next. I worked very hard on the flow. Each chapter has its own message and could stand alone. Deadlines, of course, were challenging. Also, no one ever anticipates the overwhelming realization that, when writing a book, you’re opening yourself up to public scrutiny.

If you could do it all over again, would you do anything differently?

I think this was a great learning experience for me, but I would have given myself more time between finishing the book and the launch, to spend more time editing on my own but I bet everyone says that.

What’s next for you? Career-related goals? More books in your future?

I’m not sure I see more books, but I think there may be some “shorts” in the future. Contrary to what I thought previously, I enjoy the blogging aspect of the publicity process. I also enjoy public speaking and will continue to do more of that.

Writing a book is a challenge. Co-authoring a book is even more of a challenge, and doing so from opposite ends of the country seems impossible. Christine Koh and Asha Dornfest claim that their experience in collaborating to write Minimalist Parenting was not a feat to overcome, but a joy to create. They attest their smooth process to their similar views on parenting and their longtime friendship.

What inspired you to write Minimalist Parenting?

Christine: The book idea happened a couple of years ago while I was attending a parenting conference. I wasn’t thinking about writing a book originally, but people at the conference told me I should. I started thinking about all the conversations we were having with modern parents and readers, and how it’s important to make room for the good and happy things in life. Asha and I had been friends for very long time, both online and in real life. Once the book started moving forward, I realized how we shared such similar philosophical orientations, and the same belief in hands-on, but free parenting styles. She and I formed the perfect partnership, and the book became the most joyful thing to write.

Asha: This is definitely more Christine’s question to answer. The book was her inspiration and she brought me on to do this with her. The experience of working with her has been a joy for me. The book is my story to tell as well, but we have such different perspectives, experiences, backgrounds, dynamics.  Somehow we arrived at the same place. I don’t think even we understood how similarly we viewed parenting. Minimalist Parenting is a way of being engaged with your children while giving them independence to develop. Having created that message with Christine means everything to me.

What has been your favorite part of the writing and publishing process?

Christine: You hear from many authors how challenging the process is, both exciting and frustrating. However, I was totally surprised by how joyful the process was. Every day I carved out time to write and was totally happy and psyched to do it. Also, this book came at a time where we had the benefit of the Cloud and Google Docs, which allowed us to collaborate our thoughts, writing, and feedback across the country. And our writing styles complement each other so well, which we never could have predicted. It was a seamless writing process.

Asha: So true. We stopped writing this book months ago and now, as we head into the promotion period, we continue to collaborate. The best thing about writing this book has been partnering with Christine. I learned a lot about myself, my strengths and my weaknesses, in the best possible way. As far as the actual book goes, the thing that I love the most is that there is a real sense that people need what we have to share: practical advice and validation about their lives and parenting styles. Being able to share that encouragement is a huge privilege.

Christine: I don’t have the experience of having published a book before, but the process of working with Bibliomotion (who I refer to as “team awesome”) has been remarkable. Working with Erika and her level of flexibility has been a real gift.

Were there any unexpected challenges in writing the book?

Christine: I’m drawing a blank.

Asha: Everything’s been so beautiful. The writing really flowed. We divided up the chapters, wrote, swapped, edited each other’s writing. The whole process went really smoothly.

Christine: From the outset, maybe the act of merging two voices could have been perceived as a huge challenge. I would have expected that to be a challenge, but it is amazing to me how seamlessly we flowed together.

If you could do it all over again, would you do anything differently?

Asha: I sometimes think: This is the moment for us to write this book. The book would have been different at any other moment. We are great collaborators, and everything has fallen into perfect place.

What’s next for you? Career-related goals? More books in your future?

Christine: I have not really thought too far beyond this book. I do have another book idea that’s sort of been percolating for a while, but that’s not the most present thing. I’ve been making more room for creative and hands-on activities. I definitely plan on doing some speaking gigs following the book’s release. But my life is in a very happy place right now, and I am content. It’s been definitely been a dream of mine to write regularly for a magazine column, perhaps write another book, or do some on-camera work. But these are vague plans, nothing specific.

Asha: I view my career path sort of like crossing a river. I jump from one stone to the next, and stop and decide where I’ll go from there. My future decisions will be based on where this book goes, and where the conversation takes me.

Christine: Also, and perhaps this goes without saying, I want to keep working with Asha, on projects related to Minimalist or otherwise. I couldn’t imagine a better partner, collaborator, or friend. We can accomplish things together that we cannot accomplish alone.

The Fearless Front Line launches today! In this interview, author Ray Attiyah explains what inspired him to write the book, and weighs in on the writing and publishing process. Congratulations on this huge accomplishment, Ray!

What inspired you to write The Fearless Front Line?

By 2007, the company I founded and owned was ready to move to the next level. Our organization was growing and transitioning, and we were defining new roles and redistributing responsibilities.

During this transitional period, my team asked me to take the time to document what I had learned in over 20 years in operations leadership. They wanted me to create a resource guide that would help not only our team, but also our clients and other industry leaders.

Once I began writing, I realized that I had an opportunity to provide a resource to leaders who have a vision, but not a concrete plan for how to tackle and accomplish their vision.

What has been your favorite part of the writing and publishing process?

The best part of this process has been learning about the power of writing – for an audience and for myself.

Were there any unexpected challenges in writing the book?

Initially, I felt that I had to write for everyone: for parties in business who prefer to take small, incremental steps in initiating change in their companies. I was worried that readers who fall into this category would cast the book off as too aggressive. However, my confidence was restored when I shared my first pass with several progressive leaders. They told me that the message of taking big, bold steps to transform your business is exactly what leaders need to hear, that the more cautious leaders would feel empowered by my message to make the necessary changes.

If you could do it all over again, would you do anything differently?

I would go back determine who my audience is at much earlier stage in the process. It would have saved me a lot of time later to know that being “fearless” is for the bold, as well as for those who need an extra push to be bold.

What’s next for you? Career-related goals? More books in your future?

My goal is to always strive to reach and pick the high-hanging fruit. It tastes a lot better when you get it: sweeter and worth the effort. I hope to continue to help smaller companies grow, to seek better talent, to innovate, and to learn always. I would also like to create supplementary videos to share the more emotional side of the stories in the book.

Following Becky Robinson’s post on the 30-Day Countdown to book launch, I’ve compiled a few of my own book-promoting ideas via social media.

Twitter, in particular, is one of the most effective platforms for writers to promote their book, their ideas, and themselves. In 140 characters or less you can essentially distribute your virtual business card by:

• Sharing your knowledge and expertise on a particular subject
• Linking to your book, company website, blog, or portfolio
• Making your contact information readily available to followers
• Growing your audience
• …and inserting some of your own personality into creative Tweets!

Dissecting the Tweet:

Consider the following when you construct your tweets:

• Less is more! Keep tweets around 100 characters to receive the most click-throughs.
• Pump up your tweets with more action verbs, and fewer nouns.
• Use words like “via,” “@,” “RT,” “please,” and “check” for higher click through-rates.
• Place links 25% of the way into your tweet, and spread out tags as much as possible.
• Include numbers in your tweets: “8 steps to success” or “3 ways to transform”
• Only include hashtags that are relevant to your content, not so specific that they are unsearchable, but not so vague that they are powerless.
• Rather than using your book’s title as a hashtag, (too specific and too long), substitute with “my book.”
• Ask questions! Engage with your followers and reply to their tweets.

Keep these tips in mind when building your tweets. To keep your Twitter feed flowing, it’s also a good idea to schedule a few ahead of time using platforms like Hootsuite or Tweetdeck.