The Writing Desk: Guest Post by Linda Leon - Write and Get Paid Well, No Excuses

26 February 2013

Guest Post by Linda Leon - Write and Get Paid Well, No Excuses

A Conversation with Bob Bly and Linda Leon

When is the last time you had the opportunity to discuss anything with a multi millionaire? I did. We discussed things every author needs to know if they intend to make a living selling books and getting paid well for their writing skills.

Bob Bly

I have been very fortunate to interview some of the most outstanding and well-known persons in the book marketing industry. Every encounter that I have had with those people has made me better off personally and professionally. The associations I have developed are priceless.

My recent interview with Robert (Bob) Bly is by far one of the best. When I try to put my finger on exactly what was so inspirational about the interview I think that it was his “no excuse for little success” persona and his sheer candidness on create the life that you want. In his case, he wanted to become a multi millionaire, provide a life for his wife never to have to work in the marketplace, and raise his family in an upscale environment. The magic golden chariot to take him on this ride was simply a pen and piece of paper. Bob Bly personifies writing and getting paid well. His annual gross income from his freelance work and book writing is more than $600,000 a year. He is one of the best book marketers on the planet.

The purpose of the interview was to inspire independent authors in their book-writing journey. I was looking for the traditional rags to riches story or the traditional struggling author that finally became successful slant. But he quickly adjusted my perceptions, saying that his story would probably not be what I was expecting. He was right. In my view his pen and paper story began with the premise I am not going to become successful. I am successful. That is a twist I had not expected or considered. He had the mentality that he was succeeding at whatever point he was in life. He did not define success by becoming a multimillionaire. He defined success by being Bob Bly and I have something that will impact the world. Step back and think about that. I won’t say much more because you need to listen to the interview. If you are an author and can catch this concept it will change your world.

Bob Bly exudes with confidence and not conceit. Bob Bly believes that opportunities to sell books or become successful as a freelance writer are all around you. He believes that if others can get highly paid for what they do, why can’t you? He spoke on how simple it is to find those opportunities and to create your own book empire. When I asked him why he became a writer, he said in so many words, I write because I enjoy using my mind creatively. He created a life doing something he loves. He is enjoying the life he created. While most of the population wakes up everyday slaving at a job that they hate, or frustrated because they don’t make enough money, the Bly solution would be to become your own person and do what you want – no excuses. He was amazing.

Bob Bly’s work ethic has caused him to write over 100 articles for major publications, 70 books, and to create an online subscribership of over 70,000 people. He has handled writing assignments for ATT, IBM, Chemical Bank and more. He has taught writing at New York University. He is constantly expanding and using his time wisely. There are authors that will come across this article knowing full well that they want to become successful as authors and won’t even take the time to listen to the 30-minute interview. Independent authors can learn a lot from Bob Bly.

About Linda Leon

Linda Leon

Linda Leon is the owner of www.bookmarketingprofessionals.com an author support and visual productions company. She has worked in management and as a producer in the communications industry since 1978. This industry has given her a very broad spectrum of media skills from writing books to producing television and radio programs. Her first book was published in 1988. Linda’s television and radio work over the years has gone international and has reached over 80 million households. She has a degree in Business Economics and a Certified Nutritionist designation. She is also a professional ghostwriter and was a columnist for United Press International for 4 years. She is a prolific writer with hundreds of posts on line that have accumulated a readership of over 181,000. Her podcast Book That Author that airs on Blog Talk Radio and on Marc Lemay’s Your Hometown Radio Network. The show currently has obtained over 19,000 listeners and growing each week. She is the author of the books Publishing and Publicity for Smart People and Rock Star Marketing for the Emerging Author. Linda’s greatest joy in life is serving God and being a wonderful wife and mother.

Visit Linda www.bookmarketingprofessionals.com

Relate to Linda @lindaleontweets Linkedin

Listen to Linda Leon’s podcast – Book That Author on Blog Talk Radio

Talk to Linda - bookmarketingprofessionals@gmail.com