I created some free things for “47 HEARTS“:

• Download a five-page special report from Scribd
• See a short, inspirational video on YouTube
• Find posters with pithy quotes on Flickr
• Decide if the book is right for you on Squidoo

Each of these is free. Anyone can see, read or listen to them. And if you like what you find, you may want to share it with others.

That’s why I created them. That’s why I’m giving them away.

On the other hand, there are some things I created specifically as BONUSES for “47 Hearts”. You, and anyone else who makes a donation or joins a “47 Hearts Group” or buys a copy of the book on launch day will get them.

Here are some of the bonuses:

• “Think, Write & Retire – How to turn words into wealth, easily!” – a PDF version of my best-selling print book
• “How To Sell ANYTHING On The Web” – a special report with a blueprint to follow while launching a product or service on the Internet (This is the only way to get this bonus – it is not on sale, for any price)
• Some other bonuses, with a retail value of over $100

To get them, you have to buy a copy of “47 HEARTS” from Amazon.com and email me your receipt – OR join a “47 Hearts Group” by making a donation. Others don’t get the bonuses. They are not ‘free’.

The bonus material is also limited – both in quantity, and in time. That means, they won’t last forever. If you want them, act now.

For practice. To me, writing is a craft, just like heart surgery.  When you don’t do it for long, your skills get a bit rusty.

For catharsis. Much of my writing puts emotions and thoughts into words.  It calms me afterwards.

For sharing. Some blog posts are meant to guide, direct, help, inspire or support readers from my own experiences and insights.

For feedback. A few blog posts are intended to get back responses and suggestions from viewers, on a range of issues.

For networking. I’ve met some nice people through my blog (and tweets).  The relationships built this way are sometimes lasting – and deep.

For spotlighting. When I meet or hear about someone or something so inspiring or exciting that I’d love to tell others about it, I blog.

With that said, I don’t really expect blogging to make me famous, get me a fan base or following, or generate engagement and impassioned debate with a huge crowd.

Indeed, I moderate all comments (and delete or edit some) because I don’t subscribe to the theory that “your blog belongs to your audience”, and also won’t let an issue that’s peripheral to my interest consume space or waste my time in arguing over.  In this respect, I model my friend and mentor Seth Godin.

How about you?  Why do you blog?

What the… ! THREE posts in a month about the same author?

I know. Sounds weird. The first was about how I first came to hear about Chetan Bhagat. The next was about how this led to meeting him at a live event. This one is about why I’m studying his books, not merely reading them!

As a student of fiction writing technique, and as I grapple with my first fiction novel, I have been fascinated by how skillfully, smoothly and seamlessly Chetan Bhagat introduces his characters, fleshes them out and fits them into his storyline – in an amazingly brief passage.

It’s a kind of formula I see repeated across the books of his that I’ve read – and today, as I started on “The 3 Mistakes of My Life“, this extract simply blew me away with its efficiency.

“But they are still a lot better off than me and my mom. My mom runs a small Gujarati snacks business, and the little bit of money I make from tuitions helps us get by, but that’s about it.

‘We won, we won the series 3-1′ Omi repeated what he read on the TV screen. Of course, it would have been too much for him to express such original insight. Some say Omi was born stupid, while some say he became stupid after a cork ball hit him on the head in Class VI. I didn’t know the reason, but I did know that maybe the best idea for him would be to become a priest. He wouldn’t have much of a career otherwise, given that he barely scraped through Class XII, after repeating the maths compartment exam twice. But he didn’t want to be a priest, so my plan was the best one.

I ate the khakra. My mother made it better than Ishaan’s mom. We were professionals after all.

‘I’ll go home and change and then we will go to Gopi, ok?’ I said as Ishaan and Omi were still dancing. Dancing after an Indian victory was a ritual we had started when we were eleven, one that should have stopped by thirteen. However, here we were at twenty-one, jigging like juveniles. Ok, so we won, someone had to. In mathematical terms, there was a pretty good probability – did it really need jumping around?”

That excerpt is just 248 words long.

But even if you’ve never heard about the book, just reading that section of “The 3 Mistakes of My Life” gives you a wealth of information about the protagonists. Here are just a few facts these 4 short paragraphs convey to a reader:

* The 3 guys are good friends, have been for 10 years now.
* One of them is less wealthy than the others.
* His mom runs a home business, he tutors students to supplement their income.
* They are avid cricket fans, who’ll dance when India wins a match.
* They’re 21 years old, yet have maintained a childish enthusiasm for the sport.
* Omi isn’t the smartest cookie in the box – maybe due to injury.
* He was intended for priesthood – but isn’t interested.
* The narrator has a better life plan – for all of them!
* The narrator shows pride and love for his mom – and their snacks business.
* He also loves math – and is good at it.
* And he offsets a sense of financial inferiority with an attitude of being better than his peers in other ways.

What a fascinating way to introduce three characters in a novel – in just half of a printed page! You don’t just get facts about their lives, you get a sense of their personalities too… and it all fits into the context of the story being told!

I’ve known very few authors who can do it so skillfully. Robert Ludlum and Alistair Maclean come to mind. They do character portrayals in a way you almost feel like you KNOW the person you’re reading about.

And while Chetan Bhagat’s characters often come across in his books as more two-dimensional than completely fleshed out to feel real (my personal opinion!), I totally am in awe of the way he introduces them in his books. I’m studying his work from that perspective, as it nicely complements lessons in technical writing that I’ve gained from the work of Dwight Swain and Randy Ingermanson.

At the core of this lies not superior talent or long hard practice alone (though I’m sure these are in the back-story of any successful writer) – but that elusive and rare trait…

Being able to spin a story that appeals to listeners!

Aesop and the Grimm brothers aren’t age-old favorites with young readers across generations because of their stunning prose or riveting grammar. No, their appeal stems from something more primeval, more atavistic… a love to hear a skilled raconteur spin a tale.

It appeals to the little child that lives inside all of us. And we will willingly follow that Pied Piper to the very ends of the Earth – and beyond!

And to those who attribute Chetan Bhagat’s wild success and popularity solely to the fact that “it’s oh-so-easy to read”, I’ll just say this.

Usain Bolt makes running 100 meters in under 10 seconds look easy too… but just try doing it yourself!

Often, we forget to thank people that matter. Folks who helped make something possible. Friends who go out of the way for us.

I’m guilty of that, maybe more often than others because there are so many things I do that need help, support and encouragement from others.

For the launch of my first-ever print book, I decided this won’t happen – and tried to keep track all through of the people who helped me. Unfortunately, as I look back over the weeks leading up to this special day, I realize that the list is incomplete!

So, if I missed YOUR name from this (long) list, I’m terribly sorry – it was not intentional, just another example of my muddle-headedness

And if you’re on the list, THANK YOU. In no particular order or sequence, here are the wonderful people who lent a helping hand when I reached out for support in creating and promoting “Think, Write & Retire!”

Thank you, to…

Mark Joyner – gave me the idea, wrote the foreword and (critically important) gave me his BESTSELLER BLUEPRINT to follow

Betsy Gordon – for a fantastic job copy-editing the manuscript, and rushing to meet my deadline despite fighting health problems and a long-planned vacation

Sunny Kapoor – who formatted the draft into an appealingly attractive book, and cheerfully dealt with my obsessively perfectionist editing

Next came testimonials/endorsements for the book – and these people responded quickly and with supportive messages:

Terry Dean
Joel Comm
Carrie Wilkerson
Chris Garrett
Yaro Starak
Tana Stewart

When it came to asking for help in spreading word about the launch (which is important because every sale helps a bit in making life-saving heart surgery possible for an under-privileged child), I turned to my good friends and supporters of my work with Congenital Heart Defects. And many of them agreed to join in and help.

My heart-felt gratitude and appreciation go out to:

Harvey Segal
Adam Urbanski
John Delavera
Willie Crawford
Will Bontrager
Donna Kozik
Shel Horowitz
Ian del Carmen

All of them contributed valuable bonuses to offer buyers of “Think, Write & Retire” on launch day… together, a $600+ value!

Then, there were friends and subscribers who took the time to interview me via email, and then shared the interview with their friends – creating another ripple that helped spread word about my book launch…

Rajesh Setty
Julie Gibbons
Dan Koko
Deb Lamb
Paul Guyon
Rene Remington

Julie went a step further and created a unique promotion for my book through her fun and interactive Twitter Personality widget. You’ve got to see this one – it’s COOL!

Mike Mograbi, when I contacted him, immediately broadcast news of my book launch on his popular IM News Watch service (it was picked up by dozens of IM’ers and word spread)

Many more friends blogged about it, like…

Jack Humphrey, on Friday Traffic Report

Randolph Smith, on Randy’s Ramblings

Walter Gavurnik, on Your IM Future

Raul Omar Diaz

Next, there’s a long list of people who accepted my invitation to help promote the book launch to their email lists. The people I want to extend a special thank you to include…

William Charlwood
Dr.Harlan Kilstein
Chris Knight
Ron Douglas
Dr.Neil Shearing
Tony Eldridge
Adrian Ling
Michael Green
David Perdew
Warren Whitlock
Jeremy Gislason
Lynn Terry
Alok Jain
Richard Quek
Suzanne Evans
Beverley Clement
Angela Edwards
Ken McArthur
Spike Humer
Paul Evans
Chris Freville
Dean Shainin
Kurt Melvin
Jeremy Kelsall
Martin Avis
Gabor Olah
Chris Sutton
Kim Enders
Michael Worthington
Dan Klatt
Diane Corriette
Joane Mason
Te-eg
Paul Elliott
Case Stevens
Kristen Arnold
Ralf Skirr
Francois du Toit
Odinn Sorenson
Paul Duxbury
Stanley Tang
Mark Hendricks
Terry Wygal
Dan Ho
Roger Carr
Dr.Ron Capps

Finally, there are some special friends who have encouraged and supported me in almost everything I’ve done – and two of them are:

Dileepa Lawrence Hewa
Mary Kathryn Donachy

I’m sure I’ve overlooked some names in this long list. And I’m sure many more will be added to it as the day wears on. But before things get hectic, I wanted to say a HUGE BIG ‘Thank You’ to everyone who made “Think, Write & Retire” possible.

(If I missed out your name, I’m sorry. And if you’ve blogged or emailed about the book launch, but I haven’t included your post here, please leave a comment below so others reading this will know.)

Writing and selling a book is not all fun and frolic. It’s also a lot of hard work!

Some authors will read superb guides to marketing their new book (like Mark Joyner’s BESTSELLER BLUEPRINT) and follow it in an effort to hit the best-seller lists.

Others will stumble their way through mistakes and muddles, often getting lost and confused.

And few will prefer to study what others have done with their own book launches, to see what they can copy, emulate and reverse-engineer. That is the group who will benefit from reading this post – because it lists, in one convenient location, all the bits and pieces I have created and put together for the launch of my new book,

“Think, Write & Retire – How To Turn Words Into Wealth, Easily!“

The book launches on August 25th, 2009

So, here’s what went into the build-up to my book launch:

Think, Write & Retire Book Trailer – watch it on YouTube

Think, Write & Retire Photo Album – see it here

Think, Write & Retire Knol – read it here

Think, Write & Retire on Amapedia – see it here

Think, Write & Retire Manifesto – download it here

Think, Write & Retire Facebook Page – see it here

Think, Write & Retire Blog – read it here

Think, Write & Retire on Twitter – follow it here

Think, Write & Retire Launch Website – see it here

Think, Write & Retire Squidoo Lens – this is it

Think, Write & Retire Interviews – like this

Think, Write & Retire Press Release – like this

Think, Write & Retire Author Site – this is one of them

Think, Write & Retire Hub Pages – like this

Whew! There may be more that I’ve overlooked, but these are the important ones that kept me busy during the build-up to the launch.

I also spent time networking with partners who will be helping spread the word during the launch. As you can see, this takes time, effort and discipline. It’s easy to get lost and miss out on critically important steps – without a plan or blueprint.

I highly recommend Mark Joyner’s BESTSELLER BLUEPRINT for this – without that guide, I may not have got half as much done!

If you have any thoughts or comments about any of these resources I created for the launch of “Think, Write & Retire”, please post them here. And if you have any questions about book marketing or being an infopreneur, go ahead and post them too.

I created my first ever online video today – a book trailer for my first-ever print book title, “Think, Write & Retire – How to Turn Words Into Wealth, Easily!”

Enjoy!

I haven’t thought of it before as an effective marketing vehicle, but realize now that interviews can be incredibly powerful to build buzz around a launch.

While I earlier imagined interviews as being audio and conducted over the phone, I discounted them as organizing time around my schedule to make them happen was too difficult.

But interviews can be done via email, on Squidoo and on Twitter!

Last week, I did 5 email interviews for my book launch of “Think, Write & Retire”. You can see a couple of them online already – here and here (scroll down to the end).

Today, I put up a Think, Write & Retire SQUINTERVIEWS lens on Squidoo, where I shared answers to some of the most frequently asked questions from various interviews. You can check it out here.

And on Tuesday, I’ll be doing a couple of sessions of Think, Write & Retire TWINTERVIEWS on Twitter – where I’ll take questions and share information about being an Internet infopreneur and about what’s in my new book. The plan is to spend around 4 hours tweeting, in 2 or 3 blocks across the day, so that people from different time zones will have a chance to interact.

If you’ve got any questions or comments, and want to be a part of the TWINTERVIEW, make sure you follow me on Twitter – @drmani – and watch the tweet stream on Tuesday!

For the whole of May, I will be posting updates every day to my new blog, “Think, Write and RETIRE!“.

This is part of my participating in a ‘Blog Book Tour‘ challenge… and to make this more interesting and interactive, I decided to include a CONTEST.

Every week, I will pick THREE people to win a free copy of my book, “Think, Write & RETIRE” – based on the comments you leave on my blog.

Each comment you leave will be awarded 1 point. In addition, based on the quality of your comment, I will award you an extra 1 to 5 points. At the end of a week, I will tot up the points, and the top 3 scorers will be eligible for a copy of my new book.

Sound interesting? Go on and follow the ‘Think, Write and RETIRE!’ blog.

Sign up to the RSS feed by clicking on the button at the top right corner of the page, so you’ll be notified each time there’s an update.

And if you know someone else who’ll find the blog interesting, please spread the word.

Sunrise over Mt.Merapi viewed from Borobudur

Stupas near the top of Borobudur

Northern face of Borobudur