Author: guy-kawasaki

  • Spotlight on the 2021 Harvey Chute Book Awards for Business & Enterprise Non-Fiction

    Spotlight on the 2021 Harvey Chute Book Awards for Business & Enterprise Non-Fiction

    What’s that note say on your piggy bank?

    A pink piggy bank with change lying outside of it.

    Deadlines aren’t just for taxes, sign up today for the Harvey Chute Awards today!

    Three Black stripes on a yellow badge

    Do you have money on your mind and your mind on money?


    The Origins of the Harvey Chute Awards

    Harvey Chute
    Harvey Chute (1962-2015)

    The Harvey Chute Awards hold a special place in our hearts as Harvey was a presenter at Chanticleer in the past. We named the Awards after him to honor his contributions and the business savvy that he brought to all interactions.

    An author in his own right, Chute wrote Stone and Slit, a cozy historical mystery set during the gold-rush in British Columbia, just across the border. What he was most well know for though were his guides in the For Dummies series.

    A generic, untitled FOr Dummies book
    This is generally what they look like

    For those who might not know: The For Dummies books are a series published by Wiley that break down difficult tasks into approachable, friendly how-to guides. Chute worked on a series detailing how to best use the Amazon Kindle.

    Kiffer and Harvey met just after he founded KBoards.com, a Kindle forum that’s well-known among readers and authors. Harvey Chute passed away in the fall of 2015, but the impression he made remains to this day.

    Let’s take a closer look at KBoards, one of the many legacies left behind by Chute.

    KBoards

    Golden K followed by blue "Boards"

    KBoards.com is a lot like what you’d expect from a Reddit forum, but everything is related to Kindle and Amazon publishing. It reads like a community run FAQ for best practices. And speaking of, they have an FAQ to help use the platform right here. It’s a remarkable tool for any author willing to invest the time into making it work.

    Speaking of authors trying to make it work…

    Business & Finance

    One of the toughest questions facing authors is how to maximize their book sales. Discounting a global pandemic, this was already hard enough to manage between digital sales and physical hand sales, not to mention author websites, social media, online presence, tours, events, and everything else! Writers are entrepreneurs, whether their books are independently or traditionally published.

    If you’re not sure where to get started marketing your book, consider this article here written by Kiffer Brown and Sharon Anderson as your starting point!

    Want to write better about business and finance? The best place to start is by reading what others have already written!

    You can see some of our reviews of entrepreneurial literature below

    RETIRE SECURELY: Insights on Money Management from an Award-Winning Financial Columnist
    By Julie Jason
    First Place Winner in I&I Awards

    If you’re wondering what the difference is between a Roth IRA and a traditional IRA, then you’ll want to pick up Julie Jason’s Retire Securely: Insights on Money Management from an Award-Winning Financial Columnist. You will be treated to a crash course on financial terms like these and get inside information on saving and investing thanks to scores of conversations she’s had with her readers over the years.

    Plenty of titles on financial planning and investing exist on bookstore shelves, but what makes Jason’s compilation different is that hers is culled from more than 1,000 columns she has written over the years for the Connecticut newspapers, Greenwich Time and the Stamford Advocate. In 2013, King Features syndicated her “Retirement Planning and Investment” column, where she explores topics like 401(k) investing, choosing a financial adviser and how to determine if sending your kid to college is a good value. Jason, who worked as a Wall Street lawyer, money manager, and investment counselor, really knows her stuff: whether it’s unraveling the complicated world of market trends or explaining estate planning, her columns are worth reading and applying to your financial life. Her column has recently moved from King Features to Andrews McMeel Syndicate [Chanticleer Reviews was notified about this change on April 3, 2020].

    Continue Reading Here

    PRIVATE MONEY LENDING: How to Consistently Generate a Passive Income Stream
    By Gustavo J. Gomez, Ph.D.

    Are you in retirement, or close to it, wondering how you’re going to make ends meet pulling from your portfolio? Well, you’re not alone if you’re staying up at night thinking about how low-interest rates are killing your investments.

    In a practical and easy to read format, Gomez explains to investors the particulars of a little known, yet potentially lucrative investment technique that can handle the ups and downs of the stock market. Unlike stocks, the underlying security of private money lending is a tangible asset – brick and mortar, so there is another layer of protection for you, the investor.

    But what is Private Money Lending? According to Gomez, it refers to a private individual or organization that lends money. Typically, when you’re looking for financing, you would go to a bank. With private funds, on the other hand, you’re going to an individual or organization that specializes in this type of lending. The upside of private money lending is that it’s less regulated, which means less red tape. The icing on the cake, he says, is that these investments have consistently generated 9 to 12 percent returns* – not bad considering stock market investments have averaged closer to 7 percent, and with much more fluctuations. We can’t forget the economic crash of 2008 when many stock market investments plummeted close to 40 percent.

    Continue Reading Here

    APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur
    By Guy Kawasaki and Shawn Welch

    APE is the how-to compendium for today’s self-publishers.

    Authors will findAPEan indispensable resource. Guy Kawasaki passes along his publishing experience in his “no-shitake,” but affable manner. Imagine having an extremely successful uncle in the publishing biz who also has a tech-wizard pal (co-author Shawn Welch) of digital publishing magic. Fortunately for us, this dynamic duo decided to share their publishing know-how.

    APE’s premise is that publishing is a parallel process “that requires simultaneous progress along multiple fronts.” Hence, self-publishers are challenged with how to: market, brand, design, promote, publish, distribute, and finance a book–all at the same time. Oh, and don’t forget the time required for actually writing the book. Indisputably, each self-publisher is an:Author, Publisher and Entrepreneur.

    Continue Reading Here

    WELFARE CHEESE to FINE CAVIAR
    By Thomas Wideman, MBA, PMP

    Welfare Cheese to Fine Caviar Book Image

    Thomas Wideman, the author of this dynamic self-help manual, Welfare Cheese to Fine Caviar: How to Achieve Your Dreams Despite Your Upbringing, rose from poverty and dismay to a life of security and personal achievement through techniques he shares with readers who can incorporate them into their own life plans.

    Wideman came from an impoverished African American family wracked by confusion, chaos, and, at times, criminality. His mother had three sons by three fathers, and he would come to know his own father only peripherally, eventually learning that the man murdered people and subsequently died in prison. The boy grew up in tough neighborhoods and ate “welfare cheese” (a block of pre-sliced heavy American cheese that supposedly melted well). Every month, making ends meet became more and more difficult. In an early chapter of this finely woven chronology, we see him taking food from trains parked along the railroad tracks and running from the authorities. In this, as in each new chapter, he speaks of confronting severe issues and finding ways to resolve them. In the case of the theft and other childhood incidents of fighting, experiencing bullies, and battling racism, he speaks of making up his mind that “my circumstances need not be my limitation.”

    Continue Reading Here


    Have a book on Business and Enterprise? Submit by the end of November for the 2021 CIBAs! 

    Three Black stripes on a yellow badge

    See the 2020 Harvey Chute Award Winners Here!

    Blue and Gold Badge for the 2020 Harvey Chute Grand Prize for Business & Enterprise Edge: Turning Adversity into Advantage by Laura Huang
    The 2020 Harvey Chute Grand Prize Badge

    Looking to submit to our other Non-Fiction Divisions? See them all here!

    When you’re ready, did you know that Chanticleer offers editorial services? We do and have been doing so since 2011.

    Our professional editors are top-notch and are experts in the Chicago Manual of Style. They have and are working for the top publishing houses (TOR, McMillian, Thomas Mercer, Penguin Random House, Simon Schuster, etc.).

    If you would like more information, we invite you to email Kiffer or Sharon at KBrown@ChantiReviews.com or SAnderson@ChantiReviews.com for more information, testimonials, and fees.

    We work with a small number of exclusive clients who want to collaborate with our team of top-editors on an on-going basis. Contact us today!

    Chanticleer Editorial Services also offers writing craft sessions and masterclasses. Sign up to find out where, when, and how sessions being held.

    • A great way to get started is with our manuscript evaluation service, with more information available here.
    • And we do editorial consultations for $75. Learn more here.
    • If you’re confident in your book, consider submitting it for a Editorial Book Review here or to one of our Chanticleer International Awards here.

    And remember! Our 10th Anniversary Chanticleer Authors Conference (CAC22) will be April 7-10, 2022, where our 2021 CIBA winners will be announced. Space is limited and seats are already filling up, so sign up today!  CAC22 and the CIBA Ceremonies will be hosted at the Hotel Bellwether in Beautiful Bellingham, Wash. Sign up and see the latest updates here!

    Writer’s Toolbox

    Thank you for reading this Chanticleer Spotlight Article.

    Important Links from this Article

    Obituary for Harvey Chute

    KBoards.com

    KBoards FAQ

    12 MUST-DO’s for AUTHORS for a Successful and Productive 2020 and Beyond

    The traditional publishing tool that indie authors can use to propel their writing careers to new levels?  The Seven Must-Haves for Authors – Unlocking the Secrets of Successful Publishing Series by Kiffer Brown

  • APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur—How to Publish a Book by Guy Kawasaki and Shawn Welch

    APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur—How to Publish a Book by Guy Kawasaki and Shawn Welch

    APE is the how-to compendium for today’s self-publishers.

    Authors will find APE an indispensable resource. Guy Kawasaki passes along his publishing experience in his “no-shitake,” but affable manner. Imagine having an extremely successful uncle in the publishing biz who also has a tech-wizard pal (co-author Shawn Welch) of digital publishing magic. Fortunately for us, this dynamic duo decided to share their publishing know-how.

    APE’s premise is that publishing is a parallel process “that requires simultaneous progress along multiple fronts.” Hence, self-publishers are challenged with how to: market, brand, design, promote, publish, distribute, and finance a book–all at the same time. Oh, and don’t forget the time required for actually writing the book. Indisputably, each self-publisher is an: Author, Publisher and Entrepreneur.

    Reading APE is like taking a condensed survey course in publishing; it addresses the range of topics that authors must know about self-publishing. APE covers aspects from the existential question of “Should I write a book?” to advice on how to create foreign language versions of your book, to guerrilla marketing techniques, and ideas for financing.

    Traditional publishers have long prided themselves on their art form and on their discernment abilities. Readers have come to expect and appreciate their expertise. APE’s tactics and techniques will enable self-published authors to deliver to readers books that will meet these time-honored and well-justified expectations.

    Kawasaki and Welch challenge self-publishers to take up the mantle of “artisanal publishing”—where authors who love their craft must dedicate the time and resources to “control every aspect of the process from beginning to end.” If authors engage this philosophy, their books should have a much improved chance on separating themselves apart from the chaff of the expected two million new titles that are expected to hit the English language market in 2013.

    APE admonishes that self-publishing isn’t easy or a way to get rich quick. But if you want a realistic, tactical, and, relatively, slim (300-pages) self-publishing guide that is profuse with handy resources and links (which actually work—this reviewer checked them) on how to do it right, then APE is the go-to guide for you.

    An additional remark from the reviewer:

    APE should be on every author’s desk or e-reader right along with The Chicago Manual of Style and The Copy-editor’s Handbook. As with the latter guides, it is one that you will refer to often as you find your way in today’s era of the Wild, Wild West of Publishing. It also addresses the particular formatting hurdles that non-fiction writers must clear when self-publishing.