Dear Friends,

I don't know about you, but I'm hunkering down for winter. Antoine de Saint-Exupery wrote, "It is with the heart that one sees rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye." This is the time for turning inward, evaluating the small and large things in life, deciding what matters most--particularly in the things that are invisible to the eye. Perhaps you'll take this time to do likewise.

One of the changes I'm making in January is to send out a *shorter* newsletter twice a month, instead of once, so I can connect with you more frequently. I wanted to let you know right away.

This is one way I motivate myself. I commit to someone that I'm going to do something (in this case thousands of someones) and then I have to keep my word. After the "OH MY GOD WHAT HAVE I DONE" wears off, I settle in and do it.

I've also decided to send you a special mailing for something new--a permission based email notice--when I have exciting news on hot items and subscriber discounts. I promise not to inundate you with any gross, heinous, or ridiculously commercial materials, just good, useful stuff.

As always, I deliver ONLY what you have asked for and I want to be able to offer you exclusive new products and services as soon as they are available--if you choose. Look for it soon in your mailbox titled: "Sell Yourself Specials." Remember you can decide whether you wish to receive these emails or not. My intention is to offer you gifts whenever possible. Not just during the holiday season.

Wishing you much joy and passion for the New Year.

Warmly,

Susan

HOW ANYONE CAN FIND A CURRENT NEWS ANGLE--EVEN IF YOUR SUBJECT IS CHEESE

Cheese? What do terrorist acts have to with Parmesan, Gouda or Swiss cheese? Apparently a lot. According to the Wall St. Journal, a trade magazine called "Cheese Market News" reported that it was necessary to divert milk deliveries from New York City on September 11 due to bridge closures. Why was this so important to readers? Because of the perishable nature of milk it needed immediate refrigeration.

If a cheese magazine can find an angle, then so can you. Anyone can find a connection to world events no matter how challenging. It just takes a little thought and ingenuity.

1. Don't look for the cheese.

At first glance it's not obvious what the September 11 disaster had to do with cheese. And that's the point. Don't look for the cheese first. Snoop around for the cheese related issues--like milk.

2. Find the poop.

Look for the implications an event has on your community or industry. Worldwide events effect all of us. And they don't have to be huge things like a terrorist attack. They can be small things like the fact that pooper scooper laws for dogs create or discourage community. Whatever it is, it's right under your nose and you don't need to be a dog to find it.

3. The world is your pumpkin patch.

Find one of your own in the news. "Farm Journal" discovered that John Ogonowski, the captain of the hijacked American Airlines flight that smashed into the World trade center, was a farmer. The October issue found a way to tie in to this weekend dirt warrior. "On days off Ogonowski tended to his hay, corn, pumpkins, blueberries and peaches on White Gate Farm."

Where's the cheese? It's aging right in your own cellar: the local paper, the national news, something you saw down at the dog park that no one else noticed.

HEADACHE FREE PUBLICITY

Want reporters to call you? Then go to: http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/aftrack.asp?afid=20994. This is a great new service to get instant publicity without writing a press release or managing a database. I've subscribed to it for less than two weeks and have already had a reporter from the BBC interview me! A colleague of mine was contacted by Business Week magazine day after he tested this service. Wow.

DON'T WAIT UNTIL JANUARY!

Now is the time to start thinking about your publicity for the New Year--NOT January. A number of my new clients have chosen to begin working on the thought-provoking questionnaire that I give all my long-term clients. They want to set the foundation for their plans while they have some quiet time to think about what they want for the coming year.

Begin or continue your publicity plan on your own with my guidance via audio tape by going to: http://prsecrets.com/store/getonfastrac.html. Set a trend with you as the driving force, the formula professional publicists use to create a winning press kit, what Hollywood can teach you about publicity and getting national press, and much more. Get a head start on the New Year.

MEGA BOOK MARKETING

What does it take to sell not just one book project, but many? Best-selling author Jennifer Basye Sander knows. She has seen more than one of her twenty plus books on the New York Times bestseller list and has sometimes sold as many as five projects a year. "How to Sell One Book a Year for the Rest of Your Career" is the name of the seminar she will be giving at this year's Mega Book Marketing University, hosted by Mark Victor Hansen of Chicken Soup for the Soul. Come and learn how Mark and his experts can help your career as an author or speaker. For dates and details, visit http://www.megabookmarketing.com or call 1-800-433-2314. Only 400 people can attend.

NOTE: I went to this symposium (that's what it is--bigger than a seminar in all aspects of the word) several years ago and I still haven't run out of ideas to promote my book! I'll be reviewing my notes in January as I prepare the publicity for the May release of "Sell Yourself without Selling Your Soul." (Yes, you do need to prepare at least 6 months ahead of your book publication date.)

KEEP YOUR BUSINESS PROFITABLE

Having trouble staying afloat in this tough economy? Want to know the secret of the business triad--the method that billion dollar companies use to insure their success, no matter what is happening in the world? To find out go to: http://www.learningannex.com/lookup.taf?course=524FSFA.

DO GOOD EVERYDAY

You don't have to donate a penny or lift a finger (well, you do need to use one finger to click, but it's the most satisfying workout you'll have all day) to do some good. Go to: http://www.thehungersite.com and click to give a bag of rice to foodless folk. While you're there it's easy to click on http://www.thebreastcancersite.com to donate free mammograms and http://www.therainforestsite.com to save our shrinking forests.

I go here first thing every day so I can start my day by giving. You can change the world from your living room by making a difference in one person's day. If you don't think this has anything to do with publicity you're wrong. The first rule of publicity is to give first to someone who needs what you have.