Mother's Day - My Favorite Day of the Year

I pray that all mothers will be blessed this Mother's Day. I thank God for the gift of adoption that made it possible for me to hear the word "mommy."

I arrived home on Mother's Day from Nepal on May 8, 1994, with Manisha Hope (3), my oldest daughter, who is now 22. Was that by chance or God's providence?

Single Parenting When God Speaks

Sixteen Nuggets of Inspiration
by Lorilyn Roberts

(award-winning article at http://faithwriters.com/)

Recently a friend shared with me her daughter was in the processing of adopting two children. The little girls had been abused in their family of origin and the legal case was slowly making its way through the court system. As I reread her email, I prayed that God would answer every prayer my friend’s daughter sent up, just as He had answered mine.

Then the thought occurred to me: What would I say to a young mother-to-be whom God has called to “walk in my shoes”?  I know each person’s situation is a little different, but similar in that a woman feels God is leading her to single parent an orphan, an abused child, or a child who might never feel loved. What wisdom would I impart after having been at this noble but difficult task for sixteen years?

I pulled out my keyboard and a plethora of thoughts gushed forth. May my words encourage you if you are chosen by God to save an orphan—whether you are married or unmarried, but particularly if you are single. With God, all impossible things are possible. Without Him, we walk alone.

                     

1.  Single parenting is the hardest thing you will ever do, but the most wonderful thing you will ever do. 

2.  I would never recommend a single woman adopt. It's too hard. I would never recommend a single woman not adopt. The blessings are too great. I would let God tell you what He wants you to do. If God calls you to adopt, never back down, give up, despair, or listen to those who tell you differently. If God is in it, there is nothing that will prevent you from being a mother to a child. God has a plan and a purpose. He does things His way, not ours. Trust in God. He will direct you. 

3.  You will never know what tired is until you have single-parented two kids on your own (or even one).

4.  God is your husband, and the perfect husband.

5.  You will come to understand how much God loves you by adopting a child who has no future and no hope, for that is how we are without Jesus.

6.  You will share the heart of God; His hands, His hope, and His "all" with your children. They will know God through your sacrificial love. 

7.  You will love more than you ever thought you could; and you will fail miserably. But your children won't mind. In fact, they will love you anyway. Acknowledge your mistakes and move on. God can be glorified in your shortcomings. He loves your children more than you do.

8.  God will not abandon you. He will meet every need you have more abundantly than you could ever imagine.

9.  The day you sign the adoption papers will be the best day of your life. God has given you a great gift—a chance to share His love with an orphan. That is the essence of our faith.

10. “Mommy” is the most beautiful word in the English language.

11. Enjoy every moment of the journey. Your children will grow up too fast—in the blink of an eye. The years will wiz by, and you will wonder, where did the time go?  

12. Make the most of every opportunity to love, teach, laugh, cry, and even be silly. Be a mother to the fullest. Give it your all. Go to bed exhausted.  It's the best kind of tiredness you will ever feel.

13. Have a latte every once and a while, and read your Bible whenever you can.

14. Pray hard. God is always with you. Know this is your calling and your life's work. Your children are precious gifts from the Hands of the Creator. They are beautifully designed in His image with a future and a hope because of your love freely given in His name.

15. Love your children unconditionally. Be flexible. Learn to say "I'm sorry." It does wonders to restore the hurting soul.

16. Enjoy the journey and have a blast. There is nothing else like it short of heaven! 

*****

Please check out the following books by John 3:16 Authors, who are offering their books at a discounted price or for free through Mother's Day weekend.

Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to stand in the gap for your mate’s soul. This small book is a powerful tool for any woman who is married to a man who does not share her passion for Jesus. It will encourage and challenge the reader to embrace God’s promises for her spouse and their future together. Awarded 2010 Gold Seal Best Book in Christian Non-Fiction category on Readers Favorite. By Deborah McCarragher.

Smashwords coupon good for .99 cents  though May 25th).

use this code for the discount: SA74B

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/19642

*****

A one-of-a-kind inspirational adoption story--in fact, two stories. "Children of Dreams" is borne out of Lorilyn Roberts' shattered world. The inspiring story of turning broken dreams into realty will bring hope that the reader's adoption dream can come true. The timeless theme of God's faithfulness will make this a favorite adoption story for years to come. 

Kindle link for 99 cents: http://amzn.to/YpLrIo

*****

The Mom Spa Journal: A respite for penning heart to paper. By Alice J. Wisler. Published in 2012. A journal designed for moms of all ages. Filled with Bible verses and prompts to guide you, this book is a companion to carry and use to rejuvenate you from your busy life. Writing is a wonderful gift from God and has many benefits for the mind and body; use this journal to draw closer to Him. 

Smashwords link:  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/241177

Promotional price: $0.00 Coupon Code: LU45L Expires: May 13, 2013

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Information We Need From You for a Book Launch

Information We Need From You for a Book Launch 

(John 3:16 Authors Only)

As of April 20, 2013

We need your information by the 20th of the month to host a launch for the following month.
I will send you an invoice after I make sure you qualify.

Remember, you need ten reviews with at least a 4.0 rating.

If you would like to book a launch, this is the information you need to send to Joseph Young joe@josephjyoung.com and Lorilyn Roberts llwroberts@cox.net:

Name of Author:

Name of Book:

Short blurb:

Link to Amazon (Kindle copy preferred):

Price:

Month to Launch:

Book Cover as a .jpeg

Link to Book Trailer

Short blurbs from a few of your reviews

Number of reviews on Amazon and overall star rating

Must have ten reviews 15 days prior to first day of launch (the 1st of the month).

Checklist for a Book Launch

John 3:16 Marketing Network

Checklist for a Book Launch

Lorilyn Roberts

Blogger/Writer/Author Name:  

Completed Books:    

Published Books:

Current Projects:      

Future Projects:       

Number One Goal for 2013:     

Review Date:            

Author Platform and Readiness for a Book Launch
My goal with this checklist is to help authors identify areas they need to focus on to rise above the pack of thousands writing books today. The competition has never been greater.	To contact me (Lorilyn Roberts): llwroberts@cox.net Website: http://LorilynRoberts.com Blog: http://LorilynRoberts.blogspot.com Blog: http://John16mn.blogspot.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/LorilynRoberts Twitter: http://twitter.com/John316Network
Objectives
	Yes	No	Comments
1.     Do you have a blog or website? 2.     Do  you have a share button for social networking?			Make sure you have a follow button toward the top of your blog or an option for visitors to follow you by email. Also make sure your name is somewhere on your site – you want to promote yourself as an author. You should post something at least once or twice a week. Static sites aren’t as good. You want visitors to interact with you by being able to leave comments. Make sure you have a button for easy sharing – it will boost traffic to your site.
Amazon and Book Platform
	Yes	No	Comments
Are you a published author (self-published or traditional?			If you don’t have any published books yet, keep reading. You will learn some valuable tips.
Do you have a minimum of ten reviews with at least a 4.0 overall rating for your book or books?  If the book is rated by reviewers lower than a 4.0, you need to figure out why. Poorly rated books don’t sell (unless they are pornographic or media-driven).			At the Florida Christian Writers Conference VIP’s said traditional publishers want self-published authors to have more than 100 book reviews. This would come into play if you wanted to traditionally publish a self-published book.
Do you have an avatar and up-to-date bio on Amazon?			This is free advertisement. A must, especially if you are self-published.
Have you set up and completed all the tasks in Author Central on Amazon?			If you haven’t done this, the link is https://authorcentral.amazon.com/gp/profile Make sure you answer all the questions, not just your bio and avatar, but your Author Page URL for Amazon, blog feed link, twitter feed link and multimedia if you have a book trailer.
If you have published books on Amazon, is all the information filled out for each book on Amazon?			Amazon allows authors a lot of space at the top for editorial reviews, product description, et cetera. Don’t waste this space. Use it.
Have you answered the “book extras” that link to Shelfari?			This is directly from Amazon: Readers can see Book Extras for your book on the Kindle and Kindle apps for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. You can write them in Shelfari, the community-powered encyclopedia for book lovers. This information appears before, during, and after the reader experience, so put your one-of-a-kind knowledge to use. The link for this can be accessed through Author Central.
Have you written book reviews?			This is one way to help other authors and be sociable. Amazon will track your ranking as a reviewer—another way to gain exposure.
Are your books priced competitively?			List the price of the author’s book in the first block and a best-seller in the same category in the second block. Compare. If you book is priced higher, lower it.
Is your public profile completely filled out on Amazon?			The public profile is found under “Your Account,” go down a ways, and look under “Community.” Here is the link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/css/homepage
Does your book cover show up well on Amazon?			Can you read the name of the book and the author’s name easily? How does your book cover compare to others in your genre?
Have you filled out the appropriate categories for your Kindle book on Amazon?			For Kindle, this is done through the Kindle Direct Publishing site at https://kdp.amazon.com/self-publishing/dashboard
Have you entered the best key search words for you Kindle book through Kindle Direct Publishing?			If you need help doing this, please read this article I wrote: http://bit.ly/YBnaJY
Has your Kindle book been properly formatted?			A spot check for this can be done by clicking on the book’s cover on Amazon. The first few pages of the book will open. Check for incorrect spacing, boxes, strange lettering, et cetera.
Has your book been edited by at least one professional editor, preferably two?			Readers will tell you if they find mistakes. Better you find the errors and correct them – your reviews will suffer if your book is poorly edited.
Other Social Networking Sites
	Yes	No	Comments
How many twitter followers do you have?			At the recent Florida Christian Writer’s Conference VIP’s said they wanted authors to have 5,000 followers.
Are you sociable—do you host other authors on your blog or website? Do they host you?			Do you know others in this industry that would be willing to endorse you or recommend you? Writing is a solo journey, but marketing can’t be done alone. You need others to help you.
Do you have a presence on Facebook?			While Facebook’s importance in marketing is minimal, it’s still helpful for making connections with others.
Opt-In List
	Yes	No	Comments
Have you set up a service like Constant Contact to build your email list?			The new recommendation is that you have 5,000 people on your email list.
Do you have a free gift you can give away to build your opt-in list?			You should have at least one permanent free gift available on Amazon, Smashwords, your website, et cetera.
Do you subscribe to helpful blogs for marketing and writing?			A writer should constantly be working to improve his writing and marketing skills. Blogs on relevant topics are more current than books, particularly with marketing trends. Reading blogs is a must.
What Books Have You Read to Help You With Writing?
	Yes	No	Comments
Are you a fiction writer?			Here is a link to a post I wrote on good books for fiction writers. http://bit.ly/YqwqXc
Are you a nonfiction writer?			Nonfiction books on writing I recommend: On Writing Well, by William Zinsser Writing to Change the World, by Mary Pipher Writing for the Soul, by Jerry B. Jenkins
Have you attended any writer’s conferences in the last year? Other extras to consider: Does your book have a book trailer? Youtube is highly trafficked, don’t skip this marketing opportunity.			List the writer’s conferences you would like to attend in the future. To make a free book trailer, go to: http://animoto.com/pricing/a
What Books Have You Read to Help You With Marketing?
There are so many good ones, I am not going to list them, but be sure you read my book, How to Launch a Best-Selling Christian Book if you have joined or are interested in joining the John 3:16 Marketing Network.			Here is the link for Kindle: http://amzn.to/YqyxKx Here is the link for print: http://amzn.to/YqyGO8
What are your strengths?			You have some – don’t just focus on what you need to do, pat yourself on the back for what you have already done and done well.
What are your weaknesses?			Be honest – no one hits a home run every time he stands up to the plate in baseball. Many strike out – but they come back again and again, unless they don’t have the talent and then they are sent down to the minors. If you have the ability, you will succeed if you keep learning and don’t give up.
How much money should you spend each month on marketing?			Don’t go into debt - ever! There is no guarantee that your costs will be recouped in book sales.
What are the things you can’t skimp on when it comes to marketing and selling your book?			An editor, a book cover designer, and pay the hefty fee and buy your own ISBN numbers from Bowker if you need to purchase your own. Don’t buy from a cheap source.
A well-written press release is also helpful.			If you are not a top-notch writer, hire someone to write one for you.
Should you spend money on publicists, formatting books for Kindle and Smashwords, expensive email blasts, book trailers, overpriced POD publishers, or anything that costs more than $100? Like expensive book contests?			Absolutely not. You can do what a publicist does yourself. If you can read, you can format your own books for Kindle and Smashwords. Using Animoto (listed above), you can do your own book trailer for free. You can publish through Lightening Source and Create Space for a very reasonable price (less than a hundred bucks on either one), and the best book contests don’t charge or only charge a small amount to cover the basic costs.

General Observations

I would recommend you look over the list above and your responses and make an assessment of what your strengths and weaknesses are. Be kind to yourself – just going through this list is the first step in learning more about how to market your book. One of my concerns with new authors coming into the John 3:16 Marketing Network is sometimes they want to launch a book too soon. You need to work towards the goals above, particularly the Amazon platform goals, to have a successful launch. Waiting until you have a lot of reviews, a minimum of ten and preferably thirty or more with at least a 4.2 rating will go a long ways toward selling books and having a successful launch.

Call to Action – what three things will you work on now—don’t wait. Fill in the list below and shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you will land among the stars.

ID	Action Item	Start	Achieved
1			[mm/dd/yyyy]
2			[mm/dd/yyyy]
3			[mm/dd/yyyy]

Additional Comments:

After reading through this list, if you would be interested in some personal coaching, I will be offering one-one-one coaching via phone, Google-plus Hangout, or on Skype on a limited basis for $55 for one hour. Only one hour per person. My goal is to help you learn how to market your book and make you self-sufficient. Knowledge is power. You can do it!

***

I will be hosting a Google Hangout tonight at 7pm (April 29) to discuss book launches, specifically the new way we are doing them and why.