Authority Island

By Dixie Maria Carlton and Ann Wilson

Non-Fiction Publishing is a journey laden with Challenges

 

Whether you're writing non-fiction ebooks, or selling your expertise as a writer of blogs and articles, the business of being a writer is exactly that, a business. It's a business for authors who speak, retired professionals, people who have something to say and maybe want to change their corner of the world in some way. But what many authors don't realise is that once the book is written, then the hard work begins as you tackle the difference between being an author vs authority.  

 

Authority Island is about the respective experiences of three fictional authors experience various aspects of an author life. Independent Sue wants to do it all herself, learning mostly  from the internet and a few she meets along the way, but not really wanting to put too much effort into her marketing, Sue gets to Authority Island and learns just how unprepared she is for what happens after her book is ready to publish on Amazon.

 

Bob has tapped into a lot of resources but discovers he still has a lot to do in order to master becoming an authority – despite all he's so far invested and done to be ready for his publishing journey. Kris however, works closely with people who can help her at every step of the way, so that her own learning curve is much smoother as she navigates her way around collecting the Five Keys of Authority she needs to open the Mystical Gate at the far end of the Island.

 

★This book is not an author training manual, but a story demonstrating valuable insights into what most authors need to know about publicity, promotion, branding, social media, and being an author who speaks about their expertise★

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dixie Maria Carlton
• Release date: Nov 30, 2020
• ISBN: 9780648931003

Dixie Maria Carlton

Dixie Carlton has been assisting other top ranked professional speakers, CEOs, and industry leaders from around the world to develop their expertise and publishing aspirations, while also developing her own international professional speaking career. She has helped to publish nearly 200 books, many are best sellers, and they and their authors are award-winning high-profile experts in their respective fields, from Europe, USA, Australasia and the UK. Dixie has represented many of those books at international book fairs in Frankfurt and London, sold foreign rights, worked with respected literary agents and PR specialists, and is recognised as a pioneer in the world of Publishing 3.0. Dixie merged her own hybrid publishing company into a fresh new style of service with publishing production specialist Ann Dettori Wilson in 2019 and created Indie Experts. Together they work with top performing industry experts, entrepreneurs, rebels and trail blazers around the world, to ensure their publishing journeys become part of their overall ecosystem in business to create change, and raise awareness of important issues. Covering industries including IT, Security, Agriculture, Retail, Education Mountaineering, and medical fields, Dixie has worked with some extraordinary authors. Describing her work as ‘getting paid to deep dive into fascinating lives and topics’, she’s happiest helping others to develop their stories, and share them using her Tri-Variant FrameworkTM for Content Curation. Dixie Carlton is one of only a handful of global experts’ industry specialists who fully understands the intersection of the publishing, professional speaking, and marketing industries and how they relate to each other for experts who work between Pages and Stages.

Book preview

Authority Island cover

Praise for Authority Island

‘... a masterclass that uses story to demonstrate the critical difference between being an authority and just writing a book.

Simply a MUST READ for anyone who is serious about sharing their wisdom by writing a book.’ — Steve Lowell, CSP 2021–22 President Global Speakers Federation, and Co-Founder Deep Thought StrategyTM

‘If you follow Dixie’s wisdom you will create a book that positions you as an authority, not just an author!’ — Keith Abraham, CSP, Founder of Passion for Excellence, and Best Selling Author

‘Authority Island is a must-read book for anyone considering becoming an author and writing their first book. It’s not a step-by-step how-to, but does guide you through some important topics you may consider highly helpful to understand before your writing journey commences.’ — Adam Houlahan, 4× Amazon Best-Selling Author

‘If you want to change the world with your ideas, this book demonstrates just how much work and knowledge is required in order to become a successful thought-leader and authority on your topic. More importantly, it gives aspiring authors a path to follow.’ — Bronwyn Reid, Author, Founder and CEO Small Company, Big Business

‘Crawl over broken glass if you have to, but get a copy of this book – a MUST READ!’ — Ian Stephens CSP, best-selling Author of Shift Culture

‘A clever and creative story blended with detailed tips on what’s required to become a successful published author.’ — Mindy Gibbins-Klein, Founder of The Book Midwife®, Panoma Press and REAL Thought Leaders

‘The journey from unknown to famous has many paths, most marked by charlatans, conmen and dealers in deception. ‘Authority Island’ documents the true, honest journey of what everyone who has dreams of being a known authority will face along the way from the shadows of solitude to the blinding lights of a main stage.’ — David Pissara, Esq, Head Ghost, American Ghost Media, LLC

Authority Island title page

First published 2020 by Dixie Maria Carlton

Produced by Indie Experts P/L, Australasia

indieexperts.com.au

Copyright © Dixie Maria Carlton 2020

The moral right of the author to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted.

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher. All enquiries should be made to the author.

Every effort has been made to trace and acknowledge copyright material; should any infringement have occurred accidentally, the author tenders her apologies.

Product and other names used herein may be trademarks of their respective owners. The author disclaims any and all rights in those marks.

Cover design by Daniela Catucci @ Catucci Design

Edited by Lindsey Dawson

Internal design by Indie Experts

Typeset by Post Pre-press Group, Brisbane

Cover image by by Penny Hauck

A catalogue record for this book is available from the National Library of Australia

ISBN 978-0-6487546-8-8 (paperback)

ISBN 978-0-6489310-0-3 (epub)

ISBN 978-0-6487546-9-5 (kindle)

Disclaimer:

Every effort has been made to ensure this book is as accurate and complete as possible. However, there may be mistakes both typographical and in content. Therefore, this book should be used as a general guide and is not the ultimate source of information contained herein. The author and publisher shall not be liable or responsible to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to have been caused directly or indirectly by the information contained in this book.

In loving memory of Wallace (Wally) Macdonald, an extraordinary man who seized life by the throat and could have filled thousands of pages about his many adventures and powerful lessons learned.

Contents

Foreword

1: The Three Hopeful Authors

2: First, We’ll Need a Ship

3: The Quest for Authority

4: Bob the Movie Star

5: Publishing 101

6: Never-ending Story

7: Owning Your Expertise on the Stage

8: Paparazzi by Any Other Name

9: Mastery of the Stage

10: Kris the Authority

11: Time to Set Sail

12: The View from Above

13: Bright, Shiny Objects

In Summary

Acknowledgements

Author Biographies

Foreword

Everyone wants to write a book – or so the experts say. Maybe not quite everyone, but most of those I meet are either already published, soon to be published, or want to one day be published. Every single one has a different story to tell and a different journey ahead of them as they set out to tell it. What really interests me is the variation in thinking, actions, and knowledge involved in the quest to become a published author. Let’s be honest, anyone can do that nowadays, but the far bigger prize is to become an authority. An author-ity! An author who speaks, writes, shares, and teaches or inspires well beyond the words expressed in their book.

This story is one filled with many metaphors and wise ideas for authors of non-fiction, although fiction writers will also find a lot of these highly valuable. It is not my intention to teach the intricacies of how to do what’s required to publish with this book, but rather to awaken authors to the reality sof just how much commitment it takes to succeed as an authority, not just a writer of books.

In my world, writing the book is just the beginning.

Dixie

1

The Three Hopeful Authors

‘I’ve got the key to my castle in the air, but whether I can unlock the door remains to be seen.’

– Louisa May Alcott, Little Women

This book is set out as a parable – a tale written to demonstrate important things that authors wanting to self-publish need to know. There’s a big difference between just writing a book and becoming an authority who speaks, writes, trains, coaches or consults on a specialist topic. This book is not so much about writing well – although the better your manuscript is right from the start, the more likely it is to succeed – but about what can be done with any manuscript once it’s finished. That’s where your journey as an author really starts.

Let’s begin our tale by meeting our three authors: Sue, Bob, and Kris. Come along with them as they head for a mythical place I call Authority Island – a land where, experiencing highs and lows, they can learn all they need to know.

Sue is a retired teacher who now spends a