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Forget numbers. Forget popularity. Get armies.

The Small Army Strategy by Srinivas Rao

Genre: Non-fiction
Format: ebook
Read: 4/17/2013
Srinivas Rao – Website | Twitter
The Small Army Strategy on Goodreads

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Synopsis

We’ve entered a fierce battle for attention. You won’t be the next Tim Ferriss, Seth Godin or Chris Brogan. The world doesn’t need more copycats. It needs you to be you. The only way you’ve got a shot at winning this war for attention is to give all yours to the few that matter. The most important people in the world are the ones who show up for you. Take such good care of them that they have no choice, but to recruit a small army. That’s what this is about. It’s about building an army, no matter how small that will show up and fight with you every single day to win whatever battles your fighting. You could be battling the demons of depression, career catastrophes, or the loss of love. This is about about building an army that will help you fight those battles and much more.

This book isn’t about how to get more traffic or increase the number of subscribers to your blog. Those things are potential byproducts , but not the goal. The goal is to treasure and nurture the attention you already have.
-from Goodreads

My Thoughts

The Small Army Strategy is a book that I picked up because it was April’s book for my business book club. At $2.99, it was easy to pick up. It reads like one long discussion post, so it’s easy to read, too. Though it’s geared toward business people who are bloggers, the main point is easily applicable to any blogger.

The Small Army Strategy’s main point is quite simple. It’s quality, not quantity, that you want. In the business world, your email list is gold. (In the book blogging world, most people seem to regard their follower count similarly.) What’s important to your email list (or follower count) is not your numbers, but your ENGAGEMENT.

What’s the point of having 1,000 followers if there are only five people interacting with you on your blog?

What’s the point of having 10,000 subscribers to your email list when your open rate is only 10%?

You want engagement.

When someone subscribes to your email list, Srinivas Rao says, respond to them directly. If you’ve subscribed to a newsletter before, you might know that many people have autoresponders set up to send you a welcome message. Srinivas Rao takes this one step further and takes the time to personally send an email.

Establish a connection.

Ask people, “How can I help you?” Take the time to follow through. Your best advertisement is word of mouth–not any ad you place or link you share. Trust me. If someone else shares a link to my post, I generally get more hits from that link than if I were to share the post. When someone vouches for you like that, it’s a built in testimonial or recommendation.

Srinivas Rao didn’t necessarily tell me anything I didn’t already know (though I will be using the respond to email list subscribers directly from now on), but it reinforced the beliefs that were already starting to form about interacting with your followers.

If you’re interested in building a stronger fan base, The Small Army Strategy will help you develop a good belief foundation to move you in the right direction. It’s short and sweet. Plus, it may even help you to shed that desire to compete with the big bloggers.

(Be you. Connect with your followers. That’s what counts.)

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It’s that time again — Tuesday! — which means I attempt to brighten your day with half-naked men. Read on at your own risk.  Top Off Tuesdays was started by FeliciaChristi and me.  It is where we (and you!) share the book covers that make us swoon.  Head over to Felicia’s blog to share your Top Off Tuesday link or to see what everyone has posted.

Muscles, tattoos, and armpits. What more does a lady need from a man?

Pirate’s Woman by Paige Tyler
To honor the debt her family owes Slayter Cardona, beautiful Teyla Dunai agrees to let him sell her as a sex slave in the markets of Arkhon. Determined to bring as much value as she can on the auction block, but inexperienced where men are concerned, she asks the handsome pirate if he’ll teach her how to pleasure a man. Intrigued, and more than a little attracted to the lavender-eyed beauty, Slayter agrees. As he initiates her into the world of bondage, spanking and out-of-this-galaxy sex, though, both Teyla and Slayter find themselves falling for each other.

But Slayter has a responsibility to his crew, and Teyla knows it is her duty to pay off her family’s debt. With the deal already agreed upon, there doesn’t seem to be any way for their story to have a happy ending. Until Teyla is kidnapped…and they reach the slave auction house…and Slayter has to find a way to reclaim his own “sex slave”.

Scarlet Tear by B.J. McCall
Captain Wytt Sann is given the mission of a lifetime. Impersonating the notorious pirate Kirxx, Wytt must participate in a zap tournament sponsored by the pirate king. Wytt’s objective is to play the bloody game, beat the competition and win the prizes—a beautiful Glacidian woman and the coveted scarlet tear gem.

Ceyla is offered as a prize in a tournament and embroiled in the pirate king’s vengeful scheme to steal back the gem. Refusing to spend the rest of her life as a prize, Ceyla plots her escape.

Ceyla is drawn to the handsome pirate who fights like a warrior and fires her Glacidian blood. Seducing Kirxx is the key to winning her freedom, but will she lose it all in the process? His true identity could tear this lusty couple apart.
-from Goodreads

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Danger, heartache, and hot sex! RAWR!

Operation: Endgame (When the Mission Ends #1) by Christi Snow
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Christi Snow – Website | Twitter | Facebook
Amazon – Paperback | Kindle
Add it to Goodreads

Synopsis

It’s been six months.

Six months since Jake Madsen let Chris Robertson die.

Six months since the passion between Jake and Cassie, Chris’ sister, stepped over the line.

But now Cassie’s being stalked and it’s time for Jake to swallow his guilt, grief, and lust so he can save her life, even if it’s a life without him. He owes it to his dead friend and he owes it to Cassie. He’s fallen in love with her, but she doesn’t have to know that for him to keep her safe.

My Thoughts

What is it about big, strong military men who try to do the right thing but the right thing isn’t really the right thing and when they eventually see the light things come together in a glorious explosion of heaving body parts and danger?

*blisses out on the thought* Man, does it work!

Jake-y boy definitely *thinks* he knows what the right path is for him and Cassie. Good thing Cassie’s stalker forces his hand and puts the two of them back in revolution around one another. Because those two have sparks and to deny that would be a crime. For shame, Jake. For shame.

After round 1 of Jake and Cassie Get Sweaty and Jake bails on her, Cassie shores up her defenses and does the strong woman routine. Which means that she tries to get on with her life while not telling anyone about the stalker she has. Which is… so wrong, Cassie. What good are friends if they can’t help you when someone’s leaving you creepy gifts? Once things escalate, she does come clean but it takes a lot to reach that point. Jake’s reappearance in her life throws her for a loop. In a good way.

This is, coincidentally, when round 2 of Jake and Cassie Get Sweaty begins. *high five*

Nicely naughty with enough danger to keep me on edge and the theme of family and the bonds of friendship running throughout, this book left me happy. The Robertson siblings have a lot going for them and a lot still to get through. I am intrigued.

Kelly Loves Books... and you!

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Clock Rewinders on a Book Binge is where Tara @ 25 Hour Books and I shamelessly plug each other, share the fantastic posts, giveaways, or whatever else we’ve found and loved by other awesome bloggers (or authors!) during the week, and talk about the books we plan on reading in the coming week.

On a Book Bender Recap

Meanwhile, in Amanda’s World

Holy wow. We had a final tally of 507 people join us for the Bout of Books read-a-thon. That completely trashed our previous record of 245. I am seriously impressed and I’m happy to say that I think Bout of Books 7.0 was a smashing success. On the back end, Kelly and I are feeling good too. We organized, we established systems, and we’ve kept everything under control. All of this is good.

I’ve been working hard on my new business website. I’m really loving what I’m doing. I’ve also made some changes that I think will benefit everyone involved… but more on that later.

Around the Book Blogging Community

Search Terms

book bender meaning — It means I go on benders. That involve reading.

do thea harrison’s series need to be read in order — Her Elder Races series is better when read in order.

why blogWhy not?

why have a discussion blog — Because discussion posts ROCK.

picking a place to eat — As my boyfriend will attest, I am incapable of doing this.

what to read after scorpio races — I don’t know. More Maggie Stiefvater books?

Goodreads Stats

Read in 2013 (42)

Currently Reading (2)

If you want…then you should read…

12 comments

discussion

This post was inspired by a Twitter conversation (thank you, Sharon aka @starsaloft) about getting audiobook recommendations for my boyfriend’s brother, who started a job that required him to spend more time in his car. Being the true Shofbrarian that I am, I suggested audiobooks and started him on the Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne (narrated by Luke Daniels) because he’d already started the series.

Also, it’s a FANTASTIC series on audio.

But then he finished those.

And because I’m not commuting anymore (thank goodness), I stopped listening to audiobooks (boo).

So I asked Jess @ Gone with the Words for audiobook recommendations, because she (along with Felicia) is one of the first people I turn to when it comes to audiobooks.

Between Jess and an addition of my own, this is the list I came up with for him:

But that’s not where this post ends. The list above provides me with a good starting point for even MORE DISCUSSION ABOUT AUDIOBOOKS.

Now I want to know about YOU. What are your favorite audiobooks? Are they on this list already? Are they missing from the list?

TELL ME EVERYTHING.

36 comments