If you’ve ever heard my “Mistakes, Myths & Miracles of Book Publishing” presentation or any of my publishing success seminars, then you know I tell Laura Duksta’s amazing story of South Beach bartender to New York Times bestselling author over and over.

Perhaps you were on the VIP Author Talks call last night and heard Laura for yourself. Even if you were not on the call, you still have the opportunity to learn the secrets to publishing success from this very talented author–and take advantage of a very special offer from Laura just for VIP Authors!

I read about Laura Duksta long before we ever met. I saw an article in The Writer magazine about a bald woman who was making remarkable sales as a first-time author with her self-published children’s book, “I Love You More.” The story caught my eye first because of her appearance and I remembered it because she was local to my South Florida neighborhood. Soon after, I saw her sitting in front of me at a writers’ workshop given by the Broward County Library, but was too shy to introduce myself.

Several years later we met and exchanged cards at a networking luncheon. Laura agreed to speak at my NAWW writers group meeting without compensation, even though she was an established speaker, regularly pulling in high-paying engagements with major corporations and educational groups.

Laura inspired our group with the story of how she lost her hair permanently at age 11 due to a condition called Alopecia. She spent almost the next 20 years hiding her true self under a wig, insecure and embarrassed by her baldness. Yet shortly before her 30th birthday, she decided to throw away her wigs, and once she did, she was able to reveal her authentic self to the world.

Shortly before the wig tossing, Laura had had another life-changing experience, which led her to write a children’s book. At the time, she was employed as a bartender on South Beach–not a likely candidate for a successful children’s book author. And in another reason-defying move, she agreed to have a friend with no art experience illustrate it. The project was not attractive to agents or publishers and Laura borrowed her mother’s credit card to self-publish her first 5,000 copies.

Realizing she had no knowledge of what to do or how to do it, Laura attended writers’ conferences, enrolled in coaching programs and basically took a crash course in book marketing. The first 5,000 copies sold, then another, then another, then another–until she had sold 175,000 on her own, almost one by one! She sold books in children’s stores, gift shops, art fairs, street festivals, you name it.

With those kind of sales, agents began contacting her! Laura signed with one, who was able to bring her several offers from major publishers in a short time. But none of them shared Laura’s vision for the book, and wanted to make changes. Until one day, a publisher called to say that “I Love You More” was the book she had been looking for and wanted to publish it–almost exactly as it was. “I Love You More” was re-released by Sourcebooks in November 2007. On February 14, 2008, Valentine’s Day, I received an email from Laura–”I Love You More” was on The New York Times Bestseller List. The book has achieved that honor several times since then, too.

Laura has created the Children’s Author Academy and developed a teleseminar to share the secrets behind her success with others who dream of writing and publishing a children’s book. She will reveal the mistakes and miracles behind her almost unprecedented success.

Some might think it odd that this bestselling author is willing to give away her secrets to other writers who will essentially be competing against her in the children’s market. But, it’s not surprising to me that Laura would want to share her knowledge to help others. Her mission is “to spread a conversation of love around the world.” She started doing it one book at a time, and now she continues on her journey. If you dream of being a bestselling children’s author one day, you might want to join her.

To receive the special VIP Author $50 discount, go to the Children’s Author Academy page, and use the coupon code VIPAUTHOR when you register. The coupon is valid only through May 1, so do it now. Then start planning your first book signing!

In her eight years in the business Laura Duksta has played many different roles— author, publisher, sales person, marketing, distribution, etc. This has given her an incredible vantage point to see how the self-publishing as well as traditional publishing worlds work. Fortunately for us, Laura loves sharing these insights with other writers!

Join us for “5 Things You Might Not Know about Publishing and Why They Are Important to You,” when Laura explains the publishing process and helps erase some of the “fear of the unknown.”

On this call, you will learn:

• What You Need to Be Thinking About Before You Even Start Writing
• 3 Key Tools
• What is a Niche Market
• How to Price Your Book Properly
• Why Your Royalty is so small

Plus:

• Bonus…How the Lists are Generated
• Bonus…a few pros and cons between traditional printers and POD, Vanity Presses or Self-Publishing Service

This is one conversation you don’t want to miss. Mark your calendar now for this free event*. Here’s how to get on the call:

What: VIP Author Talks with Guest Laura Duksta

When: Wednesday, April 22, 2009, 8:00pm to 9:00pm Eastern (7:00pm Central, 6:00pm Mountain, 5:00pm Pacific)

Call-In Details: To get on the call, please dial 1 (218) 339-4600, and enter Access Code 992777# when prompted.

*The presentation will last one hour and is free to attend, but long distance charges may apply. Please note that anyone may call in and listen, but the audio recording will only be available to VIP Author Inner Circle members. If you are not yet a member and would like a recording of this call, find out more about all the benefits of VIP Author Inner Circle membership here>>>