Top Resources for Authors

Welcome Humans of Planet Earth!

Welcome to The Naked Soul Blog, a tribe of deep soul and a much anticipated Podcast interviewing today’s most inspiring leaders, adventurers, bestselling authors and transpersonal teachers 7-days a week.

 

My Favorite Resources List

(Artists, Creatives, Entrepreneurs, Authors, Bloggers, and Small Businesses)

I thought it would be helpful to create a resource page that you can always come to for all of your blogging and business needs. I’ll add to it as I learn more, but you’ll notice that in the future I will reference this page quite often.

I recommend bookmarking this page for your quick reference and convenience. Enjoy and please feel free to share (I only ask that you link back to it. Thank you!)

 

Free AudioBook!

Try Audible 30 days FREE and Get Two Free Audiobooks

As mentioned above, these days more and more people are listening to Audio books. It is easy to read more and finish up books faster when you listen an audio book while you drive or cook or are exercising. Switch between print books and audio version and read a lot of content faster.

Also, we absorb information differently when it comes to visual vs. listening. For maximum retention, it is great to listen to a book and then read it or vice-versa.

For example, I loved listening to Stephen King’s book “On Writing” in his own voice. What a delight to listen to someone whom you admire.

Audible offers the world’s largest selection of digital audio-books and spoken word content. You can listen anytime and anywhere to professionally-narrated audio-books across a wide range of genres.
Try Audible and Get Two Free Audiobooks (Click)

Keyword Research

Market Samurai: The number one tool for keyword research available, hands down.

Keyword Researcher: One of the best tools to find popular long tail keywords for your niche. Watch the video on the homepage, I promise you’ll be impressed.

Seo Book Keyword Suggestion Tool: Another fantastic keyword research tool, with even more information and numbers to compare and select the perfect keywords.

Seo Keyword Ranking: An excellent tool to keep track of the keywords you’re working on. Excellent interface and really easy to use.

 

Website Hosting

SiteGround: This is #1 and best website hosting service that I used so far and the one I am currently using. (You get one free domain if you are starting out.) And their uptime is really 99.9%, not just in writing but for real.

 

Podcasting

Podcast Websites: Your ALL IN ONE Podcasting solution.

Podcasters Paradise: The #1 Podcasting community in the world!

Music Radio Creative – This is an AWESOME company (I met them in person) where you can get a high-quality, custom intro and outro for your podcast. You can choose from a whole bunch of different styles and voices. The intro to the AskPat podcast was created by Music Radio Creative.

Podcast Editing by TwentyFourSound – Need someone to help you edit your podcast and audio files? The services offered at TwentyFourSound.com are what you’re looking for! If you’re not confident in your technical know-how, or just don’t have the time to edit your show, check ’em out!

Libsyn.com: Podcast Hosting!

 

Set and Accomplish YOUR Goals

Accomplish YOUR goals. Learn more here.

 

Product Distribution & Shopping Carts

Clickbank: Another digital products retailer. Probably the most popular. Decently priced, but comes with an amazing affiliate program for your products.

 

Paypal.com: Paypal is just ok for selling your own products through them, but you’ll need an account anyways to configure with and accept payments from the above shopping carts.

 

Email Subscriptions & Marketing

MailChimp: This is what I currently use to build my email list and send broadcast and autoresponder emails. It’s built for bloggers. I love this tool because it’s extremely easy and intuitive to use.

 

Create your own online Course!

Create Awesome Online Courses

Courses are the BEST way to monetize. Sign up for the Naked Soul Newsletter. I share valuable information weekly you won’t want to miss!

 

Writing Tools

MS Word: This is the free word processor that I use to write anything – from blog posts to video scripts, sales copy and presentations.

Grammarly: The spell-check tool I use, on steroids. Through my browser, anything I write automatically goes through their database of spelling and grammatical checks to make sure I write properly.

Evernote: Bring your life’s work together in one digital workspace. Evernote is the place to collect inspirational ideas, write meaningful words, and organize all your important documents in one place.

TextExpander: Hotkeys for words, phrases or paragraphs you type regularly.

 

Images & Photos

iStockPhoto: This is one good place to occasionally purchase royalty-free images for your use on your websites or blogs.

Flickr Creative Commons: This is where you can get free images for your website, but there are some rules that go along with it.

 

Editorial Calendar & Content Planning

Buffer: This has been my new favorite automation tool for 2014-2015. Buffer allows you to schedule posts ahead of time for most of your social media channels. It’s a complete marketing engine for your blog posts as well, allowing you to schedule tweets and posts promoting your content ahead of time as you’re publishing your post.

 

Video Making

ScreenFlow (for Mac users) – the screen capture software

Camtasia for PC (Camtasia Studio) – for screen captures for PC

Omnidazzle – to draw on your screen (free)

Bamboo Pen and Tablet – This is the pen and tablet I use to make drawing on the screen extremely easy.

SplashEO (for Awesome Intro and Outro Graphics): If you want professional looking intros and outros for your videos, this is the place to go. Gideon Shalwick, the owner, is a good friend and I was totally blown away from the quality and turnaround time. Check it out!

Canon Rebel T4i: I’d recommend starting shooting videos with your smartphone, but if you’re getting serious a DSLR camera like this one will do the trick. This is the camera I use for my videos, which I like because of the auto-focus feature (in video mode while recording, which is rare), and the flip out screen so you can see yourself and make sure you’re where you want to be on screen.

GoPro 4k Black Action Camera

Sound & Music Library on YouTube Creator Studio

 

Advertising Stuff

Google Adsense: Make money by placing relevant ads on your website that are generated from advertisers using Google Adwords. Free to use. I use it.

Google Adwords: If you want to begin advertising on Google, you can select keywords and locations and you pay each time someone clicks on your advertisement. I use it from time to time during the book launching phase.

 

Testing Results

Google Analytics: Google’s free website tracking and analytical tool. A must have for anyone with any type of website. I check my site’s analytics every couple of days.

Clicky: Clicky is just like Google Analytics, except it’s easier to use, and you can view how many people are on your site (and what they are doing) in real time! Your first site is free.

 

Website/Blog Protection

Sucuri:  My websites are my business…and my livelihood! I don’t want any intruders, so I pay a yearly fee to make sure that if anyone tampers with my sites, it’ll be taken care of right away, with alerts/notifications letting me know what’s up. Sucuri is definitely great for peace of mind, if anything.

Limit Login Attempts (WordPress Plugin): Install this plugin to limit the number of times someone can attempt to login to your WordPress admin panel before getting blocked. This helps to stop those who keep trying to break in by logging into your website with different passwords (and there are tools to help speedup this process).

 

Outsourcing

Upwork (eLance/oDesk): Hire service for just about anything you can think of.

Freelancer: Another outsourcing website just like Upwork.

SpeechPad: This is the service I use to get transcripts done for my podcasts and videos.

Virtual Staff Finder: I just recently hired a full-time VA and this is where I got him. Virtual Staff Finder is the best and quickest headhunter service on the web if you’re looking for high quality VAs for anything you want done by someone else for your online business. It’s run by my buddy Chris Ducker and I highly recommend it.

 

Legal Stuff

LegalZoom: Easy online incorporation or LLC creation.

Life Insurance Essentials for Businesses – How to protect your family with life insurance, as well as protect your business in the event of an unexpected death of a key employee or partner.  Written by Chris Huntley, my personal life insurance agent.

 

Transcription Services

GMR Transcription: GMR is a leading provider of high quality transcription and translation services to meet any turnaround time. All GMR transcribers are US based to ensure the quality of transcripts with a 98% accuracy guarantee.

 

Mentorship

1 on 1 Coaching: Click here to find out more.

 

Naked Soul Swag!

Naked Soul T-Shirts: Check out all our swags and goodies! Coming soon!

 

Below are 9 simple steps to help grow on your entrepreneurial journey!

Step 1: Grab a free copy of the Naked Soul VIP newsletter!

Step 2: Get your website and blog up and running!

Step 3: Create ideas for your business and mission in life!

Step 4: Set and Accomplish your Goals!

Step 5: Grow your audience via Podcasting and Social Media!

Step 6: Create a Course!

Step 7: Create a sales funnel!

Step 8: Create a Webinar!

Step 9: Self-educate with a FREE Audiobook!