I learned of Larry Dotson (of www.LDpublishing.com) because of one of his joint ventures - and it gave me an "aha!" experience.  Maybe it will do the same for you - whether or not you're an e-book author, as he is...

If you're not new to reading about webmarketing (or maybe even if you are), you're probably familiar with the name Joe Vitale.  It's with Joe that this particular account about Larry Dotson begins - because Larry's beguiling joint venture(s) ensued as a result of his buying Joe's famous e-books, Hypnotic Writing and Advanced Hypnotic Writing...

Larry divulged:  "After reading them, it made me want to learn more about hypnosis and how to apply it to advertising and marketing.  So, I read and studied a ton of books on hypnosis and related subjects.  But I still didn't know exactly what I was going to do with my freshly-stored knowledge."

Then another webmarketer provided the stimulus that directed his thoughts...  An article by Yanik Silver came to him via e-mail.  "It talked about how profitable it was to create information products that are actually tools instead of just the normal 'how to' info."  (Yanik has created well-received offerings like Instant Sales Letters - a package of proven sales letter templates - and the e-books Million Dollar Emails and Autoresponder Magic, which consist of examples of actual campaigns used by successful webmarketers).

"After reading the article, I got an idea...  It would be cool to create a product that combined copywriting tools with a sprinkle of hypnosis," Larry says.  Rather than imitating Yanik's approach of presenting full-on examples, he amassed a more plastic collection of what he calls "hypnotic fill-in-the-blank phrases and sentences - so people could pick and choose which ones they wanted to use."

The basic product then came easily.  He called it "The Hypnotic Swipe File".  As he explains, "The term 'swipe file' was coined by copywriters who collected sales-generating words and phrases throughout their careers to use in their own sales letters."  (Gleaned from the work of others, in other words - hence the idea of "swiping" the good, proven stuff!)

Larry thought at first of selling it himself via ClickBank - a common enough route for many e-book authors.  But, as he put it to me, "I kept feeling like I was stepping on Joe's shoes a little, because he was the only author I knew of who was known for the famous 'hypnotic' business titles.  So it hit me...  I'll ask Joe to take a look at the swipe file, and maybe he'd like to co-author the book with me."

This was the "aha!" concept that enthused me...  When you think about it, there are so many obvious benefits to a little-known author coupling his name with that of a "celebrity"!  Larry echoed my own thoughts about this...

"I knew that Joe's series of 'hypnotic' e-books was already branded and famous.  When you think of hypnotic writing, copywriting, and marketing, you think of Joe Vitale, 'The World's First Hypnotic Writer and Marketer'.

"I also knew that by co-authoring with Joe Vitale, it would eliminate having to start from scratch.  Joe's already laid the 'hypnotic' ground work and has a very loyal customer base.  The e-book would also have triple the promotions, with two authors plus Aesop Marketing," which has published Joe's other online work.  And, if Aesop would publish this, that would free up the authors by eliminating all the set-up, order-taking, and customer service hassles. ...What a great deal!

Larry simply wrote a short and to-the-point e-mail to Joe.  (It's reproduced in Larry and Joe's latest co-authored e-book, How to Write Hypnotic Joint Venture Proposals [SOON TO BE RELEASED] - yes, they've moved on to a subject guaranteed to excite interest here!)  "With misspellings and all", it conveyed admiration for Joe's work, the fact that Larry had written a book on a related topic, and that he wanted to show it to Joe before deciding how to promote it, since Joe was the "master". ...And Larry concluded by mentioning that he'd be open to co-authorship or another type of joint venture, should Joe be interested - would he like to see the book?

As Joe explains in their e-book about joint venturing, "Larry’s spelling didn’t impress me, but his concept did. ...He gave me enough information to make a decision. ...I asked to see the book.  Once I saw it, I agreed to be his coauthor."  And the rest is history (history in the making, perhaps I should say, since they've now co-authored four books... and you never know what more might come out of this collusion). 

That first book was eventually titled The Hypnotic Writer's Swipe File.  Aesop Marketing saw the advantage in being able to relate this e-book to Joe's other titles with them - they agreed to publish it.  Larry said, "I was so excited!  I was even more excited when they said it tested well at the price of $197...  I couldn't believe it!  (I must admit, it's worth the price, though.)"

And Larry looks ahead...  The book wasn't even finished when he began a sequel:   Hypnotic Selling Tools - and Joe was game for continuing with their alliance.   (This was published under Joe's name solely, but they each share in the profits.)  After that, out cropped Subconscious Internet Marketing (this time under Larry's name)...   And then the JV proposals book, and How to Write Hypnotic Endorsements, and How to Write Hypnotic Articles.

Here's something interesting, that illustrates how flexible a joint venture relationship can be...  The two authors have never met; they continue to connect and work together only via e-mail.  Larry sends Joe a book draft; Joe adds his own unique perspective and experience to Larry's initial efforts (and compensates for Larry's lack of grammatical proficiency, he says ;^).

Larry also feels that the combination of two writing styles is a plus, rather than an obstacle, in their collaboration...  "Joe has this flavor of writing that hypnotizes you to keep reading.  I must admit that my style of writing is a little dry and usually is straight to the point.  I think our different styles complement each other's."

In fact, Joe doesn't hesitate to reveal, as he tells in How to Write Hypnotic Joint Venture Proposals, that Larry does most of the work on these projects.  And there's a good point to disclosing that:  he calls sharing the most important secret to money-making. ...Larry shared the credit and the profits - for excellent reasons, as we saw, that to him balanced what he "gave away".  Joe says... "In fact, he sees sharing as the main key to his own success."

Sounds to me like a good "nutshell summation" of joint venturing:  sharing... for profits all around.
      

Larry Dotson is the author of 8 e-books and a fee-based membership website.  He has written over 150 articles on business-related subjects and has been published in countless e-zines and magazines.  On his website http://www.LDpublishing.com, he offers free business-related e-books and e-mail courses.

And in case you were wondering, here's an introduction to his compatriot...

Joe Vitale, President, Hypnotic Marketing, Inc.
 #1 Best-Selling Author - "Spiritual Marketing"
Author of far too many other books to list here
http://www.mrfire.com  "Aude aliquid dignum"
   

• Never hesitate to learn from others... and to expand on others' efforts.

• Reading widely in your field of interest (and otherwise!) can lead to interesting developments in your own business.

• Listen to your nagging thoughts... your instincts may be nudging you toward even better solutions (e.g., JVs!).

• Don't think that you have to do it alone...  Chances are there's someone out there who would be glad to participate in your success (especially if there's something tangible in it for him/her, of course).  Many eminent folks, with easy access to interested customers/readers/etc., are likely to be delighted to add to their own income by joining forces with someone with a great idea for them. ...Look around for them.

• "Co-authoring" doesn't have to mean equal effort, doesn't have to take a lot of time-consuming "back-and-forthing"; it might mean any sort of collaboration the partners (two or more) find most congenial and effective.  (A co-authored book doesn't even have to be published under both names for the joint venture and co-authors to prosper.)

• ...In fact, co-authoring with someone well-known to your target readership can be a very beneficial tactic for a relatively unknown writer.

• And if the co-author has an in with an established publishing "force", so much the better!

• As with many other types of joint ventures, one of the greatest benefits is in the ability of the partners to supplement each other's skills and talents, making the team stronger than the individuals. 

• Sharing (work, profits) - even giving mightily and accepting less than the other person - might be the most lucrative and time-efficient thing you can do in the end.
    

For those serious about JV marketing...
  

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