21st Century Advertising for New Home Builders: Check out the First Chapter Here!

LJW Publishing is very excited to offer 21st Century Advertising for New Home Builders by Preston John. Advance review copies will be out soon and the book will be available for purchase July 18, 2008. For pre-orders contact Atlas Books at: 1-800-247-6553 or check out the online database at: Atlas Books.com!

You can check out the first chapter of the book HERE!

LJW Publishing Books now Available Through Atlas Books Distribution

To order LJW Publishing Books go directly to Atlas Books at http://www.atlasbooks.com/ or call 1-800-247-6553. We are optimistic about our new relationship with the experienced distributor with excellent levels of customer service and great shipping times. You'll still find us on Amazon.com and B&N.com and if they're smart...your local bookstore, as well!

But no matter where the books are being shipped from, we still want you to feel comfortable getting in touch with us to discuss LJW books, LJW authors, proposed special events, or any problems you have getting your copies! Feel free to email, post a comment on the blog, or call anytime.

LJW Author Preston John: The Newest Expert Author at Ezine Articles

Check out the sneak peek into Preston's John's upcoming book release, 21st Century Advertising for New Home Builders: Everything has Changed, at Ezine Articles.

Time brings change; we're all aware of that fact. But sometimes time brings more change than we're prepared to accept. And if you're in the business of new home building, you may find yourself in this predicament because in recent times...everything has changed! Accept that you need to adjust your advertising, sales & marketing strategies to accommodate changes in your industry and you'll find that you can not only continue to make it in an industry that has all of a sudden gotten a lot tougher, but you can sell more homes than ever before! For more information visit the LJW Publishing website.

Larryisms on Being Successful

"The secret to a successful business is simple...Find out what people want and give it to them."

-Larry John, excerpted from his book Larryisms with permission!

Short Interview with Author of 21st Century Advertising for New Home Builders: Everything Has Changed

Question: Explain your title. Is it as straightforward as it seems or is there more to it?

Preston John: It's absolutely straightforward. This is a guide for New Home Builders. It will teach them how to adapt their advertising/sales & marketing strategies to the current needs of their industry. (That's where the 21st Century comes in!) Following the same guidelines and procedures as your grandfather might be a good idea in theory, but a lot of time has passed and you have to adjust for the changes that time brings. And the subtitle is just a reiteration of the fact that time brings change and more than that. This industry has just experienced a major upheaval. Things haven't changed so much as EVERYTHING has changed. That's why we threw that last little bit on there. Just to make it doubly clear that even if you've known what you were doing in the past...you should check out new techniques and strategies to keep up in the new housing industry.

Question: Is this book aimed at any particular size of new home building company? Who is it aimed at specifically?

Preston: Every new home builder will come away from this book with new ideas, solid plans, and the need to start reading it again. No matter how long you've been in the new home building industry or how successful you've been in the past or how many homes you've sold there are changes that need to be made and if you're not ready to make them you'll find yourself being surpassed by those who are willing to get out there and do what needs to be done to accommodate the current industry and its market. So, the short answer is no. This book is not aimed at any particular size of new home building company. Any new home builder will gain a new advantage in the industry by reading 21st Century Advertising for New Home Builders.

Question: It seems as if you're suggesting that Advertising and Sales & Marketing are one and the same. Is that one of your theories?

Preston: Not at all. There's advertising and there's everything else. There's Sales & Marketing there's public relations, there's special events and more. But to me...the Sales & Marketing plan is what brings it all together. They are all necessary components to your company's success. You have to determine where your emphasis will be according to your own strengths and weaknesses. But no...I'm not saying that there is ONE thing that your company can do to succeed. It's a complex mixture of a lot of different factors; like a spider web. There are some pieces that are more necessary than the others, but then some of those tiny, seemingly insignificant parts can bring the whole web down if you're not paying attention.

Question: When will it be available and where can we get it?

Preston: The release date is July 2008. It will be available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble...look for it at your favorite book store! And if they don't have it...demand an accounting! No, but really...they can get it for you. The LJW distributor makes it very available to all outlets in the book industry.

Question: Will you be following this book up with another for new home builders?

Preston: I've got ideas, but nothing that's set in concrete so I won't say anything right now. You can always check back with LJW Publishing to keep up with what I'm doing and what's coming up. As soon as anything is decided they put information up for interested readers.

What is YA Lit and Why Should They Read it?

What is YA Lit? Literature published for young adults, in the most general sense of the term. The "young adult" is often described by the publishing/book industry as falling somewhere in the range of 12-25. (The range is obviously very wide and is actually defined differently depending upon who you ask). Young adults literature encompasses both fiction and non-fiction and a very wide array of genres, but can almost always be described as fast moving and including a young adult protagonist.

Why Should We Want Young Adults Reading YA Lit? There are many reasons why we should WANT teens and tweens to reach for YA lit; not least of which is that getting them to read anything is a step in the right direction! But YA Lit is known to provide readers with 3 types of knowledge that you'll have to agree are not only necessary, but a immediately necessary if young adults are to reach their full potential:

1. Self Knowledge is often exhibited in YA Lit through person vs. him/herself conflicts. Young adults can learn from the resolution of the story's conflict and apply it to themselves and their own lives. For instance, in the YA novel, Big Mouth and Ugly Girl by Joyce Carol Oates, both characters have characteristics that they have to learn to deal with, overcome and accept before they can overcome their larger problems.

2. Knowledge of Others is another facet often introduced in YA Lit. Journal style novels are prevalent in YA Lit and offer a wonderful view into a different person's life, needs, wants, desires, dreams, history, reasons and situations. Through journal style writing, teenagers are accessing life through one of the most personal viewpoints possible and it is, for once, NOT their own. This is exemplified in YA novels such as Witch Child by Celia Rees and the various novels by Louise Rennison (the series begins with the novel entitled Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging).

3. Knowledge of a Worldview is offered to young adults through realistic problem novels. Young adults are exposed through this type of YA Lit to realistic problems that are not their own, but that are made real to them through the story. They are given the opportunity to learn what there is in the world and gain exposure to things they may never personally experience (and that we often wouldn't want them to have to experience). For instance in realistic problem novels such as Lord of the Flies by William Golding readers get a glimpse into the ugliness of humanity that they (hopefully) will never experience first hand.

This is just a very basic summary...so if you think about it, I think you'll agree that we're lucky to have YA Lit out there helping our kids be prepared for life in so many more ways than the obvious. And if you've never read any of the books offered by YA Lit...you should.

Corporate Sales: Bulk Book Orders

Get in touch for bulk order discounts available for corporate sales! If you are in the business of selling homes you need EVERY employee to read 21st Century Advertising for New Home Builders and if you're sick of sending out typical gift baskets and you're looking for an alternate "handout" or "gift" to provide you with the opportunity to get in touch with contacts and/or clients to remind them that you appreciate their referrals or that you enjoyed working with them and look forward to the next project...Larryisms is exactly what you need.

Set yourself apart from the competition by leaving a calling card that is more substantial than a business card and more long term than a gift basket filled with treats! Books...they're good for a lot of things!

Sneak Peek into Upcoming Title!

21st Century Advertising for New Home Builders:

Everything Has Changed

By Preston John

Release Date: July 2008

Excerpt from

Chapter One: Buying Eggs

Everyone has heard the old saying “love makes the world go round.” Most have heard the typical rebuttal “money makes the world go round.” But in reality, neither of these actually explains the movement of the universe.

The phenomenon that actually fuels the world in its revolutionary progress is purchasing. Money doesn’t have much of an effect on anything until it is used; until a purchase is made.

4Some might say that the way in which money is used is determined by the individual in whose hand the bills reside; that the use of money depends upon personal and/or family needs and individual circumstances. To these people I would like to offer my congratulations on their idealistic vision of the world around them.

The world might be a better place if I could agree, but I would argue that the majority of today’s financial decisions are influenced so heavily by outside forces that they can’t really be said to be the direct result of personal needs or circumstances.

For instance, once upon a time if a man needed an egg, he wandered in the forest until he found an unguarded nest and he took the egg he needed (or all the eggs if he was greedy.)

A little time passed and a similar need would arise with a similar man and the man would fulfill the need by wandering out to his henhouse, lifting up a hen and taking the egg he needed.
More time passed and a similar man with a similar need might walk to the town market to purchase or barter for the egg he required.

Still more time passes; another similar man with the same need visits his local grocer on his way home from work to procure the needed egg.

Even more time flies away and we find ourselves in the world of today. But this man faces many questions before he will be able to obtain the object of his desire.

The first question is where will he purchase the egg? Is he going to go to a convenient store? It’s quicker; it’s more expensive; it may be very close.

6Is he going to visit a grocery store? And if so, which one? Will he go to the closest store to his home? Will he visit the one nearest to his work on the way home for the day? Will he visit the grocery store that has the best sales? Will he visit the grocery store that is known to have the highest quality products? Will he visit the grocery store that is known for its specialty items? Will he go to a health food store? Will he go to the store he is most familiar with for that reason alone?

Once he arrives at the chosen location he will be faced with still more questions. How many eggs will he be purchasing? Will he go with a flat dozen? Does he need a dozen and a half? Will he look to see if they can be had by the half dozen? Or maybe he should buy in bulk.

Next he will need to know if small, medium, or large eggs suit his needs the best. Brand names and prices will vary and offer more options.

Some men would even go so far as to include the chickens from which the egg originated into their purchasing equation. Did the eggs come from cage-free chickens?

So what caused the drastic changes? What made it necessary to question such a simple, straightforward need and the mode of fulfilling it? The most obvious answer (and the correct one in my opinion or I wouldn’t be offering it to you) is the availability of choices.

8When there is only one option that is the option that is used. And likewise, if an individual is aware of only one option, that is the option that is used. And similarly, if an individual is convinced that one option is better than another that is the option that is used.

You may wonder why we are discussing eggs. Eggs are a solid example of a need that has been in existence for so long that no one questions the fact that they will be bought and sold.

As long as people are around they will need (and want) to eat. Other such needs are obvious. After eating the most obvious need is shelter.

While natural shelters were all the rage “once upon a time” they are really only fully appreciated in our modern times during times of desperation, extreme survival, and dire emergencies. Other than that, most people look for a bit more in their mode of “shelter” nowadays than the nearest cave with convenient cover from the rain.

The same evolution of available options we discussed with the egg is evident when it comes to “shelter.” Today’s purchasers find themselves with a plethora of options when it comes to which home to purchase; especially once they’ve made the decision to build a new home.

It used to be that if someone decided to build a home they contacted their local contractor and that was it. He took it from there.

10He had built other homes in the area and they were in use and apparently he was able to fulfill their need. Build it and they will come and all that. But we are all very aware of the myriad changes that have been wrought in this particular industry, and so are most of the buyers out there.

You might still run across the rare individual who is going to go to the nearest builder because they are in the area they are familiar with regardless of their standing with other local builders and national competitors. This is the same individual who will go to the grocery store they always visit because they feel comfortable walking in the doors, they know where to find the eggs and they know which cashier is the quickest.

But this individual is not as common as many think. Most purchasers know the value of their money and want to stretch it as far as it will go.

They research and they take unofficial surveys of friends and family to try to ascertain which product will best fulfill their needs. And all the time, smart builders are doing their best to put themselves in front of prospective buyers as the solution to their every individual requirement.

We call it sales and marketing. Advertising is all well and good. Sales are an accepted necessity, but the combination of both of these, along with appropriate research and statistical analysis to increase company profits, is the key to success in today’s new home building market.

What is it About Thinking?

Are we so busy we haven't got time to think? Are we so tired and brain dead that thinking is the last thing we have time to think about? More and more are we thinking about less and less?


Are we allowing others like the media, politicians, religious leaders, parents, teachers, pundits, psychics, celebrities, spin doctors, bosses, friends, even traditions and superstitions to think for us? Are we being told how we should and must think, and accepting others' thinking without thinking for ourselves?

A Pragmatic Thinker is a person who observes oneself, other people and the issues of the world around them, as 'practically' as possible. We strive to think for ourselves, examining the cause and the effect of our thinking.

By: Larry John, LJW Author. To read more Larry John order his book: Larryisms or visit his website at The Pragmatic Thinker!

Quote of the Day!

"I don't believe in guilt. And I feel bad about it."

This is a favorite qoute pulled out of LJW Publishing's own Larryisms by Larry John. You can read about Larry and his book on the LJW Publishing website. And you can find more "Larry" on his website: The Pragmatic Thinker or chat with him on his blog: Pragmatic Thinker Blog.