1. Give yourself time to daydream. I find great ideas come when I’m doing something physical that requires little thought like running, working out on an exercise machine at the gym, gardening, etc. So unplug the iPod and let the thoughts swirl about in your brain.

2. Go someplace new. While going to the same vacation spot every year is comfortable and creates warm memories, going somewhere new can get new ideas pinging about.

3. Talk to people. Listen to people. I have come up with some great ideas during lectures, presentations or even just meeting and talking with someone new at a conference. Often just one word or phrase from someone else will spark a cascade of ideas related to some problem I’d been mulling for days.

I just love coming up with new ideas. I find myself delving into whole new areas and becoming quite passionate about them. The hard work comes when implementing the ideas. That’s when you have to roll up your sleeves and get to it. This is when the good ideas are sifted out from the less good. But it is also a stumbling point for many. Not only does it take effort to start something new (like a book, project or business), it also takes courage. Many new efforts fail. Even if yours fails, you deserve praise for having tried. And learned. If starting something new were easy, then more people would do it instead of opting out before they start. So don’t look down into the darkness of failure. Be Courageous! Be Passionate! Just Start!

An interesting article showed that e-book sales are still increasing. In May, e-book buyers said they’d increased purchases by 67% (see article link below).

Another article in the WSJ yesterday showed that John Locke (the first person to sell a million e-books) had signed up with an agent (Jane Dystel) and a NY publisher (Simon & Shuster) for distribution. He said his reason was to capture paperback sales from readers who haven’t yet transitioned to e-books.

This is an exciting time in publishing. It’s in just such a mixture of traditional and emerging technologies that great leaps forward can happen. (Think of industrialization in the early 1900s- Ford, Edison and more). Opportunities abound to be creative right now.

After spending the last 6 weeks immersed in a fantastic class on digital marketing for my MBA, I’m brimming with ideas!

Here’s the link:

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/digital/content-and-e-books/article/48418-the-latest-e-book-buying-trends.html