Interview With Author Neal Schaffer
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a digital marketing consultant, speaker, author, and university educator who is publishing my 5th book this month and 6th book next month! I focus on helping professionals and businesses with their social media / content / influencer / digital marketing.
I grew up in Southern California but began my career by living in Japan for 15 years. I was an Asian Studies major and originally studied Mandarin Chinese and then Japanese became my 3rd language. Having lived in Asia for so long and being able to speak those languages gave me a different perspective on life and a holistic perspective on business that has become part of my DNA as an author and person.
If you were curious about me, check out my website at https://nealschaffer.com/
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Maximizing LinkedIn for Business Growth. The first two books I wrote were about LinkedIn, but they were published back in 2009 and 2011. So this new book commemorates my 15th anniversary of being an author! I also believe that the topic is evergreen and still popular, and with a decade of perspective I could add a fresh new voice and offer value to those seeking advice on LinkedIn.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Because I write nonfiction, I have the luxury of culling content from all of my blogs, podcasts, and presentations that I deliver. The ability to repurpose this content from other sources of my own definitely helps accelerate my writing. Don’t know if this is unusual, but it is very much a content marketing approach to writing a book!
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Some books that have influenced me include the book which defined the term Inbound Marketing, Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People, and Seth Godin’s Tribes.
What are you working on now?
Now that I am publishing Maximizing LinkedIn, I am preparing to launch my 6th book, Digital Threads: The Small Business and Entrepreneur Digital First Marketing Playbook. I actually have two more books that I would like to publish before the summer of 2025 – wish me luck!
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Investing in building an email list over time, keeping in touch with members frequently, and developing as many and as deep of relationships as possible is by far the best way to promote your books. This will help you convert some of your newsletter subscribers into becoming advocates for you, further helping your promotion efforts!
Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice is that writing the book and marketing the book require two different mindsets. Both are important, but it is critical to switch gears after writing your book so that you can promote your book the best possible. Market your book as earnestly as you write it with the same energy!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
In creating a strategy, deciding what you don’t do is equally important to deciding what you do do.
What are you reading now?
Just bought “Hungry Authors” by Liz Morrow and Ariel Curry and can’t wait to start digging into it!
What’s next for you as a writer?
As mentioned earlier, I am working on two more books, so as a writer, I need to get back into my groove and begin my research on the topic(s) I plan to write about. This also means beginning the process of reaching out to others that I can interview as part of the book writing process.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I would choose classic epic fantasy books which I can dig into and find new meaning and discover new connections and intricacies from with each reading: The Lord of the Rings, A Song of Ice and Fire, and The Wheel of Time.
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