BOOK OF THE WEEK: BRAND IDENTITY BREAKTHROUGH BY GREGORY DIEHL

Hello people

One popular belief regarding brand promotion is that when a business has a product or service to offer, the best way to get more customers is to advertise to all and sundry, in hopes of drawing in potential customers. This, according to Gregory Diehl, the author of this week’s book, Brand Identity Breakthrough, is an inefficient way of promoting your brand to potential customers.

In this bestselling book, Diehl opines that good communication is key when promoting a good or a service. In addition, he states that apart from knowing the value one’s product or service adds to customers, the onus falls on entrepreneurs to identify the type of people who can recognize the value of their product or service.

Greg further asserts that anything which exists to serve everyone really exists to serve no one, and the best quality product or innovative marketing technique won't matter if the people you are approaching don't see a need for what you offer. 

Available on Okadabooks and Amazon Kindle

So what should an entrepreneur do to stamp his/her brand in the minds of people? Amongst other things, Diehl suggests the following:

1.    Identify your Unique Selling Point[USP]

2.    Focus on designing products and services that meet a specific demand, and:

3.    Know your target customers and advertise to them.

The beautiful thing about the book is that the author takes his time to explain the points in the book, thus ensuring that readers get value for their time and money. He also includes case studies of business owners who experienced greater success as a result of incorporating the ideas he teaches.

Brand Identity Breakthrough is a must-have for budding and established entrepreneurs. It can be gotten on Amazon and other major bookstores.

BOOK OF THE WEEK: BEHOLD YOUR MISSING RIB BY CHUKS EDEN

Hello people.

With so many marriage issues abounding in the world today, there can never be too many books on the subject of love and marriage. This week's book, Behold Your Missing Rib by Revd. Chuks Eden, deals with the subject of love and marriage albeit with a twist.

In the introductory chapter of the book, Revd. Chuks promises that the book will empower readers to overcome all barriers to marriage; a very heavy claim indeed.

Using scriptural verses as a framework to support his postulates, he suggests, in chapter one, seven primary reasons why marriages fail using different case studies to back up his claims.

In subsequent chapters, the author describes various traits a person must look out for in a prospective partner if they wish to marry and live happily ever after.

 It is at this point that the book gets interesting, although I must confess that I found it difficult agreeing with some of the things written in the book; for example, the author advises that a person should not marry a man who is not working, or a man whose work one is not comfortable with. While I understand what the author is trying to say, I also know that a few women were fortunate enough to marry men who were not working at the time of the wedding but who got jobs soon afterwards.

The author also advises that it’s best to marry someone not just of your own faith, but even of your own denomination if possible. Again, though this does make sense when viewed from one perspective [imagine a Deeper Lifer marrying a House on the Rock member]; I believe there are still exceptions to the rule.

These are but a few of the controversial issues contained in the book. It also contains insightful statements however, for instance, in the chapter on physical appearance, the author states that no matter how loud a person’s inner beauty shouts, a would-be suitor will not hear the sound unless they are first captivated by the outward packaging of the person.

Behold Your Missing Rib is entertaining and insightful once a person can get past the controversial issues in the book. Readers who wish to buy the book can purchase it on Okadabooks by clicking on the link below: 

http://okadabooks.com/book/about/behold_your_missing_rib__adult_only_18/11864 

NEW RELEASE ON OKADABOOKS AND AMAZON KINDLE

Hello people.

I am pleased to announce the release of my novel, A Crown of Beauty. Here's the blurb:

As a child, Ada seemed to have it all. With doting parents, a best friend, and a crush on Alex Babatunde Haastrup; her rival in primary school; life couldn't have been more interesting.

A tragic occurrence in her late teenage years shatters her fairytale existence, however, and Ada finds herself rebelling against everything she has ever believed in and keeping her distance from her loved ones- including Alex.

Years later, a chance encounter in the university forces her to confront her fears, and when fate brings her and Alex together again, they must decide if they can let go of the past and give the future a chance.

The book can be gotten on Okadabooks, a site which accepts payments in local and foreign currency. Here is the link to the book:

https://www.okadabooks.com/book/about/a_crown_of_beauty/15860#.Wep_PvoktLo.link

It is also available on Amazon Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076N5M9FT/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_dp_t2_-ul7zb8J8FC5S

My Amazon Author page link: https://www.amazon.com/LAURETTA-ANI/e/B076NXJWDR

Thank you for purchasing the book, and I look forward to reading your reviews.

BOOK OF THE WEEK: OUT OF THE BLUE BY GREG MURTHA

Hello people.

The average person subconsciously believes that he/she will live forever, or at least be young and healthy forever. Imagine the shock, therefore, when a once healthy person takes ill and receives this news from the doctor: ‘You have a terminal illness.’ Such was the shock received by Greg Murtha, the author of this week’s book, Out of the Blue.

Greg, a healthy, successful, forty-six year old man, left his house one early morning in December 2011 to perform his usual morning exercise. On returning home, he headed for the bathroom and was shocked to see blood, a lot of it, coming out with his urine. A visit to the doctor later confirmed his worst fear- he was ill; not just ill, but terminally ill. He had cancer.

Out of the Blue was penned while Greg was in the hospital. Written from a Christian perspective, Greg gives readers a glimpse into his thoughts on cancer, caregivers to cancer patients, life and life after death.

Reading this book is sure to make the reader remember just how finite life is, and how important it is for one to spend one’s life doing the things one loves and being with the people that matter most. The book can be gotten on Amazon and other major bookstores.

P.S: Greg lost his battle with cancer on June 22, 2017.

BOOK OF THE WEEK: AN UNEXPECTED AFTERLIFE by DAN SOFER

Hello people.

I have never really been a fan of sci-fi/dystopian/horror books and movies for some reason. This is despite all attempts by my older brother, who happens to be a movie buff, to make a disciple out of me. That I actually watched the Twilight trilogy still remains a mystery; maybe it had something to do with a handsome-in-a-roguish-way werewolf?

Anyway, imagine the pleasant surprise I got when I started reading the book, An Unexpected Afterlife.

In the opening chapter of An Unexpected Afterlife, Moshe Karlin, an erstwhile successful businessman, awakens naked one morning on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. He imagines it’s a hangover from his birthday celebration the night before and hails a cab home, only to find his wife in bed with his bed friend.

The mystery deepens as Moshe discovers that he has not been asleep for a night but has been dead for the past two years, and things are further compounded with the arrival of other resurrected bodies on the scene, a man who calls himself Prophet Elijah, and a damning conclusion by the Great Council of Torah Sages.

What unfolds is an intriguing plot having the right mix of mystery, suspense, romance, religion and betrayal all rolled into one.

The fact that this book has an original storyline, in addition to being engrossing, is one reason why I read it to the end despite my not being a fan of fantasy books. I did feel it was a bit too long, however, the author, Dan Sofer, ended the book on the right note and at the right time, with just enough information to keep the reader hooked and begging to get answers to some unanswered questions. I am definitely looking forward to the sequel, An Accidental Messiah, which will be out on October 24th.

Readers who love fantasy spiced with mystery and romance will certainly find this book difficult to put down. It can be gotten on Amazon and other major book stores.

BOOK OF THE WEEK: NEW ROUTES TO FUNDING by BARRY.E.JAMES

Hello people.

One challenge encountered by many entrepreneurs, especially budding ones, is the issue of funding. While a few entrepreneurs are fortunate to have wealthy parents who can afford to put thirty billion in their account, this, unfortunately, is not the reality of far too many others. The reality is that many entrepreneurs have to get funding through their sweat, blood and tears, and some never get funding after all is said and done.

The average African businessperson, when thinking about funding, usually relies on three sources:

(1) Personal savings/investments

(2)  Funds from family, friends and acquaintances

(3) Loans from banks, credit societies, etc

What many don’t know is that it is possible to get funds from total strangers through a process referred to as crowd funding.

A cynical person is probably thinking right now: ‘If a person cannot get funds from friends and acquaintances, then how is it possible to get funds from total strangers?’

Think no more. This week’s book, New Routes to Funding by Barry.E.James, teaches the concept of crowd funding and how entrepreneurs can use it to obtain funds for their business.

In the opening pages of the book, Barry lets readers know that the book is intended primarily for those who advise businesspeople on access to finance. 

He goes on to define seed crowdfunding as the use of crowdfunding platforms….to launch new products, services or businesses. A crowdfunding platform is a crowd of interested people who are willing to transact with business people, sometimes at low or no upfront costs. Barry suggests that opportunities to help start-ups and existing businesses are missed usually because many business advisors have no real experience with crowdfunding.

Stating that traditional investors generally will not invest in a business until it becomes a well known brand, whereas the businessperson needs the investor to finance the business before it can become a brand name in the first place, Barry submits that crowdfunding rescues the businessman from the proverbial chicken and egg dilemma.

He describes the four main models of funding and tackles eleven major myths of crowdfunding, such as the myths that:

·        Crowdfunding is a magic money tree

·        Crowdfunding only works for start-ups

·        Crowdfunding will soon be rife with fraud

·        Crowdfunding poses a danger to intellectual property, etc

This book contains a lot of hard data from research and analysis, and this gives the reader confidence that the author is writing facts and not subjective opinion. I found the data just a little too much though, and it is clear that the non financially savvy might have a hard time understanding the book.  Business advisors, on the other hand, are certain to find the book useful in their quest to understand crowdfunding.

I recommend the book to financially savvy entrepreneurs; it is one book that should grace the library of every financial advisor.  

NEW BOOK ON OKADABOOKS: DATING, COURTSHIP AND WEDDING NIGHT BLUES

Hello everyone,

A big thank you to all who downloaded my book, How to Promote Your Book Through Book Bloggers, which has presently been downloaded by over 83 users on the Okadabooks website and has received positive user reviews.

My book, Dating, Courtship and Wedding Night Blues, has been uploaded on the Okadabooks website. 

BLURB:

Are you single and wondering how to meet Mr/Ms Right?

Are you about to get married and still having misgivings about your fiancé/fiancée? 

Are you wondering whether to go on with that wedding?

STOP! Read this before you take the next step.

Written by Lauretta Ani, the author of How to Promote Your Book through Book Bloggers; Dating, Courtship and Wedding Night Blues is a candid book on the subject of love and romance. 

Short and straight to the point, with pictures and intriguing stories to illustrate her points, readers are sure to find this book refreshing and the ideas, stimulating. 


It can be downloaded by clicking on the link below:

https://www.okadabooks.com/book/about/dating_courtship_and_wedding_night_blues/15789#.WdJOu1-5rJU.link

Thank you, and please do leave reviews on the Okadabooks website after reading.