Steven E is a book publisher with over 20 books in print. Fourteen of his books are bestsellers including "Wake Up...Live the Life You Love" As one of the leading experts in the movie "Pass It On", Steven lives to help people. He wants everyone to live to their full potential on an emotional, physical, and spiritual level.

Steven E wants everyone to find their purpose as early in life as possible. At only 21 years of age, he was startled awake. It was his inner voice telling him he needed to write a book, so he did. He was confident it would be a bestseller. Today you can find Steven publishing books and CDs and arranging speaking engagements.

It's magical the way people start showing up in your life to help you when you've found your purpose. Steven helps others so he can help himself, and he believes it will work for everyone. He first tried this method by recruiting 55 people to contribute to a book he was writing. In what he calls "team publishing," everyone was able to get published at the same time.

Steven compares team publishing to opening a coffee shop with investors. If people invest in your coffee shop, they will invite all of their friends and family to the grand opening. If several people contribute to a book you're publishing, they'll buy copies for all of their friends and family. Word of mouth advertising and guaranteed sales are the best ways to boost a new product.

Steven E believes the key is to help others first. When he introduces himself, he says, "Hi. I'm Steven. How can I help you?" This introduction catches people off guard and breaks the ice. They're free to find out who you are and how you can be of benefit to them. At the same time, you can devise a way to help yourself by helping them.

By finding out what others need and helping them with that need, you can form a bond with them. They will see what an asset you are, and in turn, they'll refer you to all of their friends. This type of marketing isn't only for book publishing. It can help any type of business. A chiropractor can give free appointments to his friends, and in turn, his friends will refer paying customers to him.

If you plan to publish a book, be aware that major publishers only pick up major authors. It's rare to see an unknown rise to the top of a major publishing company. Steven E says you'll almost always have to self-publish. You're going to need to figure out your own marketing strategy, and his advice is to start small with a business card approach. If you hand out a business card, you're just another face in the crowd. If you hand out a book, you're an "expert."

When you hand out a book, you're setting yourself up for residual incomes. People talk about books. They don't talk about business cards. Getting your name out there will build your business. To make it even better, try getting a short story published in a book with a big author. You'll have instant credibility, and you'll be helping the big author sell more books as well.