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-   -   How to Acquire a Toll Position in 7 Easy Steps (Live Case Study) (http://www.sowpub.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9238)

RyanMcGrath July 17, 2015 12:36 PM

How to Acquire a Toll Position in 7 Easy Steps (Live Case Study)
 
You may or may not have heard of Harvey Brody.

The quick version of putting it is that Harvey is a genius…

If you don’t know Harvey, you can can grab the complete story here: http://www.infomarketingblog.com/toll-postion-secrets/

For the last 6 months, I’ve been studying Harvey’s original Toll Position Course. I’ve also spent hours with Harvey, going over his concepts with him on the phone, and trying to drill his ideas through my thick skull…

Anyway, if you go through Harvey’s teachings, you’ll find out the concept of acquiring “stored value” from Toll Positions other people have somehow abandoned…

You might wonder how someone might go about making this happen.

That’s why I’m going to show you, right here and now, how I took Harvey’s concept and acquired a toll position for myself in less than 90 days:

1. In January 2015, I was doing a heavy amount of research on real estate investing, a personal interest of mine. During my research, I came across an incredible out-of-print book, written in the 1980s, called Hidden Wealth in Local Real Estate. Knowing what Harvey has taught me, I started sniffing around to see if I could figure out what the status was with this book, who held the intellectual property rights, etc.

2. Thanks to some detective work on my part, I discovered the author was alive and well, retired in Northern Minnesota. After digging deeper, I located a probable mailing address…

3. I send the author a short 2-page letter via U.S. postal mail, pitching the author on my concept of taking his out-of-print book, republishing it as an e-book on Amazon Kindle, and then marketing it using direct response ads, PR and publicity, etc. My total cost at this point… the price of a stamp (49 cents).

4. BULLS-EYE. The author calls me up. He tells me the book has been out-of-print for years, and the publisher is doing nothing with it. I tell him my vision for the project and make my pitch again… I’ll republish and market his book to a whole new generation of readers -- if he’ll give me an exclusive license as his new publisher. Keep in mind; I don’t even have a publishing company at this time. In fact, I’ve never published a book in my life at this point… All I had was a vision and a few marketing ideas. Turns out, the author is a great guy, an entrepreneur who’s been around the block a few times on making deals with complete beginners. We make a “handshake deal” over the phone…

5. We uncover a small problem… it appears the original publisher still holds the copyright to the title. I do more research, and uncover the process of requesting “reversion of rights” back from the old publisher. I write up a letter. The author sends certified letter to his old publisher. Boom! Publisher writes back, gives the author back his copyright. Only problem now is we now have the rights to a book in PRINT... no electronic versions exist... and I want to make an e-book!

6. I find a website that will OCR scan and digitize a print book for $2.00. Get the PDF file. Turn into a Microsoft Word document. Spend a few hours formatting, copyediting, designing a cover, writing sales copy, etc. Set up an LLC. Set up a very basic website. Submit the book to Amazon.

7. July 17, 2015... Book is published! The execution phase of my marketing plan begins. If you want, you can see the actual e-book here: http://www.reversionbooks.com/ (Keep in mind that what you are seeing here is only a tiny piece of the overall marketing plan.)

What’s next? Well here is the fun begins. I won’t give all the details here, but this is only a small move in a grand plan. Starting with Harvey calls a "view from the rooftop" I am now working backwards to find the puzzle pieces to direct me toward my larger goal.

Anyway, I hope this post is helpful and inspirational for anyone looking to acquire a Toll Position of their own. I know I would've liked to see something this when I was first starting this process! :)

Please hit me up if have any questions...

Bob Blagg July 17, 2015 01:06 PM

Re: How to Acquire a Toll Position in 7 Easy Steps (Live Case Study)
 
Great information!!!

Thank You!!! for sharing it.

GordonJ July 17, 2015 01:37 PM

FANTASTIC Ryan.
 
LOVE your action. Love your site. Will buy the book today.

Now,
there are several books I've been looking at, and feel I could crush a promotion on...it seems to me you would be the Ideal Publisher.

But, I'd (preferably you) have to acquire the rights, but feel there is a lot of potential with direct marketing campaigns, so it would be more of a creative agreement rather than me owning the copyright. Are you open to anything at this point?

Also, glad to see you embraced the view from the rooftop and thanks to the link to our QOP (Me) and Harvey's Answers in that work we did a few years back.

I think you have found a SENSATIONAL Toll Position, congrats.

Gordon


Quote:

Originally Posted by RyanMcGrath (Post 35588)
You may or may not have heard of Harvey Brody.

The quick version of putting it is that Harvey is a genius…

If you don’t know Harvey, you can can grab the complete story here: http://www.infomarketingblog.com/toll-postion-secrets/

For the last 6 months, I’ve been studying Harvey’s original Toll Position Course. I’ve also spent hours with Harvey, going over his concepts with him on the phone, and trying to drill his ideas through my thick skull…

Anyway, if you go through Harvey’s teachings, you’ll find out the concept of acquiring “stored value” from Toll Positions other people have somehow abandoned…

You might wonder how someone might go about making this happen.

That’s why I’m going to show you, right here and now, how I took Harvey’s concept and acquired a toll position for myself in less than 90 days:

1. In January 2015, I was doing a heavy amount of research on real estate investing, a personal interest of mine. During my research, I came across an incredible out-of-print book, written in the 1980s, called Hidden Wealth in Local Real Estate. Knowing what Harvey has taught me, I started sniffing around to see if I could figure out what the status was with this book, who held the intellectual property rights, etc.

2. Thanks to some detective work on my part, I discovered the author was alive and well, retired in Northern Minnesota. After digging deeper, I located a probable mailing address…

3. I send the author a short 2-page letter via U.S. postal mail, pitching the author on my concept of taking his out-of-print book, republishing it as an e-book on Amazon Kindle, and then marketing it using direct response ads, PR and publicity, etc. My total cost at this point… the price of a stamp (49 cents).

4. BULLS-EYE. The author calls me up. He tells me the book has been out-of-print for years, and the publisher is doing nothing with it. I tell him my vision for the project and make my pitch again… I’ll republish and market his book to a whole new generation of readers -- if he’ll give me an exclusive license as his new publisher. Keep in mind; I don’t even have a publishing company at this time. In fact, I’ve never published a book in my life at this point… All I had was a vision and a few marketing ideas. Turns out, the author is a great guy, an entrepreneur who’s been around the block a few times on making deals with complete beginners. We make a “handshake deal” over the phone…

5. We uncover a small problem… it appears the original publisher still holds the copyright to the title. I do more research, and uncover the process of requesting “reversion of rights” back from the old publisher. I write up a letter. The author sends certified letter to his old publisher. Boom! Publisher writes back, gives the author back his copyright. Only problem now is we now have the rights to a book in PRINT... no electronic versions exist... and I want to make an e-book!

6. I find a website that will OCR scan and digitize a print book for $2.00. Get the PDF file. Turn into a Microsoft Word document. Spend a few hours formatting, copyediting, designing a cover, writing sales copy, etc. Set up an LLC. Set up a very basic website. Submit the book to Amazon.

7. July 17, 2015... Book is published! The execution phase of my marketing plan begins. If you want, you can see the actual e-book here: http://www.reversionbooks.com/ (Keep in mind that what you are seeing here is only a tiny piece of the overall marketing plan.)

What’s next? Well here is the fun begins. I won’t give all the details here, but this is only a small move in a grand plan. Starting with Harvey calls a "view from the rooftop" I am now working backwards to find the puzzle pieces to direct me toward my larger goal.

Anyway, I hope this post is helpful and inspirational for anyone looking to acquire a Toll Position of their own. I know I would've liked to see something this when I was first starting this process! :)

Please hit me up if have any questions...


RyanMcGrath July 17, 2015 01:43 PM

Re: How to Acquire a Toll Position in 7 Easy Steps (Live Case Study)
 
Gordon: I am open to any deals you might suggest. Harvey has opened my eyes that way... You can email me at: [email protected]

GordonJ July 18, 2015 09:14 AM

A word on Harvey Brody methodology.
 
Harvey Brody has been extremely generous with his time over the years, he gets many phone calls and emails from people.

I feel it is safe to say the majority of people he talks with are a bit confused, I've been told they come away with the feeling he is cryptic and talks in code.

You will hear things like

the view from the rooftop
the pre-flight checklist
kicking out the chocks
iron filings and magnets

And many more metaphors and concepts.

Those who approach Harvey seeking the "Tell me what to do, what are the step by step methods" will be the ones who don't get the power of what he says.

It took me almost 2 years working with Harvey to embrace his thinking concepts which ARE the step by step METHODOLOGY.

IT DOESN'T GET ANY MORE STEP BY STEP THAN THE RUNG UP THE LADDER TO THE VIEW FROM THE ROOFTOP.

Once I started to APPLY his thinking, things happened. I got a 6k a month contract which lasted 9 months for about 5 hours a week of my time BECAUSE

I used the magnet and the iron filings.

I won't even consider a project without a view from the rooftop, what beard or hair I want to put on the bald man on my toy iron and magnet tool. And without having a pre flight checklist.

I said it in 2006, and I'll say it today...the secret to Harvey's success is his THINKING.

Once you have embraced it, then, like Ryan you go out and acquire or create your toll position and stored value is a good place to start.

Gordon Jay

PS. As genius as he is, he can't tell you what to do, but he can help you THINK and therefore save you time, money and effort to finding your own safe harbor in this world.

sandalwood July 18, 2015 10:57 AM

Re: How to Acquire a Toll Position in 7 Easy Steps (Live Case Study)
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by RyanMcGrath (Post 35588)
You may or may not have heard of Harvey Brody.

The quick version of putting it is that Harvey is a genius…

If you don’t know Harvey, you can can grab the complete story here: http://www.infomarketingblog.com/toll-postion-secrets/

For the last 6 months, I’ve been studying Harvey’s original Toll Position Course. I’ve also spent hours with Harvey, going over his concepts with him on the phone, and trying to drill his ideas through my thick skull…

Anyway, if you go through Harvey’s teachings, you’ll find out the concept of acquiring “stored value” from Toll Positions other people have somehow abandoned…

You might wonder how someone might go about making this happen.

That’s why I’m going to show you, right here and now, how I took Harvey’s concept and acquired a toll position for myself in less than 90 days:

1. In January 2015, I was doing a heavy amount of research on real estate investing, a personal interest of mine. During my research, I came across an incredible out-of-print book, written in the 1980s, called Hidden Wealth in Local Real Estate. Knowing what Harvey has taught me, I started sniffing around to see if I could figure out what the status was with this book, who held the intellectual property rights, etc.

2. Thanks to some detective work on my part, I discovered the author was alive and well, retired in Northern Minnesota. After digging deeper, I located a probable mailing address…

3. I send the author a short 2-page letter via U.S. postal mail, pitching the author on my concept of taking his out-of-print book, republishing it as an e-book on Amazon Kindle, and then marketing it using direct response ads, PR and publicity, etc. My total cost at this point… the price of a stamp (49 cents).

4. BULLS-EYE. The author calls me up. He tells me the book has been out-of-print for years, and the publisher is doing nothing with it. I tell him my vision for the project and make my pitch again… I’ll republish and market his book to a whole new generation of readers -- if he’ll give me an exclusive license as his new publisher. Keep in mind; I don’t even have a publishing company at this time. In fact, I’ve never published a book in my life at this point… All I had was a vision and a few marketing ideas. Turns out, the author is a great guy, an entrepreneur who’s been around the block a few times on making deals with complete beginners. We make a “handshake deal” over the phone…

5. We uncover a small problem… it appears the original publisher still holds the copyright to the title. I do more research, and uncover the process of requesting “reversion of rights” back from the old publisher. I write up a letter. The author sends certified letter to his old publisher. Boom! Publisher writes back, gives the author back his copyright. Only problem now is we now have the rights to a book in PRINT... no electronic versions exist... and I want to make an e-book!

6. I find a website that will OCR scan and digitize a print book for $2.00. Get the PDF file. Turn into a Microsoft Word document. Spend a few hours formatting, copyediting, designing a cover, writing sales copy, etc. Set up an LLC. Set up a very basic website. Submit the book to Amazon.

7. July 17, 2015... Book is published! The execution phase of my marketing plan begins. If you want, you can see the actual e-book here: http://www.reversionbooks.com/ (Keep in mind that what you are seeing here is only a tiny piece of the overall marketing plan.)

What’s next? Well here is the fun begins. I won’t give all the details here, but this is only a small move in a grand plan. Starting with Harvey calls a "view from the rooftop" I am now working backwards to find the puzzle pieces to direct me toward my larger goal.

Anyway, I hope this post is helpful and inspirational for anyone looking to acquire a Toll Position of their own. I know I would've liked to see something this when I was first starting this process! :)

Please hit me up if have any questions...


Ryan,

Congratulations on your success. I don't know if you are a member of the warrior forum but this case study would have been a $19.00 WSO. No disrespect intended so please don't take it that way.

What you laid out was exactly what most won't or don't do. You have to take action. In other words get off your dead ass and put in the time and effort it takes to get from here to there.

Here's a thought. A lot of the well known real estate book/course promoters are still active. Since you now own the copyright, maybe a joint venture with one or more of them would result in instant sales. Don't know that for sure just thinking out loud.

Again, congratulations.

Dien Rice July 18, 2015 12:39 PM

A great post... how to not get stuck on a treadmill...!
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by RyanMcGrath (Post 35588)
You may or may not have heard of Harvey Brody.

The quick version of putting it is that Harvey is a genius…

If you don’t know Harvey, you can can grab the complete story here: http://www.infomarketingblog.com/toll-postion-secrets/

For the last 6 months, I’ve been studying Harvey’s original Toll Position Course. I’ve also spent hours with Harvey, going over his concepts with him on the phone, and trying to drill his ideas through my thick skull…

Anyway, if you go through Harvey’s teachings, you’ll find out the concept of acquiring “stored value” from Toll Positions other people have somehow abandoned…

You might wonder how someone might go about making this happen.

That’s why I’m going to show you, right here and now, how I took Harvey’s concept and acquired a toll position for myself in less than 90 days:

Hi Ryan,

Thanks... This is an extremely exciting post!

It's also exciting to "meet" someone traveling along similar pathways... :)

The pathway of acquiring toll positions is a fantastic one. As Harvey himself says, it's actually often to acquire than to create your own toll positions (though you can do that too).

When you acquire toll positions, though, you are leveraging "stored value" that's out there, and which is underutilized, or not even being utilized at all!

These should be exciting words for any who want to make a living from toll positions...

When you do it right, your toll positions will be working for you. Why be stuck on a treadmill? Many "successful" people do just that - they're still stuck on a daily or weekly treadmill - when there's no need to live that way...

While I haven't exactly done what you've done, I've acquired copyright toll positions in various ways. I recently acquired the complete copyrights to some audiobooks (in a non-marketing niche), for example...

In that case, I acquired them directly from the author. However, it doesn't always work out. I corresponded with one well-known "old school" marketer (many here would be familiar with his name), but he didn't want to do a profit-sharing type of deal, he only wanted to sell the rights to his works outright (for a very high figure). In another case, I had difficulty dealing with the widow of a different author. However, I'm still learning, and getting better at knowing what I'm doing as I go along... :)

Thanks Ryan for sharing! This is an immensely valuable and insightful post!

For those who don't want to be stuck on a treadmill... This is a post to take note of...

Best wishes,

Dien

GordonJ July 19, 2015 09:16 AM

It will be fun to watch Ryan grow his publishing business via stored
 
value.

I predict in less than a year (IF he has TIME to tend to it) his publishing company will grow by exponential leaps and bounds.

Hosting other people's work in exchange for exclusive rights (in most cases) is a tested and proven method of publishing.

Melvin Powers started with one book, NON exclusive rights, and built a dynamite publishing house which is still going strong a couple of years after his death.

I think most writers, especially with either out of print OR barely circulated books, would love a chance to have someone host and sell their work.

Of course you run into ego, but just too many fish in that sea to even worry about them.

Doesn't hurt that Ryan is a master copywriter either.

Gordon



Quote:

Originally Posted by Dien Rice (Post 35597)
Hi Ryan,

Thanks... This is an extremely exciting post!

It's also exciting to "meet" someone traveling along similar pathways... :)

The pathway of acquiring toll positions is a fantastic one. As Harvey himself says, it's actually often to acquire than to create your own toll positions (though you can do that too).

When you acquire toll positions, though, you are leveraging "stored value" that's out there, and which is underutilized, or not even being utilized at all!

These should be exciting words for any who want to make a living from toll positions...

When you do it right, your toll positions will be working for you. Why be stuck on a treadmill? Many "successful" people do just that - they're still stuck on a daily or weekly treadmill - when there's no need to live that way...

While I haven't exactly done what you've done, I've acquired copyright toll positions in various ways. I recently acquired the complete copyrights to some audiobooks (in a non-marketing niche), for example...

In that case, I acquired them directly from the author. However, it doesn't always work out. I corresponded with one well-known "old school" marketer (many here would be familiar with his name), but he didn't want to do a profit-sharing type of deal, he only wanted to sell the rights to his works outright (for a very high figure). In another case, I had difficulty dealing with the widow of a different author. However, I'm still learning, and getting better at knowing what I'm doing as I go along... :)

Thanks Ryan for sharing! This is an immensely valuable and insightful post!

For those who don't want to be stuck on a treadmill... This is a post to take note of...

Best wishes,

Dien


Chuck September 16, 2015 09:10 PM

Re: How to Acquire a Toll Position in 7 Easy Steps (Live Case Study)
 
Thanks for sharing this Ryan.. the book sounds interesting and the Kindle Version today was at a very good price. I bought it and will definitely check it out!

nifty nonpareil January 12, 2021 07:36 PM

Re: How to Acquire a Toll Position in 7 Easy Steps (Live Case Study)
 
Dear Dien,
Warmest wishes of the day and to your 2021 too.
Also sending you, and yours, your bundle of joy, [Gordon, and Ryan M too] every blessing of strength and aloha!
Most insightful learning ~ Ryan’s “Live Case Study” involving Harvey’s blueprint.
Attempted to find Ryan’s online publishing site; however, he might’ve “updated his “reversion-books DOT com” - - just wondering.
Shall sleuth further.
Thank you for reading along.
Aloha, n~nicole


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