Savvy Book Marketing Secrets 52 Experts Share Insider Tips for Selling More Books

Published in 2011 by The Savvy Book Marketer, an imprint of Texana Publishing onsultants, !! Smash"ords #dition """$TheSavvyBookMarketer$%om Copyright Notice #a%h arti%le in this ebook is %opyrighted by the author of the arti%le$ &ou may not reprodu%e any arti%le "ithout the prior "ritten %onsent of the author of the arti%le$ You are welcome to share this free ebook with others, but you may not sell it$

Disclai er This is an informational guide and is not intended as a substitute for legal or other professional servi%es$ 'eaders are urged to %onsult a variety of sour%es and edu%ate themselves about the business of publishing and marketing$ (hile every effort has been made to make this guide a%%urate, it may %ontain typographi%al and %ontent errors$ The information expressed herein is the opinion of the author, and is not intended to refle%t upon any parti%ular person or %ompany$ The author and publisher shall have no responsibility or liability "ith respe%t to any loss or damage %aused, or alleged to be %aused, by the information or appli%ation of the information %ontained in this guide$ Some links in this book are affiliate links, meaning that Texana Publishing onsultants, !! , re%eives a %ommission on sales of other %ompanies) produ%ts and servi%es sold as a result of %li%king on the link$

Ta!le of Contents
"!o#t this Book Book Marketing Strategy *etting #ndorsements for your Book (ho Should &ou Be Promoting &our Book To+ Book Marketing !essons from the (orld of 'etail , -inding .i%he Markets for &our Books onfessions of a 'elu%tant Marketer The Self/ onfiden%e to Sell More Books Building 'elationships 0n%reases 'eadership 1abits of 2%tion3 1o" 2uthors an *et Things 4one 'esour%es $nline Book %ro otion 'e%ipe for a Book/-o%used 1ome Page 5a66 7p &our (eb Site or Blog "ith Simple 1TM! The 'ight 8and (rong9 (ay to omment on Blogs #valuating &our urrent :nline ;isibility Book ;ideo Trailers3 11 Steps to Make &our :"n < Steps to reate an 2ma6on Bestselling Book ampaign Top 10 (ays to Maximi6e Book Sales on 2ma6on$%om Build a Money Making :pt/0n Subs%riber !ist "ith :ne Simple 0dea 'esour%es Social Media Marketing (hy So%ial .et"orking is a Must for 2uthors Turn &our -a%ebook Profile into a -riend Magnet in = #asy Steps Promoting &our Book on !inked0n3 4o>s and 4on>ts Book Marketing "ith !inked0n , Top Mistakes and Solutions Promote a Book "ith T"itter3 Top 10 Strategies for 2uthors Promote &our Book "ith a T"itter (orld Tour 'esour%es &iction Marketing (hat 4o &ou Talk 2bout :n &our Blog 0f &ou (rite -i%tion+ Blog 0deas for -i%tion 2uthors (hat .ovelists an !earn 2bout Marketing from .onfi%tion 2uthors

%#!licity for Books and "#thors -ive Tips to reate Publi%ity for &our Book 2natomy of a Su%%essful Press 'elease for Book Promotion -ive Tips for (riting a Strong Press 'elease 7se a Benefit -unnel to (rite ompelling opy 2uthor Branding3 The &ou That 0s #very"here 1o" to Build &our 2uthor Platform Perk 7p &our Bio 1o" To 4evelop ?ey Messages and *et Them 2%ross @ui%kly Building 2uthor Platform by Pit%hing &ourself to the Media 7se the alendar to Promote &ourself and &our Book .ine Tips for 1elping &our Publi%ist 4o a *reat 5ob Blog Talk 'adio :ffers Books 2uthors the :pportunity to 1ost Their :"n Sho"s Best (ays to 2pproa%h 'adio and T; Talk Sho"s 4o Book 'evie"s Matter+ 'esour%es Speaking and Events 12 Se%rets to Selling More Books at #vents 1o" to #xhibit at Book 0ndustry Tradesho"s Promote &our Book by Be%oming a ?eynote Speaker 'esour%es 'irt#al Book To#rs Promote &our Book "ith a ;irtual Book Tour 1o" to Plan &our ;irtual Book Tour Blog Tours for 2uthors , 4o They (ork+ (i!rary) Ed#cational and Corporate Sales 1o" to Sell to !ibraries , Top Ten Strategies for 0ndependent 2uthors and Publishers 1o" to Market hildren>s Books in S%hools 1o" to Sell More Books to orporations 'esour%es %#!lishing and Distri!#tion 1o" to *et Started (riting &our Book (hy 2uthors .eed an #ditor Mistakes of -irst/Time 2uthors 4rafting &our Ba%k over Sales opy 1o" to raft Ba%k over opy that Sells Books by the Boatload 5udging a Book by 0ts over 1o" To -ind 2 !iterary 2gent 8(hen &ou)ve Self/Published9 The 'ole of 'etailers, 4istributors and (holesalers in the Book Trade

1o" 4o Books *et Sto%ked in Bookstores+ E!ooks and Infor ation %rod#cts 1o" to Publish an #book Publishing ontent for 2ma6on>s ?indle 1o" to Make &our Books 2vailable in Multiple #book -ormats Selling 0nformation3 ompeting 0n 2 (orld (here 0nformation 0s -ree -rom Book to Multiple Streams of 0n%ome "!o#t The Savvy Book Marketer The Savvy Book Marketer *#ides

"!o#t this Book

:ver the past %ouple of years, do6ens of book marketing and publishing experts have enri%hed my Savvy Book Marketer blog at http3AA"""$TheSavvyBookMarketer$%om "ith their guest posts$ 0 have learned mu%h from these experts and 0)m pleased to share a sele%tion of their arti%les "ith you in this free ebook$ 0)ve added a fe" of my o"n arti%les and also in%luded a list of resour%es in ea%h %hapter$ +o# are ,elco e to share this free e!ook ,ith others) !#t yo# ay not sell it- 0f you)d like to let other authors kno" "here to do"nload a free %opy of this ebook, here are some posts to use on so%ial net"orks3 2uthors, get book marketing tips from <2 top experts , free Savvy Book Marketing Se%rets ebook at http3AAbit$lyASavvySe%rets Bpubtip -ree ebook for authors / Savvy Book Marketing Secrets: 52 Experts Share Insider Tips for Selling More Books http3AAbit$lyASavvySe%rets Please remember that ea%h arti%le in this ebook is %opyrighted by its author and may not be reprodu%ed "ithout the author)s prior "ritten %onsent$ 0 hope you find this ebook helpful in promoting your books$ *et more book marketing tips and t"o more free ebooks "hen you sign up for my ne"sletter at http3AA"""$BookMarketing.e"sletter$%om$ To your su%%essC 4ana !ynn Smith The Savvy Book Marketer

"""$TheSavvyBookMarketer$%om Ba%k to top

Book Marketing Strategy Getting Endorsements for your Book

by Sarah Bolme 1ave you ever seen a book %over "here the name of the %elebrity providing an endorsement for the book "as larger than the author)s name+ This little tri%k is used to %at%h a book buyer)s eye be%ause publishers kno" that %elebrity names sell books$ 2s an author, make pursuing endorsements for your book a priority$ (hy is seeking endorsements for a book so important+ #ndorsements lend %redibility to a book and state a book has Duality$ 2 good endorsement %an make the differen%e bet"een a fe" sales and a multitude of sales$ .- Endorse ents lend credi!ility to a !ook(ith so many books to %hoose from, most book buyers depend on name re%ognition "hen making pur%hase de%isions$ 2 ne" or unkno"n author has no reputation and thus little %redibility "ith %onsumers$ The best "ay to gain %redibility in the %onsumer)s eye is to have your book endorsed by someone "ho already has %redibility$ (hen %onsumers trust the person endorsing your book, they trust that you are a %redible author$ 2- Endorse ents state a !ook has /#alityBooksellers have limited shelf spa%e from "hi%h to sell books$ 4istributors %an only market a finite number of books and generally %hoose to represent those books they think have the greatest possibility of selling$ onsumers have limited spending dollars on "hi%h to spend their hard/earned money as "ell as limited time in "hi%h to read$ #a%h of these book buyers needs to be assured that the book they are %onsidering pur%hasing is a Duality book "orth their money and time$ #ndorsements send this message$ 0t is best to se%ure endorsements for your book "hile it is still in manus%ript form$ That "ay, you %an use the endorsers) names on your book %over and in all your pre/release book revie" reDuests and marketing materials$ (hen reDuesting an endorsement, send a %omplete %opy of your manus%ript for the endorser to revie"$ 0t is a%%eptable to provide endorsers "ith a list of names of other

persons from "hom you are reDuesting endorsements$ Most %elebrity endorsers "ill be pleased to be in%luded in good %ompany and those "ho are not %elebrities "ill be ex%ited to have their names printed "ith famous people$ #ndorsements are truly an essential ingredient in a good book marketing %ampaign$ "!o#t the "#thor Sarah Bolme is an author, speaker, and hristian marketing %oa%h$ She is the author of the a"ard/"inning book Your uide to Marketing Books in the !hristian Marketplace at http3AA"""$marketing%hristianbooks$%om and dire%tor of the hristian Small Publishers 2sso%iation at http3AA"""$%hristianpublishers$net$ -or more information, read her Marketing hristian Books blog at http3AAmarketing%hristianbooks$"ordpress$%om$ Ba%k to top

Who Should You Be Promoting Your Book To?

by 4ana !ynn Smith 2 "ritten book marketing plan is an essential tool in effe%tively promoting your book$ :ne of the first priorities in developing a book marketing plan is to define the target audien%es for your book$ &our audien%e may be "ider than you think$ 2 book marketing plan should in%lude strategies for rea%hing several different target audien%es, in%luding3 1$ 0eaders , These are people "ho buy the book to read$ This is the most obvious %ategory and it in%ludes your primary audien%e 8the Eideal %ustomerE that the book "as spe%ifi%ally "ritten for9 as "ell as se%ondary audien%es "ho have an interest in your topi% or genre$ 2$ %#rchasers , Many book buyers pur%hase books for other people$ -or example, people buy books as gifts, parents and grandparents pur%hase books for %hildren, and "omen buy men>s health books$ ompanies and organi6ations buy books to give a"ay to their %ustomers, members and prospe%ts$ (ho "ould be likely to pur%hase your book for someone else, and ho" %an you rea%h those folks+ F$ Infl#encers , 4on>t overlook the importan%e of people "ho %ommuni%ate "ith your target %ustomers and %an let them kno" about your book$ This in%ludes bloggers, other "riters in your genre, Gournalists, book revie"ers, and other experts in your field$ 0n online book marketing, the influen%ers may be the most important %ategory of all$ Think about ho" mu%h you %an multiply your book promotion efforts "hen other people spread the "ord to their o"n readers and %ustomers$

:ther people "ho %ater to your target %ustomers %an promote you and your book in several "ays, in%luding blog posts, links to your "ebsite or blog, T"ittering, ne"sletter arti%les, and media sharing tools like 4igg and Stumble7pon$ 0t>s important to develop relationships "ith these influen%ers, as part of your book marketing plan$ Traditional and online media are also important influen%ers$ &ou %an rea%h them through traditional publi%ity efforts as "ell as online press releases and arti%le distribution$ Be sure your book marketing plan in%ludes strategies for promoting your book to all of these important target audien%es$ "!o#t the "#thor 4ana !ynn Smith is a book marketing %oa%h and author of the Savvy Book Marketer uides at """$SavvyBookMarketer$%om$ -or more book promotion tips, follo" HBookMarketer on T"itter, visit 4ana>s blog at """$TheSavvyBookMarketer$%om, and get a %opy of the Top Book Marketing Tips ebook "hen you sign up for her free ne"sletter at """$BookMarketing.e"sletter$%om$ Ba%k to top

Book

arketing !essons from the World of "etail # $inding %iche arkets for Your Books

by Tra%y 1igley (hile "riting fi%tion is my passion, 0 also have another side of life , an online retail business selling %raft and hobby supplies$ There are a number of lessons 0)ve learned in my non/"riting marketing efforts that %an translate to marketing fi%tion, and 0)ll share one "ith you in this post$ 0f you)d like to read more, you %an find a series of posts on the topi% at http3AA%anblog$typepad$%omA%anbookmarketingAtra%y/higleyA$ :ne of the best things you %an do to spread the "ord about your novel is to find a tightly fo%used group of people "ho "ould love it$ 0n other "ords, a ni%he$ Entrepreneur maga6ine defines a ni%he as I2 portion of a market that you>ve identified as having some spe%ial %hara%teristi% and that>s "orth marketing to$J @uite frankly, 0 have built my entire retail business on this prin%iple$ 0n this arti%le, 0)ll give examples from both my "riting and my retail business, "ith links provided to give you a better feel for "hat 0)m explaining$ 1ere)s ho" ni%he marketing "orks, and ho" it %an "ork for your books3 1$ 0dentify a spe%ifi% segment of people "hom you think "ould be espe%ially interested in your books$ Be very spe%ifi%$ 4on)t "orry about Ileaving outJ a large portion of your

readers from this ni%he$ That)s the point$ &ou)re going to market to this ni%he in spe%ial "ays that don)t apply to all of your target readers$ #xample3 0 started an online retail business several years ago by identifying ni%hes in the %raft supply business that "eren)t being adeDuately supplied online$ :ur first t"o produ%ts, Perler Beads at http3AA"""$koolstuffKkids$%omA and @uilling Supplies 8not Duilting, Duilling is a paper %raft9 at http3AA"""$Duillingsuperstore$%omA, are given a very small amount of shelf spa%e in lo%al %raft stores$ People "ho are interested in these produ%ts find the sele%tion disappointing$ They turn to the 0nternet, and they find us$ 0)ve built a su%%essful business by identifying this very small ni%he in 2meri%an %rafters and offering them hundreds of produ%ts for their %raft$ &ou %an do this "ith your books$ Brainstorm for ni%hes$ 0t)s a bit easier "ith non/fi%tion, but "ork to think of people in your novel "ho %ould relate to its theme, premise, setting, et%$ an you identify a very spe%ifi% group "ho "ould be interested+ -or example, if your book)s theme "ere about Guggling a %areer and a family, a ni%he might be Iprofessional "omen having their first %hild after at least ten years in the %orporate "orld$J 4o you see ho" this small ni%he fits into your larger target market+ 0 "rite histori%al fi%tion$ So do many other authorsC 1o" are my books uniDue, and "hat is a ni%he that 0 %an identify+ My Seven "onders #ovels at http3AAbit$lyAh6fBT! are histori%al suspense, fairly fast/pa%ed, and set in an%ient time periods like #gypt, *ree%e, and 'ome$ There are several ni%hes 0 %an identify, but the first one 0 am fo%using on is this3 homes%hooling high s%hool students and their mothers$ 4o you see ho" this fits+ 1omes%hoolers are al"ays looking for %reative "ays to approa%h history and literature in a %ombined "ay$ They are likely to enGoy my fast/pa%ed suspense that gives a glimpse into these an%ient %ultures$ 2nd they are likely to appre%iate the faith element "oven into my books$ 2$ 0)ve already tou%hed on the se%ond step a little bit in the paragraph above$ :n%e you)ve identified your ni%he, identify their needs$ 1o" %an your books benefit this group of people+ 0n my retail business, the uniDue benefits 0 offer to my %ustomers are "ide sele%tion and easy navigation$ By %reating entire "ebsites at http3AAbit$lyAhL&utB for a single ni%he su%h as @uilling, Polymer lay, or :rigami, 0 am able to %arry many produ%ts for that ni%he "ithout bogging do"n the site navigation, and %ustomers feel as though they)ve stumbled upon a spe%iali6ed store that fo%uses only on them and their %raft$ 2 "el%ome dis%overy for most of them, after feeling that the lo%al stores have largely ignored their needsC -ind the benefit you %an offer your ni%he$ 0t may reDuire some extra "ork on your part$ 0 am in the pro%ess of developing Ibonus %ontentJ materials for homes%hoolers that "ill %omplement my fi%tion$ 82s an aside, if you are a homes%hooling family and this interests you, 0 "ould love for you to %onta%t me at http3AA"""$tlhigley$%omApagesA onta%t$php and give your inputC9 F$ Take the benefits you %an offer your ni%he, and go forth and find those peopleC The

0nternet has greatly expanded our ability to %onne%t "ith ni%hes$ There are pla%es 8online and offline9 "here you are likely to find my example of Iprofessional "omen having their first %hild after at least ten years in the %orporate "orldJ or "hatever your ni%he might be$ -igure out "here they are, "ho the influen%ers are, and ho" you %an %onne%t "ith them , either online or in person$ 0f you)re able to identify more than one ni%he for your books, or perhaps different ni%hes for ea%h book, all the better$ *o after them systemati%ally$ 4on)t be lured into the trap of saying, Ibut everyone should buy my books$J This mentality often leads to no one buying your booksC .i%he marketing is really an extension of the %on%ept of branding$ :n%e you)ve figured out your brand, identify the groups of people most likely to be interested and benefited, and then find "ays to meet their needs$ .i%he marketing "orks$ 0)ve "at%hed it result in loyal %ustomers over my years in retail, and it "ill "ork for your books if implemented "ell$ 2s a post/s%ript, ni%he marketing also gets you noti%ed$ 0 "as re%ently %onta%ted by the Martha Ste"art Sho" to provide the audien%e givea"ay for her segment on Polymer lay$ 2s a result, Martha mentioned our store on her sho", and her "ebsite no" links to my Polymer lay Superstore at http3AA"""$polymer%laysuperstore$%omA$ This free publi%ity "ould not have o%%urred "ithout ni%he marketingC "!o#t the "#thor Tra%y 1igley is the author of a number of histori%al suspense novels, in%luding the Seven "onders #ovels at http3AA"""$tlhigley$%omApagesA'eaders$php$ To %he%k out her "ebsite and the "ay she in%orporates marketing strategies there, visit """$T!1igley$%om$ Ba%k to top

&onfessions of a "eluctant
by Beth Barany

arketer

&ou may think that marketing your books is a s%ary prospe%t, but a%tually marketing is essential to your %areer as an author$ 2nd if you un%over your style of marketing, then ultimately you "ill sell more books$ (hen my first book %ame out in Spring 200M, $verco%e "riter&s Block at http3AA"""$over%ome"ritersblo%k$%omA$ 0 barely marketed it$ (hen my se%ond book %ame out 5uly 200N, "riter&s 'dventure uide at http3AA"""$"ritersadventureguide$%omA, 0 did the minimum and Dui%kly fo%used on other things, like earning a living$ 0 "as over"helmed by all my book marketing options, and %hose a%tions at random$ Probably not the most effe%tive$

Then, 0 attended a le%ture by Patri%k S"ertdfeger, the author of "e(ify Your Business 2)* at http3AA"""$"ebifybook$%omA, and learned about so%ial net"orking$ 1e made the tools like T"itter, -a%ebook, !inked0n and &ouTube$%om seem like so mu%h fun$ 0 reali6ed something$ That marketing my books %ould be fun, if 0 did the things 0 liked$ 2nd "hat 0 liked "as using so%ial net"orking$ These tools %apitali6ed on my strengths3 "riting, %onne%ting "ith others, and %hatting$ So, 0 have a Duestion for you$ &ou kno" you need to get the "ord out about your books$ So, "hat is fun for you about marketing+ Pi%k one tool of te%hniDue you)re passionate about and take one a%tion on it right no"$ Today$ 2nd everyday$ 0f it)s fun, you)ll sti%k "ith it$ 0n addition to sti%king "ith it, you)ll "ant to tra%k your results$ &ou kno" the mantra3 I(hat "e pay attention to gro"sJ+ Today you may have <0 T"itter follo"ers$ .ext "eek you may have L0$ &ippeeC But you "on)t be able to see your progress unless you tra%k$ -ind "hat is fun for you, persist at it, tra%k your results, and you "ill be%ome a super marketer$ "!o#t the "#thor opyright 2010 Beth Barany$ Beth "orks "ith authors, speakers, %oa%hes and %onsultants a%ross 7S, anada, and #urope, and helps them get their books %ompleted and out into the "orld$ Beth Barany is the author of The "riter+s 'dventure uide: ,2 Stages to "riting Your Book$ More at3 http3AA"""$bethbarany$%om, and her blog, http3AA """$"ritersfun6one$%omAblog$ Ba%k to top

The Self'&onfidence to Sell

by 'ob #agar

ore Books

(hat if a book)s su%%ess depends more on the author)s self/%onfiden%e, rather than "hat)s "ritten on the page+ 2fter training over 200 authors, from beginners to bestsellers, an interesting pattern has %aught my attention$ -or example, 0)ve noti%ed that my author %lients "ith a high self/esteem tended to be more %reative "ith their marketing plans and a%tually sold more books$ 0n %ontrast, those "ith lo" self/esteems struggled to implement ne" marketing a%tivities$ Predi%tably, their book sales languished$ 0)m not saying there is a dire%t %orrelation, but there is definitely a pattern that bears attention$ The problem is that there are real %onseDuen%es "hen an author allo"s lo" self/ %onfiden%e to affe%t their book marketing efforts$ -or instan%e, he or she "ill tend to3

/ 2void building an online or offline %ommunity of readers around them$ / Balk at developing peer/to/peer relationships "ith influential leaders$ / 2void finding and %onta%ting large reader groups "ho %ould buy books in Duantity$ / 0gnore spur of the moment media opportunities, su%h as tying into national headlines$ / Shun speaking engagements or promoting their book to the audien%e$ / !a%k %onsisten%y "ith key marketing ta%ti%s, su%h as blogging or sending ne"sletters$ *lobal management %onsultant 2lan (eiss says, EThere is no musi% if you don)t blo" your o"n horn$E This statement is profoundly true for book marketing, at both the author and publisher levels$ (riters, editors, and marketing staff must believe strongly enough in a message to promote that book above the noise of all the %ompetition$ &et, this %an only happen "hen there)s an ardent belief in a manus%ript a%%ompanied by the enthusiasm to tell people about it$ :ddly, self/%onfiden%e issues seem to espe%ially plague the fi%tion and religious publishing %ommunities$ -or example, 0 kno" novelists "ho are s%ared to appear in publi%$ !ike"ise, 0)ve met hristian authors "ho avoid marketing their books, be%ause of the misguided notion to appear humble$ They make pious statements, su%h as I0t)s not godly to dra" attention to myself$J But, these attitudes are usually a disguise for a lo" self/esteem$ The reality is that they don)t "ant to dra" attention to themselves, be%ause they)re struggling to feel "orthy , ironi%ally before a *od "ho loves them and fans "ho like their books$ Please don)t think that 0)m advo%ating for "riters to shamelessly plug their books$ Some people go overboard and develop a negative reputation for being pushy$ &ou probably kno" some of these individuals, and they)re a turn/off$ :n the %ontrary, my point is that readers appre%iate authors "ho believe in their ability to provide ans"ers, inspiration, or entertainment$ So, ho" %an an author improve their %onfiden%e along "ith their book sales+ Some self/ esteem situations may truly reDuire %ounseling$ 1o"ever, in most %ases, one %an be enlightened by dealing "ith the follo"ing Duestions3 1$ 4o you truly believe in your book)s o"n value+ 1as your message a%tually "orked in your o"n life+ 0f so, re%ite %lear examples of results$ 2$ (hat makes you %omfortable re%ommending a favorite restaurant or produ%t to a friend+ an you mimi% that same feeling to mention your book to someone else+ F$ (hat)s the "orst that %ould happen if you tell more people about your book+ 0f you)re a good "riter, don)t let self/%onfiden%e issues prevent your message from helping the people "ho need it$ 5ust be%ause someone might say InoJ doesn)t mean you)re "orthless or a bad person$ Be proud of the "ay you)re trying to help so%iety$ Toot your horn a little$ (hat)s the "orst that %ould happen+ &ou Gust might sell a lot more books$ "!o#t the "#thor

'ob #agar is the founder of (ild-ire Marketing "ho helps authors and publishers sell more books through innovative marketing strategies$ 1e has trained over 200 authors, from beginners to bestsellers$ -or more information, %all 1/M00/2L=/20K< or visit """$Starta(ild-ire$%om$ Ba%k to top

Building "elationshi(s )ncreases "eadershi(

by 5o/2nne ;andermeulen OThe ?ey to Su%%essful Marketing in 2010 is to #xpand &our .et"orkO -or an author, building an author platform that stands out from the rest "orked in 200N $ $ $ but no" an author "ill have to be M:'# T12. *'#2T$ 4on)t let this s%are you a"ay$ Mu%h of "hat you)re doing right no" is good and is very %lose to being more than great$ 2s authors, "e have a built in, natural ability, to %onverse $ $ $ and this is the maGor building blo%k to forming relationships$ Marketing in the .e" 4e%ade , (hat %an "e expe%t no"+ 2 su%%essful blogger "ill have to be :..# T#4$ 1aving friends and building relationships has never been so important$ .o" is the time to %hain to your follo"s and build a trusting bond$ 1o" do "e make friends and build relationships+ 1$ 2 #PT 0.;0T2T0:.S

a$ Post memorable %omments b$ *uest post %$ Parti%ipate in intervie"s d$ ondu%t intervie"s by asking intelligent Duestions and responding gra%iously$ 2$ 2TT#.4 :.-#'#. #S 2.4 (:'?S1:PS

a$ ontribute to %hat dis%ussions b$ (hisper ans"ers to individual parti%ipants %$ *ive positive en%ouragement$ OSi66le "ith energy and play the part of being the Plife of the partyQyour enthusiasm "ill be felt through the net/"avesO F$ SP2'? 0.T#'2 T0:.S B& .#T(:'?0.* :. S: 02! M#402 S0T#S a$ 2sk an irresistible Duestion$ b$ *enerate a dis%ussion that others "ill vie" "ith interest$ %$ ?eep the dis%ussion a%tive by 0nviting the lurkers to %ontribute, and d$ Sho" that 2!! folks are important regardless of "ho they are byQa%%ept others by finding something in their ans"er "orth praise$

OStaying positive is the keyO K$ 5:0. P'0;2T# *':7PS B2S#4 2':7.4 &:7' .0 1# a$ Supply %lear and %on%ise ans"ers to the Duestions b$ Ba%k your ans"ers "ith %redentials "ith prior "ritten posts or Duotes %$ 0f you don)t have the ans"er, steer them in the right dire%tion$ d$ 4is%over a balan%e bet"een %onversational "riting style and formality$ O oming a%ross as being approa%hable "ith kno"ledge is very attra%tiveO <$ '# 0P': 0T& a$ Supply others "ith "hat they "ant b$ Sear%h for relevant %ontent and give valuable %ontent to %reate a"esome posts$ %$ 0f you don)t have the ans"er, make a genuine effort to steer them in the right dire%tion$ (ith time and %onstant persisten%e, lurkers "ill be%ome follo"ers$ -ollo"ers be%ome fans$ &etRdon)t forget to make the time and effort to %reate the relationships$ OThe best gift you %an give is your timeO 2ppre%iation goes a long "ay$ -riends bring along more readers$ They "ill take you under their "ing and introdu%e you to other popular bloggers$ These other popular bloggers have their o"n follo"ing$ 2%%ept %onne%tion by linking their blog to yours and vi%e versa$ ontinue doing favours, expanding your net"ork, and produ%ing great %ontent in your blog and very soonQvery, very soon, you)ll dis%over that &:7 2. :.@7#' 2!! :BST2 !#S$ "!o#t the "#thor 5o/2nne ;andermeulen is the author of -re%iu% -ro%otional Tips for "riters, featuring simple yet very effe%tive te%hniDues "riters %an implement into their marketing plans$ ;isit http3AAvandermeulen$laurusbooks$%omA to get more information about her book and get a -'## sneak/a/peek$ Ba%k to top

*abits of +ction, *ow +uthors &an Get Things -one

by ?aren !eland &ou kno" "hat you need to do$ &ou kno" "hy you need to do it$ &ou even kno" "hat steps you must take to get it done$ But there)s one small problem3 you %an)t seem to get moving$ 0t)s a %ommon problem$ Maybe it)s %hroni% pro%rastination or maybe you)re Gust so over"helmed that you feel paraly6ed$ #ither "ay, the task you must %omplete is Gust sitting there, gathering metaphori%al 8or perhaps literal9 dust, and gro"ing more

ominous by the day$ 2 re%ent study by the -amilies and (ork 0nstitute found that a full third of 2meri%ans are over"orkedS more than <0 per%ent of those surveyed said they are either handling too many tasks at the same time or are freDuently interrupted during the "orkday , or both$ 0n short, "e are overloaded$ 0s it any "onder, then, that "e have trouble getting Gobs started, keeping them going, or finishing them up+ 2s a %onsultant and %oa%h over the past t"enty five years 0)ve observed that smart and savvy business "omen use three habits to get themselves to take a%tion, even in tough times$ These habits a%t as an ino%ulation against pro%rastination and feeling over"helmed so that these busy "omen are ultimately able to press through and get things done$ 1a!it 2.3 Ch#nking Do,n3 &oc#s on the Trees Not the &orest 0n the %omputer "orld, %hunking means to break things into bits$ To %hunk do"n is to move from a "hole to its partsS to %hunk up is to move from parts to a "hole, or from the spe%ifi% to the general$ hunking your proGe%ts and goals do"n into smaller pie%es "ill help you take a%tion more Dui%kly and easily, "hile at the same time helping to %ombat the feeling of too mu%h to do$ 1a!it 223 Take Energetic Credit for Co pletion (hen "e have a big goal or task to "ork on, many of us "ait , unne%essarily and sometimes to our detriment , until the entire proGe%t is finished before "e experien%e any sense of %ompletion, satisfa%tion, or a%%omplishment$ :ften, even though "e)re a%hieving pie%es of our proGe%ts and goals all the time, "e don)t fully a%kno"ledge them$ The most produ%tive people "e kno" are in the habit of enthusiasti%ally taking energeti% %redit for any a%tion they %omplete, no matter ho" seemingly small or insignifi%ant$ These people kno" not to "ait until the big item is 100 per%ent done before experien%ing %losure$ 'ather, they generate energy all along the "ay by re%ogni6ing ea%h item they %omplete$ 1a!it 243 Ti e5%lanning3 %#t a Stop to %#tting It $ff Smart people are in the habit of using a time/plan to get beyond pro%rastination$ 2 time/ plan is a method of assigning blo%ks of time to those items you "ant to get done 8but not a minute/by/minute des%ription of your dayC9 To harvest the po"er of planning and %reate your o"n time/plan, follo" these t"o easy steps3 Ste( ./, )dentify your (ower times for different ty(es of acti0ities1 #veryone has high and lo" periods of energy, attention, and fo%us$ By kno"ing and understanding your o"n energy patterns you %an %reate a time/plan that takes advantage of your personal rhythms$ 'efle%t on your o"n energy patterns$ (hen are your po"er times+ 7se your po"er times to take on your most diffi%ult items$ 7se your do"n time for more routine items and errands$

Ste( .2, Set aside blocks of time for getting certain things done1 ?eeping in mind your po"er times, go through your %alendar and s%hedule a spe%ifi% day and period of time "hen you "ill "ork on an item$ Time periods ranging from 1< minutes to 2 hours are most effe%tive$ #very hour or so, s%hedule a ten minute break from your taskS this "ill both keep your brain from getting tired and give it a %han%e to pro%ess any information, so that you %an return to your proGe%t refreshed$ !astly, don)t Gust plan your time in your head , "rite it do"nC (hether you use a P42, a %alendar %onta%t program, or a plain old date book, keeping a "ritten re%ord of your time/plan is key$ This arti%le is ex%erpted from the book Ti%e Manage%ent In 'n Instant: .* "ays to Make the Most of Your /ay and is %opyrighted by ?aren !eland and ?eith Bailey$ 0f you "ould like to reprint it on your blog or "ebsite you are "el%ome to do so, provided you give %redit and a live link ba%k to """$s%gtraining$%om$ "!o#t the "#thor ?aren !eland is the bestselling author of six books in%luding Ti%e Manage%ent In 'n Instant: .* "ays to Make the Most of Your /ay$ She is the %o/founder of Sterling onsulting *roup at http3AA"""$sterlingmarketinggroup$%omA, "hi%h helps organi6ations and individuals learn ho" to fight distra%tion and find their fo%us in a "ired "orld$ -or more information please %onta%t3 klelandHs%gtraining$%om$ Ba%k to top

"esources
The first step in marketing a book should be to develop a solid book marketing plan$ -or an outline of "hat to in%lude in your marketing plan, go to """$ reate&ourBookMarketingPlan$%om$ Ba%k to top

$nline Book %ro otion "eci(e for a Book'$ocused *ome Page

by arma Spen%e/Pothitt

Ingredients / lear purpose for the landing page / 0mage of the book / 0mage of the author / all to a%tion Directions &lear (ur(ose for the landing (age There are t"o goals that a good book/fo%used home page %an have3 1$ Sell %opies of the book 2$ Start a relationship bet"een reader and author Before you design your book/fo%used home page, you need to be %lear on "hi%h one of these goals you "ant to a%hieve$ 1aving too many goals for a home or landing page %an dilute its effe%tiveness, so %larity is key$ 0f your goal is to sell books, then the fo%al point of your landing page "ill be a sales letter, audio or video $ $ $ something that emphasi6es the benefits of pur%hasing a %opy of the book$ &ou)ll "ant a good strong headline supported by sub/heads and benefits fo%used sales %opy$ 0f your goal is to start a relationship bet"een the reader and the author, the fo%al point of the page "ill be the opt/in box$ Selling the book "ill take se%ond pla%e to a%Duiring the name and email address of visitors to the page$ This means you>ll need to have a %ompelling offer $ $ $ an opt/in in%entive that is related to the book and is something the ideal reader of your book "ould "ant to have and therefore be "illing to pay for it "ith their name and email address$ 0t is important that the opt/in in%entive is related to the book, be%ause it "ill no" a%t as your first attempt to sell your book$ 2fter %onsuming your opt/in in%entive, the visitor to your "ebsite should feel %ompelled to buy your book$ )mage of the book Sin%e this is a book/fo%used landing page, it might seem obvious that there should be an image of the book on the page$ But ho" you display that image is not ne%essarily so obvious$ 0f the goal of your page is to sell the book, the image should be up top, large and dominate the eye "hen first landing on the page$ 0t should be obvious to the visitor of the page that it is all about the book$ #verything else $ $ $ from the author bio to related arti%les should be pla%ed on other pages, not here$ 1o"ever, if the goal of the landing page is to start a relationship "ith the visitor, the image should be mu%h smaller or it "ill %lash "ith the opt/in box graphi%s$ 'emember, a relationship/building home page is fo%used on getting that name and email address, so

your %ompelling free offer is front and %enter $ $ $ not your book$ )mage of the author 2n image of the author is optional $ $ $ it all depends on the type of book and "hether "hat the author looks like is integral to the goal of the page$ 0f a se%ondary goal of the home page is to help establish the author as part of a brand, then an author image is important$ 1o"ever, you should be strategi% about this de%ision$ 0t might serve your needs better to save the author image for another page, perhaps the bio page or media room$ -or example, let)s say you are %reating a landing page for a 5ames Bond book$ (ould you "ant to in%lude an image of 0an -leming+ :r of 5ames Bond+ That all depends on if the goal is to get readers hooked on a series of books about the %hara%ter $ $ $ or all books by the author$ -or another example, let>s say you are %reating a landing page for a "eight loss book$ 4o you in%lude an image of the author or of a "oman on a s%ale looking happy be%ause she>s lost "eight+ 2gain, it depends on the goal of the landing page$ 0f the goal "ere to sell one of a series of books by a "ell/kno"n fitness expert 8say ?athy Smith9, then an image of the author "ould help sell the book$ 1o"ever, if the author is less kno"n or "rites about more than Gust this subGe%t, the "oman on the s%ale might be a better option$ &all to action #very landing page needs a %all to a%tion$ -or a book/fo%used landing page your %all to a%tion should be one of these3 / Buy the book no" / Subs%ribe to my list no" Make sure your %all to a%tion is %lear and mentioned Eabove the foldE , before the visitor has to s%roll do"n$ 2lso, noti%e that Eno"E is a key part of this %all to a%tion$ 0f you en%ourage your visitor to think about it and %ome ba%k later$ $ $ %han%es are you)ll never see them again$ &our home page needs to %onvin%e the visitor to make a positive de%ision no", before they leave$ Memories are short and even if the visitor has every intention of returning, he or she may not remember "here it "as they "anted to return$ -or a list of standard pages for an author)s "ebsite, visit http3AA"""$"ordpressforauthors$%omAstandard/pagesA$ "!o#t the "#thor arma Spen%e/Pothitt helps %reative professionals develop and nurture a thriving "eb presen%e, helping them %reate an online footprint that supports their %areer and business goals$ Through 2pril 1, arma is thro"ing a virtual book laun%h party for her

ne" book, 0o%e S1eet 0o%e -age: The 5 /eadly Mistakes 'uthors2 Speakers and !oaches Make 1ith Their "e(site&s 0o%e -age and 0o1 to 3ix The%4 at http3AA"""$homes"eethomepagebook$%omA$ Be sure to visit this %reative "ebsite to %he%k out all the goodies she has to offer and get inspiration for your o"n book promotions$ Ba%k to top

3a44 5( Your Web Site or Blog with Sim(le *T !

by Ma2nna Stephenson Most blogs and a fe" of the arti%le dire%tories allo" you to Ga66 up your posts using spe%ial %ode kno"n as 1TM!, "hi%h is an a%ronym for 1yper Text Markup !anguage$ 0t)s the type of %ode used to make (eb site pages appear as you see them in your bro"ser$ #ven if you "on)t be programming your o"n site, kno"ing Gust a little bit about a fe" simple %ode tags %an make your posts pop off the page$ The great ne"s is that 1TM! is a very intuitive %ode language$ 0t uses simple tags to tell text %ontent ho" to appear on the page$ -or instan%e, the tag TbU is used to make text bold$ Belo" "e)ll %over the most %ommon tags, "hat they do, and ho" to properly use them$ 2ll 1TM! tags must be en%losed "ithin these t"o symbols3 T U$ This alerts the bro"ser that the %hara%ters inside the symbols are %ode tags and not %ontent$ To end the effe%t of the tag, a slash mark is used inside the symbols, like this3 TAU Bold &onts There are t"o tags that make font %hara%ters bold$ They are TbU and TstrongU$ 1ere)s an example of the %ontent3 This ,ord is bold$ 1ere)s an example of the %ode3 This TbU"ordTAbU is bold$ 2ny %ontent bet"een the TbU and TAbU tags "ould appear in bold fa%e$ :r you %an use this %ode3 This TstrongU"ordTAstrongU is bold$ Italics There are t"o tags to make fonts appear in itali%s$ They are TiU and TemU$ &ou)ll "ant to use this tag for the title of your book$ #xample of %ontent3 'll 5ust the 3'6s books help you %reate an online presen%e$ #xample of %ode3 2ll TiU5ust the -2@STAiU books help you %reate an online presen%e$

:r you %an use this %ode3 2ll TemU5ust the -2@STAemU books help you %reate an online presen%e$ 6sing M#ltiple Tags &ou %an make the title of your book appear in both bold and itali%s by using nested tags$ They are %alled nested due to the order of their pla%ement$ 2n easy "ay to remember this order is -0!:, "hi%h stands for -irst 0n, !ast :ut$ #xample of %ontent3 My book, Blogging for "iches, "ill be in print next year$ #xample of %ode3 My book, TbUTiUBlogging for 'i%hesTAiUTAbU, "ill be in print next year$ .oti%e that the tags "ere %losed in reverse order$ The TiU tags are nested "ithin theTbU tags$ Most bro"sers "ill a%%ept tags that are not %losed in the proper order$ But, to ensure that your %ontent appears %orre%tly in all bro"ser types, it)s a good idea to %ultivate the habit of using nested tags properly$ &ou %an nest any number of tags together, not Gust bold and itali%$ (ine Breaks There are t"o tags that %ause a line break in 1TM!$ They are TbrU for break, and TpU for ne" paragraph$ To simply add one line spa%e, use the br tag$ #xample of %ontent3 This is line one$ This is line t"o$ #xample of %ode3 TpUThis is line one$TbrU This is line t"o$TApU 7sing the TbrU tag is a great "ay to %ontrol layout, espe%ially if you are formatting poetry$ 0t guarantees that the lines "ill break "here you intend$ To add t"o line breaks and begin a ne" paragraph, use the TpU tag$ #xample of %ontent3 This is line one$ This is line t"o and a ne" paragraph$ #xample of %ode3 TpUThis is line one$TApU TpUThis is line t"o and a ne" paragraph$TApU

.oti%e that there is no extra line spa%e bet"een the lines of %ode$ &ou %an put one in if you like, for %larity, but the bro"ser "ill do it for you "hen the %ontent appears online$ Color and 1E7 N# !ers (hile %reating your blog or (eb site, you "ill likely be fa%ed "ith %hoosing %olors for different elements$ (hile many blogs offer a simple %olor %hart from "hi%h to %hoose, you may "ant to mat%h a spe%ifi% %olor of something, like your logo$ To get exa%t %olors, you)ll "ant to kno" the 1#V %ode of the %olors in your logo$ 1#V is simply a format used to %ount in binary 81s and 0s9 in %omputer language$ 2 1#V %olor %ode looks like this3 B------, "hi%h is the %ode for "hite$ The 1#V number B000000 is the %olor bla%k$ .oti%e that the B symbol al"ays pre%edes the a%tual 1#V %ode$ There are hundreds of sites on the (eb that display full 1#V %olor %harts to help you %hoose the right %olors for your site$ Simply sear%h the terms Ihex %olorJ or Ihex %odeJ$ 6sing 8idgets 2t some point you may "ant to in%orporate a third party "idget into your blog$ (idgets are spe%ial features, like the book %arousels offered by Shelfari and 2ma6on$ These %ontain spe%ial %ode kno"n as Is%ripts$J Sites that offer "idgets often let you %ustomi6e them and then auto/produ%e the spe%ial s%ript %ode, sometimes %alled a IsnippetJ, for you to %opy and paste into your site or blog$ This %ode "ill have the tags Ts%riptU and TA s%riptU around it 1ere)s a little keyboard short%ut for %opying and pasting$ :n%e you highlight the s%ript %ode, hit the keys ntl W $ That "ill %opy the %ode to your %lipboard$ 2fter you sele%t the pla%e you "ant to pla%e the %ode, hit the keys ntl W ; to paste it$ *ood to *o (ith Gust a fe" simple tags of 1TM!, you %an Ga66 up your posts and make your text outstanding$ 0f you "ant to learn more about 1TM! tags, there are "onderful free tutorials all over the 0nternet$ "!o#t the "#thor Ma2nna Stephenson)s Blog2id site at http3AA"""$blogaid$netA features a "ealth of tips and resour%es for blog and "ebsite o"ners, along "ith books, %lasses, and site %onsulting that are spe%ifi%ally for non/geeks "ho are on a budget$ 1er experien%e as a "eb developer, professional engineer, nonfi%tion author and artist allo" her to dra" together the right mix of tea%hing skills, te%hni%al expertise, and online promotion te%hniDues that are best suited to ea%h site o"ner and their target audien%e$ She spe%iali6es in "orking "ith %reative folks like authors, artists and musi%ians$ Ba%k to top

The "ight 6and Wrong7 Way to &omment on Blogs

by 4ana !ynn Smith ommenting on other people>s blogs is a great "ay to get visibility, build relationships "ith bloggers, subtly promote your book, and get links ba%k to your site 8if the blog gives Edo/follo"E links9$ But you "ill only hurt your %redibility if you go about it the "rong "ay$ 1ere are some tips for su%%essful blog %ommenting3 "ctively look for relevant !logs to co ent on$ Subs%ribe to the feed of the most important blogs in your area of interest, and use tools like *oogle 2lerts to keep an eye out for relevant posts on other blogs$ &ou %an also use *oogle Blog Sear%h or blog dire%tories like My Blog !og to find blogs that are a good fit$ Contri!#te to the conversation$ 4on>t Gust drop by and say Egreat post$E 0nstead, make a thoughtful %omment that %ontributes something$ &ou might offer an additional tip or real/life example, or expand on a point the blogger made$ 0f you>re %ommenting on a book revie", explain "hy you enGoyed reading the book$ &our %omment doesn>t have to be long, but you do need to say something useful and relevant$ 4o not give the impression that you are Gust there to promote your book or leave a link to your site$ Don9t ake inappropriate co ents$ There>s nothing "rong "ith disagreeing "ith a point that someone has made 8and many bloggers en%ourage disparate vie"s9, but do so in a polite, respe%tful "ay$ 0>m ama6ed at some of the rude and ta%ky things people say on blogs and in online forums$ Don9t !e overtly pro otional$ ommenting on someone else>s blog is not the pla%e to blatantly promote your book or servi%es$ 1o"ever, there are subtle "ays to %onvey that you are an expert on the topi% being dis%ussed and en%ourage people to %li%k on your name to visit your "ebsite$ &ou might "ork in a referen%e to your book related to the %omment you are making$ 1ere are some examples3 ET"itter is su%h an important tool for authors that 0 devoted an entire %hapter in my book to promoting through T"itter$E E0n resear%hing my book, Selling &our Book to !ibraries, 0 dis%overed that $ $ $E EBe%ause 0 "rite mystery novels myself, 0 really appre%iated the "ay that the author $ $ $E 4epending on the topi% under dis%ussion, 0 sometimes sign my name "ith a tag line su%h as E4ana !ynn Smith, The Savvy Book MarketerE or E4ana !ynn Smith, author of -a%ebook *uide for 2uthors$E Some people in%lude their "ebsite address in their signature, but many bloggers fro"n on this$ reating a signature that>s several lines long and blatantly promotional is not appropriate$ Some people think that in%luding any type of signature or referen%e to your book is too promotional$ &ou "ill have to use your Gudgment to determine "hat is appropriate, but you might look

at "hat other %ommenters on the blog are doing as a guideline$ 5ust remember that you are a guest on someone else>s site and mind your manners$ "!o#t the "#thor 4ana !ynn Smith is a book marketing %oa%h and author of the Savvy Book Marketer uides at """$SavvyBookMarketer$%om$ -or more book promotion tips, follo" HBookMarketer on T"itter, visit 4ana>s blog at """$TheSavvyBookMarketer$%om, and get a %opy of the Top Book Marketing Tips ebook "hen you sign up for her free ne"sletter at """$BookMarketing.e"sletter$%om$ Ba%k to top

E0aluating Your &urrent 8nline 9isibility

by 'oger $ Parker

The first step in marketing and promoting your book is to evaluate your %urrent online visibility$ &our ability to market and promote your book is based on your ability to promote yourself and your book online$ :nline visibility brings up the topi% of your author platform$ 8hat:s yo#r platfor like;

&our author platform refers to your ability to promote yourself and your book online // "here books are sold and produ%t and servi%e de%isions are made$ &our platform is a measure of the Duality and Duantity of your "ebsite presen%e plus your ability to keep in tou%h "ith %lients, prospe%ts, peers, and opinion/makers$ / Start by asking, (hat sho"s up "hen you enter your name, or your firm)s name, into a sear%h engine like *oogle$%om or &ahoo$%om+ / Then, enter the key"ords, or terms %lients, prospe%ts, or the media use "hen asking Duestions or sear%hing for information about issues and topi%s in your field$ 4oes your blog or "ebsite sho" up on the first page, or t"o, of results+ 2re there a lot of results, or Gust a fe"+ The stronger your platform, i$e$, the more visibility you already have, the easier it "ill be to get your book published and into the hands of readers "ho you hope "ill turn into prospe%ts and %ustomers$ <#estions to ask ,hen eval#ating yo#r online platfor The best "ay to evaluate your online platform is to evaluate your %urrent "eb presen%e by asking Duestions like the follo"ing3

1$ 8hen did yo# last #pdate yo#r ,e!site; ;isitors and sear%h engines like freDuently updated "ebsites, beginning "ith the home page$ 5ust as you "ouldn)t buy your daily ne"spaper if the front page al"ays looked the same, your "ebsite needs to be %onstantly freshened "ith ne" %ontent$ 2$ Can yo# #pdate yo#r ,e!site !y yo#rself; &our ability to promote your book and your %areer is based on your ability to easily update your "ebsite yourself, "ithout needing to %onta%t and pay money to a "ebmaster or "eb designer$ F$ Do yo# have a !log; Blogs are no longer fashionable options for sharing the details of your daily existen%e$ Today, blogs are fundamental marketing tools that permit you to develop and share your expertise by easily and effi%iently adding text and graphi%s by yourself, "ithout in%urring the %osts and delays of paying someone else$ 0n an age of (ordPress blogs, there)s simply no ex%use for a "ebsite you %annot edit and update yourself$ K$ Does yo#r site offer a sign5#p incentive; 0t is essential that your "ebsite %ontains an in%entive for visitors to sign/up for your email ne"sletter or tips$ 7nless you have a "ay of %apturing your visitor)s e/mail address and permission to %onta%t them via email, you)ll only get one %han%e to sell the visitor before they go else"here and forget about you and your site$ apture their e/mail address and permission, ho"ever, and you %an %onvert that one/time visit into a long and profitable relationship$ <$ 1o, often do yo# send e5 ail #pdates; 4o you remember #$'$ on television, the drama that took pla%e in a hospital emergen%y room+ 'emember the os%illos%ope displays tra%king the heartbeats of the patients+ #a%h time their heart beat, the tra%e rose to the top of the s%reen$ But, it never stayed there$ The rise to the top "as Dui%kly follo"ed by a drop to the bottom of the s%reen$ The same effe%t happens "ith your marketing$ #a%h time you send out a tip or a ne"sletter, your visibility rises to the top of your prospe%t)s attention$ But, the more time that goes by bet"een your e/mail %onta%ts, the more likely you "on)t be visible "hen your prospe%t is ready to buy$ Short, "eekly e/ mail updates are far more effe%tive than monthly or Duarterly %onta%ts$ L$ 1o, often do ,e! visits t#rn into sales; 2re you able to tra%k the %onversions, or sales, that originate on your "ebsite+ 0f you)re not able to tra%k your "ebsite)s performan%e, ho" do you kno" "hat it)s %ontributing to your firm)s profitability+ 0f you %an)t tra%k your "ebsite)s performan%e, you %an)t test your offers, your pri%es, and your headlines+ &ou)ll never kno" "hi%h key"ords to in%lude in your headlines and body %opy$ (ebsites and testing go hand in handS making it easy to test ea%h variable until it delivers maximum sales for ea%h of your produ%t and servi%e offerings$ =$ 1o, helpf#l and relevant is yo#r site:s content; 0f your "ebsite %onsists primarily of empty %laims about ho" great you are, it)s probably not %ontributing mu%h to your bottom line$ Su%%ess today is based on sharing genuinely helpful information "ith %lients and prospe%ts$ *ivers get$ The more information you share, the more you "ill be vie"ed as an expert in your field, paving the "ay to book sales and ba%k/end produ%t and servi%e profits$

M$ Is yo#r site:s i age #ni/#e and acc#rate; ontent is king, but %ontent, by itself, isn)t enough$ The design of your "ebsite says a lot about you, pre/selling the importan%e of your "ords, proGe%ting a distin%t and appropriate look that differentiates your site from the %ompetition and resonates "ith prospe%ts, inviting repeat visits$ 0f your "ebsite looks old and tired, ho"ever, your message "ill look old and tired$ N$ 1o, ,ell are yo# #sing ,e! a#dio and video; 2re you taking appropriate advantage of streaming audio and video+ 0t)s a mistake to think that everyone "ants to read as mu%h as you doS today)s "orld is dominated by iPods, pod%asts, and online videos$ 0f you)re not taking advantage of them, your profits "ill suffer$ 0t)s imperative that you offer prospe%ts their %hoi%e of message formats$ 10$ 1o, reg#larly do yo# s#! it articles online; &our "ebsite is Gust one of your online marketing tools$ 2rti%les that you "rite and submit to arti%le distribution sites like """$e6inearti%les$%om permit you to expand your sear%h engine visibility and drive addition traffi% to your "ebsite$ 11$ "re yo# taking advantage of social arketing; 1o" effe%tively are you using T"itter, -a%ebook, !inked0n, and other spe%iali6ed sites to %ultivate relationships and referrals from %lients, %o/"orkers, friends, prospe%ts, and subGe%t area experts+ 0t)s never been easier to %reate Duality %onne%tions "ith others "ho share your interests or %hallenges and drive traffi% to your blog or "ebsite$ Concl#sion :n%e you have realisti%ally evaluated the effe%tiveness of your online presen%e and author platform, you)ll have a baseline, or starting point, for moving for"ard$ &ou)ll be able to plan a realisti% enhan%ement of your author platform and sear%h engine visibility$ This "ill pave the "ay to building your brand and selling more books by taking advantage of the histori%ally uniDue %ombination of ama6ing te%hnology and lo" %ost online marketing opportunities %urrently available$ This arti%le "as originally published on 2%tive*arage$%om and is reprinted "ith permission$ "!o#t the "#thor 'oger $ Parker helps others "rite books that build brands$ 1e)s "ritten over F0 books, offers do/it/yourself resour%es at Published X Profitable 8http3AA"""$publishedandprofitable$%omA9 and shares "riting tips ea%h "eekday at http3AA blog$publishedandprofitable$%om$ 1is latest book, Title T1eet4 ,7* Bite8Si9ed Ideas for 'rticle2 Book2 and Event Titles, is available at http3AAbit$lyAf<"?&7$ Ba%k to top

Book 9ideo Trailers, // Ste(s to

ake Your 8wn

by 5oanna Penn Book video trailers are videos posted online and distributed via video net"orking sites like &ouTube$ These %an be big budget blo%kbuster movie %lips, or budget MovieMaker slides to musi%$ &ou %an make it an advert or a so%ial media fun %lip that people "ant to "at%h$ 0t %an be a human interest story made more like a do%umentary$ 0t %an be a %artoon$ #ssentially, it is anything you "ant it to be$ 2nything that %at%hes people)s attention$ &ou %an get a professional to make you one or you %an make your o"n for little or no money$ 0 made this book video trailer at http3AAbit$lyAf<"?&7 "ith (indo"s Movie Maker 8"hi%h is on most P s9$ 0t took me several hours but "as essentially free, and you don)t have to be too te%hy to make one too$ 0nstru%tions after the movieC 8%omments and feedba%k "el%omeC9 1$ 'esear%h other book video trailers that are similar to "hat you "ould like to do$ 5ust sear%h for book trailers on &ouTube$ 4e%ide "hat you like and don)t like 8and "hat is "ithin your %apa%ity and budget9$ 2$ (rite a brief s%ript for the trailer so you %an get it straight in your head and understand "hat images and text you "ill need 80 Gust did this on Mi%rosoft (ord9$ F$ -ind and do"nload images to mat%h your "ords$ &ou %an use your o"n or get free ones online by googling Iroyalty free photoJ$ 0 use iSto%kPhoto "hi%h 0 find easy to use "ith a variety of pi%tures and 0 did pay a small amount for some photos$ &ou %an also use movie %lips 8"hi%h 0 am still learning aboutC9 K$ 0mport the pi%tures into (indo"s MovieMaker$ 8-ile /U 0mport Media9 <$ :rder the pi%tures$ 4rag them into the movie bar at the bottom of the s%reen in the order you "ant$ 'ight %li%k and ut to remove again$ Basi% drag and drop fun%tionality$ 'emember to save regularlyC L$ 2dd s%ript by %li%king on the pi%ture in the movie bar and then %li%king #dit /U Titles and redits$ &ou %an add text in various styles, %olours and transition effe%ts here$ &ou %an add text before, on top of or after your pi%tures$ =$ #dit$ :n%e you have got the basi% pi%tures and text setup, see ho" long your movie is$ Most book trailers are no longer than 1 minute F0 se%onds$ #dit as ne%essary by %li%king and dragging the si6e of the boxes to shorten the time frame they sho" on the s%reen$ M$ -ind musi% to mat%h the length of your movie 8or %ut to fit9$ 0 used SoundSnap$%om but you %an google Iroyalty free musi%J to find other sites$ 0 sear%hed on audio length "ithin %lassi%al musi% and listened to a fe" before %hoosing$ N$ he%k you are happy "ith everything and then Publish your movie to your %omputer$

10$ -ind tags$ .o" you have a file you %an publish it to the internet movie sites to get some vie"ers$ &ou need to kno" "hat tags you "ant to add to your video "hen you upload it, so 0 suggest you also resear%h "hat people are sear%hing on in your genre$ 0 use *oogle ?ey"ord Sear%h "hi%h has a number of tools and re%ommended related "ords$ 11$ 7pload your video to appropriate sites$ 0 have loaded mine to &ouTube and *oogle ;ideo so far$ 0t takes some time per site, unless you use a video submission site like TubeMogul$%om or Traffi%*eyser, "hi%h is expensive and really only for %ompanies "ith lots of video$ &ou %an submit manually to sites like 'evver, MySpa%eT;, Meta%afe, &ahoo ;ideo, Book Trailers, 2uthors4en$ .o doubt there are many moreC 'emember to also use the embed links to post to your o"n "ebsite, blog and so%ial net"orking sites$ 1ave you had any promotional su%%ess "ith book video trailers+ (here do you post them online+ "!o#t the "#thor 5oanna Penn is an author and blogger at The reative Penn3 (riting, self/publishing, print/on/demand, internet sales and promotion $ $ $for your book at http3AA"""$the%reativepenn$%omA$ -or more information on ho" to use (eb 2$0 to "rite, publish, sell and promote your books, get your -'## 2uthor 2$0 Blueprint at http3AA"""$1shopping%art$%omAappA+afY10111N1$ Ba%k to top

: Ste(s to &reate an +ma4on Bestselling Book &am(aign

by !ynn Serafinn Many people hire me to %reate and manage their 2ma6on book %ampaigns, or to support them as a book promotion %oa%hA%onsultant$ 0n either %ase, 0 have noti%ed many of my %lients experien%e a steep learning %urve at the beginning of their %ampaigns, as they try to get their heads around all the %omponents and ho" they "ork together$ -or that reason, 0 thought it might be a good idea to "rite a short arti%le giving an overvie" of the initial steps 0 use "hen 0 put together an 2ma6on %ampaign, so you %an be%ome an 2ma6on bestseller like my %lients$ The basi% %on%ept of an 2ma6on book %ampaign is to drive people to a spe%ial page you "ill %reate that tells them about your book, and to get them to return to that page to buy your book on the spe%ified day of your laun%h$ The reason "hy you "ant them to %ome on a spe%ified day is to drive up your 2ma6on sales rank$ The reason "hy people

"ill "ant to return to your page 8as opposed to Gust going to 2ma6on to buy your book9 is that after they buy your book, they %an %ome ba%k to your page to %laim some great bonus gifts$ (ho is offering the gifts+ 2 group of I5;PsJ, or I5oint ;enture PartnersJ you have brought together$ -inding and %hoosing 5;Ps is a topi% 0 %over in the first "eek of Module K at Spirit 2uthors$ -or no", let)s assume you already have a good sele%tion of 5;Ps "ho have %onfirmed their parti%ipation in your laun%h, and let)s move on to our < steps to get your %ampaign going$ Step .3 Design the Ti eline and Co ponents of +o#r Ca paign -irst off, you "ill need to %hoose the %omponents of your %ampaign, and %onstru%t a timeline sho"ing "hen all these %omponents "ill o%%ur$ 1ere are a fe" examples of %omponents that go into a typi%al 2ma6on %ampaign3 / Bonus gift offers from 5;Ps / #mailAe6ine blasts / T"itter %ampaign / 2 ontest / ;irtual Blog Tour There are different strategies, te%hni%al aspe%ts and %reative elements to ea%h of these %omponents, "hi%h "ould take too long to dis%uss here$ -or no", let)s say that you de%ided you "ere going to utilise all of them in some "ay$ Step 23 Coordinate +o#r ='% Materials 2ssuming you have already determined the level of %ommitment promised from your 5;Ps, your next step "ould be to gather relevant materials from them, su%h as headshot, bio, and bonus material information, in%luding a link to the opt in page "here people "ill sign up to re%eive their gift$ 2 "ord of advi%e3 0t is highly likely you "ill need to guide many of your 5;Ps as to "hat is an appropriate bonus gift$ 2 good bonus gift should be a do"nloadable entry/level gift$ 2 not/so/good gift is one that reDuires the %ustomer to buy something else to re%eive it, or reDuires them to travel to spe%ifi% geographi% lo%ation$ The bonus should also not be an offer of free or dis%ounted %oa%hing or %onsultation, be%ause if they have a high number of reDuests, they might find it impossible to honour them all$ &ou, as the manager of your %ampaign, need to guide your 5;Ps to %hoosing the right kind of gift$ 2s you %olle%t this information from your 5;Ps, make sure you use some sort of tra%king system to %ross %he%k you have re%eived all the info$ 0 use an #x%el spreadsheet for tra%king$ Step 43 Creating +o#r %re5(a#nch %age and &ollo,56ps .ext, you "ill need to assemble all your 5;P information, along "ith key info about you and your book, onto a "ebpage "e are going to %all your Ipre/laun%h page$J :n this

page, people "ill find out about you, your book, the date of the laun%h, and the bonus gift offerings$ Make sure you standardise the format in "hi%h you "ill publish the 5;P %ontent on the "eb, so everyone)s entry looks similar$ 2part from the 5;P information, the key ingredient on this page is a sign up form, "here they "ill sign up to re%eive a reminder about the book laun%h$ This sign up form should be %onne%ted to an auto/responder that sends them a follo" up message saying something to the effe%t of, IThanks for your interest in my book$ 0)ll be sending you a reminder the day before it %omes out so you %an get those great bonus gifts you read about$ Be sure to mark your diary$J Step >3 Create %ro o Copy The next thing you "ill need to do is %reate some great promotional %opy for your 5;Ps to use for your %ampaign$ There are basi%ally F types of promo %opy you "ill prepare for your 5;Ps3 / .e"sletterAe6ine arti%les / IT"eetsJ 8for T"itter9 / I;irtual intervie"sJ 8if you are planning to do a ;irtual Blog Tour9 0 usually make t"o %ontrasting pie%es of e6ine %opy for my 5;Ps per month, to give them diversity and %hoi%e 8they are likely to send only one per month9$ 0 usually make <0/100 T"eets for my 5;PsQand 0 try to make them 120 %hara%ters or less$ 0t)s really not as %omplex as it might sound, and it %an make your %ampaign vibrant, fun and very effe%tive$ 2 I;irtual 0ntervie"J is "hen your blog tour hosts send you a fe" Duestions in advan%e before the date of their IstopJ on your tour$ 0 %over the details of ho" to %reate all these types of %opy on Module K at Spirit 2uthors$ 0n fa%t, 0 dedi%ate an entire "eek to #2 1 of these types of %opy$ Step 53 Create Clear Instr#ctions for +o#r ='%s The last step to getting your %ampaign off the ground is to %reate a set of %lear, "ritten instru%tions for your 5;Ps$ 0 al"ays in%lude a timeline, a des%ription of the %omponents, and a breakdo"n of ho" everything "ill run$ 0 "rite it in su%h a "ay that it is visually easy to read, and %onvert it into a P4- do%ument$ 0 give them tips on ho" to use the materials, and ho" to in%rease traffi% to their bonus$ &ollo, a 0eal (ive (a#nch 2s 0 am the proGe%t leader for the 2ma6on %ampaign !heck Mates, edited and %o/ authored by ;rinda Pendred, the easiest thing you %an do to understand the things 0 have been des%ribing "ould be to look at the page "e have put together for that laun%h at http3AA%onditionalpubli%ations$%omApagesA%he%k/mates/laun%h$html$ :f %ourse, 0 also hope you)ll %he%k out the book$

2nd if you are on T"itter, follo" me at http3AAt"itter$%omA!ynnSerafinn and you %an see some of the T"eets 0)m sending out about the book$ 1opefully they "ill give you ideas of ho" to make your o"n$ Most everything 0 have learned about online promotion is the result of "at%hing others "ho kno" "hat they are doing, so no" it)s my pleasure to invite you to do the same 8hopefully 0 kno" "hat 0)m doingC9$ This arti%le has been a very brief overvie" of the < steps needed to put together your 2ma6on book %ampaign$ 0f you)d like to kno" more about %reating, running and benefiting from an 2ma6on book %ampaign for your up%oming book, have a look at my M/"eek %ourse on the Spirit 2uthors "ebsite3 Module 7: Your Book :aunch ; /esigning and /elivering at http3AAspiritauthors$%omA%ategoryAmodule/KAmod/K/overvie"A$ -or a limited time, you %an take a 1K/day test drive for only Z1, and re%eive some spe%ial bonus gifts that are yours to keep Gust for trying it out$ "!o#t the "#thor !ynn Serafinn is a transformation %oa%h, book promotion %oa%h, radio host and author of the mind/body/spirit bestseller, The arden of the Soul: lessons fro% four flo1ers that unearth the Self at http3AAam6n$toAe1e"ei$ She is the founder of Spirit 2uthors ;irtual oa%hing and !earning #xperien%e at http3AAspiritauthors$%omA, "hi%h offers training, %ommunity and support for aspiring and established mind/body/spirit authors$ She also "orks as a %ampaign manager for book laun%hes, and has produ%ed t"o number/1 selling authors in 2010 so far$ oa%hing, training and %ampaign enDuiries may be submitted at http3AAspiritauthors$%omA%onta%t$ Ba%k to top

To( /; Ways to
by 4ana !ynn Smith

a<imi4e Book Sales on +ma4on1com

2ma6on$%om is by far the largest online seller of books and it>s a vital market for authors and publishers$ Belo" are ten "ays to maximi6e your exposure and boost sales through this important outlet$ 2lthough these tips fo%us on 2ma6on, Barnesand.oble$%om offers some similar features$ .- Enhance yo#r !ook description:n the 2ma6on "ebsite, the book des%ription appears under a heading titled #ditorial 'evie"s$ 0 re%ommend posting marketing %opy 8perhaps from your ba%k %over9, your most important testimonialArevie" Duotes, and a one/paragraph author bio$ To upload text to appear in this #ditorial 'evie"s se%tion, use this form3 http3AA"""$ama6on$%omAgpA%ontent/formA+ieY7T-MXprodu%tYbooks$ The text that you enter on this form is supposed to repla%e existing text$ The staff at

2ma6on revie"s the information before posting it, so it may take a "hile$ 0f you need to make other %hanges to your book information on 2ma6on, go to http3AAam6n$toAbMvuN#$ 2- Increase yo#r !ook9s visi!ility in " a?on9s search res#lts2ma6on %ustomers sear%h for books by author, title, or key"ord$ !ike sear%h engines, 2ma6on uses several %riteria in de%iding "hi%h produ%ts to display on the sear%h results page and in "hat order to display them$ Popularity 8the number of books already sold on 2ma6on9 and ho" "ell the book mat%hes the key"ords are maGor fa%tors in key"ord sear%h results$ 4- "ttract five5star revie,s(hen %onsumers shop for books online, many of them read the revie"s before making a pur%hase$ #ven if they %ame to the site looking for a parti%ular book, they may read the revie"s to verify that they are making a good sele%tion$ Positive revie"s are espe%ially important for nonfi%tion books, "here %onsumers often %ompare several books on the same topi%$ The best "ay to attra%t revie"s is to ask people to revie" your book and to make it easy for them by providing a link to your book>s sales page on 2ma6on$ >- %articipate in the Search Inside progra 0n retail bookstores, %ustomers tend to read the ba%k %over, then flip through the book s%anning the %ontents before making a pur%hase de%ision$ The best "ay to repli%ate that experien%e online is to use 2ma6on>s Sear%h 0nside program, "hi%h allo"s %ustomers to vie" the book>s table of %ontents and sele%ted pages from the book$ 5- 6pdate yo#r personal profile on " a?onTo update your personal profile, %li%k on E&:7'.2M#>s 2ma6on$%omE near the upper left %orner of the s%reen, %li%k Eyour profileE near the upper right, then %li%k the yello" Eedit your profileE button near the upper right$ &ou %an add a photo and "ebsite address, enter a bio in the Ein my o"n "ordsE se%tion, and enter a EsignatureE or tagline$ (hen you revie" books or parti%ipate in dis%ussions on 2ma6on, your name and signature "ill be visible to others, so it>s important to %reate a des%riptive signature su%h as Eauthor of romanti% suspenseE or Eauthor of Selling for 4ummies$E @- %ost revie,s of other !ooks(hen you post revie"s of related books and produ%ts on 2ma6on$%om, you gain visibility "ith %onsumers and "ith the authors of the books you revie"$ Be subtle about mentioning your o"n book "hen "riting revie"s$ &ou don>t "ant it to sound like a sales pit%h or detra%t from the produ%t that you are revie"ing$ -or example, you %an say E2s a roman%e author myself, 0 really enGoyed the "ay that this authorRE

&ou %an sign your name at the bottom of your revie" as E5ane 4oe, author of $ $ $E but it>s bad form to in%lude a (eb link$ 2ma6on has been kno"n to delete overly promotional revie"s, espe%ially those "ith links$ A- Enhance yo#r a#thor page2uthors "ho have books for sale on 2ma6on %an set up an author page through 2uthor entral 8formerly 2ma6on onne%t9 at https3AAauthor%entral$ama6on$%omA$ There>s a link from your book sales page to your author page "here readers %an learn more about you$ 0n addition to adding a bio and photo, you %an import posts from your blog and make updates to your book des%ription or revie"s$ B- Cond#ct an " a?on !estseller ca paign2n 2ma6on bestseller %ampaign is a Goint venture promotion designed to drive %ustomers to a spe%ial sales page on a spe%ifi% day, "ith the goal of selling as many books as possible on that day$ &our Goint venture partners agree to send a message about the %ampaign to their mailing lists and also provide a bonus item that "ill be given to everyone "ho buys the book that day$ C- 0elease a Dindle edition:ne "ay to in%rease your revenue from 2ma6on is to publish ?indle ebooks$ Shorter, lo"/pri%ed books tend to sell "ell in the ?indle format$ 0f your nonfi%tion book is fairly long, you might break it do"n into several se%tions and publish ea%h one separately$ See this page to sign up for a ?indle publishing a%%ount3 https3AAdtp$ama6on$%omAmnAsignin$ .E- Boost yo#r profits ,ith " a?on "ssociates2s an 2ma6on 2sso%iate, you %reate affiliate links to pla%e on your "ebsite for your o"n books and any other 2ma6on produ%ts you)d like to promote$ &ou "ill earn a %ommission ea%h time someone %li%ks on one of your affiliate links and pur%hases the produ%t$ This is extra revenue, above and beyond "hatever you normally make "hen you sell your book on 2ma6on$ &ou %an sign up for the 2sso%iates program here, https3AAaffiliate/program$ama6on$%omA but residents of some states may not be eligible due to sales tax issues in their state$ "!o#t the "#thor !earn more about profiting from 2ma6on$%om in 4ana !ynn Smith>s ebook, 0o1 to Sell More Books on '%a9on , available in both P4- and ?indle format at http3AAbit$lyA2ma6on#book$ -or more book marketing tips, follo" HBookMarketer on T"itter at http3AAt"itter$%omAbookmarketer and get 4ana>s free Top Book Marketing Tips ebook "hen you visit The Savvy Book Marketer blog at http3AA"""$TheSavvyBookMarketer$%om$ Ba%k to top

Build a

oney

aking 8(t')n Subscriber !ist with 8ne Sim(le )dea

by ?athleen *age :ne of the most pressing Duestions from authors, speakers, %oa%hes and %onsultants using the 0nternet to market their produ%ts and servi%es is, I1o" do 0 build a responsive opt/in subs%riber list+J 2 very simple "ay is "ith a Sig -ile 8signature file9$ 2 Sig -ile is a tagline or short blo%k of text at the end of an e/mail message, arti%le or blog posting$ The Sig -ile %an identify the sender andAor provide additional information su%h as the %ompany name, list of servi%es, and %onta%t information$ 1o"ever, the most effe%tive use of a Sig -ile is to have a %all to a%tion for an ethi%al bribe$ 2n ethi%al bribe is exa%tly "hat it sounds like$ &ou are offering visitors to your "ebsite, blog or landing page something -'## in ex%hange for them giving you their name and email address$ #ffe%tively using a Sig -ile is one of the most important things you %an do to begin building a solid opt/in subs%riber list$ !ists filled "ith people "ho have expressed an interest in something you are offering at no %ost are "arm leads for those "ho may "ant to pur%hase your paid produ%ts$ 2void falling into the trap of thinking you don)t have time to offer something free$ #thi%al bribes that are -'## are the %ornerstone of building your online business$ 0 have do6ens of Igivea"aysJ that 0 have developed over the years$ #verything from e'eports, eBooks, teleseminars, e6ines, a K/day email %ourse and more$ This has allo"ed me to build a list from the ground up 8this means 0 started "ith nothing and built a highly profitable list of subs%ribers9$ The most su%%essful among us started "ith nothing and built from there$ 2nd so %an youC &our givea"ays should not reDuire a lot of time on your part to fulfill the reDuest from your visitor$ :ther than a teleseminar "here you have do6ens, hundreds and even thousands of people on the %all at one time, avoid things like free %oa%hing time$ :ther"ise you %ould %ripple your business by having to be on the phone 2KA= fulfilling Ifree %onsultingJ$ &ou have to start some"here and a high value givea"ay %an be Gust the ti%ket$ :ne idea is to an over the phone intervie" "ith an expert, re%ord it and give the re%ording a"ay$ 8Be sure to get the expert)s permission before giving a"ay their information9$ -rom there, you develop a simple landing page "ith an opt/in box that immediately puts the subs%riber into your database$ "!o#t the "#thor

-or more ideas on building your list, in%reasing your visibility, using sig files, developing money making information produ%ts and more, see "hat ?athleen *age is up to at Street Smarts Marketing at http3AA"""$ki%kstart%art$%omAappA+ lkYFK1F=K1$ Ba%k to top

"esources
!earn ho" to make your books stand out from the huge number of %ompeting books on 2ma6on and turn shoppers into buyers, "ith 0o1 to Sell More Books on '%a9on, available in P4- and ?indle format at http3AAbit$lyA2ma6on#book$ Blog2id at """$Blog2id$net offers a "ealth of free information about blogs and "ebsites, along "ith (ordPress training$ <, /ays to a Better Blog, an ebook by 4arren 'o"se of ProBlogger, is designed to help you take your blog to the next level$ http3AAG$mpAKN2B1h *o4addy is my favorite sour%e for buying "ebsite domain names, but their pur%hase pro%ess is some"hat %onfusing$ See this free tutorial to learn the easy "ay to pur%hase a domain name and learn ho" to for"ard domain names to any 7'!$ http3AAbit$lyA4omainTutorial *et blog and "ebsite resour%es at http3AAbit$lyABlogging'esour%es$ -ind the best key"ords to use in your book titles, (eb pages and arti%les using the free *oogle ?ey"ord Tool at https3AAad"ords$google$%omAsele%tA?ey"ordTool#xternal$ Posting arti%les online is a great "ay for nonfi%tion authors to sho"%ase their expertise and drive "ebsite traffi%$ Start "ith the largest arti%le site, #6ine 2rti%les at http3AA"""$e6inearti%les$%om$ !earn everything you need kno" to run a su%%essful online business in ?athleen *age)s Street Smarts Marketing[ program at http3AAbit$lyA<p(?v4$ -ind lo"/%ost royalty/free images for your book %overs, "ebsite, blog posts and more at """$isto%kphoto$%om$ !earn ho" to %reate your o"n book video trailer "ith The Book Trailer Manual by 4ar%y Pattison, http3AAbooktrailermanual$%om$ 7pload your videos to multiple "ebsites using the free servi%e from Tube Mogul at http3AA"""$tubemogul$%omAaboutAoneload$ !earn ho" to %reate a pod%ast in this series of arti%les from !ynn Terry at http3AAbit$lyAdm0b?( and this free te%hni%al tutorial from arsten umbro"ski at http3AA"""$%umbro"ski$%omApod%astingguide$aspBitfeed$ Ba%k to top

Social Media Marketing Why Social %etworking is a

by 4ana !ynn Smith :ver the past %ouple of years, so%ial net"orking has be%ome an in%reasingly essential online book marketing strategyQone that you %an>t afford to overlook$ 'ea%hing potential book buyers is the most obvious benefit of so%ial net"orking, but not ne%essarily the most important one$ -or many nonfi%tion authors, developing relationships "ith peers and influen%ers is eDually important$ These %onta%ts may revie" your book, re%ommend you to others, parti%ipate in your book laun%h, and publish your arti%les in their blog or e6ine$ So%ial net"orking is ideal for generating "ord/of/mouth online book marketing, "here your message gets passed along by others$ -or example, "hen people enGoy a book, arti%le, blog, or video, they often re%ommend it to others online$ This type of user endorsement is more effe%tive than traditional marketing$ 1ere are some other benefits of so%ial net"orking in your online book marketing plan3 / Building author platforms, expert status, and brand re%ognition / *etting endorsements and re%ommendations for your books / 4riving traffi% to "ebsites and blogs / Subtly promoting books, produ%ts, and servi%es / !earning from other authors in your genre or other experts in your field / 0n%reasing your opt/in subs%riber list / *etting speaking engagements or %onsulting %ustomers / 0mproving sear%h engine optimi6ation and sear%h results ranking through ba%k links from so%ial sites$ (hi%h so%ial net"orks are most important for authors+ -or nonfi%tion authors, my top %hoi%es are T"itter, -a%ebook, and professional net"ork !inked0n$ -or fi%tion authors, my top pi%ks are -a%ebook and virtual reader %ommunities su%h as *ood'eads at http3AA"""$goodreads$%omAauthorAprogram$ :ther sites may also be useful, depending on your target audien%e$ -or example, if you>re "riting for young adults, MySpa%e at http3AA"""$myspa%e$%omA "ould be a good %hoi%e$ hildren)s book authors %an net"ork on 5a%ket-lap at http3AA"""$Ga%ketflap$%omA$ 0f your target audien%e is boomers, %he%k out #ons at http3AA"""$eons$%omA$ 2lso sear%h .ing$%om and *oogle for net"orks that serve spe%ifi% ni%he audien%es$

ust for +uthors

1ere are a fe" tips for getting the most from so%ial net"orking3 / Be sele%tive about "hi%h net"orks you Goin and "ho you invite as a friend$ :nly invite people "ho appear to share %ommon interests "ith you$ / Send personali6ed friend reDuests, introdu%ing yourself and stating "hy you "ant to befriend the other person$ / *et involved in the %ommunity$ 2dd value by helping others, ans"ering Duestions, and sharing resour%es and kno"ledge$ 4on>t forget to share a bit of personal information about yourself$ / Be %areful not to appear too promotional$ 0t>s okay to promote your produ%ts and servi%es on o%%asion, but don>t make that your main fo%us$ Sending out an announ%ement of your book laun%h is fineS sending freDuent promotional messages about your book is not$ (hile so%ial net"orking is a terrifi% online book marketing tool, it>s also great fun to meet people all over the "orld "ho share your interests$ 0f you haven>t already Gumped onboard, get started todayC "!o#t the "#thor 4ana !ynn Smith is a book marketing %oa%h and the author of several book marketing guides, in%luding The Savvy Book Marketer+s uide to Successful Social Marketing, available at """$SavvyBookMarketer$%om$ -or more book promotion tips, follo" HBookMarketer on T"itter, visit 4ana>s blog at """$TheSavvyBookMarketer$%om, and get a %opy of the Top Book Marketing Tips ebook "hen you sign up for her free ne"sletter at """$BookMarketing.e"sletter$%om$ Ba%k to top

Turn Your $acebook Profile into a $riend

by 5ani%e urran

agnet in = Easy Ste(s

More and more "ritersQboth the pros and the aspiringQare turning to so%ial net"orking servi%es su%h as -a%ebook to promote their brands$ But if Eeverybody)s doing it,E ho" do you stand out+ :ne "ay is to utili6e the servi%e in a manner that)s different from the norm$ The manner 0 use is E-eatured -riends$E (hen you look at your -a%ebook friend list, "hat do you see+ 2 %olle%tion of names+ :r do you see, as 0 do, a "ide range of people "ith a "ide range of expertiseQpeople from "hom others %an learn+

0 built my -a%ebook -eatured -riends program around that %on%ept$ :n%e a month, 0 host "hat, in essen%e, is a live mini blog right on my -a%ebook "all$ The -a%ebook friend featured posts a Dui%k tip on a topi% relevant to "riting$ Then, for a time/limited period follo"ing, my guest replies to %omments posted by my -a%ebook friends$ The shared benefits make for an even ex%hange$ The -eatured -riend gets to promote a spe%ifi% produ%t andAor brand$ The host gets to net"ork, make ne" friends and learn along "ith the visitors$ (ith a little imagination, anyone from any industry %an host a -eatured -riends,type program on -a%ebook$ 0f you %an %ount to seven, you %an, too R 1$ I-riendJ "ith a purpose$ 0f your mission is to get your name in front of as many people as possible, friend a"ayC 0f, like me, you prefer to limit your -a%ebook %ommunity of friends to "riters, editors and other industry pros so you %an net"ork and offer targeted lessons, friend "ith that goal in mind$ 2$ 4evelop a plan$ 4o you "ish to host a mini blog daily, "eekly, monthly+ -igure out the time you)d like to invest, then de%ide$ Monthly "orks best for me$ Bet"een guests, 0 post links on topi%s of interest to "riters$ By doing so, 0 foster the impression that my "all is a "riter/friendly pla%e and a uniDue learning environment$ F$ 0nvite friends to present$ #veryone in your friend base is a potential presenter$ 0dentify "hom you)d like to feature, then e/mail the friend privately or use the S#.4 2 M#SS2*# option on the friend)s profile page to extend your reDuest$ Suggest a topi%, or invite the presenter to %hoose$ S%hedule a date as "ell as the time the presenter "ill be available to post his or her lesson and respond to visitor Duestions$ 0 ask my -eatured -riends to post a 1<0/"ord tip and set aside t"o hours for intera%ting "ith visitors$ K$ 0nvite other friends to attend$ To send an invitation to all or some of your -a%ebook friends, add an #;#.TS tab to your profile page$ li%k on the tab, then the '#2T# #;#.T button that appears at the top of the page$ -a%ebook "ill guide you through the pro%ess of %reating an event page and issuing invitations$ &ou)ll need to kno" the basi%s before you begin3 the presenter)s name, the title of the lesson, a des%ription of the event, the date, the time and the lo%ation 8your -a%ebook "all9$ &ou %an send a photo of your presenter or your presenter)s book "ith your invitation$ &ou %an upload photos, video and (eb links to the event page you %reate$ <$ Promote your event$ !eading up to the big day, 0 post :M0.* S::. noti%es on my "all daily$ :n the day of, 0 also post invitations on the message boards of my online "riting groups and my -eatured -riend)s "all$ L$ *et the ball rolling$ 0t)s sho"time$ &our "ork is doneQright+ .ot totally$ ;isitors are sometimes shy about being the first to parti%ipate$ 0ntrodu%e your guest "ith a brief bio$ 2fter the guest posts his or her tip, break the i%e "ith Duestions that en%ourage visitors to ask Duestions of their o"n$

=$ ?eep the momentum going$ 2 -eatured -riend presentation is the start of a professional relationship that %an lead to genuine friendship$ 0)ve had -eatured -riends offer to make return engagements, re%ommend other friends to feature, suggest their friends be%ome my friends, too$ ?eep alert for opportunities to help promote your -eatured -riends) endeavors in return$ 2t the heart of the program are real people, "orking hard to su%%eed in a %hallenging industry$ #veryone "ins "hen everyone helps pave the "ay$ "!o#t the "#thor 5ani%e urran is a freelan%e "riter, short story author and aspiring novelist$ 1er stories have appeared in .e" !ove Stories, True 'oman%e and True !ove maga6ines$ (riters and other industry pros are invited to friend her at """$fa%ebook$%omAGani%e$%urran$ Ba%k to top

Promoting Your Book on !inked)n, -o>s and -on>ts

by Patri%e/2nne 'utledge !inked0n at http3AA"""$linkedin$%omA is one of the "orld>s most popular professional net"orking sites, "ith more than N0 million members around the "orld$ 0t>s also a great pla%e to promote books$ 1ere are six "ays to promote your book on !inked0n, plus t"o ideas to avoid$ 1$ &eat#re yo#r !ook pro inently on yo#r (inkedIn profile$ :ne of the best "ays to do this is to add a publi%ation se%tion to your profile "ith a link to your book 8either on your "ebsite or on a site su%h as 2ma6on9$&ou %an also dra" attention to your book on your profile headline and summary$ 2nother idea is to %reate a separate position as an author, "hi%h gives more emphasis to your book$ Be %areful not to overdo this promotion, ho"ever$ &ou don>t "ant your profile to read like an advertisement for your book$ 2$ 6pdate yo#r stat#s reg#larly$ &our !inked0n status is one of the best "ays to %ommuni%ate ne"s about your book to your !inked0n %onne%tions$ &ou %an start "hen you first land your book deal 8or begin the "riting pro%ess on a self/published book9$ Then update your status as your book progresses$ 4on>t stop "hen your book is released, ho"ever$ &ou %an also update your status "hen you re%eive any media mentions or post something interesting on your blog that relates to your book$ F- Install the 0eading (ist !y " a?on application and add yo#r !ook$ This generates exposure on your profile and a%ross your net"ork$ K$ 0evie, (inkedIn "ns,ers for /#estions that relate to the topic of yo#r !ook$ Provide genuine, helpful information to demonstrate your expertise and then identify

yourself as the author of a related book at the end of your ans"er$ <$ %articipate in (inkedIn gro#ps ,here yo#r target readers congregate$ 2dd value by %ontributing to dis%ussions and sharing relevant links$ 0f the group has a Promotion tab, post information about your book release, book tour, and any speaking engagements$ L$ Display !ook excerpts on yo#r (inkedIn profile$ 7pload your P4- ex%erpt to SlideShare and install the !inked0n SlideShare appli%ation to share these on your profile$ 4oing this also gets you added exposure on SlideShare itself$ 1ere are t"o things, you don>t "ant to do3 1$ Don9t spa yo#r (inkedIn connections ,ith sales pitches for yo#r !ook$ :ne fello" author a%tually sent me three Ebuy it no"CE messages on !inked0n in Gust a fe" "eeks$ This isn>t a good "ay to endear yourself to your !inked0n net"ork, nor it is a good "ay to sell books$ 2t most, %onsider sending one 8Gust oneC9 message to Eshare the good ne"sE about your book "ith sele%ted !inked0n %onne%tions$ 0n this "ay, you>re Gust letting your net"ork kno" about a big event in your life$ 1and/pi%king the people in your net"ork "ho are a good mat%h for your message is an even better idea$ 2$ Don9t spa (inkedIn gro#ps ,ith sales pitches either$ *roup o"ners %an remove you from their group if you violate the rules of good group behavior by posting freDuent sales pit%hes disguised as dis%ussion items$ 0nstead, fo%us on parti%ipating in group dis%ussions in a genuine "ay, using your book only to identify your area of expertise$ 0n general, a lo"/key approa%h to book promotion generates the best results on !inked0n$ !et people kno" about your book, but let your kno"ledge and expertise do the selling for you$ "!o#t the "#thor Patri%e/2nne 'utledge is the bestselling author of more than F0 books on business and te%hnology$ 1er latest book, =sing :inkedIn at http3AAam6n$toAhox2!t 8@ueAPearson, 20109, is available at online booksellers and bookstores "orld"ide$ She is also the founder and prin%ipal of Pa%ifi% 'idge Media, "hi%h offers %onsulting and training on small business marketing, branding, and so%ial media$ &ou %an rea%h Patri%e on her author "ebsite at """$patri%erutledge$%om, business "ebsite at """$pa%ifi%ridgemedia$%om or !inked0n at """$linkedin$%omAinApatri%eannerutledge$ Ba%k to top

Book
by 5udy

arketing with !inked)n # To(

ullins

istakes and Solutions

2re your book sales slo"+ -or so%ial media marketing, you may have tried T"itter and -a%ebook$ Maybe, you)ve even put up a book blog to stimulate and engage your book)s audien%e$ 0 too used T"itter and -a%ebook and dropped my first blog over 2 years ago thinking not enough results$ That is, until 0 got some %oa%hing on so%ial media marketing$ 0 dis%over that !inked0n markets my ne" blog beautifully$ !inked0n "orks so "ell for %onsultants, %oa%hes, authors and other small businesses$ Maybe you made these t"o big mistakes on so%ial media$ Mistake .- +o# collected follo,ers) friends) and contacts) !#t ,eren:t yo#r !ook:s !est a#dienceost of the

7ntil 0 got my 1,000 friends and book group members to Goin my fan pages, 0 got lo" results at -a%ebook$ So, for all three of my so%ial media marketing 8T"itter, -a%ebook, and !inked0n9 0 shifted my marketing strategy from %olle%ting numbers to %on%entrating my so%ial media marketing only on my book)s best audien%es$ This may sho%k you, but this %hange makes all the differen%e in my results of getting my spe%ifi% audien%e to my site$ "esults, "esults, "esults? &ou need to also %he%k "hat so%ial media marketing is "orking and "hat not ea%h month is$ &heck Google +nalytics onthly1

-or !inked0n, my (eb site got 2<\ more targeted visitors ea%h month for the months of -ebruary, Mar%h, 2pril and May, 2010$ 2nd more are %oming from !inked0n ea%h month$ &heck your +le<a Score onthly1

0 %he%k my 2lexa s%ore monthly$ 0t seems that my so%ial media book group at !inkedin is partially the reason for so mu%h ne" targeted traffi%,only people "ho "ant to establish a relationship "ith me as a book %oa%h and the 1,0=< other members "ho are so moved my ho" to messages, my positive personality, that they "ill visit and %omment on my blog and eventually open up their "allets to buy my books and my short term %oa%hing offers at my site$ My 2lexa s%ore has gone from L00,000 a fe" months ago to 2M0,000 in -ebruary, 2011$ 8That)s a good s%ore9 and my goal is 100,000$ That s%ore and lo"er mean very su%%essful small businesses$ y "esults &an be Your "esults1 Some spe%ifi% visitors Gust read my blog arti%les$ Some %ome for my free reports$ Many in my target audien%e take my hands/on teleseminars$ The %ommitted ones either read some of my books or %onta%t me for my famous half hour %oa%hing sessions to get spe%ifi% solutions for their spe%ifi% needs$

!ess is

ore1

0 still t"eet, but only 2 times a day$ 0 intera%t a fe" times a "eek at my -a%ebook 8-B9 fan page and T"itter "ith people "ho "ant book "riting, self/publishing and so%ial media marketing$ Mistake 2- +o# haven:t: !eco e active eno#gh on (inkedIn&ou may have Goined and put up a short profile, but this is not enough$ &ou may %omplain it takes too mu%h time$ &es, you don)t "ant to "aste time on Gust any so%ial media,that)s "hy 0 suggest you give !inked0n a better %han%e$ -rom my ne"est book, I!inked0n Marketing/M Best Ta%ti%s to Build Book and Business Sales,J 0)ll re%ommend a fe" of the M Best Ta%ti%s no"$ 8Ta%ti%s that are "orking "ell today9 !inked)n @ Best Tactics that Bring To( "esults 1$ 4o the most important thing first$ #dit your Profile$ &our first profile probably needs freshening up$ Make sure it engages your profile visitor$ Sho" them the benefits of "orking "ith you, or buying your book$ 4on)t start so many senten%es "ith I0J$ 0n all %ontent marketing as !inked0n and blogging, start from the &:7 point of vie"$ (hat %an you do for your audien%e+ 0n%lude testimonials near the top be%ause they sell books$ 2$ 5oin </10 groups that relate to your book or skills you need$ ?eep resear%hing and adding groups "eekly that fit your book or business$ -ind these through sear%h "ords for help like Ibook "ritingJ and I!inked0n strategies$J or sear%h "ords of your audien%e "ho "ill "ant your book$ 1int3 My best audien%e is business people$ 4o you kno" your book)s top < benefits+ Put them in your profile and mention them in the groups$ 4o you kno" your book)s target audien%e+ &ou need to kno" this for any book promotion to "ork$ This is the pre/marketing kno" ho" that brings an author real su%%ess$ 'emember, benefits sellS features explain$ F$ *et a%tive on ten or more groups you that fit you$ :n%e you Goin, reDuest "eekly emails on "hat ne" dis%ussions are going on$ Then, "hen they sho" up in your email 8ho" %onvenient9 you %an de%ide "hi%h ones to %hime in "ith your useful %omments$ #a%h time you %ontribute, the "hole group sees your fa%e and "ho you are$ That)s great exposure to brand you or your book$ &ou %an %onta%t individuals privately by email too, "hi%h %an eventually lead to a sale$ -e0elo( Patience and Start "elating to 8thers in your +udience

?no" that getting to the sale takes at least F/= steps, so don)t make the big mistake and shout out your (eb site or link to buy your book$ &ou don)t need to$ 'eaders in groups "ill see your pi%ture and "hat you do and %onta%t you if they are interested$ *et people %urious about your book$ They "ill respond$ :ffer one %omment at a time$ :r offer a blog link to a pie%e that relates to the dis%ussion$ This is the one link that is not %onsidered promotion$ 'emember these groups are for edu%ation and help,not to sell dire%tly to$ !inked0n offers many more "ays to intera%t than other so%ial media$ That)s "hy 0 love it so mu%h and have enGoyed its results$ 2 book %oa%h 2< years, 0)m glad so%ial media marketing is a great pie%e of the book marketing pu66le$ My mission is to assist you in getting more eyes on your book,the ones "ho really "ant or need it$ "!o#t the "#thor Book oa%h 5udy ullins helps you not only "rite an engaging short book, but helps you market it "ith great ':0 using her 1Fth book, >:inkedin Marketing: ? Best Tactics to Build your Book and Business Sales> at http3AAbit$lyAfoKfuo$ &ou %an also get her free "eekly "riting and marketing ho" to>s at http3AAbit$lyAff:*mB$ Ba%k to top

Promote a Book with Twitter, To( /; Strategies for +uthors

by 4ana !ynn Smith T"itter is a great "ay to promote a book "hile you build your net"orks and reputation$ 1ere are ten "ays authors %an harness the po"er of T"itter to promote a book3 1$ 1elp others by sharing information, "hile you gain a reputation as an expert$ &ou %an post links to helpful arti%les, re%ommend resour%es, offer tips and dis%uss other books that you enGoy$ 2$ Meet potential %ustomers and stay in tou%h "ith existing %ustomers$ Promote your T"itter 7'! every"here you>re listed online, and in%lude key"ords in your t"eets to attra%t follo"ers "ho are interested in your topi% or genre$ F$ Stay on top of ne"s and trends in your field or genre, and get ideas for your arti%les and blog by reading the t"eets of the people you follo"$ K$ Promote live and virtual events su%h as book signs, pod%asts, virtual book tours, teleseminars, and book laun%hes$

<$ *ain visibility and ne" follo"ers by hosting a T"itter %ontest "here you give a"ay a pri6e to a randomly %hosen "inner$ See this arti%le at http3AAbit$lyAoF r! for tips on %reating a T"itter %ontest$ L$ 2sk for help and get instant responses$ (hen you reDuest produ%t re%ommendations, referrals to experts, or help "ith a te%hni%al issue, it>s ama6ing ho" helpful folks are$ &ou %an also ask for feedba%k on your book title, %over design or "ebsite$ =$ Spread good "ill by helping your peers$ 0ntrodu%e other people in your field or genre, or re%ommend other related books or produ%ts$ 'e/t"eet interesting posts from people that you follo"$ M$ Promote a book or other produ%ts and servi%es$ The key is to be subtle and make promotional t"eets a small per%entage of your overall %ommuni%ations, so people feel like they gain value from follo"ing you, not Gust a stream of sales pit%hes$ ?eep promotional and self/serving t"eets to 10 to 20 per%ent of your total posts$ N$ Meet other authors, experts, publishers, marketers, and vendors$ T"itter is ideal for net"orking and it>s a great pla%e to learn more about the publishing industry and meet partners "ho %an help you promote a book$ 10$ ?eep in tou%h "hen you>re on the road$ There are a number of appli%ations that fa%ilitate t"ittering from mobile devi%es$ 1ave funC 0t>s fas%inating to meet people from all over the "orld, gain a glimpse into their lives, and develop a %yber/relationship "hile you promote a book$ "!o#t the "#thor 4ana !ynn Smith is a book marketing %oa%h and the author of several book marketing guides, in%luding T1itter uide for 'uthors at http3AAbit$lyA2V1S1@$ -or more tips, visit her book marketing blog at http3AA"""$thesavvybookmarketer$%omA and get a %opy of the Top Book Marketing Tips ebook "hen you sign up for her free book marketing ne"sletter at http3AA"""$bookmarketingne"sletter$%omA$ Ba%k to top

Promote Your Book with a Twitter World Tour

by *raham Storrs Bet"een = p$m$ and M p$m$ your time, on -ebruary 1<, 2010, 0 visited your time 6one and t"eeted$ 0 did it as part of the TimeSplash .on/Stop 2K/hour 'ound/the/(orld T"itter Tour, "hi%h 0 did to help laun%h my d]but novel, Ti%eSplash at http3AAbit$lyA%uVD:1$ 0t "ent like this3

0 began in .e" &ork at = p$m$ on the 1<th$ That time 6one in%ludes mu%h of the #astern Seaboard, eastern anada, and a %hunk of South 2meri%a$ 0 t"eeted a hello to everybody in the "hole time 6one, told them about my book, %hatted to anybody "ho "as around, and, at M p$m$ exa%tly, moved "est by one time 6one$ That meant it "as = p$m$ again, but no" 0 "as in the %entral 7$S$ states, %entral anada, and Mexi%o$ 0 did it all again, said hello, mentioned my book, and %hatted to anyone "ho replied$ #very hour, 0 moved "est again by one time 6one, Gumping ba%k ea%h time to = p$m$ 2ppropriate for a book about time traveling$ 0n Gust a fe" hours, 0 had %rossed the 2meri%as$ !eaving 2laska behind, 0 %rossed the dateline, and entered 'ussia$ T"eeting for 2K hours solid "as pretty tiring, but it didn>t kill me 8and, %onsidering ho" 0 felt "hen 0 rea%hed #urope and still had nine hours to go, surviving felt like a small mira%le at the time$9 0n fa%t, 0 had a lot of fun$ Most pla%es 0 "ent, there "ere people to talk to and, to my surprise, there "as a %ro"d of people "ho 8"hile they "ere a"akeC9 "ere follo"ing me and %heering me on$ 0 had feared that my regular follo"ers "ould get bored "ith my %onstant t"eeting but people seemed to enGoy it$ 0 pi%ked up do6ens of follo"ers during the tour and several people t"eeted to say they>d bought the book and "ere enGoying it$ :ne guy bought it, read the "hole thing, and blogged a very ni%e revie" before the tour "as even overC This is ho, I prepared yself3

/ 0 found a big atlas of the "orld and kept it by my side$ / 0 opened (ikipedia and, as 0 passed ea%h %ountry, read a little about it$ / 0 found a good online translator and kept it open on my desktop$ / 0 made a point of %he%king "hat %ountries my T"itter follo"ers lived in , it turned out they "ere spread all over .orth 2meri%a, #urope, and 2ustralasia, so 0 had someone 0 kne" in most time 6ones$ / 0 arranged "ith my "ife to bring me meals and drinks throughout the 2K hours$ 2 lot of the time 0 "as extremely busy and engaged, and 0 "as very glad of her support so 0 %ould stay at the keyboard$ These are so e of the things I did that helped ake it interesting3

/ 0 used the hashtag Btimesplash so that people %ould follo" the tour$ / 0 gave greetings to all the %ountries in ea%h time 6one as 0 arrived, in ea%h %ountry>s o"n language if possible, and used %ountry and %ity/name hashtags to alert the lo%als$ / (henever 0 kne" a %ountry, 0 "rote little ane%dotes about my time there , about pla%es 0>d visited, or lived, or things 0>d done there$ / #ven if 0 didn>t kno" a %ountry at all, 0 found interesting fa%ts about it in (ikipedia and t"eeted about them$

/ 0 tried to keep a%tual plugs for my book do"n to about one per time 6one , ho"ever, several of my follo"ers "ere re/t"eeting my plugs throughout the tour 8bless >em$9 / (henever anybody said >1i> from a time 6one, 0 engaged them and %hatted$ Sometimes 0 "as having several %onversations at on%e$ This "as one of the best parts, espe%ially if it "as a stranger$ 0 made a fe" t"eet buddies that dayC 0t "as Duite an experien%e$ Some things "ere very striking$ .orth 2meri%a, 2ustralasia, and #urope "ere very lively$ 'ussia is immense and, for me, "as mostly silent$ hina, of %ourse, "as silent too, be%ause of their 0nternet filtering$ The 2tlanti% "as the only really dull bit , three time 6ones "ith no inhabitantsC 0 "as very happy to make landfall in .e" &ork at = p$m$ on the 1Lth and very pleased "ith the positive response 0>d had throughout the tour$ 0t "as a great alternative to sitting in bookstores, and 0 think 0 sold Gust as many books$ "!o#t the "#thor *raham Storrs, the author of Ti%eSplash at http3AAbit$lyA%uVD:1, is a "riter "ho lives in Duiet se%lusion on a bush property in 2ustralia$ 1e trained as a psy%hologist and, after a %areer in artifi%ial intelligen%e and human/%omputer intera%tion resear%h and soft"are design, no" shares his time bet"een his family, "riting, and the beautiful forested mountains of his adopted home$ Ba%k to top

"esources
!earn more about so%ial marketing "ith these detailed ho"/to guides3 / -a%ebook *uide for 2uthors3 http3AAbit$lyA1Nkl"D / T"itter *uide for 2uthors3 http3AAbit$lyA2V1S1@ / The Savvy Book Marketer)s *uide to Su%%essful So%ial Marketing3 http3AAbit$lyA2uthorSo%ialMarketing Save time by using """$1ootSuite$%om to manage your so%ial net"orking posts from a single lo%ation and s%hedule posts in advan%e$ *et your free report, ,* Steps to $nline #et1orking Success at http3AAbit$lyA10Step'eport$ Top So%ial .et"orking Sites3 / """$-a%ebook$%om / for all authors / http3AAt"itter$%om , for all authors / """$!inked0n$%om , for nonfi%tion authors / """$*ood'eads$%om , for fi%tion authors

See a list of other net"orking sites for fi%tion and %hildren)s book authors at http3AAbit$lyA 'eader ommunities$ !earn more about book publishing and marketing by follo"ing these groups of experts on T"itter3 / http3AAt"itter$%omAbookmarketerAbook/publishing/experts / http3AAt"itter$%omAbookmarketerAbook/promotion/experts / http3AAt"itter$%omAbookmarketerAonline/marketing/experts *et more so%ial marketing resour%es at http3AAbit$lyASo%ial'esour%es$ Ba%k to top

&iction Marketing
(hile the basi% marketing prin%ipals are the same, there are distin%t differen%es bet"een promoting fi%tion and nonfi%tion books$ This se%tion offers spe%ifi% advi%e for novelists$ 2uthors of %hildren)s and young adult books %an find additional publishing and marketing resour%es at http3AAbit$lyA hildren&2$

What -o You Talk +bout 8n Your Blog )f You Write $iction?

by arolyn 1o"ard/5ohnson 0t>s harder to promote fi%tion on a blog 8or about anything else9 than nonfi%tion, but it>s not impossible$ 1ere are some ideas$ .ote that sometimes you have to make your o"n ne"s$ 1$ 0evie, others9 !ooks and post the revie,$ hoose ones in the same genre as yours or related to your book in other "ays, like setting$ 2sk the author to promote your revie" post$ 0f you need more information on this pro%ess, read the se%tion on ho" to promote "ith your "riting in my book, The 3rugal Book -ro%oter at http3AAam6n$toAeflDD", and for everything you need to kno" on the subGe%t read Mayra alvani>s The Slippery 'rt of Book @evie1ing at http3AAam6n$toAh7PT(^$ 2$ Tell stories related to yo#r !ook$ 7se the voi%e of your protagonist 8or villain9 in your post and let him or her tell some ne" stories, stories not found in your book$ Be sure she or he mentions your book during the little story/telling spree$

F$ (et yo#r readers endorse yo#r !ook$ 0n fa%t, ask them to$ Post pi%tures of them and your book %over$ Make the post more about them than about your book$ &our post %ould resemble a feature story like the ones you see in maga6ines$ -o%us on some interesting aspe%t of their lives$ 0)m thinking maybe about their taste in reading$ &ou %ould do a "hole series of arti%les on different readers using this theme$ &ou might also use an intervie" format, but intervie" are %ommon and many of your readers may not understand ho" to make the ans"ers interesting using ane%dote or snappy %omeba%ks$ Besides, if you "rote a feature story, you might end up selling the arti%le to a print periodi%al or some other media$ K$ Talk a!o#t trends in yo#r genre$ 1o" does your book fit into them+ <$ "ns,er reader9s /#estions$ Sometimes readers think of %hara%ters as real$ :ffer to expound or flesh out %hara%ters, in%luding minor ones$ &ou may end up using "hat you "rite as part of a seDuel$ L- It see s o!vio#s fro the a!ove !#t yo# co#ld explore yo#r next novel and let people ,eigh in ,ith ideas=$ &eat#re or link to the !logs of other a#thors or other revie, sites$ 2sk for revie"s of your book on those same revie" sites$ M$ Start an a,ard$ ontests are old ne"s and often don>t "ork "ell$ But if you give an a"ard on%e a year for a book in your genre+ (ell, 0>m Gust starting to think of the possible benefits inherent "ith this in%luding an opportunity to send out a media release "ith some real ne"s in it, &ou %ould %ross promote "ith the "inning author or authors$ :hC 2 resour%e for you$ *o to Phyllis ^imbler Miller>s and my -i%tion Marketing page to read the %hapter on blogs$ There are even more ideas there$ 0t is at """$fi%tionmarketing$%om$ 2nd if you kno" an agent "ho might be interested in the %on%ept, "ill you let them kno" about the site+ "!o#t the "#thor arolyn 1o"ard/5ohnson is the author of several books in%luding This Is the -laceS 0arkening: ' !ollection of Stories @e%e%(eredS The 3rugal Book -ro%oter: 0o1 To /o "hat Your -u(lisher "on+t at http3AAam6n$toAg1y1"- and The 3rugal Editor: -ut Your Best Book 3or1ard to 'void 0u%iliation and Ensure Success at http3AAam6n$toAgx <B1$ She is also the author of booklets, The reat 3irst I%pression Book -roposal at """$budurl$%omABookProposals and reat :ittle :ast8Minute Editing Tips for "riters: The =lti%ate 3rugal Booklet for 'voiding "ord Trippers and !rafting atekeeper8-erfect !opy at """$budurl$%omA(ordtrippersPB$ 1er blogs in%lude Sharing (ith (riters and 'eaders at http3AAsharing"ith"riters$blogspot$%omS The .e" Book 'evie" at http3AA"""$thene"bookrevie"$blogspot$%omA, a blog "here authors %an re%y%le their favorite revie"sS and The -rugal, Smart and Tuned/0n #ditor blog at http3AA """$thefrugaleditor$blogspot$%omA$

Ba%k to top

Blog )deas for $iction +uthors

by athy Stu%ker &ou have heard that you should have a blog, but you may have no idea "hat you should blog about$ 4o your readers "ant to kno" "hat you had for lun%h 8probably not9 or your opinions on some politi%al issue 8even less likely9+ 2lthough your blog does not al"ays have to be about you and your books, here are some ideas that %an keep you "riting great blog posts and selling more books$ +o#r Events !et your friends and fans kno" "hat you are doing and "here they %an meet you in person$ 4o posts about3 7p%oming #vents / (hen and "here "ill you be reading from your latest book+ 1o" %an they attend your book laun%h party or order autographed %opies of the book+ (hat 1appened at &our !ast #vent / 2fter the event, tell "hat happened$ (as there a big %ro"d+ 0n%lude pi%tures of you reading from your book, autographing books for fans, and everyone having a great time$ The %rocess of 8riting Most people "ill never "rite a book, and that makes them very %urious about ho" someone a%tually "rites an entire book$ (rite posts des%ribing3 1o" &ou 4e%ide (hat to (rite 2bout / (here did you get the idea to make your heroine a tru%k driver+ (hy did you set your latest novel in Miami+ 1o" &ou (rite / 4o you "rite in longhand or at a %omputer+ 4o you %reate a detailed outline, or Gust start "riting+ 1o" do you kno" "hen a book is finished+ 4o you imagine movie stars in the film version of your books "hile you "rite+ (here &ou (rite / 4o you "rite in a home offi%e+ 2t the library+ 0n a %orner at your lo%al Starbu%ks+ +o#r 0esearch #ven though the stories are made up, most novelists do at least some resear%h to %reate %redible %hara%ters and lo%ations$ !et your fans and aspiring "riters kno"3 1o" &ou 'esear%h / Most people haven)t a %lue ho" to do resear%h$ &ou might be surprised by ho" many people %an not even do an effe%tive *oogle sear%h$ (here do you start "ith your resear%h+ 4o you travel to lo%ations in your books+ 1ave you ever "orked at the Gobs any of your %hara%ters have, or have you shado"ed people in those

Gobs+ (hat are the fun parts of resear%h vs$ the tedious parts+ -a%ts and 5ui%y Tidbits / han%es are your resear%h turned up some very interesting information$ 0t is also likely that lots of your resear%h didn)t make it in to your book$ Share some surprising and little/kno"n histori%al fa%ts or ho"/to "ith your blog)s readers$ 8hat +o# "re 0eading (riters read, and your fans "ant to kno" "hat you read$ Tell themC The .ovels on &our .ightstand / (hat books have you re%ently read+ (hat books are on your nightstand, "aiting to be read+ (hat are your favorite books+ Books 2bout (riting / 'emember that many of your readers are also interested in "riting, so let them kno" the books you find most useful$ These might in%lude grammar referen%e books, ho"/to books on "riting, or books about the pro%ess of "riting by your favorite authors$ +o#r Characters 0t is your blog, but there is no rule that you %an)t turn it over to your %hara%ters no" and then to let them have their say$ !ead hara%ters / !et the lead %hara%ters in your up%oming book introdu%e themselves in a blog post$ 0f you "rite a series, they might blog about "hat is happening in their lives bet"een books$ @uirky Se%ondary hara%ters / Sometimes the minor %hara%ters are, in some "ays, more interesting that the leads$ The Duirky %hara%teristi%s that make them fun and interesting "ould drive everyone %ra6y if you read about them on every page of the book, but "hen they pop in for a fe" s%enes, they grab interest and move the story along$ (hy not let one of them do a blog post+ 'eaders "ill love it, and you "ill have fun, too$ "sk for 0eader &eed!ack *ive readers a sense of o"nership in your next book by asking for their advi%e$ 2sk them anything from "hether your heroine should be blond to "hat her name should be or "here the book should be set$ !et them vote from a list of %hoi%es or make freeform suggestions$ 0#n a Contest #veryone loves to "in stuff, so hold a %ontest and give a"ay a fe" %opies of your book$ Stru%ture the %ontest to get readers involved, su%h as asking them to "rite a short poem about something in the book, or telling "hat their favorite one of your books is and "hy, or anything that gets them involved$ 8.ote3 !a"s generally prohibit reDuiring that entrants make a pur%hase, so be %areful about that$9

Blog often to keep readers engaged$ These ideas should get you started$ "!o#t the "#thor 2s the 0dea!ady 8http3AAidealady$%omA9, athy Stu%ker helps authors, entrepreneurs and professionals attra%t %ustomers and make themselves famous$ -or more tips on "riting, publishing and marketing books, see athy)s book publishing site at http3AASellingBooks$%omA$ Ba%k to top

What %o0elists &an !earn +bout

by 2ngela (ilson

arketing from %onfiction +uthors

0t>s easier for nonfi%tion authors to establish a su%%essful marketing %ampaign than their fi%tion %ounterparts$ -i%tion authors dro"n in over/saturated genres, "hile nonfi%tion authors have very targeted ni%hes they serve$ Speaking engagements are easier to %ome by for nonfi%tion authors, "ho are established EexpertsE be%ause of publi%ation$ 0f you "ant to stand out from others %ompeting for attention in your genre, then %onsider borro"ing a fe" tri%ks from your %ounterparts3 reate a definitive ni%he for yourself by targeting a smaller market share$ 1ere is an example3 0nstead of targeting every reader in the paranormal roman%e genre, sear%h for those "ho enGoy the types of paranormal you "rite 8vampires, "ere"olves, "it%hes, et%$9$ Build on this smaller audien%e until it is solid, then bran%h out to other readers in the genre$ 7se your books to propel you to EexpertE status$ #very time you "rite, you learn something$ Take those lessons and %ompile them into easy/to/read P4-s or blog posts$ This builds your %redibility over time$ (hen you pit%h yourself as a guest speaker for "riting %onferen%es, fo%us on "hat you)ve learned from your "riting and publishing experien%es$ ?no" your brand, and use it$ (hen you *oogle Ebranding expert,E you "ill find 'ob -rankel, author of The @evenge of Brand A$ 1e kno"s that finding readers and %lients is about more than Gust his nameQit is about his brand$ 1e has su%%essfully made his name synonymous "ith his %areer as a branding expert, so people %an find him, not the %ompetition$ -i%tion authors should %reate a brand that is not only their name, but their genre, book titles or %hara%ters, or a %ombination of all four$ 4on>t limit yourself to book sales$ .onfi%tion authors usually have ba%kgrounds that support their subGe%t and books$ They are %onsultants, business o"ners, mothers of disabled %hildren, ex/military and more$ Their books are Gust part of their revenue

stream$ -or example, you %ould bill yourself as a time management expert if you "rite several books ea%h year$ The more you add to your %redentials, the more venues "ill open to you, and the more revenue you "ill generate$ "!o#t the "#thor -ormer Gournalist 2ngela (ilson blogs about book marketing at Market My .ovel 8http3AA """$marketmynovel$%omA9 and shares author re%ipes at 2uthors X 2ppeti6ers 8http3AAauthorsandappeti6ers$%omA9$ She loves to "rite paranormal fi%tion, drink tea and "alk at park trails$ Ba%k to top

%#!licity for Books and "#thors $i0e Ti(s to &reate Publicity for Your Book
by Barbara Te%hel 0n 200= 0 embarked upon "riting my first %hildren)s book to edu%ate others about animals "ith disabilities, as "ell as help %hildren see their %hallenges in a positive "ay$ My da%hshund, -rankie "as diagnosed "ith 0ntervertebral 4is% 4isease 8http3AA"""$dodgerslist$%omA9 in 200L "hi%h %aused paralysis$ She is no" mobile and living a Duality life thanks to a dog "heel%hair$ (at%hing -rankie persevere after surgery to repair the ruptured dis%, months of physi%al therapy and ultimately fitted for her dog "heel%hair 8http3AA"""$eddies"heels$%omA9, 0 reali6ed 0 "as being given an opportunity to share a story of hope$ 1aving virtually no experien%e in the book industry, 0 set out "ith the "ill to learn and the passion to share my message$ 1ere are some ideas that have "orked for me3 1$ (at%h "hat other authors do, espe%ially in your genre or area of expertise$ -ollo" them via -a%ebook or T"itter, study their "ebsites, and build a relationship "ith them$ 0)ve learned many valuable lessons from other authors that have helped me spread my message$ :ne "ay in parti%ular, is "at%hing "hat radio sho"s they are doing and then pit%hing to that parti%ular radio sho"$ 2$ Subs%ribe to 12': / 1elp a 'eporter :ut at http3AA"""$helpareporter$%omA$ This has been a "onderful free tool for publi%ityC (hen a Gournalist is looking for a story that pertains to your subGe%t, pit%h them$ :ne pit%h 0 made "as to a "oman looking for stories about therapy dogs$ The "riter %onta%ted me, "rote my story and it made it into a book$ This book got into the hands of Bauer Publishing "ho publishes "o%an&s "orld maga6ine$ :ut of 21 stories in the book, they %hose my story to feature in their

maga6ine$ F$ Pay attention to "riting %ontests 8sear%h *oogle9$ #nter those that speak to your heart$ :ne su%h %ontest 0 pla%ed se%ond and made it into the book, /ogs and the "o%en "ho :ove The% at http3AA"""$dogsandthe"omen"holovethem$%omA, "hi%h "as Gust re%ommended by :prah)s $ Maga6ine at http3AAbit$lyAhu?bh5$ K$ #nter book a"ard %ontests$ 0f you pla%e as a "inner, or even a finalist, this is a great opportunity to "rite a press release for your lo%al paper, as "ell as online dire%tories$ This keeps your name and message out there for others to find you and remember you$ <$ 4o %haritable "ork$ 0 volunteer "ith -rankie, "ho is a registered therapy dog, and be%ause of our "ork, -rankie "as indu%ted into the (is%onsin Pet 1all of -ame$ #ven if you don)t re%eive this type of re%ognition, %haritable organi6ations "ork on publi%ity often, and if you %an tie into that this %an bring free publi%ity to you$ 2nother example of this is that -rankie and 0 volunteer at a lo%al %ommunity hospi%e "ith a monthly ne"sletter$ (e "ere featured in the ne"sletter, "hi%h brought noti%e to me as an author and my books$ Thinking outside of the box and "at%hing for opportunities that look like a good fit are some avenues that have helped me generate publi%ity$ #ven if it seems like a small opportunity, you never do kno" "here it "ill lead$ 0f you are passionate about your message, are %onsistent, as "ell as open to ne" opportunities, you never kno" "here it "ill take youC "!o#t the "#thor Barbara Te%hel is the a"ard/"inning author of 3rankie2 the "alk B# @oll /og book series$ 2long "ith sharing -rankie)s story "ith %hildren, Barbara and -rankie routinely volunteer as a therapy dog team at lo%al hospitals, nursing homes, and hospi%e %enters, spreading Goy "herever they go$ !earn more at """$Goyfulpa"s$%om$ Ba%k to top

+natomy of a Successful Press "elease for Book Promotion

by arol (hite :ne of the most basi% parts of your marketing plan is your media plan$ 1o" are you going to let people kno" about your book so that they %an find it and buy it+ By notifying the media, right+ :f %ourse, before you get to this point, your produ%t has to be ready to market$ There is no point in embarking on a publi%ity %ampaign unless you are ready to go to market3 / 0s your produ%t "ell/targeted for its genreAmarket+ &ou do kno" "ho "ill buy your

book, right+ 2nd the ans"er isn)t Ieverybody$J / 1as it been professionally produ%ed , either by you or "ith help from a team of professionals as needed+ 4esigners, editors, layout, and marketing professionals %an all help improve the end result$ / 0t has to be pri%ed right for the market / you did do a %ompetitive analysis also+ / There have to be pla%es for people to buy it "here they are used to shopping for information on your subGe%t / your really "ell/thought/out "ebsite is only the beginning and 2ma6on is only the next stepS from there, think about pet stores for pet books, florists for books about or%hids, home improvement stores for plumbing books, online sites and so on$ :n%e you are ready to laun%h your media %ampaign, you)ll need the tools to do that , one or more press releases, an author bio, some sample intervie" Duestions for broad%ast media or online virtual intervie"s, a IsellJ sheet and more$ The item that seems to give authors the most trouble is "riting a good press release$ 2 press release for book promotion doesn)t tell about your book , it tells a story that people %are about$ .obody %ares that you have "ritten a ne" book unless you are 5ohn *risham or Tom lan%y, so you need a hook$ 0)ve taken t"o press releases of my o"n that have had thousands of vie"s and hundreds of Ipi%kupsJ as examples of "hat makes a release "ork year after year$ The first example ties to a topi% of %ontinuing interest to most 2meri%ans , the pri%e of gasoline , espe%ially during the summer va%ation time, "hi%h is "hen it gets pi%ked up and used$ 0n fa%t, 0 usually update the pri%ing information and re/release it year after year, holiday after holiday$ li%k on the link belo" to see this press release, along "ith my %omments about ea%h element of the release$ Sample book press release B1 at http3AAbit$lyAikxbnm The se%ond example is one that "as tied to a not very su%%essful movie, but it must have I%ultJ status be%ause this little pie%e gets vie"ed on my "ebsite and on P'(eb every single month , truly ama6ing to me, but that Gust sho"s the po"er of having the right hook$ The beauty of tying your press information to a %ultural topi% 8movies, plays, musi%al groups, et%$9 is that they are perennially vie"ed, thereby giving longevity to your efforts$ li%k on the link belo" to see this release, along "ith my %omments$ Sample book press release B2 at http3AAbit$lyAiha"hi 2 press release for book promotion has some very spe%ifi% parts to be effe%tive3 / learly stated %onta%t information / 2n a%tion/oriented headline that grabs attention / 2n opening paragraph that pulls people into your story / @uotes from people or organi6ations to ba%k up your information and add interest / Problem/solving information related to your story , ho" "ill your story 8book9 make their lives better or easier or ho" "ill it entertain them+ (hat is the value to them+

/ 1umor and fun "hen appropriate / Bullet points or short se%tional headlines for easy skimming of key information / losing paragraph that "raps up the key point and IsellsJ the value of your book 8and story9$ 0n%ludes a strong %losing senten%e$ / 2 short bio and information about the book and a link to your "ebsite and additional media information 2ll of this needs to be done in %lear, %on%ise senten%es and "ritten to generally not ex%eed <00/=<0 "ords$ 0f appropriate, make sure you in%lude additional media information like availability for intervie"s, lo%al appearan%es in %onGun%tion "ith the story, %ontests being %ondu%ted around the story, and so on$ -inally, there are fe" things to avoid in your press releases3 / 0t %an)t be an advertisement for you or your book / 0t %an)t be overly biased or present %learly obGe%tionable %opy / 0t %an)t be diffi%ult to read / diffi%ult language, too text dense, too rambling, too long, et%$ (hat 0 al"ays tell my %lients is to put yourself in your potential %ustomer)s shoes , "hat "ould you "ant to hear about this storyAbook and does this press release deliver that information+ 0t "ill often take several tries to get the story right, but "ith a good eye to"ards your %ustomer 8and not yourself9 and you "ill be "ell on your "ay to "riting a press release for your book that you "ill be proud of and one that "ill get ex%ellent media %overage both no" and for some time in the future$ "!o#t the "#thor arol (hite is an author, speaker, "riter, and book marketing %oa%h$ o/author of the a"ard/"inning :ive Your @oad Trip /rea% at http3AA"""$roadtripdream$%omA, she is a freDuent guest speaker at %onventions su%h as the national 22'P !ife H <0W and The *reat .orth 2meri%an '; 'ally, and she has spoken about publishing to groups in%luding 0BP2)s Publishing 7niversity, the .orth"est 2sso%iation of Book Publishers and the Bay 2rea 0ndependent Publishers) 2sso%iation$ She serves %lients in the 7$S$ and abroad through her book marketing %onsulting pra%ti%e$ To learn more, visit """$%arol"hitemarketing$%om$ -or more information about the 0ndependent Book Publishers 2sso%iation, visit the 0BP2 "ebsite at http3AA"""$ibpa/online$%omA$ Ba%k to top

$i0e Ti(s for Writing a Strong Press "elease

by Marsha -riedman

.- 1eadlineF 1eadline; 1E"D(INEFFF 2rguably the most important aspe%t of your press release, headlines are so vital that there are entire books "ritten and seminars taught on ho" to %onstru%t the most effe%tive ones$ .o", don)t let this s%are you$ (riting a killer headline is definitely a skill that %an be developedS all you need is a %lear and %on%ise overvie" of your topi%$ (rite do"n your sho" idea and look it over$ .o" look it over again$ (hat is your key message+ 0s your sho" idea ne"s"orthy+ 2re there any "ell/kno"n people that you %an tie into your topi%+ 4o you have any impressive statisti%s that are relevant+ 0s there anything %ontroversial that ties dire%tly into your subGe%t+ The ans"ers to these Duestions "ill help you develop a headline "hi%h is ready for in%reased attention by produ%ers and hosts$ &our headline must %ommuni%ate the topi% of the sho" instantly in an eye/%at%hing "ay$ 0t should not be longer than 1 senten%e and "ill a%t as T1# sound bite on your topi%$ .o" that)s a lot of "eight to put on a single senten%eC Sometimes to alleviate the "eight of the headline, you may need a sub/head to support it$ 0f your headline gives Gust a taste of your sho" topi%, then a sub/head is useful to explain it further$ (hen someone reads the headline and sub/head together it should immediately %li%k "hat the %on%ept of the sho" is$ 4o this %orre%tly and you "ill definitely grab some attentionC 2- Disc#ssion Topic This is your %han%e to present a %on%ise summary of your sho" topi%$ 0t should %ontinue naturally from the headline to further expand the topi%$ The headline gets the attention and the dis%ussion topi% gives the reader more$ The length should be t"o or three senten%es, tops$ This for%es you to present 8and think about9 your topi% in a %on%ise manner$ 2gain try to tie your topi% to %urrent events, big name, big money, or %ontroversyC 4on)t be "orried about repeating yourself in the different se%tions of the press release$ 2fter all, you "ant to get a %ohesive point a%rossC 82 great tip3 try "riting the Topi% Summary and 1eadline together$ 0t is a great "ay to save timeC9 4- Talking %ointsG<#estions These are an absolute must for radio and T; as they are the shaping tools that guide the host through your topi%$ :ften times the host "ill read dire%tly off of the press release during the intervie"$ This not only makes them look kno"ledgeable, but it saves them heaps of timeC So "hy not have them read &:7' Duestions so you %an give very spe%ifi% ans"ers "hi%h "ill not only make you look kno"ledgeable but also make for a great intervie"$ &et again you "ill need to tie in %urrent events and any %ontroversy that "ill stir interest 8are you tired of hearing this yet+9$ *enerally it is good to give no more than 10 of these %onversation shapers$ 0f you do get invited as a guest, your intervie"s "ill generally last

any"here from < to F0 minutesRso %on%ise is a "ord that you should familiari6e yourself "ith right no"C 'emember3 the more interesting the Duestions , the more interesting your intervie"C >- Topic $vervie, :n%e you have gained their attention "ith your eye/%at%hing headline, topi% summary and talking points it is time to present the full sho" idea$ This is your opportunity to fully flesh out your topi% to position you as an expert on the topi% you are dis%ussing$ 4o not "rite a sales pie%e here , "rite your sho"C (ork your name, personal Duotes and produ%t name into the summary$ !iberally use the follo"ing to build your topi% and profile3 statisti%s, testimonials, %urrent ne"s fa%ts, professional title 8"hi%h is real and honest9$ 7se anything that "ill interest the produ%er, host and in effe%t T1#0' 2740#. #C Try to limit this to a page maximum, "ith an ideal range to be K/L paragraphs "ith around K senten%es max in ea%h one$ 5- Biography .o" this is the one element that people tend to forget, underplay or overplay$ T10S 0S 2B:7T &:7C This is your %han%e to position yourself as the expert you are in order for you to be invited as a guest$ 7se your Dualifi%ations, edu%ation, %areer, relationships, memberships, travel history, ho" many dogs you haveR$et%$ Basi%ally use anything that %an help Dualify you as an expert on the topi%$ 0f you are "riting about religion, for example, anything that you do in your life that pertains to religion is appli%able and in%reases your plausibility as an expert on that topi%$ 2 "ord of "arning though3 don)t sensationali6e yourself$ By doing this you "ill immediately turn/off produ%ers and hosts$ 0nstead, effe%tively %ommuni%ate your a%hievements and expertise on the topi% that you are presenting$ Simply rehashing your resume "ith bullet/points is an absolute Ino/noJ$ The press release is your marketing tool to get invited as a guest on radio and television sho"s$ 0f you take your time developing exa%tly "hat your intervie" segment "ill be about and put lots of thought into developing your press release to %learly refle%t that you "ill be more su%%essful in getting the media attention you desire$ So get "ritingC "!o#t the "#thor -or 20 years Marsha -riedman has been a Publi% 'elations expert as #: of #MS0$ Signup at """$emsin%orporated$%om for her free P' 0nsider .e"sletter todayC :r %all =2=/KKF/=11<, ext$ 202, or email mfriedmanHemsin%orporated$%om$ Ba%k to top

5se a Benefit $unnel to Write &om(elling &o(y

by Shel 1oro"it6 0f you>ve studied some of the big/name dire%t marketers, you may have heard of a E%ustomer funnelE or Eprodu%t funnel$E That>s OnotO "hat this %olumn is about, so don>t skip it be%ause you think you already kno"$ 80f you don>t kno", 0 explain in the last paragraph$9 The benefit funnel is different, and as far as 0 kno", 0>m the only one using that term 8though 0 didn>t invent the %on%ept, "hi%h has been around for at least 100 years9$ 0t>s the idea that that you put yourself in your prospe%t>s mind, and keep asking the things your prospe%t "ould ask, until you have an ans"er so %ompelling that you Gust have to make the sale$ (hat "ould they ask+ O ESo "hat+E O E(hy should 0 %are+E O E(hat>s in it for me+E !et>s take a real/life example3 my very favorite press release 0 "rote for a %lient 8"hi%h is featured in my book, rassroots Marketing for 'uthors and -u(lishers at http3AAgrassrootsmarketingforauthors$%omA, in%identally9$ The assignment3 "rite a book publi%ity press release promoting a book on ele%troni% priva%y$ .ot a very %ompelling topi%, at first glan%e$ Most P' books "ill tell you to "rite a headline like E#le%troni% Priva%y #xpert 'eleases .e" BookE//and reporters "ill hit the mental snoo6e button, and the physi%al delete keyAre%y%le bin$ There>s no ne"s in this headlineC .o reason for anyone to %are, ex%ept perhaps the author>s mother$ 0n the 7S alone, several hundred thousand books are published ea%h year$ Big ya"n$ But let>s go ba%k to our reader>s %on%erns and see "here they bring us3 2 book "as published//so "hat+ 0t>s about ele%troni% priva%y$ (hy should 0 %are//"hat does ele%troni% priva%y mean to me+ 0t tells you ho" to prote%t yourself from ele%troni% snoopers$ 0 don>t kno" "hat you mean$ (hat>s in it for me+ &our personal re%ords are floating around, "here big %orporate marketers %an lay traps for you or uns%rupulous people %an grab them and use them to steal your identity or learn information you>d rather keep to yourself$ :oh, that sounds s%ary//no" 0 get itC #x%ept that ba%k then, 0 didn>t kno" about identity theft$ But by asking those kinds of Duestions, 0 arrived at this headline and lead3 It9s .E $9Clock5Do +o# Dno, 8here +o#r Credit 1istory Is; 1o" about your employment re%ords+ &our %onfidential medi%al information+ 1o" "ould you feel if you found out this sensitive and should/be/private material is Eva%ationingE in %omputer databanks around the "orld//a%%essible to %orporate interests "ho %an afford to tra%k do"n and pur%hase it, but not ne%essarily open to your o"n inspe%tion$ 2%%ording to ele%troni% priva%y Gournalist and te%hnology %onsultant 8name9, this s%enario is all/too/%ommon$ 0n a groundbreaking but highly readable ne" book$$$ 4o you think a press release like that "ill get noti%ed by reporters+ 0t>s EgrabberE

%opy"riting//and you %an use this te%hniDue to liven up any marketing pie%e$ 0f it "orks in press releases, think about the impa%t in ad or dire%t mail %opy$ PS3 Those other funnels in the first paragraph have to do "ith the idea that you bring a lot of %ustomers in "ith an inexpensive produ%t, deliver more than you promised, and then sell progressively more expensive items to those "ho "ant them $ $ $ until you>ve gone from, say, a Z1< e/book all the "ay up to a Z1<,000 "eekend boot%amp$ &ou sell fe"er of ea%h item as you go do"n the funnel, but you make more on ea%h one$ onsider that a bonus tip//it>s the method that a lot of "ell/kno"n 0nternet marketers 8not me9 have used to %reate seven/figure in%omes$ "!o#t the "#thor Book marketing and publishing %onsultantAinternationally syndi%ated %olumnist Shel 1oro"it6>s t"o most re%ent books are rassroots Marketing for 'uthors and -u(lishers and uerrilla Marketing oes reen: "inning Strategies to I%prove Your -rofits and Your -lanet 8%o/authored "ith 5ay onrad !evinson9$ To find out more about his servi%es for authors and publishers, please visit http3AA"""$frugalmarketing$%omAservi%es$shtml$ Ba%k to top

+uthor Branding, The You That )s E0erywhere

by 5oel -riedlander (e)ve been told over and over again that to market effe%tively as self/publishers, "e have to start building our author platform as early as possible$ But even before you start hammering together that platform that)s going to support you and your book and your marketing efforts, you need to de%ide ho" you "ill brand yourself$ C!reating an author platfor% is vital for a ne1 author&s success2 and creating a (rand is the (asis for the platfor%) You need to kno1 1hat you are creating (efore you start4D Q 5oanna Penn (hat)s that+ &ou don)t think of yourself as a box of ?leenex, a bar of soap, a transatlanti% airline+ That doesn)t mean you don)t need your o"n branding$ 0t doesn)t even mean you don)t already have a brand of some kind if you)re a%tive in so%ial media no"$ 1ere)s an example of a failure of %orporate branding$ (hen -edex bought a ground delivery servi%e, they only had to expand their brand a little to a%%ommodate the idea of Ese%ure tra%kable pa%kage delivery, express or ground$E

But "hen -edex bought ?inko)s %opy shops, they "ere rea%hing into unkno"n "aters$ -edex is probably driven by the reality that many do%ument transfers are no" happening ele%troni%ally, and ?inko)s looked like a good diversifi%ation$ But they didn)t keep ?inko)s as ?inko)s$ They renamed it -edex ?inko)s "hi%h really makes no sense from a branding point of vie"$ Then they dropped the ?inko)s altogether$ ?inko)s is a terrifi% and idiosyn%rati% brand of %opy shops$ I?inko)s means one thing3 %opies and %omputer servi%es 2K hours a day$ (hat)s -edex doing in there+ .o", they are stu%k "ith a real branding problem$ But as authors and self/publishers, "hat lessons %an "e learn to help "ith our o"n branding+ C"e are !E$s of our o1n co%panies: Me Inc) To (e in (usiness today2 our %ost i%portant Eo( is to (e head %arketer for the (rand called You)D QTom Peters %ersonal Branding3 The +o# that is +o# The idea of personal branding has been around for a "hile$ Some people tra%e the idea ba%k to an arti%le in 3ast !o%pany maga6ine by legendary author and business "riter Tom Peters$ .o", in the age of full/bore so%ial media engagement, "hen it seems that every author has a -a%ebook page, a blog, a persona that represents them, the move to personal branding is stronger than ever$ CThe "e( %akes the case for (randing %ore directly than any packaged good or consu%er product ever could) 0ere&s 1hat the "e( says: 'nyone can have a "e( site) 'nd today2 (ecause anyone can F anyone does4 So ho1 do you kno1 1hich sites are 1orth visiting2 1hich sites to (ook%ark2 1hich sites are 1orth going to %ore than onceG The ans1er: (randing)D QTom Peters The first thing you)ll have to do is de%ide "hat your brand "ill be about$ Some Auestions To +sk Yourself +bout Your Brand (hat "ill be your brand+ / &ou as an author+ / &our book, as a solution to a problem+ / &our publishing %ompany, as a provider of edu%ation or entertainment+ What E<actly akes 5( Your Brand?

&ou are branding yourself all the timeQ"hether you kno" it or not$ (hen you design your "ebsite or blog, "hen you pi%k out business %ards, "hen you establish a persona through "hi%h you %ommuni%ate "ith readers, other authors, book revie"ers, you are branding yourself$

CI&% a 1riter2 a %arketing consultant2 a 1ife and %other2 a (usiness 1o%an2 a coach2 a loyal friend2 a passionate seeker of ne1 challenges and also so%eone 1ho loves the Huiet solitude of reading on a (each) That a(undance of choices and gifts can so%eti%es %uddy the 1aters 1hen I&% trying to define %y +(rand+ to %yself and to potential clients)D Q indy 'at6laff 1o" intentionally you do these a%tivities %an have a maGor effe%t on your o"n brand$ The most effe%tive personal brands for authors are3 / Tightly fo%used / onsistent / 0n line "ith your subGe%t matter (hen 0 see the name 5ohn *risham, immediately a brand leaps to mindQlegal thrillers$ Stephen ?ingQhorror stories$ 'obert !udlumQa%tion thrillers$ 2gatha hristieQgenteel mysteries$ 4eepak hopraQtrans%endental self/help$ 2re you thinking of your o"n examples+ These are outstanding, %onsistent, tightly fo%used and %ongruent brands$ CYour external (rand is ho1 you proEect yourself to the 1orld) There is an ele%ent of choice here) You can decide 1hat to say or 1rite in order to convey a certain i%age) Your proEected i%age 1ill influence 1hat others think of you and ho1 they %ight choose to interact 1ith you) You %ay stu%(le upon this i%age accidentally2 or you can deli(erately target a specific type of i%age)D QSteve Pavlina (hen book buyers "alk into a storeQonline or offQoften they are looking for a brand rather than a book$ IThe ne" 5ohn *rishamJ book$ Booksellers 8and 2ma6on)s algorithms9 offer possible books based on branding$ I0f you liked Mal%olm *lad"ell)s Tipping -oint, you might like 4an 2riely)s -redicata(ly Irrational$J This is true of many su%%essful authors$ (hen they "ant to "rite outside their usual style, they often do so under another name$ >0ere are t1o %ain reasons 1hy personal (randing is (eco%ing a core part of our culture ) ) ) 3irst2 1e are all (eing Eudged all the ti%e2 even 1hen 1e&re sleeping Iour online profiles are still up4J) Second2 1e have to constantly sell our ideas to teachers2 %anagers2 venture capitalists2 our friends and fa%ily2 to %ake things happen in our lives) "e have to convince the% to take action)> Q4an S%h"abel 1o" do authors brand themselves+ There are many "ays$ &our brand %an be an expression of any part of your author presentation that ties people to your "ork$ -or instan%e, you %ould brand yourself by3 'egion Q I2uthor of (estern 2dventure StoriesJ *enre Q I#roti% Metaphysi%al 'oman%esJ 'e%urring hara%ter Q IThe 0nspe%tor Bro"n MysteriesJ Style Q I#asy to 'ead Books on (ood"orkingJ -ormat Q I1001 (ays to Manage your areerJ Persona Q IThe *en/& .ovelist (ith 2ttitudeJ #motion Q IThe -eel/*ood Books 2bout !ife)s !ittle ProblemsJ

.otoriety Q IThe Trump -amily of asinosJ 'eally, any distinguishing %hara%teristi% %an be the basis of a brand, if it)s emphasi6ed %onsistently as part of your presentation$ Branding in the 8orld of 8e! 2-E (e have a%%ounts every"here online$ -a%ebook, !inked0n, 4igg, T"itter, on and on$ But do you segregate your personal %orresponden%e and postings from your author brand+ CI&% not proposing that you let the cro1d dictate2 or that you 1ork hard to fit in) 3ar fro% it) I&% proposing that you kno1 the i%pact your choices are having and act accordingly)D QSeth *odin Brands establish trust$ 0 gre" up in a family that used olgate toothpaste, that "as our brand$ (hy buy a ne" or different toothpaste, one "e didn)t kno" as "ell+ (e trusted our brand, and re"arded olgate "ith our loyalty$ &ou "ant that trust from your readers and your %ommunity$ 0f your brand is a sober, responsible and experien%ed tax advisor "ho "rites books %ounseling people on the best "ay to save on taxes, ho" "ill your readers respond to those photos you posted of a "ild "eekend in Miami+ This is the "orld "e live in, it)s Gust a reality$ C-ersonal (randing is leverage: once you kno1 %e2 you start to (uild a relationship 1ith %e) $nce 1e have a relationship2 I can share even %ore 1ith you) The %ore 1e share2 the %ore likely 1e&ll have other co%%on interests do1n the road)D Q hris Brogan Branding matters if you rely on establishing trust and inspiring loyalty$ -rom the "ay you dress to the "ay you leave %omments on other people)s blogs, you are %onstantly adding to your brand, and that)s "hy %onsisten%y is so important$ So "hen it %omes to platform building, first sit do"n and think about the brand you "ant to establish$ 1o" "ill you present yourself and your book to the "orld+ 1o" "ill you keep it %onsistent, tightly fo%used, and in line "ith your subGe%t+ C3iguring out your (randing doesn&t need to (e co%plicated2 (ut it does need to (e focused) I&% not talking a(out the kind of (randing that reHuires hours of logo develop%ent) I&% not even talking a(out a (rand that&s necessarily original) Yes2 you 1ant to (e uniHue2 (ut the key isn&t doing so%ething no one else is doing2 the key is doing it (etter)D QPenny Sansevieri 2fter you)ve ans"ered these Duestions you)ll be more prepared for your platform building$ 2nd to really find out ho" others see you, ask them$ &ou)re likely to re%eive some really eye/opening feedba%k and advi%e$ But if you %are about the impression you)re making and ho" it refle%ts on your "ork, this is some of the most important listening you "ill ever do$ 0eso#rces

1ere)s some great reading on personal branding that "ill help you get started$ / 4ana !ynn Smith3 Your 'uthor -latfor%: Branding at http3AAbit$lyAMltb0e / 5oanna Penn3 0o1 to /iscover and Build Your 'uthor Brand at http3AAbit$lyAn0n!L / 4an S%h"abel3 'n Introduction to the "orld of -ersonal Branding at http3AAbit$lyAd'emd / hris Brogan3 My Best 'dvice '(out -ersonal Branding at http3AAbit$lyAd?16 2 / indy 'at6laff3 3ive Secrets to !reating Brand: You at http3AAbit$lyAf0Pf=. / Steve Pavlina3 -ersonal Branding at http3AAbit$lyAaov'di / Tom Peters3 The Brand !alled You at http3AAbit$lyA&vlM / Seth *odin3 -ersonal Branding in the 'ge of oogle at http3AAbit$lyAS&*<B / Penny Sansevieri3 /on&t Be 'n Expert2 Be ' 3ilter ISecrets To Selling More BooksJ at http3AAbit$lyAef2Gr% "!o#t the "#thor 5oel -riedlander is the proprietor of Marin Book"orks, a publishing servi%es %ompany in San 'afael, alifornia, that has laun%hed many self/publishers$ 5oel is a book designer, a self/published author, and a blogger$ To learn more about designing and publishing a book and navigating the publishing pro%ess, please visit 5oel>s blog at http3AA"""$thebookdesigner$%omA$ Ba%k to top

*ow to Build Your +uthor Platform

by 4ana !ynn Smith 2s a book author, you>ve probably seen the term author platform used a lot, but you may be "ondering3 "hat is a platform, ho" do 0 get one, and "hen should 0 begin+ &our author platform determines your rea%h in the marketpla%e and it>s important to your book promotion su%%ess$ There are lots of definitions for author platform, but it basi%ally boils do"n to three things3 / Brand / 'eputation / onne%tions 0f you>re hoping to land a book deal "ith a traditional %ommer%ial publisher, a strong author platform is %riti%al$ (hen publishers evaluate book proposals, they "ant an idea of ho" "ell kno"n you are and ho" su%%essful you "ill be at promoting your book on%e it>s published$ 2 platform is Gust as important for authors "ho publish independently$ The best time to start building your author platform is before you "rite your book or book proposal, be%ause it takes time to build your platform$ But regardless of "here you

are in your publishing Gourney, you %an %ontinue to strengthen your author platform$ !et>s take a look at the elements of a platform$ Branding Branding helps you stand out in a %ro"ded marketpla%e and makes you memorable$ :ne of the most important parts of your brand is your author tagline , a %on%ise and %at%hy des%ription of "hat you do$ 1ere are some examples of author taglines3 / The Publi%ity 1ound / The !ove 4o%tor / The Produ%tivity Pro / The 'isDue 'oman%e (riter / 2uthor of thrilling mysteries / 2uthor of the 4ete%tive M%*ee series / (riter of edu%ational %hildren>s books 7se your tagline after your name in your promotional materials and signature, like a title$ -or example, 0 refer to myself as 4ana !ynn Smith, The Savvy Book Marketer$ &our author photo is another important branding tool$ Be sure to get a professional looking photo at http3AAbit$lyAa2&2 s and use it every"here, to build re%ognition of you$ Professional doesn>t ne%essarily mean a studio portrait , think about ho" the ba%kground, pose and %lothing in your author photo %an be a refle%tion of your brand and the type of books you "rite$ 2uthor branding %an also in%lude your logo, book %overs, the %olor s%heme you use, your distin%tive style of "riting or speaking, and your a%ademi% Dualifi%ations$ 2ll of these elements together %onstitute a re%ogni6able brand that makes you makes you memorable and builds %redibility as part of your author platform$ Take a look at your o"n branding and think about "hat you %an do to strengthen it$ 0ep#tation &our author reputation is a fa%tor of ho" "ell kno"n you are, "hat you are kno"n for, and ho" %redible you are$ onsider these Duestions3 / 4o you have a degree, spe%ial training or extensive experien%e in the topi% that you>re "riting about andAor in the %raft of "riting+ / 4o you have 8or %an you obtain9 a professional %ertifi%ation in your area of expertise+ / (hat a"ards or other re%ognition have you re%eived+ / (hat kind of media experien%e do you have+ / 1o" many people do you rea%h ea%h month through speaking or intervie"s+ / 1o" many people read your blog+ / 1o" many arti%les have you "ritten and posted or published in the past month+ / 1o" "ell kno"n are you and ho" mu%h name re%ognition do you have+ / (hat leadership positions do you hold+ / (hy should people listen to you or read your books+

.onfi%tion authors %an gain a reputation as an expert in their topi% through su%h a%tivities as "riting books and arti%les, speaking and tea%hing, appearing on talk sho"s, being Duoted in other people>s arti%les, and "riting the fore"ord for other books$ -i%tion authors may be%ome kno"n for their "riting style and their expertise in "riting in a spe%ifi% genre 8su%h as %hildren>s, s%i/fi, roman%e, or mystery9 or for their ni%he "ithin a parti%ular genre 8vampire stories, romanti% adventure9$ &our reputation and author platform %an be enhan%ed by "inning a"ards, re%eiving ex%ellent book revie"s, and getting testimonials and endorsements from %elebrities and experts in your field$ (hat %an you do to boost your author reputation and expert status and in%rease the number of people you rea%h+ 1o" %an you highlight your %redentials in your marketing materials+ Connections (hen selling your book, it>s not Gust "hat you kno", it>s "ho you kno"C To sell books in today>s marketpla%e, you need to be %onne%ted$ 1ere are some examples of the type of %onne%tions that are valuable to authors in promoting their books and themselves3 &ontact -atabase , lients, prospe%ts, %olleagues, friends, and family$ 8(t'in ailing !ist , People "ho have given you permission to %onta%t them$

)nfluencers , elebrities, "ell/kno"n people in your field, book revie"ers, media, and bloggers$ These folks %an help spread the "ord about your book$ 8nline %etworks , onne%tions on -a%ebook, T"itter and other online net"orks, groups and forums$ Blog "eaders , People "ho read your blog or subs%ribe to the blog>s feed$ Professional +ssociations , -ello" asso%iation members and leaders$ Serving in a leadership position enhan%es your visibility "ithin the organi6ation$ 8ther Grou(s , 2lumni asso%iations, %ivi% and servi%e organi6ations, hobby %lubs, et%$ (hat %an you do to in%rease your %onne%tions and leverage the %onne%tions that you have+ 1o" %an you partner "ith others to extend your rea%h+ Platform building is an ongoing pro%ess$ Think about "ays you %an strengthen your o"n author platform and map out an a%tion plan$ "!o#t the "#thor 4ana !ynn Smith is a book marketing %oa%h and author of the Savvy Book Marketer

uides at """$SavvyBookMarketer$%om$ -or more book promotion tips, follo" HBookMarketer on T"itter, visit 4ana>s blog at """$TheSavvyBookMarketer$%om, and get a %opy of the Top Book Marketing Tips ebook "hen you sign up for her free ne"sletter at """$BookMarketing.e"sletter$%om$ Ba%k to top

Perk 5( Your Bio

by Mar%ia &udkin :n your E2boutE page, in %onferen%e materials, in media kits or else"here, a business bio should not be a %old, dry list of Dualifi%ations, "ith every fa%t in its appropriate slot$ .or should it be a %hronology of your %areer$ 0nstead, in your bio, provide an overvie" of your a%hievements and distin%tive "ork approa%h$ Through "hat you say or ho" you say it, also impart a sense of you as a person$ To ,ar #p yo#r !io ,ith sparks of life) incl#de one or ore of these3

/ 2 Duote from you or your personal motto / 2 phrase %lients or an authority figure use about you 8%lients %all him Ethe un%oa%hE be%ause his advi%e is so laid ba%k and subtle9 / -an%iful or unexpe%ted language 8paints the s%enes that be%kon to her9 / on%rete details 8trained his first dog, a S%hnau6er, at age 109 #:s to imprisoned drug

/ ;ivid extremes or %ontrasts 8has taught everyone from dealers9 / Tantali6ing numbers 8the third most Duoted

anadian %hartered a%%ountant9

/ 2 fa%t that humbles you 82lan (eiss on%e appeared on 5eopardy, "here he lost to a dan%ing "aiter9 "!o#t the "#thor 'eprinted "ith permission from Mar%ia &udkin>s free "eekly Marketing Minute ne"sletter, published every (ednesday sin%e 1NN=$ Subs%ribe at http3AA"""$yudkin$%omAmarkmin$htm$ Ba%k to top

*ow To -e0elo( Bey

by 5a%kie :>.eal

essages and Get Them +cross Auickly

:ne of the most effe%tive "ays for authors to promote their books is to do broad%ast intervie"s$ The reason is related to the large audien%es that %an be rea%hed Dui%kly$ 'adio intervie"s tend to run from 10/ 20 minutes, "hereas T; intervie"s are shorter, and often run less than five minutes$ So to deliver the points you are eager to make, preparation is needed$ Many authors "ork "ith media trainers to learn ho" to tighten their messages, and break their books do"n to easy to digest points$ 1o"ever, not everyone has the resour%es to hire a media trainer, or even the time to "ork "ith one, although it is a smart investment for any author$ 0>d like to share "hat 0>ve learned along the "ay, as a book publi%ist, and ho" 0>ve trained my authors before they do an intervie"$ 0t may be some"hat %hallenging to apply these tips to fi%tion, and yet it %an be done, if you take the time to figure out the expertise you %an share "ith an audien%e$ 2uthor 5ill !ubin on%e said the media is obsessed "ith several things3 love, health, and money$ 2s simplisti% as that sounds, it is nevertheless, true and %an be verified by simply reading ne"s headlines$ (hen pulling together key messages, think in terms of problems your book solves for readers$ 7se the ideas the media is al"ays keen on %overing3 love, health, and money$ 2sk yourself, is there any theme in my book that %an help the reader be%ome sexier, richer, or healthier+ 0f so, you may be on to a relevant key message$ (hat %an your book tea%h your audien%e+ (hat "ill they learn that "ill make a positive differen%e in their lives+ :r their %ommunities at large+ Spending time ans"ering these Duestions "ill help you Gump/start your key messages$ 1ere is an example from my o"n files3 0 had a s%ien%e/fi%tion "riter as a %lient "hose area of expertise "as dis%ussing benefits of using rene"able energy in preventing future environmental dilemmas like the *ulf of Mexi%o offshore drilling explosion, and breaking do"n the s%ien%e of o%ean energy thermal te%hnology$ 0 "as able to get her featured on .B on Telemundo, tea%hing vie"ers ho" to do a home energy audit$ She talked about ho" the audien%e %an save money by using -! light bulbs, the benefits of solar panels, and other "ays to live green$ This "as a topi% she "as impassioned about, and she explained in a %on%ise "ay$ The intervie" "as %hallenging be%ause the host "as bi/lingual, but the results "ere super$ &ou %an "at%h it at http3AA"""$youtube$%omA"at%h+vYuGLSoyF?NKg$ Try to identify topi%s you %an speak to, and see ho" your messages %an tie in to ho" audien%es %an save money, live better, or be healthier$ Pra%ti%e$ and pra%ti%e some more$ Before long, you>ll be prepared for your next broad%ast intervie"$

"!o#t the "#thor 5a%kie :>.eal is the founder of :>.eal Media *roup, a publi% relations %onsultan%y that helps entrepreneurs get noti%ed, and stay noti%ed$ 2 talented publi% relations strategist, one of 5a%kie>s spe%ialties is "riting a targeted %ommuni%ations plan so her %lients %an meet their most important obGe%tives, and stay on tra%k$ .eed help+ onta%t :>.eal Media *roup at http3AAonealmediagroup$presskit2K=$%omA$ !earn more about "orking "ith the media in 5a%kie>s previous guest post, 3ool8proof "ays to !orrespond "ith 5ournalists at http3AAbit$lyA%yup<N$ Ba%k to top

Building +uthor Platform by Pitching Yourself to the

by .ina 2mir

edia

:ne of the "ays to build author platform involves pit%hing yourself and your expertise to the media$ This means offering them solid, interesting, pertinent, ne"s"orthy, uniDue information they need or "ant$ 1o" do you kno" "hat type of stories Gournalists seek+ #asy$ Tap into the pla%es they post their Dueries$ 0n other "ords, dis%over "hat stories they are "riting for "hi%h they need expert sour%es to intervie"$ Then, offer to be that expert sour%e$ 1ere are three "ays to tap into reporter)s needs and "antsQalong "ith millions of other people "anting the free publi%ity offered by being in%luded in an arti%le or invited onto a radio or television sho"$ -irst, subs%ribe to 1elp 2 'eporter :ut at http3AA"""$helpareporter$%omA$ This free servi%e sends you an email three times a dayQyes, three timesQfilled "ith Dueries on a variety of topi%s from Gournalists$ &ou %an then ans"er those Dueries "ith a pit%h$ 1elp a 'eport :ut, "hi%h is kno"n as 12':, is provided by Peter Shankman$ Se%ond, subs%ribe to Pit%h'ate$%om at http3AA"""$pit%hrate$%omA$ This free servi%e also offers you the %han%e to vie" a variety of Dueries from Gournalists$ &ou also %an %ustomi6e it so you see those reDuests that pertain to your area of expertise$ Pit%h'ate$%om is provided by 4re" *erber, one of the guest bloggers on my blog$ Third, subs%ribe to Bill and Steve 1arrison)s 'eporter onne%tion at http3AA"""$reporter%onne%tion$%omA, another free servi%e providing you "ith Gournalists reDuests for experts on a variety of topi%s$ 0f you subs%ribe to all three of these servi%es, %he%k the listings ea%h day "hen they arrive in your email box, and then send pit%hes to the appropriate Dueries in a timely

manner 80mmediatelyC9$ 0f you do so, you "ill be taking a daily step to"ard building your author)s platform$ 0f your author)s media kit and pit%h are both top not%h, you should be getting a positive response,"hi%h means media %overage$ 2nd ea%h print, radio or television spot you re%eive builds that platform$ 80f you need information on ho" to %reate a better media kit, visit http3AAbit$lyAao =s<, or a pit%h, visit http3AAbit$lyAfylmiM$9 "!o#t the "#thor .ina 2mir, &our 0nspiration/to/ reation oa%h, inspires "riters to %reate the results they desireQpublished produ%ts and %areers as "riters and authors$ 2n author, Gournalist, freelan%e editor, and "riting and author %oa%h, she blogs at (rite .onfi%tion .:( and 1o" to Blog a Book at http3AA"""$"ritenonfi%tonno"$%omA and "rites a national 5e"ish 0ssues at http3AA"""$examiner$%omAGe"ish/issues/in/nationalAnina/amir and Self/ 0mprovement %olumn at http3AAexm$nrAe(y0s^$ She is the founder of (rite .onfi%tion in .ovember, an annual %hallenge to start and finish a "ork in F0 days, "hi%h has an a%%ompanying blog at http3AA"""$"ritenonfi%tioninnovember$%omA$ -ind out ho" to 'chieve More Inspired @esults at opy(right ommuni%ations, http3AA"""$%opy"right%ommuni%ations$%omA$ Ba%k to top

5se the &alendar to Promote Yourself and Your Book

by 'obin 1offman 2s ;alentine)s 4ay approa%hed, 0 en%ouraged my %lient, 2meri%a)s love expert 4ebra Berndt 8http3AAletloveinbook$%omA9 to send out a press release to the lo%al T; ne"s stations$ That "eekend, she appeared on t"o lo%al ne"s sho"s, and 4enver)s 2B affiliate loved her so mu%h, they had her on monthly as a regular expert guest$ This breakthrough helped 4ebra send her platform into a hyper/gro"th pattern that later led her to get a book deal "ith (iley$ &ou might be thinking, I(ell, that "on)t apply to me, be%ause my topi% has nothing to do "ith ;alentine)s 4ay or any other holidayCJ Think again$ 0n any given %alendar month, literally do6ens of notable, yet mostly little/ kno"n, dates are lined up Gust "aiting to lend a hook "here you %an hang your story$ -or example, did you kno" that May 8http3AAbit$lyAem0t^09 is, among other things, Idate your mateJ month, national bike month, and older 2meri%an)s month+ 2nd aside from in%o de Mayo, May <th is also :yster 4ay, and May Lth is my favorite, .o 4iet 4ayC 2s a former ne"spaper reporter, 0 %an tell you for %ertain that there are plenty of slo" ne"s days "hen your press release may be the thing that saves a reporter)s behind $ $ $

as long as it arrives before deadline$ So, do a little resear%h and look up unusual holidays, take note of the ones that you %an tie to your message, and brainstorm ideas$ Plan the year in advan%e$ &ou %an even "rite the press releases months before,"aiting and ready to send out as the date nears$ " fe, tips3 / Sunday is usually the slo"est ne"s day of the "eek and has the most room for feature stories and soft ne"s$ / ome up "ith a %lever EhookE to tie your message to the holiday$

/ &ou %an in%rease your odds of getting pi%ked up if you offer to present a %lient they %an intervie" or get footage of you doing your thing$ / These are items you %an see %oming, so you may have better odds if you send the press release a fe" days beforehand, so they %an set aside a slot for you, invite you in or %ome and see you for an intervie"$ / Sho" up on time, be polite and professional$ &ou "ant to be invited ba%k$ / *et your fax or emailed release out in the morning "hen possible, and al"ays before F PM, unless it is tied to a maGor breaking ne"s story and you have something %ompelling to add,in that %ase, send it 2S2P$ 1ave funC "!o#t the "#thor 'obin 1offman has helped develop and promote several a"ard/"inning and best/ selling books$ She has "orked as a ne"spaper reporter and "as 2%Duisitions #ditor for a mid/si6ed publishing house$ She has a B2 in 5ournalism from *eorge (ashington 7niversity and an M2 in Spiritual Psy%hology from the 7niversity of Santa Moni%a$ !earn more at http3AAgetpublished%oa%h$%om$ Ba%k to top

%ine Ti(s for *el(ing Your Publicist -o a Great 3ob

by Sam Barry and ?athi ?amen *oldmark &our book, :ight Bul(: T1enty8Seven Steps to Business Brilliance, is about to be published by ranky Pants Press, and you %ouldn)t be happier$ &ou)ve been assigned a publi%ist "ho is bright and pleasant, even if she appears to be Gust out of Gunior high$ 1ere)s "hat you %an do to help her do a great Gob for you and your book3

1$ Provide an author photo, one/page bio, and a @X2 8a list of the ten Duestions you)d most like to be asked, along "ith the ans"ers9$ 2$ Provide %opies of any press you)ve re%eived in advan%e of the book)s release$ 2 profile in the lo%al paper or online, video of a %able T; intervie", that time you "ere on morning radioQthis %ould all be useful in pit%hing bigger and better intervie"s$ F$ Provide a list of your personal media and bookseller %onne%tions and any appropriate mailing lists$ 0f the president of the .B affiliate in your to"n happens to be your "ife)s se%ond %ousin, no" is the time to %all in a favor$ -riends "ill enGoy kno"ing "here and "hen you)ll be appearing$ K$ Provide a Ibig mouthJ list of influential people in your field$ &our editor may "ant to ask them for endorsements, and your publi%ist may use these endorsements in the press materials$ #ndorsements from others in your field help the publisher IpositionJ the book in the marketpla%e$ The idea is to find the appropriate audien%e, readers "ho are predisposed to like you$ #ndorsements %arry a lot more "eight "ith publishers and booksellers than you)d thinkQprobably a lot more than they should$ <$ !et your publi%ist kno" if you set up your o"n intervie"s$ This is important for t"o reasons3 you)ll avoid double/booking, and she "ill be able to add your appearan%es to her marketing notesQthe bump in sales after your literary lun%h appearan%e in 4allas "ill make sense$ 0f the sales dip instead of bump, then you should stop doing literary lun%hes, right+ L$ ommuni%ate "ith your publi%ist, share ideas and %onta%ts, but don)t drive her %ra6y$ *ive her time to get her "ork done$ all on%e in a "hile Gust to say hi and %he%k in$ =$ 4on)t forget to say thank you$ 2 little kindness and appre%iation "ill go a long "ay$ M$ Trust the pro%ess$ Things "on)t happen as Dui%kly as you "ould like$ But you kno" "hat+ &our publi%ist probably didn)t forget to send your book to :prah, -resh 2ir, or the .e" &ork Times, if it "as appropriate to do so$ 'eally$ N$ 7nderstand that at some point, your publi%ist "ill have to move on to the next proGe%t$ There are many "ays you %an keep momentum going on your o"n, and if you have a great relationship "ith the publi%ist, you %an get lots of help during this transition$ -inally, remember the 2uthor #nablers) top se%ret tri%k for getting the most out of your publi%ist3 send an o%%asional box of %ho%olates$ 'emember, publi%ists are prosQsome more experien%ed and dedi%ated than othersQ but it)s their Gob, and they)re doing their best$ !et)s hope this is the first of many books you)ll be "ritingS if that plan "orks out 8or even if it doesn)t9 it makes sense to build good relationships "ith the publishing professionals you meet along the "ay$ .ot every book is a hit, but there is su%h a thing as a %areer built on modest su%%esses$ 1ang in there$ Botto line3 2ll of this marketing and publi%ity stuff may seem a far %ry from the pure a%t of "riting that led you to be%ome an author in the first pla%e$ But you have to play

your part in the ma%hinery of selling the books$ So brush your teeth, smile, be a ni%e person, sho" up, and do the best Gob you %an$ This arti%le ex%erpted from "rite that Book 'lready4, opyright 2010 by Sam Barry and ?athi ?amen *oldmark$ 7sed by permission of 2dams Media, an -W( Media, 0n%$ o$ 2ll rights reserved$ "!o#t the "#thors Sam Barry is a marketing and promotions manager at 1arper:ne, author of 0o1 to -lay the 0ar%onica: and $ther :ife :essons, and a musi%ian$ Barry offers advi%e to aspiring "riters as one half of BookPage)s 2uthor #nablers team and tours the %ountry as a member of the 'o%k Bottom 'emainders band$ 1e lives in San -ran%is%o$ ;isit Sam at """$redroom$%omAauthorAsam/barry and the 2uthor #nablers at http3AA"""$bookpage$%omAauthor/enablersA$ ?athi ?amen *oldmark has "orked on publi%ity %ampaigns for nearly every maGor publisher$ She is the author of one novel, 'nd My Shoes Keep "alking Back to YouS has %o/authored or %ontributed to numerous other booksS and "rites BookPage)s 2uthor #nablers %olumn "ith Sam$ ?athi is the founder and a member of the 'o%k Bottom 'emainders band, produ%er of the radio sho" (est oast !ive, and "inner of the 200M (omen)s .ational Book 2sso%iation 2"ard$ She lives in San -ran%is%o$ ;isit her at """$redroom$%omAauthorAkathi/kamen/goldmark$ Sam and ?athi %an also be found at """$kathiandsam$net$ Ba%k to top

Blog Talk "adio 8ffers Books +uthors the 8((ortunity to *ost Their 8wn Shows
by Phyllis ^imbler Miller BlogTalk'adio$%om , an internet radio IstationJ that offers anyone the opportunity to host his or her o"n sho" for free , is an ideal opportunity for book authors to promote their books on a regular basis "hile providing valuable %ontent to their target audien%es$ To begin "ith, no te%hni%al kno"ledge is needed$ &ou simply sign up at BlogTalk'adio$%om, follo" the dire%tions, and you %an be%ome the host of your o"n live sho"$ &ou don)t even need a mi%rophone$ &ou %all into a number at BlogTalk'adio to be the host, and your sho" guest , as "ell as sho" listeners "ho "ant to ask Duestions , %all into the same number$ Sho" listeners %an also I%hatJ Duestions during the live sho"$ (ait, you sayC 1o" do you think of topi%s to talk about+ !et)s ans"er this by taking t"o imaginary book proGe%ts$ (e)ll start "ith a fi%tion proGe%t, then do a nonfi%tion book

proGe%t$ (e)ll imagine that 5ani%e has a novel titled Sally S%ith !onfronts 0er hosts , and the book %enters on a protagonist "ho reali6es she has undiagnosed PTS4 8Post/ Traumati% Stress 4isorder9 and seeks help$ (hen the help fails her, she goes on a Duest to %ure herself$ 5ani%e de%ides to have a half/hour sho" on%e a "eek "ith the title I!onfronting Your hosts$J She invites psy%hologists and other mental health "orkers as guests on the sho"$ Sometimes the topi% is PTS4, sometimes eating disorders, sometimes any number of IghostsJ that people fa%e$ 2t the beginning and end of ea%h segment, 5ani%e announ%es that she is the author of Sally S%ith !onfronts 0er hosts and gives a brief blurb about the novel$ Then 5ani%e uses her "eekly sho" to get more exposure for herself on T"itter, -a%ebook, !inked0n and the other so%ial media sites on "hi%h she is a member$ She sends out t"eets, updates, dis%ussion Duestions about the guest topi% for that "eek)s sho"$ .o" "hat about Paul, "hose nonfi%tion book 0o1 to Speak to Your -lu%(er provides tips on ho" to speak the language of the various repair people you use in your home or offi%e$ Paul starts a BlogTalk'adio sho" "ith the same name as his book , I1o" to Speak to &our Plumber$J #a%h "eek Paul has a person from a different o%%upation as the sho")s guest , an air %onditioning repair person, an upholstery %leaner, a fen%e builder , talking about information for that spe%ifi% spe%ialty$ 2nd, yes, Paul also uses his so%ial media a%%ounts su%h as T"itter and -a%ebook to get the "ord out about his sho", "hi%h gets the "ord out about his book$ :ne of the benefits of doing a BlogTalk'adio sho" is that, after doing the live sho", the re%ording of the sho" is available on your sho")s page for do"nloading$ People %an listen on the site , and guests %an do"nload the sho" onto their o"n "ebsite or blog$ Build a fan base for your BlogTalk'adio sho" by offering Duality %ontent, and you)ll have a "eekly platform for promoting your book$ "!o#t the "#thor Phyllis ^imbler Miller 8H^imblerMiller on T"itter9 has an M$B$2$ from The (harton S%hool, is the %o/founder of the so%ial media marketing %ompany Miller Mosai%, and blogs at http3AA"""$MillerMosai%So%ialMediaMarketing$%om$ &ou %an do"nload at http3AA """$millermosai%ll%$%omAlos/angeles/so%ial/media/%onsultant the %ompany>s free so%ial media marketing report E5 Tips for Staying Top of Mind "ith Your -rospective Target Markets$E -or one year Phyllis "as the %o/host of the BlogTalk'adio Sho" E&our Military !ifeE and is the author of the novel EMrs) :ieutenantE at http3AA"""$mrslieutenant$%om

Ba%k to top

Best Ways to +((roach "adio and T9 Talk Shows

by ?aren Melamed 0 "as a produ%er for The :prah (infrey Sho"$ 0 took pit%hes, read press pa%kets and got hounded by everyone and anyone "ho "anted to get on :prah>s %ou%h$ 0 had the po"er to de%ide "ho got booked and "ho got booted$ Before :prah, 0 "as a produ%er for many lo%al talk sho"s from Seattle to Boston$ 0 read many e/mails, pre/intervie"ed %ountless authors and experts, and even grabbed guests off the streets$ !iterally$ So for those of you "ho "ant to kno" the best "ays to approa%h T; and radio sho"s, from someone "ho a%tually said IyesJ or InoJ, read on$ -irst, before you approa%h any television or radio produ%er, you need a hook$ 2 hook is that something spe%ial that makes a produ%er "ant to book you above all the others "ho %all them$ 0t>s that spe%ial angle that separates you out from the rest$ Sometimes it>s your personal story$ Sometimes it>s a ne"s"orthy event that puts you front and %enter be%ause of your timely expertise$ Sometimes it>s a gimmi%k you %an offer 8a demonstration, free stuff, inside info that>ll make you thinner, prettier, live longer$9 2 hook is essential to getting a produ%er>s attention$ Think like a produ%er$ (hat "ould be of interest to their sho">s vie"ers+ 4o your home"ork$ (at%h or listen to their program and figure out "hat they like, and then give it to them$ Se%ond, figure out "hi%h sho" best fits your subGe%t$ 0f it>s sports related, you have a slim to none %han%e of getting on The ;ie"$ 0f it>s a %hildren>s book, "hy are you going for The 'a%hel 'ay Sho"+ 2nd if you>re :.!& going for :prah be%ause she>s the top of the heap, "ell, you>re redu%ing your %han%es of getting on any sho" at all sin%e :prah is $ $ $ the top of the heap$ Try approa%hing lo%al sho"s, %able sho"s, 0nternet sho"s$ 0f you broaden your rea%h, you "ill in%rease your %han%es$ The smaller the sho", the bigger your %han%es are of getting booked$ Third, do .:T send anything to the host or the #xe%utive Produ%er$ The host doesn>t book a sho", and the exe%utive produ%er has "ay too mu%h to "orry about than to return your %alls or emails$ 0 kno", 0 "as an exe%utive produ%er and 0 hired people to "eed out the pit%hes and it "as their Gob to pit%h me$ So, find out "ho books the sho"s$ :ften it>s the asso%iate produ%er "hose Gob it is to hear your pit%h and if they like "hat they hear, they pit%h to their boss, the produ%er$ 0f the produ%er likes it, they pit%h to the exe%utive produ%er and if S1# likes it, you>re on$ Sometimes, the host "ill have final say, but not al"ays$ he%k out the sho" %redits, "rite do"n the names of the asso%iate produ%ers or produ%ers, and %onta%t them dire%tly$ Send an e/mail "ith an attention grabbing slug in

the subGe%t line, in%lude your pit%h information and atta%h video of yourself, then follo" up "ith a phone %all$ Then repeat the pro%ess "ith other sho"s$ 2nd finally, treat every %all you make to a produ%er as though it>s an audition$ #nergy, energy, energyC Personality is vital$ 0f you have the %redentials and the hook, but you>re boring, you>re not getting on$ Period$ "!o#t the "#thor ?aren Melamed)s %ompany, Media(ise at http3AA"""$media"ise/%onsulting$%omA, offers personal on/%amera %oa%hing, media makeovers, full/featured "ebsites, ele%troni% press kits, pod%asts, "eb%asts, talk radio blogs and other 0nternet servi%es, along "ith booking basi%s$ &ou %an %onta%t ?aren at F10/=K</0F0K or email her at karenHmedia"ise/%onsulting$%om$ Ba%k to top

-o Book "e0iews
by Terry (halin

atter?

The Sunday edition of the 'ri9ona @epu(lic ne"spaper has a %ir%ulation of over <00,000 %opies$ #a%h "eek in the 2rts and #ntertainment se%tion, they revie" four books$ 0 normally read these revie"s be%ause 0>m interested to see "hi%h four books are sele%ted ea%h "eek$ !ast "eek the 'epubli% revie"ed a ne" thriller from a first/time author, Steven *ore %alled 3inal Target$ (ith the limited revie" spa%e, all four of the books are al"ays positive and the revie" for 3inal Target "as no ex%eption$ 0 looked for a %opy at my lo%al library but they did not have it so "hen 0 "as in a lo%al bookstore last "eek, 0 pi%ked up a %opy of the book, "hi%h is an oversi6ed paperba%k 8tall for a mass market/ si6ed book9$ 0>ve not started to read it yet but 0 "ould not have kno"n about this book or pur%hased it "ithout reading the revie" in my lo%al ne"spaper so it had signifi%ant influen%e for me$ The ne"spaper>s %hoi%e of a thriller from a first/time novelist stru%k me as unusual$ Most of the revie"s are from "ell/established "riters "ho have released a ne" book but one "hi%h "ill likely be%ome a bestseller$ (hat dre" the book revie" editor to pi%k that thriller out of the sta%k+ &ears ago 0 "as the book revie" %olumnist for !hristian -arenting Today 8a maga6ine "hi%h no longer exists9$ 0 sele%ted ten to fifteen books in a broad range of topi%s and genres for the audien%e, read the books and "rote my revie"s$ The maga6ine %ir%ulation "as about 1<0,000 %opies and 0 re%eived sta%ks of Erevie" %opiesE from various hristian and general market book publishers$ 0n fa%t, it took my %ontinued maintenan%e to open the pa%kages and see the various book possibilities//mu%h less to a%tually read and revie" the titles$ My limited experien%e made me "onder ho" many

books ea%h "eek the book editor at the 2ri6ona 'epubli% re%eives for revie" %onsideration$ !ast year, 5ani%e 1arayda "rote a Soapbox %olumn for Publishers (eekly at http3AAbit$lyAf:Si;M %alled E!ritics /on+t #eed 3ree Books$E She "orked for 11 years as the book revie" editor for the -lain /ealer in leveland$ 1ere>s the senten%e "hi%h stood out to me in her arti%le3 E2t the -lain /ealer, 0 got more than K00 books a "eek from publishers, a landslide hard to handle even "ith another person helping me$E The Sunday %ir%ulation of the -lain /ealer is similar to the 'ri9ona @epu(lic or K00,000$ See the long odds to get your book revie"ed in a maGor %ity ne"spaper+ 0t>s some"here in the range of four books get revie"ed out of over K00 books that are re%eived$ So do you give up and not try to get book revie"s+ .o, you simply try more ni%he oriented markets "here your probability is more likely of getting your book revie"ed$ 'e%ently -u(lishers "eekly "rote about this topi% of book revie"s$ Peter 1ildi%k/Smith "ho "orks for odex *roup, a %ompany "hi%h tra%ks the impa%t of revie"s on sales said in the arti%le at http3AAbit$lyAd(2lvg, Erevie"s help both to raise a"areness of a book and to persuade people to buy it$E 1ere are some "ebsites "ith lists of pla%es that revie" books3 ?arina -abian has a lengthy list of revie" sites at http3AAsnipurl$%omAkrevie"$ The omplete 'evie" at http3AA """$%omplete/revie"$%omAlinksAlinks$html %ontains 2K0 book revie" sites$ Mid"est Book 'evie" at http3AA"""$mid"estbookrevie"$%omAlinksAothr_rev$htm has another great resour%e list of book revie" sites$ 2s "ith any marketing effort for book revie"s, there are several elements to keep in mind$ -irst, sele%t your targeted publi%ations %arefully$ 4o they revie" your type of book+ 0f so, ho" freDuently+ (hi%h editor handles the book revie"s+ Make sure you address the right person$ Se%ond, a key ingredient is follo"/up$ 2fter a short period of time "hen you are %ertain the book has arrived, pla%e a short phone %all to simply see if the book has arrived and "ill be %onsidered for revie"$ &our %onversation isn>t %hatty but short and professional$ 0f the editor says they "ill be %onsidering it, then %all ba%k in a fe" "eeks and see if they had a %han%e to read the book$ The follo"/up sho"s you are professional and are expe%ting results from the revie" %opy$ Possibly your publisher is handling these book revie"s$ The time and number of books that they push for revie" are limited$ 0n a proa%tive "ay "hi%h en%ourages your partnership, ask your publisher>s publi%ist for a list of "here they sent your book$ &ou "ant this list not to %riti%i6e their efforts but to go to the pla%es they did not promote your book$ Book revie"s matter and are another element to in%lude in your arsenal for marketing and promoting your book$ "!o#t the "#thor Terry (halin has "ritten more than L0 nonfi%tion books and been published in more

than <0 maga6ines$ -or five years, he "as an a%Duisitions editor at a book publisher and he>s a former literary agent$ .o" Terry is a publisher at 0ntermedia Publishing *roup 8http3AA"""$intermediapub$%omA9$ Terry en%ourages "riters of any level 8from beginners to professionals9 at 'ight (riting$%om 8http3AA"""$right/"riting$%omA9$ To help people pursue their o"n dreams of a published book, Terry has "ritten 5u%pstart Your -u(lishing /rea%s2 Insider Secrets to Skyrocket Your Success at http3AA"""$Gumpstartdreams$%omA$ Pi%k up Terry>s free ebook, -latfor% Building Ideas for Every 'uthor$ Ba%k to top

"esources
To learn ho" to get your book revie"ed, %he%k out the ne" ebook, 0o1 to et Your Book @evie1ed, at http3AAbit$lyASavvyBook'evie"$ -ind the best pla%es to submit fi%tion, %hildren)s and young adult books for revie" in the Book 'evie" 4ire%tory at http3AAbit$lyA SavvyBookBlogs$ 0 highly re%ommend Build Book Bu99: -u(licity 3or%s and Te%plates from a"ard/ "inning publi%ist Sandra Be%k"ith$ This pra%ti%al "orkbook is filled "ith book publi%ity forms and templates, along "ith detailed instru%tions on ho" to use them$ &ou>ll get both a fill/in/the/blank template and a finished sample for ea%h of these vital publi%ity tools$ http3AAbit$lyAh1"g<< *et 5oan Ste"art)s free tutorial featuring MN lessons on ho" to "rite and distribute effe%tive press releases at http3AAbit$lyA;v=LD$ -or more vital publi%ity resour%es, go to http3AAbit$lyAPubli%ity'esour%es$ Ba%k to top

Speaking and Events /2 Secrets to Selling

by Penny Sansevieri So you got a book event, greatC .o" you "ant to maximi6e it, right+ &ou>ve heard your "riting buddies talk 8or perhaps read online9 about the la%k of attendan%e at signings, so figuring out ho" to maximi6e the event, regardless of the numbers might be tri%ky$ (hile 0 spend a lot of time addressing online marketing, the offline %omponent is one

ore Books at E0ents

you shouldn>t overlook$ 0f book events are "here you "ant to fo%us, then bringing in some ideas to help you sell more books is something you should %onsider$ Some years ba%k "hen 0 "as promoting The !liffhanger 0 ended up at a book signing in the driving rain, 0 mean it "as pouring and the store "as all but empty$ 0t "as ama6ing 0 sold even one book, let alone seven$ (hile not a big number, the %opies "ere all sold to people "ho "ere seeking refuge in the store from the rain and not there for my event$ This signing taught me a lot about events and %onne%ting "ith %onsumers in stores$ 0f you have an event %oming up, %onsider these ideas before you head out3 1$ Marketing3 -irst and foremost is the marketing of your event$ But 0>m not talking about the marketing you do in the media 8though that is great too9 0>m speaking of in/ store marketingS this is "hat most folks seem to overlook$ This is "here you supply things to the store to help them market your event$ Be%ause the first phase of a su%%essful event is driving people to it$ 1ere are a fe" thoughts$ a$ 4o bag stuffers$ &ou %an easily do this in your favorite %omputer program, do t"o up on a page, meaning that you use one M 1A2 by 11 sheet of paper to do t"o fliers$ &ou>ll "ant to ask the store first if they mind that you provide this, most stores or event venues don>t$ b$ Bookmarks3 (hile most in the industry see these as pass], people still love them$ &ou %an do bookmarks and bag stuffers 8or staple them to the flier9 or you %an do %ustom bookmarks "ith the date and time of your event$ .o"adays it>s pretty easy to get these done %heaply$ ?eep in mind that if you are having the event in a mall or other type of shopping area, you might be able to drop the bookmarks 8or bag stuffers9 off at the nearby stores to see if they>ll help promote the event$ 2$ Book signings are !oring3 'egardless of "here you do the event, plan to do a talk instead of a signing$ People are dra"n into a dis%ussion and are often turned off by an author Gust sitting at a table$ Marketing is about message and movement so stand up and speak$ 0f speaking in publi% is intimidating to you, go to Toastmasters or some other lo%al net"orkingAspeaking group and see "hat you %an learn$ F$ 6ni/#e places3 0f you "ant to get more attention for your event, %onsider doing events in uniDue pla%es$ (e>ve done them in video stores, ele%troni%s stores, gyms, even restaurants 8on slo" nights9S doing outside/the/bookstore events is a great "ay to gain more interest for your talk$ (hy+ Be%ause you aren>t %ompeting "ith everyone else at the bookstore for your %ro"d$ (hen you do an event at a lo%ale that doesn>t normally do events, you>ll attra%t more people Gust be%ause it>s %onsidered EuniDue$E K$ Sho, #p early and talk it #p3 :?, so let>s say you>re in the store and there are a ton of people in there shopping 8a book event dream, yes+9, 0 suggest that you take your extra bag stuffers or %ustom bookmarks and Gust hand them to the people in the store$ !et them kno" you are doing an event at su%h and su%h time and you>d love it if they %an sit in$ &ou>ll be surprised ho" many ne" people you might pull in this "ay$ <$ C#sto i?e3 'egardless of "hat your talk is about, poll the audien%e first to see a9 "hat brought them there, or b9 "hat they hope to learn if your talk is edu%ational$ 0

suggest this be%ause the more you %an %ustomi6e your dis%ussion, the more likely you are to sell a book$ 0f you %an solve problems 8and this is often done during the @X29 all the better$ &ou>ll look like the ans"er ma%hine you are and readers love that$ 0f you have the ans"ers, they>ll "ant to buy from you$ 0 promise$ L$ Make friends3 *et to kno" the bookstore people, but not Gust on the day of the event$ *o in prior and make friends, tell them "ho you are and maybe even hand them your flier or bookmark 8or a sta%k if you %an9$ :ften stores have 0nformation enters, see if you %an leave some fliers there instead of Gust at the register$ *etting to kno" the people "ho are selling the book is a great "ay to help gather more people into your event$ 0f your event isn>t in a bookstore but atta%hed to a shopping area or mall, go around to the stores 8and perhaps you did this "hen you passed out the fliers9 and let them kno" you have an event and ask "hat you %an do to help them promote it$ 0f you %an rally the troops to help you market your talk, you %ould triple the numbers of people at your event$ .o kidding$ =$ Take na es3 0 al"ays, al"ays re%ommend that you get names and 8email9 addresses from the folks "ho attended$ Signing them up for your mailing list is a great "ay to keep in tou%h "ith them and stay on your reader>s radar s%reen$ 0f you have a givea"ay or dra"ing, greatC This "ill help you to %olle%t names$ 0f you don>t, offer them a freebie or e/book after the event$ :ften if 0>m doing a Po"erPoint presentation 0 "ill put together a set of them 8delivered in P4-9 after the event$ 2ttendees need to sign up to get them and then on%e they do, 0 in%lude them in our ne"sletter list, "hi%h helps me to stay on their radar s%reen$ M$ %ricing3 Make sure your book is easy to buy$ 0f you are doing this outside of a bookstore this is easy to do and "ill help your sales$ 0 find that a rounded number like Z10 or Z20 makes for a Dui%k and easy sale$ 0f you %an round up or do"n "ithout adding or losing too mu%h to the pri%e, by all means do it$ N$ Book pairing3 :ne "ay you might be able to round up is by pairing your book "ith a freebie$ (hen 0 paired 'ed 1ot 0nternet Publi%ity "ith a se%ond, but smaller, marketing book 0 took the a"k"ard pri%ing of Z1M$N<, bumped it up to Z20 8so 2 books for Z209 and Duadrupled my sales after an event$ .o" the pairing doesn>t have to be a book, it %an be a spe%ial report or even an e/book that you send to them after the event$ 10$ %rod#ct and place ent3 2s you>re doing your talk 8espe%ially if it>s in a non/ bookstore venue9 make sure that you have a %opy of the book propped up in front of you so event visitors see it the entire time you are speaking$ 1old up the book "hen appropriate and use it as an example "hen you %an$ This "ill help to dire%t the %onsumer>s eye to the book / and making eye %onta%t "ith the produ%t is a good "ay to make sure it stays on their radar s%reen throughout your talk$ (hen 0 do a speaking gig at an event that allo"s me to sell books in the room, 0 "ill sell four times more than 0 "ould if the attendees have to go some"here else to buy it, so make the buy easy$ 0f you %an, make sure your books are for sale in the room$ 11$ Ease of p#rchase3 2side from pri%ing, if you>re doing your o"n %he%kout make sure that you have many "ays %onsumers %an buy your book$ 0 take %redit %ards at the

event, %he%ks and %ash$ 4on>t limit yourself as to "hat you %an take or you "ill limit your sales$ 12$ %ost event ,rap5#p3 So the event is over, "hat no"+ (ell, if you got attendees to sign up for your ne"sletter 8you did do that, right+9 no" it>s time to send a thank you note for attending and remind them 8if they missed the %han%e at the event9 to buy a %opy of your book at the Espe%ial event pri%e$E Speaking and book events are great "ays to build your platform, but if you aren>t selling books there>s little point in doing them$ -or many of us, our book is our business %ard and thus, if "e %an sell our Ebusiness %ardE "e %an keep %onsumers in our funnel$ 0f your book isn>t your business %ard you still "ant readers, right+ The marketing before, during and after an event is %ru%ial to building your readership$ (hile it>s easy to say that events sell books, they often don>t$ 0 find that if you don>t E"ork itE you often "ill find your time "asted$ Seek the opportunities "hen they are made available to you / and then maximi6e them "hen they are, you>ll be glad you didC "!o#t the "#thor Penny $ Sansevieri, #: and founder of 2uthor Marketing #xperts, 0n%$, is a best/ selling author and internationally re%ogni6ed book marketing and media relations expert$ 1er %ompany is one of the leaders in the publishing industry and has developed some of the most %utting/edge book marketing %ampaigns$ She is the author of five books, in%luding Book to Bestseller "hi%h has been %alled the Eroad map to publishing su%%ess$E 2M# is the first marketing and publi%ity firm to use 0nternet promotion to its full impa%t through The ;irtual 2uthor Tour[, "hi%h strategi%ally "orks "ith so%ial net"orking sites, blogs, T"itter, e6ines, video sites, and relevant sites to push an author)s message into the virtual %ommunity and %onne%t "ith sites related to the book>s topi%, positioning the author in his or her market$ 0n the past 1< months their %reative marketing strategies have helped land 10 books on the .e" &ork Times Bestseller list$ To learn more about Penny)s books or her promotional servi%es, you %an visit her "ebsite at http3AA"""$amarketingexpert$%om$ Ba%k to top

*ow to E<hibit at Book )ndustry Tradeshows

by 4ana !ynn Smith :ne of the best "ays to promote a book to bookstore buyers and librarians is for them to see the book in person at a maGor industry tradesho"$ 'ead on for information about the most important sho"s and tips on ho" to parti%ipate on a budget$ There are several large sho"s in the 7$S$ geared to"ard booksellers and librarians, in%luding3

/ Book #xpo 2meri%an 8B#2 , geared to booksellers93 http3AAbit$lyAhee'-p / hristian 'etail Sho" 8 B293 http3AA"""$%hristianretailsho"$%omA / 2meri%an !ibrary 2sso%iation 2nnual onferen%e 82!293 http3AA"""$alaannual$orgA / 2meri%an !ibrary 2sso%iation Mid"inter onferen%e 82!293 http3AAbit$lyAb:=@2N / Publi% !ibraries 2sso%iation 8P!2 , in even/numbered years93 http3AAbit$lyAg-k<NF / 2sso%iation of ollege and 'esear%h !ibrarians 82 '! , in odd/numbered years93 http3AAbit$lyAdF42m0 / 2meri%an 2sso%iation of S%hool !ibrarians 822S!93 http3AAbit$lyAbmmS^D / Texas !ibrary 2sso%iation 8T!2 / the largest of the state sho"s93 http3AAbit$lyAf"(h^h / :ther state and regional library sho"s3 http3AAbit$lyAiosa4 The maGor international book sho"s, su%h as the -rankfurt Book -air and the !ondon Book -air, fo%us largely on international book sales and the sale of foreign and translation rights to books$ -or the national and international sho"s, nonfi%tion books probably have a higher %han%e of su%%ess$ 1o, to Exhi!it at Book Sho,s The expense of exhibiting in person at the maGor sho"s is usually prohibitive for independent publishers, ho"ever it may be benefi%ial to parti%ipate in your state library asso%iation sho", espe%ially if it)s held nearby and you are able to share a booth "ith one or t"o other publishers$ Be sure to find out if sho" management permits booth sharing, and don)t be shy about asking if your book "ould be a good fit for their audien%e$ -or example, 0 have found that there are a lot of %hildren)s and young adult librarians in attendan%e at the Texas !ibrary Sho"$ The most e%onomi%al "ay to parti%ipate in the maGor sho"s is through a %o/op booth, "here books from a number of different small and independent publishers are displayed together$ &ou pay a fee 8typi%ally around Z<0 to Z1009 and ship your book to the booth sponsor$ They take %are of shipping the books to the sho", displaying them in the booth, staffing the booth, and providing literature to the visitors$ These organi6ations provide %o/op display servi%es at a number of national, international and regional sho"s3 / 0ndependent Book Publishers 2sso%iation 80BP293 http3AAbit$lyAhd?a#2 / ombined Book #xhibit3 http3AA"""$%ombinedbook$%omA / 5enkins , *lobal Book Sho"3 http3AA"""$globalbooksho"s$%omA / 2sso%iation Book #xhibit http3AA"""$bookexhibit$%omA 0n addition to library sho"s, 2sso%iation Book #xhibit parti%ipates in some other professional asso%iation %onferen%es$ 0f you>re a nonfi%tion publisher, %he%k out their list of %onferen%es to see if any mat%h up to your book>s topi%$ 0f a book industry tradesho" is being held near "here you live, it)s a great learning experien%e to attend the sho"$ onta%t sho" management to find out if authors or publishers are allo"ed to attend$ "!o#t the "#thor

4ana !ynn Smith is a book marketing %oa%h and author of the Savvy Book Marketer uides at """$SavvyBookMarketer$%om$ -or more book promotion tips, follo" HBookMarketer on T"itter, visit 4ana>s blog at """$TheSavvyBookMarketer$%om, and get a %opy of the Top Book Marketing Tips ebook "hen you sign up for her free ne"sletter at """$BookMarketing.e"sletter$%om$ Ba%k to top

Promote Your Book by Becoming a Beynote S(eaker

by #llen Bra6er ongratulationsC &ou)ve "ritten a book$ Take a moment to pat yourself on the ba%k for your great a%%omplishment$ 2s you probably have reali6ed, finishing your book means you are only half "ay up Mt$ #verest$ To arrive at the summit you have to find a "ay to get people reading "hat you "rote$ There are many "ays to make this happen, as you kno" from follo"ing the invaluable advi%e on the Savvy Book Marketer blog$ 1ere is another idea for you3 be%ome a keynote speaker at events "here you %an sign and sell books$ 0 have done this "ith astounding su%%ess in -lorida, "here 0 live$ 0n the past fe" months 0 have spoken to over 1,L00 people$ My book, !louds 'cross the Sun, is a histori%al novel "ith a 5e"ish theme$ 0 have been the keynote speaker at The 5e"ish Museum, Temple Sisterhoods, Brandeis 2lumni, bookstores, libraries, "omen)s %lubs, and author lun%heons for 1adassah, .ational oun%il of 5e"ish (omen, and several 5e"ish 1eritage lubs$ 0 also spoke at the 5e"ish Book oun%il in .e" &ork and have been invited to 4enver, olorado and (est%hester, .e" &ork$ T"elve maGor events are already booked into 2011$ 1ere is the formula that "orked for me3 1$ Identify yo#r niche arket 5 ,ho ,ill ,ant to read yo#r !ook$ 0t)s not ro%ket s%ien%e, 0 promise$ But it %an be daunting$ My book has a 5e"ish theme and so 0 "rote to every 5e"ish %lub, organi6ation, synagogue, "oman)s group 0 %ould find$ 0 fo%used on -lorida, to minimi6e travel expenses$ (hatever your book is about, fi%tion or non/fi%tion, it has a spe%ifi% market and it is your Gob to identify that market$ 2$ "l,ays address yo#r letter to a specific person$ The 0nternet "ill give you "ebsites and most "ebsites list names and email addresses$ 4on)t forget, you %an al"ays use the telephone to ask for an email address and a name if there is none listed$ F$ 8rite a great letter$ &ou are a "riter , that)s "hat you do , and this letter needs to be fabulous$ &ou only need one letter, although you may have to t"eak it depending on the organi6ation you have targeted$ &ou may have a different tone "ith a men)s group than "ith a "omen)s group$

Begin the letter by mentioning something you admire about the organi6ation or making a personal %omment like3 0 hope you are having a great summer$ Tell them your name, the name of the book and its genre$ Be sure to list any speaking engagement that you have had$ 1ere is a line 0 al"ays use3 0 am %onta%ting you in the hope that you "ill %onsider inviting me to speak$ 0t>s a good idea to add your most important revie" Duote to the letter$ 1ere is mine3 E!louds 'cross the Sun is a story that tou%hed my soul, and reminded me ho" all humanity is %onne%ted$ -illed "ith passion and hope, it is the kind of book you %an)t put do"n$E Q4a hen, .e" &ork Times bestselling author of Brothers and "andering "arriors$ .ext add the summary and make it short and s"eet$ 0 %lose "ith3 E0 "ould be honored to %ome and speak to your group$ 0 "ill be happy to send you a revie" %opy of my book / Gust let me kno"$ &ou %an see more revie"s, learn about me, and read book ex%erpts at http3AAellenbra6er$%om$E K- If they re/#est a !ook) send it$ This is money "ell "orth spending if it means a speaking opportunity$ <$ 0espond /#ickly ,hen the invitation is offered$ L$ Beco e a great speakerC (e are all storytellers$ Pra%ti%e, pra%ti%e, pra%ti%e$ 0f you are interesting, spontaneous, and even a little funny, people "ho hear you "ill invite you to speak to their organi6ations$ 0f you are terrified at the thought of talking to a group, take heart$ Most people are$ 5oin a Toastmaster)s %lub$ They "ill help you over this hurdle$ =$ 1ave f#n$ This is the best part, fan appre%iationC "!o#t the "#thor #llen Bra6er is the a"ard/"inning author of 0earts of 3ire at http3AAam6n$toAfFNBVt and !louds 'cross the Sun at http3AAam6n$toAg'?PM'$ &ou %an visit her "ebsite, http3AA"""$ellenbra6er$%omA or Goin #llen on her blog, http3AAellenbNM1<$"ordpress$%omA to learn more about be%oming a shameless self/promoter$ Ba%k to top

"esources
Polish your speaking skills by getting involved "ith Toastmasters 0nternational$ -ind a lo%al %hapter at http3AA"""$toastmasters$org$ -ree onferen%e Pro at """$free%onferen%epro$%om is a good free servi%e for presenting and re%ording teleseminars$

0nstant Teleseminar at http3AAbit$lyAeKn1Pu offers a reasonably/pri%ed servi%e for %ondu%ting "ebinars 8teleseminars "ith slidesho"s9$ *oTo(ebinar at """$*oTo(ebinar$%om %osts more than 0nstant Teleseminars but offers some additional features$ Ba%k to top

'irt#al Book To#rs

;irtual book tours 8sometimes %alled virtual blog tours9 %an be a great "ay to gain visibility for both fi%tion and nonfi%tion books$ 0n this se%tion you)ll learn more about virtual tours and find advi%e for planning and exe%uting your o"n virtual tour$ -i%tion authors %an find blogs for their virtual book tours the Book 'evie" 4ire%tory at http3AAbit$lyASavvyBookBlogs$

Promote Your Book with a 9irtual Book Tour

by arol 4enbo" ;irtual book touring is fast be%oming the best and most effe%tive "ay to promote and market an authors> book$ (ith gas pri%es and all travel expenses souring to an all/time high, authors %an no longer afford to Ehit the roadE to sell their books$ Therefore, ne" means are needed to %ompete in our Duest for book sales$ ;irtual touring may Gust be the simplest ans"er$ 2s long as there have been published authors, there have been book tours$ !etPs fa%e it, books donPt often sell themselves$ Strong promotion and marketing is the key to most mer%handise sales, and itPs no different "ith books$ (hen a %ustomer looks at a produ%t, most often, itPs very %lear "hat exa%tly the produ%t is, or does$ But "ith a book, the story is hidden inside$ #ven "ith an original and eye/%at%hing outer design, i$e$, the %over, rarely "ould a %ustomer pur%hase su%h an item "ithout kno"ing the %ontents and "hat they "ill get for their dollar$ So ho" does an author present the %ontents to a potential buyer to garner buyable interest in their book+Qthey tour$ 2uthor book tours are the best "ay to sell books, but traditional touring is %ostly and time %onsuming$ Simply filling the gas tank %an use up a day)s "age for most of us$ Then there)s the issue of enduran%e$ &es, you "ill sell books at your tour stop, but "ill those tour visitors "ho donPt make the pur%hase remember you after the tour event is overQnot likely$ So ho" does an author make a lasting impression+ The ans"er may be a virtual book tour$

;irtual book touring is all a%%omplished over the 0nternetQthere)s no travel$ 2uthors %an tour numerous lo%ations from the %omfort of their o"n homes, even in their Gammies if they %hooseC .o gas, no hotels, and no un%omfortable fa%e/to/fa%e %onta%t "ith potential %ustomers 8thatPs a biggieC9$ The other great advantage to virtual touring is that you are only attra%ting an audien%e that)s right for your book, in other "ords, hot sales leads$ (hen you tour, you sele%t genre spe%ifi% (ebsites and Blogs "hi%h fall right into line "ith your topi%$ So your vie"ers already have an interest$ The best thing about virtual touring is that it lasts forever$ #very tour stop you make goes out into %yberspa%e for eternity$ Sear%h engine results "ill %ontinue to sho" your tour stop post and you %ould potentially be selling books five years after the finish of your tour$ .o" that)s a book tour "ith resultsC ;irtual book touring is hot, it)s ne", and it)s here to stay$ 1o, it 8orks 2uthors make %onta%t "ith topi% related (ebsite and Blog editors to s%hedule a one/day visit$ 2n intervie" or arti%le of book related subGe%t matter is prepared in advan%e for posting on an agreed upon date$ The tour stop is advertised "ell in advan%e of the posting date$ The day of the post, the author "ill usually make themselves available for %omment responses and ans"ering vie"ers posted Duestions 8"ithin the %omment link se%tion9$ :ften times, virtual book tours "ill in%lude radio or video intervie"s as "ell$ These tour stops reDuire more pre%ise timing, therefore are a little more diffi%ult to s%hedule$ Several of these stops are s%heduled together over a =, 10, or 1K day tour period$ Massive promotion is done via the 0nternet prior to the first tour stop and for best results should %ontinue throughout the tour$ "!o#t the "#thor arol 4enbo" is the author of L books in%luding 0o1 to $rgani9e a Lirtual Book Tour 8e/book9$ ;isit her (ebsite at http3AA"""$2uthorsBox$%om$ Ba%k to top

*ow to Plan Your 9irtual Book Tour

by Sandra Be%k"ith (hat is a virtual book tour, "hy do you "ant to do one, and ho" do you make it happen+ 2 virtual book tour is a promotional ta%ti% that lets you intera%t "ith bloggers and online media outlets in "ays that help you get the "ord out about your book$ 5ust like an in/ person book tour, you sele%t a timeframe for the tour and "ork to s%hedule spe%ifi%

appearan%es$ The possibilities in%lude3 / !ive (ebinar presentations / Blog @X2s / *uest %olumns on blogs / 'evie"s of your book "ritten by key bloggers / 2rti%les that you "rite and pla%e in key lo%ations / Pod%asts / ;ideo intervie"s hosted on the blogs or sites of others / Blogger hosted %ontests that offer your book as a pri6e alongside information about your book ;irtual book tours are "orth"hile for any author "hose target audien%e is online$ They allo" you to %onne%t "ith readers personally, share enough information about your book to help people de%ide if they "ant to buy it, and , this is my favorite part , in%lude a link to a site "here people %an pur%hase it immediately$ (ho doesn)t like instant gratifi%ation+ The pro%ess is pretty simple3 1$ 0dentify the blogs and online media outlets that rea%h your target audien%e$ 2$ Start be%oming Ikno"nJ on the sites by offering helpful, informative %omments on blog postings$ 0n an ideal "orld, you)ve been doing this all along$ F$ ompile a database or grid "ith ea%h site)s %onta%t name, e/mail address, site 7'!, notes about the site)s format, and spe%ifi%s about "hat you like about the blog$ These last t"o items "ill help you in the pit%hing pro%ess$ K$ Sele%t your tour dates$ <$ Send your pit%hes$ 2uthors seem to be espe%ially intimidated by that last step , sending the Ipit%h$J IPit%hJ is Gust another "ord for sales letter$ 0t)s "hat you say via e/mail that %onvin%es the blogger or online Gournalist that they should open the door to some book/related %ontent from you$ Be%ause so many authors aren)t sure ho" to approa%h bloggers and others, 0)ve in%luded a virtual book tour e/mail pit%h template in Build Book Bu99 -u(licity 3or%s M Te%plates at http3AAbit$lyAex(&7M, my fill/in/the/blanks %olle%tion of media relations templates and forms 8along "ith %orresponding samples9 that authors use "hen generating pri%eless publi%ity for their books$ To help you see ho" easy this is to do, 0)m giving you the virtual book tour e/mail pit%h template at http3AAbit$lyAg"bhft, and providing you "ith an annotated sample at http3AAbit$lyAhokF1l$ 8.ote that "hile "e are providing P4- files here as examples, the templates in Build Book Bu99 -u(licity 3or%s M Te%plates at http3AAbit$lyAex(&7M are a%tually in (ord format so that you %an %opy and paste them into ne" (ord files and fill in the forms right on your s%reen$ This also lets you re/use ea%h template or form over and over again$9

&ou don)t use the template in a va%uum, though$ That)s "here the database or grid you)ve %reated %omes in$ (hat you pit%h to one blog might not "ork for another, so you use your notes in the grid to help you de%ide "hat to offer ea%h individual site$ Sometimes it)s real obvious , you "ouldn)t offer the host of an online radio program or pod%ast an arti%le$ &ou)d stress that you)re an interesting and animated guest , the kind of person that people "ill "ant to listen to$ 0f you)ve noti%ed that the blogger or media site uses a lot of guest %olumns, that)s "hat you should pit%h, and perhaps add a fe" suggested %olumn topi%s to your pit%h, too$ 0t)s definitely not a one/si6e/fits/all pro%ess, "hi%h is "hy you don)t use a mass e/mail approa%h for this$ #very site %onta%t gets an individually %rafted pit%h$ &ou)ll need to add a fe" more %olumns or fields to your database or grid for response tra%king , both theirs and yours$ .ote "hat and "hen you hear from those you)ve %onta%ted, ho" and "hen you responded, and due dates for %ontent or next steps$ Then keep your %alendar handy so you %an log all a%tivity appropriately and deliver "hat you)ve promised "hen you)ve promised it$ ;irtual book tours truly are fun and easyC 0 hope you have fun "ith yours$ 2nd do let me kno" if you have Duestions , Gust send me a note at sbHbuildbookbu66$%omC "!o#t the "#thor Sandra Be%k"ith at http3AA"""$buildbookbu66$%omA is a former national a"ard/"inning publi%ist "ho no" tea%hes authors ho" to be their o"n book publi%ists$ *et her free spe%ial report2 Beyond the -ress @elease: ,* Exciting Book Bu99 Ideas That "ill Take You to the Top, "hen you subs%ribe to her free Build Book Bu66 ne"sletter at http3AA"""$buildbookbu66$%omA$ Sandra is also the author of three books, in%luding one about publi%ity for small businesses and another on publi%ity for nonprofits$ Ba%k to top

Blog Tours for +uthors # -o They Work?

by -iona 0ngram 4o blog tours "ork+ 0n my experien%e the ans"er is a resounding yes$ My tour literally propelled my author profile into the stratosphere and 0 still get *oogle 2lerts from it$ 1ere are some reasons "hy 0 think blog tours are effe%tive3 1$ Massive exposure to an audien%e you possibly "ould never have found on your o"n$ #a%h blog stop has its o"n follo"ers$ There are also people "ho enGoy follo"ing the %omplete tour, so ne" blogs get ne" readers, and you, the guest, get a "hole lot of attention$ 2$ &ou are invited to "rite posts about yourself, your "ork, your book, and your "riting

te%hniDues that give more interesting angles to you as an author$ 0 felt %hallenged in a positive sense be%ause many of my blog hosts asked me for posts relating to kids) litera%y, making reading more interesting for kids, ho" to get kids ba%k into books, ho" to "rite for kids$ 0t "as greatC F$ (ithin a short spa%e of time those blog posts start appearing on other people)s blog pages, pop up in *oogle 2lerts, and there is a general spread of a"areness as more and more people either follo" the blog tour post by post, or simply pass on the information they have found through their o"n feeds$ This %an also be through emails, T"itter, -a%ebook and other so%ial sites$ (hen people enGoy something, they %omment on it$ K$ Book givea"ays are a "onderful "ay of getting people to %omment and parti%ipate in the tour$ &our blog tour hosts usually arrange thisS you have to get the books to the hosts first$ <$ 0f people enGoy reading about you they may ask the blog tour organi6ers to add you to their blog as a guest post$ 0 gained a fe" more stops on my tour on%e people began reading my posts$ 8hat yo# can do to axi i?e yo#r s#ccess3

1$ Send a personal email to all your blog hosts in advan%e thanking them for the opportunity to appear on their blog, and %onfirming date, time, their blog address, topi% of the post, and "hen they %an expe%t the information$ Make sure they re%eive your post "ell in advan%e$ 2$ 1ave a look at ea%h blog on your tour and get a feel for the tone of it$ 0s it intelle%tual, %hatty, Duirky, fun, formal, et%$+ Tailor your post to refle%t the tone of the blog$ F$ 0f you are sending givea"ay or revie" %opies of your book, make sure this is done "ell in advan%e and %onfirm "ith your blog tour organi6ers that the hosts have re%eived their %opies$ K$ Make sure you visit ea%h blog stop for a fe" days after"ards to reply to %omments$ &our blog tour organi6ers "ill usually get the ball rolling by %ommenting first$ Make it easy for yourself by setting an email reDuest for "hen %omments are made on the various posts$ This "ill help you stay in tou%h$ <$ Blog tours are a great "ay to develop ne" readers, fans, and friends, and to meet people interested in your "ork$ "!o#t the "#thor -iona 0ngram is the author of a %hildren)s middle/grade adventure novel The Secret of the Sacred Scara( at http3AA"""$se%retofthesa%reds%arab$%omA$ To %onne%t "ith -iona visit her blog at http3AAfionaingramauthor$blogspot$%omA or follo" her on T"itter at http3AAt"itter$%omA-iona'obyn$

Ba%k to top

(i!rary) Ed#cational and Corporate Sales *ow to Sell to !ibraries # To( Ten Strategies for )nde(endent +uthors and Publishers
by 4ana !ynn Smith 2meri%a>s 12F,000 libraries pur%hase nearly Z2 billion "orth of books annually, a%%ording to statisti%s from the 2meri%an !ibrary 2sso%iation and the Book 0ndustry Study *roup$ .onfi%tion books are espe%ially "ell suited to library sales$ To sell fi%tion to libraries, it>s helpful to have revie"s in Gournals, book a"ards, or a strong lo%al tie/in, su%h as a novel being set in the region$ 1ere are ten tips on ho" to sell to libraries3 1- %#!lish a li!rary5friendly !ook$ !ibrary books take a lot of abuse, so libraries prefer books that are sturdy$ 1o"ever, given the %hoi%e bet"een a hard%over and paperba%k edition, they may %hoose the paperba%k be%ause it>s less expensive$ !ibraries generally "ill not pur%hase books "ith spiral or other nontraditional binding, and they don>t like books "ith Efill/in/the/blankE pages$ .onfi%tion books should have a good index and preferably a bibliography$ !ibrarians also prefer to pur%hase books that are %ataloged using 0P 8%ataloging/in/publi%ation9 data$ 2$ *et yo#r !ook revie,ed in a li!rary Ho#rnal$ !ibrary pur%hasing de%isions are based largely on revie"s in the maGor Gournals$ 0t>s impossible for librarians to keep up "ith the huge volume of books being published, and they value the s%reening pro%ess that the Gournals provide$ #ligibility and submission instru%tions vary by publi%ation, so read the reDuirements %arefully$ 7nfortunately, the Gournals %an revie" only a small per%entage of the books submitted to them$ 0f you aren>t able to get revie"ed in maGor Gournals, play up your other revie"s in your marketing materials$ F$ Make s#re yo#r !ook is availa!le thro#gh aHor li!rary ,holesalers su%h as Baker X Taylor and 0ngram$ The maGority of library book pur%hases are made through "holesalers, and some libraries "on>t order dire%tly from small publishers$ K$ "pply to ,ork ,ith a li!rary distri!#tor su%h as @uality Books or 7niDue Books, if you have a nonfi%tion book$ <$ Solicit testi onials fro li!rarians to add to your marketing materials, and play up any a"ards the book has "on$

L$ Contact li!raries in yo#r area to inDuire about programs for lo%al authors, and %onta%t libraries in to"ns you visit$ !et the library kno" about your events or media %overage in the area, su%h as book signings, radio intervie"s, or ne"spaper feature stories$ =$ (ook into speaking opport#nities at li!raries, like le%tures and readings$ 0n some %ases you %an sell %opies of your book at your event or even get paid a speaking fee$ Sometimes these events are organi6ed by the Efriends of the libraryE or other similar volunteer groups$ M$ Send direct ail to li!raries, either on your o"n or through %o/operative mailings at http3AA"""$ibpa/online$orgAprogramsAprograms$aspx$ 2ddress mail to the olle%tion 4evelopment !ibrarian for your subGe%t area, and in%lude a flyer "ith book details and a list of "holesalers and distributors that %arry your book$ N$ Consider donating a sa ple copy of your book to a fe" top library systems, to en%ourage pur%hases for bran%h libraries$ 10$ Exhi!it at li!rary tradesho,s through %o/operative exhibit programs su%h as those offered through the 0ndependent Book Publishers 2sso%iation, ombined Book #xhibit, and other organi6ations$ "!o#t the "#thor #x%erpted from The Savvy Book Marketer+s uide to Selling Your Book to :i(raries at http3AAbit$lyAeoNt& by 4ana !ynn Smith$ -or more book marketing tips, follo" BookMarketer on T"itter at http3AAt"itter$%omAbookmarketer and get 4ana>s free Top Book Marketing Tips ebook "hen you visit her book marketing blog at http3AA"""$thesavvybookmarketer$%omA$ Ba%k to top

*ow to

arket &hildren>s Books in Schools

by Melissa (illiams hildren)s authors are al"ays looking for "ays to get their books into the hands of their audien%e $ $ $ the %hildrenC 2dvo%ates for litera%y hold the key to every door in this business, so naturally s%hool visits are the number one "ay to rea%h your young readers and sell %hildren>s books$ (hen developing your marketing strategy, don)t forget the obvious, your Ithink outside the boxJ attitude and al"ays plan ahead$ (hen doing your resear%h, librarians, tea%hers, and prin%ipals should be%ome your best friends$ &ou should be "orking and %ollaborating "ith them before your book even goes to print$ B#ild +o#r 'isi!ility

To establish your %redibility and visibility to market %hildren>s books, start by Goining organi6ations and attending literary %onferen%es$ Present yourself to tea%hers and librarians at lo%al and national library %onferen%es by be%oming a speaker$ (hile at these events, share a booth "ith other lo%al authors and be available for net"orking, Duestions, and feedba%k$ (hile starting to build your %redibility as a publi% speaker, offer free author s%hool visits as often as possible$ &ou %an even start "ith readings at your lo%al library and bookstores for pra%ti%e$ 1o, to Sched#le School 'isits :rgani6e your visit to meet the needs of the s%hool$ Many tea%hers and librarians "ill not follo" through "ith an author visit if it be%omes more trouble than "hat it is "orth$ 1ave a plan$ 'emember their s%hedules are full, and they must allo" time for you to %ome$ *ive them day and time options, %lear and pre%ise details, the grades you spe%iali6e in, eDuipment needs, and the number of groups you are "illing to "ork "ith$ %re5$rders and Sales Pre/orders allo" for your book sales to run smoothly$ Provide a book pre/order form to the librarian or tea%her that may be sent home "ith the students the "eek before your visit$ Take time to personali6e the form for the parti%ular s%hool$ 4on)t "orry about te%hni%alities "ith the formS a simple do%ument "ith name, pri%e, Duantity, book image, and %onta%t info "ill suffi%e $ $ $ and don)t forget to ask for the name of the re%ipient for your autograph$ 0eferrals and Call!acks 0f the s%hool enGoyed your visit you "ill see the referrals %ome in$ onsider these three benefits as the fo%us of your s%hool visit3 Promoting reading and "riting, offering the students a fun and edu%ational experien%e, and keeping the students attentive and involved$ &es, that means being entertaining$ Be sure to sho" your personality and relate to the %hildren "hile using Itea%her te%hniDuesJ to maintain %ontrol of your audien%e$ Beco ing a %rod#ctive Speaker The best "ay to master the ne%essary tea%hing te%hniDues of being an author and speaker is rolling up your sleeves and spending some time pra%ti%ing around large groups of %hildren$ .ever underestimate the experien%e gained from being a youth leader, Sunday s%hool or substitute tea%her, or %amp volunteer$ &our market is %hildren, so make ne%essary time to surround yourself "ith your audien%e$ "fter 'isit Sales and &ollo, 6p 2fter your s%hool visit, give the students and tea%hers one more "eek to order your books$ Sales usually double after the %hildren have heard the author read their book$ Make it easy for the s%hool by offering free shipping and allo" for additional orders to %ome in via email$ 2l"ays ask for feedba%k to perfe%t your presentation$ 2uthors are %reative people, so the presentation should be Gust that $ $ $ %reative, fun, and

entertaining$ S%hool visits %an be a great pla%e to market %hildren>s books, if you plan ahead and follo" these tips$ "!o#t the "#thor Melissa (illiams is a %hildren)s author and publi% speaker$ She is the author of the %hildren)s %hapter book series, Iggy the Iguana at http3AA"""$iggytheiguana$%omA, and the o"ner of !ongTale Publishing$ She is a %hildren)s %olumnist at The (estside Story .e"spaper, http3AAbit$lyAyTi;2$ To %onne%t "ith Melissa visit her blog at http3AAmelissamarie"illiams$blogspot$%omA or follo" her on T"itter at http3AAt"itter$%omA0ggytheiguana$ Ba%k to top

*ow to Sell
by Brian 5ud

ore Books to &or(orations

Publishers seeking sales in non/bookstore markets often think only in terms of selling to retail outlets su%h as dis%ount stores, "arehouse %lubs, airport stores or gift shops$ 1o"ever, there is an often/overlooked segment made up of buyers that freDuently pur%hase books in large Duantities, pays in F0 days and does not reDuire a distributor$ This ni%he is %omprised of %ompanies that buy books not ne%essarily for re/sale, but to motivate their sales for%es, edu%ate their employees, improve their images or use as sales in%entives to sell more of their produ%ts$ This market %an be lu%rative, if you kno" ho" to sell to the buyers$ This begins "ith an understanding of "hy they might use your books to improve their %ir%umstan%es, to make their %ompanies more profitable$ 2n appeal to traditional buying motives may not "ork under these %onditions$ The people "ith "hom you "ill be negotiating are skilled professionals, used to dealing "ith kno"ledgeable, %ompetent sales representatives$ The buyer is probably not the Pur%hasing 2gent for the %ompanies, but perhaps the 1uman 'esour%es Manager, Sales Manager or Brand Manager$ The %ontent of your book "ill determine the prospe%tive de%ision maker$ Many of these businesspeople have never thought about using books as promotional tools$ So if you %ome a%ross as a %onsultant "ith ideas to help them, you are more likely to make the sale$ 0f you kno" ho" they %ould use your titles to sell more of their produ%ts or servi%es you "ill find a "illing ear$ Belo" are suggestions to fuel your dis%ussion$ 7se this list to help plan ho" they might best use your titles$ 19 1# an 0eso#rce planning$ 0f you have a %on%ept that "ould help employees plan

for their retirement, ask people in the 1uman 'esour%es department if they %ould use your titles in their retirement/planning programs$ They might also %onsider titles that "ould help them implement other parts of their benefit programs$ 29 Training and otivation$ 2%%ording to -rank -o%hetta 8;P, 4ire%tor of Spe%ial Sales and ustom Publishing at Simon X S%huster9, E ompanies su%h as 1erbal !ife and 2m"ay buy motivational and business books to resell to their distributors$E 0n many other businesses, managers regularly seek ne" "ays to train and motivate their employees, too$ &our titles on leadership, motivation, self/help, selling te%hniDues or ne" business topi%s %ould be useful to these exe%utives$ F9 *ift to c#sto ers$ -i%tion and nonfi%tion titles may be the perfe%t gift for %ustomers, employees or to re%ogni6e unusual events or spe%ial marketing periods$ Mark 'esni%k 8partner in -'( ompany9 tells us, ESome %ruise ship lines, give passengers a thank/ you gift upon departing the ship$ Sometimes they use a book about one of the destination ports as the souvenir$E K9 Sell thro#gh their stores$ 0f %ompanies have stores for employees, either on the premises or online, they may pur%hase your books for resale$ MaGors 0nternet ompany provides a servi%e %alled The ompany Bookstore$ This is a business/to/business solution for selling books to employees of %orporations$ 0n effe%t, MaGors puts a bookstore inside the %orporation$ Pur%hasing managers, orporate !ibrary Professionals, and 0nformation Servi%e Managers %an link to a %ustomi6ed version of the %ompany bookstore to offer employees a%%ess to a %omprehensive database of titles$ MaGors %ustomi6es The ompany Bookstore for the %orporate intranet, pro%esses %redit %ard transa%tions, pi%ks, pa%ks X ships, and provides management reports$ MaGors is a vendor for the %orporate employee as "ell as for information %enters, training and development, and resear%h departments$ 5$2$ MaGors ompany, K00K Tradeport Boulevard, 2tlanta, *2 F0F<K$ Phone3 K0K/L0M/2LL0, 1/M00/2K1/L<<1, fax3 K0K/L0M/ 2L<L, http3AA"""$maGors$%omA%orporationsA%orporations$htm$ Books 2re -un, !td$ 82 'eader>s 4igest ompany9 is a leading display marketer of books and gifts$ They offer hard%over books, gifts, and edu%ational produ%ts at savings of up to M0\ off retail pri%es$ Their book fairs and book displays supply innovative, premium Duality produ%ts to %orporations, s%hools, hospitals, and early learning %enters throughout the 7nited States and anada$ Books 2re -un serves over L0,000 s%hools, 12,000 %orporations, 20,000 early learning %enters, and many hospitals, universities, government offi%es and non/profit organi6ations in the 7nited States and anada through a variety of programs$ The Books 2re -un formula is simple$ They buy huge, non/returnable Duantities of books and gifts dire%tly from publishers and manufa%turers, and sell those produ%ts at deep dis%ounts dire%tly to end users through display marketing events$ They typi%ally donate a per%entage of the pro%eeds in books or %ash to the sponsoring organi6ation or to a designated %harity$ Send t"o %opies of your book, along "ith your full information and telephone number to3 Books 2re -un, KL01 .autilus ourt South, Boulder, :

M0F01/FLMF$ Books submitted to Books 2re -un "ill not be returned$ <9 %#!lic relations$ ompanies may use books to establish, repair or improve their reputations$ This may be a%%omplished by providing books to volunteer groups or by donating them to a "orthy %ause$ ompanies %elebrating an anniversary may also use related books to help promote and %elebrate the event$ harlene ostan6o sold her title, The T1elve ifts of Birth, to %hildren)s shelters to use as a fundraiser$ But the image it %reated in the publi%)s mind "as upbeat, %reating positive "ord/of/mouth advertising for the shelters$ ompanies may use books to maintain or %reate an image, too$ Many hospitals do this "hen they give a pa%kage of produ%ts to the parents of babies delivered there$ 0f your title has information that is important to the first years of a baby)s life, it might be in%luded in this pa%kage$ L9 "n addition to the corporate li!rary$ Some businesses have an internal library$ 0f so, sho" the %ompany librarians ho" your title %ould be appropriate to their needs$ 0f it is on an appli%able topi% // su%h as selling, industry information, motivation, or marketing , you might %onvin%e them to add your title to their %olle%tions$ =9 Enhance other arketing ca paigns$ !a"s and do/not/%all lists limiting the a%tivities of telemarketers "ill in%rease the use of dire%t mail to a%%omplish the same result$ Businesses %ondu%ting dire%t/mail %ampaigns "ant re%ipients to open the envelopes immediately upon re%eiving them, and one "ay to do this is to offer a teaser on the envelope announ%ing a Efree gift insideE or an Eoffer for a free gift inside$E Statisti%s have proven this to be an ex%ellent "ay to in%rease response rates, and your book or booklet may perform that fun%tion$ M9 Sales pro otional tools$ Brand managers have bottom/line responsibility for their produ%t line and are interested in in%reasing their sales$ Sho" them ho" they %ould use your titles to make this happen and you "ill find an interested prospe%t$ &ou(on$ Manufa%turers may offer a dollars/off, in/pa%k, on/pa%k, or near/pa%k %oupon entitling the bearer to a dis%ount on your produ%t$ -or example, a pet food %ompany might in%lude a %oupon in a bag of dog food 8in/pa%k9 for a dis%ount on your video about dog %are$ The manufa%turer may offer the same %oupon on/pa%k, printed on the exterior of the pa%kage and visible to the %onsumer$ .ear/pa%k %oupons are provided at the point of sale 8perhaps as a peel/off %oupon or in a Etake/oneE %ontainer9 in %lose proximity to "here the item is being sold$ -or example, a %oupon for a book %ontaining holiday re%ipes %ould be pla%ed near a display of Pfalt6graff plates "ith hristmas d]%or$ oupons serve another fun%tion "henever the %ustomer is reDuired to send any information to you$ &our %ompany garners information to build its database, "hi%h %an offset %osts of the free items$ Premium$ (hen used as a premium 8an item given a"ay to attra%t, retain or re"ard

%ustomers or to motivate employees9, a produ%t may be offered at a relatively lo" %ost 8or free9 as an in%entive to pur%hase a parti%ular produ%t$ 0f the dog/food manufa%turer mentioned above in%luded your dog/%are video inside the pa%kage , instead of a %oupon for it , your produ%t "ould be %onsidered a premium$ Pri4e$ 2 high/pri%e or high/value book might be offered as a pri6e in a %ontest or s"eepstakes$ Sam(les$ Businesses may use your items to give to %ustomers or the general publi% at no %harge in order to build good"ill, and traffi% to their stores$ They might pla%e a sample %hapter of your book on their "ebsite, offering the %omplete version as a self/ liDuidator$ 1ammermill Paper ompany pur%hased over <000 %opies of Paulette #nsign)s booklet ,,* Ideas for $rgani9ing Your Business :ife as a premium for their sales representatives to leave behind "ith prospe%ts after a sales %all$ The only %hange to "hi%h Paulette had to a%%ede "as to allo" 1ammermill to print the booklets on their paper to serve as a sample$ Self'liCuidator$ (hen a book is sold at a pri%e lo" enough to enti%e buyers, but high enough to %over its %ost, it is being used as a self/liDuidator$ Many supermarkets use this ta%ti% to enti%e shoppers to buy more at their store$ 1ere, buyers may pur%hase a book at a dis%ounted pri%e "ith a minimum pur%hase$ :r shoppers may be offered a %ontinuity series at a redu%ed pri%e$ :n%e you kno" ho" a prospe%tive %ustomer might use your titles, the next step is to %onta%t and negotiate "ith them$ "!o#t the "#thor Brian 5ud is the author of 0o1 To Make @eal Money Selling Books I"ithout "orrying '(out @eturnsJ: ' !o%plete uide to the Book -u(lishers+ "orld of Special Sales at http3AAam6n$toA%'Msh5$ 1e also offers %ommission/only sales of nonfi%tion, fi%tion, %hildren)s titles and remainders to buyers in spe%ial markets$ -or more information %onta%t Brian at P$ :$ Box =1<, 2von, T 0L001, phone ML0/L=</1FKK, fax ML0/2=0/ 0FKF$ #mail brianGudHbookmarketing$%om or go to """$premiumbook%ompany$%om$ Ba%k to top

"esources
The Savvy Book Marketer&s uide to Selling Your Book to :i(raries at http3AA"""$SellingTo!ibraries$%om features to pra%ti%al advi%e for selling to libraries, along "ith %onta%t information for top libraries, re/sellers, book revie" Gournals, and library asso%iations$ To learn more about selling books to non/bookstore venues in 0o1 to Make @eal

Money Selling Books: ' !o%plete uide to the Book -u(lishers+ "orld of Special Sales at http3AAam6n$toAa7T:0S$ This book "as "ritten by Brian 5ud, a leading expert on %orporate sales and non/bookstore markets for books$ Brian 5ud)s Premium Book ompany helps publishers %onne%t "ith bulk buyers$ http3AA"""$premiumbook%ompany$%om 2nother sour%e for learning about bulk book sales is The Insider+s 6uantity Books Sales, published by 5enkins *roup$ http3AA"""$spe%ialmarketbooksales$%omAmem1$php -ind more resour%es at http3AAbit$lyA!ibrariesS%hools Ba%k to top uide to :arge

%#!lishing and Distri!#tion

This se%tion features advi%e on "riting, editing, publishing and distributing books$ -ind more resour%es for aspiring authors at http3AAbit$lyA2spiring2uthors$

*ow to Get Started Writing Your Book

by Melinda opp

(riting a book is su%h a big proGe%t that many aspiring authors have no idea "here to start$ 0f you)ve been thinking about "riting a book, you %an use the follo"ing three steps to turn your thoughts into a%tionC Step $ne3 Define +o#r Topic) "#dience) and Co petition (hen "riting a book, it helps to have a %lear idea of "hat you "ant to %over and "ho you "ant to rea%h$ 0t also helps to kno" your %ompetitionQ"hat books have already been "ritten on the same topi% and ho" yours "ill be different 8and better9$ So first, %onsider your book)s topi%$ (hat is your book really about+ 1o" "ill your book benefit your readers+ (hat problems "ill it solve+ 'eally take the time to s%rutini6e your topi% and the strategies you plan to outline$ Next) ask yo#rself t,o /#estions3 1$ (ho needs andAor "ants the information in this book+ 2$ 4o these people buy books+

Think about your book like a business$ 0n any business venture, you need to kno" "ho you)re serving and "hether or not the market is big enough for your book to sell su%%essfully$ -inally, %ompare your book to "hat)s already been "ritten and published on the topi%$ To find out "hat books yours "ill be %ompeting "ith, go to 2ma6on$%om and sear%h your book topi%$ (hat titles %ome up+ 1ave your read these books+ (hat "ill make your book different+ 1o" is your book better+ (hat gives your book an edge over the others+ Step T,o3 Make a (ist :n%e you)ve narro"ed do"n your topi%, defined your audien%e and their needs, and %onsidered your book)s %ompetition you %an start planning "hat you "ill in%lude in your book and ho" it "ill be organi6ed$ Start by listing everything you "ant to in%lude based on the information you gathered in step one$ 0f you)re "riting a ho"/to book, then make a list of topi%s, examples, ane%dotes, and strategies you plan to in%lude$ 2nd if you)re "riting a memoir or other narrative "ork, list the s%enes you "ant to use to tell your story$ !et your mind go on this, and brainstorm as many ideas as you %an$ &ou may not keep them all, but for no" you need to get the material out of your head$ ?eep in mind that, at this point, you aren)t making any final de%isions$ 'emain flexible and open/mindedS you "ill probably %hange things around on%e you a%tually start "riting and resear%hing$ But making this list "ill help you get organi6ed and give your "riting some dire%tion$ Step Three3 Start 8riting &ou kne" this step "as %omingC The only "ay to "rite a book is to sit do"n and start "riting$ 4edi%ate a spe%ifi%, regular time to "rite every day$ 2nd if you %an)t "rite every day, then make sure you "rite on most days$ 1aving your list of topi%s you "ant to in%lude "ill be handy on days "hen you don)t feel inspired$ &ou %an Gust look at it, pi%k a topi% or s%ene that gets you going, and then sti%k "ith it until you)re done$ (rite as mu%h as you %an as often as you %an, and "ork through your list until you)ve %overed everything you "ant to "rite about in your book$ Then before you kno" it, you)ll have a draft finishedC 8riting +o#r Book There)s no reason aspiring authors should stall "riting their book before they even start$ 0f you have a story inside you that you "ant to get out, use these three steps to get your "riting started$ &ou)ll be an author before you kno" itC "!o#t the "#thor Melinda opp helps aspiring self/help, business, and nonfi%tion authors get their books

done, so they establish expertise, a%hieve their goals, and share their message in a po"erful "ay$ *et a free %opy of her "rite Your Book 6uick8Start Mini E8course at http3AA"""$"riterssherpaprograms$%omA"riteabook$html "hen you sign up for her "eekly e/6ine$ Ba%k to top

Why +uthors %eed an Editor

by &vonne Perry 8elco e +vonne and thanks for sharing- 8hy is it so i portant for a#thors to hire an editor; 2n editor "ho kno"s the book industry is an asset to any author, but first, let)s talk about the different types of editing$ 2 %opy editor looks for spelling, pun%tuation, grammar, and usage errors, and "ill note a"k"ard transitions, redundan%ies, and hyperbole$ Think of a %opy editor as the tea%her "ith a red pen, "ho is ready to grade your paper$ 2 manus%ript that needs further development is not ready for a %opy editor$ 0t needs a developmental editor "ho %an %oa%h or guide an author>s "ork to the next level by offering suggestions to strengthen the author)s "riting and develop the story to its best potential$ This I"riting mentorJ may "ork "ith an author on all elements of book development in%luding front matter, ba%k matter, and %iting referen%es$ 2fter a book goes through a development pro%ess "ith an editor, it may still need a %opy edit$ So, "hy should an author hire an editor+ 2fter several re"rites and re/reading, an author %an easily get so %lose to his o"n "riting that he is not be able to see his o"n errors$ Some may not even be a"are of the mistakes they are making be%ause they are not familiar "ith style guides or grammar rules$ -or example, there are several different style guides and "hile most agree on the basi%s, there are a%%eptable "ord usages and pun%tuation that make "riting a book different than "riting for the (eb$ 2dditionally, "e see so many typos and grammati%al errors on the (eb and in books that are self/published 8or brought to market by publish/on/demand %ompanies9 that after a "hile, these mistakes be%ome so %ommonpla%e, many people vie" them as a%%eptable$ To an avid reader, these errors are sure signs that the book "as either "ritten by an amateur or by someone "ho did not %are about preserving the foundation upon "hi%h good books have al"ays been built$ That is not the image an author "ants to portray$ 4evoted readers are a%%ustomed to a high standard of Duality in the "riting, layout, and physi%al properties of a book$ They "ill not tolerate blatant errors in spelling,

pun%tuation, and grammar, nor "ill they be in%lined to ba%ktra%k to lo%ate "hat they missed "hen they are %onfused by "hat an author has "ritten$ 2nother reason authors should have their books edited is be%ause an unedited or poorly "ritten book is a legitimate reason for a publisher to reGe%t it$ 0t is diffi%ult enough to get a book a%%epted by a %onventional publisher "ithout having to further redu%e your %han%es "ith a book that an agent %an)t IsellJ to a publisher or a%Duisition editor$ 2nd, speaking of selling, from a marketing standpoint, good books are re%ommended by "ord of mouth to others "ho have read them$ Poor books are notC 0n fa%t, an author may have a diffi%ult time getting someone to "rite a revie" for a book that didn)t read "ell$ #ven if a book is self/published or published on demand, an author must have a great produ%t to offer in order to sell booksQespe%ially in a de%lining e%onomy$ 2 developmental editor kno"s more about %urrent "ord usage, pun%tuation, grammar, book layout 8front and ba%k matter9, %hara%ter development, "riting dialog, %reating good transitions, setting and plot, and overall flo" than the average high s%hool #nglish tea%her$ 8hat advice can yo# give to a#thors a!o#t hiring and ,orking ,ith an editor; / Pi%k the right kind of editor$ Most of the manus%ripts 0 see need a developmental editor to at least revie" the manus%ript before moving on to a %opy editor$ / he%k to see "hat types of "ork the editor does most often$ 2n editor "ho edits mostly fi%tion may not kno" ho" to format a bibliography or %ite referen%e sour%esS an editor "ho "orks mostly "ith non/fi%tion may have less ability to develop %hara%ters, plot, and s%enes$ / 2sk to see a list of %lients the editor has "orked "ith$ 4on)t be afraid to ask ho" many books the editor has edited, parti%ularly in your genre / 2sk "hat style guide the editor uses$ Books published in 2meri%a are typi%ally edited using The !hicago Manual of Style2 Strunk and "hite&s The Ele%ents of Style, or the M!2 1andbook for (riters$ 2P2 Style is preferred for behavioral s%ien%es and resear%h books$ / 2sk to see samples of the editor)s "ork$ (hile 0 "ork under a non/dis%losure agreement "hi%h prevents me from sharing a %lient)s before and after manus%ript, 0 offer 8at no %ost9 to edit t"o pages of the prospe%tive author)s "ork to demonstrate my skills$ / he%k the editor)s referen%es$ 0f an editor %annot or "ill not provide referen%es, run the other "ay and don)t look ba%k "hile you find someone else to help you$ Tell #s a little a!o#t yo#2s the o"ner of (riters in the Sky reative (riting Servi%es, http3AA"ritersinthesky$%omA, 0 am both a "riter and editor$ 0 have authored t"elve titles of my o"n, and 0 have "ritten or edited more than thirty 8some bestselling9 books for my %lients$ That>s in addition to

hundreds of arti%les, marketing text, biographi%al sket%hes, r]sum]s, media releases, (eb text, and ne"sletters 0 have "ritten$ (riters in the Sky provides developmental and %opy editing, as "ell as a book evaluation servi%e to help an author determine the %ondition of the manus%ript and "hat it "ould take to make the "ork marketable$ (e also publish a monthly e/6ine at http3AA"ritersinthesky$%omA"riting/ne"sletter$html that provides a ri%h resour%e of arti%les and information about the %raft and business of "riting, publishing, and book marketing$ "!o#t the "#thor 0 am a graduate of 2meri%an 0nstitute of 1olisti% Theology "here 0 earned a Ba%helor of S%ien%e in Metaphysi%s$ 0 %ompleted the reDuirements for 4istinguished Toastmaster %ertifi%ation from Toastmasters 0nternational, and 0 put this training to good use on my "eekly pod%ast "hen 0 intervie" authors, publishers, and book publi%ists$ The pod%ast is a%%essed on our blog at http3AAyvonneperry$blogspot$%omA$ Ba%k to top

istakes of $irst'Time +uthors

by Stephanie Barko Prior to being published, ne" authors freDuently make mistakes that damage or even pre%lude their book)s marketability$ ommonly, these errors in%lude3 / Poorly designed or sto%k %over art / 7nedited, under edited or unprofessionally edited text / 7nder funding of or la%k of a book marketing budget / 0nvisible or inadeDuately visible online presen%e for author and title / 2bsen%e of platform and %lear audien%e for the material Book Covers make or break your ability to obtain revie"s and readers$ &ou %an Gudge a book by its %over$ 2s 5ames ox, #ditor of Mid"est Book 'evie" puts it,

I0n Sta%k BF are those titles that are immediately reGe%ted // not for their subGe%t matterS not for being "ritten by a first time authorS and not for their self/published, P:4/ published, or small press published status, but be%ause they are poorly designed or defe%tively produ%ed in terms of presenting substandard, inadeDuate, or other"ise unattra%tive %overs$J 2ppealing %overs summon buyers$ (hether these buyers a%tually read your book is another matter, but the most important element for pur%hasing a publi%ation is its "rapper$ 0t has been proven that people %hoose a book by "hat they see and read on

the %over, especially if they don)t kno" the author or the title$ Make sure your %over is designed by an a"ard/"inning book designer, not a general graphi% designer$ -or different angles and musings on book %overs, visit book design "eb sites and blogs$ Editing is also %riti%al to your book)s su%%ess$ &ou "ant to intervie" several editors and hold their %ompleted books in your hand$ hoose a set of editors "ho are experien%ed "ith your genre$ 2mong eDually Dualified %andidates, hire those "ith "hom you have some professional %hemistry$ -or an explanation of the types of editing your "ork might benefit from, read ITypes of EditingJ at http3AAbit$lyAhSst#T$ (hat is a reasonable Marketing B#dget for a book laun%h+ Plan to spend Z2$< to Z12? before and during the first three months of your book)s life$ 0f you get an advan%e on your manus%ript, 0 re%ommend spending the "hole amount on marketing your book$ !ine item expenses in a prep X laun%h budget might in%lude resear%h X fa%t %he%king, editing, indexing, illustrating, %over X interior design, "eb design, optimi6ation, X maintenan%e, distribution, shipping, travel, publi%ity, and advertising$ 0f you need media training or a publi% speaking %oa%h, in%lude that$ 0f you are independently published, add in book fair and industry %onferen%e fees, book a"ard submission fees, exhibitor %osts, and presentation eDuipment$ 2n author)s $nline %resence is absolutely %ru%ial in today)s book market$ 0nternet book sales have risen 1M\ year on year sin%e 2002$ -or this reason, ea%h author needs a "eb site that pulls in%oming traffi% from people "ho are sear%hing on the book)s issues, title, and author name$ The internet is so dynami% that ea%h year the "ay to attra%t %ustomers on the superhigh"ay seems to morph$ 'ight no" it)s so%ial net"orking and ba%klinking$ Perhaps 12 million 2meri%ans no" keep a blog be%ause they)ve learned that updating it every %ouple of "eeks "ill maintain or lift their page rank$ 0f you are fa%ile "ith a %omputer, use sear%h engine optimi6ation 8S#:9 tools to dis%over high ranking key"ords, and then repeat those throughout your "eb site, blog and press releases$ Seek a "eb designer "ho is both imaginative and good at taking dire%tion, "hile exhibiting a profi%ien%y in #nglish, design, programming, S#:, and business$ -inally, if you %annot define your book)s "#dience and %latfor , your book "ill never get off the ground$ To market your book, you must be able to distill its issues and kno" "ho and "here your readers are and ho" they sear%h for information$ reate your log line to attra%t them and prioriti6e your first year plan so that you fully fund and lead "ith the strongest devi%e in your platform$ 4on)t end up in the slush pileC Spend time and money "ith your editing team, a book designer, an S#: guru, and a publi%ist, so your book is more likely to remain %ompetitive among the 200,000 titles released in 2meri%a ea%h year$ "!o#t the "#thor

Stephanie Barko, !iterary Publi%ist "as named 2011 Best Book Promotional 'esour%e by Preditors X #ditors 'eaders Poll$ 1er %lients in%lude a"ard/"inning nonfi%tion and histori%al fi%tion authors and publishers$ -or more book marketing X publi%ity tips visit """$stephaniebarko$%om$ Ba%k to top

-rafting Your Back &o0er Sales &o(y

by 4an Poynter The $#tside of +o#r Book Sho#ld Sell the InsideE0eryone 3udges a Book by its &o0erD+nd What You &an -o +bout )t1 People do not read the book before making a buying de%ision$ onsumers do not read it in the store$ Sales reps only %arry book %overs and Ga%kets to sho" store buyers "hile "holesalers and distributors say IGust send us the %over %opy$J 2ll buying de%isions are made on the illustrationAdesign and the sales %opy on the outside of the book$ &es, pa%kaging is everything$ #a%h year, 7$S$ industry spends more than Z<0 billion on pa%kage design$ .o", that is not Z<0 billion for the pa%kages, not for the %ontents$ That money is for the design of the pa%kages$ Pa%kages prompt buyers to rea%h for the produ%t "hether it is pantyhose, %orn flakes or hair spray$ Stores have tens of thousands of books being displayed spine/out$ (ith all this %ongestion, it is hard to get attention$ 0nitially, all a potential buyer sees is the book)s spine$ 0f the bro"ser takes it do"n, he or she "ill ga6e at the %over about four se%onds and the flip it over to read the ba%k %over$ :n average, he or she "ill spend Gust seven se%onds here, so the tri%k is to keep them reading longer$ &our %opy has to be pun%hy and benefit/ladenS it has to speak to the potential buyer$ -or free instru%tions on ho" to "rite the sales %opy and lay out your %overs, do"nload my Book over (orksheet at http3AAbit$lyAh.l4PS and fill in the blanks$ &our book %over designer "ill lay out the pa%kage and in%orporate the illustration, put it all on disk and send it to your printer, but you must draft the sales %opy$ This book %over "orksheet "ill take you step/by/step through the sales %opy draft pro%ess$ 7se your %omputer so you "ill be able to move the %opy around on%e entered$ 4rafting ad %opy is hard "ork$ 2d %opy "riters, people "ho "rite ads for a living, need to stimulate their imagination$ Most of them study the field %onstantly$ (hen they see an element of an ad they like in a maga6ine or on line, they "ill pull it out, %ir%le the good part and put it in a Is"ipe file$J (hen they are %ommissioned to "rite an ad, they "ill go through the s"ipe file looking for ideas$ &ou %an use the same stimulating pro%edure but there is an easier, more dire%t "ay to do it$

!ook for four or five other books at 2ma6on that are very %lose to your book$ Think to yourself, if someone "ere to buy that book, "ould they be a good %andidate to buy your book+ Print out the multiple pages$ 1ighlight the bu66 "ords and good book des%riptions$ .o", spread out the page and draft your sales %opy$ 2ll the good, des%riptive sales %opy is in front of you$ The highlighting "ill stimulate your %opy"riting imagination and make the drafting easy$ "- &ront cover Sele%t a "orking title and subtitle$ ?eep the title short and make the subtitle des%riptive$ !ist the most important person in your field 8asso%iation or industry9 for the fore"ord 8and please note the spelling of -ore"ord9$ &ou "ill try to get them to pen the fore"ord later$ B- Spine Sta%k the title on the spine so it "ill read more easily on the shelf$ 7se a bold, san/serif, verti%ally/legged typefa%e su%h as 2rial Bla%k, bolded$ C- Back cover 1$ ategory$ ;isit a bookstore and %he%k the shelf "here your book "ill be displayed$ .ote the %ategories on the books and the shelves$ !isting the %ategory on the ba%k %over of your book "ill insure your book "ill be easy to find Q be%ause the bookshop personnel "ill pla%e it on the right shelf$ 2$ .o" you need an arresting headline addressed to potential buyers$ &ou "ant them to relate to the book and find themselves in it$ 4o not repeat the title hereS do not bore the potential buyer$ &ou have already Isaid itJ on the front$ 7se an alternate approa%h$ -or example, The Self/Publishing Manual)s ba%k/%over headline is (hy .ot Publish &ourself+ F$ 4es%ription$ on%isely 8t"o to four senten%es9 state "hat the book is about$ (hat "ill the reader gain by reading this book+ K$ Bulleted promises or benefits$ Promise to make readers better at "hat they do$ Be spe%ifi%$ -o%us on "ho your audien%e is and "hat they "ant$ Think3 about "ho are you talking to and "hat are they going to get from the book$ &ou "ill dis%over3 / 8benefit9 / 8benefit9 / 8benefit9 / 8benefit9 <$ Testimonials and endorsements$ 4ream up three different endorsements from people you "ould like to Duote$ 0f EThis book %hanged my diplomati% strategy$ Q olin Po"ell,E "ould look good, try it$ 7se names or titles re%ogni6able in your field Q sour%es that

might impress potential buyers$ This is Gust a draftS dress it up$ &ou "ill se%ure some of these Duotations later$ L$ Sho" the author is the ultimate authority on the subGe%t$ 5ust t"o or three senten%es "ill do$ =$ #nd "ith a sales %loser in bold type$ 2sk the book bro"ser to buy the book$ 7se something like EThis book has enabled thousands to $ $ $ and it "ill sho" you the "ay too$E M$ Pri%e$ The book industry likes a pri%e on the book$ The pri%e is a turn/off to potential buyers so pla%e it at the end of the sales %opy$ .ever lo%ate the pri%e at the top of the ba%k %over$ 0f this is a hard%over book, pla%e the pri%e at the top of the front flap$ N$ Bar %ode "ith 0nternational Standard Book .umber 80SB.9$ The bar %ode on a book identifies the 0SB., "hi%h in turn identifies the publisher, title, author and edition 8hard%over, et%$9$ Make room for, but do not "orry about, the bar %ode and 0SB. Gust no"$ -or more details on the 0SB. and bar %ode, see 4o%ument 112 at http3AAbit$lyAg"v#l: 8free9$ &our title, subtitle, ba%k/%over headline and benefits may be s"apped$ :n%e you have them "ritten do"n, you may "ish to move some of them around$ Perhaps one of your benefits "ould be a better subtitle$ Most ba%k %over %opy is "eak and uninspiring$ The title is repeated and then is follo"ed by several Duotations and a bar %ode and that)s itC 1apha6ard %opy is the sign of la6y 8and maybe inexperien%ed9 %opy"riter$ This la%k of effe%tive %ompetition on the shelf gives us the upper hand$ Book %over illustrations and design have improved tremendously over the past F0 years$ 2uthorApublishers used to spend all their efforts on the text and the %over be%ame an after/thought$ Some publishers remember it "as 'obert 1o"ard "ho brought bright, insightful, relevant, remarkable %overs to the industry$ There are many great %over designers today and it "as 'obert 1o"ard "ho started it all$ 2 good %over artist "ill read through your book and %reate a %over that "ill refle%t the message of the text$ The %over and text should mat%h$ &ears ago, "e saidE E(rite your ad before you "rite your book$E This "as to help you fo%us on "ho you "ere "riting to and "hat you "ere going to give them$ Then "e reali6ed the most important ad you "ill ever "rite is your ba%k %over %opy$ .o" "e say3 E(rite your %over %opy before you "rite your book$E Pa%kages sell produ%ts and %overs sell books$ *ive your books the opportunity in the marketpla%e they deserve$ Pa%kage your text to Dui%kly tell the idle bro"ser "hat is inside$

"!o#t the "#thor 4an Poynter is the author of 12L books, in%luding /an -oynter+s Self8-u(lishing Manual: 0o1 to "rite2 -rint and Sell Your $1n Book at http3AAam6n$toA%%p00*$ 1e>s been a publisher sin%e 1NLN$ -or more publishing and book marketing tips, follo" H4anPoynter on T"itter at http3AA"""$t"itter$%omA4anPoynter, and visit his "ebsite at http3AAparapublishing$%omA, blog at http3AAblog$parapublishing$%omA, and &ouTube page at http3AA"""$youtube$%omA"at%h+vYm(l0fnBu=bs$ Ba%k to top

*ow to &raft Back &o0er &o(y that Sells Books by the Boatload
by #ri% *elb :n a s%ale of 1 to 10, does your book>s ba%k %over %opy drive readers to buy your book+ Ba%k %over %opy is like the pa%kaging on a box of food or the %over of a maga6ine at the supermarket %he%kout %ounter$ The vendor has only a fe" se%onds to stop you in your tra%ks, attra%t your attention and %ompel you to make a pur%hase$ &ou %an also %onsider ba%k %over %opy to be similar to a movie trailer or previe"3 Gust t"o minutes that give you the plot line$ Based on the trailer, you "ill de%ide "hether to see the movie, or not$ The same holds "ith your book$ &our designAlayout, graphi%s 2.4 verbiage must enti%e readers and make them hungry for more$ &our front %over art"ork and design dra" target readers in$ But your ba%k %over %opy %loses the saleC Sin%e you or the author "on>t be present "hen a reader pulls your book off the shelf, your ba%k %over %opy must do the heavy lifting to sell your book$ -ollo" these steps to %reate si66ling ba%k %over %opy and sell more books3 .- (ist "(( the Benefits +o#r Book Delivers on a Blank Sheet of %aper or a &resh 8ordI Doc# ent-or fi%tion, reveal your story>s highlights$ 4emonstrate "hy and ho" your story "ill entertain your reader$ 4ra" them into your storyS introdu%e your %hara%ters or at least the main one$ Summari6e your plot in a senten%e or t"o$ -or ho"/to, explain the solutions you "ill provide, the problems your book "ill solve, the Duestions you "ill ans"er$ 1ighlight the %harts, %he%klists, illustrations, et%$ your book features$ 2rrange your benefits in a pun%hy, %on%ise "ay "ith a%tion language$ 'ight to the point$ There>s no time or room for fluff$ 2- St#dy the Back Cover Copy of +o#r &avorite Books and Today9s Bestsellers-

-or your favorites, "hat made you interested in the book+ (hat about the message on the ba%k %over attra%ted you+ (hi%h features %an you adapt and apply to your ba%k %over %opy+ Study today>s bestsellers$ Pull the best ingredients and design %omponents for your book$ 4- Craft an "rresting 1eadline or Tagline or Consider +o#r S#!titleThe top of the ba%k %over %opy should be a headline or tagline, Gust like a dire%t mail sales letter 8aka Gunk mail9$ 4on>t use your book>s title sin%e potential buyers have already seen your title on the front %over or spine$ *ive them more information$ The headline should summari6e your book>s theme or plot in Gust a fe" "ords / no more than five to eight "ords$ Sho" readers "hat they "ill re%eive "hen they pur%hase your book$ onsider my book, 52 Book Marketing Stealth Secrets$ The subtitle is EThe 0nside Tra%k to Be%ome a -amous elebrity and Sell Books by the Boatload$E 0f you are interested in this topi%, "ould you "ant to learn more+ (hile "e offer this publi%ation as an eBook and for li%ensing only, on the ba%k %over "e "ould feature the subtitle at the top$ >- 8rite a Brief %aragraph- Craft T,o or Three Sentences that Explain 8hat +o#r Book is "ll "!o#t#laborate on your tagline$ 4ra" your target readers further into your book $ $ $ make them "ant to read more and make a pur%hase$ (rite tight$ 7se your "riting style / your book>s style$ 5- &eat#re T,o or Three Testi onialsTestimonials should be one to t"o senten%es only$ Perhaps a %lip from a book revie"$ :r a snippet from a fan>s letter$ Praise from a peer or %olleague$ People feel more %omfortable making a pur%hase "hen someone else endorses a produ%t / already ki%ked the tires$ @- &eat#re +o#r BioBut only t"o or perhaps three senten%es about your ba%kground and %redentials$ (hy are you Dualified to "rite this book+ (hat makes your book a "inner+ Think t"i%e before you add your pi%ture$ 0 believe that ba%k %over %opy is very valuable Ereal estate$E 0n other "ords, you don>t have spa%e to "aste on non/essentials3 items that don>t help you %lose the sale$ 0f your photo en%ourages the reader to make a pur%hase, then %onsider using it$ -or lesser kno"n authors `myself in%ludeda, the ba%k %over is better used to promote your book and provide the Eeviden%eE your reader needs to definitively de%ide to buy your book$ Put your photo inside$ A- Close ,ith a Brief Jinger K%#shL that Co pels the 0eader to Click M"dd to CartM or Carry +o#r Book to the Cash 0egister:h, and if you>re selling in retail, be sure to leave room for your bar %ode "ith your

book>s 0SB. and pri%e$ (hen you %raft your ba%k %over %opy, %ondu%t an informal test$ 0nvite several dis%erning readers, book %lub members, #nglish tea%hers and perhaps some bookstore employees to revie" your ba%k %over %opy$ 2sk them, on a s%ale of 1 to 10, ho" likely they are to buy your book$ &our friends may be obGe%tive but maybe not$ &ou need obGe%tive, unbiased feedba%k $ $ $ to truly sell your book$ 0 hope you %rush the bestseller listsC "!o#t the "#thor #ri% *elb is an internationally re%ogni6ed author, book marketing expert and %opy"riter$ 1is seven books in%lude Book -ro%otion Made Easy and 52 Book Marketing Stealth Secrets$ #ri% spe%iali6es in %rafting ba%k %over %opy, author "ebsites, press releases, and %ollateral material and devising innovative marketing programs$ To re%eive #ri%>s latest book marketing te%hniDues for -'##, visit """$Publishing*old$%om$ Ba%k to top

3udging a Book by )ts &o0er

by *ail ?earns 2 maGority of booksellers agree that the %over design is the single most important element of a book$ The truth is, a book is Gudged first and foremost by its %over$ 0f you "ant your book to have a fighting %han%e among the more than K00,000 ne" books published ea%h year, your %over must trigger an instant response$ 2nd it>s not Gust %ustomers "ho are influen%ed by your book %over$2 "ell/designed book %an help you se%ure positive revie"s, establish your %redibility as an expert in your field, "in a"ards and hopefully generate many book sales$ That means your %over must be designed %ompellingly$ 1o" is that a%%omplished+ / Target your audien%e$ (ho is your ideal buyer+ (ho is your %ompetition and "hat sets you apart+ 'elate ans"ers to these Duestions to your book %over designer$ / reate a %ompelling, uniDue title and subtitle, "hi%h relate to your defined market$

/ 7se an experien%ed professional designer$ 2 veteran %over designer "ill ensure Duality results and a %ost/effe%tive pro%ess through their design experien%e$ E#ight se%onds R this is the time a normal person spends on a book %over before either looking further or going on,E says Peri/Poloni/*abriel of ?no%kout Books$ EThat is the time you have to typographi%ally and visually %ommuni%ate your book$ This is even more %riti%al in the online marketpla%e "here the %overs are Gust thumbnails to begin

"ith$ The key fa%tors in a %over are readability, %on%ept, genre appropriateness, overall impa%t and "o" fa%tor$ (hy hire a professional book %over designer rather than your graphi% designer friend, you ask+ Professional %over designers speak the same language as prepress, printers, and manufa%turers and "ill take %are of all the "orrisome details$ They kno" ho" to use %olor fun%tionally and integrate the front %over, spine and ba%k %over$ 0n short, a %over designer "ho designs book %overs day in and day out "ill save you from many pitfalls unbekno"nst to most graphi% designers$ 2n additional "ord of %aution3 Be %areful not to be persuaded by your o"n personal taste$ ?eep in mind "ho your target audien%e is$ This may not be your mother, spouse or best friend$ 2 "ell/designed %over that speaks to the buyer is vital "hen it %omes to the su%%ess of your book$ 1ere)s to your making your book a hitC "!o#t the "#thor *ail ?earns and her team at To Press X Beyond are experts in book publishing %onsulting and support servi%es "ho "ill take your book proGe%t and shepherd it through "riting, editing, design X layout, printing, distribution, sales and promotion, both in trade and ni%he markets and on the 0nternet$ They have "orked "ith over F00 authors and independent publishers as far a"ay as !ondon, S"it6erland, #gypt and Thailand$ !earn more at """$ToPressandBeyond$%om$ Ba%k to top

*ow To $ind + !iterary +gent 6When YouE0e Self'Published7

by !aura ross

(ayne 4yer, 4eepak hopra, Mark ;i%tor 1anson, and 5a%k anfield are su%%essful authors "ho self/published their first books before a%Duiring literary agents and traditional publishing deals$ (hen your self/published book sells in ex%ess of 10,000 or 20,000 %opies, literary agents may be %alling you "ith offers for representation$ 0f you)ve rea%hed that sales mark and haven)t re%eived a %all yet and your goal is to transition into a traditional publishing deal, then it)s time to take a%tion, find a literary agent that)s the right fit for you and your book, and start pit%hing$ &our key selling point3 &our sales figures, "hi%h indi%ate there is a strong market for your book$ 80f you)ve sold less than 10,000 %opies of your self/published book and are pit%hing an agent, industry insiders advise against revealing that you)ve already self/published be%ause lo" sales figures imply the book has lo" sales potential$9

So ho" do you go about finding agents to pit%h+ 1ere are five "ays to get started3 1o, to &ind "gents There are many avenues available to find a literary agent$ Most authors utili6e several resour%es to lo%ate potential agents$ 1$ 'eferrals 'eferrals are the best avenue for finding and %onta%ting an agent$ 2gents respe%t and value referrals from an editor, author/%lient, bookseller, "riting expert, or another agent$ 2sk your asso%iates, friends and net"ork if they %an refer you to an agent$ 2$ onferen%es and literary events onferen%es, seminars, retreats, book festivals, and "orkshops provide an opportunity to meet an agent in person$ 2gents expe%t "riters to approa%h them at these events$ Some %onferen%es even s%hedule sessions for authors to pit%h to agents$ The goal is to %onne%t "ith agents and leave them "ith a positive impression of you and your "ork for "hen you submit your pit%h pa%kage in the future$ Some agents may even ask you to send them your book proposal or manus%ript$ F$ 4ire%tories #a%h year, several literary agent dire%tories are published$ #a%h guide provides detailed information on individual agents, "hi%h in%lude the literary agen%y "here the agent "orks, his %onta%t information, the types of "riting he represents, and his submission guidelines$ 2dditional information may also be in%luded su%h as re%ent sales, number of annual sales, professional memberships, and total years in business$ Three popular dire%tories are3 / *uide to !iterary 2gents3 http3AAam6n$toAfvvT(a / !iterary Market Pla%e3 http3AAam6n$toAhNB:Pe / 5eff 1erman)s *uide to Book Publishers, #ditors X !iterary 2gents3 http3AAam6n$toAikMhos K$ The 0nternet The array and magnitude of information available via the 0nternet makes it easier than ever to find literary agents for your book$ -orums, blogs, online maga6ines and dire%tories, and sear%h engines offer an abundan%e of resour%es$ / Publisher)s !un%h3 http3AA"""$publisherslun%h$%omA / Publisher)s Marketpla%e3 http3AA"""$publishersmarketpla%e$%omA / Publishers (eekly3 http3AA"""$publishers"eekly$%omA / (riter)s Market3 http3AA"""$"ritersmarket$%omA / *uide to !iterary 2gents Blog3 http3AA"""$guidetoliteraryagents$%omAblog / 2gent @uery3 http3AA"""$agentDuery$%omA / @ueryTra%ker3 http3AA"""$Duerytra%ker$netA / 2gent 'esear%h3 http3AA"""$agentresear%h$%omA

<$ 2gent)s Blogs 2gents have their o"n blogs "here they "rite posts about the publishing industry, their expe%tations, "hat they are looking for, their %lients) book releases, re%ent sales, and ho" to submit a pit%h$ &ou %an use the *oogle Blog Sear%h fun%tion at http3AAblogsear%h$google$%omA to find a listing of literary agent blogs3 Popular agent blogs in%lude3 / .athan Bransford at http3AAblog$nathanbransford$%omA / 'a%helle *ardner at http3AA%ba/ramblings$blogspot$%omA / ?ristin .elson at http3AApubrants$blogspot$%omA / 5anet 'eid at http3AAGetreidliterary$blogspot$%omA / 5essi%a -aust at http3AAbookendslitagen%y$blogspot$%omA "!o#t the "#thor !aura ross is a business strategist, published author, and professional ghost"riter$ She "orks "ith entrepreneurs "ho "ant to go from best/kept se%ret to ro%k/star expert status and be%ome high/paid experts / positioning, pa%kaging, and profiting from their expertise$ *rab a %opy of the -ree 2udio 4 I0o1 to Esta(lish Your Expertise2 Beco%e a -u(lished 'uthor2 and :everage Your Kno1ledge for More -rofits2 More -rospects2 and MaEor MediaJ at """$'o%k&our#xpertise$%om$ Ba%k to top

The "ole of "etailers, -istributors and Wholesalers in the Book Trade

by 4ana !ynn Smith 2uthors and publishers %an sell books dire%tly to %onsumers or they %an rea%h %onsumers through a series of middlemen kno"n as resellers$ There are three basi% types of resellers in the book trade3 1$ 0etailers sell books to %onsumers$ Typi%al book retailers in%lude online bookstores like 2ma6on$%om, retail 8physi%al9 bookstores, %hain stores, and spe%ialty stores$ Some retailers do advertising 8usually for bestsellers and books from big/name authors9, but the author and publisher bear most of the responsibility for generating demand from %onsumers$ 2$ Distri!#tors market books on behalf of the publishers they represent$ They typi%ally have sales reps, or at least a %atalog, and a%tively soli%it orders from libraries, bookstores and other retailers$ Some distributors spe%iali6e in a parti%ular market 8like libraries9 or a parti%ular type of book$ 4istributors may "arehouse and ship books on behalf of the publisher$

4istributors are often used by small to mid/si6ed publishers "ho do not "ant to maintain an in/house sales staff$ Some of the larger book distributors in%lude 0ndependent Publishers *roup, Midpoint Trade Books, and .ational Book .et"ork$ See this page for a list of book distributors at http3AA"""$bookmarket$%omAdistributors$htm %ompiled by 5ohn ?remer$ F$ 8holesalers 8also %alled Gobbers9 usually do no marketingQthey simply re%eive and pro%ess orders from libraries and retailers$ The publisher or distributor is responsible for generating demand$ 1o"ever, some "holesalers offer %olle%tion development servi%es to libraries, and some offer advertising opportunities to publishers$ Most "holesalers don)t sto%k a book unless it is in high demandS for lo"er volume titles they order from the publisher or distributor as ne%essary to fulfill orders$ !ibrary "holesalers often offer dis%ounts to libraries and some provide other library servi%es su%h as %ataloging$ Baker X Taylor 8BXT9 at http3AA"""$btol$%omAsupplier$%fm is by far the largest library "holesaler, probably a%%ounting for %lose to half of all book sales to libraries$ They also fulfill orders for the Borders$%om bookstore and supply retail bookstores$ 0ngram Book ompany at http3AA"""$ingrambook$%omApublishersAne"$aspx dominates the "holesale business to bookstores 8in%luding 2ma6on$%om9, but is also a maGor supplier to libraries$ 0ngram does not "ork dire%tly "ith publishers that have fe"er than 10 titles in print, but books are automati%ally listed in their database if they are available through 0ngram>s book printing division, !ightning Sour%e$ 0ngram also has a distributor division %alled 0ngram Publisher Servi%es at http3AA"""$ingrampublisherservi%es$%omA$ 0f you "ant to sell to retail bookstores or libraries, it>s best to have your book available through 0ngram or Baker X Taylor$ Many bookstores and libraries "ill not order dire%tly from small and independent publishers$ 0f you are publishing through a print/on/demand publishing %ompany, read your %ontra%t to make sure you have distribution through a maGor "holesaler at standard dis%ounts$ Bookstores "ill also reDuire that the books be returnable$ 2 trade disco#nt is the dis%ount from list pri%e at "hi%h resellers pur%hase books from publishers$ Books are typi%ally sold dire%tly to bookstores at K0\ to <0\ dis%ount, to "holesalers at <<\ dis%ount and to distributors at L<\ to =0\ dis%ount, but the dis%ounts %an vary$ -or example, if a book is represented by a distributor "ho is getting a L<\ dis%ount, the distributor keeps 10\ for their sales efforts, the "holesaler gets 1<\ for order fulfillment, and the retailer gets K0\ for selling to the %onsumer, leaving F<\ for the publisher$ :ut of the publisher>s share %omes editorial and design %osts, author royalties, printing and shipping fees, promotion, overhead and profit$ 0t is possible to sell to "holesalers at lo"er dis%ounts under %ertain %onditions$ -or more details on selling through "holesalers, in%luding %onta%t information for the 1= largest 7$S$ "holesalers, see The Savvy Book Marketer+s uide to Selling Your Book to :i(raries at http3AAbit$lyAeoNt&$

"!o#t the "#thor 4ana !ynn Smith is a book marketing %oa%h and author of the Savvy Book Marketer uides at """$SavvyBookMarketer$%om$ -or more book promotion tips, follo" HBookMarketer on T"itter, visit 4ana>s blog at """$TheSavvyBookMarketer$%om, and get a %opy of the Top Book Marketing Tips ebook "hen you sign up for her free ne"sletter at """$BookMarketing.e"sletter$%om$ Ba%k to top

*ow -o Books Get Stocked in Bookstores?

by Terry ordingley 'e%ently an author asked me ho" bookstores de%ide "hi%h books to buy and "hether it>s %ommon for authors to %onta%t bookstores$ This is a%tually one of the most/asked Duestions "e re%eive in the marketing department at Tate Publishing$ To understand the ans"er to this Duestion, you must first understand ho" %ertain titles %ome to be sto%ked in bookstores in the first pla%e$ 0 explained in a re%ent post at http3AAbit$lyAMS5V2o ho" %ompetitive and diffi%ult it is to get a book sto%ked in a bookstore$ (ith more than <L0,000 titles released in the 7$S$ this year, there is no "ay all of those titles, or even a maGority of those titles, are going to get sto%ked on a bookstore shelf$ !et>s take a look at the t"o kinds of bookstores and explore ho" the de%ision is made to sto%k the titles they do have on the shelf$ Corporate chain stores3 These are the maGor %hain bookstores like Borders, Barnes X .oble, Books/a/Million, et%$ The de%ision to sto%k books in these stores is not made at the store level$ 0t is made by a buyer "ho "orks in the %orporate offi%es of these bookstore %hains 8they only deal "ith the publisher$ 2uthors should not %onta%t them dire%tly9$ #a%h %ompany may have several buyers, and ea%h buyer may have a parti%ular genre of book they buy 8su%h as hildren>s books, hristian books, et%$9$ Buyers take several things into %onsideration "hen de%iding "hether to add a title to their stores> sto%k3 1as the author published before+ (hat kind of sales did their previous titles have+ 1o" have similar books sold at their stores+ 2re they already oversto%ked on books "ith a similar theme+ Books by previous bestselling authors and %elebrity authors go to the front of the line$ 4oes the store already have KN different titles about gardening+ They probably don>t need a <0th$ 2lso, some publishers pay for produ%t pla%ement in %ertain stores$ This real estate, usually some"here in the front of the store, is usually reserved for bestselling authors and is very expensive$ Store managers have very little say about the books sto%ked in their store$ They %an order books for book signing events and they may even sto%k a fe" sele%t titles for their

Elo%al interestE se%tion, but that>s about it$ So in this %ase, the ans"er is EnoE, it probably "on>t do an author any good to %all their lo%al %orporate %hain store to ask them to sto%k their title$ 2uthors %an %all and ask to parti%ipate in a book signing event at the store, and if the event goes very "ell and %ustomers %ontinue to reDuest the title, the store manager may lo%ally sto%k the book in their Elo%al interestE se%tion$ 0f the buyer at the %orporate level noti%es gro"ing %ustomer demand for a parti%ular title, they may eventually pull the trigger and de%ide to sto%k the book in their stores$ Books handled by a distributor have the edge over books "hi%h are only available dire%tly from the publisher$ Buyers "ant books at a dis%ount, and they "ant books that are returnable$ This usually disDualifies self/published titles$ 2 "ord of "arning3 in the past, some authors have asked F00 of their %losest friends to %all their lo%al Barnes X .oble or Borders stores and order a %opy of their book$ The problem "ith this is the friends don>t go to the store to pur%hase the book "hen it arrives$ Many authors mistakenly think the stores "ill then sto%k the book on their shelves$ They "on>t$ The books "ill be sent ba%k to the distributor as returns$ .o", not only has the author %ost themselves money, but the %orporate offi%es of these bookstore %onsider these to be EfraudulentE orders$ (hat are the %han%es that this title "ill ever be sto%ked at these stores in the future 8or that the author "ill get another book signing event9+ Probably never$ (ocal) independent stores3 0 %all these stores the Emom and popE bookstores$ They are lo%ally o"ned and lo%ally operated$ The people "ho make the de%ision to sto%k a title "ork right there in the store$ The de%ision might be made by the store>s o"ner or manager 8often this is the same person9 or "ith feedba%k from all of the store>s employees$ These stores also sto%k the EhotE bestselling titles, but they also often sto%k titles by lo%al authors$ 2uthors %an often get in tou%h "ith the managers of these stores, sho" them their books, and if the manager thinks the book "ill sell, they>ll sto%k it$ They may order the book from a distributor, or they may have the author leave a fe" %opies and sell them on a %onsignment basis$ 0f the book sells "ell, the store may reorder %opies of the book$ .o, this "on>t get a book sto%ked in a maGor bookstore %hain nationally, but it does make the book available in a retail outlet$ 0n this %ase, it may very "ell pay off for an author to %onta%t the store and ask them to sto%k their book 8a step you may "ant to approa%h in person or via email, along "ith a photo of the book %over and a good des%ription of the book9$ !ook at it this "ay3 "hen any other produ%t first %omes out, no matter "hat kind of produ%t it is, it isn>t automati%ally sto%ked in every store a%ross the %ountry$ There has to be demand for the produ%t$ 0f the Sham"o" didn>t have a stellar tra%k re%ord of sales, you "ould not see it in (almart or (algreens or any other retail outlet$ The buyers for those stores sto%ked it be%ause they had a reasonable expe%tation that it "ould sell$ Bookstores operate the same "ay$ *etting published is the first step$ Building demand for a title is a Gob that is never done$

"!o#t the "#thor Terry ordingley is the 2sso%iate 4ire%tor of Marketing at Tate Publishing X #nterprises$ -or more information about book marketing and promotion, read Terry>s self/titled blog at http3AAterry%ordingley$blogspot$%om$ Ba%k to top

E!ooks and Infor ation %rod#cts *ow to Publish an Ebook

by 4ana !ynn Smith 2s digital ebooks and ebook readers gain rapidly in popularity, you)ll be missing out on sales opportunities if your books are not available as ebooks$ 0 highly re%ommend that authors publish their books for the 2ma6on ?indle$ :n%e you have your file prepared, it)s easy to upload it to 2ma6on using the ?indle 4ire%t Publishing platform at https3AAkdp$ama6on$%om$ Publishing through S ash,ords is a great "ay to get your ebook listed in the other maGor ebook stores, in%luding those for Barnes X .oble, 2pple and Sony$ There)s no upfront %ost and you pay a small royalty for ea%h book sold$ !earn more about Smash"ords at http3AA"""$smash"ords$%omAaboutAsupportfaD$ 0f you prefer to publish your book dire%tly to the Barnes X .oble .ook store, go to http3AA pubit$barnesandnoble$%om$ The pro%ess of making your books available through these online bookstores is simple, but preparing the file to upload %an be daunting to indie authors$ -ormatting an ebook is largely a pro%ess of un/formatting your manus%ript to get rid of all the extraneous formatting and features that don)t translate "ell to ebook readers$ This %leaned/up do%ument is then %onverted to a format, su%h as ePub, that ebook readers %an use$ 0f you are "orking from a "ord pro%essing do%ument and your book is simple 8fi%tion or nonfi%tion "ith some basi% subheads9 you %an format a Mi%rosoft (ord file and upload it dire%tly to 2ma6on ?indle or Smash"ords$

:ne approa%h is to do"nload the Smash"ords Style *uide at http3AA"""$smash"ords$%omAbooksAvie"A<2 and follo" the step/by/step instru%tions to format your file$ 4on)t be intimidated by the number of steps involved , most of them are Gust basi% %lean/up of the (ord file$ :n%e your file is prepared, you should be able to use that same file 8perhaps "ith minor t"eaks9 to upload to both Smash"ords and 2ma6on ?indle$ &our (ord do%ument "ill then be automati%ally %onverted into a file format that %an be read by the various ebook readers$ -or a real/"orld look at one indie publisher>s experien%e in publishing through Smash"ords, see this series of arti%les by 5ames Byrd of !ogi%al #xpressions3 / 2dventures "ith Smash"ords / Signing 7p as a Small Publisher at http3AAbit$lyAev(1v6 / 2dventures "ith Smash"ords / Publishing an #/Book at http3AAbit$lyANd:TxM / 2dventures in Smash"ords / *etting Premium 4istribution at http3AAbit$lyAh=aaB5 -or a more detailed step/by/step guide to %onverting your book for uploading to ?indle, do"nload 2pril 1amilton)s free guide$ *o to http3AAindieauthorguide$%omA+page_idY2K and %li%k on I0ndie 2uthor *uide To ?indle Publishing$J 2pril)s guide goes beyond basi% (ord formatting to in%lude features like a hyperlinked table of %ontents$ 0t also has a good dis%ussion of ho" to de%ide "hi%h royalty option to %hoose on 2ma6on$ 0f you need to %onvert your book from an 0n4esign file to ebook format, here are some resour%es3 http3AAkindleformatting$%omAindesign$php$ 0f your book has more %ompli%ated features like tables, illustrations, spe%ial formatting, or layers of subheads, you may need to turn to a professional to handle the formatting for you$ 1ere are several %onversion servi%es to %onsider3 / 2pril 1amilton http3AA"""$aprillhamilton$%omAservi%es$html / <2 .ovels http3AA"""$<2novels$%omAkindle_servi%esA / eBook 2r%hite%t http3AAebookar%hite%ts$%omA%onversionsAservi%es$php / FL0 4igital Books http3AA"""$ebook%onversionservi%e$netAis/this/youA 0f you don)t already have a %over for your ebook, you %an get reasonably/pri%ed %overs at ?iller overs, http3AAbit$lyAhs-(1a$ 0 have used them for several of my ebooks %overs, as "ell as my "ebsite header$ 2nd if you still haven)t finished "riting your nonfi%tion ebook, %he%k out "rite Your eBook or $ther Short Book 8 3ast4, a helpful ho"/to guide from 5udy ullins at http3AAbit$lyAf^2l(1$ "!o#t the "#thor 4ana !ynn Smith is a book marketing %oa%h and author of the Savvy Book Marketer uides at """$SavvyBookMarketer$%om$ -or more book promotion tips, follo" HBookMarketer on T"itter, visit 4ana>s blog at """$TheSavvyBookMarketer$%om, and

get a %opy of the Top Book Marketing Tips ebook "hen you sign up for her free ne"sletter at """$BookMarketing.e"sletter$%om$ Ba%k to top

Publishing &ontent for +ma4on>s Bindle

by 2pril 1amilton 2ma6on>s ?indle 4ire%t Publishing[, or ?4P, is a %onversion tool used to %reate %ontent for the ?indle[ ebook reader devi%e, and put that %ontent up for sale in the 2ma6on ?indle[ Store$ &ou %annot use the ?4P to %reate ?indle[ editions of your "ork for your o"n personal use, the %ontent %reation pro%ess automati%ally generates an a%%ompanying 2ma6on produ%t page$ 2ssuming you>ve already made the de%ision to self/publish, there are three very good reasons to go "ith 2ma6on ?4P3 it>s easy, it>s free, and it gets your "ork onto the virtual shelves at 2ma6on in a matter of days$ ?indle[ o"ners are a relatively small group as %ompared to the book/buying general publi%, these are the very %ir%umstan%es that offer some distin%t advantages over other forms of self/publishing$ 2nd people "ho don)t o"n a ?indle[ %an do"nload a free app at http3AAam6n$toAN fh41 and read ?indle[ books on their %omputer, iPad or phone$ -irst, be%ause ?indle[ o"ners are a spe%ifi% population, it>s easy to target your promotional efforts by seeking out their blogs and dis%ussion groups$ Se%ond, be%ause the ?indle[ book store has a mu%h more limited inventory than the >regular> 2ma6on book store, you don>t have to sell many %opies of your ?4P book to Dui%kly rise into the ?indle[ store bestseller ranks$ -inally, be%ause 2ma6on book listings %ombine revie"s and sales figures from all available editions of a given book, you %an use your ?4P edition to a%%umulate sales and revie"s to support a P:4 release in the >regular> book store3 the day your P:4 book goes on sale, it %an already have sales and positive revie"s asso%iated "ith it from the ?indle[ bookstore$ -or a free step/by/step guide to %onverting your book to ?indle format, go to http3AAindieauthorguide$%omA+page_idY2K and %li%k on the link 0ndie 2uthor *uide To ?indle Publishing$ "!o#t the "#thor 2pril !$ 1amilton 8http3AA"""$aprillhamilton$%omA9 is an author at http3AA"""$aprillhamilton$%omAbooks$html, author servi%es provider at http3AA"""$aprillhamilton$%omAservi%es$html, blogger at http3AAaprillhamilton$blogspot$%omA, Te%hnorati Blog riti%, leading advo%ate and speaker

for the indie author movement, and founder and #ditor in hief of Publetariat at http3AA"""$publetariat$%omA, the premier online ne"s hub and %ommunity for indie authors and small imprints$ 2pril is also on the Board of 4ire%tors for the 2sso%iation of 0ndependent 2uthors at http3AA"""$independent/authors$orgA+4ire%tors$ 1er most re%ent book is The Indie 'uthor uide: Self8-u(lishing Strategies 'nyone !an =se at http3AAam6n$toAg@"DFT$ Ba%k to top

*ow to
by Mark

ake Your Books +0ailable in

oker

ulti(le Ebook $ormats

'n Intervie1 1ith Mark !oker of S%ash1ords 8elco e Mark- These are exciting ti es for independent a#thors) ,ith so any ,ays to p#!lish and distri!#te their ,ork- S ash,ords akes !ooks availa!le in a variety of e!ook for ats) incl#ding those co pati!le ,ith pop#lar e!ook readers like the "pple i%ad) Nook) and Sony e0eader- Can yo# tell #s !riefly ho, S ash,ords ,orks and ,hat the fees are; Smash"ords is an ebook publishing and distribution platform$ 2uthors simply upload their finished manus%ript as a Mi%rosoft (ord do%ument, formatted to the reDuirements des%ribed in our S%ash1ords Style uide at http3AAbit$lyAd5fMs:, and then "e %onvert it into multiple ebook formats and make it available for immediate online sale at a pri%e set by the author$ Sin%e "e publish multi/format, our books are readable on any e/ reading devi%e$ 2ll of our servi%es are free$ (e earn our in%ome by taking a 1<\ %ommission on the net$ M<\ of the net goes to the author$ I ,as excited to learn that so e e!ooks p#!lished thro#gh S ash,ords are eligi!le for listing on BarnesandNo!le-co and "pple9s iBookstore) giving a#thors tre endo#s expos#re- 8hat does it take to get onto that distri!#tion list; :n%e a book is published at Smash"ords, "e evaluate it for in%lusion in our Premium atalog at http3AA"""$smash"ords$%omAdistribution$ The reDuirements are stri%tly me%hani%al to mat%h "hat our retailers "ant, so "e)re looking for a good book %over image, good formatting, a %lear %opyright statement, and %omplete metadata$ :n%e the book is a%%epted into the Premium atalog, "e distribute it to 2pple)s iBookstore, Barnes X .oble, Sony, ?obo and soon, 2ma6on$ :ur books sit on the same virtual shelves as those by the maGor publishers$ 8hat are so e other reasons for a#thors to p#!lish in e!ook for at; #books are fastest gro"ing segment of the book publishing industry$ Based on sales data published by the 04P-, for the months of 5anuary and -ebruary of 2010, ebooks a%%ount for Gust over =\ of "holesale book sales in the 7$S$, up from about one half of

one per%ent Gust a %ouple years ago$ (ithin three to five years, it)s likely this number "ill approa%h or surpass <0\$ #books are a po"erful for%e for demo%rati6ation in publishing$ Publishing platforms su%h as Smash"ords make it possible for any author, any"here in the "orld, to instantly publish their book and rea%h a vast "orld"ide market$ 2uthors %an bypass traditional publishing industry gatekeepers and sell dire%t to %onsumers via the largest online book retailers$ 0n the old print "orld, you needed to publish "ith a big traditional publisher if you "anted distribution to maGor bri%k and mortar book stores$ (ith book buying shifting to the (eb, a%%ess to physi%al distribution matters less, both for ebooks and print on demand books$ This shift levels the playing field for indie authors$ 8hat are so e of the ost co p#!lishing and arketing; on istakes that yo# see a#thors ake in

Most %ommon ebook publishing mistakes3 / Sloppy editing$ / Sloppy book %overs$ / -ailure to understand that ebooks are formatted differently from print books$ Most %ommon marketing mistakes3 / Beginning the marketing pro%ess too late$ / -ailure to make marketing a daily priority$ / Spamming so%ial net"ork follo"ers$ Can yo# tell #s ,hat otivated yo# to fo#nd S ash,ords; "nd I H#st have to ask ,here the catchy na e ca e fro My "ife and 0 "rote a novel a fe" years ago, and despite representation from one of the top literary agen%ies in .e" &ork, "e "ere unable to sell it$ The experien%e helped me reali6e there "ere potentially millions of authors, Gust like my "ife and me, "ho "ere being denied the opportunity to rea%h readers simply be%ause some ivory to"er publisher didn)t see a large enough %ommer%ial market for the book$ (hat about "orks of brillian%e "ith a target market of only <00 readers+ 0s that book any less valuable+ 0 de%ided the %ommer%ial filter is fundamentally fla"ed, so 0 de%ided to %reate an online platform that "ould give authors to the freedom to publish "hat they "ant and then "e)d let the readers Gudge "hat)s "orth reading$ 0 %hose ISmash"ordsJ be%ause the "ord IsmashJ has multiple, almost diametri%ally opposed meanings$ The "ord, IsmashJ %onnotes both destru%tion and su%%ess$ (riting, to me, is a pro%ess of %reative destru%tion$ &ou "rite, re"rite, revise, edit, %ut and paste, %ut, and generally "rangle "ith your "ords until you get them to behave properly$ #diting and revision %an be an extremely destru%tive, painful pro%ess$ 0t)s tough to give up that "hi%h you hold dear 8your "ordsC9, but in the end the "ork gets better "ith every revision$ 0 see this same %reative destru%tion happening in publishing$ 2 massive forest fire is about to s"eep through publishing, and out of the ashes of destru%tion "ill %ome the nutrients for publishing)s rene"al$

0 love ho" the "ord IsmashJ %onnotes su%%ess or a Gob "ell done, su%h as Ismash hit,J or Iabsolutely smashingCJ 0)d like to think Smash"ords gives great authors the %han%e they deserve to get their "ork out to readers$ Thanks for sharing) Mark- I9 looking for,ard to yo#r #pco ing g#est post on The Savvy Book Marketer ,here yo# ela!orate on the co on !ook p#!lishing and arketing istakes cited a!ove at http3GG!it-lyG!&1"tn"!o#t the "#thor 0 en%ourage all authors to do"nload Mark>s free S%ash1ords Book Marketing uide at http3AA"""$smash"ords$%omAbooksAvie"AF0< for some great book promotion tips$ -or information about publishing ebooks through Smash"ords, see 0o1 to -u(lish at S%ash1ords at http3AA"""$smash"ords$%omAaboutAho"_to_publish_on_smash"ords$ &ou %an follo" HMark oker on T"itter$ Ba%k to top

Selling )nformation, &om(eting )n + World Where )nformation )s $ree

by Tony #ldridge 0f you are like millions of other people, you have dreams of selling your kno"ledge by "rapping it in an e/book or other %onsumable format$ &ou read about people making tens of thousands of dollars doing this, and some even making more$ But for many, the stark reality is a lot different from the dreams they had$ 0 had the privileged of speaking "ith the o"ner of a ten year old %ompany that had sales into the seven figures per year by selling information like this$ She has amassed a huge library of produ%ts that are Gust as appli%able and helpful today as they "ere "hen they "ere raking in millions$ But today, she is %ontemplating releasing the information for free to ne"sletter subs%ribers$ (hy+ 2ll the information %ontained in her produ%ts is no" available for free on the 0nternet by many people "ho tea%h the same lessons$ 0t>s true that "e live in an age "here instant information is available at the fingertips of a seeker$ 0t used to be that free information "as of a lesser Duality than paid information, but that is generally no longer the %ase$ &ou %an find good, Duality free ans"ers to most of your Duestions Gust by spending a little time on the sear%h engines$ So, "hat does this mean for the people "ho %reate information for publi% %onsumption+ 2re the days of selling information long gone+ 1o" do you %ompete in a "orld "here the person next to you gives the same ans"ers for free+ Sure enough, good, Duality free information has %ut into the old business model of selling information for profit, but it doesn>t mean that you %an not still be su%%essful at it$ onsider these points3

Marketing Can 1elp / 0f you adopt a good, robust marketing plan 8in%luding so%ial media and non/so%ial media a%tivities9 then you "ill most definitely rea%h people looking for the information you offer$ :f %ourse, this should be no surprise$ This is the "hole purpose of traditional marketing$ The differen%e to remember is that today>s %onsumer is be%oming more savvy "hen it %omes to finding useful information and may be less sus%eptible to traditional marketing messages$ So e %eople 8ant It No, / &ou may find su%%ess selling your information "hen you find the people "ho "ant ans"ers no"$ They may have the ability to sear%h on their o"n, but "ould rather pay to get it no" if they think you %an offer it no"$ 2lso, some people may be getting frustrated be%ause they have been looking for ans"ers and haven>t found "hat they are looking for$ These people "ill be more likely to buy "hen they finally find a resour%e promising the ans"ers they are looking for$ The problem here is that your message needs to strike them "hile they are in this buying mode$ They %an be exposed to the same message at any other time and not be ready to buy$ 6ni/#e Dno,ledge Can Carry " %re i# / 2re you providing kno"ledge that %an be found no"here else+ 0f so, then you may be able to %harge a premium for it$ 5ust remember that uniDue kno"ledge that is good kno"ledge "ill not be uniDue long$ 2 soon as people learn it, you "ill soon see it enter the net as free information$ 2nd "ith the net being global, free information is distributed instantly around the "orld$ 7niDue today %an be%ome yesterday>s ne"s overnight / literally$ Tr#st Is 8orth So ething / 0f you %onstantly give the best information to people "ho are follo"ing you, you build up trust$ That %an translate into the ability to sell information that is readily available for free$ Most people do not mind paying a fair pri%e for good, trusted and valuable information$ :n%e they find a guru "ho %onsistently gives them this information, it is easier for them to pay a premium to get it from the guru$ But even a great amount of trust "ill not guarantee that people "ill al"ays buy from you "hat they %an find for free$ 0n fa%t, good, free information is often "hat makes an expert a guru$ Delivery Can Make " Difference / There are many "ays to pa%kage good information$ &ou %an %reate an e/book or a video$ &ou %an disseminate information on a tele%ast or via live presentation$ *enerally, the more intera%tive the delivery, the more of a premium you %an pla%e on the information$ Then, it>s not Gust the information people are paying for, but a%%ess to you$ 2nd the more personal the delivery, they higher the premium$ &ou should be able to %harge more for a one/on/one %onsultation than you "ould for a "ebinar$ Clarity $f %resentation / !et>s fa%e it, some people have the skills to present information in a "ay that makes it easy for people to learn "hile others do not$ 2ll you have to do is pi%k up a %umbersome te%hni%al manual "ritten by an engineer to see that$ 0f you have the gift to make things easy to understand then you may find more people migrating to you "hen they need ans"ers$ There are other %onsiderations of ho" to %ompete in a "orld "here so mu%h is offered for free, but here is "hat 0 take a"ay3 information is Gust that$ 0t>s a %ommodity that is Gust as valuable if it %omes from your lips or from a "ebsite %reated by a high s%hool

student$ Sorry if that bruises anyone>s ego, but it>s the truth$ 0nformation is Gust information$ Period$ (here "e have the ability to stand apart from the %ro"d is not in the information being delivered, but in the deliverer themselves$ People "ill often pay be%ause someone is good at pa%kaging, they are trusted, they make the information easy to understand and they make themselves available$ #ven "ith all this, ho"ever, "e still need to be a"are that "e truly live in a different "orld than "e lived in Gust five and ten years ago$ -or good or bad, information, good Cuality information, is available for free at the %li%k of a mouse$ The lightning has been let out of the bottle and "ill never be %ontained again$ 2s soon as "e understand this paradigm, "e %an start to adapt our offerings in light of this reality$ 2nd the most %reative and innovative of us "ill find out ho" to profit in this paradigm$ (e al"ays have$ "!o#t the "#thor Book marketing expert Tony #ldridge is author of !onducting Effective T1itter !ontests and the a%tionAadventure novel, The Sa%son Effect$ -or more book marketing tips, follo" HTony#ldridge on T"itter and visit his ex%ellent book marketing blog at http3AAblog$marketingtipsforauthors$%omA$ Ba%k to top

$rom Book to
by !i6 2lexander

ulti(le Streams of )ncome

8elco e (i?- I kno, that yo# have ,ritten ten !ooks- 8hich one has res#lted in the !est inco e opport#nities for yo#; (ithout a doubt it>s "orking fro% the 0eart: ' -ractical uide to :oving "hat You /o 3or a :iving, "hi%h "as published by 'andom 1ouse in 1NNN$ 2t that time 0 "as a freelan%e %ontributor to British 2ir"ays> Business :ife maga6ine$ 2fter 0 gave the editor a %opy of my book she invited me to "rite a 1,000 "ord arti%le be%ause she liked the idea of finding "ork that you %ould %onne%t "ith emotionallyQ"ork you %ould love$ Business :ife "as available to passengers on every pan/#uropean British 2ir"ays flight for a month and "hen that parti%ular issue %ame out, my arti%le Gust happened to be read by an exe%utive from athay Pa%ifi% 2ir"ays$ 1e>d been %harged "ith finding a speaker for the %ompany)s up%oming re/laun%h of the airline)s first %lass seats and invited me to give a K</minute pre/dinner presentation talking about passion for "orkQ an aspe%t of %ompany %ulture of "hi%h athay "as extremely proud$ The talk "ent "ell, 0 "alked a"ay "ith my %he%k, airline ti%kets for t"o to 1ong ?ong and a glo"ing testimonial$ More importantly, on the ba%k of that experien%e, 0 bought

the domain E1eart"ork$%omE put up a "ebsite, offered myself as a %onsultant and speaker on the importan%e of re%ruiting, motivating and retaining passionate employees, and began marketing my servi%es$ 0 started to get a lot of %orporate %lients, in%luding a British government agen%y 80 lived in #ngland at the time9, ?PM*, Pri%e"aterhouse oopers and others$ 2lthough "orking fro% the 0eart never sold as "ell as several of my other books, it>s probably been the one title most responsible for attra%ting "hat many agree is the best "ay of a%%umulating "ealthQmultiple streams of in%ome$ 0 "rote paid maga6ine arti%les on the topi%, be%ame a motivational speaker, %orporate %onsultant, and %areer %oa%h, all as a result of that one book$ (i?) ho, ight other a#thors achieve so ething si ilar to yo#r s#ccess;

Three things3 1$ 4on>t be shy about the expertise you have demonstrated by "riting your book$ on%eiving, resear%hing, %rafting and "riting a book is no mean feat$ :n%e you sho" %onfiden%e as a subGe%t/matter expert, others "ill sho" %onfiden%e in youQin%luding "anting to hire you for freelan%e assignments and %onsulting "ork$ 2$ Say EyesE to "hatever %omes along and let the Eho"E unfold organi%ally$ -or example, 0 had done very little professional speaking "hen that exe%utive from athay Pa%ifi% approa%hed me$ 0 %ould have turned do"n their offer and Goined Toastmasters or some other speaking group to gain experien%e$ But 0 believe the best training %omes from taking risks and pla%ing yourself in real/life situations that matter$ &ou)ll never kno" "hat you are %apable of until you try$ F$ Think of all the different "ays in "hi%h the kno"ledge offered in your book might lend itself to ne" %areer dire%tions$ .ot only did 0 target businesses "hi%h, at that time, "ere having re%ruitment and retention issues, but 0 also offered %areer %oa%hing to individuals$ Some "ere "omen going ba%k into the "orkpla%e after raising a family, others "ere suffering from the %lassi% mid/life %risisQhaving %limbed the ladder of su%%ess, they reali6ed it had been up against the "rong "allC 'egardless of their age, ba%kground or gender, all of my %lients "anted to find "ork that "as personally meaningful and 0 %oa%hed them to"ards that out%ome$ 2nyone "ho has demonstrated their expertise by having a book published should be sure not to miss out on attra%ting other %areer opportunities and in%ome streams$ "!o#t the "#thor 4r$ !i6 2lexander a$k$a$ The Book 4oula at http3AA"""$bookdoula$bi6A is the author of ten nonfi%tion books that have sold %lose to half a million %opies "orld"ide$ She assists subGe%t/matter experts in %reatively %on%eiving, gro"ing, birthing and marketing EbrilliantE books$ Ba%k to top

"!o#t The Savvy Book Marketer

4ra"ing on her 1L years of publishing experien%e and degree in marketing, 4ana !ynn Smith helps authors learn ho" to promote their books through her ho"/to guides, one/ on/one %oa%hing, blog, ne"sletter, and pod%ast$ !earn more about 4ana on her media page at http3AAbit$lyA4ana!ynn and see her book marketing guides at """$SavvyBookMarketer$%om$

Net,orking Connections
/ T"itter3 http3AAt"itter$%omABookMarketer / -a%ebook Book Marketing *roup3 http3AAbit$lyASavvyMkt / -a%ebook Page3 """$fa%ebook$%omASavvyBookMarketer / -a%ebook Profile3 """$fa%ebook$%omA4ana!ynnSmith / !inked0n3 """$linkedin$%omAinA4ana!ynnSmith

&ree Book Marketing 0eso#rces

/ Blog3 """$TheSavvyBookMarketer$%om / .e"sletter3 *et a %opy of 4ana)s ebook, Top Book Marketing Tips, "hen you sign up for her free e6ine at """$BookMarketing.e"sletter$%om$ / Pod%ast3 http3AAbit$lyASavvyPod%ast

The Savvy Book Marketer *#ides

The Savvy Book Marketer *uides are designed to help authors and publishers master key book marketing te%hniDues$ ;isit """$SavvyBookMarketer$%om to see a %urrent list of titles, in%luding these3 *ow to Sell ore Books on +ma4on

1o" %an you make your books stand out from the huge number of %ompeting books on 2ma6on and turn shoppers into buyers+ This information/pa%ked ebook outlines top strategies for maximi6ing your book>s exposure and boosting sales and profits through

2ma6on$ *ow to Get Your Book "e0iewed 2s you get an in/depth understanding of the revie" pro%ess, you)ll learn about venues "here you %an get your book revie"ed, ho" to get endorsements and testimonials, ho" to avoid %ommon mistakes, ho" %apitali6e on 2ma6on revie"s, ho" to use book revie"s for promotional purposes, and more$ Book "e0iew -irectory, Your Guide to the To( Book Blogs and "e0iew Sites !ooking for pla%es to get your novel, %hildren)s, young adult book revie"ed+ This %omprehensive database of book revie" "ebsites and book blogs has been %arefully resear%hed and in%ludes ea%h site)s 2lexa rank and *oogle Page'ank 8to estimate traffi%9, a list of genres a%%epted, a link to the site)s book submission instru%tions, and other valuable details$ Save hours of time by starting here$ Twitter Guide for +uthors !earn ho" to %hoose the right user name, attra%t follo"ers, "rite effe%tive t"eets, avoid %ommon mistakes, and promote yourself and your books through T"itter$ 4etailed instru%tions and s%reen shots make it easy for you to Dui%kly master this po"erful net"orking tool$ $acebook Guide for +uthors !earn ho" to %reate an effe%tive -a%ebook profile, avoid %ommon mistakes, and promote yourself and your books through profiles, pages, groups and events$ 4etailed instru%tions and s%reen shots make it easy for you to Dui%kly master this po"erful net"orking tool$ The Sa00y Book arketerEs Guide to Successful Social arketing

This %omprehensive referen%e %ontains the entire %ontents of both the T"itter *uide for 2uthors and -a%ebook *uide to 2uthors, plus %hapters on promoting through intera%tive blogging, forums, reader %ommunities, media sharing, expert sites, and so%ial ne"s and bookmarking$ The Sa00y Book arketer>s Guide to Selling Your Book to !ibraries

2 valuable resour%e is pa%ked "ith pra%ti%al advi%e plus %onta%t information for the top publi% and a%ademi% library systems in the 7$S$ and maGor "holesalers, book revie" Gournals, and library asso%iations$ Ba%k to top