An Offer for Fiction Writers to Build Their Platforms and Radio Skills

Lillian Cauldwell and Carolyn Howard-Johnson invite authors for a frugal and fabulous reading and cross-promotion adventure starting March, 2010.

Passionate Internet Voices Talk Radio will feature authors of published books of fiction to join in the first-ever serial weekly literary festival where authors read brief excerpts from their books over PIVTR’s radio network.
(Nonfiction and Poetry Weeks will come later in 2010.)

Book an exciting and wild read of your professional writing life with this awesome and first of its kind event:

$10 for 10 minutes payable via Paypal lillian.cauldwell@gmail.com
Entries are due no later than January 15, 2010.
Readings are recorded in advance.

Air dates: March 21 thru March 28, 10 to 11 p.m. (New York time) EXCEPT Wednesday evening when the show starts 10:30 and ends at 11:30 p.m.
First come first served
Name:
E-mail:
Date & time for recording session:
Text Lillian at 734-277-2733 Or E-mail: LSaraCauldwell@gmail.com for details!

Note: To benefit all, participants are asked to promote the series (and their own appearance) on their Web sites, in their blogs, social networks and wherever else they can. Promotion templates will be provided.

Extra benefits:

 Your favorite book review will be posted on Carolyn's The New Book Review blog: http://thenewbookreview.blogspot.com.
 A special Authors' Page will be created on Passionate Internet Voices Talk Radio Where recordings of all the audio segments will appear in html script.
Lillian will make all MP3 streams (html codes) of participating authors' presentations available for $3 each plus shipping. Proceeds from the MP3 streams will go to Mission Socorro and Capuchin Soup Kitchen to help the homeless, migrant workers and recently released prisoners get back on their feet.
 The week will be promoted online, by Lillian and Carolyn and by participants.

Another Offer:

Internet Voices Talk Radio is running a host-your-own 30 minute program special for $49. for Carolyn's Sharing with Writers subscribers. Book now and avoid the rush. Price goes up after January 1, 2010.

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and two how to books for writers, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success. Her FRUGAL book for retailers is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. She is also the author of the Amazon Short, "The Great First Impression Book Proposal". Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor blog.

Yukky Words, Style Choices and Doing It Your Way

Those of you who are subscribed to my Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor blog may skip this post because it appeared there awhile ago. I am posting it here again partially because I want you to know that blog is available to you as a resource but also because I think of great editing as an essential part of your marketing plan. Obviously you can't sell your book to an agent or a publisher if your query letter or manuscript isn't making a good impression. I also think of this essay as a bit of inspiration for getting creative with words.

Yukky Words, Style Choices and Doing It Your Way

My idol or grammar and style June Casagrande is at it again.
In her syndicated column "A Word Please," she puts people on notice that she thinks a word like "incentivized" is pretty yukky, but goes on to say that it is still a word. In fact, two of the three dictionaries she checked listed it as a word. She points out that similar words like "prioritize" were once considered yukky, too. Who knew?

Often our attitudes about words are a matter of taste. I don't like words like "signage" or "usage" much either. Generally the words without the "age" prefixes would do just well without them. That makes them feel sort of wordy or redundant or...mmmm...officious...to me. But that's my taste. That doesn't make them right or wrong.

Our language changes. And we're the ones who make it change. Further, as a poet, I value that we can make up our own words. Oh, OK. Sometimes as a nonfiction writer I value it, too.

I like the word "snoof" and it certainly isn't in my dictionary. You can probably guess what it means, even out of context. In my poems, I often push words together to make one. Both the English and the German languages do this a lot. The Germans do it even more than we do. I love the word "fingerhut" in German, as an example. It means "thimble" but literally, it means "finger hat."

Heck, I reason, English is a Germanic language so don't even try to tell me I can't do it. I can. And I will. And you can, too.

An example of when I've done it with nonfiction is "frontmatter." Word gives it a read squiggle and it isn't in any dictionary I checked as a single word. But it refers to the front pages in a book and taken as a whole, those pages are a kind of entity unto themselves. (Ditto for "backmatter.") So, in The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success(www.budurl.com/TheFrugalEditor) , I chose to shove them together. Once one decides to do that kind of thing, though, one needs to stick with it. It becomes a style choice for that particular book. So, I hope that those of you with copies of The Frugal Editor enjoy the segments on editing frontmatter and backmatter and have figured out what I'm doing with those words.

Some of you in possession of The Frugal Editor may also be saying, "Yeah, but in that book you said to stick with the rules and the most common style choices. You said that when we are writing query letters and book proposals and manuscripts, and are looking for a publisher or an agent, we won't want to give them any reason to think we don't know what we're doing. You said . . . "

Yep, in that book I advise zero tolerance. There's a time in life to be adventurous and times not to. When in doubt and when your writing career is at stake, best to play it safe.

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and two how to books for writers, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success. Her FRUGAL book for retailers is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. She is also the author of the Amazon Short, "The Great First Impression Book Proposal". Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor blog.

Adding a Neglected Argument to the Great E-Reader Debate

In the process of working with Aggie Villaneuva, I found she had somehow translated the e-copy of The Frugal Editor for purposed of her research for her Kindle reader. I am a big fan of Kindle (all my how-to books, including TFE, are available as Kindle downloads) but I didn't know that a Kindle owner could change a Word doc to Kindle for reading on a plane or--in Aggie's and many other cases--simply to make reading easier. I asked her to tell us a bit about that and here is what she sent me. Please welcome my guest blogger with many comments.


Adding a Neglected Argument to the Great e-Reader Debate

By Aggie Villanueva

I thought I’d and throw in my two cents, adding to the ceaseless e-reader debate. Of course, I’m a writer; you’d be hard pressed to keep my two cents out.

Publishing halls resound with debates over e-readers vs. traditional books. Book lovers recant. They cover the spectrum from citing economic considerations for traditional publishing houses, too much ease for the commoner to get a book out there, digitizing our brain cells, to just plain “I like the smell and feel of my paper books.”

As do I. Even as a child I would bury my nose deep in the binding of my open pages and inhale. The perfume of musty paper warehouses still equals bliss for me. But there is an aspect to the arguments that has been barely acknowledged, though it’s the main reason I scurried to order a Kindle; health reasons.

I suffer from severe Fibromyalgia, arthritis, bursitis, and back disc disease, some of which are extremely degenerative. Just lifting some of my heavy research books is painful. Imagine my difficulty in holding one open and propped for hours on end, while simultaneously maneuvering notebooks and writing pages of notes.

Though I executed this with ease only a few years ago, it is literally impossible for me today. With my e-reader I only have to manipulate the pencil thin and lightweight Kindle (I soon hope to add the Nook to my virtual library). No shuffling through notebooks full of scribbles that crippled my hands. In fact, no scribbling now either. I type my notes into the Kindle and with a touch of a few buttons recall every note and bookmark.

I eagerly await the day I can upload those notes and bookmarked sections to my word processor to finalize my research. But I’m optimistic. The new Nook and Kindle are both constantly adding functions.

The great debate can keep raging among the literary elite. For me the question lay not in economic ease for publishing houses, the death of our traditional libraries, moral implications, or even the literary bluebloods keeping indie writers in their place.

When you can’t make use of the paper volumes of old you embrace digitized technology with fervor. Because of my Kindle I can now delve into the murkiest of research waters without pain that prevents my working. E-readers have empowered me to accomplish what you do without a second thought.

What other argument is there?


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Guest Blogger Biography:
"Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year." Ralph Waldo Emerson

Aggie Villanueva is dubbed by artistic peers Grandma Moses of the American Southwest
VIEW HER PHOTOGRAPHIC ART: www.cielosrojos.com

RIGHTFULLY MINE: GOD'S EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT: http://www.aggiev.org/rightfullymine/

THE REWRITTEN WORD WRITING COURSE: http://www.aggiev.org/therewrittenword/

DISCOVER YOUR NICHE & STYLE COACHING: http://www.aggiev.org/findyournicheandstyle/

VISUAL ARTS JUNCTION BLOG: www.visualartsjunction.com

VIEW LANDSCAPE PROMO VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsQHc6K3Fkk

Sign Up For:
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AND HER VISUAL ARTS JUNCTION NEWSLETTER www.visualartsjunction.com

TWITTER: http://twitter.com/myaggie2
LINKEDIN: http://bit.ly/RytG9
FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/aggiev

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and two how to books for writers, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success. Her FRUGAL book for retailers is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. She is also the author of the Amazon Short, "The Great First Impression Book Proposal". Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor blog.

On Contests, Editing Booboos and Embarrassment

Contests are funny things. Often they teach us something when we just thought we were having fun with them!

Here's the background. I found a really dumb error in a part of the newsletter that gets republished most every single week (except when I'm traveling or on deadline for other writing). As the author of The Frugal Editor, I was mmmmm, a bit humiliated and decided to make light of it.

The Big Editing Booboo contest I was the result and I had lots and lots of response and each one who wrote had an excellent suggestion or found another way to make me blush. Nearly 50 of them responded including many of who are editors in their own rights! Thank you! I picked only one to publish in the Letters-to-the-Editor section of my newsletter; there was no room for any more! It was the funniest though many found my embarrassment a hoot. (-:

But here's the thing. Not one of them found the gremlin I was so red-in-the-face about! And it was in the very first sentence of the newsletter. And it was one of those things we all know (your vs. you're). So the lesson here is that most of us find the obscure and don't find the obvious. All the more reason why even some of you editing pros may need my The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success.

I entered all of them anyway. They all got an A for expert. Maybe an F in mindreading! Ha! Then I picked the winner by thinking of a number and that was it.

And a proofreader won! She is

Laura Kerley of PENCILS - A Proofreading & Copyediting Company™"Improving the written word one letter at a time." Let me help you present your work in the best light possible! Email: pencilsproofreading@yahoo.com Web: www.pencilsproofreading.com

She wins a copy of my novel This Is the Place. And that's another reason to get uncomfortable. That's because this book is my first and though it was traditionally published (meaning and advance and royalties even though it ws pubbed on a digital press), and even though it is an award winner and even though it got wonderful reviews, it is full of scrapes, bruises and scabs. My publisher may have assigned me the worse editor in the world and, hey! It was my first. What did I know when she proclaimed it the "cleanest manuscript" she'd ever edited. Pride is a terrible thing! But it lead me to write The Frugal Editor. So, you see, something good comes out of everything.

In fact, that experience was one of the biggest reasons I wrote The Frugal Editor.

So, have we all learned something from this, guys? I hope so. I have. I learned no one is perfect and to be gentler and kinder with editing errors--when it is us or someone else. (I knew that but needed another boot in the pants about it.) And I learned that contests can be lots more useful than most people give them credit for.

PS: Laura, please e-mail me with your street address so I can send you This Is the Place.


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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and two how to books for writers, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success. Her FRUGAL book for retailers is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. She is also the author of the Amazon Short, "The Great First Impression Book Proposal". Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor blog.

Be Submission and Promotion Brave: What Do You Have To Lose?

Famous Internet Voices Radio host and author Lillian Cauldwell is guest blogger today. She is playing a bit of psychologist because we were talking about how painful it is for us to see talented authors take their chances and let their books ride on the belief that it will get somehow get lots of readership. What if it doesn't? Our books are our babies! We really don't want to trust to luck! So here she is, inspiring as usual:

Ever hear of that phrase, "You've got nothing to lose".

They're right. You don't have anything to lose because you're not putting your best foot forward. You're not taking any chances with your writing, placing in a contest, submissions to an e-zine or regular magazine or even submitting your query letter, synopsis, and bio of yourself to an agent or a book publisher.

What does this sentence really mean? More importantly, what does this sentence really mean to you and how do you overcome such a seemingly minimal responsibility.

For one thing, you lose more if you don't submit. I know what I'm talking about. My first alternate history book was released this August by Publish America. How are sales you're going to ask? Let me tell you, "Sales are not good." Why, you ask?

Because after receiving only two book reviews for my book and three national chain bookstores refused to carry my book or promote me in a book signing, I quietly withdrew from the fray. You can't do that if you're a serious writer or what book publishers and agents call, professional writers.

I consider myself a professional writer. After moaning and groaning and kicking myself in my posterior, a mid-list writer, Jacqueline Lichtenberg, told me to get off my butt and promote myself.

"What do you have to lose?"

My big loses were: branding my name, getting my book noticed, getting me noticed, and letting the world know about my achievements. How, you may ask, did you do that? This is what I finally did.

I created a newsletter; This-n-That that provides additional information and tips to writers who want to enhance their writing careers. Simegen.com hosts my mailing list for this list.

Secondly, I joined www.authorsden.com and put up my Web page with general information, filling in their forms, transferred the rest of me and my books to their online site where people visit your web and learn some interesting things about you. A Web site! Aha! Did something explode into your brain with sparklies and colored lights?

Thirdly, I involved myself in several writers' groups online, joined one or two writer's organizations, submitted articles to my Author's Den Web site, put them in my newssletter or sent them out to writers' e-zines and other magazines. People are hungry and thirsty for FREE information on the many ins and outs of writing.

I wrote science fiction, fantasy, and speculative short stories and submitted them to other Web sites, to online e-zines, at my Author's Den Web Site and submitted to www.simegen.com charitable donation site, Simecenter, where readers can download them for a contribution to a charity. I also submitted one short story, "Lottery," to www.sffworld.com and it was accepted for their December issue online. I had my first e-zine credit. I submitted to another fantasy short story to Playboy Magazine, "Mask, A Modern Fairy Tale" and six poems to The Atlantic Review.

What did I have to lose?

I am resubmitting my first nonfiction, book, "Teenagers! A Bewildered Parent's Guide" to publishers and agents who do reprints of books that are no longer contracted with their previous publisher and they reprint them.

Poetry was another niche that I found I was quite good at. I submitted them to several prestigious magazines.

What do I have to lose?

The answer is still, NOTHING, of course.

When you reach a time in your life when something hits you squarely in the face, the first thought that comes to you should be: What do I have to lose? And, the answer facing you squarely should be, "nothing." Send that short story out. You might be surprised and the magazine will accept it, return it with good rejection advice, or the editor might scribble a note telling you to resubmit it when it's corrected. The possibilities are endless.

What do you have to lose? You know that answer by now. I shouldn't have to shout it.

Send out review letters asking Publisher's Weekly, Midwest Book Review, The New York Times Review, or The Los Angeles Book Review to review your book. Again, you might be surprised, and one of them might review your book and give you a five star rating. It could happen, you know.

Or get yourself interviewed on radio, TV, Internet; what do you have to lose? You might actually be invited for that interview. You might talk to a national host where 80,0000 people are listening to you. Luck... or is it? What do you have to lose?

Life is funny. It can take you completely unaware sometimes, but if you don't try, if you don't put out your best foot forward, if you don't take the chance, how will you ever know if you're a clunker or a flyer?

When you come across this sentence, "What do you have to lose?" Remember, one thing. It's not the reward that counts (although it does make one glow), but it's the work and effort you put into it that makes you shout out loud, "I've got to try or no one will know about me or my titles, except me, myself, and I.

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Lillian is "Creator" Cauldwell:
Voices of the People - United We Roar!
734-332-5902
Her radio show may be found at: http://internetvoicesradio.com
She blogs at: http://pivtr.blogspot.com
Her Web site is: http://lilliancauldwell.com -----
This blog comes to you from Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and two how to books for writers, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success. Her FRUGAL book for retailers is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. She is also the author of the Amazon Short, "The Great First Impression Book Proposal". Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor blog.

Muse Online Conference Twitter Chat--And a Bit of a Nag!

This transcript comes to you with a plea for enrolling for the 2010 Muse Online Writers' Conference in November of 2009 this year. Lea Schizas, guru of the conference was overwhelmed with last-minute requests this year and I'd like to be sure you all have a chance at all the free seminars available. Lea and I founded this conference to help those who can't travel or can't afford or aren't ready for the real live conferences. But all are welcome. So, you get this little after-the-fact freebie to urge you to sign up early! www.themuseonlinewritersconference.com. In fact, put a prompt on your calendar for November 15th.



Full Transcript of Carolyn’s Muse Online Writer's Conference Chat
Tuesday, October 13, 2009


LeaSchizas: Carolyn Howard-Johnson's chat is on right now
carolynhowardjohnson: Good morning my hard-working Lea! And everyone else who has come to Talk Twitter!
Mindy: seatbelt on and ready
carolynhowardjohnson: And, yes, Linda Morelli, our moderator, is here.
LeaSchizas: yep
carolynhowardjohnson: I'll start with a brief into on Linda and some resources so here goes...
LindaM: You’re in Chat Room 1 for “The Frugal Book Promoter Talks Twitter” with Carolyn Howard-Johnson.
LindaM: SHH! I am posting the rules of the chat so please read: Only the moderator and the speaker will change ink color and/or font/bold. Everyone else must keep to the black ink.
LindaM: If you have a question for the speaker please do this: ? and I will put you in the queue. That’s it – the chat will show your name. Once you have placed your ? begin typing your question and be prepared when I call your name. Please do not post your question until I call upon you.
LindaM: Only one question per writer but you are allowed to post a new ? and I'll put you in the queue again. When Carolyn’s done answering your question, she’ll type: NEXT
LindaM: At that point, I will type the name of the next person in the queue for questions.
Please don’t post cross-chat comments, hellos, goodbyes (until the end of the chat), or other items that distract.
LindaM: To copy, hit copy on the document, then put your cursor in this box, then hit "Control V"
carolynhowardjohnson: I love being part of the Muse Online Conference as a co-sponsor and love giving seminars here. Applause here for all that Lea does to put it together. My part is one of creating some buzz and taking credit for nudging her into starting something she'd been thinking about anyway. And applause for Linda Morelli, our moderator, too.
LindaM: Remember, you are one of many people eager to hear the presentation, and staying focused helps us keep on track. Keep the sound effects down to a minimum, please
LindaM: Once the chat is over, please exit to allow the next guest speaker and moderator to begin their workshop. Click on the Red Arrows to exit. A transcript will be posted after the chat, in the Transcripts section of the Forum. Let’s begin…
carolynhowardjohnson: This is Linda's second year helping me with my seminar. She is a romantic suspense and historical romance author--just plain romantic--and you'll find ads for her award-winning books on my Web site along with a whole sections of Resources for Writers: www.HowToDoItFrugally.com . Find her at www.lindamorelli.com
LindaM: Thanks, Carolyn.
LindaM: Carolyn Howard-Johnson has won so many awards, we’d use up the entire chat just listing them. She’s the award-winning author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and two how to books, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success.
carolynhowardjohnson: Here are a few resources to get you started with Twitter. "Getting You Past the 'I don't get Twitter" stage: http://sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com/2009/06/getting-you-past-i-dont-get-twitter.html ....
LindaM: If you don’t own these last two of Carolyn's books, you should. J She is also an Audio Diva at www.tri-studio.com .
LindaM: Carolyn is offering a special surprise during this chat: a free copy of her e-books. One attendee will win a copy of Frugal Editor, one her Frugal Book Promoter and one will win a copy of Carolyn’s Amazon short, “The Great First Impression Book Proposal." We'll break mid-way through the chat to announce the winners. If you win, please post your name and email after you’re announced so I have that information for Carolyn.
carolynhowardjohnson: Onlinemarketing guru Dana Lynn Smith's guest post on my Sharing with Writers blog: http://sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com/2009/05/dana-lynn-smith-gives-you-21-things-to.html is another article you'll want to read. Leave a comment, too. It's good publicity for everyone! (-:
LindaM: We’ll pause five minutes before end time for final comments from Carolyn because Lea really wants us outta here on time! : -) Okay, Carolyn, the floor is yours.
carolynhowardjohnson: And information on author and marketing guy Tony Eldridge's book on using Twitter to host contests is another resource for you. The contest is past but his e-book is still available: http://sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com/2009/08/tony-eldridge-offers-ultimage-book.html...
carolynhowardjohnson: E-mail me at HoJoNews@aol.com to receive a battery of Twitter applications to help you organize Twitter. Please put MUSE TWITTER LIST in the subject line so I can find you among the hundreds of messages I get each day. ...
carolynhowardjohnson: OK. I hope that helps you with some background information. When we're all through with this. Welcome everyone. (-: Love you to death for being here.
carolynhowardjohnson: Linda, do you have anything else to tell the group? next
LindaM: Carolyn's promo materials are great!
carolynhowardjohnson: You make me laugh. (-: next
LindaM: Also, if you have any questions, don't forget to use ?
carolynhowardjohnson: I just love Twitter. But I started because it seemed easy and fast!
carolynhowardjohnson: Just let's start by saying it isn't--not if you're using it to promote and build a writing following. next
carolynhowardjohnson: So now don't you all drop out now I've told you that. (-:
KarenCV: What's the best twitter tool to use - to draw traffic?
carolynhowardjohnson: Karen, I'm going to give you a list of applications after this--you'll e-mail me for them. But for now, know that the important thing is not lots of traffic but targeted traffic...
carolynhowardjohnson: thus you'll want to literally choose people who will be possible readers of your book...
carolynhowardjohnson: and you do that by using tweetbeep.com....
carolynhowardjohnson: It uses keywords. Example. I use it to find people who are talking about book proposals and literary agents and invite them to follow. Writers are one of my audiences...
carolynhowardjohnson: and I use it to find retailers for my other account (for my retailing book) @frugalretailing. next
DonnaMcDine: With tweetbeep if you write for children should you look for parents too? Since they are the ones who initially buy their children's books.
carolynhowardjohnson: Donna, I think you should primarily look for parents. Kids rarely buy books. And grandparents!!! So think of keywords you'd use to find them! (-: next
kidztales: What can book reviewers do to help promote a book?
carolynhowardjohnson: Another thing is that if they don't follow you back, you'll want to unfollow them. I'll answer how to do that in a minute.
carolynhowardjohnson: Kitztales, you want to promote your book on book reviewing?
carolynhowardjohnson: Or a book you've reviewed?
kidztales: No. I'd like to help promote books that I review
carolynhowardjohnson: BTW, an aside. Reviewers---all of you really--can use www.TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com to promote your books with reviews. The guidelines are in the left column. ..that would work for you, too, Kitztales...
carolynhowardjohnson: So, Kidztales, you'd post your review and then post to twitter with a link to the review and a little teaser. Don't forget the teaser!!! next
Franny_Armstrong: I'm finding it difficult to decide my target audience since it can be so wide ranged. Older people, (my Mom's 73) tend to be uncomfortable with sex scenes. No one under 18 is permitted. Yet with men now reading online, it's possible to include them. What is the drop off point?
carolynhowardjohnson: Fanny, you know Twitter is so huge. I think you might be better to decide on one of those audiences, at least at first. And target to them. Probably the one you'd get the most mileage out of is the group interested in sex scenes. LOL. It has a huge audience! next.
Cathy_Bryant: What are some other ways to promote your book besides Twitter and Facebook and blog tours?
carolynhowardjohnson: Cathy, this workshop is on Twitter, so I want to stay targeted. And the world is full of a number of ways to promote. Can't help but tell you here that my The Frugal Book Promoter (www.budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo ) is full of dozens and dozens of ways. next
Gypsea: What about connections to Wordpress, Facebook and other websites? Is Twitter capable of reflecting links to your other websites? GA
carolynhowardjohnson: One of the applications I like for getting more information out on twitter is one called Twitwall.com. You can put up videos, pix and entire media releases (also called press releases) with it. And do repeats of your tweet with it. next
Kate: If you write in different genres, i.e., dark fiction vs form poetry vs YA ~ do you establish one Twitter or individual accounts to invite readers as well as editors & publishers to your blog(s) or website?
carolynhowardjohnson: Plus twitter is best connecting to other social networks with links. Though you can get Twitter FED to your Facebook. Caution with this. Kate--I'll be with you in a sec...
carolynhowardjohnson: Because if you tweet often enough, you may really bug your Facebook people. Now to Kate..
carolynhowardjohnson: Kate, yes. Keep yourself narrowly focused. Both my twitter accounts are marketing. But one is to retailers @frugalretailing and one is to authors @frugalbookpromo. next
dorcaswalker: I missed part of the beginning chat. How can I retrieve that? sorry
carolynhowardjohnson: Everyone, if you have your questions just ready to hit enter, that will speed things. BTW, I type fast--but inaccurately. Thanks.
LindaM: A transcript will be posted later.
carolynhowardjohnson: Dorcas, I think Linda has that handled the transcript thing. (-: Yay Linda
carolynhowardjohnson: Also, if you want just that part specifically, e-mail me. HoJoNews @ aol.com.
ChrisChat: I've seen & joined @wefollow but honestly not 100% sure what it is...thought I was putting myself in a search group? Twitter help confuses me
carolynhowardjohnson: Yes, some of those applications designed to get followers are WAY to general That's why I advocate using the keyword thing through Tweetbeep. There are probably others, too. There are thousands of applications designed for Twitter. But I think handpicking your audience works best...
carolynhowardjohnson: I find that because my audience is handpicked it works and people who complain that Twitter doesn't work is that their audience is full of people who may not even read--much less be interested in their genre. It's not that I don't have a few SEO guys and gals on my list...
carolynhowardjohnson: I can learn from those SEO guys, too...but I WANT authors. So please recommend @frugalbookpromo! Another lesson here. In 140 characters, you need to ask for what you want--at least on occasion. (-: next
Aleesha_Nash: How do you ask people to follow you while on twitter? without having to follow them first?
Aleesha_Nash: you mentioned inviting people to follow you - GA
carolynhowardjohnson: When you get a tweetbeep, you click. There is a place under their picture (avatar) for you to click to follow. Then you keep your fingers crossed they will follow back...
carolynhowardjohnson: After a little while you want to clean out those who haven't followed. You do that with FriendorFollow.com. There are others, too. Don't be afraid to ask your followers for tweeting info, too. They'll have tons of ideas for you. LOL.
carolynhowardjohnson: Which brings me to asking questions. It's a good way to keep your audience engaged. next
KarenCV: Twitter automatically has me following people - some that I have no interest in following. I do unfollow, but how do I stop the auto follows?
carolynhowardjohnson: Karen, click on their links and unfollow on their pages. next
LindaM: Let's break for just a minute to announce the winners of Carolyn's freebies...
Be sure to send Carolyn your email, or contact her via email
LeaSchizas: congratulations
Gypsea: HOLY COW, Thank YOU!
ChrisChat: TY
gloriaoren: So what you are saying is basically to follow different audiences, for example I follow authors, agents, editors, media sources related to the publishing arena, publishers and...
carolynhowardjohnson: But do be careful about unfollowing people who follow you. It's hard to understand why someone might follow you. Maybe they are into tech but they also have kids who read children's literature, as an example. So, be cautious about who you unfollow
gloriaoren: so on to keep up with what is happening in the field. But my WIP book is on adoption (my life as an adoptee, search and reunion) so I should be going after adoption triad members as well? GA
carolynhowardjohnson: Gloria, yes, basically. But if you write romance, your best audience may not be other authors. Your best audience may be people who just READ or who have mentioned romance. So if I were you, I' d be going after primarily adoption. next
carolynhowardjohnson: Though your point is well taken--to follow publishers, etc-- if you want to keep up with the industry.
Mustanger: I found a number of followers by doing a genre Search right through Twitter. Some follow, some don't. Should I unfollow those I have chosen to follow? unfollow those who don't choose to follow me?
carolynhowardjohnson: Yes, Mustang. (I have a poem on mustangs--the cars (-: , not the horses!) I do unfollow. You don't want your stats to be follower heavy. It looks to others like you aren't popular. (-:; There are millions of other fish to fry. So unfollow and follow others. next
Jo: Is there a way to time your Tweets?
carolynhowardjohnson: Let's talk other ways to engage people, too. We can come back to that afterward. Yes, Jo. Go to www.tweetlater.com (now calleded socialoomph) so you can use it for more than tweets. I love it. Hint: Word each dated tweet differently or Twitter may block it as spam. Next
AbigailBeal: what would you suggest for a writer in several genres under the same Twitter name? how to follow and have people understand? or to follow well?
carolynhowardjohnson: Class! Try to have your questions ready to just hit the enter button when called upon. (-: You can tell I'm also a teacher (UCLA writers' program).
AbigailBeal: sorry mea culpa
carolynhowardjohnson: Abigail, yes. Different accounts for different genres. BTW, setting up a second account was tricky for me. You need a different e-mail address. next
carolynhowardjohnson: Abigrail, a couple are a bit slow, here. Rap you on the knuckles with a ruler. Ha! No problem. (-:
LindaM: Cindy is next.
Cindy: This may be a really stupid question, but what does one use to twitter? A phone? If so, then baically it's phone texting right? If not, can you explain
TameraKraft: I've been using the same account for everything. Should I DM those who follow me and let them know I'm going to have separate accounts? I do children's ministry and write, so I'm thinking I need one account for each.
TameraKraft: Whoops didn't mean to hit enter. Sorry.
carolynhowardjohnson: Cindy, not stupid. No stupid questions. Twitter can be used with a phone--text. But I just use my computer. I'm not phone techy! And yes, I wouldn't mix ministry with unrelated genres. There is a huge Christian community on Twitter. next...
Gypsea: Have any advice on what followers want to read from as yet unpublished authors of romance/paranormal? GA
carolynhowardjohnson: You could use DM to let people know. But you can also use general tweets. When I opened @frugalretailing I just let my @frugalbookpromo people know in general they could follow me there. I was surprised at how many decided to do that, too. Not even sure if they were all retailers. LOL.
carolynhowardjohnson: Gypsea...I think one way to do that is to start giving hints about other paranormal books. Maybe mini reviews. That way people who love paranormal (or some other genre) will be attracted AND you can talk about your own books...next
KarenCV: My question was answered - different email address for 2nd twitter account
Cathy_Bryant: Is there a way to send an automatic thanks to people who follow? What should it say?
carolynhowardjohnson: To get people involved in your dialogue, use retweets...pick up interesting posts from others and retweet them using their twitter address. They are grateful and becomemore avid followers...
carolynhowardjohnson: Yes, Cathy. Be sure to avoid having your autofollow message appear too sales oriented. There is lots of DM spam going around. I think tweetlater.com has a function for that. next
Mustanger: You may have already answered this - the words are all going by so fast - but how many times a day do you tweet for each account? Is once a day enough or should there be more ?
carolynhowardjohnson: A general ruler, mustanger, is to tweet about 10 times a day. The only time I do less than that is when I am on vacation or catching up. Caution here, though. CONTENT, not what we had for breakfast. If you want a personal account, make that separate...
carolynhowardjohnson: truly...I can't believe how many of my marketing-savvy writer friends are tweeting in "goodnight!" That could be saved for a direct message (DM). next
KarinaFabian: For Tweetbooks: start a new account? just have a short hash? (#bk)
liz_jones: ?You may have ans'd this, but how do we find the communities like 'Christian', etc.
carolynhowardjohnson: Karina, Hi! Not sure about the question. But I think you're referring to people who want to tweet books. I'm not sure they are all that effective. For one thing--like blogs, they get read backwards. I really think a better ploy is to make a blog using your protagonist--as if your protagonist is the tweeter and you're filling out the character with teases about what happens in your book... does that answer your question? Sort of? next
JoLinsdell: I've seen on blogs where there is a link to retweet the post. How do I get this gadget? (I use blogspot.com)
carolynhowardjohnson: Liz, yes. it was a long answer. please go back to the transcript Linda is providing. Linda. how do they get that? next
Mindy: Is there a way on twitter to tweet audio messages to the followers instead of typing a 140 character message?
joanyedwards: How often should you tweet to keep interest up, but not be aggravating? \JYE
JoLinsdell: My question?
carolynhowardjohnson: Oh, yes. Jo. I can't remember the name of that application. Only used it once! LOL But yes, and you can also get one with a cute little bird that says "follow me." You'll find it on my blog at the end of each blog post...www.sharingwithwriters.blogpost.com
carolynhowardjohnson: Joany..if your posts are full of ideas and content, you won't get too aggravating. Space them a bit, though. 10 is a good guideline.
carolynhowardjohnson: Mmmm. not sure about audio messages, Mindy. That would be a good conversation starter. As I say, tweeters tend to love to help others learn to tweet. I don't think so, though. Some 3,000 applications for Twitter and growing every day so one could have been introduced yesterday! LOL next
joanyedwards: Is that 10 a day?
carolynhowardjohnson: Joany, yes, 10 a day. (-:
LindaM: ChrisChat is next. Last question. Sorry if we couldn't get to everyone's question.
ChrisChat: simple probably,noticed followers who seem more spam/vol sex ads, blocking them so they don't show as followers-check who you don't want following you?
carolynhowardjohnson: Don't forget that Twitter is not a one way conversation. Try to keep it open instead of exclusive, too. You never know why someone chooses to follow you. To unfollow because you don't like their politics is kinda silly. THEY may like YOUR book!
LindaM: Just email Carolyn after this session to find out more about this great deal. She can also help you set up an online promotion campaign--she can help you a lot in a 1-hour consultation.
carolynhowardjohnson: Oh, what a sweetie. Find me a hojonews@aol.com.
DonnaMcDine: Carolyn: You Rock!
carolynhowardjohnson: I also do one hour consults. But it's TRULY cheaper to buy my books.
KarinaFabian: for Carolyn for Linda. Great chat!
Mustanger: Fantastic stuff. I'll definitely be visiting your sites!
Franny_Armstrong: Thank you Carolyn and Linda. I appreciate your time and knowledge.
carolynhowardjohnson: Thanks to all of you for coming. Linda, how do they get the transcript?
Kate: Thank you ~ I learned so much ^_^
LoriLea: Wow. I have a lot to learn! Thanks.
carolynhowardjohnson: Lea, thank you for this opportunity. How I love our Muse conference.
Mustanger: How to get the transcript?
Julia: I'll post transcript later in the forum.
carolynhowardjohnson: Linda Morelli, romantic author extraodinaire, thank you. I'm leaving to make room for the next group. Love you all!
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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and two how to books for writers, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success. Her FRUGAL book for retailers is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. She is also the author of the Amazon Short, "The Great First Impression Book Proposal". Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor blog.

Book Launch Specialist Offers Do-It-Yourself Program at Fraction of the Cost

I have been working with Denise Cassino and Dr. Anna Maria Prezio on book launches for some time. I have been impressed with their program but didn't recommend it to you because it wasn't exactly frugal to have them do it for you (though certainly worth the expense!). Now they have made this program available to you in a do-it-yourself format to help you turn your books, products and services into #1 bestsellers on Amazon and because it teaches you to do it yourself, it costs a fraction of what their full service program costs. I knew you'd want to find out more, so I've copied their note below!



Dear Friends,

My co-creator, Denise Cassino and I have been teasing you on Twitter, Facebook and other social media about our new exceptional program on how to become a #1 Bestseller on Amazon. Well, the time has come to unveil this happy and extraordinary event. I know you’re busy but take a look at how your passion, your talent and your vision can become a reality…

. You’ve dreamed of becoming a #1 Bestseller

. You’ve thought to yourself, ‘My book should be a #1 Bestseller!’

. I want to tell the world about how powerful my book is but I just don’t know where to begin.

Forget your frustration because the answer to fulfilling your vision is here, and now…Take a listen to our intro to ‘8 Keys to Your #1 Bestseller’ and learn how to move forward! It’s a free intro to our 9-PART AUDIO SERIES, YOUR #1 BESTSELLER, and it will tell you how we can help you press that Bestseller sticker onto your book covers. This short overview will help you create Your #1 Bestseller Campaign! Check out the SYLLABUS, too, and you’ll see how comprehensive this program is! Go to Click here to view more detailsto learn more.

Denise Cassino has launched numerous authors, products & services to a #1 bestseller status on Amazon. It's not rocket science; it's a formulated plan that, when followed, will position you to hit #1 on your launch day.

Don’t wait! Do it now!

You know that being a #1 Bestseller can open doors. My own #1 Bestseller (the campaign took place on May 12 and was coordinated by Denise) for Confessions of a Feng Shui Ghost-Buster has opened so many doors for me. I will soon be announcing a television series on a major network as a result of becoming a #1 Bestselling author. And that’s just one example of what the campaign has done for me. I’ve been asked to partner up with the top internet celebrities in my field. I’ve been asked to speak, have done TV interviews and major am radio shows--which are sometimes even more than I can actually handle--and my expert status has shot through the roof. Last week I shot a 15 minute segment for a brand new TV Pilot in Newport Beach.

Yes. All of this has happened since I became a #1 Bestselling author so I am proof that it works. Other #1 Bestselling authors have received Immediate offers from major publishers both domestic and international when they hit #1 status. Waiting for you is the amazing Rock Star Recognition that most of us crave. Each day that you wait, you are losing money, speaking engagements, publicity, visibility and most importantly, the ability to touch people’s lives.

Now is your time! Anyone with a vision and a plan can have a #1 Bestseller! Let us help you get there. Click here to view more details

Let us show you right now how it can be done and the exciting ways that having a #1 Bestseller can change your life! We will give you the secrets and tools you need to achieve your dream!

This program is a 9-week program that walks you through the campaign, step-by-step, teaching you how to choose your categories, build your website, find partners, write press releases, maximize you’re amazon profile and page and much, much more! Each week you'll receive homework and personalized coaching to answer all of your questions as you go. We want you to have the same amazing success that others have achieved at the affordable price of $297!

Click here to view more details now and take the plunge! You'll never be sorry!



Big Blessings,
Dr. Anna Maria Prezio
Bestselling author of Confessions of a Feng Shui Ghost-Buster, Marketing Guru and Feng Shui Master
and
Denise Cassino, JV Specialist and Book Launch Specialist


PS: You'll note that I am one of those who offer bonuses for those who buy this launch program. You know I do not take this kind of endorsement lightly. Do let me know how you progress with it and do know that your Frugal Book Promoter can also help you with essentials of the program, like writing professional media releases and more.









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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and two how to books for writers, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success. Her FRUGAL book for retailers is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. She is also the author of the Amazon Short, "The Great First Impression Book Proposal". Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor blog.

Videos and Book Trailers--Reaching Thousands of Eyes

Subscriber to this blog have known me to say that I love videos for reaching the largest number of people in the most memorable way possible. You probably--if you've been subscribed for some time--also heard me caution you against poorly produced or feebly conceptualized book trailers. There are just so many of them out there including one of mine. And once they are out there, there is little you can do about retrieving them all on the big, humongous Web.

For those reasons, I advised that even fiction writers use videos of themselves talking about their books rather than trailers. Well, I finally found someone I can recommend for trailers. Ta da!

He is Reno Lovison. His prices are reasonable and because he has a strong background in marketing and as an author, he gets it. You'll find him at

http://www.authorsbroadcast.com/titles/frugalpromo.htm.

I found Reno even has a background in retailing (which is one reason I figured it was worth trusting him with a video promo for my new A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques (www.budurl.com/RetailerersGuide).) It's brand new and you are the first to see it on my site where I just installed it. To see it as a sample go to:

http://www.carolynhowardjohnson.redenginepress.com/frugal_in-store_promotions.htm

You should also know that it is his gorgeous voice doing the voiceover. Even my husband, a voiceover professional, thinks he is pretty amazing. Here is his contact information, too. Check out his prices and see what you think:

Reno Lovison Marketing, 5250 N. Broadway, Chicago, IL 60640, (773)989-1960), reno@renoweb.net, www.renoweb.net

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and two how to books for writers, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success. Her FRUGAL book for retailers is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. She is also the author of the Amazon Short, "The Great First Impression Book Proposal". Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor blog.

Mayra Calvani Shares Secrets on Selling Your Book to an Agent

This has been Mayra Calvani's month as a guest blogger. I preach (nay, nag!) authors to share liberally with one another. Maya personifies an author who does just that. This is her third article. You can go back in the archives for her others, one on "Demystifying Virtual Book Tours" and one urging you to promote this Halloween!

SECRETS OF SELLING YOUR BOOK TO AN AGENT

By Mayra Calvani

A great blurb or mini synopsis can make the difference between a customer taking out his/her wallet to buy your book or putting the book back on the shelf. Great blurbs sell books. It's the same for an agent.

But what exactly is a that mini syopsis or blurb?

A blurb is the copy on the back cover of your book (and sometimes other places). After the front cover, the blurb and mini synopsis on the back cover is the thing a customer will check when choosing to buy a book. It should hook, intrigue and grab the reader right away.

“Book blurbs are eye candy to the consumer,” says publicist Penny Sansevieri, founder of Author Marketing Experts.

Not only to customers. A great blurb can help you find a publisher or an agent, too.

A few years ago, I sent dozens of query letters in my search for an agent. As you probably know, most query letters are composed of a brief synopsis, logline or blurb of the book (the hook), some info about the book (genre, word count, etc), and a short author bio or list of qualifications. There are several chapters in Carolyn's The Frugal Editor that will help you write a picture-perfect query letter. Unfortunatly, when my query letter went out, the agents who responded said “No, thanks.”

I’m not surprised. The tool I used to sell my book was as flat as a French crepe. One of these agents wrote to say she wasn’t particularly excited about my book, but asked if I had something else to show her. By this time I had improved my mini synopsis and had a completely new version. I mentioned this to her and asked her to consider my edited version, which she did. Her response was “Well, I have to admit this is pretty convincing.” She requested the first three chapters. To make a long story short, she took me in based on the strength of those three chapters. In this case, my new query letter--specifically the way I capsulated the plot--was the key factor in getting the agent’s attention.

This is what I first included in my query letter:

Can a good man be persuaded into committing murder and still retain his goodness?

Lullaby is about the restless soul of an aborted infant who, in order to become powerful enough to be reborn, must tempt humans into committing evil acts. Having temporarily acquired the form of a beautiful woman, this being plays mind games with the protagonist, bringing back memories of his tragic childhood. As deeply buried feelings of hate and revenge spring to the surface, the protagonist must struggle with his conscience to do the right thing. But will he, when his own ideas about justice and the higher good tell him it is right to kill?

Now compare it to the second one which got the agent’s attention:

At a trendy Turkish tavern one Friday night, astrophysicist Gabriel Diaz meets a mysterious young woman. Captivated out of his senses by her physical perfection as well as her views on good and evil, he spends the next several days with her. After a while, however, he begins to notice a strangeness in her—-her skin’s abnormally high temperature, her obsession with milk products, her childlike and bizarre behavior as she seems to take pleasure in toying with his conscience.

The young woman, Kamilah, invites him to Rize, Turkey, where she claims her family owns a cottage in the woods. In spite of his heavy workload and the disturbing visions and nightmares about his sister’s baby that is due to be born soon, Gabriel agrees to go with her.

But nothing, not even the stunning beauty of the Black Sea, can disguise the horror of her nature. In a place where death dwells and illusion and reality seem as one, Gabriel must now come to terms with his own demons in order to save his sister’s unborn child, and ultimately, his own soul…

Here are some guidelines to help you create a great synopsis for your book:

*Keep it short (100-250 words). The aim is to convey what makes the book unique in a small amount of space.

*In it set the mood, the scene, and the conflict or enigma.

*It should have mounting tension. The beginning should have a “hint” of the conflict or threat, yet remain pretty innocuous (look at my blurb number two: boy meets girl in a tavern). By the end of the blurb, the conflict or threat should be imminent (protagonist must save his sister’s unborn child and his own soul).

*Think of the best angle to approach your story. Both of my blurbs describe what happens in my novel, yet the second one sounds much more exciting.

*As with a good book review, never put “spoilers” in the blurb. You can do this in a book summary or in a full synopsis, but never in the mini synopsis or blurb. (Look again at my blurb number one. In it I make the big mistake of revealing the nature of my “evil” female protagonist—-he is the soul of an aborted infant. In blurb number two, you suspect there’s something wrong with her, but you don’t know what. You’re left wondering).

*Think about what makes your book different.

*Question marks can be used to leave the reader intrigued.

*Often ellipses are used at the end to leave reader asking questions.

*Keep adverbs and adjectives to a minimum and use action verbs.

*Needless to say, make sure there are no spelling or grammatical errors.

*If your book is nonfiction, does it have special features like pictures or diagrams? What is the aim of the book? What are you trying to accomplish? Does it teach anything? How is this book different from others in the field?

*Remember that these enticing pieces are not summaries! Don’t tell the whole story—only the exciting part of it so that the reader will want to know more.

*Don’t exaggerate or sugar coat it. Be professional.

*Study the blurbs from your book shelves, paying special attention to their style, language, and content.

*Write and rewrite, rewrite, rewrite. Then show it to people who can offer honest feedback.

One last tip:

Do you know that powerful, dramatic voice that you hear in the cinemas during movie trailers? That alluring voice, often exaggerated, that describes the movies? Well, read your own blurb with this voice in your mind, matching its tone and pitch. You’ll be surprised to find out how much that helps!


Guest Blogger Bio

Today's guest blogger Mayra Calvani is a multi-genre author, reviewer and animal advocate. She enjoys writing for children and adults. A regular contributor to Blogcritics Magazine and American Chronicle, she's a member of SCBWI, CWCC and Broad Universe. She keeps two blogs, Mayra's Secret Bookcase (http://mayrassecretbookcase.blogspot.com/) and The Dark Phantom Review (http://thedarkphantom.wordpress.com/).

Additionally, she's the co-author of the ForeWord Best of the Year Award winner, The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing. (http://slipperybookreview.wordpress.com/).

Visit her newest, fun blog, Pets and Their Authors (http://petsandauthors.blogspot.com/), where her golden retriever interviews authors' pets.

Mayra does Spanish translations of children's picture books and is the National Latino Books Examiner for Examiner.com (http://www.examiner.com/x-6309-Latino-Books-Examiner).


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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and two how to books for writers, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success. Her FRUGAL book for retailers is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. She is also the author of the Amazon Short, "The Great First Impression Book Proposal". Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor blog.

Demystifying Virtual Book Tours

When I decided to work with Mayra Calvani on a virtual book tour, little did I know that she would be so full of information--and so generous. Actually, I did have an inkling because I'd worked with her before. The real news is, I couldn't decide what to publish. She graciously allowed to me publish several of her articles. This is her second. The first on Halloween promoting may still be found (on the 17th of Sept. And watch for the one coming up on October 3rd, too! You won't be disappointed!


Demystifying Virtual Book Tours
By Mayra Calvani

These days, when it comes to book promotion, virtual book tours (from here on in we'll call them VBTs) seem to be the hottest thing on the net. I’m not surprised. In fact, whoever invented them was a genius.

VBTs allow you to make your name and book visible to thousands of people without having to spend a fortune or ever leaving your home. All you need is a computer and internet connection, and all you have to do is get a bunch of bloggers to host you on their blog while you sit in front of the screen with a nice beverage and enjoy the show… Well, not quite.

Yes, you do need bloggers to host you. And yes, you may sit at the computer with a nice beverage and enjoy the tour. But unless you hire a publicist to plan and coordinate your VBT, doing it yourself will take considerable time and effort. Did I say considerable? Let’s put it this way: Be prepare to spend A LOT of time at the computer, not only answering interviews and writing guest posts, but also making sure everything is moving according to plan.

To promote the release of my first children’s picture book, The Magic Violin, which came out last November, I went on a VBT in December. The tour began on December 1st and culminated on Christmas Day, when I gave away a $20 Amazon gift certificate to a lucky winner. Since the book had a Christmas theme, timing was perfect.

Though I had hired a publicist for another tour earlier in October (this one for another book), this time I decided to take on the whole project myself. From one side, the idea felt daunting; from another, I told myself: ‘If I can get at least 15 kind-hearted bloggers to host me, I can do this.’

Since I wanted the tour to start on December 1st, I started planning in early November (I recommend planning at least 2 months in advance).

So the first step when planning a VBT is deciding when you want the tour to take place. You must also have an idea of how many tour stops you’d like to make. For one-month tours, I recommend at least 15-17 stops. Some VBTs may last one week (these are called Mini VBTs); some two weeks; others two whole months. It all depends on how much time, work and commitment you’re willing to give.

Next, prepare a schedule.

This was my schedule during the month of November:

Four Weeks Before the Tour

• Bought a monthly calendar with big squares and enough writing space to help me coordinate tour stops. (This was very helpful in helping me see the whole tour from above.)

• Made a list of possible hosts—authors/bloggers I know, bloggers I admire, reviewers who are also bloggers, bloggers who keep blogs related to my book’s theme/content, etc.

• Made a list of groups/forums where I could announce my VBT and ask for hosts. In my case, these were www.gather.com, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/publishingandpromoting, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Latino-Hispanicwriters4Kids, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/childrens-writers, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/childrenswriterstoday, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PumpUpYourBookPromotion, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/booksweloveauthors, and www.facebook.com.

• Wrote a ‘template’ message to use for contacting hosts. (This included a short intro, info about my book with links to the cover and blurb, my request to be hosted on their blogs, etc).

Note: I requested not only interviews, but also guest posts and reviews. Reviews are great tools of book promotion and you can always use them later. Keep in mind not all reviewers will agree to read e-books and you may have to send them print copies. When you contact the hosts, make sure to tell them you would be delighted to return their favor in the future (You better keep your promise, too! This is all about helping each other, after all). Also, let them know you’ll be aggressively promoting the tour, thus bringing traffic to their blogs.

Three Weeks Before the Tour

• Began receiving responses from bloggers, agreeing on dates, and recording the information on the calendar. The information included the name of the blog, the host’s name, and whether or not it was for an interview, guest post or review.
• Began completing interviews.
• Sent review copies to reviewers
• Started looking for possible material to be used as guest posts. For one host, I used an old article. For another, I wrote a new one.

Two Weeks Before the Tour

• Continued answering interview questions and sending them to the hosts (These interviews can be very time consuming, so don’t leave them for the last minute!)
• Continued preparing/writing guest posts.

A note about interviews: Try to keep the interviews fresh, offering links and information. After a few interviews, they tend to sound boring and repetitive because the hosts’ questions are often similar. For one of the interviews (http://www.sueeves.com/2007/12/interview-with-author-mayra-calvani-by.html), I incorporated a video of a famous violinist playing Vivaldi’s “Winter”, the piece mentioned in my book. Make sure your answers aren’t too long either. People have busy lives and will not spend hours reading an interview. On the other hand, make sure most of your interview answers aren’t one-liners. My favorite combination for interviews is a mixture of short, witty answers with longer, more thoughtful ones.

One Week Before the Tour

• Continued to answer and send off interviews.

• Double checked the calendar to make sure all was in order—especially dates.

• Posted the complete VBT schedule on the main page of my website and blog. To see my schedule, go to: http://mayrassecretbookcase.blogspot.com/2007/11/win-20-amazon-certificate-on-christmas.html

• Send a reminder to all your hosts. (For this purpose, it’s practical to put your hosts’ contact info in a separate e-mail folder and to e-mail them together when needed).

The First Day of the Tour

• Announced the tour to everybody I know—friends, relatives, colleagues, groups, and forums—inviting them to take a look and follow me about the blogosphere by providing a link to the complete schedule and mentioning the prize giveaway at the end.
• Made sure the links to the blogs on my VBT schedule were hyperlinked correctly.

During the Tour

• On the day of each stop, I announced the new post to all my contacts— including all the groups mentioned before.
• Visited each tour stop to read the comments and interact with the people who wrote them, which meant writing comments myself.

Interacting with the public was great fun and, in fact, I was quite overwhelmed with the response I received. Some people followed my tour from beginning to end, and for that I was deeply grateful. Some posts received close to 20 comments, the highest some of the bloggers had got for any of their posts so far. All together, I think I got over 120 comments. On Christmas, the day of the prize giveaway, I made a hand-written list of all the people who’d left comments in order to draw a winner. Once chosen, I announced the winner’s name on my blog. Being able to give the prize on Christmas Day was extra fun.
Final Tips:

• One week before the tour starts, send a press release to your local newspapers/stations and online directories. I didn’t do this with my December tour but plan to do it with all future ones.
• If possible, tie your VBT with a holiday. November and December are great months for Christmas books; October for scary/paranormal books, and so on.
• Don’t just think ‘kit lit blogs’. Think of your niche audience. I realized this late in the tour, so I didn’t have time to search for violin-related blogs. For my next tour, I plan to contact dog/puppy/pet care blogs, since my book will be about a boy caring and finding a name for his new puppy.
• Offer a gift on the last day of your tour to motivate people to follow you around the blogosphere and leave comments on your stops. Never give a copy of the book you’re promoting. If people think they might win it at the end, they won’t buy it. Prizes may include gift certificates, goody baskets, other books, and even free critiques!
• Visit your own tour stops on a daily basis in order to interact with the visitors and answer their questions, if any.
• Always thank your hosts. After the tour, thank them again and offer to return their favor in the future.
• It’s human to forget. Two or three days before a tour stop, send a polite reminder to the host.
• Be prepared to be flexible. Some times the tour stops may not take place as planned and dates must be changed at the last minute.
• Don’t think just interviews. Keep your tour varied—interviews (may be audio, too!), guest posts, reviews.
• Keep the complete VBT schedule on your site and/or blog and update it on a daily basis, adding links and/or hyperlinks as necessary.

Once the tour has ended, put your feet up and celebrate with a glass of champagne. You’ve earned it! Oh, and send a thank you to those who hosted your tour!


Guest Blogger Bio

Today's guest blogger Mayra Calvani is a multi-genre author, reviewer and animal advocate. She enjoys writing for children and adults. A regular contributor to Blogcritics Magazine and American Chronicle, she's a member of SCBWI, CWCC and Broad Universe. She keeps two blogs, Mayra's Secret Bookcase (http://mayrassecretbookcase.blogspot.com/) and The Dark Phantom Review (http://thedarkphantom.wordpress.com/).

Additionally, she's the co-author of the ForeWord Best of the Year Award winner, The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing. (http://slipperybookreview.wordpress.com/).

Visit her newest, fun blog, Pets and Their Authors (http://petsandauthors.blogspot.com/), where her golden retriever interviews authors' pets.

Mayra does Spanish translations of children's picture books and is the National Latino Books Examiner for Examiner.com (http://www.examiner.com/x-6309-Latino-Books-Examiner).

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and two how to books for writers, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success. Her FRUGAL book for retailers is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. She is also the author of the Amazon Short, "The Great First Impression Book Proposal". Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor blog.