Ten Ways to Up Your Ratings by Selling Books on Amazon

What? Carolyn talking book sales?

Many of you know that I rarely talk sales when I can talk more important things like cross promotion and branding. You may know that I believe if you network well, you won't have to sell anything, ever. Not in the traditional sense.

So, here is my disclaimer (before I even start with your Ten Tips!) Telling you how to get better ratings on Amazon is tantamount to telling you how to sell books.
That is my disclaimer. I'm going to tell you how to let Amazon help you sell more books anyway!

A promotional drop in the bucket can move Amazon ratings drastically! Especially if you keep dripping promotion into the pail. Use the perks that Amazon provides for you (see the list below), and you'll find your book selling. Especially if you don't give up. Just keep dribbling little bits of information into the tools Amazon offers you. Your Amazon sales campaign is about frequency and longevity. Here they are. Pick one (or more) and keep at it:

1. Use Listmanias on Amazon and, along with your own book, sprinkle in the titles of your author-friends. Let these authors know you did it. That's a way to make a new promotion friend. There is a chapter in The Frugal Book Promoter: How to Do What Your Publisher Won't that tells you how to use this free promotional perk along with tips for making Listmanias more effective. It also includes information on other free tools on Amazon.

2. When you read a book by an author you know (or even one you don't) do yourself and them a favor by adding a review to Amazon. It takes but a minute and YOU and your book get exposed too, if you use a promotion-savvy signature. Simply type in a couple of dashes and then add "Reviewed by xxxxx and your book title." Don't link to your own sales page on Amazon, though. Amazon cops don't like that!

3. Tell other people about what you're doing, how your book relates to current events and more by posting on your Amazon plog. Another name for plog is AuthorConnect ™, and it's really a blog provided by Amazon. You do have a blog don't you? Spread the word about your fellow authors' books, too, and then ask them to pass on the word about your plog, complete with URL. This is viral marketing and it works.

4. Flesh out your book's page on Amazon by using Wiki (or Amapedia) to add information on your awards or other publishing you've done..

5. Add to the tags, too. Use keywords from you book. As an example, for This Is the Place, I use Big Love, Mormons, polygamy, Utah, western history, women's fiction, coming-of-age story, New York, Latter Day Saint, and a whole lot more.

6. Ask your friends and professional associates to review your book on Amazon. See that word "ask?" They will be happy to do it. They just need a nudge!

7. If you have a book suited to it, you add pictures to your book's page. Check out my "Promote or Perish" picture on The Frugal Book Promoter page. Here's the URL: http://www.budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo .

8. Don't avoid Amazon because you're mad at them. Getting caught up in the idea of trying to sell your book only on your own Web site is counterproductive. You may make more per book, but you'll make less over all and your entire promotion will suffer. Read that word "promotion" as "readership." Read it as "exposure." Read it as "credibility." You and your book need to be seen more than you need a couple of extra dollars profit on any given book.

9. Look into the So You'd Like Tos . . . on Amazon. They will allow you to rant or write essays to your hearts content and gather readers as you do it. They work similarly to Listmanias but they're lots more work.

10. Make friends. When someone adds a review to your page, invite them to be an Amazon Friend. Include a thank you in the message. Nose around a bit. You'll find all kinds of ways to let Amazon Friends know about your next book . . . and your next. And keep in mind that when someone is your friend, your book or picture may show up on their profile page. Their friends buy books, too!
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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.

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Mini Promoting Tip for Writers

Here's a small tip from The Frugal Book Promoter. Don't use business cards the way the world of business uses business cards. Make yours into mini ads instead. Feature your book cover picture and then include an assortment these marketing tools:

~A blurb or endorsement.
~Any awards you've won.
~A logline (pitch) similar to what movies use to entice you to buy a ticket.
~Goes without saying your Web site address.
~Some prefer to keep their e-mail addresses a secret. Personally, I'd rather make it easy for opportunities to come to me.


In other words, make your business cards work for you. Of course, they won't work for you if you don't give them out. Janet Elaine Smith has even been known to leave a couple in public bathrooms near the vase of flowers.

PS: Use both sides of the card. Do a special offer on the back side. Or let people know how they will benefit from your service or book.



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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.

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You Published Yourself. Is Traditional Publishing in Your Future?

I often run question and answer columns in my Sharing with Writers newsletter. Here is a question from Anygel that seems to come up frequently. I thought I'd publish it for subscribers to this blog, too. (-:

Question:

Ayngel posted a question on my blog recently. She said she had decided to self publish but wondered what her chances are for publishing traditionally later if she does that.

Answer:

Ayngel, your fate is in your own hands. Write a great book. Sell a lot of them. Build a great platform. And you'll have a very good chance of publishing with traditional publishers later.

The step that most first-time authors miss with self publishing their own book is craft, believe it or not. Read up on it. The second is editing. Read up on it. I suggest my The Frugal Editor. And the third is not promoting so you can sell lots of book and show that you can be a full partner in marketing your book.

Forgetting that last step is as big a booboo if you publish traditionally as it is if you go the do-it-yourself route. I suggest The Frugal Book Promoter>, but there are dozens of others that can help you. In fact read more than one book on promotion. More than two.

And keep working and asking questions.

One last thing. Depending on your titles and the genre you write in, you may decide that doing it on your own is the best way to go. That dream of a traditional publisher may not be the best one for your book. There is a model for publishing every title. A way that fits the personality and expectations of every author. Don't get locked into a dream that may not serve you well. On the other hand, don't let fear force you to dismiss a model that is right for your book.
CHJ
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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.

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Free Online Writers Conference Open to All

As you know, I love to pass along frugal opportunities for writers to learn more about their craft and about promotion. I am doubly pleased to let you know about this absolutely free opportunity because I'll be conducting two seminars. Do know that all are writers are welcome. I don't usually publish media releases intact, but it's a good way to be sure that you get all the information you need. So here it is:


MEDIA RELEASE

CONTACT:
Karina Fabian Phone: (805) 285-0108, karina@fabianspace.com
Ann Margaret Lewis Phone: (317) 755-2693 annlewis@joesystems.com

For Immediate Release

Carolyn Howard-Johnson Conducts Seminars at Free Online Conference

World Wide Web--Writers, editors, agents, and other publishing professionals from around the world are gearing up for the third annual Catholic Writers’ Conference Online, featuring veteran presenters like Carolyn Howard-Johnson, multi-award winning novelist, poet and book marketer.

The online conference will run from February 26 to March 5, 2010 and is sponsored by the Catholic Writer’s Guild. It is free and open to writers of all levels who register between October 1, 2009 and February 15, 2010. Writers needn’t be Catholic.

Workshops and live online chats cover the gamut of writing topics from idea generation to marketing a published novel; traditional and self-publishing, article writing and fiction, and much more. In addition, prominent Catholic publishers will hear pitches, giving authors an unprecedented opportunity to chat personally regardless of their ability to travel.

The Catholic conferences draw hundreds of participants and more than scores of editors and writing professionals. Former attendee Maureen Locher, a copy editor and columnist for Mom Writer's Literary Magazine, says, "The Catholic Writers' Conference Online opened a world of possibilities to me... The quality of speakers was excellent and 'excellent' is a word I rarely use. [It was the].single best move I've taken to further my writing!"

The conference features presenters from all aspects of the publishing world. Howard-Johnson is the author of the multi award-winning series of HowToDoItFrugally books for writers including The Frugal Book Promoter: How to Do What Your Publisher Won't (www.budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo ) and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success (www.budurl.com/TheFrugalEditor). She is also an instructor for UCLA Extension Writers' Program.

Carolyn will present on "The Picture-Perfect Query Letter" and "Tweeting for Visibility" on March 1, at 9 am and 10 am respectively.
Early registration is recommended. Although the conference is offered at no charge, donations are accepted; proceeds go toward future conferences. To register or for more information, go to http://www.catholicwritersconference.com.

# # #

Graphics, interviews and further information available upon request.
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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.

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It's a New World for Publishing, New World for Authors and It's Getting Better All the Time

This post may at first seem to be old news for you, but I do have something additional to add to what you may aleady know so hang in there.

This post may at first seem to be a downer. Trust me. It isn't. So hang in there. (-:

First what appearedto be bad news at the end of 2009:

The famous review journal Kirkus was expected to close its doors. Editors and Publishers magazine (http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2009/12/stopping-the-presses-venerable-media-watcher-ep-to-cease-publication.html) already has. This new-- coupled with other news of newspaper and magazine closures, bad profit reports in the publishing industry and more--can feel really, really discouraging to writers and even readers who want the best.

Of course, these two venerable institutions in the book and newspaper worlds will be missed. But here is the good news.

~ More books were self published than traditionally published in 2009. That's a first and it means more authors are utilizing the opportunities offered by easier, faster digital printing.

~ The models for publishing and promoting books have grown--one will work for your book if it is well written and timely. Publishing is becoming mix and match. Even large publishers are using POD models, digital presses and expecting more marketing expertise from their writers.

~ It was always difficult for self- and subsidy-published books to get reviews in journals like Kirkus. Its demise indicates that the review model is moving toward online review blogs and, generally, they are much easier to approach for reviews than the biggies were.

By the way, you will find a list of review journals (both the big print journals are more accessible print and online publications) on my Web site's Resources for Writers page, www.budurl.com/WritersResources.)

~That we authors now have more power over our careers now comes with more responsibility. That is a good thing. A writer who knows marketing, formatting, indexing etc. is a writer who understands her or his industry better and that can only inform his or her writing.

In other words, dear subscribers, the reading and publishing world is cracking open like a three-minute egg. Old biases are disappearing along with the old institutions that discriminated against segments of the publishing industry. Give us a minute more and the world can be at our feet, no matter what our title, no matter what press we use, what format. Our books will be judged on content and that's just as it should be.

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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.

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In The News: Amazon to Up Authors' Royalties--Drastically

Amazon is in the news. The thing is, though the major media is covering the story, they aren’t covering it from an author’s viewpoint. So here goes. My take for authors. In the smallest nutshell I could fit it into:

The LA Times business page headlines, “Amazon Ups the Ante for E-books.” Then comes a deck (fancy newspaper talk for a sort of subtitle) that says, “Juicy digital royalties could tempt authors to bypass traditional publishers altogether.”

So far they have it right.

As a quick review, the VP of Amazon says, “Today, authors receive royalties in the range of 7% to 15% of the list price that publishers set for their physical books . . . . “ Amazon just announced that they would pay a whopping 70% royalty to authors who publish their book(s) on Kindle.

Here are the advantages and disadvantages. You decide which, though you’ll usually be able to tell which side I’m on!

~Authors set their own price for the Kindle digital version of their book but it must be between $2.99 and $9.99. Sure Amazon is trying to maintain a low retail on all their Kindle books. Low prices attract buyers.

~The price the author sets must be at least 20% lower than the same book in its print edition.

~Authors are free to place their books with other readers or in other formats (like B&N’s Nook and Sony’s Reader), but they must set the Kindle price lower than or the same as the price they ask for in other digital formats.

~Authors must sign over some rights to Amazon including the ability to turn the book into speech and to allow Kindle to use the book on future iterations of the Kindle reader. This applies only to digital copies. not print.


From there most all the news outlets are focusing on the timing of Amazon’s announcement: That it coincides with an expected announcement that Apple will be making an e-reader of its own.

Or they’re focusing on the fact that this offer is not going to make traditional publishers happy. Well, duhhhh. They’re not happy about any of Amazon’s strong competitive stances on the pricing of books (and other perks). In the past several of the real big publishers started delaying the release of digital editions until long after hardcovers and paperbacks were released. That’s been sort of standard for publishers. They’ve also delayed the release of paperbacks some time after hardcovers. That policy only makes sense.

Articles in the business media are focusing on the influence Amazon has on the publishing world in terms of pricing. And about Amazon’s brute commercial power.

So, how will this specifically affect authors?

~It won’t mean much to those who are traditionally published other than that they might want to press for better royalties on Kindle sales when they sign their contracts. And, of course, the long term effect this move may have on publishing in general.

~To indie authors--self published or subsidy published--it means that having their books offered digitally will be more important than ever. It won’t just be about making their books available to readers the way they want to read them at a good price, it will be about making their books available at the only price some may feel they can afford. The price differential can make a difference but so will the rush by authors to have their books available on Kindle and the more books, the more choice, the more reading folks are going to like that.

~If more people are buying books because they’re cheaper, that broadens an author’s audience. The more people who read a good book, the better a book sells. Remember when Clinton said “It’s the economy, stupid!” Well, it’s the word-of-mouth, stupid.

~I like this last reason best (though there may be other I haven’t thought of). Here it is. Amazon, once again, is giving more power to the author. Even the new author, the emerging author. Treating us as if our pocketbooks are important. That’s a move in the right direction. With their clout, they may start a trend.

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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.

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Sharing Your Book with Love for Valentines Day

It's amazing the things that put us on the road to a book promotion.

As many of you know, my grandson is back now from two tours of duty in Iraq and is now stationed (very luckily) near Monterrey, CA. (See my War Peace Tolerance blog if you're interested in ways to help our troops inexpensively.) T

In this case, my poetry writing partner Magdalena Ball came up with an idea and I am, of course, enthusiastically supporting it. W are giving away e-copies of our chapbook of unconventional love poetry Cherished Pulse to 'our' troops overseas as part of Operation e-book drop. We hope it will help them celebrate our holiday of love and express our love to them.

Troops will get an e-mail with a coupon code for a free copy at Smashbooks. We would love to have you have a copy, too. Partly to see how the program works. Partly to share our poetry with you. The coupon code is ZF39H (not case sensitive).
Customers enter the code prior to completing their checkout.
Expires: February 28, 2010

If you are an author, you may do something similar. More about Op Ebook Drop is here:
http://blog.smashwords.com/2009/09/smashwords-supports-operation-ebook.html

And Smashwords has a Facebook group here:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Operation-EBook-Drop/172002003420

If you prefer to send a real copy to someone, that is easy, too. It is only $6.95 on Amazon, certainly a doable gift. (The Amazon Link is in this post.) Cherished Pulse makes a really beautiful gift with Vicki Thomas’s artwork and you can make it even prettier by tying a slender satin ribbon in the book's crease as a bookmark. Go to .

As long as we're on the subject of our soldiers (now working their fannies off to bring relief to the Haitians), you may be interested in a gift book I wrote the foreword for. It is Eric Dinyer's book of patriotic quotations, Support Our Troops, published by Andrews McMeel. Part of the proceeds for the book benefit Fisher House. Her chapbook of poetry won the Military Writers Society of America's award of excellence. Find it at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1599240173/.

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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.

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Aggie Villeneuva Boils Down Cross Promotion to Three Easy Steps

I've been asked how to cross promote. Many times authors think it requires a big project like the one I'm doing with radio host Lillian Cauldwell that offers authors a chance to read their own fiction (programs on nonfiction and poetry are coming).

That's one way but there are simpler ways. After artist/author Aggie Villaneuva linked my post about Obama's brother choosing self publishing (http://www.visualartsjunction.com/?p=3966 ), I asked her about her cross promotion process. I was amused by her thee easy steps, but it brought home to me how many people forget the last one and sometimes the second one, too. Here they are with thanks to Aggie.

Step 1. Do something for someone else, a fellow author, a reader.

Step 2. Let them know about it.

Step 3. Hope that they are savvy enough promoter to know they can keep the good vibrations going by a link of their own OR simply ask them to!

And, if you want to learn more about cross promotion and marketing of your book, you'll find lots more practical advice in The Frugal Book Promoter http://budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo.

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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.

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A Compilation of Tips from Carolyn's AllTips Edition of Sharing with Writers

Frugal promotion. Frugal publishing. This is the season of Frugal for writers. And Frugal usually means do-it-yourself. Here are some tips from one of my my AllTips editions of my Sharing with Writers newsletter (subscribe with the little box in the upper left corner of this blog). Hope they save you some money or just help you do some things that otherwise might not get any attention:

Tip: You need to be familiar with BISAC even if you're not self publishing. You and only you know best what your book contains and, therefore, how it is best categorized. If you're self publishing, you'll need to decide the category for the copyright page yourself. If not, you need to double check your publisher's decision to see if he--through an incorrect decision--sent your book to a shelf in the library or bookstore where it will never be found. So, go to www.bisac.org and follow the links through to BISAC Committees and then to BISAC Subject Headings.

Tip: See how one author offers free chapters to promote her novel--in a free REAL chapbook: Get yours as a sample at: http://www.nadinelamanbooks.com/

Tip: Read the book Your First Novel even if you're working on your second. It's by Ann Rittenberg and Laura Whitcomb (one is a novelist, the other an agent!), published by Writer's Digest. I reviewed it and you can find that review at http://www.carolynhowardjohnson.redenginepress.com/free_content.htm That's my free article page. Scroll down to the Reviews for Writers section. And feel free to mmmm . . . swipe any article or review you find on that page for your own newsletter or blog.

Tip: Annette Fix, author of a memoir, BreakUp Diet, printed flyers a month in advance of her signing at Barnes & Noble and stocked the counters with them. They sold out 20 of her books before her signing and had to re-order! Yay, Annette! And thank you for letting me use this in this AllTips edtion!

Tip: So you got As in English. You know grammar and spelling. That's great but an editor of you those skills alone doth not make. An editor knows formatting, front and back matter, indexing, structure, the elements of fiction and on and on. But mostly she'll see your manuscript in a fresh, new light. Learn how to hire a great editor and learn to be a better partner for any author--awful to superb--in The Frugal Editor.(www.budurl.com/TheFrugalEditor)

Tip: Time Magazine (January 2009) tell us: The New York Times recently printed its very first display advertisement on its front page (before they had occasionally used text-only classifieds. This tells us that newspapers--even the most venerable--are coming up with new ways to increase income and that you should be doing two things: 1. Ask how can these changes help you with your advertising campaign. Will ads become more affordable for you? and 2. With this kind of evidence of hard times for print vehicles, might you be thinking harder about how you might utilize ads? In the backs of your books, as an example. Some big NY publishers have tried (and then discarded) the idea. The time may be ripe again--especially for independent publishers. I’ve done it in 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.

Tip: “Blow your horn loud...If you succeed people will forgive your noise. If you fail people will forget it.” ~ William Feather

Tip: Here’s a calendar to use when you want to market for holidays: http://www.speakingwithspirit.com/pdf/QuirkyMarketingCh1.pdf Or use it the other way around. Look at the holidays and see how they apply to your book or promotion efforts.

Tip: Those of you who are concerned about plagiarism can use http://tynt.com/. Also reread the section in The Frugal Book Promoter on my take on the fear of plagiarism, how to deal with that fear, and what a great publicist would do to turn it to their advantage if it ever happened. Use the index to find references to the subject.

Tip: A great article on fair use: http://adjix.com/dcc6 . It will help with your copyright problems.

Tip: From Dena Dyer (www.denadyer.com). Here's my favorite writing tip of all time: To get quoted in national publications that fit your platform, try joining the reader panels of magazines. Reader panels are special panels you can join for fr ^ ^, so the editors can send you questions about features they're working on. If you read the issue online, then you ARE a reader and qualify. Usually, the magazine will have a spot on their Web site or in their current issue asking for reader panel members. I've gotten quoted in several glossy high-profile publications this way (Working Mother, Parenting, NickJr. Family and more). ~ Dena blogs at Mother Inferior, www.denadyer.typepad.com. She tweets at www.twitter.com/denadyer.

Tip:: Writers in the Sky Creative Writing Services (WITS) allows a limited number of students to join a mentoring program designed to bring new writers into the freelance writing business. During these weekly teleseminars, Yvonne Perry, the owner of WITS, provides coaching that allows students to build a real-world portfolio while learning the craft and business of freelance writing. Weekly assignments are given to the group and graded individually. Students are given encouragement and help in specific areas of need. The program includes a weekly one-hour teleclass, too. Go to http://writersinthesky.com/mentoring.html

Tip: Here's an easy way to do get a widget to advertise a chat: www.99chats.com

Tip: I get questions like this one from Jo Ann Hernandez, author of Whitebread Competition, http://bronzeword.wordpress.com: “Did I go overboard [on my book proposal]? Should I just list my achievements and say they can be provided if my contact is interested in reading them?" ~~~~~ A thousand times no! People really misunderstand proposals. The idea of a proposal is to give your contacts everything they might need in one place, not to send them on a hunt for information however easy it is to do with links in this Internet connected world. Truly, they don't have time. Learn more about proposals from my "The Great First Impression Book Proposal: Everything You Need To Know To Sell Your Book in 20 Minutes or Less" http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000YG6O5U/ It's an Amazon short and will cost you 49 cents to get that book proposal right.

Tip: Save ANY indexing ideas you have in something called a Concordance. Don’t fool with the Word indexing feature until it's soooooooo the last thing you do in the editing process. You can use the Concordance to help you. This tip will save you hours of time. And yes, SOME fiction is now being indexed--especially anything historical. People are truth oriented. They want to know what is real and what is imagined.

Tip: Irene Watson is now the managing the Blogging Authors blog. I signed up to get notices in my e-mail box because it is targeted to authors. Irene of Reader Views fame knows publishing well and always strives to provide great content. http://www.bloggingauthors.com/blogging_authors/2009/3/19/how-to-hire-an-editor.html?lastPage=true#comment3385355 .

Tip: Don't suffer with book proposals. You can be a pro with and investment of only 20 minutes and 49 cents with my Great First Impression Book Proposal Short (www.budurl.com/bookproposalreport)

Tip: When you’re trying to hire an editor, find a publisher or whatever, Google that person’s or company’s name + complaint. Put the name in quotes and add + complaint without quotes. Do be cautious about what you read though. There are malcontents out there who will deliberately try to destroy another’s reputation and often the problem is not with the company but with the complainer. Truly.

Tip: Please note the new Resource for Writers page on Contests at http://www.carolynhowardjohnson.redenginepress.com/contests.htm Follow the “Click Here’s to other valuable lists on my site.

Tip: Avoid scams by checking out www.writersweekly.com/whispers_and_warnings.php

Tip: Follow how one writer figured an agent scam when he saw it: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/570357/writers_literary_agency_scams_dont_pg2.html Note that authors are sitting ducks for scams because they so desperately want the best for their work. An author might get an agent quickly and easily but if it’s too easy, that’s a first red flag. Just use caution.

Tip: Available: Audios from Audio Divas on many aspects of building a writing career. Here is the page where you'll find the full list at http://www.tri-studio.com/audiodivas.html including one on "Do It Yourself Indexing." They're frugal. Only about $5.

Tip: Most publishers ask you to do your own index these days. If they do, rejoice. That's because no one can do the job as well as you. You know your book. You know what's important in your book. But that's only if you are willing to do your homework on producing a professional index. Here's the tip if you decide to take it on rather than hire it done. Wait until ALL the editing is done. Every last scrap. It will save you hours of time. And read a little more on indexing in The Frugal Editor. It isn't a book about indexing but it will help you decide whether you want to do it or hire it done and it gives resources for hiring.




Tip I ran across this accidentally! Bowkers, the people who make it their business to list books has an ISBN converter. It will convert from 10 digit to 13 or the other way around. It’s handy if you’ve forgotten yours, or, of course, if you are self publishing. http://www.isbn.org/converterpub.asp


Tips from Linda Ballou, author of the free e-book How to Make Travel Writing Work for You:

Tip #1 - The first step in beginning to write about travel is to find your niche. Focus on an area you are passionate about. Think about your expertise and how you can capitalize on them. Are you a birder? Then go for some of the great birding trips about the globe to get you started. This is going to be a labor of love so make sure you love what you are doing.

For the complete list of tips Go to www.LindaBallouAuthor.com . Enter your name and e-mail in the top right corner of homepage and magically the e-book appears.



Tip: I use Vista Print for lots of my promotional materials. Be aware that shipping prices may fluctuate, depending on the deal of the moment. http://www.vistaprint.com/


Tip: You can add comic balloons to pictures of your book cover or your own little person at http://www.speechable.com . The idea is fraught with eye-catching promo possibilities.


Tip: If you have a blog, connect it to an online bookstore using their widgets. This should be a permanent segment and it should tie you to Amazon's associates program so that you share (though in a small way) in any of the profits that come directly from your blog to Amazon. Programs like this are called "passive income" and once you've set yourself up for this benefit, it is passive. No work at all on your part. Just a little (or big--depending) check from Amazon now and then.

Tip: The New Book Review is a service of HowToDoItFrugally.com. It allows authors to get more exposure from their favorite review and reviewers a chance to have more readers see their reviews--with links, of course. Please check the guidelines on the blog site at www.TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com.


Tip: A poet friend and artist Joyce White sent me this link for an article on how to make a f r ^ ^ e-book go viral: http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/4667/default.aspx?t=633748737335824742#comment293 Joyce has a f r ^ ^ report, too, on how you can write your book faster than you ever thought possible. http://www.WriteABookNow.com/cmd.php?af=961637

Tip: Each year The Muse Online Writers Conference cosponsored by Lea Schizas and Carolyn Howard-Johnson features seminars on everything from book promotion to the craft of writing: http://themuseonlinewritersconference.com/. ----------


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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.


PS: The logo on today's blog is from Lloyd King, poet.

How To Write Flash Fiction

Guest blogged by Diane Sagan

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Flash fiction is a term for short stories that are no longer than 1,500 words. Some are even termed micro- or mini- stories because they are no more than 100 words. It’s important to remember that each story must have all the same requirements as a longer piece – characters, scene, conflict, resolution.

STEP I: Decide what you want your flash fiction story about. If you have a favorite genre like mystery, thriller, or romance, then write a story in that genre.

STEP 2: Write down some notes to get your story arc started. It can be an informal list of ideas to include in the story.

STEP 3: Write a short bio of your main character and antagonist or villain. This helps you develop your characters.

STEP 4: Write a first draft of your story. Allow yourself to write whatever comes out for this first draft. Then, put it aside for a little while so you can come back to it with fresh eyes.

STEP 5: Read your story and see what works and what doesn’t. Clarify anything that seems confusing. Be sure to check for spelling or grammar mistakes. Share it with some fellow writers for feedback.

STEP6: Now, rewrite your story with the revisions and corrections you decided on from the original draft. Remember the key is to use a few words and still tell a good story.

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The guest blogger is author of Rebeccah Redeemed. Here is her video:

She is also the author of Shelter from the Storm and Flash Tales: An Adventure with Words

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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.

If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widge to let them know about it:

Free Contest Honors Memory of Erma Bombeck

I'm so happy. Other years I've presented at the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop at Dayton University. This year I'm not so I can enter their contest. I hope you will, too. Even if you've never written humor, why not give it a try? It FRUGAL! (It's free!)

Here's the notice from my Sharing with Writers newsletter.

For the past 12 years, the Washington-Centerville Public Library’s Erma Bombeck Writing Contest held in conjunction with the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop http://www.humorwriters.org/ has encouraged thousands of aspiring writers to capture the spirit of one of America’s great humorists in 450 words or less. Learn more at the Library’s own Web site at www.wclibrary.info. The contest opens January 4, 2010, and goes to the end of the month only. They give entrants a month to enter their essays the green way, online.

This comes from Debe Dockins, Erma Bombeck Writing Contest CoordinatorWashington-Centerville Public Library, ddockins@wcpl.lib.ohs

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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.

If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widge to let them know about it:

Broaden Your Concept of Conferences--They're About More Than Writing

I believe most authors think too narrowly when the word "conference" comes up. We think writers' conferences. Conferences where we go onsite to learn craft and marketing and to talk to agents. Conferences online, like the Muse Online conference I cosponsor with Lea Schizas that are free.

However, a new year is upon us and I'd like you to start thinking about conferences in general. In The Frugal Book Promoter (www.budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo) I talk about examining the themes and other elements of your own book to help you get more publicity for it by exploiting current events related to them. You can exploit conferences the same way.

Almost every industry--even every sub industry--has a conference each year. Your job is to find the one that attracts people who would be interested in your book.

It is nearly always true that this process will be easier for nonfiction writers but it can be done for any book, even fiction and poetry. It requires analytical skills (that examining of your own book thing) and research. A good place to start is by rereading your book, keeping all its elements and how they can be applied to the outside world in mind. You might also check www.fictionmarketing.com to read the chapter by Phyllis Miller Zimbler and me on marketing fiction. You will need to sign in so we can notify you when the book comes out. It's part of the marketing campaign!

From there go to www.allconferences.com where you'll find conferences and trade shows of all sizes and types located all over the world. Once you've found a match ask yourself how you can put it to work for you. Ask yourself:

1. Could I reach a good number of readers among attendees? Then rent a booth.

2. Could I reach my audience by speaking at that conference? To those with booths? To attendees? Then pitch their program director with a query letter and include a video that shows your speaking skills.

3. Could I benefit from taking ads in the conference directories? Would it increase my chances of success if I offered some special benefit?

4. Could I offer to barter some of my lists and exposure (say on blogs) for some kind of return favors from the conference administrators?

5. Could my tax bill benefit from some business travel deductions? A conference might fill the bill. Don't forget that if your travel includes research for a future book, those expenses might qualify for a deduction, too.

Happy Writing, Promoting and Editing. And Happy New Year, too.

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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.

If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widge to let them know about it:

Amazon Lets Your Earn Associates Money--EASILY--on Blogger and Blogspot

Amazon and Google are partnering for the benefit of all. This not only a great new tool but it's a prime example of how even the biggest guys are cooperating and cross promoting. Here's the how-to letter directly from Amazon:

Today we are excited to announce Amazon Associates for Blogger, a direct integration between Amazon Associates and Blogger. This new collaboration enables Bloggers to monetize their content by adding relevant Amazon products to their blog posts without interrupting the blog editing process. Amazon Associates for Blogger is available now available here on Associates Central. (https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/gp/associates/blogger?ie=UTF8&ref_=pe%5F1130%5F13930380) Amazon Associates who don’t have a Google Blogger account can set up a free Blogger account with their Associates ID and start earning right away.

The new tool allows Bloggers to add links and images to their blog posts in just 2 easy steps:

1.Bloggers highlight the relevant text and the Amazon Product Finder will search Amazon’s millions of products and recommend the ones that are most closely associated with the text.

2.Bloggers can then insert a link or image to that product which includes their Associates ID, enabling them to earn up to 15% in referral fees from Amazon.

Bloggers will also be able to show dynamic content in their blog sidebar using a new set of integrated Sidebar gadgets, such as gadgets for MP3 clips from the Amazon DRM-free music store, an Amazon Deals gadget, and an Amazon Search box.

Also as part of this new integration, Bloggers who don’t have a free Amazon Associates account can create one directly within Blogger so tell your friends that use Blogger how they can start earning with Amazon Associates today.

Please tell us what you think of our new Amazon Associates for Blogger feature using hashtag ‘#AMZN4BLGR’ on Twitter or contact us via the contact form. We want to hear from you!

Sincerely, The Amazon Associates Program

Notice: I am using this new tool for easy and great effect. It is especially useful for my review site, www.thenewbookreview.blogspot.com. If you submit, please follow the guidelines in the left column. And, I've added one of the widgets to this blog--just so you can see what they look like. Once installed, this is truly a time saver. And the installation is user friendly, too.

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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.

If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widge to let them know about it: