Networking Is A Great Word!

Too many authors think of the word "networking" as something only pushy members of the Chamber of Commerce participate in.  Nope. Networking a good thing. Networking is nothing more than building relationships. It is at the root of all great promotion. In fact, it is at the root of our capitalistic economy. So, if you’re having trouble with any aspect of your promotion campaign, consider your networking skills.

As an example, you will have an easier time booking a signing or workshop at a bookstore where you know the staff. You’ll have an even easier time if you’ve funneled your readers to that bookstore to buy your books (and other books, too!) They are sure to notice and be eager to stock your books on a regular basis.

Ditto for sending your online buyers to one store. You’ll be surprised at how your ratings benefit, as an example, if you use links to your book’s buy page at Amazon exclusively. The better your book sells there (and hits their bestseller list in its category) the more sales begin to grow incrementally without any more effort on your part.

The same concept works with almost everything you do for your book. It’s a bit like the golden rule, isn’t it? What your mother always told you tends to work well in marketing, too.

One of my other promotion golden rules is to learn about other industries and from other industries. In the case of authors, the more they know about retailing, the easier it will be to convince a retailer that they would make a fine sales and promotional partners for authors. So, may I suggest my recent book, A Retailer's Guide To Frugal In-Store Promotions: How-To Increase Profits And Spit In The Eyes Of Economic Downturns Using Thrifty Events And Sales Techniques . 




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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 how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including 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. 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 . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:

So You'd Like To Guides: Amazon's Great Book Promotion Warrior

Below is an excerpt from my first HowToDoItFrugally series of book for writers, The Frugal Book Promoter. I'm reprinting this piece on So You'd Like To guides because I think many authors have neglected this way of promoting their books. In the past I've even directed my UCLA students to how-to articles I've published as a SYLT.  

AHH, AMAZON. When it comes to book sales, she strides on the sturdiest of legs. Like the great woman warrior of mythology she performs amazing feats. She sells your books here and overseas. Small or large publishers, subsidy-, and self-published books may be found in her pages making her a unique buying and selling tool. She also offers—with an outstretched hand and only a few guidelines—avenues that will expose your book to a very important target, readers. To get started using a myriad of possibilities for selling your book and for moving your writing career ahead, open an account.
Because Amazon is fickle—always adding a feature or taking something away, always changing page designs, always changing the names of their features I can only attempt to give exact instructions for implementing the features she offers. Be sure you read and adhere to the guidelines of any feature you use. I especially like So You'd Like Tos...

.“So You’d Like To...” is a feature where you can post articles, essays, rills or rants on any subject that you wish. At the bottom of the article you type in the ISBN numbers (but Amazon calls them ASIN numbers) of books or other products related to the subject of your piece. Readers who visit the pages of the books you listed may then find your article available to read.
Here are some tips for contributing a successful So You’d Like To:

 Find the “So You’d Like To….” link on “Your About You Page.”

 Read the instructions and guidelines before you start.

 Come up with a title that invites browsers to read it. One of mine that has attracted heavy readership is “So You’d Like To… Know More About Elizabeth Smart’s Culture.” Every time Elizabeth’s court case (she’s the teenager who was kidnapped by a radical self-styled prophet in Utah) makes the news, this essay gets another spurt of curious readers.

 Copy and paste your article into the text window.

 Carefully edit. Amazon’s free offer deserves to be honored with your best. Besides, you reputation as a writer is on the line.

 At the end, type in up to 50 related book, tape, and video titles according to the instructions. I used the book written by Elizabeth’s parents and others on facets of Utah’s culture including its renegade polygamist cells.

 Include some books on your list that will attract heavy traffic from book lovers. That helps exposure. Longer lists are spotted throughout Amazon more often than short ones.

 Include the title of your book in the body of the essay. If you have chosen your subject carefully your book will be a natural fit, but don't make it the first book you mention. Amazon appears to frown on that.
 You may begin with a short list and add to it using the edit feature.

 Voila! This list will magically appear on many pages throughout the Amazon site. It will be targeted primarily to the books that you chose to list but may appear elsewhere.
Here's an example of a way I've used SYLTs. It may give you an idea for a project of your own:

I decided to help authors I know by offering to include their books on a “So You’d Like To…” list. I recycled (and rewrote) one of the “Back to Literature” columns I had published at www.myshelf.com . It was an opinion piece on how important it is for authors to be accessible to their fans. Then I posted an offer to fellow authors who share a list-serve with me. I told them what I was doing and asked for volunteers. I also asked them to promise me they would be accessible to fans by offering a gift or a signature label to them if they were contacted.
Some of my SYLTs have made it to Amazon’s top 100, but I haven’t figured out the criteria they use or why they seem to rotate on and off the list, and I can’t find anyone else who has figured it out either.

Now, here's the downside of using SYLTs and any other Amazon feature. What they giveth, they are prone to taketh away. So, if someone reports you or if they think you have broken one of their submission guidelines the powers that be may remove your contribution. In fact, they may remove all your contributions. I am not advising you not to use the features. I am saying to be aware and not to put all your promotional projects in the Amazon basket. Contribute when it will do your book and others some good. Follow the guidelines. But don't put so much into it that you will feel devastated if someone out there in Net land decides to ding you--with little or no cause. And please note: This is not just a risk with Amazon. It is true of most if not all social networks. Facebook once decided (apparently) that I was accepting to many friends as once or that I was doing it the wrong way. Still not sure. I'm b-a-a-a-ck. But it wasn't easy.

PS: There is more on features that Amazon offers writers in The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't. In fact, a whole chapter on how you can make Amazon work for your book and your writing career.


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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 how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including 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. 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 . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:

Kindle to Allow Owners to Borrow from Libraries

I don't want you to have to wait until the next issue of my Sharing with Writers newsletter to see this news.  Just like the old journalist I am, I like to be first (or close to first!) with the news! So her it is, just as it will appear in my newsletter in June.

In the News:  Coming from Kindle: A great benefit for writers who must do lots of research. Called “Kindle Library Lending” it will allow Kindle owners to access every e-book available in any library’s system and it should work just like other books on Kindle, that is allow Kindle to keep track of the last page a reader read and allow readers to highlight and make notes on text. The difference is, these are library books, so they may only be “checked out” for seven to fourteen days, depending on the specific library's policies. Reported by the LA Times.

By the way, anyone who would like to subscribe to Sharing with Writers need only send an e-mail to me with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line (HoJoNews@aol.com). I'm happy to do it for you. 

----- Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including 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. 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 . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:

Yay! Your Book Now Available in Deutschland!

I just received notice that those of us with books published on Kindle are now also published in Gemany at the new Amazon.de site. Of course, I rushed over to see. Not all of mine are there as the letter I've enclosed promises but you can see that I've added some pictures to make the sales page look as if it is cared for. I know a very little German, but I suspect that even without any, you'll be able to figure out how to add some pictures to your pages. See what I've done with Maggie Ball's and my Cherished Pulse chapbook of love poetry:

http://www.amazon.de/Cherished-Pulse-Unconventional-Celebration-ebook/dp/B004HB1W9Q/ref=cm_cmu_up_thanks_hdr

And here is the letter directly from Amazon.  Please let me know if your Kindle-published book(s) are there and what you were able to do make them stand out a bit on this site. (-: 

Hello,


We are excited to announce Kindle Direct Publishing on Amazon.de!

To learn more about publishing your book on Amazon.de, including royalty and payment options, click here:

http://kdp.amazon.com/self-publishing/help

Any books you’ve published through Kindle Direct Publishing which have rights in Germany are already available in the new Kindle store on Amazon.de, based on the list prices and royalty plans you've provided for the Amazon.com store.

In addition to the launch of Kindle Direct Publishing on Amazon.de, we're also thrilled to offer royalty payments for our European publishers via Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). To learn more about this option, including how to sign up to receive payments via EFT, click here:

https://kdp.amazon.com/self-publishing/help?topicId=200641050

We hope to see you soon!

Sincerely,
Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing
http://kdp.amazon.de/

Now I'm off to see if I can spruce up The Frugal Editor and The Frugal Book Promoter pages. (-:

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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 how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including 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. 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 . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:

Free PromoDay Conference: Talk About Frugal!

A couple of years ago I was a presenter at Jo Linsdell's free PromoDay online conference. Then last year, Jo was an honored guest at the Roman Retreat that award-winning UCLA instructor Eve Caram and I put together. Obviously, I highly recommend it for my frugal following.  Also, you'll see this is an opportunity for you to get experience as a presenter.  Here is Jo's invitation to you:

PROMO DAY is back again this year and full of new features to give you even more opportunities to promote, network and learn. One big new addition is the forum workshops. These workshops will take place through out the day meaning you can take part regardless of what time zone you find yourself in.


Confirmed workshops so far include:

Blogging with Joyce Anthony

365 Days of non-stop marketing with Sandy Lender

Writing series with Joyce Lavene

Publishing with Lulu with Donald Anderson

Twitter with Jo Linsdell

As with past events there will also be LIVE workshops in the chatroom. Each one lasts one hour. All times listed are in C.E.T.

16:00 There's Nothing Virtual About the Work in an Online Book Tour with Sandy Lender

18:00 Selling through independent bookshops with Sweetinterludes Bookshop

20:00 Writing Book Reviews: Lessons Learned with Tannia Ortiz-Lopes

I still have space for more workshops so if you'd like to join this years Promo Day Crew drop me an email with a brief outline of what your workshop will cover and your bio. If LIVE chat I'll also need to know what start time you prefer in CET (time converter on site if needed).

All crew members get one book featured in the on site bookstore for free as a thank you for your time and effort. Additional books can be added at €5,00 per book.

If you have any questions about the event please feel free to contact me.

Jo Linsdell
PROMO DAY
Saturday 14th May 2011
http://www.jolinsdell.com/promoday
http://promoday.blogspot.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 how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including 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. 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 . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:

Pulitzers Announced

Just in case you didn't receive the news--the Pulitzers for 2011 have been announced by Columbia University. They're always great fodder for reading, for understanding our industry and for inspiring ourselves to keep reaching.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/19/business/media/2011-pulitzer-prize-winners-announced.html?_r=1&hp

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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 how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including 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. 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 . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:

E-Book Sales Jump! Are You There?

This is from one of the "In The News" segment of my last newsletter:

According the Association of American Publishers, e-book sales grew 164% from 2009 to 2010. They represent only 9% of the book market but 10% of its profits. Yes, you should be there!  

More figures: folks who have readers like Kindle or Nook read two out of three books in digital format.  

I thought those of you who aren't publishing your books as e-books in addition to paperback wouldn't mind a little nudge. And that readers--even ones like me who love the feel of paper and the smell of ink--wouldn't mind a little nudge, too. I recently bought a Kindle with my birthday Monday (Yes, just a kid at heart!) and love, love, love it! It got the fancy version with FREE 3GS on it and am glad I did. 

PS: Anyone who is interested in receiving my newsletter (It's long but packed with tips, articles and other goodies!) may send me an e-mail with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line. It goes to HoJoNews   @  AOL.   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 how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including 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. 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 . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:

Opportunity and Idea for Financing Your Book

You may remember that we partnered on a promotion a while back that never really went anywhere (though I got tons out of it just talking to your smart little self!). I guess we both just got distracted.
You may remember that I have suggested advertising in our books in past issues of Sharing with Writers. Many books—especially f r ^ ^ promotional booklets and e-books—are perfect for paid ads and ads in barter if they are focused on the book’s target audience. Now the LA Times reports Amazon has announced that it will sell put ads in some Kindle readers and that they will then sell them at 18% less than the ad-free device ($114.00).  So ads will help Amazon and help subsidize the cost of the Kindle for readers, too! They’ll be available on May 3. I just bought one and wish I’d waited. You know how frugal I am.

So, if you decide to put ads into your books, how would you do it?
~Put the ads in the backmatter of your book.

~Accept only professionally produced ads.

~Accept only ads that would interest your target audience. Be prepared to refuse some with the “not quite right” phrase that literary journals use to pass on submissions.


~Limit the number of adds to just a few.

~Encourage ads that give discounts or freebies so that the ads are seen as an added value by your readers. When utilized, they may even end up making up for the cost of the book (yours!) your reader just bought.

PS: Anyone with a product (yes, we hate to think of them that way but books are products!) or a service that would appeal to readers of The Frugal Book Promoter may e-mail me for details of how we might partner on something like this. Spaces are limited.

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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 how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including 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. 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 . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:

Guest Blogging Success Podcast Series: The Benefits of Guest Blogging

I often recommend that busy authors use guest posts as a way to keep their blogging time corralled. And as a way to lend more crediblity to their blog by hosting experts. Today's blog is an example of how that's done. It's also an example of the power of networking. I recently met Shelley on Twitter and fell in love with what she does for authors.

Guest post by Shelley Hitz










Many, many hours goes into writing your book. Outlining, writing, editing, formatting, publishing. And when you finally have a finished product, it's time to celebrate!

However, as the author, your work is not yet done. Now, is the time to let the world know about you and your amazing work.

So, how do you get noticed and sell more books? There are many ways. For example, you could hire a publicist and spend tons of money.

However, if you're like me, you're on a tight budget and looking for frugal ways to market your book, ideas that won't break the bank!

And today I want you to consider (or re-consider) guest blogging.

I believe it's time for you to pack your bags for your very own "Virtual Book Tour"! The best part about a "Virtual Book Tour"? No travel costs and no bad hair days! In fact, I've written several of my guest blog posts in my PJ's with bed head. :)

However, even though guest blogging doesn't literally cost you a dime, it will cost you an investment of your time. So, why should you take the plunge and consider a "Virtual Book Tour"?

My new (and free) report "Guest Blogging Success for Authors" not only tells you why you should consider guest blogging as one of your marketing strategies for selling more books, but also shows you how to get started.

Download and read Shelley's free PDF report called, "Guest Blogging Success for Authors."



Shelley Hitz is an entrepreneur, author and speaker. Her website, Self Publishing Coach, provides resources and tutorials that help you publish and market your book. Sign up for her newsletter, Self Publishing Tips to download her book templates, which she offers surprisingly free.

You can also find Shelley on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Learn more about Shelley and her many services for writers:
http://www.self-publishing-coach.com/
www.Twitter.com/Self_Publish
www.Facebook.com/SelfPublishingCoach
www.Youtube.com/SelfPublishingCoach

PS: You'll also find Shelley's  "A Step-by-Step Guide to Guest Blogging" useful.


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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 how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including 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. 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 . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:

Free E-book from Master Marketer Dana Lynn Smith

In the spirit of Sharing (thus the name of this blog and my newsletter), I am offering you a freebie.  Yes, a freebie--a true freebie, with no strings attached.  It's something I suggest in The Frugal Book Promoter as a way to network and as a way to promote.

You've probably also heard me say I don't believe in competition. Dana Lynn Smith is a book marketer. Some might consider us competitors. I don't, and she doesn't, or she wouldn't have asked me to contribute to her  new ebook, Savvy Book Marketing Secrets: 52 Experts Share Insider Tips for Selling More Books. She is allowing me to let you download your complimentary copy at

http://bookmarketingmaven.typepad.com/resources/free-book-marketing-ebook.html.

Please, do. You have nothing to lose. I always figure if I learn even one new thing or get one new idea, I'm ahead. And that's even when frugal me has to pay for something! (-:

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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 how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including 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. 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 . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:

Coke Cake, Marketing, Birthdays, and Your Book

Coca Cola sent me a birthday wish. It is well protected, meaning I can't copy it for you here. But it is a great recipe for a birthday cake that includes 1 Cup Coke.  You should know that this is special fun for me because my father was the manager of a Coke company in Utah and I am  a big Coke fan. But I'm also a fan because Coca Cola is practically the father of great marketing. I borrow their marketing ideas (ideas can't be copyrighted!) all the time. 

Anyway, now I’m thinking of adding a chapter to my memoir using this recipe. The memoir is now being shopped by agent Terrie Wolfe. It is called Here’s How I Don’t Cook. Seems a perfect inspiration, no?

I hope all subscribers and visitors to this blog use this birthday wish idea an example of a great marketing device. How could you use a similar idea by incorporating an ingredient used somewhere in your book as part of a recipe you send to friends and readers on their birthdays as a reminder of your book and as a way to stay connected to them. 

So help me celebrate. Have a piece of virtual Coke Cake and think again about your book promotion. If you do that, it willbe your special gift to me. You know how I love it when authors put on their promotion bonnets! (-: 

PS: If you want to see the recipe in all its glory, subscribe to my newsletter by sending an e-mail to me with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line. HoJoNews@aol.com.  I think the image/recipe is going to come throough in the pdf version of the next issue.


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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 how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including 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. 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 . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:

Writing Help for Your Nonfiction Book--By Skype or In Person

My friend Ellen Snortland helps writers with classes and personal coaching at her Writers’ Workout three Tuesday evenings each month in her home in Altadena, CA. , She is the author of “Beauty Bites Beast," journalist, and Pulitizer prize nominated playwright. She also helps those with a nonfiction book in mind bring it to fruition via Skype. Keep reading.  She says:
OK, you have an inner writer locked in you. What are you doing to release him/her? Talking about it? Do you have a novelist in there? Do you have a murder-mystery writer screaming to emerge? Do you have the next best selling non-fiction author trapped inside, with no apparent “how to” get the book done in sight?

Perhaps you need to make a commitment to work out your “writerly” self. Maybe you need to put some money where your mouth is. Like physical fitness, writing fitness requires strength, time and discipline. Some people can work out on their own. Most of us need support, something like “Writers’ Workout,” the gym for writers.

Tuition is $100 per month for the first year; $75 per month thereafter. Writing wimps need not apply. It takes courage to write! (3 month minimum commitment.) 3 evenings per month, from 7:15- 9:45 p.m.


First Time Nonfiction Book Writers!


Are you serious about writing a book? Do you keep thinking that “tomorrow” or “some day” will be the magic time for you to start? Did you already start your book but are “stuck”? Or have you finished the first draft but are clueless about the “what’s next” part? Ellen Snortland can help you move to the next phase of your book with fun, grace and ease!

Maybe you need to make an investment in your own work. People often become more serious about their art when they put money behind their commitments.

Ellen Snortland — author of “Beauty Bites Beast,” Pasadena Weekly columnist and playwright does private coaching with her consulting business “My First Book Coach.”

Rates are:

$125 per hour with a 3 hour minimum commitment.
Free 1/2 hour consultation. Do you live in another time zone? No problem! I SKYPE all over the world!
(Rates negotiable in customized “packages.”)

Find Ellen at http://www.snortland.com/

----- Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including 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. 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 . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:

Q&A a la Ann Landers


Say That Again! Why does Twitter Work? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

QUESTON:

Fran Silverman asked me to respond to Twitter questions from a journalist for CarolRoth.com.

Fran is an author/on-line publicist and radio host. She has placed her 180 clients on hundreds of radio shows and is author of sixteen e-books full of resources that authors need to know before contacting talk radio show hosts. The descriptions and prices are at http://www.talkradioadvocate.com/ .

ANSWER:

Used right, Twitter can:
1. drive huge amounts of traffic to your blog and Web site. It's a matter of reaching your Twitter followers but also of interconnecting Twitter with your other social networks.

2. get you radio and other gigs. It's a matter of networking.

3. help you make direct-sales pitches because they are not something frowned upon on Twitter as they are at other social networks. (Though there are some techniques for keeping these kinds of tweets friendly and caring.)

BTW, when it's used correctly, Twitter is a great learning/information gathering experience. You may want to check out Frugal and Focused Tweeting (www.budurl.com/Tweeting4Retailers ) . It's written for retailers, but authors are also retailers. We sell books. And the essentials are the same. To make the transition, one must just substitute “author” for “retailer” as one reads.

----- Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including 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. 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 . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog: