So Why DO We Promote to Authors?

I often run Q and As a la Ann Landers in my Sharing with Writers newsletter. This question came from poet Mike Mullins who--obviously--isn't noticing any sales of his creative work from promoting to fellow authors. Please read the Q and A from Sharing with Writers below and if you would like to subscribe, send a request in an e-mail with SUBSCRIBE in the subject window to me at HoJoNews (at) AOL.com.

QUESTION:

Carolyn, I can't remember my password for Author's Den. Shucks. I have been a member of IFOGO but never use it. My question--what is the point of marketing myself to other authors?

~Michael D. "Moon" Mullins, award winning author. "Vietnam in Verse, poetry for beer drinkers" is available on line from Amazon & B&N. and B-a-M book stores & available as an audio-book exclusively from the author. Co-author of Kings of the Green Jelly Moon, the book. Please contact me at this e-mail address; mullins.m.1@ comcast.net or via land mail at POB 456 Windfall, In. 46076.Vietnam Veteran, Delta 3/7, 199th Light Infantry, '68-'69. Vice President of MWSA. Supporter of the Wounded Warrior Project.

ANSWER:

I guess the short answer to that is, “other authors read.” The trick is to show every different niche group what they can get from what you do. It's also about career building rather than book sales. It's about showing people benefits of reading your work.

You're more than a one-book guy. I know. Several books of poetry and now a novel. Re-read your copy of The Frugal Book Promoter. (www.budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo). Better yet, get the new edition. It makes some very strong points about this very thing--career building. Branding, name recognition, etc.

Having said that, authors and poets need to buy more of one another’s books. We’re so busy writing…but we still need to pitch in and support the industry. We also need to better examine just who our target audience is. There are places in The Frugal Book Promoter  (www.budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo) that tell you how to examine your own work to determine just who these folks are so you can target your efforts in their directions. The main point to those sections is that you need to reread your book. Take a new, fresh look at it. What are the themes? Who are the characters? What about the settings? Those are clues about the kinds of blogs, Web sites, magazines, etc. you direct your publicity efforts to. Even the location of libraries that will be most likely to stock your books

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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 Blog: Book Reviewer Woes

Many of you who have read either the multi award-winning Frugal Book Promoter or the new second edition (www.budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo), know that I recommend authors review others' books, both for the networking opportunities and for the pure power of exposure on online bookstores. You also know that I warn against the dangers of putting too many of your eggs in one basket. The following article by guest blogger Irene Watson, underscores that position.  Do it, but don't put yourself at the mercy of big sites like Wikipedia and Amazon.

Bad Behavior from Amazon Once Again

by Irene Watson of ReaderViews

Amazon did it again! They removed Reader Views' reviews saying "We found your reviews to be in violation of our guidelines and have removed them. Because of these violations, we’ve removed your reviewing privileges from your account." (See previous editorial for backstory.)

Wow! That was a shocker considering Sarah Hobbs, the person that reinstated us the last time, assured me this wouldn't happen again. She also approved the way the info on our website was worded. Nothing had changed since then. I emailed her immediately and attempted to phone her on many occasions but she wouldn't answer. It's obvious she has caller-id and wasn't about to be confronted on this.

After a week of attempts to contact her and leaving voice messages, I sent an email to Amazon. I explained I worked with Sarah Hobbs and tweaked our site according to her standards and approval. I got an email back saying "... we won’t be able to comment further on this matter." Huh? So, I sent an email directly to Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon, explaining that one of his staff reinstated/approved our reviews and this is what I got back:

I'm Elizabeth King of Amazon.com's Executive Customer Relations team. Jeff Bezos received your e-mail and asked me to respond on his behalf.

I’ve thoroughly read through your concern and previous correspondence with us. While I know you’re disappointed with this decision, I’d like to confirm the information you received from our Communities team is correct.

As mentioned, we found your reviews to be in violation of our guidelines and have removed them from our site.

Again, no accountability as to what guidelines we violated. And, it's highly unlikely that Jeff Bezos actually received the email from me. This same email, only using different team members' names, has been sent to others that have attempted to contact him. I emailed back, again explaining that Sarah Hobbs had approved us. No response.

I know that in the past two weeks at least six review sites that have been removed with no explanation or further communication. One was Rebecca's Reads, but they did get one response back saying:

As mentioned in our last message, we took this action because your reviews were found to be in violation of our guidelines and participation agreement.

The customer account you used is related to an account that was previously banned.

Wow! Now they are removing "related" reviewers. When asked for clarity as to whom they are "related," Amazon never did respond to Rebecca's Reads. There is nothing in the guidelines or terms of service to indicate related people can't post reviews.

But there is more. An author told me:

TEN of my reviews have now disappeared!!! The latest two were posted [on two different books] by my second cousin in OH who read my books. She has no connection whatsoever to any review sites!

Wow! Maybe Amazon is now has a team that checks to see if the reviewers are "related."

I've heard from other authors over the past few weeks telling me reviews have disappeared off their book listing, not only those posted by review sites but by individuals. I found the same on my own personal books; some (not all) individual readers' (many I don't know and some don't review for a site except their own blogs) reviews have been removed. I didn't get a response from Amazon when I questioned as to why they were removed.

What to do now? I really don't know. It seems like Amazon/Bezos has his own agenda. It seems like the guidelines only apply to specific reviewers and certainly not to those on their top reviewers list. The number one reviewer violates the guidelines but is able to stay in number one place. Also, the #7 reviewer says:

7. In addition, I will almost always make time to read and review books for those who are willing to generously contribute to Habitat for Humanity. Please contact me for details. (Several authors told me that the generous donation has to be of at least $600.)

When I asked Sarah Hobbs if it's possible to do the same she said "Charitable donations would not be allowed. [As form of compensation.]" I referenced the guideline the reviewer had on his profile page and she responded "I appreciate you bringing this to our attention. We have reached out to this reviewer and will take action as necessary." The action Amazon took is having him remove the blurb from his guidelines but they didn't ban him from posting reviews. According to authors that have asked him for reviews received an email saying they have to make the contribution before being considered.

Fair? No, of course not. Victimized by a huge corporation with bullies running it? Yes, of course.

Bezos that. If you feel victimized, tell him that. Maybe, just maybe, if enough of us inundate their email boxes someone at Amazon will take this to heart and not just send back a form email signed by a person with no-last-name. Maybe, just maybe, your voice will be heard.

Here is a list of email addresses that you could write to:

1. jeff@amazon.com (Jeff Bezos)
He is the CEO of Amazon.
2. community-help@amazon.com
This is the main customer service email address.
3. community-help@amazon.com
subject line - Please direct to the Legal Department
4. shobbs@amazon.com (Sarah Hobbs)
She is the person that approved Reader Views site and reinstated us.
5. community-help@amazon.com
subject line: Attn: Aric R.
His name appears most on form emails saying the reviewers are banned.

~Irene Watson is the Managing Editor of Reader Views, where avid readers can find reviews of recently published books as well as read interviews with authors. Her team also provides author publicity and a variety of other services specific to writing and publishing books.

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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:

Your Author Blog: The Hub of Your Online World

By D’vorah Lansky, M.Ed., Author of Book Marketing Made Easy: Simple Strategies for Selling Your Nonfiction Book Online.

As an author, having a blog is essential to your online book marketing success. Your blog is the hub of your online world and provides you with a platform from which to share your message, sell your products, build community, house your membership site, show your videos, and share your knowledge. Create an attractive, interactive environment where people will want to visit often.  Your blog is not just where people go for content; it is where they go to connect with you. With your blog, you build community, you build credibility, and you create interaction.

By D'Vorah Lansky

Tips for Making the Most of Your Posts

•       Use the footer section of every post to invite readers to subscribe to a special offer or follow you on a social network.

•       Respond to comments! Authors who respond to comments generally get a lot more comments than those who ignore their readers.

•       Use social media to promote your blog posts. Announce your new posts on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social media sites. There are plugins, for WordPress for example, that allow you to automate the announcement of new blog posts to Twitter.

•       Add images to your blog posts as that will engage your readers and encourage them to read through your post.

•       From time to time add audio or video to your blog posts. This will captivate your audience and they will be encouraged to come back often.

•       Share a sentence or two from key blog posts, in your email newsletter. Invite your audience to visit your blog to read the full article.

Your blog is a place where potential customers and publishers come to find out more about you and your book. Your blog provides you with a place to share your message and to share your work. You can have articles that you write in support of the material that you discuss in your book. You can share weekly tips or articles on the topic of your book, include audio clips from your book, as blog posts, post your interview and book tour schedules and much more.

10 Things to Blog About

1.     Share an update about a recent book reading or interview you have participated in.

2.     Write a post based on an idea inspired by a comment from a reader of your blog.

3.     Comment on a news event and on how it relates to your field.

4.     Write a how-to post.

5.     Tell an entertaining and educational story, related to your topic.

6.     Address common frustrations in your industry.

7.     Compose a detailed, step-by-step tutorial on how to do something that your blog readers would benefit from.

8.     Invite an expert in your field to share his or her insights and wisdom with your readers. Write and introduction to the article and invite comments.

9.     Make a list of FAQs (frequently asked questions) that will appeal to your target audience. What are common questions people have and what are your answers?

10.  Review a book on your topic area and share your opinions on what the author has to say.

Make your blog attractive and brand it with the colors of your business or your book. Display a video book trailer on the home page of your blog as that will invite people in and help them to make a connection with you.

Your blog also provides an easy way for people to purchase your book. You can sell your book directly from your site by providing a link to Amazon, as well as by offering special pricing or a special promotion for signed copies of your book.

D'vorah Lansky

~D’vorah Lansky, M.Ed. and Marketing Wizard has been marketing online since 1994. She is the author of the Amazon bestseller, Book Marketing Made Easy: Simple Strategies for Selling Your Nonfiction Book Online. Visit her blog at: www.BookMarketingMadeEasy.com Get your free guide to Guest Blogging and check out D’vorah’s upcoming course on Virtual Book Tours for Authors at http://VirtualBookToursMadeEasy.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:

Amazon Rectifies Big PR/Marketing Booboo!

Amazon is finally getting their marketing right. Read that word "marketing" as  “public image” as well as “sales.” They're partnering with California rather than fighting them. This kind of partnership is best for retailing in general (and yes, selling books--whether through online bookstores, bricks-and-mortar bookstores, or through the author themselves--is retailing!).

This new tack, of course, is best for Amazon. I don’t know why they keep getting their public relations wrong. By partnering, they get to bring thousands of jobs to California (along with lots of positive publicity in California as the process develops!) and increase their distribution centers in a huge economy. New distribution centers means more sales of merchandise (like food) that must be delivered immediately. Readers won’t mind that faster service, either.

However, I hurry to complain. After cutting off the affiliate program I had with them for this and my other blogs, they've been in no hurry to turn it back on. Thus, you're still seeing no Amazon widgets of book covers and other merchandise on my blogs.  I do hope that changes soon!

~ Inspired by news in the business section of the LA Times  


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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:

Tom Selleck and Jesse Stone Set Examples for Characterization

Sharing with Writers and Readers has a guest blogger today. PM Terrell is a well-known novelist. Today, she's talking abour characterization, something we haven't mentioned in a long time on this blog.  The more writers know about it, the better--of course. But knowing more about it also increases the pleasure of reading for readers.

I fell in love with Jesse Stone after watching Stone Cold starring Tom Selleck. I bought every book in the Jesse Stone series. It didn’t matter what plots Robert B. Parker dreamed up for Jesse. The point was I would have followed him wherever and whatever he did, because I was hooked on the character. He was full of flaws and yet he was a good man, someone I wanted to succeed.

I feel the same way about Augustus McCrae and Woodrow Call in Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove series. The plot didn’t matter as much as the characters and to this day, I still find myself quoting Gus and picturing him in my mind’s eye with that cocky shake of the head or his habit of sucking his teeth.

So when fans began writing me about the characters in my suspense/thriller Exit 22, I understood the connection. There are certain characteristics that can jump out at a reader; for example, the sociopathic assassin in Exit 22 knits baby booties in between killings. For some fascinating reason, that heightens the terror for many readers. Brenda Carnegie, a gorgeous woman who has no qualms about wading through alligator-infested swamps, has become an icon of a self-assured, fearless woman that fans want to read more about.

Exit 22 has inspired a series called Black Swamp Mysteries, a name taken from the black waters of the swampy Lumber River that snakes through southeastern North Carolina. In the next book, Vicki’s Key (due for release in March 2012) I introduce a character who jumped off the page at me and changed the course of the entire series.

Dylan Maguire is an Irishman who comes to America under mysterious circumstances. I found that his nationality made for some dramatic changes in the way I wrote his speech patterns and even the phrases he uses. Spoken by an American, they seem unnatural; spoken by an Irishman, he becomes irresistible. In the original draft of Vicki’s Key, he was meant to be a character that was just passing through. But when the editors and advance readers read the draft, they convinced me that he had become so real to them that he had to continue throughout the series. Like The Fonz in Happy Days, he had emerged in a starring role.

What makes a character memorable? It can be the exotic, like an Irishman or the Shawnee warrior in my book, Songbirds are Free. It can be a tragic back story that makes them who they are. It can be the sense of adventure and courageousness that perhaps we wish we had ourselves. Or it can be the unexpected, like the knitting killer.

And once those characters grab you, there’s no letting go.

~p.m.terrell is the internationally acclaimed, award-winning author of more than twelve books. Exit 22 Kindle edition is on sale through October 31 for ninety-nine cents. The next book in the series, Vicki’s Key, will be released in March 2012. For more information, visit www.pmterrell.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:

Extended Bonus Offer for Book Launch

Because we had a small snafu with the bonus offered to HowToDoItFrugally readers, Denise Cassino and I are extending the launch of the second edition of The Frugal Book Promoter through to Sunday, 10/9. You can access three free months of Bookbuzzr pro now if you've already purchased the book (just use the same download code you used before.)  If you didn't participate you may do so and get bonus offers from the likes of Shelley Hitz, Dvorah Lansky, and Dan Poynter and the new edition of The Frugal Book Promoter at Amazon's discounted price. Go to http://bit.ly/qHi6DZ and get your copy and your bonuses now.

Here is more information on what Bookbuzzr.com can do for you!

With regard to BookBuzzr ...

We are the world's leading provider of book-marketing technologies for authors with over 7000 registered authors. We help authors market their books online through a variety of methods.

BookBuzzr Widget and Other Free Technologies:

1. Authors simply have to sign-up on the www.bookbuzzr.com site, upload their book-extract and other information and they get a beautiful widget with flipping pages. BookBuzzr Widget is like a portable author website that allows for marketing of the book on Facebook, MySpace, Linked-in and Twitter. The BookBuzzr widget also acts as a more engaging replacement for an author's book-cover image. And it's completely free. The widget also holds sales or buying details. When the reader buys the book the author makes money.

2. Authors can include a BookBuzzr Email Signature featuring their own book in their emails (this is something you get when you sign-up for BookBuzzr).

3. Authors can also set up their BookTweeter settings to tweet about their book on Twitter every time somebody previews their book. Again, BookTweeter is part of the BookBuzzr suite of online book-marketing technologies.

4. "The BookBuzzr Mini-Widget" - this is basically a mini widget that can be used in places where the larger sized widget does not fit.

create the AuthorPage widget from BookBuzzr and to connect it to your Facebook fan page you have to sign up for BookBuzzr Author Pro or Pro Plus Subscription.

BookBuzzr Author Pro - This technology helps authors promote their books to book lovers in an innovative, patent-pending method on our Freado.com website. This technology costs authors $9 per month. In return our technology will get the author's book-cover memorized(CoverMatcher ) a 200 times during the month to their target audience. Also, authors can decide to simply give away their book on Freado.com as a free gift. They get exposure from our book-lover players playing the game on the site and bidding for books.

By signing up for BookBuzzr Author Pro or Pro Plus you can create the AuthorPage widget from BookBuzzr and connect it to your Facebook fan page.

The BookBuzzr AuthorPage Facebook Fan Page Technology:

1. Provides tabbed design for better engagement with fans

2. Increases likelihood of more people “Liking” your page

3. Increases likelihood of people returning back to your page

Other Benefits of a BookBuzzr Author Pro or Pro Plus Subscription:

1. Exposure for Your Book in Freado’s Hangman Word Games:

As a subscriber to BookBuzzr Author Pro, you also get to show your book inside the Freado Hangman Games. These are casual word games that are enjoyed by book readers. You can ensure that your book shows up only on themes that are related to your book. For example, if you’ve written a book on vampires, you can ensure that it appears on a game titled “Top 10 Vampire Movies of All Time”

2. Exposure for Your Book in the Prizes section on Freado.com:

If you are a BookBuzzr Author Pro subscriber, you can also give away your book as a prize on Freado.com. Book lovers then bid with points (which they have earned from playing games on the site) for your book. This creates buzz and interest in your book. Further, your book shows up in the BookBuzzr newsletter which has thousands of readers. Your book also shows up on Freado’s Facebook fan page in the Prizes section.

3. Save Time via BookBuzzr Amazon Alerts:

Checking Amazon Sales Rank can be a major time waster for most authors. BookBuzzr’s Amazon Alerts tool (available free with a BookBuzzr Author Pro subscription) frees you from the time-wasting grip of the Amazon sales rank. It sends you an email alert ONLY if your sales rank has improved (indicating the “ka-ching”.) And it sends you a ‘daily digest’ with information about how your sales rank moved during each day. You can thus stay focused on your activities without breaking your flow, wasting time or having to feel de-motivated if you see that your sales rank has nose-dived.

4. Exposure on Freado’s Facebook Fan Page:

Most authors understand that a Facebook fan page (aka public profile) can be a powerful way to market and promote their books. If you are BookBuzzr Author Pro subscriber, we will promote your book on our Facebook fan page with a link to your Facebook fan page.

5. Access to Premium Book Marketing Technology Content:

The book marketing technology experts at BookBuzzr also run a number of webinars every month with other industry experts. Questions such as “How do I sell books on Facebook?” or “Can I use Twitter to promote a book contest” are answered by book publicity experts with real life experiences. These webinars eventually land up in the premium content section on your BookBuzzr Book Marketing Home page. BookBuzzr Premium content is accessible only to BookBuzzr Author Pro subscribers.

6. Extra exposure on Freado.com in the Interviews Section:

As a premium paying author, you get an extra tab on your Freado author profile page where we feature an interview with you. This helps visitors to better understand who you are and why they should be interested in your book.

7. BookBuzzr’s Goodwill Builder:

As an author you want to build a relationship with your readers. One way to do this is to give your readers something of value when they visit your web page, Facebook page (or Facebook fan page) or Twitter page. This could be interesting content, an opportunity to participate in a prize giveaway or something similar. When a visitor comes to your website or blog (or Facebook page), they get to see a message that offers 1,000 free points for use on Freado.com. The Goodwill Builder is available only for BookBuzzr Author Pro subscribers.

8. Premium Access to BookBuzzrs Book Marketing Technologies Forum:

As an author you may have many technology related questions. “Should I use Wordpress for my website?” “ How do I run a contest on Facebook?” etc. But you should be spending time writing books … not researching answers to technology questions. The proposed BookBuzzr Book Marketing Technologies Forum allows you to ask your question to other BookBuzzr authors and to the staff at BookBuzzr. This forum will be the world’s first and only forum dedicated to answering the ‘book marketing technology’ questions of authors.

You can learn more at http://www.bookbuzzr.com/tour.php.

Please sign-up and you can get started right away. Or if you need us to help you with uploading and set-up, we'll be happy to do so.

Warm Regards,

Ranga

Author Success Manager

BookBuzzr Book Marketing Technologies Pvt. Ltd.

www.bookbuzzr.com

www.freado.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:

FREE Bonuses for Buying the ONE Book You Need for YOUR Book

Please come help me with the online launch for the updated and expanded (now 416 pages!) Frugal Book Promoter! I'd like to see it become a best seller and today you'd get free bonuses from amazing authors and marketers like Shelley Hitz, Dan Poynter, Kathleen Gage, D'vorah Lansky and so many more! They add to the value as do some of the discount ads in the back of the book. It will pay for itself this way--and with what you'll learn to sell more of your own book!

The second edition of The Frugal Book Promoter is an updated version of the multi award-winning first edition. It has been expanded to include simple ways to promote books using newer technology--always considering promotion and marketing techniques that are easy on the pocketbook and frugal of time. It also includes a multitude of ways for authors and publishers to promote the so-called hard-to-promote genres. The award-winning author of poetry and fiction draws on a lifetime of experience in journalism, public relations, retailing, marketing, and the marketing of her own books to give authors the basics they need for do-it-yourself promotion and fun, effective approaches that haven't been stirred and warmed over, techniques that will help rocket their books to bestselling lists. You'll also l earn to write media releases, query letters and a knock 'em dead media kit--all tools that help an author find a publisher and sell their book once it's in print

When you buy the book today, you'll receive more than a dozen great bonuses for writers1

Click here to Buy the Book
And See and Collect the Bonuses!

Launch powered by Denise Cassino, dencassino@gmail.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:

D'vorah Lansky Rills on Online Book Tours

I am concudcitng an online seminar for D'vorah Lansky and I'm in the process of planning an online book launch with Denise Cassino--all in one week. So when this from D'vorah landed in my e-mail box, I thought you needed to see it--with her permission, of course:

 Conducting an Online Virtual Book Tour: One of her numberd tips!

The 3rd mistake that even smart authors make when marketing their books online is that they don't participate in an online virtual book tour.

Rather than flying all over the country, paying for travel expenses and for hotel lodging, to give book talks to audiences who may or may not show up, consider holding an online virtual book tour. A virtual book tour is where the author participates in posting articles as a guest blogger, audio interviews, video interviews, and online book talks.

 

Arrange to be a guest blogger on popular blogs in your niche. In this way you will be exposes to new groups of your target audience, and those that serve them. Building relationships with blog owners in your niche are best established well before you begin planning your virtual book tour.

 

A guest blogger is someone who shares an article at someone else's blog by permission or invitation. By being a guest blogger at blogs that would be of interest in your topic makes the best use of your
time and marketing efforts.

 

When it comes time to arrange your blog tour schedule, it is easy to reach out to people you have an established relationship with.You can of course approach blog owners that you don't yet know.

 

Introduce yourself, your book title and your topic, and mention the names of a few experts in your field whom have invited you to be a guest blogger on their site.

 Let them know that you are setting up your upcoming blog tour / virtual book tour, and would like to know if they might consider hosting your for a destination on your tour.

  I have found it helpful to mention that I have a tour schedule page which would list their name and the URL to the page on their site where your article will appear and thus generate fresh traffic to their site.

 

When setting up a virtual book tour, I've found it helpful to use a spreadsheet to keep track of the details. Alternatively you could use a pen and pad of paper. You can track things like:

• The date your article will appear on each blog
• The date your article is due
• A checkbox to keep track of the fact that the blog owner has sent you the url to where your post will appear. They can post your article today and postdate it to appear on the prearranged date.
• The URL to where your post will appear
• A checkbox to indicate that you've sent your hosts a thank you  card.
• Etc.

 

Written blog articles are only one aspect of a virtual book tour.You can share audio and video interviews as well as an audio book review or book study.

 

I recently participated in a virtual book tour for my new Amazon bestselling book, Book Marketing Made Easy: Simple Strategies for Selling Your Nonfiction Book Online. (www.BookMarketingMadeEasy.com)m(http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=I.rnA&m=3vDzAmHFd5IhvZf&b=KHtb5SsqQMkzUAblArdZhw ).

 

If you'd like to see an example of a book tour in action stop  by and check out the virtual book tour page as well as the blog articles which outline the process and share tips on how to set up your own virtual book tour.

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Stay tuned for strategy #4, where you'll find out hoq  authors can benefit from Facebook fan pages. E-mail D'vorah and ask her how to get your tips in your e-mail box: Dvorah@AuthorsMarketingCircle.com. Please tell her The Frugal Book Promoter sent you.

 

Be sure to mark your calendar and listen in to the free pre-conference call series. You'll learn more "vibrant" online book marketing strategies and how they can help you to grow your brand and your book sales.

 

To access the calls, as well as details on how to get your access pass for the full series visit: http://bookMarketingConference.com/details_ (http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=I.rnA&m=3vDzAmHFd5IhvZf&b=U_v39tODBMCdj3TC_F1xOA)

 

Here's to your book marketing success,

D'vorah Lansky, M.Ed. and author of Book Marketing Made Easy: Simple Strategies for Selling your Nonfiction Book Online,  http://bookMarketingConference.com/details

 

BTW, learn more about what I call UN Book Tours and online book tours like these in the new edition of my The Frugal Book Promoter (www.budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo).  There's a whole chapter on the subject. You can never know too much about online promotion!

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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:

Writers' Tricks of the Trade: A Review

 

Reviewed by Morgan St. James , originally for the Las Vegas Examiner

A few years ago I met author, promoter and writing instructor Carolyn Howard-Johnson when she presented workshops at the Las Vegas Writers Conference. We’ve since become friends and follow milestones in each other’s careers.

Carolyn is the author of books that are tremendously helpful, particularly for the writer who must stay on a budget. One of her books, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won’t, is on my own bookshelf with lots of bright orange sticky notes marking passages that I go back to again and again. It is also listed in the bibliography at the back of my new book Writers’ Tricks of the Trade: 39 Things You Need to Know About the ABCs of Writing Fiction. As you can tell, I cherish her solid advice.

Her books that relate to the real world

In this tight economy and fierce competition for the readers’ dollars, we need every edge we can possibly find. In Carolyn's new book, The Frugal Book Promoter: How to Get Nearly Free Publicity On Your Own Or Partnering With Your Publisher (www.budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo) , she relates to the dynamic changes that have occurred over the past few years in the way we do business. I was fortunate enough to receive an advance copy and delighted to see that one of the people she dedicates this book to is Trudy McMurrin, a very talented editor I had the pleasure of knowing. Trudy influenced the way many writers developed their skills, and her life was claimed by cancer much too soon in 2009 .

Here is why I suggest adding Carolyn’s books to your writers’ library.

She approaches her topics in plain language, something I really like, and fills them with real-world common sense. I do that, in my own books and columns because hyperbole and lofty writing are not the way to teach in my opinion.Give me plain talk any day!

She doesn’t advocate that the author “run willy-nilly” and break the rules of PR (public relations.) Instead, she says as a creative author you can take the rules and turn what might have been the tinkle of bells into the sound of timpani for everyone you want to reach. She further states that the idea that authors can’t promote is anything but the truth, and cites Mark Twain as one of the best at putting himself out there.

There are two big words the author needs to have at the front of their consciousness at all times: branding and networking. In simple language, figure out who you are—your strengths, who you want to reach, how you want them to perceive you which will give them a reason to believe they can’t go one more day without putting your book in their collection. Then network, network, network. The best branding in the world is no good if the message isn’t circulating.

It reminds me of the bit of advice I always spout.

No one is going to knock at your door and say, “I understand you just wrote a book. Please let me buy a copy.” Of course, it could be Aunt Sadie who lives close by because your mother just told her about the book, but that's not reaching your market.

Let the world know what you’re doing and enlist the help of others to spread the word.

The new edition of The Frugal Book Promoter is broken down into well organized sections:

• Section I Getting Started and Getting On with It
• Section II Plunging In: Publicity Basics Now
• Section III Do-It-Yourself and Partner Publicity
• Section IV Promote Your Book by Doing What You Love
• Section V You and the Media
• Section VI Well Traveled, Oft Forgotten
• Section VII Onward and Upward

This book is an absolute treasure trove and with two new books to promote myself, I can’t wait to start marking the pages and putting her sage advice to use.

The release of her new book will be announced in this column, on my blog and in the newsletter. Incidentally, Carolyn Howard-Johnson is a guest contributor for the October issue of the Writers’ Tricks of the Trade Newsletter. SUBSCRIBE to the Writers' Tricks of the Trade blog for posts and newsletters to be delivered to you automatically when published.

~For more information about Morgan St. James, visit www.morganstjames-author.com website or the Silver Sisters Mysteries website. Morgan frequently speaks and gives workshops for published and aspiring writers at conferences and events. Her next appearance will be at Partners in Crime, Sydney, Australia on September 11. Information on her website.

Because of the popularity of Writers' Tricks of the Trade, she has recently added a blog, newsletter and the just-released Writers’ Tricks of the Trade: 39 Things You Need to Know About the ABCs of Writing Fiction book., available in paperback, eBook and Kindle. The hilarious third Silver Sisters Mystery, Vanishing Act in Vegas, was also released in August.

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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: