Jacquelyn Lyn Shares How NOT To Find Clients on LinkedIn

Welcome to my guest blogger Jacquelyn Lynn! I found her awhile ago on Amazon where she is a Vine reviewer. She is a woman of many talents and a real boon to the publishing industry at large (keep scrolling to see her bio and some links you won't want to miss!). I fell in love with this article because at its heart it's about the way to approach anyone you would like to join you in your marketing efforts--and she does it with humor and aplomb.  ~ Carolyn

How NOT to Connect and Market on LinkedIn

LinkedIn can be a great tool, but please don’t waste my time.

Image created by Jacquelyn Lynn using MockupShots

By Jacquelyn Lynn originally for her Shareable Saturday Newsletter

LinkedIn is a great business networking tool. I’ve found great resources through it, and some of my best clients discovered me on LinkedIn.

But recently, in the span of fewer than two days, I had two people who offer book marketing services send me requests to connect on LinkedIn.

That’s fine.

After all, I write books, and I help my clients write and publish books, and we have mutual connections.

But immediately after I accepted their requests to connect, both of these people sent me private messages asking me what I write.

One wrote this:

Hello 👋 It’s Awesome connecting with you How are you doing today?

I can see you are an author, what’s genre do you write?

The other wrote this:

Hello Jacquelyn How are you doing?

Are you a published author?

Excuse me? Did either of them read my LinkedIn profile? That would be the profile that clearly describes what I do and lists the books I’ve written.

Apparently not.

I ignored their messages.

I understand people use LinkedIn to prospect for clients — that’s a big part of the purpose of the platform. But if your prospecting irritates your targets and makes you look incompetent, you might want to rethink your approach.

A message that essentially says, “I would like you to buy my services, but first take your valuable time to engage in trivial chitchat and tell me everything about your business” isn’t likely to get much of a response — especially if it includes errors.

A better approach is to read my profile, check out and engage with some of my posts, and then tell me why what you offer might be a match with my needs.

Does that take more time? Yes.

Is it more likely to produce positive results? I’m not a sales and marketing expert, so I don’t have any proof, but I think the answer is yes.

Why not give it a try?

And if we’re not connected on LinkedIn, here’s the link to my profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacquelynlynn/

ABOUT TODAY'S GUEST BLOGGER

Jacquelyn Lynn is an inspirational author, ghostwriter, and self-publishing consultant. Her more than 45 books include The Simple Facts About Self-Publishing: What indie publishers need to know to produce a great book and How to Avoid Being Ripped Off by a Publisher. Learn more at CreateTeachInspire.com. Get 10 seconds of inspiration delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning: Join Jacquelyn’s Shareable Saturday community at CreateTeachInspire.com/ss. 

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 ABOUT THE  #SHARINGWITHWRITERS BLOGGER

 Howard-Johnson is the multi award-winning author of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. She is also a marketing consultant, editor, and author of the multi award-winning #HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers including the multi award-winning "The Frugal Book Promoter" (https://bit.ly/FrugalBookPromoIII), now offered in its third edition by Modern History Press. She is also the author of" How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically." 

Carolyn  has two booklets in the #HowToDoItFrugally Series, both in their second editions from Modern History Press. "Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers" (https://bit.ly/LastMinuteEditsII) and "The Great First Impression Book Proposal" (https://bit.ly/BookProposalsII) are career boosters in mini doses and both make ideal thank you gifts for authors. The one on writing book proposals is also available as an Audio Book. "The Frugal Editor" (https://bit.ly/FrugalEditor), recently released in its third edition, is the winningest book in the series.

 Carolyn also has three frugal books for retailers including one she encourages authors to read because it help them understand what is needed to convince retailers to host their workshops, presentations, and signings. It 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" (https://bit.ly/RetailersGuide). 

 In addition to this blog, Carolyn helps writers extend the exposure of their favorite reviews at https://TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com. She also blogs all things editing--grammar, formatting and more--at The Frugal, Smart, and Tuned-In Editor (https://TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com). Learn more and follow for news on her new releases direct from Amazon at https://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile.

One Lovely Thank You Note a Day: This is What Carolyn See May Have Meant

In one of her books on writing, Carolyn See advises authors to write one lovely thank you note a day, the emphasis on "lovely." Lots of authors are good at writing thank you notes, especially since e-mail has made it so easy. But "lovely?"  We are all pressed for time.

Still, I have one reader who has sent me several that are examples of the kind of letter I think See would have approved of. Her name is Marlan Warren and she gave me permission to reprint her letter if I thought it would help other writers do something similar--or at least to nudge them to write their letters.  I mean, a note like this can make an author so happy! And the words from a smart publicist are an added bonus!

Dear Carolyn:

I really enjoyed your interview with Maxine Thompson on the Artist First Radio Network last night. I felt privileged to hear you and Maxine discuss literature, writers, writing, and your own great how-to knowledge (I’m a huge fan of your How to Do It Frugally series and now a fan of Maxine's show). You are two Old School pros who know better than anyone that being a great writer or editor means more than having been at the top of your class in English.

I especially liked your tip to "Promote the Promotion." This is what I try to explain to my PR/Marketing clients, but it is hard for them to grasp. Most think it's enough to post a "Hey! Buy my book!" on social media and leave it at that.

Your discussion with Maxine about editing was spot on. Didn't she say something about refusing to promote a book that is not ready? I do the same thing. You explained today’s indie author marketing environment perfectly: the Internet has provided new venues for people who want to get their writing "out there," but it has also opened the floodgates for sloppy writing and presentations.

I recently received a book from a small press, and the first thing I noticed was a typo on the back cover. Newbie authors often think this is no big deal, not realizing the book will never be opened by a media host if they spot such an error.

Many inexperienced writers/authors I meet confess to feeling bored with the book after they’ve published it: "Never mind about promoting Book No. 1...I've started writing Book No. 2!"

Gives a whole new image to the phrase “pleasuring oneself,” doesn’t it?

Thanks again, Carolyn and Maxine!

Keep on truckin'!

Marlan Warren

ABOUT THE LETTER-WRITER (-: 

Marlan Warren offers PR/Marketing services for authors (Book Publicity by Marlan) and the rest (Roadmap Communications). She reviews for The Midwest Book Review, and is the author of the novel, Roadmaps for the Sexually Challenged: All’s Not Fair in Love or War. The last book she edited is the upcoming The First Practical Handbook for Crazy People by Shelly and Sherry Glaser. A seasoned journalist, Marlan is also a contributor to No Depression Magazine.

E-Mail: memoircity@gmail.com
Twitter: @marlanwarren

Roadmap Girl's Book Buzz: http://roadmapgirlsbookbuzz.blogspot.com/
Web site: http://bookpublicitybymarlan.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bookpublicitybymarlan/

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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 award-winning second edition of, The Frugal Book Promoter: How to get nearly free publicity on your own or by partnering with your publisher; The multi award-winning second edition of The Frugal Editor; 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 .

An Impractical Reason Why Networking Counts

You know I don't get impractical very often. Frugal of money me. Frugal of time. And all that. But I'm also a real softy. I've opined on the value of networking and newsletters often. Today's post--I hope--will bring home to you the value of both and the value goes a whole lot deeper than furthering our careers or selling books. Newsletters are the ultimate networker and networking can feed the sould.  To take the connection on step further, this post is from my SharingwithWriters newsletter and I met the subject of the post (Francine Silverman) through our newsletters.

 

Sometimes we make great friends on the Web but we call it networking. But sometimes they turn into real friends, too. In fact, that’s what networking is all about. Fran Silverman is the authors’ guru for radio show resources. We’ve met for drinks and a trek around Egypt at a special National Geographic exhibit in Times Square. And now she has written a poem and I’m in it. (-: Can you believe? Here it is:  

I was sitting in jury duty for two days penning a poem.
Wishing to God that I was back home
Doing my exercises first thing in the day
Then on the computer so I can play
At finding shows that match my clients
To make them feel like radio giants

Business shows abound by the ton
For Linda Leon and Gary Patterson
Political shows appear in a flash
For my  author Walter Brasch
Education shows you can find just barely
For education expert Neil Haley
Spirituality shows flood the Internet
So do self help shows
For Frankie Picasso, Michelle Avanti and Suzanne Rose
But the two that make me happiest of all are the film and author shows
For Carolyn Howard –Johnson and Betty Jo

Francine Silverman ©
Connect with her on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/talkradioadvocate

I tell you. Some days the people I know in the publishing industry make my heart sing!

PS: If you'd like to subscribe to my SharingwithWriters newsletter which is designed to encourage networking opportunities for its subscribers, just let me know at hojonews (at) aol (dot) com. I'll do it for you. (-:

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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 award-winning second edition of, The Frugal Book Promoter: How to get nearly free publicity on your own or by partnering with your publisher; 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 .

What Makes Great Book Marketing?

My poetry partner Magdalena Ball allowed me to recycle her interview of the photographer who contributed her talents to our collaborative poetry book that celebrates Earth Day. And today is International Earth Day!  This is, after all, a rather international book of poetry: Magdalena makes her home on a rural property in Australia and Ann and I are Californians. 

But I'm including this for my SharingwithWriters blog readers because the story of the three of us is an example of what great marketing is. It's not about sales. It's about caring networking. Ann's cards were given to me by a talented writer and leader of a critique group I belonged to and--trust me--I remembered her work! The time came that aspect of networking--sharing and caring--found its perfect moment to benefit many of us.   

 

An Interview with Ann Howley

Interview by Magdalena Ball

As some of you may already know, I've got a new book scheduled for release on Earth Day (April 22nd). There are a few aspects of this book that particularly excite me. One is that it's another poetry collaboration with talented poet Carolyn Howard-Johnson. Another is that it's a full-length poetry collection which is all environmentally themed, and we're partnering with a sustainability charity, using the profits to support a wonderful cause (more on that soon!). I'm also very excited about the amazing photographer we've partnered with: Ann Howley. Ann's work is so exquisite, inspired by her travels, her love of the natural world, and by what is clearly a very well-honed eye for the visual. Ann's work appears on the cover and inside the book and I've invited her to drop by the blog for a little chat.

Your images are so evocative - what inspires you?

I think I’m inspired by the moment. Since each moment is different and I am different in each moment, I am attracted to different things all the time. That makes it fun to look back at images from previous photo outings to relive what I was seeing at the time.

There's obviously a relationship between the looking, and the moment when you decide that what you're seeing has to be captured on camera - frozen in time or turned from perception into art. Talk to me about that and how you know when to take a photo.

My full dive into photography came just as digital cameras were coming popular. At the time, I was learning photography basics as well as dark room printing. The shift to digital allowed me to pursue photography in a big way because of the cost reduction. It used to cost me over $1,000 to get film processed after a trip. With digital, after the large cost investment in cameras, the cost is minimal. I don’t have fear of “wasting pixels.”

All that is to say that I don’t really think about when is the “right” moment any more. If I see something that intrigues me, I shoot. Sometimes it’s one shot and sometimes that starts me digging further into what I am seeing.

In 2009, you went on a pilgrimage. Tell me about the impact of that on your work.

Yes, I walked 500 miles on the Camino de Santiago across northern Spain. I think the pilgrimage expanded my ability to see, but also allowed me to not rely so much on my camera. About a third of the way into my pilgrimage, I damaged the borrowed camera I had brought (because my camera with accessories weighed seven pounds and was not conducive to backpacking!). While the camera sounded like it was capturing images, I had no way to be sure. I had to decide if the trip was about “the journey” or “capturing the journey”. I decided on the former and didn’t stop to get the camera repaired. With that, I packed the camera and only took it out for shots I really wanted. On shots I considered “must haves,” I set the camera on automatic, thinking it might compensate for the damage. Ironically, the camera was set up for very small files, so the images I wanted most, I didn’t get.

I will be going on my second pilgrimage this May to Portugal and Spain. It will be interesting to see how my answer to the question changes.

Much of your work is nature oriented. Has this always been the case for you? Why - what draws you to your subjects?

I think of my work as originally travel oriented, but I guess my travel choices are often nature oriented. I wanted to go to Africa ever since seeing the movie “Born Free” as a child. Once I visited Kenya and Tanzania in 1995, everything connected. What I love about shooting nature and wildlife is the peace of being in a beautiful setting, far away from everyday life. I love the quiet. I could sit watching a sunset or waiting for the perfect pose of a lion, bird or even butterfly for as long as the opportunity presents itself. It’s a meditation.

 

Do watch for Sublime Planet on Earth Day. Consider giving a surprise gift to the one person who most exemplifies someone who loves the earth. An award of sorts. You'll find it on Amazon and other online bookstores as either a paperback or an e-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 how to books for writers including the award-winning second edition of, The Frugal Book Promoter: How to get nearly free publicity on your own or by partnering with your publisher; 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 . 

Getting Smart About Help A Reporter Out (HARO)

Getting You, Your Book, Your Expertise  Mentioned

Help a Reporter Out Can Be a Boon for Your Career

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By Carolyn Howard-Johnson

When I speak at writers’ groups, I am always amazed at how many writers don’t seem to know about Help a Reporter Out, also called HARO. Or they don’t know how to make it work very well for them. I know because the pencils come out and hands go up.

Here’s what it is. It’s a listing of reporters, bloggers, and other media folks who need your help or the help of someone else out there. It’s a little like a list of classified ads from media folk. Often they want opinion. They may want expertise. They may even want to cast you in a reality show. All you have to do to get these targeted (and carefully categorized) calls for help in your e-mail box is sign up at http://helpareporter.com. But then, of course, like anything else, you have to “work it.”

Some consider it a bit of a problem that these HARO notices come to them several times a day. I did. I signed up and eventually thought I didn’t have time to fool with the extensive lists. I was discouraged because I didn’t get the immediate results I thought I should. So I unsubscribed. But here’s the thing. I wasn’t getting results I wanted because I wasn’t using it right and—of course—because I wasn’t willing to be persistent. Then I tried it again. I changed my tactics. I didn’t frame myself as an author, but as an expert.  And I cut down on the time I spent with it by keeping my answers (really query letters) that matched topics I know something about on file.

I call it “recycling” in my The Frugal Book Promoter, and it can be used to cut time needed in lots of ways. There is also information in that book on how to determine the angles that are related to you, your writing career and your book or books.  Once I learned how to approach the people I contacted, I got better, more frequent results—in less time.

I had to learn the hard way. You don’t because I'm sharing some of my hard-won tips:

1.    Sign up.

2.    Try to look at every e-mail HARO sends out and quickly pick out the calls that might directly apply to you or the ones you can skew toward you. Example: I answered one that wanted people who had suffered some kind of stroke so I shared my little story about a TIA I had while I was in Tibet. I was there for inspiration for a novel and my poetry. I was careful to include that reference to my creative work (along with links to some buy pages for those books) in the answer I sent. But I was also careful not to make that the major thrust of my query.

Note: For this kind of query I adapt parts of several first-person essays I have on file, too. The healing aspect of writing can often be shown to relate to health issues you have overcome—and that is just one example of unlikely connections between HARO calls for help and your writing career. If you would like a copy of one of my first-person essays—perhaps one connecting my fiction to triumph over cancer—send me an e-mail at HoJoNews@aol.com.

3.     At first I thought these were all real reporters who would actually call me for an interview or at least to check facts. Some are. Some aren’t. The world is a different place since I was a reporter. Writers are in a bigger hurry. That means you need to be complete with your answer. Use anecdotes. Use soundbites. This is great training, by the way, for learning what intrigues media people and what doesn’t. Give them contact information and permission to call you if they wish right in the pitch you send them. Note: Though I have received lots of publicity using HARO, only once has someone called me. E-mails are a big time-saver.

4.    Always include a little bio. You can copy and paste it but it should include the kind of information about your background that applies to the kind of question your contact wanted answered. Include links to your Web site, blog, or online bookstores buy page. Sometimes the writers use that bio exactly as you gave it to them. At the risk of being redundant, media folks are busy. If your note to them requires tons of work to corral details you didn’t include, they’ll just use someone else who did a better job of giving them what they need.

5.    Keep at it. As with all marketing, persistence pays.

6.    Don’t get discouraged. Expect that you may hit gold on about one of every ten or twenty calls you answer. But one of those can reach a ton of new readers.

7.    When you learn that your answer has been used, go online, comment, and send a thank you to the writer. If you don’t know how you could possibly know if your helpful piece gets used, you need to refer again to your Frugal Book Promoter (http://bit.ly/FrugalBookPromo) and find “alerts” in the index. Note: Sometimes the blogger or reporter (the smartest ones!) will let you know you were mentioned and even give you a permalink to use in your own marketing.

8.    If you are featured on a relatively big site, add the coup to your media kit, your Web site, and blog about it.

Remember, you’re not just selling books here. You’re building a writing career. You’re building name recognition. You’re networking, too!

~To reprint this article in your own blog, Web site, or elsewhere, send me a quickie query to HoJoNews@AOL.com. I almost never say no! (-: In other words, I’m happy to Help a Reporter Out! And if you share your permalink with me, I help you network the post! 

~Carolyn Howard-Johnson is a multi award-winning author of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. Her HowToDoItFrugally series of books has helped writers and retailers worldwide. She is the recipient of the California Legislature’s Woman of the Year in Arts and Entertainment Award, the Book Publicists of Southern California’s Irwin Award and her community’s Character and Ethics award for her work promoting tolerance with her writing. She was also named to Pasadena Weekly’s list of 14 women of “San Gabriel Valley women who make life happen.” She was an instructor for UCLA Extension’s world-renown Writers’ Program for nearly a decade. She recently updated the second edition of her Frugal Book Promoter and added a new book to her HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers. How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically was launched as an e-book giveaway by Bookbaby.com and to highest acclaim by Midwest Book Review.

Learn more at www.howtodoitfrgually.com

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MORE ABOUT THE BLOGGER


Howard-Johnson is the author of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. She is also a marketing consultant, editor, and author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers including the award-winning second editions of The Frugal Book Promoter (where she talks more about choosing and the advantages of winning contests and how to use those honors)  and The Frugal Editor. Her latest is in the series is  How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically. Learn more on her Amazon profile page, http://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile. Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers is one of her booklets--perfect for inexpensive gift giving--and, another booklet, The Great First Impression Book Proposal helps writers who want to be traditionally published. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including one she encourages authors to read because it will help them convince retailers to host their workshops, presentations, and signings. It 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. In addition to this blog, she helps writers extend the exposure of their favorite reviews at TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com. She also blogs at all things editing--grammar, formatting and more--at The Frugal, Smart, and Tuned-In Editor (http://TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com )