Utilize Your Association with Sharing with Writers for Marketing and Publishing

Those of you who are subscribed to this Sharing with Writers blog or my Sharing with Writers newsletter are entitled to access and to submit material to them, to the resources on HowToDoItFrugally.com, and to be published in the various features of the newsletter itself. Your submissions are given special consideration (but you do need to tell me that you're a subscriber--I'd like to, but I don't have the lists memorized! (-: )

Because I have many new subscribers and because most of you have never submitted any of your successes or sent letters to the editor, I thought I'd remind you that they are meant to be interactive. So is the Web site. I am always looking for articles, resources and ideas that will help other writers. I also want them to provide a training ground to get new authors familiar with promoting, sharing (an essential part of getting publicity), and to help you get the exposure you deserve.

Here are just a few of the possibilities for you to consider:

 If you would like one of your articles to be included on this Writer’s Digest 101 Best Websites blog (see the image on this blog), the best thing to submit is an article on the craft of writing or promotion or editing. I generally prefer practical how-to information though I occasionally publish something that will inspire writers, too. www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com.

 Submit a review of your book to be published in The New Book Review www.thenewbookreview.blogspot.com. It may be written by you or someone else (with their permission). If you don't yet have a review of your book, I can use a short excerpt from your book or a synopsis written like a review but with no opinion (because it would be coming from you). BTW, The New Book Review is open to all of you at any time you need it. Please follow the guidelines for submission in the column on the left of the blog EXACTLY. You submit to my e-mail address, hojonews @ aol.com.

 If you have or would like to write an article on editing, formatting, grammar or other language-oriented essays, I can use that on www.thefrugaleditor.blogspot.com. Your articles for this blog should also be practical and, as with any magazine, not on subjects I've already used. Or they should at least come at those subject from a different angle.

 Some of you may have an interest in submitting articles or ideas on tolerance or the military. Those could could go on www.warpeacetolerance.blogspot.com. This might be a place some of you poets would like to appear. On this one, I often feed from several other blogs to that one post is almost like being posted on several blogs at one time.

 I can use your tips, letters-to-the-editor and articles for my newsletter. As you know, you should be familiar with any periodical or journal you submit to so that you have an idea of what is likely to fit.

 There are Resources for Writers and Resources for Readers pages on the HowToDoItFrugally Web site including many lists that you will need throughout your publishing career. Display and classified advertising is also available there and I have kept costs to a bare minimum for the time it takes me to work up and install ads.

Note: I accept most everything submitted to me from subscribers, but I do reserve the right to edit, shorten, or suggest changes. That, too, does not differ from most freelance writing experiences.

PS: Please let your writing friends know about this letter and its associated benefits. They may subscribe by going sending a SUBSCRIBE message to HoJoNews @ aol.com. Or by using the autosubscribe window at www.howtodoitfrugally.com. The form is on the left side of the home page and on the newsletter/blog pages, too.


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

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

On Branding and Your Web Site

Gayle Trent is guest blogging today on how people can upgrade their Web sites. Most of us need to do at least a little tweaking.


How Can My Web Site Help or Hinder My Writing?

By Gayle Trent, author of cozy mysteries

Before you go thinking you’ve heard all you need to know about Web sites, you might want to take a look at this article. I thought I knew everything I needed to know about them, but I found I was horribly wrong when I had my ite overhauled by a professional.

Blogs

We’re told every writer needs a blog. So I had blogs. I had a WordPress blog, a Tripod blog and three Blogger blogs. This scattered me and my brand all over the place. While it’s good to be found in a number of places, I learned that search engines don’t recognize free sites as well as they do hosted sites. Therefore, it’s better for your main blog to be a part of your Web site.

More Than One Site

I had sites for different books, different names and different ventures. As a result, the web designer told me I was too fragmented. Your one site should act as a funnel, directing attention to you, building your brand as a writer and bringing everything together. Your site should define who you are and what you do. First and foremost–careerwise–I write cozy mysteries. I also do coaching and speaking. Those two features now have tabs on my main Web site. That way, someone who goes to a site and learns about Gayle Trent, the writing coach, will also be aware that Gayle Trent writes cozy mysteries and enjoys speaking.

What Will It Take To Get YOU To the Next Level?

Basically, you need to ask yourself where you want to be and what it will take to get you there. Do you need a more professional online image? Do you need clips to entice editors and/or agents? Are you effectively promoting your books, your writing or your coaching talents? Is your site clear and easy to navigate? If you’re not sure, ask someone to go to your site and tell you how quickly and easily they found your book; learned what your book is about; learned where to buy your book; learned how to become part of your community; learned what else you do; learned about your upcoming appearances, if any. Then, take a look at a number of sites of writers you admire to see what they’re bringing to their site that your site may be lacking. Discover how you can add something similar to your own site.
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Guest blogger Gayle Trent is the author of
MURDER TAKES THE CAKE published by Bell Bridge Books. Find her book trailer on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGnKwHYlPCQ and her blogging at Fatal Foodies .


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

Karina Fabian Guest Blogs on Your Website's Media/Press Room

Often overlooked by authors is a media room on their website. I cover that in The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't but I thought this article by Karina Fabian (with her permission, of course!) would remind those of you who have the book to go back and review the stuff on websites I've given you there. I figured it would be especially useful for those of you who don't have the book. (-: )

The Woefully Overlooked and Neglected Media Room

By Karina Fabian

A media room is a marketing tool for you and a research tool for folks who want to write about you--reporters, bloggers, or reviewers. It's your place to brag, to advertise, to really promote your book and yourself.

It's part of your website, but not necessarily for the casual reader. This is not the place for the "bells and whistles" like glitter graphics, your favorite song streaming or pop-ups. This is the working part of your site. Here's where people go when they have a definite purpose. They're looking at you as a potential interviewee, and expert they can question and quote, a "new find" they can impress their editor with.

In order to reach them--and keep their attention--you want a media room that's easy and full of easy-access information and ideas. The easier you make it for a reporter to write about you, the more likely they will. The more useful you make yourself, the more likely they'll come back when they have another topic.

In some ways, an on-line media room can mimic the kind of media kit you may have already prepared for advertising your book. On the other hand, the ease of the Internet (and the fact that you can add or change things for free) means you can do a whole lot more. Media rooms can contain any and all of the following. The ones marked * are pretty much mandatory, though they may already be on your website and you can just link to them.

* Contact information

* Author bio

* Publishing credits/experience (can be part of bio)

* Book summary/blurb

* Book cover image

* Media Releases and/or News and Events

* Downloadable Press Package (either PDF or .rtf or both)

--Book Reviews

--Sample Interviews

--Awards and Publications

--Essays/Articles for Reprint

--Available seminars, speaking appearances

--Transcripts/audio recordings/video clips

--Ideas for story angles

--Fellow experts

--Downloadable items--business cards, sell sheets, etc.

--Sample chapters of published works or snippets of works in progress

--FAQ or Facts File

Why bother? (I'm not published. I’m not well-known. My publisher handles publicity…)

More and more people are turning to the Internet for their information. Students use it for homework. People surf it just for fun. Reporters turn to it as their first line of research.

Because of that, a web presence is very important for writers. The world has gotten simultaneously too small and too big for us to rely on verbal word-of-mouth to get our names out to readers. A website will help you with that. A media room on your website, however, gets more than your name out--it gets you into the hearts and minds of your readers or potential readers.

A media room complements your media releases; gives your publisher or publicist a link to direct others to; makes it easy for reporters to get what they need for the story, and can draw in the casual surfer. In this technological, information world, it's a must-have for your marketing arsenal.

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Guest blogged by Karina Fabian. After being a straight-A student, Karina now cultivates Fs: Family, Faith, Fiction and Fun. From Nuns in Space to a down-and out Faerie dragon working off a geas by St. George, her work takes quirky twists that keep her amused--and others, too. Winner of the EPPIE award for best sci-fi and the Mensa Owl for best fiction. In addition to juggling the stories from at least three different universes, Karina is President of the Catholic Writers' Guild and teaches writing and book marketing seminars on-line.

Karina's Websites:

www.fabianspace.com, where you'll find info about her, her writing and her eclectic writing/homeschooling/humor/just-gotta-say-it blog

www.virtualbooktourdenet.blogspot.com, where she'll gladly advertise your book if you'll return the favor to someone else

www.dragoneyepi.net, where you can learn more about the fantasy noir dragon detective Vern, his partner Sister Grace, and the world of Dragon Eye, PI.