Book Marketing Strategies and Tips For Authors

Over 500 Post From Great Authors And Experts

2012-01-19T23:24:00.000-06:00

Three years ago, I started Marketing Tips For Authors and I have met a ton of wonderful authors, authors-to-be, and book marketing experts. I have had the privilege of inviting talented authors to submit guest posts. Some were best selling authors like Jerry Jenkins (Do-It-Yourself Marketing), others were authors who had their first book pending publication.

I also had a number of talented book marketing experts freely share their knowledge. They wrote on things like how to sell more book, how to use social media in your book marketing plan, and a host of other evergreen articles that still lend value to their readers.

But the time has come for me to wrap up my work with Marketing Tips For Authors and move on. A number of factors came into play when making this decision, and it took me a long time to make it. I'm proud of what we have built on this blog. One thing that made the decision easier to make was knowing that the blog would live on.

If you look to the right, you'll see a Google search box for this blog. Type in any book marketing subject you want to read about and you'll find links to everything written on this blog about that subject.

So poke around, read and continue to learn . Thanks to everyone for making my run on Marketing Tips For Authors something I'll remember and cherish forever. And to all the authors and authors-to-be, I wish you all my best. Remember, once you write your book, you'll have a legacy that will long out live you. My guess is that you'll never truly know all the people you'll bring joy to.

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Tony Eldridge is the author of The Samson Effect, an action/adventure novel that Clive Cussler calls a "first rate thriller brimming with intrigue and adventure." He is also the author of the Twitter marketing book, Conducting Effective Twitter Contests. His new novel, The Lottery Ticket, was just recently released on Kindle.

eBook Marketing: What Goes Around Comes Around By James Moushon

2011-10-06T09:51:00.000-05:00

Today, we have a treat as our guest author. James Moushon is an author and a pioneer in the e-publishing world. I found him through his blog and numerous guest articles and was thrilled when he agreed to share his knowledge on e-book publishing with us. When you are finished with this post, make sure you take a look at his other online writing.

eBook Marketing: What Goes Around Comes Around
By James Moushon

To eBook authors, marketing can be a daunting task. Whether you're an indie publisher or you are using a traditional publisher, the marketing is usually left up to you.

It is a digital world now and self-publishers are not tied to bookstores with limited shelf space and a revolving inventory. In fact it will be on sale for a very long time. With the longevity of your eBook's life, you have the ability to try several different marketing avenues until you find one that works.

So where do you start with this marketing thing?

Your marketing goal should be to fill the sales pipe with quality content and give your readers as many entry points to your buy pages as you can.

Synergy

One of the phenomenons in the ebook marketing world is the momentum that is created when an author catches on. Every week it seems we are hearing about an author reaching the ebook million unit sales plateau. Their secret is they know how to market and brand themselves. Yes they are in all the right places. The speed of the Internet and the reach it offers to the ebook marketer is breathtaking.

So how do they do it? Besides great content and hard work, how do they reach that prize status?

Entry Points

One of the marketing strategies they use is the creation of as many entry points as they can to get to their sales page. They never miss an opportunity to put that ebook product in front of their prospective readers. Here are some of the entry points.

Ebook-links. Don't miss the opportunity to add links in your ebook to the other titles that you have for sale. You should also link to your author's website and blog and other reference points so readers can find their way back to you. Use the power of links.

Traditional publishers are missing this one on a regular basis. They are so anxious to make a copy of the paper version and get it online; they don't render the buy links to the other titles in your ebook.
Websites. Have multiple websites. I recommend one for each ebook plus an author site that encourages reader communication. Make sure you reference your other titles on the individual sites. There are many free opportunities to setup multiple sites and blogs. Have giveaways and conduct contests. Anything that keeps your readers coming back to your website. Having your readers help with the title of your next book or the design of your next cover is a powerful tool to use.
Blog. Toss in a blog with interesting reader information and an interaction component. Don't forget to include a blog list on your site. You know. Related blogs you like to read. They in turn will link back to your blog, creating more entry points. Encourage the cross-linking. It is win-win for both parties.
Tags and Metadata. One of the most important components that must be addressed every time you do something online is the path readers will take through search engines to get to your information. Search Engines Optimization (SEO) is the key to readers finding your ebook online. Spend some time analyzing what types of tags and categories you want to include in your messages. You may want to start with Google Keywords. Then look at your competition and see what they are doing.
Email Signature Line. Use your email signature line to sell your ebook. Show a thumbnail of your cover with a link to your buy page. Then start emailing a lot. Sometimes emails work better than commenting on forums and other blogs to create activity.
Guest Blogs and Interviews. Try to get involved in your genre community. A guest blog or an interview is a great opportunity to get your name and your ebook in front of another audience of readers and buyers.
Helpers. Connect with your helpers with links to their sites. Your helpers include your copy editor, your cover designer and your book designer. Linking to them can create a turnaround with a link back to your site.

Reader Interaction

Direct contact to your audience through social networking is very time consuming but it can be very rewarding. Facebook and Twitter along with Linkedin and Mobileread are good venues for starters.
As you go through your marketing activity, you must give your reader 'that expert feeling' about you and your book. Nothing turns them off more than marketing copy with typos. Talk the talk and walk the walk.
Your thumbnail cover could be the difference in the buy decision. You must keep in mind an ebook cover is looked at differently than the traditional cover. The prospective reader can't see the brilliant colors or feel the raised print. If you can't read the thumbnail, neither can the prospective buyer. You may have two covers. One for the paper version and one for the ebook version.
Amazon Public notes could be another opportunity to interact with your reader base and create synergy. If you can get them involved, your next ebook will be an easier sell.

End Game

So where are we going with this? Activity is a good thing. The more interaction you have with readers, the bigger opportunity you have for continued ebook sales. Here are several takeaways.

Motivate the buyer at each entry point. Make it easy to buy your ebook.
Get readers to read your first two chapters.
Develop synergy between each entry point with reader interaction.

If the Amazon or Barnes and Noble sites are the only place readers can find out about your ebook, I advise you to go fishing and dream about what could have been.

How will they find you and your ebook? Should you seek a mentor to help you market your ebook? You will find out that there is not enough time in the day to do everything yourself.

View my website: HBSystems Publications
Or EMAIL at: jrm@hbspub.com
Or go to my blog: The eBook Author's Corner
Author: Call Off The Dogs, a rendered eBook
LinkedIn Profile: James Moushon

Bio: James Moushon

Born in Illinois, James Moushon is a published writer in the electronic document field.

Moushon is a graduate of Bradley University in Peoria, IL.

Starting over 15 years ago, he helped lead the startup of the electronic forms industry in the creation, conversion and usage of electronic forms by supplying that industry with a continuing source of published literature, software products and training seminars.

Moushon worked with over 200 companies and organizations like the IRS, Commerce Clearing House, Nutrilite, UPS, MGM, Sony International and Royal Paper Box with their conversion from paper forms to electronic forms.

In 2003 Moushon moved his focus to ebooks and their development.

He recently published a rendered eBook : Call Off The Dogs, a story about the Assassination of President Kennedy, which is available on Amazon. It is his first novel.

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Tony Eldridge is the author of The Samson Effect, an action/adventure novel that Clive Cussler calls a "first rate thriller brimming with intrigue and adventure." He is also the author of the Twitter marketing book, Conducting Effective Twitter Contests. His new novel, The Lottery Ticket, was just recently released on Kindle.

The new phone book is here! By Christopher Hudson

2011-09-30T08:54:00.000-05:00

We have a treat today with a new guest post by author Christopher Hudson. He will be discussing the problem that all authors face when they add their name to the big list of published authors. Undoubtedly, millions of authors find themselves in this situation. It's going to be interesting to see the comments as authors share their experience with this and how they all deal with it.

The new phone book is here!
By Christopher Hudson

When Steve Martin's character in the movie, The Jerk, see's his name in the new phone book, he exclaims, 'I'm somebody.' That's exactly what I said when I received a copy of my first book, Northern Cross.It was a long time coming ... a decade or more ... and seeing my name on the cover of that book actually brought tears to my eyes. But I soon discovered that having a book published is pretty much like getting your name in the phone book ... it doesn't mean anyone ... other than the occasional psychotic killer who picks out your name at random ... is going to notice you. (If you happen to be a psychotic killer, pretend you didn't read this, okay?)

The hard lesson for me was that sales hinged on marketing ... no one (and that included family and friends) knew, or cared about my book unless I waved it in front of them ... constantly. It is just the way of the world. "Early to bed, early to rise, advertise, advertise, advertise," is a quote I heard once attributed to a successful corporate titan ... and who could argue with effectiveness of relentless marketing?

Now that's all well and good ... if you have a marketing department, ad agency, and an endless supply of money ... but my publisher was just a small ... make that mini ... er, micro print-on-demand outfit. They told me that they depended on their authors to provide ‘marketing support’. What I was to learn was that meant 'all marketing' ... if I didn't beat the drum and blow the horn, it just wasn't going to happen ... and I was going to have to do that via the only tool available to me ... the Internet.

Now, here is the good and the bad news about the Internet ... it provides you with access to people, places, and forums that were previously unattainable ... it also provides everyone else with access to those same people, places, and forums. Oh, there are methods of cutting through the noise ... Tony’s site provides a lot of tips and tricks ... but they usually require some technical skill and a large amount of tenacity on the author’s part ... traits that I’m ... well ... lacking.

To me, the Internet is just another phone book ... a gargantuan, electronic phone book filled with hundreds of millions of names ... just being present doesn't guarantee that anyone will ever notice you ... unless they are a spammer ... or psychotic killer.

Christopher Hudson Website: www.northerncrossonline.com Blog, Socially Awkward: http://essenceofperformance.blogspot.com/

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Tony Eldridge is the author of The Samson Effect, an action/adventure novel that Clive Cussler calls a "first rate thriller brimming with intrigue and adventure." He is also the author of the Twitter marketing book, Conducting Effective Twitter Contests. His new novel, The Lottery Ticket, was just recently released on Kindle.

Adding Customer Images to Your Amazon Page To Increase Your Sales By Laura Pepper Wu

2011-09-20T10:21:00.000-05:00

Today, I'm thrilled to introduce you to author Laura Pepper Wu. Laura will share a fascinating tip she learned on how to make your Amazon sales page more effective by adding your own images to it.

My continued thanks to everyone as I still catch up with scheduled posts that I'm working to get out to you.

Adding Customer Images to Your Amazon Page To Increase Your Sales
By Laura Pepper Wu

Not all book marketing efforts come equal. Some are large endeavors (book tours, ad campaigns, guest posts), others are small tweaks that bring surprising results.

One such thing is adding customer images to your Amazon product page.

On every Amazon product page (including print and eBook pages) there is the option to “Share your own customer images”. Find this option under the image of your book cover.

Anyone can upload these customer images, including the author or publisher. So why is this worth your while?

In the case of my non-fiction wedding guide, I uploaded four images to compliment the existing book cover image. These include my author profile picture, an image of the paperback book in a real life setting and two images of the text on my Kindle.

When I made this small change, I noticed a leap in my sales. Coincidence?

Perhaps. Perhaps not. It’s hard to know which marketing efforts are working since we do not have direct statistics from Amazon, and I suspect that it’s a sum of the entire equation. Here is why adding customer images works, using an example of my favorite vice, Peet’s coffee.

Here is what Peet’s coffee looks like in it’s bag. We can more or less draw a parallel of the coffee bag to the image of your book’s front cover:

Now, we can add an image that gives the consumer a feeling; a desire to enjoy the product for them self:

We can even go one step further and add in an image of someone enjoying the coffee, to show the customer the joy and experience this purchase will bring them.

Photo Courtesy of KatLevPhoto on Flikr

It’s obvious which image is going to entice you to buy the coffee more effectively. In the case of your book, this could be a picture of someone reading your book on the sofa, by the pool or even at the beach.

Adding customer images is a simple, effective, yet underused tool. Use this to your advantage and give customers more than just a book cover to judge your book by.

Now please excuse me while I go get my coffee.

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BIO: Laura Pepper Wu is a writer and the co-founder of 30 Day Books: a book studio. She successfully marketed 30 Day GMAT Success to become the number 1 selling GMAT guide on the Amazon kindle, top 10 in print, as well as in the top 3 of all study guides on the Kindle. She blogs about her marketing experiences at laurapepperwu.wordpress.com. Laura is available for book marketing consultation and advice, and would love to hear from you! laura {at) 30daybooks {dot} com, http://twitter.com/#!/LauraPepWu

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Tony Eldridge is the author of The Samson Effect, an action/adventure novel that Clive Cussler calls a "first rate thriller brimming with intrigue and adventure." He is also the author of the Twitter marketing book, Conducting Effective Twitter Contests. His new novel, The Lottery Ticket, was just recently released on Kindle.

5 Tips For Marketing Your Novel The Second Time Around By Dan McGirt

2011-09-13T11:57:00.000-05:00

One of the reasons I love to do this blog is to discuss tips like the ones I'm discussing with you today. Actually, they come from an author who shares his experience when it comes to resurrecting a blacklist. New authors may not appreciate just how great this "Golden Age" of publishing is for us, but those with backlist books sure do. Author Dan McGirt shares 5 powerful tips for those who have a previously published novel that you want to shake the dust off of and put back into circulation. There's some great tips here, so let's get started.

5 Tips For Marketing Your Novel The Second Time Around
By Dan McGirt

We all love a good comeback story. A growing number of authors are reclaiming the rights to their out-of-print backlist titles--books that may have been first published years or even decades ago--and bringing those books back as ebooks or print-on-demand titles.

Some authors do it themselves, using tools like Amazon's Kindle Digital Platform and Smashwords. Others work through an agent, e-publisher, or small press. Either way, marketing an old book the second time around requires learning new skills and a new mindset--especially if your previous experience was letting your publisher do most of the work.

My fantasy novel Jason Cosmo was published as mass market paperback in 1989, followed by two sequels in the early 1990s. All vanished from bookstore shelves within a couple of years. After more than a decade away, I decided to resurrect and relaunch my Jason Cosmo series a couple of years ago.

Starting with steamy Gothic tale Dark Splendor in 1986, my mother, author Andrea Parnell, wrote ten romance novels published in the 80s and 90s before also moving away from writing. I've recently helped Mom relaunch her backlist as e-books too. She offers this take on what promoting her books was like back in the day:

"I traveled to conferences, writing workshops, book signings and other events to promote my books. Much of this travel was at my own expense. I created bookmarks, flyers, brochures, postcards, wrote articles for fanzines and took out ads in those same publications. Most of this was at my own expense. Fans sent self-addressed-stamped-envelopes (SASE) requesting the bookmark or other item I was giving away. All of this effort was geared to a three to six month make or break window for a mass market paperback. Keeping that book around and selling longer was largely up an author, many of whom, like me, who had little understanding of the book business or marketing."

Mom gets few SASEs in the mail these days--but her books are selling again, and so are mine. Here are five things we've learned about marketing your novel the second time around. (These points apply to new writers and new books too):

1. Your Readers Are Looking for You: If you've ever been published, then you still have fans out there. Make it easy for them to find you online. I put up my first website in 1999. My books had been out of print for several years. To my surprise, I soon started receiving emails from Loyal Readers asking when I would write another book! This inspired me to eventually relaunch my fantasy series--how could I say no? My Loyal Readers of yesteryear are the core audience for my new works--and my best ambassadors for finding new readers.

You don't have to devote significant time to online activities--your time is best spent writing your next book--but you should establish a basic presence. If blogs and social media are new to you, take your time and ease into it. I suggest starting with a website/blog, a Facebook page, and a Twitter account. These three make for a powerful combination. You can get them all set up in a couple of hours at no cost, then read, experiment, and figure out how to use them. As your comfort level grows you will develop your own online style and build a following. Like any marketing activity, the more time and effort you put into it, the greater the results. A minimalist approach is fine if that is what suits you... but you must be online. Your readers are looking for you--let them find you.

2. The Ebook IS the Real Book: As survey results recently released by the American Association of Publishers (AAP) show, the market share of hardcover and paperback formats is shrinking, while the market share of ebooks grew more than 1200% from 2008 to 2010. Print still accounts for the vast majority of books sold—but if you're an author republishing your old novels for new readers, the smart move is to focus on ebook sales.

As a traditionally published print author--and as the owner of thousands of print books--it took me a while to wrap my head around this dramatic change in the nature of publishing. I spent most of 2009 preparing to publish my novel Hero Wanted using print-on-demand technology. As an afterthought, I also published as an ebook on Smashwords. I had no expectation anyone would actually pay for an ebook, so I gave it away for free. I was completely focused on the print book--what I considered the "real" book. I was only vaguely aware of something called the Kindle. The iPad was still a couple of years in the future.

Today, the print version of Hero Wanted sells a few copies each month through Amazon and other online stores. But most of my book sales are ebook sales. Not surprising--that same AAP survey found e-books are now 13.6% of the net revenue market share in Adult Fiction. The dynamics may be different for non-fiction, or if you're working with a traditional publisher--it is still true the vast majority of books sold are print. But the trend is clear. And for a do-it-yourself publisher of fiction, the trend is sparkling diamond crystal clear--lead with the ebook. The ebook is the real book now. Print is the afterthought. All of your marketing strategies and tactics should flow from that fact.

3. A Free Story Spurs Sales: A writer should not be reluctant to part with a story for free. Free pays. Readers appreciate it. A free story can serve as your introduction to new readers. If they like what they read, they'll buy your other work.

Mom mentioned that when Dark Splendor was originally published, her editor asked her to cut the first three chapters and start the action later. She still had the deleted chapters. I suggested she turn them into a novella--Dark Prelude--that we would give away for free. She was a little skeptical at first, but after she released Dark Prelude as a free lead-in, sales of Dark Splendor took off. Sales of her other titles perked up a bit too, but Dark Splendor has left them all behind, propelled by the free prequel.

Even for a book you wrote years ago, you may have deleted scenes you can repurpose into a freebie, or an idea for a short related story that introduces readers to your novel's characters and to your writing.

A word of caution: Be sure your free story is complete in itself, with a definite ending. Readers are not paying with money, but they are paying with their time and attention. If your free short story ties in to your novel, but leaves the reader hanging so she is forced to buy the book to get a resolution, that is likely to backfire. Readers don't like to be manipulated. Dark Prelude stands on its own--but it ends with an invitation for the reader to follow the characters she just met into Dark Splendor. A good many readers accept that invitation.

4. Word of Mouth Still Works: The Internet is an amazingly powerful tool for connecting with readers and letting the world know about your book. But the old-fashioned ways of getting the word out are still valuable too. This is from Andrea Parnell (aka Mom) again: "I made up business cards featuring the covers for my ebooks with sales and contact information on the back. Friends and family are kind enough to pass them along to others. I've gotten some sales from these and the opportunity to let people in my area know about my books and what I'm doing. Old-fashioned word of mouth is still effective."

You can still meet your readers in the real world too!

5. Everything Changes. Then Changes Again: As I mentioned above, over the last couple of years I shifted my thinking from focusing on selling print books, to focusing on ebooks. It seems like I'm adjusting my thinking every few weeks in response to new developments: Smashwords adding new distribution partners. Apple's entry into ebook-selling. Amazon shifting their ebook royalty split in response. Borders going belly up. Trying to learn from the success of DIY authors like John Locke, Amanda Hocking, J.A. Konrath, and others.

Just when you've got your Facebook page perfected, Facebook scrambles the format of their site again. Google launches Google+, which means a whole new social media site to figure out--or ignore. You read that Amazon is proposing a "Netflix for books" and wonder how that will affect your own book. And Marketing Tips for Authors keeps pumping out new ideas to try!

It can feel overwhelming trying to keep up with all the changes in publishing. But this is a golden age for authors. If you are willing to seize the moment, learn some new skills, keep writing, and keep experimenting until you find the mix of marketing moves that works for you and resonates with your target readership, you can take charge of your own writing career and destiny to an extent authors of the past could only dream about. My final tip: Keep Writing, Keep Learning, and Keep At It!

DAN MCGIRT is the author of the Jason Cosmo fantasy adventure series, beginning with Hero Wanted. His previous books include the original Jason Cosmo Non-Trilogy: Jason Cosmo, Royal Chaos and Dirty Work . His other published stories include Sarah Palin: Vampire Hunter. He writes the oft-neglected Apology Index blog, which covers public apologies. He is the founder and publisher of Trove Books LLC. Dan is a member of Novelists, Inc. and the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America. He was named 2006 Time Person of the Year (It's true! Look it up!)

Twitter: @JasonCosmo
Blog: http://JasonCosmo.com
Website: http://DanMcGirt.com
E-mail: Dan@JasonCosmo.com
Facebook: http://danmcgirt.com/facebook

ANDREA PARNELL is the award-winning author of ten novels, short fiction and articles, with more than one million copies of her books in print. Her works include Gothic (Dark Splendor, Whispers at Midnight), Western (Delilah's Flame), and other historical and contemporary romances. Several of her books have been set in her home state of Georgia. Andrea has received both the Maggie and Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice awards for her writing, and is a member of Novelists, Inc. (NINC) and past president of the Georgia Authors Network. She is fond of cats, travel, overgrown gardens, and old houses with lots of crooks, crannies, and interesting shadows.

Twitter: @andreahparnell
Blog/Website: AndreaParnell.com
E-mail: ahparnell@aol.com
Facebook: http://andreaparnell.com/facebook

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Tony Eldridge is the author of The Samson Effect, an action/adventure novel that Clive Cussler calls a "first rate thriller brimming with intrigue and adventure." He is also the author of the Twitter marketing book, Conducting Effective Twitter Contests. His new novel, The Lottery Ticket, was just recently released on Kindle.

Review: How To Get Your Book Reviewed by Dana Lynn Smith

2011-09-12T10:06:00.000-05:00

Today, I'm honored to be a stop on Dana Lynn Smith's book tour for her newest Savvy Book Marketer title, How to Get Your Book Reviewed. As part of her book tour, she is also generously giving away a copy of her book for one lucky reader of this blog. To win a free copy of How to Get Your Book Reviewed, just enter a comment at the end of this review. The winner will be drawn at random from all comments received by midnight on Wednesday, September 14.

When it comes to reviews, all authors want them but few know what to do in order to have the best chances of landing a review that will be read by a lot of people. Just like her other guides, Dana approaches the subject with an exhaustive treatment. She lays out a great case for why book reviews are beneficial to you and then she lifts the hood and shows you how the process works.

Scattered throughout her book are a number of "savvy tips", nuggets of advice that will help you learn practical tips garnered from years of experience. She reaches out to other authors and experts to help you get a well-rounded perspective on book reviews.

In this gem, you'll learn what the book review process is, what potential pitfalls you need to watch out for, how to get and use endorsements/testimonials, and how to use book review as a marketing tool. One of my favorite parts of the book is how Dana explains all the different venues for book reviews as she relates the pros and cons of each.

If you are an author and thought that your only opportunity for a book review is in the New York Times, then you need to check out this book.

Dana's book is laid out in a logical and easy to read format. The information is also laid out in a way that allows you to go quickly to the part of the book you need for your specific questions.

There comes a time when every author will focus on book reviews. While other resources will give you a few tips on how to secure book reviews, if you are serious about creating a marketing plan around your book launch, then Dana Lynn Smith's book, How to Get Your Book Reviewed is one you'll want in your book marketing arsenal.

Remember, to win a free copy of How to Get Your Book Reviewed, just enter a comment below. The winner will be drawn at random from all comments received by midnight on Wednesday, September 14.

<**NOTE**> The winner of the free copy of How to Get Your Book Reviewed is Beth (Elizabeth) LaMie. Congratulations to Beth and on behalf of Dana and myself, thanks to everyone for your comments. For those who did not win the free copy, you can't lose by purchasing your copy of Dana's great book review resource today.

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Tony Eldridge is the author of The Samson Effect, an action/adventure novel that Clive Cussler calls a "first rate thriller brimming with intrigue and adventure." He is also the author of the Twitter marketing book, Conducting Effective Twitter Contests. His new novel, The Lottery Ticket, was just recently released on Kindle.

Utilizing A Career In Marketing And Business To Get A Book To Market By Donna Galanti

2011-09-08T10:46:00.001-05:00

Wow, it's been a long time since we've had a post on Marketing Tips For Authors. It looks like my computer and traveling issues are behind me and I'm looking forward to getting caught back up. To help "relaunch" the blog, we have a guest author Donna Galanti to kick us off today. She will be giving some practical advice on marketing your book.

Utilizing A Career In Marketing And Business To Get A Book To Market

The experts say, build an author platform and network before you get published. This was true as well in my former marketing career. I often created a buzz before the product was even finished. Becoming visible is more crucial to landing a book deal than ever, according to agents, authors, and editors. Writing that book isn't enough anymore. Being an author today means being a small-business owner. Aspiring authors need to develop a marketing platform to create that built-in audience. Here are some ways I'm transitioning a former career in marketing and business to an author career.

1. Build a brand look.
We all know what brand this is. Coke has it. Nike has it. For my resume business I created an image and message I flowed through my brochures, business cards, and website. This was my "marketing kit". As an author, you need a marketing kit too with a consistent brand image. Create your author image now and carry it over into your social media to build your "author brand" and recognition. When I marketed products I included press releases, news, bios, testimonials, and awards in that marketing kit. You can add this to your "kit" too as you become more established in your author role.

2. Know your product.
In my marketing career I had navigated towards new positions. I enjoyed going into a company that had no marketing lead and helping build their brand, message, and visibility from the ground up. I had to find the best places to showcase their products. To get up to speed I attended product training, followed our competition and industry giants, and researched industry trade shows and publications. The same can be said for getting a book to market. I read books in my genre (other products or "the competition"). I also created my sub-list, or submission list. This was a list of ten or so books that were similar to mine. The books where mine would fit on the same shelf (best place to showcase my product). I attended writing conferences (industry trade shows). I researched the craft of writing to improve mine (I learned from the industry giants). I Googled blogs of suspense authors and searched for them on Facebook and Twitter (followed what other authors are doing in the "business").

3. Be passionate about your product (hint: it's not just your book).
When I marketed products I didn't enjoy the aspect of selling then, but when it came to selling my own product I did. When I launched my resume writing business, I discovered that people were buying me not just my service. I was passionate about the service I provided. In establishing a rapport with potential clients I came to enjoy a 99% close-rate on that first phone call booking them for a resume consultation. This floored me! The same goes for promoting your book, published yet or not. People will feed off your passion and enthusiasm for your book whether it's friends, acquaintances, or agents. Being passionate and knowledgeable about your book goes far. So perfect that pitch, know your book, be excited about it – then go sell it.

4. Connect and be found.
Today even small businesses need to connect with their customers through social media. In the first year of my resume business, 95% of my resume business came from online advertising, not print. As an author you also need to be found online. On Facebook, Twitter, GoodReads, LibraryThing, IndieBound, LinkedIn. Follow those agents you're interested in and authors in your genre. Start a blog. Add tags (keywords) to bottom of your blog posts so they can be found in a web search by keyword. Become involved in the online community and forums within your genre.

You never know who will promote your knowledge. For example, one of my writing peers, Jon Gibbs, commented on a forum recently through a highly-regarded blog. The owner of that blog, Nathan Bransford, an agent and author, posted the article on his front page. Jon connected and was "found" because he presented information of value. And don't forget your "street team", friends and family. Promote your book, blog, and website to them. Ask them to promote you as well.

5. Referrals.
After 3 years in business, 50% of my new resume business came from referrals. You can do the same as an unpublished author. Other authors out there will refer their network of people to you if you provide value in your blog posts, tweets, commentary on their blogs. Referrals are about one thing. Relationships. If you build positive relationships with others they will spread the word about you. And you can do the same for other authors by referring them.

6. Always be ready to pitch.
When I operated my resume business I created a one minute elevator speech about my service and its benefits. I always had a business card to hand out. I never knew where I might strike up conversations with people in need of my service. As an author today this is where the business of writing comes in to play. Have that book pitch ready so when someone asks "What's your book about?" you can confidently tell them and pass them your card.

7. Know your market.
For my resume business I focused on mid-level professionals as that is what I had been. I understood their career issues and they knew the value in spending money on a well-written resume. As an author ask yourself, are there special qualities, issues, or settings in your book that appeal to certain groups? Hikers, teens, mountain climbers, veterinarians? Find those groups on Twitter and listen to their conversations. Mention your book or blog when relevant. Does your book feature a certain locale? Post photos of those places along with mention of your book on a blog post.

8. Join a professional organization and network.
As a former marketer and business owner, I wanted to learn from the master's. I joined industry organizations and attended conferences to do that. I benefited from my established peers and realized I didn't need to re-invent the wheel in marketing. It's the same being a writer. We can learn from other writers to improve our craft, promote ourselves, and get published.

As a marketing manager I was part of a team. I couldn't "market" alone. I needed everyone's experience and advice to best market our products. Writing is a solitude job but we can't market our books alone either. Band together and learn from your peers. If you write children's books – join SCBWI. If you are a thriller writer – join Thriller Writers of America. And keep up to date on the industry by checking out Publisher's Weekly daily news. Attend regional writing conferences. Even better, volunteer at them. I volunteered to pick up agent's coming in from New York to one conference and had two agents in my car to pitch to. Also, make sure you follow up after the conference with those new contacts.

9. Piggyback off others. Share advertising.
As a former marketing manager I networked with other companies in the industry that had products complementing ours. In doing so, we often shared advertising space and promoted each other on our websites. This expanded our audience reach to our target market, reduced advertising costs, and created free advertising. As an author, invite other authors to do guest blogs on your site and promote their website in your blog roll. You may be asked to do the favor in return.

Start a blog with a group of authors and expand your publicity. This greatly expands your author reach by sharing your combined knowledge to a wider audience. Check out some author pals of mine who did just this at Author Chronicles. Another blog of thriller writers who combined their forces and YA writers. When you become published take your blog to the next level and collaborate with your author group to do signings together, give workshops, and author network sessions. A good example of a successful writer's group that does just this (and I'm very lucky to have local in my backyard) is The Philadelphia Liars Club.

10. Position yourself as an expert.
In building my resume business I wanted to position myself as an expert. I wrote articles with resume advice and submitted to local print and online news, gaining free publicity. Even as an aspiring published author you can do this. You can share your path to publication (after all, what am I doing here?). What you learn from your peers and mentors can benefit other writers. Write about it in your blog. Share it in forums and workshops. Offer to write blog posts for other blogs. They will love the material for their site and it spreads your name and blog. Ask them to do the same for your blog.

11. Toot your own horn – and others too!
When I marketed products, I promoted our awards and recognitions. I also researched awards to apply to. You can do the same thing as a writer. Look for contests to your submit short stories, flash fiction, poetry, and novel excerpts. Win any writing or blogger awards? Win an agent critique? Promote it on your blog and through social media. Reach out to the other current winners to interview for your website.

Sent out ten Facebook requests to published authors you read asking for an interview on your blog. You may get one "yes". Then send out ten more requests. This can greatly boost your blog readership with "star power". Lastly, if you enjoy a book, write a review for your blog or on GoodReads. Send the author the link and let them know how much you enjoyed it. Promotion of them, brings back around promotion of you. So, don't let your social networking be all about you. Always include your bio in any post/article so folks can link back to you.

Good luck getting your book to market!

BIO:

Donna Galanti is a freelance writer for an advertising agency and the former owner of a resume writing services company. She has a background in communications and marketing, after being a photographer in the U.S. Navy and meandering life adrift for awhile.

She wanted to become a writer when she was seven and fell in love with the worlds of Narnia and Roald Dahl. She lived at the time in England, where she attended school in a Harry Potter kind of castle. The itchy uniform was a treat with bowling hat and tie included. She now lives in an old Pennsylvania farmhouse with her son, husband, and two crazy cats. It has lots of nooks, fireplaces, and stink bugs, but she's still wishing for a castle again someday.

Donna has her paranormal suspense out on submission, A Human Element, and is currently working on a psychological suspense novel. She is also busy writing an adventure middle grade book as a student in Jonathan Maberry's and Marie Lamba's Novel in 9 Months Class. She is a member of the Greater Lehigh Valley Writer's Group. Her memoir on boot camp in the 1980's, Letters from Boot Camp, is available on Amazon. She recently won first prize for the Words on the Wall contest at the Philadelphia Writer's Conference.

Twitter @DonnaGalanti
Blog: www.donnagalanti.com
Website: www.lettersfrombootcamp.com
E-mail: donnasgalanti@comcast.net
Facebook: @DonnaBeckleyGalanti

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Tony Eldridge is the author of The Samson Effect, an action/adventure novel that Clive Cussler calls a "first rate thriller brimming with intrigue and adventure." He is also the author of the Twitter marketing book, Conducting Effective Twitter Contests. His new novel, The Lottery Ticket, was just recently released on Kindle.

We Are Back Up On Tuesday

2011-09-03T21:49:00.000-05:00

After an inconvenient string of computer issues, e-mail meltdowns, travel, and my twins starting kindergarten, I have brought my technology issues under control and my travel for the foreseeable future is in check. I have over 3000 e-mails to go through, so I ask your patience as I knock them out.

Top on my agenda:

* Reschedule guest posts that we missed when I didn't have access to the net
* Reschedule our Sunday Kindle Book Giveaways that we missed highlighting
* Post reviews I have promised authors

I hope that after this week, I will have the routine back again and this blog will once again bring you some awesome Marketing Tips From Authors from some of the top experts and authors.

See you all on Tuesday!

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Tony Eldridge is the author of The Samson Effect, an action/adventure novel that Clive Cussler calls a "first rate thriller brimming with intrigue and adventure." He is also the author of the Twitter marketing book, Conducting Effective Twitter Contests. His new novel, The Lottery Ticket, was just recently released on Kindle.

Computer Issues

2011-08-08T08:14:00.001-05:00

Just an FYI... I am having computer issues that are being worked on at the moment as well as major e-mail problems. I appreciate all your patience. I will work on catching up on my e-mails as soon as I can and I will work on getting the Sunday Kindle Book Giveaway up as soon as I can.

I will be without my computer for most of this week and half of next week. Again, I apologize for the inconvience and will do my best to get things up to date when I can.

Best wishes,

Tony

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Tony Eldridge is the author of The Samson Effect, an action/adventure novel that Clive Cussler calls a "first rate thriller brimming with intrigue and adventure." He is also the author of the Twitter marketing book, Conducting Effective Twitter Contests. His new novel, The Lottery Ticket, was just recently released on Kindle.

Book Review: Book Marketing made Easy By D'Vorah Lansky

2011-08-03T09:54:00.001-05:00

I just finished D'Vorah Lansky's, Book Marketing Made Easy: Simple Strategies for Selling Your Nonfiction Book Online. It joins the list of great resources that I highly recommend for authors. Just a quick note: even though this is billed as a book for promoting your nonfiction books, as a novelist, I can tell you that this is a great resource for fiction writers as well.

D'Vorah approaches her subject from the online, e-promotion standpoint. She walks authors through the technical things they can do spread the word about their book. This includes her advice on blogging, social media marketing, teleseminars, videos and more. But she also goes into the strategies that authors can use to maximize the income stream from their book.

For the author who thinks that all you need to do is start a website/blog, Facebook, and Twitter account to market their book, D'Vorah's book is a needed, refreshing look that will open the eyes of the reader to the potential out there for you. My favorite part of this book are the resources at the end of the chapters. There, you will find "Keys To Success", which are quick tips that give you that extra icing on your book marketing cake and her added "Resources" that will give you a list of web links that will allow you to research the material in that chapter in more depth.

Book Marketing Made Easy is set up exactly the way I like these author resource books to be set up. Each chapter is devoted to a specific subject and allows you to turn to the part of the book you need most too best use the information in a way personalized to your needs. That means you won't have to read the book cover-to-cover to get the benefit from this resource. However, I do recommend that you spend the time on each chapter, regardless of your needs. I walked away with ideas and lessons from chapters that I consider myself an expert on.

My bottom line on this book is this: It's definitely a book that will give you much more than the value you spend on buying it. You'll treat it as a resources that you'll keep at arm's reach to use as you have the need. Already, it occupies a special place on my bookshelf for the few books that I want to keep close to me. My prediction is that you will have these two responses after reading the book. 1. "Wow, I didn't know you could do that!" and 2. "So that's how they do that!" This is definitely a buy for the author who wants to explore all the options available to them when it comes to marketing their book.

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Tony Eldridge is the author of The Samson Effect, an action/adventure novel that Clive Cussler calls a "first rate thriller brimming with intrigue and adventure." He is also the author of the Twitter marketing book, Conducting Effective Twitter Contests. His new novel, The Lottery Ticket, was just recently released on Kindle.

Starting Out Simple And Moving On By Shirley Myers

2011-08-02T09:57:00.000-05:00

I love guest posts because I get to hear the experience and advice of book marketing experts. They almost always help me expand my own knowledge as I'm sure they do yours. I always believe that if you can find a single lesson in a post or workshop that helps your book marketing, the lessons were worth your time. But I also purposely schedule authors as guests to share their experiences and advice as well. I find it refreshing to discuss with colleagues their experiences and insights. Today, author Shirley Myers will be sharing her insights as she looks back on her publishing experiences.

Starting Out Simple And Moving On
By Shirley Myers

One morning in mid-October, 2010, the doorbell rang. We opened the door to a delivery man who had 16 boxes of books to bring into our very small house. I was elated that after many years my dream of publishing a Bible storybook had finally come true. But as the delivery man drove away, I sat there looking at the boxes, and uncertainty gripped me. What if I couldn’t sell them? How would I do it? Because the stories in my book were about the great things God had done in Bible times, I was sure God would help me if I prayed. So I did, even as I had done while writing the book. Here are the simple ways I started. Perhaps some of these ways will work for you also.

1. Be on target. I mostly went to a targeted audience. People who went to church and wanted their children and grandchildren to learn about God and his son Jesus Christ proved to be the most ready to purchase my book, Grandma, Tell Me a Story: 52 Bible Stories for Children. In the two inner-city churches where I preached every Sunday I sold many to people who felt they would make excellent Christmas gifts. You will need to assess the market and choose your own target for your particular book according to its genre and subject material or the appeal some other product might have to a certain market..

2. Be bold. Don’t be afraid to ask when you think of something that might work. I looked for churches who were having a special event and asked if I could set up a table and sell my books. One church was having the 200th anniversary of the founding of their church, so I approached a friend of mine who attended there. She asked her anniversary committee and they said yes. That was my first real selling event. I sold 8 books. Approaching Christmas, things got quite busy. I was able to attach myself to two church events that were taking place on the same day. It was a long day, but I sold 19 books that day, and one woman contacted me later to buy a couple more. I didn’t even feel tired coming home. I’ve even sold quite a few in the restaurant where my husband and I eat breakfast.

3. Be gracious. When you get a refusal. Don’t show disappointment or anger. Just say, "Thank you for considering it." Then move on to the next idea. Don’t let it discourage you or slow you down. I have had a thought that a secondary audience for my book would be the elderly. I went to a local senior center to inquire about selling my books there. They refused me because of the religious slant of my book. I think it was in conflict with some funding they receive. But there are other senior centers with different funding. So I won’t give up. My experience with elderly people in churches still leads me to believe they are a target audience. In one of churches where I serve on Sunday, one woman, probably over 80, bought a book. The next Sunday she came back and bought a book for her sister. Still the following Sunday she bought another book for her other sister. All three women were elderly and were delighted to have the book.

4. Be open. The more people learned about the book and bought it, the more they came to me with ideas about marketing. One woman had bought three or four copies. Her husband said to her, "Why don’t you take them to the Christmas Gift Festival at church and then see if you could get them in the bookstore for Shirley?" The very large church they attended took 10 books. They sold five at the Festival, and the rest were placed in their bookstore for future sales.

Another friend bought two books for her grandchildren. She was truly delighted with the books, and soon arranged for her large church to place some in their bookstore. Your customers who like the book will have good ideas for you. Keep your ears open and listen to what they suggest.

5. Be innovative. I had another idea that some friends of mine who are traveling singers might be able to help me out. They take the book with them and display it with my fliers on their product table along with their CD’s. I have had several sales connected with their publicity. The website is listed on the flier, so several of those sales came by that means. This has also helped me to spread information about the book to additional states, some that are very far away. Faithful friends! How beautiful they are!

I have another idea that my book might be great reading for adults who are learning to read or immigrants who are learning to read English. That’s still in its developing phase, but we’ll see what happens with it.

6. Be brave. Find some conventions or conferences related to the theme of your book. You may have to lay out some fees for this. You may get a good return on some and not so good on others. Just be thankful for every book or other item you’re able to sell, and the total will keep going up. Before you know it, you’ll look back and say, "Wow! Look how many I’ve sold!" An article I read in a magazine said that people who self-publish books usually did not sell more than 100. I felt good that I was beyond that already, and I can soon see another milestone coming up.

7. Be positive. Look to the future. Believe that anything can happen. Everything won’t work out, but lots of things will. Keep trying every possibility that comes to your mind. Continue to re-check on possibilities you started working on previously. You never know when something might change, and the time will be right. Don’t let it get you down if things are going slowly at times. Last winter things seemed a little slow, but I had a lot of other things to do anyway. So I just kept working at everything as much as I could, and I kept believing that it would soon pick up. And it did!

8. Be up-to-date. I was excited about developing my website, and I had people around who could help me. I’ve had some trouble getting excited about the social media. But I’m trying to understand how it will help me, so I’ve got a start with Twitter. That’s how I connected with Tony Eldridge who asked me to write a guest blog. I appreciate how he has encouraged me to do this, and I hope it will help my efforts in marketing and that some of my ideas may help all of you as well.

9. Be patient. When things slow down, it may be hard to keep going. Hold on through those slow times. Work on ideas for marketing. Maybe you’ll come up with just the right thing to rejuvenate your campaign. I’ll admit that winter slowdown seemed a little disheartening. But that was when the orders started coming from faraway places like Texas, Michigan, Alabama, Florida, Virginia, West Virginia, Maine. It made me believe in what I was doing, and I kept forging ahead.

10. Be grateful. Write thank you notes to the people who buy your product and to those who help you find places to sell, or help you with ideas about marketing. They will love to hear if you had success with an idea they gave to you. If they’re a great idea person, they might think of other helpful methods for you to use.

Hope to see you on Twitter or LinkedIn or as a customer on my website: www.GrandmasStories.com.
I wish you success in all your marketing efforts.

Best wishes,

Shirley Myers

Shirley Myers has spent most of her life spreading knowledge of the Bible with both children and adults. She taught Bible clubs and worked in vacation Bible schools in her youth. She also has often taught Sunday school throughout the years.

Shirley was a writer of Sunday school curriculum, take-home papers, and daily devotionals for more than twenty years. Several publishers, including Union Gospel Press, the Church of the Nazarene, and American Baptist Churches have made use of her writing skills. She has received writing awards at St. Davids Christian Writers’ Conference and became president of that writing association.

Rev. Shirley Myers also has had a second career as a pastor in American Baptist Churches for ten years and continues to do supply preaching. She is a graduate of Davis College when it was known as Practical Bible Training School. She had additional training for ministry with American Baptist Churches.

Mrs. Myers lives near Syracuse, New York with her husband of 47 years. They have been blessed with five children (now adults) and eight grandchildren.

Twitter @GrandmasStories
Website: www.GrandmasStories.com
E-mail: sjmyers@twcny.rr.com

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Tony Eldridge is the author of The Samson Effect, an action/adventure novel that Clive Cussler calls a "first rate thriller brimming with intrigue and adventure." He is also the author of the Twitter marketing book, Conducting Effective Twitter Contests. His new novel, The Lottery Ticket, was just recently released on Kindle.

Sunday Kindle Book Giveaway AM: Asylum Lake By R.A. Evans

2011-07-31T23:14:00.001-05:00

Sunday morning's Kindle Book Giveaway is Asylum Lake (Parting The Veil) from author R.A. Evans. This is your opportunity to discover new authors and books each Sunday while having a chance to win a copy of the Kindle version of the books directly from the authors. All you have to do for your chance to win this Kindle book from R.A. is to leave a comment below.

Description From Amazon.com
Memories are like water. Some float on the surface bright and clear. Some lie deeper - blurred by time and distance. Others rest far from the light in the depths of the darkness. These memories are best forgotten. At the bottom of Asylum Lake the unremembered are growing restless.

After the sudden death of his wife, Brady Tanner moves to the small Michigan town where he spent summers as a youth. But he soon learns that small towns can be stained by memories...and secrets too. As Brady is drawn into unearthing the secrets of the town and of the abandoned psychiatric hospital on the shores of Asylum Lake, he discovers a new love in an old friend. But there is an evil presence lurking beneath the waters of the lake. What is the source of this evil--and what does it want with Brady Tanner?

R.A.'s Blog: http://www.raevanswrites.wordpress.com
R.A.'s Twitter: @raevanswrites
R.A.'s Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/asylumlake

Reviews
Amazon

Message From The Author
After the sudden death of his wife, Brady Tanner moves to the small Michigan town where he spent summers as a youth. But he soon learns that small towns can be stained by memories...and secrets too. As Brady is drawn into unearthing the secrets of the town and of the abandoned psychiatric hospital on the shores of Asylum Lake, he discovers a new love in an old friend. But there is an evil presence lurking beneath the waters of the lake. What is the source of this evil--and what does it want with Brady Tanner?

For your chance to win a Kindle copy of Asylum Lake, all you have to do is leave a comment below. We will randomly choose a winner next Saturday.

Last Week's Winners:
Dead Spell By Belinda Frisch: John Rowlands

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Get focused. Read books.

Time to publish your thoughts? www.taleist.com

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Tony Eldridge is the author of The Samson Effect, an action/adventure novel that Clive Cussler calls a "first rate thriller brimming with intrigue and adventure." He is also the author of the Twitter marketing book, Conducting Effective Twitter Contests. His new novel, The Lottery Ticket, was just recently released on Kindle.

Sunday Kindle Book Giveaway PM: Favored to Win By MaryAnn Myers

2011-07-31T20:11:00.002-05:00

This afternoon's Sunday Kindle Book Giveaway is Favored to Win from author MaryAnn Myers. This is your opportunity to discover new authors and books each Sunday while having a chance to win a copy of the Kindle version of the books directly from the authors. All you have to do for your chance to win this Kindle book from MaryAnn is to leave a comment below.

Description From Amazon.com
"The Greatest Thoroughbred Racetrack Novel Ever!"

Dawn never meant to hurt anyone. She never meant to live a lie; she never meant to fall in love. Sometimes things just happen.

As the mysteries and excitement of Thoroughbred racing unfold, so do the details of Dawn Fioritto's life and past. While covering a story for the local newspaper, Dawn becomes captivated by an enchanting old man and with life behind the scenes at Nottingham Downs. She returns under the guise of writing a novel. For two years, she comes and goes, employed as a groom in relative obscurity. No one knows who she is, or where she's been. She is an enigma, harmless and protected, in a racing world where one lives only for the moment, where yesterday is gone, and where there may be no tomorrow. Until the day, some starts asking questions....

Critically acclaimed author MaryAnn Myers has done it again! As with her previous page-turning novels, Call Me Lydia and Maple Dale, she will keep you spellbound well into the night. Give in to the magic, settle back in your favorite chair and enjoy.

Find MaryAnn's book on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/profile.php?id=1674095064
Find MaryAnn on Twitter: @MaryAnnMyers
Visit MaryAnn's website: http://www.sunrisehorsefarm.com/

Reviews
Amazon
Barnes And Noble

Message From The Author
I invite you to step into Dawn Fioritto's world and be a part of the excitement of Thoroughbred racing and Dawn's mysterious past, and possible future. As a trainer myself, captivated by the racetrack life, I leave no stone unturned. Who is she?

For your chance to win a Kindle copy of Favored to Win, all you have to do is leave a comment below. We will randomly choose a winner next Saturday.

Last Week's Winners:
Dead Spell By Belinda Frisch: John Rowlands

From Our Sponsors

Get focused. Read books.

How to Sell to Libraries– Top 10 Strategies for Independent Authors and Publishers by Dana Lynn Smith

2011-07-28T12:06:00.001-05:00

Today, we have a veteran expert to the blog back with us. Dana Lynn Smith shares her expertise on selling your books to libraries and tap into this billion dollar market. For more from Dana, check out her Kindle title listed at the end of this post.

How to Sell to Libraries– Top 10 Strategies for Independent Authors and Publishers
by Dana Lynn Smith

America's 123,000 libraries purchase nearly $2 billion worth of books annually, according to statistics from the American Library Association and the Book Industry Study Group. Nonfiction books are especially well suited to library sales. To sell fiction to libraries, it's helpful to have reviews in journals, book awards, or a strong local tie-in, such as a novel being set in the region.

Here are ten tips on how to sell to libraries:

1. Publish a library-friendly book. Library books take a lot of abuse, so libraries prefer books that are sturdy. However, given the choice between a hardcover and paperback edition, they may choose the paperback because it's less expensive. Libraries generally will not purchase books with spiral or other nontraditional binding, and they don't like books with "fill-in-the-blank" pages. Nonfiction books should have a good index and preferably a bibliography. Librarians also prefer to purchase books that are cataloged using CIP (cataloging-in-publication) data.

2. Get your book reviewed in a library journal. Library purchasing decisions are based largely on reviews in the major journals. It's impossible for librarians to keep up with the huge volume of books being published, and they value the screening process that the journals provide. Eligibility and submission instructions vary by publication, so read the requirements carefully. Unfortunately, the journals can review only a small percentage of the books submitted to them. If you aren't able to get reviewed in major journals, play up your other reviews in your marketing materials.

3. Make sure your book is available through major library wholesalers such as Baker & Taylor and Ingram. The majority of library book purchases are made through wholesalers, and some libraries won't order directly from small publishers.

4. Apply to work with a library distributor such as Quality Books or Unique Books, if you have a nonfiction book to sell to libraries.

5. Solicit testimonials from librarians to add to your marketing materials, and play up any awards the book has won.

6. Contact libraries in your area to inquire about programs for local authors, and contact libraries in towns you visit. Let the library know about your events or media coverage in the area, such as book signings, radio interviews, or newspaper feature stories.

7. Look into speaking opportunities at libraries, like lectures and readings. In some cases you can sell copies of your book at your event or even get paid a speaking fee. Sometimes these events are organized by the "friends of the library" or other similar volunteer groups.

8. Send direct mail to libraries, either on your own or through co-operative mailings. Address mail to the Collection Development Librarian for your subject area, and include a flyer with book details and a list of wholesalers and distributors that carry your book.

9. Consider donating a sample copy of your book to a few top library systems, to encourage purchases for branch libraries.

10. Exhibit at library tradeshows through co-operative exhibit programs such as those offered through the Independent Book Publishers Association, Combined Book Exhibit, and other organizations to sell your book to libraries.

Excerpted from The Savvy Book Marketer's Guide to Selling Your Book to Libraries by Dana Lynn Smith. For more book marketing tips, follow BookMarketer on Twitter and get Dana's free Top Book Marketing Tips ebook when you visit her book marketing blog.

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Tony Eldridge is the author of The Samson Effect, an action/adventure novel that Clive Cussler calls a "first rate thriller brimming with intrigue and adventure." He is also the author of the Twitter marketing book, Conducting Effective Twitter Contests. His new novel, The Lottery Ticket, was just recently released on Kindle.

Workshops Add Value to Your Book Marketing Plan By Wes Gilbert

2011-07-26T10:07:00.001-05:00

Workshops are a very popular marketing tool for authors. Today, Wes Gilbert will share his marketing expertise with you on how you can use workshops effectively. If you ever thought about this path, then Wes has some suggestions that you'll want to read.

Before we get to Wes's post, I have a quick announcement.This week, D'vorah Lansky is hosting The Book Marketing Conference Online. This is a great opportunity to learn how to market your book from the experts. This year, I will be a participant and I invite you to check out the great lineup she has created for you.

Now, on to Wes's post...

Workshops Add Value to Your Book Marketing Plan
By Wes Gilbert

Your book is written. Edited. Galleys approved. Publication is imminent. You have a marketing plan, and it's well under way.

You've kept the world informed with progress updates to your Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and other social media accounts. A press release is a click away from sending. You've scheduled a blog tour, radio interviews, and you'll be on local TV program in the wee hours of a Sunday morning. Bookstore readings will be here before you know it. You continue to blog on your own site, anticipating the launch.

It seems like you have all available avenues in line to help make your book a success. Or do you? What haven't considered adding to your book marketing plan?

If asked, most authors would have to say "writing workshops."

Marketing well means utilizing every opportunity to connect with people. Working together, different aspects of your plan provide a network of sales and promotion possibilities. Holding writing workshops are a great way to build direct relationships with the people who are your book's target market. Those relationships can build your credibility, mailing lists, further connections, and book sales.

Teaching or facilitating a writing workshop adds another valuable resource to your marketing methods. Your promotion of the event via tweets, blog posts, social media status updates, and more brings your book (and services) in front of readers and writers in your target market. And at the workshop itself, you are connecting with people who have chosen to be there, and who could become your most ardent readers, fans, or allies.

As an experienced writing workshop attendee, teacher, and facilitator, I can tell you it takes a bit of time and effort, especially when you're putting together your first one. Beyond that, it gets much easier, because you have the materials to reuse or revise, the experience of the process to measure and determine its success, and the additions to your marketing lists to bring more exposure to everything you're doing now, and in the future.

Here's a brief "how-to-overview" you can use to get started on your workshop.

Decide what kind of workshop best suits you (and your writing)- Start with your book. Is it a novel? Do a workshop on characters or revision. A non-fiction history of local artists? Ask one of them to help you do an art workshop and speak about her work in conjunction with your book. I offer services like editing and blogging for businesses, so I could easily hold workshops on working with editors or blogging effectively. You can also partner with another 'expert.' I prefer fiction, and I have a friend whose strength is non-fiction. If we collaborate, we can double our marketing list by promoting to those interested in multiple aspects of writing. Use your imagination, and you'll find you could use many topics to workshop related to your book.

Develop your workshop material- After you decide on the workshop, you can gather your resources. There's this little thing called the internet, and you can find material there to teach almost anything you want. (If you use anything from any website or physical source not your own, be sure to fully credit and/or ask those involved) It's a good idea to plan your material based on how long the workshop will run. If I'm doing a workshop on my own, I'll plan for a two hour minimum or four hour maximum time frame. You'll choose yours based on what you'll teach and how much time you think you can fill with interesting and effective content and interaction. Depending on how much material you have, that could be multiple days over several weeks.

Choose your venue- Where would you hold your workshop? Check out local venues like galleries, coffee houses, or arts centers. You may pay a nominal fee like 10% of gross, or perhaps be allowed to use their space for free (or consumption of on-site consumables). Some local colleges offer adult courses outside of their standard curriculum, which may be an opportunity for you.

Promotion, invites, registrations and cost- An invitation sent to your list (and social media) announcing the workshop is yet another way to get an impression in front of your readers, followers, customers, and/or clients. Facebook, Twitter, other social media can help get the word out. Think about other ways you market your book, and consider if those same methods fit in marketing your workshop. Promote via all channels that will reach your audience, including local online calendars and lists. Be sure to send it out a minimum of six to eight weeks ahead of the date (two months is a good first teaser contact).

Registrations are easier than ever. A Google search will lead you to online event services like EventBrite and others. As with venues, many are free or charge a small percentage, but the tools at your disposal with e-mail capture, automatic registrations and payments, and event tutorials can make it cost-effective.

Set your price point to match what you provide. I go with around $10 an hour, which is reasonable for what I teach. $10 for two hours, plus event site fees, means a price of about $25. Unless you're putting on a full-blown day-or-weekend-long workshop for thirty or more (which you may be able to do down the road), expect this experience to pay off more in relationships and after-event sales than provide enough to pay the rent or phone bill. Which means you can also consider doing it for free. It's your workshop, you have to create it to make it what you need it to be.

Follow up- Send those e-mails or thank you notes to make a post-workshop connection while it's still a fresh experience (within a week at most). Thank them and give them further value by providing sample chapters, your presentation, an offer for books or services, or even something as simple as a list of writing-related links you like. Make it brief, but also consider asking them for a social media connection or to subscribe to your blog. Be sure to announce any future events like appearances, signings, special eBook sales, etc.

A few other things to consider in planning a workshop: add value for participants with handouts, or offer to e-mail them a freebie. Be accessible afterwards. People may have questions, and they like access to an expert (as you've just proven yourself to be). Consider filming the workshop and providing the video online or marketing it separately, using the materials you created.

Now go, and market your book and yourself via workshops. Whatever form it takes, be sure to make it fun and enjoyable for your attendees and yourself. The benefits of more relationships, more connections, and more book sales, are waiting.

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Wes Gilbert is a freelance writer and editor, published writer, writing workshop teacher, and former fiction editor. He's writing a mystery novel, ghostwriting another, and blogging for business(es) and pleasure. For services or to read other writings, visit wesgilbert.com. Contact for links or reprints at weswriter@aol.com

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Tony Eldridge is the author of The Samson Effect, an action/adventure novel that Clive Cussler calls a "first rate thriller brimming with intrigue and adventure." He is also the author of the Twitter marketing book, Conducting Effective Twitter Contests. His new novel, The Lottery Ticket, was just recently released on Kindle.

Seven Elements That Can Make or Break Your Site By Shaila Abdullah

2011-07-25T09:20:00.001-05:00

Today's guest is Shaila Abdullah, author of Saffron Dreams and Beyond the Cayenne Wall: Collection of Short Stories. She is also the founder of My House of Design where she works with authors and small businesses on their website, marketing and branding needs. Today, Shaila will be discussing things you should and should not have on your website. (Make sure you see her generous offer to readers of this blog at the end of her post).

Before we get to Shaila's post, I have a quick announcement.This week, D'vorah Lansky is hosting The Book Marketing Conference Online. This is a great opportunity to learn how to market your book from the experts. This year, I will be a participant and I invite you to check out the great lineup she has created for you.

Now, on to Shaila's post...

Seven Elements That Can Make or Break Your Site
By Shaila Abdullah

A website serves as an author's virtual calling card. You need a professional website, even before you get an agent. Experts advise that the minute you start thinking of book titles, reserve a domain and start looking for a designer.

A website is also your online home of sorts. Think of how much you spruce up your home when someone's visiting. Unlike your physical residence, your website is a place where visitors will be calling day and night––and unannounced.

If you're an author who has been on the fence about having a website for awhile, ask yourself these questions:

Do you want to attract more readers and sell more books?
D you want a fan base?
Do you want media to have an easy way to reach you?
Do you want readers and editors to know that you are an expert in your field?

Like it not, many editors look up authors online before they even sign them up. Yet, when it comes to websites, so many authors choose to go with unprofessional or mediocre looking sites. Hiring a professional pays off in the long run. When choosing a website designer, make sure they have an impressive portfolio. You do not want a designer who delivers cookie-cutter solutions. A professional web designer provides clients with a series of questions geared to their particular genre, book, and personality before providing an estimate.

Seven things all authors should have on their website

A professional bio
Description of work and information on buying
A media kit with a few professional photos
A few excerpts (incentive for visitors who come to the site)
News and events section highlighting book reading/signing events, media mentions, etc
A sign up form to collect contact info of interested readers
An easy-to-find contact section

Seven things no author should have on their website

Content with grammatical and spelling mistakes
A bio that makes you sound like Jack or Jill of all trades
Photos from your last family reunion
Distracting animation, loud music, blinking text, and annoying rotators
Your unpublished writing (If it has not seen the light of day yet, it’s better to leave it out)
A corner where you badmouth publishers and agent who rejected or upset you
A long list of external links that increases your site visits but draws traffic that is useless for you

Remember, your website should have a look that highlights only your best.

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Shaila Abdullah is an award-winning designer and author and has created numerous websites, marketing materials, and email marketing campaigns for authors. She can be reached at shailaabdullah@gmail.com or http://www.myhouseofdesign.com. Marketing Tips For Authors readers qualify for a 10% discount on their first project.

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Tony Eldridge is the author of The Samson Effect, an action/adventure novel that Clive Cussler calls a "first rate thriller brimming with intrigue and adventure." He is also the author of the Twitter marketing book, Conducting Effective Twitter Contests. His new novel, The Lottery Ticket, was just recently released on Kindle.

Sunday Kindle Book Giveaway AM: Dead Spell By Belinda Frisch

2011-07-24T07:24:00.001-05:00

This morning's Sunday Kindle Book Giveaway is Dead Spell from author Belinda Frisch. This is your opportunity to discover new authors and books each Sunday while having a chance to win a copy of the Kindle version of the books directly from the authors. All you have to do for your chance to win this Kindle book from Belinda is to leave a comment below.

Description From Amazon.com
17-year-old Harmony Wolcott is slowly succumbing to the haunting darkness of a forgotten memory. Afraid to ask for help or admit what's happening to her and around her, Harmony looks for the truth while trying to escape what it's done to her family.

Dead Spell is about a ghost with a past and a girl that would die to forget it.

Belinda's Blog: http://belindaf.blogspot.com/
Belinda's Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/belinda.frisch

Reviews
Amazon
GoodReads
The Wheel and the Star

Message From The Author
17-year-old Harmony Wolcott is slowly succumbing to the haunting darkness of a forgotten memory. Afraid to ask for help or admit what's happening to her and around her, Harmony looks for the truth while trying to escape what it's done to her family. Dead Spell is about a ghost with a past and a girl that would die to forget it.

For your chance to win a Kindle copy of Dead Spell, all you have to do is leave a comment below. We will randomly choose a winner next Saturday.

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Create a Following with Interesting Writing and the Rankings Will Come By Kyle Michael

2011-07-21T09:24:00.000-05:00

Image via Wikipedia

Today, we have a returning SEO expert to give us a little more advice on how to adopt SEO practices into our blog posts. Today, Kyle Michael will be talking to us about incorporating great content into the post and how to use evergreen content effectively. At the end of the post, I've linked to Kyle's other SEO posts he's done for this blog. He's been with an SEO company before being snatched up by a national corporation that is now utilizing his SEO skills, so he knows what he's talking about.

Before we get to Kyle's post, I wanted to remind you about our two books that you can win during this week's Sunday Kindle Book Giveaway. The Stumpwork Robe By Prue Batten and SHOES HAIR NAILS By Deborah Batterman are this week's books. All you have to do for a chance to win these books from the authors is to leave a comment on their posts.

Now, on to Kyle's post...

Create a Following with Interesting Writing and the Rankings Will Come
By Kyle Michael

In the world of SEO, the focus tends to be more concerned about keywords and copy that is as optimized as possible. So writing that is geared towards search engines more than readers is likely the result of a great deal of copy that is turned out.

The truth is the focus of your writing style should be to create something that people want to read and will find interesting. In return, you will have more people than enjoy reading your writing and want to return to your website. Well written and engaging content will yield more shares on social network. The subject of your content should be interesting enough to get someone to click through and should be well-written to keep the reader coming back for more content.

Great writing leads to more fans, more fans means more people coming back to your site everyday to read your work, more returning users means more buzz created from links, tweets, Facebook shares and now, Google +1s. The more traffic and buzz you can create for yourself on social media the less self promotion you have to do for your site.

Your content should be optimized for keyword content when the connection is natural and within the copy. People want to read content that is interesting and has an engaging headline. Write compelling headlines to draw people to your content.

Keep in mind that not every post you write has to optimized for SEO. If you write a great piece of content that doesn't work particularly well for SEO then don't force it. You may see it as a wasted post or a missed opportunity, but if you can optimize two out of three posts or even a third of your posts, you can still begin to drive traffic to your site.

Consider creating pages on your blog to keep your best content fresh and readily available. Once you write a post for your blog, it begins to go stale because it is dated. If you have content that you want to be relevant for an extended period of time, create a link to a page with your best piece on your home page. For example, if you write a great post on "The Ultimate Guide to SEO", you don't want that piece to get buried in your blog. Create a page with a title like, "John Smith's Ultimate Guide to SEO." Every person that visits your page will likely click on that link and share the article if you know what you are talking about and you have the article at the front and center of your site.

These are evergreen resources that you can build your site brand around. You can continue to update your SEO page with industry trends and new advances. Your original piece becomes a piece that could have been buried; now it becomes an integral part of your site and the brand of your site. If you know enough about a topic, you can become the internet authority.

Your content is definitely important but you should also give your readers the tools to share and pass along your content. Optimize your blog posts with Facebook, Twitter and Google+1 share buttons. You should have these three buttons at the bottom of each post. When the reader is done, they just click the share button and they have posted a link to your blog for all of their twitter followers, Facebook news feed or Google plus account. It's as easy as that.

By Kyle Michael

Check out Kyle's other posts on SEO:
Content Creation is Vital in Successful SEO
Using SEO To Get The Biggest Bang For Your Buck
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Tony Eldridge is the author of The Samson Effect, an action/adventure novel that Clive Cussler calls a "first rate thriller brimming with intrigue and adventure." He is also the author of the Twitter marketing book, Conducting Effective Twitter Contests. His new novel, The Lottery Ticket, was just recently released on Kindle.

Online Relationship Marketing For Authors By D'vorah Lansky

2011-07-20T00:09:00.001-05:00

I'm excited to introduce you to our guest today, D'vorah Lansky. D'vorah is a book marketer and the author of Book Marketing Made Easy. She's on tour to promote her new book, which I will review next week, but today is a scheduled stop on her tour.

Next week, she is hosting The Book Marketing Conference Online. This is a great opportunity to learn how to market your book from the experts. This year, I will be a participant and I invite you to check out the great lineup she has created for you.

In today's post, D'vorah gives advice on how authors can build online rapport and relationships with their readers. I'm thrilled to introduce you to her today.

Online Relationship Marketing For Authors
By D'vorah Lansky

Relationship marketing is a new term for a time-tested practice. People want to do business with people whom they "know, like, and trust". Growing up in a family of retailers, it was a common practice for us to do business with people we knew "in the business" or with people who were referred by people we knew. Old-school marketing focuses on clever or salesy ways of convincing people to buy what you are selling, relationship marketing focuses on creating a connection with your audience so that they come to know, like, and trust you. Sell them on you, not on "your stuff."

There are a wide variety of ways that you can practice relationship marketing online. From developing an online hub with your blog, to sending greeting cards to people who purchase your books or enroll in your book related programs, to producing videos as a way for people to see and hear you, to developing a strong social media presence, relationship marketing can be your secret to success by setting you apart from your competition and helping you to create a strong community of raving fans. By building a relationship with your audience, you will sell more books and become known as an expert in your field.

As an author, building relationships with your audience will not only allow you to sell more books, but will increase your following. When people come to know you and see that you offer quality and value, and that you care, they are going to want to know you and they are going to want to buy your books and participate in your programs.

Develop a Competitive Edge by Building Relationships with Your Email Subscribers

Your most important online asset is your list of email subscribers. These are people who opt-in to receive something from you in exchange for their name and email address. One of the most important things you can do to achieve success online is to build a solid relationship with your email subscribers. This can make the difference between a one-time sale and making a customer for life.

Here are a few ways to strengthen rapport with email subscribers:

Keep in touch often with people who have subscribed to your email list. Do not email them only when you want to promote a product. Share tips, ideas, and recommended free resources as well as the occasional promotion of a product or program that would be of interest to your audience.

Ask about their needs and concerns. Use questionnaires and get them involved. Ask them what they need and what they would most like to learn more about.

Send them an occasional gift. It could be in the form of a free report, a relevant checklist, a chapter or two of your book, an audio recording, or access to a relevant video.

Share your knowledge. When you impart something of value to your subscribers, they will see you as an educator, listen to what you have to say, and value their relationship with you.

Provide them with recommendations for products and services that can benefit them. On occasion, provide your subscribers with information about products or services that you highly recommend and endorse. These can be products that you produce, free programs available online, or products on which you earn an affiliate commission.

Weave Relationship Marketing Through Your Online Marketing Campaign

There are many ways to strengthen the connection between you and your audience. Find ways to be of service and to add value to your message. Share your knowledge and expertise via free content as well as through programs that people pay for; you will be helping people who can benefit from your message. Provide your audience with a variety of ways to connect with you and be authentic and caring. Demonstrate that you care about people first and making money second, and your business will grow.

D'vorah is the author of Book Marketing Made Easy: Simple Strategies for Selling Your Nonfiction Book Online - Visit her book blog and check out the full virtual book tour schedule at: www.BookMarketingMadeEasy.com.

D'vorah offers programs for nonfiction authors interested in growing their brand and their book sales through online book marketing practices and strategies. You can purchase her book on Amazon at: www.BookMarketingMadeEasy.com/amazon

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Tony Eldridge is the author of The Samson Effect, an action/adventure novel that Clive Cussler calls a "first rate thriller brimming with intrigue and adventure." He is also the author of the Twitter marketing book, Conducting Effective Twitter Contests. His new novel, The Lottery Ticket, was just recently released on Kindle.

Review: Dollars & Sense: The Definitive Guide To Self-publishing Success

2011-07-19T07:21:00.003-05:00

Today, I'm reviewing a new book by authors Carolyn McCray, Amber Scott and Rachel Thompson called, Dollars & Sense: The Definitive Guide to Self-publishing Success. Head over to Rachel's blog post for today to see how you can win a copy of this book while it's touring the net.

When I completed Dollars & Sense, one thing came to mind... Wow, this is the most complete book on creating and launching a self-published book that I have come across to date. Anytime I see the word "Definitive" in the title, I almost always find that the author is reaching to use that word legitimately. This is one book that stakes a strong claim to that word.

The three authors share their combined experience in an exhaustive book that reads like a tutorial and seminar combined into one easy to use tool. Starting from the time before your book is published, through the launch, Dollars & Sense helps you every step of the way.

This book guides you through the editing, formatting and launch of your book. It discusses the cover and categories that will help your book stand apart from the others. It also talks about garnering review by letting you know where to look for them and how to approach reviewers.

Dollars & Sense then goes into detail on how you can create a solid marketing plan for your book and looks at everything from integrating social media into your plan to working with paid advertising. It discusses a sensible pricing strategy for your book and what you need to keep in mind when you price your book. Did you know that there is a "no man's land" when it comes to pricing your Kindle title? This book will tell you what it is and why you want to stay away from it.

Dollars & Sense has three main sections:

1. Producing a Professional Product
2. Creating a Social Media Platform
3. Selling Books

Each section could easily be peeled away and sold as a stand alone product. The section on crating a social media platform itself is one of the best works I have read on how authors can integrate social media into their platform. In fact, their Twitter chapter in my opinion is worth the price of the book alone.

This book is packed with so much advice and instruction, it's unlikely you will be able to read and use it in one pass. It's definitely a reference book that you'll go to over and over as you bring your book to readers. Kudos to Carolyn McCray, Amber Scott and Rachel Thompson for creating, in my opinion, one of the best and most exhaustive books on the subject. It indeed, deserves the word "Definitive" in the title.

Remember, head over to Rachel's blog post for today to see how you can win a copy of this book.

About The Authors

Amber Scott bio:
In between naptimes and dishes, Amber Scott escapes into her characters’ addictive lives. She often burns dinner, is a sucker for chocolate and still believes in happily ever after. She makes her home in hot Arizona with her two children, husband, and one day, two cats.

Contact info:
amberscottbooks@gmail.com (for readers)
amberromances@yahoo.com (for main contact)
Twitter: @amberscottbooks
Weblog: http://amberscottbooks.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/AmberScottBooks

Carolyn McCray bio:
Carolyn McCray is a social media and sales consultant to indie authors and publishing houses alike. Her own controversial thriller, “30 Pieces of Silver” hit the #1 spot on the Amazon “Men’s Adventure” list, (beating out the likes of Clive Cussler), and all four of her indie published books are Kindle Bestsellers.

Carolyn is also the founder of the Indie Book Collective, an organization with over 5,000 members which is dedicated to helping authors utilize social media to the fullest to sell their books. The Collective offers free workshops, a live advice radio show, innovative programs such as Blog Tour de Force & Bestseller for a Day, and so much more to its members.

Rachel Thompson bio:
Rachel Thompson (aka RachelintheOC) is the author of the consistently 5/5 star reviewed humorous and at times, poignant, collection of essays, A Walk In The Snark (released 1/2011), which recently hit #3 on the Amazon Humor/Parenting & Families Kindle list (beating out the likes of Jenny McCarthy!), after just a few months of release and has consistently stayed on the Amazon Top Humor Lists.

In May, 2011 A Walk In The Snark hit #1 on Smashwords Entertainment Bestseller list also.

Rachel is also one of the cofounders of the Indie Book Collective, an organization with over 6,000 members which is dedicated to helping authors utilize social media to the fullest to sell their books. The Collective offers free workshops, a live advice radio show, innovative programs such as Blog Tour de Force & Bestseller for a Day, and so much more to its members.

You can find Rachel most days on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, giving daily tips on the IndieBookIBC Twitter stream, contributing posts to the IBC blog or her own popular blog, giving free social media workshops for writers, promoting her current book or working on her next book, The Mancode: A Survivor’s Tale. She lives in the OC aka Orange County, CA (home of Disneyland). Somewhere in there this redhead in a sea of blondes fits in being a full-time wife and mom to her two young children and just one husband. She loves coffee, dirty martinis, and sleep.

Rachel and the IBC were recently profiled (April 13, 2011) in the Huffington Post Books section regarding social media and ePublishing.

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Tony Eldridge is the author of The Samson Effect, an action/adventure novel that Clive Cussler calls a "first rate thriller brimming with intrigue and adventure." He is also the author of the Twitter marketing book, Conducting Effective Twitter Contests. His new novel, The Lottery Ticket, was just recently released on Kindle.

Free Book Marketing Conference July 25th-28th

2011-07-18T08:20:00.001-05:00

I have some exciting news! Next week, July 25th through July 28th, D'vorah Lansky, Best selling author of Book Marketing Made Easy, is hosting The Book Marketing Conference Online. This is a great opportunity to learn how to market your book from the experts. This year, I will be a participant. There are three modules surrounding this year's conference:

* Developing Your Author Platform
* Book Launch Secrets
* Make Money With Your Message

Take a look at the experts D'vorah has lined up for this exciting event:

Joanna Penn
Shelley Hitz
Roger C. Parker
Judy Cullins
Lisa Robbin Young
Lou Bortone
Jennifer S. Wilkov
Shel Horowitz
D'vorah Lansky
Tony Eldridge
Stephanie Chandler
Kristen Eckstein
Terry Whalin
Donna Kozik

Register for this free, live event and read more by visiting The Book Marketing Conference Online site. Thousands of people are expected to attend so make sure you are one of them. I look forward to meeting you online at this exciting event.

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Tony Eldridge is the author of The Samson Effect, an action/adventure novel that Clive Cussler calls a "first rate thriller brimming with intrigue and adventure." He is also the author of the Twitter marketing book, Conducting Effective Twitter Contests. His new novel, The Lottery Ticket, was just recently released on Kindle.

Sunday Kindle Book Giveaway PM: Shoes Hair Nails By Deborah Batterman

2011-07-17T20:59:00.000-05:00

This afternoon's Sunday Kindle Book Giveaway is SHOES HAIR NAILS from author Deborah Batterman. This is your opportunity to discover new authors and books each Sunday while having a chance to win a copy of the Kindle version of the books directly from the authors. All you have to do for your chance to win this Kindle book from Deborah is to leave a comment below.

Description From Amazon.com
The settings of these stories - 1980s New York City, 1950s Brooklyn, Las Vegas, an exurban town post-9/11 - are as diverse as the rich palette of characters drawn with heart, humor, and sensuality. With a sharp sense of the telling detail, Deborah Batterman weaves narratives around the everyday symbols in our world and their resonance in our lives.

Find Deborah's book on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/deborah.batterman
Find Deborah on Twitter: @DEBatterman
Visit Deborah's website: http://deborahbatterman.com/

Reviews
Amazon
A Broken Laptop
BigAl's Books and Pals
B. Morrison's Monday Morning Book Blog

Message From The Author
Stories are what we live by. Getting beneath the surface of everyday symbols, too often trivialized, is the heart of SHOES HAIR NAILS.

For your chance to win a Kindle copy of SHOES HAIR NAILS, all you have to do is leave a comment below. We will randomly choose a winner next Saturday.

Last Week's Winners:
Thin Blood By Vicki Tyley: Jim Crigler
Saving Bluestone Belle by Strawberry Shakespeare: Kristi Burchfiel

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Sunday Kindle Book Giveaway AM: The Stumpwork Robe By Prue Batten

2011-07-17T07:08:00.002-05:00

This morning's Sunday Kindle Book Giveaway is The Stumpwork Robe from author Prue Batten. This is your opportunity to discover new authors and books each Sunday while having a chance to win a copy of the Kindle version of the books directly from the authors. All you have to do for your chance to win this Kindle book from Prue is to leave a comment below.

Description From Amazon.com
No one would believe that a tragedy to rival Romeo and Juliet could be hidden beneath the embroidery of a rare gown. If the writer is found out, she could be killed.

Adelina the Traveller, skilled embroiderer, creates a treasure hunt across her robe. In a world eerily like our own, where enchanted Others weave through the weft of life, Adelina places her own existence on the line in order to condemn her gaoler to a death sentence.

This is the story of The Stumpwork Robe...

Prue's Blog: http://www.mesmered.wordpress.com
Prue's Twitter: @pruebatten
Prue's Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1844011999

Reviews
Amazon
Amazon UK
GoodReads

Message From The Author
I live in Tasmania, have a pet Tasmanian Devil called Gisborne, eat kangaroos’ testicles, have the most ridiculous one-star ever awarded on Amazon, and wrote a novel on Twitter. True or false? Read this: http://markwilliamsinternational.com/2011/05/16/miniature-men-in-tights-down-under-prue-battens-bizarre-world/

For your chance to win a Kindle copy of The Stumpwork Robe, all you have to do is leave a comment below. We will randomly choose a winner next Saturday.

Last Week's Winners:
Thin Blood By Vicki Tyley: Jim Crigler
Saving Bluestone Belle by Strawberry Shakespeare: Kristi Burchfiel

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Resource Of The Week: Google Keyword Tool

2011-07-16T10:19:00.001-05:00

Today's resource of the week is the Google Keyword Tool. This powerful tool is available for free, without having to create an account, though if you have a free Google Adwords account, you'll find the tool in there. We all know that when we write posts or landing pages for our books, we want to use relevant, powerful keywords to help the search engines find the content.

What the Google Keyword Tool does is help us uncover related keywords that we may be overlooking. So, if we were to type in the word "blog", we will get 100 other keyword ideas related to "blog". The tool also gives us how many monthly global searches have been done on the keywords and how many monthly local searches have been done. These stats will help us determine how popular the keywords are with people who are looking for content.

There is also a small bar chart that tells us how competitive that keyword is. Sometimes, we can find keywords that have great traffic with little competition, which can show us that we may have found a valuable sleeper. Now, this is designed for people who are looking to place Adwords ads, so this is where the competition graph really has its value.

If you're looking for a way to spark your creative juices for new keywords and you want to see how well the keywords have performed, then the Google Keyword Tool is a simple, powerful tool you should bookmark and have in your marketing arsenal.

Last 4 Resources Of The Week
Post Rank
MeasureIt
Sonar 3
Jing

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Tony Eldridge is the author of The Samson Effect, an action/adventure novel that Clive Cussler calls a "first rate thriller brimming with intrigue and adventure." He is also the author of the Twitter marketing book, Conducting Effective Twitter Contests. His new novel, The Lottery Ticket, was just recently released on Kindle.

Choose Mentors; Not Mistakes By Janice F. Baca

2011-07-14T09:23:00.001-05:00

Today's guest is Janice F. Baca, who will share with us the importance of having mentors and how these mentors can help us avoid many of the book marketing mistakes we'd make without them.

Before we get to Janice's posts, I want to thank everyone for your support with my books. The Samson Effect is still doing well and my new novel, The Lottery Ticket, is outpacing The Samson Effect at the same time it was selling. And thanks to some added exposure, my Twitter marketing book, Conducting Effective Twitter Contests is doing well too. Thanks to everyone for your help!

Now, on to Janices' post...

Choose Mentors; Not Mistakes
By Janice F. Baca

Publishing my first book launched me into an exciting new world. I found myself hungry for knowledge and seeking the wisdom of those who have gone before me. In fact, that "hunger" pushed me to a place where even experienced authors seek my advice. Why? Because my desire to learn from others taught me how to succeed in marketing my book, Gods Healing Plan.

When Tony asked me to write a guest blog, I knew I needed to encourage new, as well as, experienced authors to never grow weary of seeking mentorship.

A dear friend once told me, "Seek mentors, not mistakes."

Who wants to learn from mistakes? Not me! I went through hours of hard work to publish my book. It's not worth losing the marketing potential because of bad decisions or laziness. Publishing a book requires both the "author's hat" and the "marketing hat" in order to succeed.

So, what does this mean for you? It means that seeking mentorship may, or may not be a direct face-to-face relationship. But it what it does mean is that we, who desire to learn and grow, need to constantly seek wisdom from others who have succeeded. That's why I follow Tony's blogs. Tony's success is something I strive to achieve with my own books. Therefore, I chose him as my mentor.

In fact, I didn't realize how much I learned until I attended my first book signing at the local book fair. I prepared my table with all my marketing material, books, and computer to play my book trailer.

There were 12 other authors at the book fair with me. All were seasoned authors and had multiple books proudly displayed. I was the only author with one book.

My table was attractive and well organized. My marketing material was on my table, as well as in my hand, ready to hand to those who were interested.

When I stepped to the front of my table, I was approached by one of the seasoned authors. With 13 books on display and more in the publication process, I was intrigued by his experience, and was hoping to learn from him. Instead, he introduced the man next to him. He stated his friend was recently accepted for publication and was in the process of peer review.

"Janice, you really have it together and seem to know a great deal about marketing," the season author stated.

I was taken back by his comments. I didn't realize he overheard my conversations with my table buddy. He knew my publisher taught me to succeed. He too wanted to succeed; even if it meant learning from a first-time author.

Since that first book fair, I've had a number of seasoned authors request I mentor them.

My research, diligence, and learning from experts such as Tony paid off. I may not have a bestseller — yet; but I'm on the right path to get there.

Below are a few tips I've learned while publishing my book. But the first thing I recommend is mentorship. Never be too proud to seek those who have succeeded. They have a great deal to offer you and me.

It's okay to ask questions. Don't ask your uncle whose books are stacked high in the trash to teach you about marketing. Learn from those who have succeeded. Take advantage of their blog comment section or email opportunities. You may be surprised how many are willing to offer advice to those who are eager to learn.
Don't fall into laziness! We have obstacles to overcome. Bookstores won't automatically stock our books. We must be diligent and work to get our books sold. That's why my publisher, Tate Publishing, recommends we partner with them to market our books. Through our combined efforts, we are guaranteed a success.
It's never too late. If one marketing tool works for one person and doesn't seem to work well for you, then make an adjustment. It's never too late to make small changes that result in huge returns.
Don't give up. Persistence pays off. If publishing a book is really your passion, as I know it probably is. Then your passion is worth the time and effort needed to succeed. In the end, you will reap the benefits of your hard work.

Being a first-time author is an exciting challenge. You had a dream to publish — and your dream is worth striving to achieve! You have a choice to learn from mentors or mistakes; choose mentors.

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Janice F. Baca is the author of Gods Healing Plan. She is also a Life Breakthrough Coach, inspirational writer, speaker, and a registered nurse.

Janice served over 9 years as an officer in the United States Air Force where she nursed America’s troops during times of conflict and war.

Janice graduated with her Baccalaureate degree in Nursing at Lamar University and is currently pursuing her Masters of Theology degree at St. Mary’s University.

Currently, Janice continues to serve as a Life Breakthrough Coach helping others discover, recover, and fulfill their greatest dreams.

Janice is also an active member of her community and is currently serving as a Trustee to The Coming King Foundation.

www.JaniceFBaca.com

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-------- Tony Eldridge is the author of The Samson Effect, an action/adventure novel that Clive Cussler calls a "first rate thriller brimming with intrigue and adventure." He is also the author of the Twitter marketing book, Conducting Effective Twitter Contests. His new novel, The Lottery Ticket, was just recently released on Kindle.