Recipes for Publicity

Online Website to Feature Independently Published Authors

Elizabeth Yarnell — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 03:26:05 +0000

Here’s an opportunity for self-published (aka indie) authors to contribute and/or be featured on a recently launched Web site for independent publishing.

There are two opportunities to be included. The first is as a contributor for The Indie Reader, the IR zine section.

The second is as a contributor to IndieJourney, which will be part of the community section. Authors interested in IndieJourney will need to submit a book (which can be returned if you send a SASE) so they can review and decide who to feature. There are no fees to participate in either section.

Interested? Contact: Amy Edelman, ahedelman at comcast.net

Good luck!!

Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards 2009

Elizabeth Yarnell — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 21:18:26 +0000

The Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards are well under way and quickly approaching the end of our early bird savings entry deadline on June 20th.

The third annual Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards honor the year’s best children’s books, authors and illustrators. The program is accepting entries until August 8th, 2009 for books with 2008 or 2009 copyrights or that were released in 2008 or 2009. They are open to authors, illustrators, and publishers of children’s books written in English or Spanish and intended for the North American market.

Presented by Jenkins Group and Independent Publisher Online, the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards bring increased recognition to exemplary children’s books and their creators, and support childhood literacy and life-long reading. Awards are given in 36 categories covering the full range of subjects, styles and age groups that children’s books are written and published in today.

The 2008 contest attracted 1,085 entries, and 138 Moonbeam medals were awarded to authors and publishers from 30 U.S. states, four Canadian provinces, and four countries overseas.

Early-bird entry fee deadline is June 20th ($85 fee); the final deadline is August 8, 2009 ($95 fee). **Note that this cut-off date is two weeks earlier than originally announced.**

Judging is based on content, originality, design, and production quality, with emphasis on social relevance and age appropriateness. Our judging panels include experts from the fields of editing, design, teaching, bookselling and library, and many categories are judged by teachers and their students. Results will be announced on September 15th, 2009 and presented during the West Virginia Book Festival in Charleston, WV on October 10, 2009.

Twitter Terminology

Elizabeth Yarnell — Wed, 27 May 2009 17:59:01 +0000

Twitter, the 140-character microblog social media network, spawned a whole lexicon of terminology specifically dedicated to Twittering. I was asked recently to explain some of them, so I thought I’d share the information with everyone. This list is by no means definitive, but for Twitter newbies, it should give you someplace to start.

Tweet: A 140-character post.

Follow/Following: Choosing to receive someone’s Tweets.

Followers: Those who choose to receive your Tweets.

Twitterstream: The flow of Tweets from people you are following.

Twitterverse/Twittersphere: The world of Tweets, including online and mobile.

Twitter Handle: The 16- or fewer- character name you go by on Twitter. The Twitter Handle becomes your Twitter profile page URL (i.e., www.twitter.com/ElizabethYarnel), and is how people will identify you. The Twitter Handle is always preceded by @, as in @ElizabethYarnel.

ReTweeting: Forwarding a Tweet to the followers in your Twitterstream. Best ettiquette says to credit the original Tweeter by identifying it as a “Retweet” or simply “RT @ElizabethYarnel”.

@Replies: You’ll see this link in the right-hand column of your Twitter page. Clicking it will show you all the Tweets that include your @Handle. In other words, messages for you or about you.

Direct Messages: Use Direct Messages to carry on a private conversation with someone. Direct Messages can only be sent if both Tweeters are following each other.

Favorites: Star the Tweets you’d like to come back to for their useful links or other valued information. Clicking on the Favorites link will show you all the Tweets you’ve selected.

Hashtags (#): Twitter uses hashtags (#) to group Tweets on the same topic. Once a group establishes a hashtag, it is tracked at hashtag.org. Twitterers can search by hashtag to find Tweets about that topic. Hashtags are often used for conferences and meetings as Tweets fly around the room.

Twitter Skin: The customizable design behind the standard fields on your Twitter home page. You might want to use a good design company to carry your brand onto your Twitter skin.

Twitter Apps: Little widgets and other applications that enable you to maximize your use of Twitter across the web and mobile networks.

Tweeple: People who Tweet.

See the Twitter Fan Wiki for lots more info on Twitter!

How to Monitor Your Social Media Presence in 10 Minutes

Elizabeth Yarnell — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 19:30:13 +0000

Two weeks ago I spoke to the attendees of the Colorado Independent Publishers Association’s annual College about how authors and publishers can use social media to get free publicity. As happens every time I speak about using social media to expand your business, I was deluged with questions afterward, many along the lines of: Where do you find the time to do all this?

Yes, being active in social media does take a time commitment, I respond, but the exposure and influence you gain can be critical in seeing your book sales grow. One of the secrets to effective time management is to automate some of the tasks by using online tools like RSS feeds, apps, widgets, and syndication sites.

Check out this Hubspot post for ways to monitor your social media presence in 10 minutes.

Social Media vs. Advertising: Which is more effective

Elizabeth Yarnell — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 18:00:15 +0000

Simon Clift, Chief Marketing Officer for Unilever, spoke at the Advertising Age for Digital Conference recently about how large companies like Unilever need to adjust their thinking and marketing efforts to reach the digital consumer through interactions.

My favorite part of this article comes in the first comment, posted by Paul Ashby, author of Television Killed Advertising:

“One thing they NEVER taught you whilst working in an advertising agency…or a marketing department for that matter… the human desire for interaction. If this had been taught and the lesson put into everyday practise then billions of pounds and dollars would never have been poured down the black hole of television advertising!”

Now if that’s not a case for why every author, every business owner, every person with a product, should be active in social media, I don’t know what is.

Green Book Festival Awards

Elizabeth Yarnell — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 10:31:18 +0000

The 2009 Green Book Festival’s late registration period is underway for its annual competition honoring books that contribute to greater understanding, respect and positive action on the changing worldwide environment. Final competition deadline is April 15.

The 2009 Green Book Festival will consider published, self-published and independent publisher works in the following categories: non-fiction, fiction, children’s books, teenage, how-to, audio/spoken word, comics/graphic novels, poetry, science fiction/horror, biography/autobiography, gardening, cookbooks, animals, photography/art, e-books, wild card (anything goes!), scientific, white paper, legal, business, mystery and spiritual.

Entries can be in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese or Italian. Our grand prize for the 2009 Green Book Festival Author of the Year is $1500 and transportation to our April 22, 2009 Earth Day celebration in Los Angeles OR an equivalent amount donated in your name to the environmental charity of your choice.

A panel of judges will determine the winners based on the following criteria:

1) The overall writing style and presentation of the work;
2) The potential of the work to enhance understanding of the environment and its
issues;

TO ENTER: Entry forms are available online or may be faxed/e-mailed to you by calling 323-665-8080.

The Green Book Festival is produced by JM Northern Media LLC, producers of the Hollywood Book Festival, New York Book Festival and DIY Convention: Do It Yourself in Film, Music & Books and is sponsored by eDivvy, Larimar St. Croix Writers Colony, Westside Websites and Shopanista.

Colorado Romance Writers’ Conference May, 2009

Elizabeth Yarnell — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 15:34:19 +0000

Writers conferences are a great place to network with other writers and connect with people in the industry. Join the Colorado Romance Writers for their 14th BIENNIAL WRITERS’ CONFERENCE on Friday May 1st & Saturday, May 2nd, 2009.

SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKERS: Sherrilyn Kenyon, Dianna Love, Mary O’Gara, Sue Grimshaw

MORE THAN 27 FEATURED PROGRAMS INCLUDING:
. “Social Networks & New Media for Writers”
. “Free Range Characters”
. “Everything You Need To Know About E-Publishing”
. “The Multiple Personalities of Psychic Characters”
. “Writing Erotic Novellas”
. “Urban Fantasy vs. Paranormal Panel”
. “Writing for the YA Market”
. “Historical Research for the Fiction Writer”
. “Legal Issues for Writers”

EDITOR & AGENT PANELS/APPOINTMENTS ARE AVAILABLE ON A FIRST-COME/FIRST-SERVE BASIS. Sue Grimshaw will also be taking private appointments!

EDITORS. RENEE LYNN, Wild Rose Press; LINDSEY McGURK, Samhain Publishing; KATHRYN LYE, Harlequin; CHRIS KEESLAR, Dorchester Publishing.

AGENTS.ELAINE SPENCER, The Knight Agency; ALEXANDRA MACHINIST, Chester Literary Agency; KATE McKEAN, Howard Morhaim Literary Agency.

WHERE: Radisson Graystone Castle, 83 E. 120th Ave., Denver, CO 80233
FEE: $189 CRW members/$199 non-members (includes Keynote Dinner, Continental Breakfast, Luncheon) [They’re keeping the Early Bird rate for the entire month of April!]
For questions: e-mail RTRCoordinator1@ColoradoRomanceWriters.org

Effective Twittering

Elizabeth Yarnell — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 14:58:10 +0000

Have you discovered Twitter yet? Check out these 7 Habits of Highly Effective Twittering by master Twitterer Kris Colvin. Lots of great suggestions on ways to increase your followers and build your influence with Twitter. Notice, too, the Twitter tools and apps she recommends and uses and bring them into your own Twitterverse.

Get Publicity with the Examiner.com

Elizabeth Yarnell — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 11:41:21 +0000

Examiner.com launched less than one year ago and has since expanded into 60 major markets with it’s locally-produced content that provides a forum to share knowledge and expertise on a local and national level.

Let’s say it’s the result of a big, traditional media company (the Anschutz Company) stepping into the social media realm and exploring ways they can contribute to the local and online communities.

If you consider yourself an insider with insights and knowledge to share about your city, local events, or the people who make your community special, you can get paid to write columns for your local edition of Examiner.com.

As a publicity-seeker, getting in a local examiner.com site can make a difference in everything from how many people turn out for your book signing in a new city to seeing a slate of online purchases of your book or product.

Here are two recent articles about me published in the Arizona edition of the Examiner.com. One was an announcement of my book signing during a recent tour stop, and the other, a general article on my cookbook and unique one-pot cooking method, followed up a few weeks later as a good reminder to those who caught one of my tv spots there and a way to keep people talking about me.

Don’t forget that it can take a minimum of 7 exposures to you or your product to convince people to buy it, so don’t be afraid to continue publicizing in a market you’ve already hit.

The Power of Social Media

Elizabeth Yarnell — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 20:11:44 +0000

A friend of mine mentioned that he had Googled me this morning and a lot came up, so I thought it might be a good idea for me to Google myself as well and see what order things appear in a Google search of Elizabeth Yarnell.

It was very interesting, I must say.

Fortunately, my main ElizabethYarnell.com website came up first, as expected, followed by my cookbook’s site, GloriousPotMeal.com/GloriousOnePotMeals.com. Most surprising, however, was that my Twitter page captured spot #8 on the first page.

The power of social media never fails to astound me.

I also discovered this video of an interview about social media that I did with Ron Lewis after I spoke at the Thin Air Summit last fall. Enjoy!