On June 1, 2009, Authors On The Net together with Wake Up . . . Live The Life You Love launched a social-media style book contest called Wake Up Celebrity Author. The primary reason for running this type of contest is that every entry can benefit even if they do not win one of the three grand prizes. How? By using the contest as a way to drive thousands of people to vote for their book.

What has become very clear is that authors who have a strong online presence and who have educated themselves with social media are generating thousands of hits and hundreds of votes and the authors who are still new to this advertising medium are not. Both cases are successes in my opinion because the authors who are still new to social media are learning just how powerful social media marketing is. If you want to learn more about social media marketing, be sure to read all the free articles on Authors On The Net or for a more structured approach you can sign up for The Author Platform.

Here is Lilia’s artcle:

Marketing For Authors - Six Great Ways to Market Your Book
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Lilia_Fallgatter]Lilia Fallgatter

As an author with a book to sell, I decided early on to learn as much as I could about the marketing aspect of the writing and publishing business that most authors know so little about. After all, we like writing and that is what we do. If we liked marketing, we would have gotten into that line of work, right? Well, the truth is that you may have written an incredible book, but no one will know about it and will not buy it unless you take steps to get the word out.

Whether your book was published in the traditional way or is self-published, it is your baby and no one other than you can speak as effectively regarding all aspects of it. No one will know as much or will be as passionate about it than you are. Luckily, there are relatively simple things you can do to publicize your work yourself. Furthermore, with technology being what it is and continually evolving, authors have more resources than ever at their disposal. Below are just six of the resources available to assist you:

1. Get a Website: In this day and age, it is important to establish an internet presence with a website or blog. In this medium, content is king. Utilizing your website to provide information about your book and area of expertise will help you to more quickly and easily connect with your audience.

2. Get a Blog: By regularly posting helpful content related to the subject area(s) in which you specialize, a blog, like a website, will help you establish a presence on the internet. Be sure to link your blog to your website.

3. Participate in Social Networking: Social Networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter provide a new and powerful opportunity, not just to network with other like-minded souls, but it provides another forum by which to get the word out about your book.

4. Speak on your topic: Another effective method to communicate with others about you book, is to speak on the topic. Instead of doing a book signing, arrange to make a brief presentation in bookstores, or to groups that could benefit from your message. Better yet, if your subject matter lends itself to it, develop a workshop and arrange to offer the workshop through local colleges or organizations.

5. Write Articles: Writing articles related to your subject matter can go a long way in affirming your knowledge and expertise, as well as helping readers find you. Articles can be posted on your blog or submitted to the various article submission sites.

6. Record Podcasts: Podcasts are an effective way in which to reach prospective readers via audio. Using a voice (audio) recording program, you can easily record, save and export a audio file as an MP3 and embed it in your blog or website.

Any and all of these methods can be used as means of effectively letting the world know your baby has arrived.

Lilia L. Fallgatter is a workshop development consultant, motivational speaker, author of “The Most Important Letter You Will Ever Write, How To Tell Loved Ones How You Feel ~ Before It’s Too Late.,” and two soon to be released books: Get What You Want - Start Here, Start Now, and In the Spirit of Love, A Woman’s Guide to Self-Empowerment. Her next workshop development teleseminar will be held soon. Visit http://www.lovingletter.com/workshop.htm to register. Website: http://www.lovingletter.com

(c) 2009 Lilia L. Fallgatter

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lilia_Fallgatter http://EzineArticles.com/?Marketing-For-Authors—Six-Great-Ways-to-Market-Your-Book&id=2465838

An Interview with Christina Katz
Author of Get Known Before the Book Deal, Use Your Personal Strengths to Grow an Author Platform & Writer Mama, How to Raise a Writing Career Alongside Your Kids

Christina Katz is the author of Get Known Before the Book Deal, Use Your Personal Strengths to Grow an Author Platform (Writer’s Digest Books). She started her platform “for fun” seven years ago and ended up on “Good Morning America.” Christina teaches e-courses on platform development and writing nonfiction for publication. Her students are published in national magazines and land agents and book deals. Christina has been encouraging reluctant platform builders via her e-zines for five years, has written hundreds of articles for national, regional, and online publications, and is a monthly columnist for the Willamette Writer. A popular speaker at writing conferences, writing programs, libraries, and bookstores, she hosts the Northwest Author Series in Wilsonville, Oregon. She is also the author of Writer Mama, How to Raise a Writing Career Alongside Your Kids (Writer’s Digest Books).

Q: What is a platform?

CK: Long story short: Your platform communicates your expertise to others, and it works all the time so you don’t have to. Your platform includes your Web presence, any public speaking you do, the classes you teach, the media contacts you’ve established, the articles you’ve published, and any other means you currently have for making your name and your future books known to a viable readership. If others already recognize your expertise on a given topic or for a specific audience or both, then that is your platform.

A platform-strong writer is a writer with influence. Get Known explains in plain English, without buzzwords, how any writer can stand out from the crowd of other writers and get the book deal. The book clears an easy-to-follow path through a formerly confusing forest of ideas so any writer can do the necessary platform development they need to do.

Q: Why is platform development important for writers today?

CK: Learning about and working on a solid platform plan gives writers an edge. Agents and editors have known this for years and have been looking for platform-strong writers and getting them book deals. But from the writer’s point-of-view, there has not been enough information on platform development to help unprepared writers put their best platform forward.

Now suddenly, there is a flood of information on platform, not all necessarily comprehensive, useful or well organized for folks who don’t have a platform yet. Writers can promote themselves in a gradual, grounded manner without feeling like they are selling out. I do it, I teach other writers to do it, I write about it on an ongoing basis, and I encourage all writers to heed the trend. And hopefully, I communicate how in a practical, step-by-step manner that can serve any writer. Because ultimately, before you actively begin promoting yourself, platform development is an inside job requiring concentration, thoughtfulness and a consideration of personal values.

Q: How did you come to write Get Known Before the Book Deal?

CK: I already had a lot of momentum going when I got the deal for a very specific audience. I wrote a column on the topic for the Willamette Writer’s newsletter. Then I started speaking on platform. When I gave my presentation, “Get Known Before the Book Deal,” at the Writer’s Digest/BEA Writer’s Conference in May 2007, Phil Sexton, one of my publisher’s sales guys, saw it and suggested making the concept into a book. Coincidentally, I was trying to come up with an idea for my second book at that time and had just struck out with what I thought were my three best ideas. My editor, Jane Friedman agreed with Phil. That was two votes from people sitting on the pub board. They converted the others with the help of my proposal, and Get Known got the green light.

Q: Why was a book on platform development needed?

CK: Writers often underestimate how important platform is and they often don’t leverage the platform they already have enough. At every conference I presented, I took polls and found that about 50 percent of attendees expressed a desire for a clearer understanding of platform. Some were completely in the dark about it, even though they were attending a conference in hopes of landing a book deal. Since book deals are granted based largely on the impressiveness of a writer’s platform, I noticed a communication gap that needed to be addressed.

My intention was that Get Known would be the book every writer would want to read before attending a writer’s conference, and that it would increase any writer’s chances of landing a book deal whether they pitched in-person or by query. As I wrote the book, I saw online how this type of information was being offered as “insider secrets” at outrageous prices. No one should have to pay thousands of dollars for the information they can find in my book for the price of a paperback! Seriously. You can even ask your library to order it and read it for free.

Q: What is the key idea behind Get Known Before the Book Deal?

CK: Getting known doesn’t take a lot of money, but it does take an in-depth understanding of platform, and then the investment of time, skills and consistent effort to build one. Marketing experience and technological expertise are also not necessary. I show how to avoid the biggest time and money-waster, which is not understanding who your platform is for and why – and hopefully save writers from the confusion and inertia that can result from either information overload or not taking the big picture into account before they jump into writing for traditional publication.

Often writers with weak platforms are over-confident that they can impress agents and editors, while others with decent platforms are under-confident or aren’t stressing their platform-strength enough. Writers have to wear so many hats these days, we can use all the help we can get. Platform development is a muscle, and the more you use it, the stronger it gets. Anyone can do it, but most don’t or won’t because they either don’t understand what is being asked for, or they haven’t overcome their own resistance to the idea. Get Known offers a concrete plan that can help any writer make gains in the rapidly changing and increasingly competitive publishing landscape.

Q: What is the structure of the book and why did you choose it?

CK: Writer Mama was written in small, easy-to-digest chunks so busy new moms could stick it in a diaper bag and read it in the nooks and crannies of the day. Get Known is a bit more prosaic, especially in the early chapters. Most of the platform books already out there were only for authors, not writers or aspiring authors. To make platform evolution easy to comprehend, I had to dial the concepts back to the beginning and talk about what it’s like to try and find your place in the world as an author way before you’ve signed a contract, even before you’ve written a book proposal. No one had done that before in a book for writers. I felt writers needed a context in which to chart a course towards platform development that would not be completely overwhelming.

Introducing platform concepts to writers gives them the key information they need to succeed at pitching an agent either via query or in-person, making this a good book for a writer to read before writing a book proposal. Get Known has three sections: section one is mostly stories and cautionary tales, section two has a lot of to-do lists any writer should be able to use, and section three is how to articulate your platform clearly and concisely so you won’t waste a single minute wondering if you are on the right track.

Q: At the front of Get Known, you discuss four phases of the authoring process. What are they?

CK: First comes the platform development and building phase. Second comes the book proposal development phase (or if you are writing fiction, the book-writing phase). Third, comes the actual writing of the book (for fiction writers this is likely the re-writing of the book). And finally, once the book is published, comes the book marketing and promoting phase.

Many first-time authors scramble once they get a book deal if they haven’t done a thorough job on the platform development phase. Writers who already have a platform have influence with a fan base, and they can leverage that influence no matter what kind of book they write. Writing a book is a lot easier if you are not struggling to find readers for the book at the same time. Again, agents and editors have known this for a long time.

Q: What are some common platform mistakes writers make?

CK: Here are a few:

• They don’t spend time clarifying who they are to others.
• They don’t zoom in specifically on what they offer.
• They confuse socializing with platform development.
• They think about themselves too much and their audience not enough.
• They don’t precisely articulate all they offer so others get it immediately.
• They don’t create a plan before they jump online.
• They undervalue the platform they already have.
• They are overconfident and think they have a solid platform when they have only made a beginning.
• They become exhausted from trying to figure out platform as they go.
• They pay for “insider secrets” instead of trusting their own instincts.
• They blog like crazy for six months and then look at their bank accounts and abandon the process as going nowhere.

I’ll stop there. Suffice it to say that many writers promise publishers they have the ability to make readers seek out and purchase their book. But when it comes time to demonstrate this ability, they can’t deliver.

My mission is to empower writers to be 100 percent responsible for their writing career success and stop looking to others to do their promotional work for them. Get Known shows writers of every stripe how to become the writer who can not only land a book deal, but also influence future readers to plunk down ten or twenty bucks to purchase their book. It all starts with a little preparation and planning. The rest unfolds from there.

Q: Couldn’t any author have written this book? Why you?

CK: I have built a career over the past decade empowering writers. I’ve developed and built my own platform as a writing-for-traditional-publication specialist, and I’ve worked with others as a writing and platform-development instructor. Many of the people I’ve been working with are landing book deals and while the other hundred-or-so writers I work with a year are developing their skills, I notice patterns of behavior—what leads to success, where writers get stuck, and how I can be helpful in these rapidly changing times in the industry.

I’ve witnessed too many writers, who were off to a great start, hopping online and quickly becoming very lost. I started to write about platform in Writer Mama, How To Raise A Writing Career Alongside Your Kids, but I quickly noticed that more details on platform development were desperately needed. My platform is based on helping others. I have a vested interest in seeing the people I work with—and those who read my book—succeed. Writers are my tribe.

1. ebooks make great give-aways when people sign up for your newsletter or other products and services.
2. ebooks are marketing tools you can distribute all over the web at virtually no cost to you.
3. ebooks let people sample the type of information you have to offer.
4. ebooks can be an additional revenue stream.
5. ebooks establish your expertise on a given subject and set you apart from your competitors.

Over the past month I have downloaded at least 5 ebooks, called white papers, that have popped up when searching for particular information. These ebooks provided me with valuable information and left a strong impression with me and in one instance led to me pulling out my credit card and buying a product from one of the companies.

As a digital printer, I should be worried about the upcoming ebook tipping point, (and I am a little) but I see the ebook trend also benefitting short-run book printing, which is what we do at ZDocs. But we’ll see . . .

And don’t forget to join our Wake Up Celebrity Author book contest. The deadline is September 15th.

Note: this is part II of a two-part podcast. In part I, Richard introduces us to his new book, Raincloud.

To buy a copy of Raincloud, click here.

Click here to download and listen to the podcast. Listen to Author Blasts show now.

http://authorsonthenet.com/audio/RichardToddonpublishingfinal.mp3

Note: depending on the speed of your Internet connection, this file may take a few minutes to download. You can also download the interview through itunes. To subscribe to this podcast, go to the itunes store, click on podcasts and search for “Authors On The Net.” Subscribe and you will receive our podcasts directly to your itunes.

Author Blasts is the Authors On The Net Podcast. If you are a member of AON and you have a book, we would like to interview you. Simply send us an email at info@authorsonthenet.com.This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it We are also interested in speaking with publishers, distributors, book designers, editors and other people who have a publishing or book promotion message.

Here are 10 possible ways to create interest in your book in 140 characters or less . . .

1. It will scare the hell out of you
2. It’ll keep you laughing to the end
3. This book will change your life
4. After reading my book, you’ll never eat red meat again
5. This might be one of the most shocking books of all time
6. My book can make you a millionaire
7. After reading my book, you’ll never buy another stock again
8. It has so many plot twists it’ll make you dizzy
9. You’re not going to want to read another book for a year
10. You’ll learn ten secrets the government doesn’t want you to know

These are just examples to give you an idea of how to create a short headline for your own book. Now let me give you a real-life example. I have co-written a book with Dr. William Guillory titled, “How To Become a Total Failure: The Ten Rules of Highly Unsuccessful People.” When we started selling this book in local book fairs, people would pick it up and laugh and flip through it and if I was present they’d ask me what the book was about.

At first I said things like, “It’s a transformational book that teaches people how to learn from their mistakes . . .” and I’d go on for 5 minutes. I never sold a copy with this approach.

I then started saying, “It’s 122 pages of dumb or stupid behavior Bill and I have witnessed over the years and most of it our own.” This simple statement usually prompts a response, especially if they are thumbing through the pages. For example, one rule in the book states, “Promise things you have no intention of doing.” People will read this and say, “Yeah, I’ve done that.”

The point is that my first approach was boring and even threatening in a way while my second approach was light, fun and engaging. Which by the way mirrors the tone of the book itself. Needless to say, I started selling more books with this second approach.

People have short attention spans and it’s critical to set the hook in the first sentence when asked what our books are about.

Announcing the release of Russian Roulette (buy at Amazon by clicking here), the fifth novel in Austin S. Camacho’s mystery series about Hannibal Jones, an African American private detective working in Washington DC.

Phil: What is your book about?

Austin: Like every good crime novel, this book is about deception. A Russian assassin threatens Hannibal’s woman to force him to take a case. He must investigate Gana, the wealthy Algerian who has stolen Viktoriya, the woman the assassin loves. Evidence connects Gana to Russian mob money and the apparent suicide of Viktoriya’s father. More deaths follow, each one closer to Viktoriya. To save the Russian beauty, Hannibal must unravel a complex tangle of clues and survive a dramatic shootout side-by-side with his murderous client.

Phil: Tell us about you.

Austin: On the surface I’m a public affairs specialist for the Defense Department who has written five detective novels in the Hannibal Jones series - Blood and Bone, Collateral Damage, The Troubleshooter, Damaged Goods and now Russian Roulette. I’m active in several writers’ organizations and teach writing courses at Anne Arundel Community College.

Inside I’m a philosopher and a teller of morality tales thinly disguised as mysteries or adventure stories. I’m also a husband and father, a flirt and a loudmouth, with a big heart and an even bigger ego. And I’m a hard-working marketing fool who wants every adult alive to read my novels. My manual, Successfully Marketing Your Fiction in the 21st Century is the result of those efforts.

I was born and raised in New York, spent my Army career as a broadcast journalist and now live in Springfield, Virginia with my lovely wife Denise and Princess the Wonder Cat.

Phil: Who is your target audience?

Austin: I started out thinking that hardboiled detective fiction was for young men. However, the great majority of my readers are women between 30 and 60 years old, so I now write for them.

Phil: What are the 5 top marketing tactics you would recommend to other authors?

Austin: My overall plan this year is to focus on creating buzz by working the internet. So my top marketing tactics are:

1. Blog Tour: This month I will appear on 16 of the best crime fiction and literary web sites (like this one) and the content varies – interviews, synopses, reviews by the blog owners, a real variety. The object is to make Russian Roulette part of the general conversation.

2. Reviews: the more the better. I sent books to the usual reviewers, but I also sent books to top Amazon.com reviewers. These people have a lot of credibility. The new twist was to offer a free advance copy to ANYONE who would commit to reviewing my book and posting their review in at least 4 places on line. Again, I want to raise awareness and generate conversation. Most of the amateur reviewers post on their own blogs but also on Amazon, BN.com, Dorothy L, Shelfari and other places readers look.

3. Video: I got a book trailer because it’s an easily passed calling card. But I also taped a promotional video for Russian Roulette in which I personally explain my book to the viewer. This personalizes me and helps readers connect with me. It hasn’t exactly become viral but it has gotten me a little better recognized. And I have posted these things EVERYWHERE!

4. Social Media: I’ve gathered an audience and post daily on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Gather, Friendster,Crimespace, Book place and Bebo. I also maintain a presence on Red room, Black Authors Showcase, Maverick Marketers, LinkedIn, Shelfari, and Goodreads. Aside from my own blog (Another Writer’s Life) I post on three group blogs – Criminal Minds at Work, Acme Authors and Make Mine Mystery. And did I mention the Hannibal Jones Yahoo Group? The idea is to stay connected with people and share your writing news.

5. Direct mail: I’ve never done the post card bit before, but to make it most likely to pay off I targeted the zip codes of the bookstores I’ll do signings in. And the mailing lists are of known mystery readers. Note that this is the most money I’ve spent on promotion and I have the least faith in its value but we’ll see how it goes.

I must tell you that I also went old school for visibility and got a couple print ads. After assessing my target audience I placed ads in Mystery Scene and Crimespree Magazine. Even if they don’t generate a lot of sales, they will be good for my ego when I’m at Bouchercon.

I also sent personal letters to each of the 47 bookstores in this country that specialize in mystery fiction informing them of the imminent release of Russian Roulette and respectfully asking (alright, begging them) to order a few copies. I even promised them a pizza party for their staff if they sell 50 or more copies. Yeah, I’m shameless.

As you can see, the top marketing efforts for me involve more time than money. When your book is ready to hit the shelves you need to think it through and do what will work for you. Keep good records so you’ll know what did pay off, and be careful of buying services that don’t come with guarantees.

GET the latest news about my novels at http://www.ascamacho.com
READ my blog at http://ascamacho.blogspot.com
JOIN the Hannibal Jones Yahoo Group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hannibaljones

If you want to learn more about running a complete social media book campaign visit The Author Platform.

This is part I of a two-part podcast. In part II, Richard talks to us about how is promoting his book.

To buy a copy of Raincloud, click here.

Click here to download and listen to the podcast. Listen to Author Blasts show now.

http://authorsonthenet.com/audio/RichardToddInterviewbookfinal.mp3

Note: depending on the speed of your Internet connection, this file may take a few minutes to download. You can also download the interview through itunes. To subscribe to this podcast, go to the itunes store, click on podcasts and search for “Authors On The Net.” Subscribe and you will receive our podcasts directly to your itunes.

Author Blasts is the Authors On The Net Podcast. If you are a member of AON and you have a book, we would like to interview you. Simply send us an email at info@authorsonthenet.com.This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it We are also interested in speaking with publishers, distributors, book designers, editors and other people who have a publishing or book promotion message.

From Christopher Harding:

Hope all is well with each of you.

I’m taking the opportunity to let friends and family know that I’ve just (or as some might say, “finally,”) published my latest book, “The Saint of Malibu Shores.” Given the age we’re in, it’s published in e-book format (download as a PDF or as a Kindle book to your Kindle, iPhone or iPod).

The book came to me as I contemplated the idea of what would happen if a person appeared in our world today who was a Messianic or Christ-like figure? How would people react? What kind of political and social interactions might take place? To make it more personal, I drew from the experiences of a friend of mine who allowed me to use her story as a foundation of the storyline.

To be sure, the story is controversial and somewhat provocative, but ultimately the message is one that invites all of us to take a deeper look at our lives. I hope you’ll enjoy it.

If you’re so inclined and would be game to help me get the word about the book started, please visit either:

http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/the-saint-of-malibu-shores/7245214

or Amazon (download the Kindle format for Kindle, iPhone or iPod Touch) at:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_kinc?url=node%3D154606011&field-keywords=The+Saint+of+Malibu+Shores&x=11&y=22

Both formats of the e-book are selling for just $7.99.

If you’re not in the position or of the inclination to buy the book, that’s perfectly fine.

If you are, I’d love your feedback (http:/www.saintofmalibushores.com) and be truly grateful if you felt inclined to pass on this info and your recommendation to your friends and colleagues.

This is just one of the ways that Lila and I are working to generate a positive ripple effect while stimulating our own micro-economy. We would also love to know what you’re doing as well so, please let us know of the visions you are pursuing so that we can continue to find ways to support one another’s dreams and well-being.

All the best,
Chris