A few years back, I helped an author become an instant best seller with his book Think Two Products Ahead. It topped the Amazon Best Seller List for non-fiction for a week and was #2 overall (beat only by the wizardy of Harry Potter)

Through that process, I got to know an extraordinary man named Ben Mack.

We’ve become friends and now mastermind together on projects large and small.

How You Can Join A Mastermind And Make Your Book A Best Seller

I’ve been working with legendary brand-marketing genius Ben Mack with his new weekly 7-Person mastermind groups and I see how this what we need to do, you and me.

Ben Mack is a guy who sold $250 MILLION worth of yo-yo’s and was a VP at Cingular where we had a $500 MILLION marketing budget.

WOWZERS!

So you know that his strategies work BIG and if you want to learn more about how I’m applying this to authors you will join us Saturday to learn the exact details about how a small 7-person mastermind with me can get you the success for your book you deserve.

This isn’t a coaching thing — this is you getting a chance to be in a peer-mastermind group with me.

This is especially for authors wanting to start writing a new book or have a book about to be published.

Ben & I will announce details on our teleseminar Saturday at 9am Pacific / Noon Eastern

You will want to get on this call — Click now for details

YOU KNOW getting this kind of hands-on coaching on making your book profitable from the start is what will ensure you are best prepared to get your book the best seller sales you deserve.

It’s time to get to getting your book done right,

.

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Free Training Call for Authors this Saturday

Authors ask me “What does it take to make a bestseller?”

As you bring your best seller to life, you need 3 things to turn your dream into a reality

1. You need a realistic business plan
2. You need outside perspectives
3. You need a what I call a “book’s heartbeat”

On Saturday, I want to share all 3 with you

Getting Your Book Done Right

Saturday 1-hour workshop.
NOON Eastern / 9am Pacific
Dial-in Number: (616) 597-8000
Access Code: 218300#

A few minutes before the hour, dial the number listed and enter the access code. We’ll be on live to chat with you.

You will how easy it will be to make your book’s heart beat beat stronger, from the first page!

If you have a book to sell, working on publishing, writing, or just now getting started, this class is for you.

Print out this post, put it by your phone.. mark your calendar.. and be with Dr. Ben Mack and I this Saturday 10/31 for Free Author Training

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One of the few areas growing in publishing is the Blogoshpere. While others are shutting down, worried that e-books or the economy will kill sales.. the bloggers I know are talking about bigger advances, best sellers and respect from media and publishers.

How to connect with Bloggers.

There are millions of blogs and bloggers. The vast majority are splogs (blogs set up to spam) or static, underutilized locations with a few posts talking about themselves.

These are NOT the ones to talk to :)

Instead, meet the bloggers. They love to congregate. There is a blog meetup or seminar every week in some cities.

This is how Twitter Revolution got started. I wanted to connect with bloggers to promote books, found them online, at blogger conventions and on Twitter. I started using Twitter just to promote other’s books.

At a recent convention, I met Murry Newlands. He pulled out a camera and asked me about my book. You’ll see that I didn’t have one in hand.

Murray did not edit the interview.. put it up on YouTube and I just grabbed th code from them to embed here (a simple cut and paste).

Now I’ll add a link back to Murray to thank him and encourage him to talk about my book and this site.

Watch the video and see how easy this is:

http://www.murraynewlands.com/2009/10/warren-whitlock-an-interview/

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Are you one of the tens of thousands of people who lost their job this year? At first glance, losing your job might look like the worst thing that has ever happened to you.

As an author you are considered an expert in the field in which your book is written.  The press is always looking for experts to interview, especially during a timely news release. For example, my book on Social Networking for Authors recently drummed up some good press as someone interviewed me about the popularity of Facebook.  The press called me because they noticed I was an expert in the field of Social Networking.  You can get the same exposure for free, by going to PitchRate.com.

Pitch Rate is a free service that connects journalists with subject experts for free media coverage.

Simply create an account at Pitch Rate and fill in your profile as completely as possible. Your profile is what members of the press read before they decide to contact you.  This is your chance to show the world what you are an expert at and why you should be considered an expert. 

You can set your account to receive daily emails from Pitch Rate to see who is looking for experts in your area.  Requests can be easily sorted by category or keywords by visiting the “Search Requests” tab once you’ve signed in.  Once you’ve found a request you’re interested in, simply make a pitch and all of your contact info contained in your profile will automatically be attached.  At this point, it’s just a matter of playing the waiting game to see if someone is interested in you and your book.

One of the constant struggles I see with authors is the need to be continually marketing your book to be successful.  A website like PitchRate.com is great for authors to be able to quickly set up an account and receive marketing opportunities for an extended period of time.  With just a few minutes of work, an author can expose him or herself to potentially hundreds of press opportunities.

For more tips and tricks on how to sell a ton of books, go to Michael Volkin’s new website SellaTonofBooks.com and purchase his new book Social Networking for Authors-Untapped Possibilities for Wealth.

Viral videos are a great way to sell books.  According to Wikipedia “A viral video is a video clip that gains widespread popularity through the process of a Internet sharing, typically through email or a Instant messaging, blogs and other media sharing websites. Viral videos are often humorous in nature”.

There are three key points to consider when creating a viral video campaign:

1. Provide great, but ambiguous, content – Everyone loves to hear a great story. But in a viral video, the story has to be short (less than three minutes). Don’t think of creating a video that will sell your book, think of a video that will keep people entertained.
2. Generate a “residual” fan base – Once your video is built you can integrate other social media tools to build a user base and communicate with them.  To do this, follow the lessons learned in Social Networking for Authors-Untapped Possibilities for Wealth. It could be as simple as a subscribe link that notifies users of your updates.
3. SEO it– Your video has to be easily discovered through YouTube search and other popular online video sharing sites. Videos
   should have clear titles, an accurate description and appropriate
   keyword tags so that they can appears correctly in a YouTube search and
   targeted specifically.

A good viral video will spread over the Internet like wildfire. See the
top 20 viral videos circulating around the Internet now at:

http://viralvideochart.unrulymedia.com/

Check out this viral video I created for an author during the last
presidential election. It got great coverage. The video is ambiguous
but gets people curious as to what is coming next. A typical viral
video will cost about $2,000 but will be a great return on your
investment if it works properly:

http://revver.com/u/jspinx

Michael Volkin is the author of the new hit book: Social Networking for Authors-Untapped Possibilities for Wealth. His book can be found at SellaTonofBooks.com

Dr.Mani, the infopreneur/heart surgeon, has written a fantastic book called

“THINK, WRITE & RETIRE : How To Turn Words Into Wealth – Easily!”

It has received glowing testimonials from great business owners around the world.

What’s even nicer about it is that ALL Profits From Book Sales Will Go To Fund a Child’s Heart Surgery!

When you buy a copy of “Think, Write & Retire” on launch day, August 25th, 2009, you will not only get a nice guide to becoming an infopreneur – You’ll Also Be Helping A Child Live

And to make that decision a ‘no-brainer’, Dr.Mani is throwing in some bonuses, gifts and goodies with a retail value of over $600 when you order his book on launch day.

The idea is to rocket it on to Amazon.com’s HOT 100 list, get more visibility for it, and in the process, raise more money for charity.

YOU can be a part of this event – order your copy from Amazon.com today, then pick up your gifts at http://budurl.com/manibook

Books have been around for a long time… but we know publishing is changing. Maybe faster than we ever imagined.

Just a few years back, we looked at the publishing industry and saw it was ready for change. We’ve used online promotion techniques to greatly increase the results for our authors. We know that when marketing a book today, it is not enough to print it and hope people find it… but are we changing fast enough

Video gives some more food for thought on what we face today. We’ll be exploring new media, new outlets, and a paradigm shift in the way authors establish themselves as experts, communicate with readers, and turn your book idea into more than just a best seller… these tools will help you create a business from your book.

Did You Know? from Amybeth on Vimeo.

book marketing, author promotion online

An new author called the other day. He is writing a book to share what his expertiese and establish himself in the marketplace.

I asked what else he had besides the book. He replied that he was very busy doing what he’s an expert at, and that he’d create that content after the book was published and established.

NO WAY TODAY

This approach may have been viable just a few years ago… and while there’s a rare story of success this way, the chances of success are so small that I’d rather just say they are gone and share a better way.

—> Create a Lot of Content Fast

The tools available today let you write an article, share a photo or video and connect with your readers fast. I explain these in our FREE course at http://BookMarketingStrategy.com

I’m sharing one of these here. This post was written and posted a few minutes after seeing the following video. I’m sharing a video I liked.. it’s amusing, inexpensive and fast.

Take a quick break and watch… while you do, ask yourself how you might get something up TODAY.

author video, create content, write fast, online video marketing

I can’t believe the number of authors I hear on the radio that get stumped by questions the host asks about their own book. Here is a tip that will not only make you sound better on the radio, but will make it easy on the press to want to pick you to interview as opposed to the hundreds of other books all competing for air time.

Write about 12-15 questions you would like the radio show host to ask you while on the air. After the questions are written, copy them onto a separate document and write the answers to those questions. Now you have two documents, one with questions and one with questions and answers. The one with questions will go to the radio show host (or other press) and the one with the answers will be your copy to have on standby during the interview. On the document with questions, put in parenthesis after each question how long the answer will take. For example: How long did it take you to write the book (answer takes 1 minute 30 seconds). This will greatly help the radio show host know how long each answer should take and helps the producer know long the interview will last.

Picture 50 books on a producers table, 49 of them are just authors looking for an interview. The host will have to read the books, develop the questions and make a timeframe for the interview. The other one is yours, with a list of questions and an exact time frame of the interview length. You are doing the work for them and they are more than likely going to pick your book out of the bunch.

To get some radio interviews right now, go to www.BlogTalkRadio.com and contact some of the hosts with your new list of questions and watch your book sales take off.

For more tips and tricks on how to sell a ton of books, go to Michael Volkin’s new website SellaTonofBooks.com and purchase Social Networking for Authors-Untapped Possibilities for Wealth.

Mary Jaksch created a list of 73 Ways to Become a Better Writer

#1 was BLOG. A suggestion we make to authors as the first thing you should do to promote your book and promote yourself as an author.. before you even start to write your book.

It also helps you become a better writer:

The good news is that writing makes you a better writer. Just like practicing the piano makes you a better pianist, or riding a trail bike makes you a better biker.

A few weeks ago I asked a question on Write to Done: What Helps YOU Become a Better Writer? The suggestions the readers offered were so rich and varied that I decided to gather them all together for Copyblogger readers.

Read the rest of the Writing Tips at CopyBlogger

better writing, write a book, promote my book online

As the author of Twitter Revolution: How Social Media and Mobile Marketing is Changing the Way We Do Business & Market Online you would suspect that I use Twitter a lot.

But what about other authors? Do you need to be on Twitter?

Mashable, The Social Media Guide has talked about 100’s of authors using Twitter.. now list 70 Authors Active on Twitter (not just me :)

Expect announcements and demostrations next week at BEA (Book Expo America) of Espresso Book Machine
Imagine a POD (print on demand) press in every bookstore…

Silly cost accounting at work.
Publishers and commentators are arguing over pricing models as if they get to choose what will happen in the market.
I say.. let the market decide..
What say you?
How Much Should an E-Book Cost? – NYTimes.com

Publishers and authors say it is much more complicated than the cost of paper and shipping. The lower e-book price “is not sustainable,” said Mr. Baldacci, whose novels regularly rise to the top of hardcover best seller lists. If readers insist on cut-rate electronic books, he said, “unfortunately there won’t be anyone selling it anymore because you just can’t make any money.”

Publishers are caught between authors who want to be paid high advances and consumers who believe they should pay less for a digital edition, largely because the publishers save on printing and shipping costs. But publishers argue that those costs, which generally run about 12.5 percent of the average hardcover retail list price, do not entirely disappear with e-books. What’s more, the costs of writing, editing and marketing remain the same.

Technorati Tags: ny time, e-book retailing, publishing, book marketing

I just heard from Michael Port confirming that his new book The Think Big Manifesto: Think You Can’t Change Your Life (and the World)? Think Again is another New York Times Bestseller.

Warren, you seriously rock. You can’t begin to imagine the gratitude I have for your support. The reason The Think Big Manifesto is now a New York Times Bestseller is because of the work we do together. It’s an honor to work and play with you. Thank you so much.

How did we do it?

In a word: Collaboration.

While Michael and I are friends and will no doubt work together again, I’m done with asking you to buy right now.. but I’m not done learning from what Michael shows us in The Think Big Manifesto: Think You Can’t Change Your Life (and the World)? Think Again so the reason I’m recommending the book today is to share with you how this will

• Increase the size of your thought.. and therefore the OUTCOME of what you do
• Show you a model of how to market a book today
• Inspire you in your own collaborations

Everything Michael Port does online is professionally produced, graphically stunning and engaging. This is not the work of an author trying to get a web site up in his spare time. You can see how he has brought in professional all the way.

You can do this too.

You may not have the budget or resources of a Michael Port, but you do have a network.. we ALL do. Reach out to those you know, and don’t be afraid to make new connection with authors, publishers, marketers and trainers. I’ve discovered that EVERY AUTHOR.. no matter how big.. is excited to meet someone that has read their books. Imagine how you appreciated hearing from a reader.. and how much more FUN that is for an author who gets that experience thousands of times. You never get tired of it.

With rare exception, I’ve made a instant connection with big name authors by

1. Buying and reading their latest book
2. Going somewhere they are and thanking them. (It works with email and Twitter too.. just more fun in person).

All good collaborations and cross promotions begin this way. Someone reaches out to another to help them. Very few of the great authors I meet start off by begging for help with their book. The “help” can be small.. buying a new book you see being promoted, passing on a link to their web site, writing a review on Amazon or telling your list of readers about a book.

Once you do a favor.. without expecting anything in return, you unlock the Law of Reciprocation. Funny, the best way to build a network of people helping you is to NOT ask them to help you :)

If you haven’t got your copy of The Think Big Manifesto: Think You Can’t Change Your Life (and the World)? Think Again get it today.

This is a manifesto of collaboration. It is not about one person thinking big alone on the island of their dreams. It is about one person thinking big and showing others how to think big and so on and so on. In fact, inspiring others to think big is perhaps the single most important act of any one individual becoming a Big Thinker. Each newly-minted Big Thinker will necessarily bring more into the fold. To think big is to desire, above all else, to help others to think bigger about themselves and what they can do in the world; Thinking big is about coming together with other Big Thinkers to do big things in the world. It is about building a community of Big Thinkers.

Study Michael Port’s website to learn more about his books and other activities. You may find something more you want to study.. and you definitely will see a model for success in marketing and book promotion.

Then let’s all collaborate in something BIG

Technorati Tags: book marketing, michael port, nytimes, new york times bestseller, think big