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 by: Jay Johnson Be sure to check out: The Aton Project Newsletters at: http://www.self-publishinghelp.com/TheAtonProjectNewsletters.html. This newsletter, by author Tony VanSluytman, has been receiving rave revues despite it not being directed to writers. and FREE Writing Course http://http://banyonsbookdoctor.com. We are quite proud of the contributions of these two dedicated authors and wish for you to learn more about them. *** Moonspinners Writer's Page (http://www.maureenmcmahon.com), the website of Maureen McMahon, has been voted one of the 101 Best Websites by Writer's Digest 2006 - specifically her Ask The Experts section, created in collaboration with fellow author Fran Silverman (http://www.maureenmcmahon.com/bookmarketing.html). The Experts Site is composed of 150 subscribers to Fran’s newsletter, Book Promotion Newsletter (http://www.bookpromotionnewsletter.com), who answer book marketing questions at no charge. Download: 10 Ways to Promote Your Book... Welcome our Sponsor... ADRdomainsPlus.com for Your Domain Names and Internet Products GREAT rates and EXCELLENT service.  You are the Box Office Smash: The Personal Screenplay by Gordy Hoffman Right this very second, in the heart of every struggling, undiscovered screenwriter, in the dark, hidden corner deep within, there is a voice, a clear whisper, saying one thing: You're never gonna figure this out. And this is not referring to the story with its gaping hole, the finale missing a payoff, the hit and miss humor, the flat title. I'm talking about freedom. The freedom to work as a screenwriter. Compensation for a home for family and a life. The resources to wake up and ply your craft and pay the freight, without obstacle. The chance to see your writing made into pictures, to work with the industry's best, to fulfill this goal of professional screenwriter. Hollywood success. Behind this voice is the idea that somehow, some way, you'll find the hero, or the hook, logline or pitch that will punch your golden ticket. If you could only figure out what the studio wants, if you can only get a solid bead to this game, you know you can write and execute. What is the script I should write to get an agent? What is the one that will sell? It's not that I don't know how to write, I know how to write screenplays, I just need to know what they want, even though I think I know what they want, but I don't think I have the idea that they want. Yeah. I'm not gonna figure this out, whispers the voice. Why this uneasiness? Does it originate within ourselves? I don't think so. But where does it come from? The daily obsession with box office grosses? The news of the seven figure deals to newbies? The endless procession of boneheadedly conceived franchises-in-waiting arriving in the theatres every Friday? People winning Academy Awards for movies you would not be caught dead writing? Recognizing an idea you came up with years ago on your couch, produced with a $130 million budget drowning in CGI? All these things are but a few of the possible reasons why this seeds unhealthy doubt and confusion in the modern screenwriter. Tracking these forces outside us and beyond our control in an effort to trudge the path to a successful screenwriting career will prove to most to be unproductive and corrosive. Basically, trying to figure out what Hollywood wants will land us in a resentment that makes "giving up" a sane response to the very challenge which used to inspire us. In short, we cannot chase a perceived trend and remember our dreams. You cannot look at the marketplace and find your voice. You can find ideas, trends, and inspiration there, perhaps, but you can find these things driving in traffic as well. But listening to your voice is the key to creating original, compelling stories. Your life is your own story. You have a completely unique thread of experience. By allowing yourself to express these emotional experiences, your screenplay, your story, will be different from any other and powerful, as original as your fingerprint. Why is it powerful? When we have the courage to be specific about what we know about living, we create an authentic world an audience recognizes as the life they are living on planet Earth. This connects your audience to your story. This connection is the foundation of the phenomena of story. Why does story mean so much to us? We recognize the triumphs and tragedies of our lives, with all the hilarity and tears. By seeing it, we are validated and it underscores meaning and purpose to living. If we don't use what we've collected in life in our hearts and spirits, then our story loses its authenticity and the connection the audience should make fails. They do not see themselves, and when they leave the theater, they do not call their friends. When people do not call their friends after seeing a movie, the movie bombs. When a writer opens their person to their work, when they allow themselves to be vulnerable, to risk exposure of the secrets of their life story, they take a huge step towards creating a screenplay of substantial value, a screenplay with a greater potential of a large number of tickets sold. This is precisely why art and commerce have remained bedfellows for thousands of years. To look at the relationship between art and commerce as adversarial or incompatible is just plain foolish. Art happens when people invest their spirits in their work without fear, and story is artful when the writing is truthful and the writer is authentic. And what do we have to be honest about? We can only lie about what we know, and we can only tell the truth about what we know. And that is what has happened to us, our life story. This is what we share. This is not a pitch to write "what you know." This is not about writing stories about where you work or where you live. This is about writing about what you felt. You can imagine characters and worlds and actions and speech you've never personally experienced, but if you remember to infuse your choices with your emotional and spiritual struggles and victories as a human being, your screenplay will be different in the very best sense of the word. The question you have to answer is not what does Hollywood want today. The question is how honest of a writer do you want to be. I guarantee you can write a blockbuster, you can write a box office hit. This will happen when you find an audience. And the correct path to this crowd of people is listening to yourself. If you practice, you will develop an inner ear for who you are and what you know and you will become masterful in loading your work with your fingerprints. Writing is personal work. You are the guitar. You are the box of paint. Give of that and your audience will remember why life is good and they will talk of you. About the Author Winner of the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the Sundance Film Festival for LOVE LIZA, Gordy Hoffman has written and directed three digital shorts for Fox Searchlight. He made his feature directorial debut with his script, A COAT OF SNOW, which world premiered at the 2005 Locarno Intl Film Festival. A COAT OF SNOW made its North American Premiere at the Arclight in Hollywood, going on to screen at the Milan Film Festival and the historic George Eastman House. Recently, the movie won the 2006 Domani Vision Award at VisionFest, held at the Tribeca Cinemas in NY. A professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, Gordy is the founder and judge of BlueCat Screenplay Competition. Dedicated to develop and celebrate the undiscovered screenwriter, BlueCat provides written script analysis on every script entered. In addition, Gordy acts as a script consultant for screenwriters, offering personalized feedback on their scripts through his consultation service, www.screenplaynotes.com. For more articles by Gordy on screenwriting, visit http://www.bluecatscreenplay.com. A new radio show devoted to book marketing made its debut on Tuesday, March 21, 2006 on Achieve Radio, noon to 1 p.m., MST. Host Francine Silverman will talk with authors, publishers and publicists, providing listeners with a unique perspective on book promotion. To access Book Marketing with Fran, go to http://www.achieveradio.com and click “Click to Listen” at top of page. Should you miss the show, click “Shows & Hosts” on the left and scroll down to Fran’s show and click, “More-Click Here” for the archives. Patricia Fry, president of SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists, and Writers Network) and author of 24 books, will be Fran’s first guest. Patricia’s latest book is The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book (Matilija Press 2006), a comprehensive guide for hopeful and struggling authors. Fran is author of Book Marketing from A-Z and editor publisher of Book Promotion Newsletter, http://www.bookpromotionnewsletter.com Issue 129: January 30, 2008 ISSN 1545-5599 BOOK PROMOTION NEWSLETTER Issue 129: January 30, 2008 EDITOR: FRANCINE SILVERMAN http://www.bookpromotionnewsletter.com http://www.nystatetravel.com Issued every other Wednesday since 2003 On Thursday A Former Oprah Booker Tells You How to Promote Your Book on National TV Shows You're invited to a free telephone seminar this Thursday, January 31st on "The Three Big Secrets for Getting Free Publicity As a Guest on Top National TV Shows" hosted by Steve Harrison of Radio-TV Interview Report (RTIR). In addition to Steve, you'll hear from a former Oprah guest booker, Fox News Channel producer and others. To register go here now: http://www.getmajorpress.com/call966 http://www.freepublicity.com/tvcall/? INTRODUCTION In the last issue, I said I was "hopeful" about getting a traditional publisher. Now, I'm not so sure. I am convinced that these publishers dislike authors, given that they treat us so shabbily. Three publishers expressed interest; the first rejected my idea and then sent me notice that the reference department was also not interested; the second disappeared and the third is the biggest puzzle of them all. He emailed me as soon as he received my proposal and said he'd get back to me by the end of the week. When I didn't hear from him, I decided to self-publish. Then suddenly I received another email from him explaining that he'd been out with a virus but would read my proposal and get back to me by the end of the week. Did you hear from him? I left him a voice mail and am still waiting. I half expect to receive another email from him at some point telling me he had a relapse and would be back to me by the end of the week. So I'm back to square one. I would like to thank Arlene Uslander and Walter Brasch for their continued support in trying to help me to find a publisher. I will be in S. Florida today through February 10, 2008, but will check my emails periodically. So don't hesitate to write me. In This Issue: (1) Feature Article (2) Promotional Coups (3) Feedback (4) Grist for Your Mill (5) Progress Report (6) Kudos 1) FEATURE ARTICLE PLATFORM - - What It Is and Why You Need It by Andrea Campbell A buzzword came into focus about ten years ago and if you are thinking about writing a nonfiction book, it's a phrase you need to know about. Platform. Frankly, I'm a little sick of seeing it myself, but it doesn't seem to be going away. So, let's get to what it is, and why you need one. Sometimes it is best to define a term by what it is not. Platform is not your biography. Platform is not a credential. Platform is not your publishing history. Although platform can contain all these things, it is more. Platform is about positioning. In the book business, marketing is everything. It's not enough to just get your name into print and onto the cover of a book. For if no one knows about your title, where is your sales potential? Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on where you are with establishing a platform, it can either be your friend or your enemy. But platform is important to agents. Platform is your ability to bring readers to your work. Now doing that may seem like a monumental feat and for beginning writers, it will be problematic. And, of course, some writers have better platforms than others. Assuming you are not a celebrity, and assuming you do not have a movie coming out, or a song rising on the charts, platform will need to be built from the ground up. First, let's take a look at who you are. You have lived X number of years. Do you have experience in some particular field of work? Are you a leader in your industry? What type of training have you had? Do you own your own company? Do you possess some type of knowledge that is needed by a lot of people? Or is there an experience that is fairly singular to who you are? What about YOU is extraordinary? If you can answer "Yes" to just one of the questions posted above, you are on your way. In order to help you along, I will tell you about parts of my platform. I have a degree in criminal justice. I am a trained forensic artist. That means, I do something a little different than even other forensic scientists-I am capable of building a clay bust from a skull, for forensic identification. In another vein, I raised a capuchin monkey for Helping Hands. "Ziggy" Campbell, my little monkey daughter, was with my family for thirteen years, and is now a helper-companion for a quadriplegic. Both of these talents/interests/disciplines are a little atypical, and that's what sets me apart from other writers. For this reason, I decided to write a lot about forensic science, criminal law, and primates. Brainstorm your own knowledge and experience for your unique gems. Make a list of the things you know how to do if that helps to get you started: _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ Now some of you may say, "I don't have anything extraordinary or unusual happening in my life." My response to that will be: follow your passion. Yes, make something happen in your life. If you have a hidden desire to paint scenes on the side of a community bank, see what steps you can take to make that happen. Do you know how to make candles but want to move into something more interesting? Try making busts from wax. (A whole museum, Madame Tussaud's, was set up on that principle. See: http://www.madame-tussauds.com Now you don't have to swim with the sharks to experience sea life, but it's not a bad start! Okay, let's continue. Now that you've found your singular wisdom or experience, do you have a platform? No, sorry to say, you have a beginning. You have an unusual talent that you can mine for stories, but you still need more. What's that? You need experience. Yes, only by continuing to do what it is that you do best, will you gain wisdom. Something that can be shared with a reader who may also have the same dreams that you did. You have to know your subject inside and out. Can you go back to college to gain more knowledge? Can you start your own classes, workshops, or teach this subject? Can you keep a log or diary of this activity over an extended period of time? Can you find an area about your subject that is unique, or find some aspect that no one else is doing currently? By examining and living the ins and outs of your experience, you will gain wisdom. And wisdom, advice, and lessons, are what you ultimately want to share. Moving along now, aren't we? Okay, now let's say you have your niche and you are beginning to establish a reputation for knowing this activity, mastering this trade, or learning this special knowledge. Now what you need to do is: begin to take this into the world. Test the waters. Find others who need this information. One simple way of doing this is to teach your specialty at your community college. Colleges are always looking for interesting topics for adult education courses. Another way you can find interested parties is by doing speaking engagements. Start small: talk to local rotary, Kiwanis, or women's club. Gain an audience by doing repeat performances, each time seeking out a larger audience. All right! you have your subject down-pat. You've gotten lots of experience and have kept notes about your journey. You've started to take this information and disburse it to your community. Now you need to use the media. I hear a lot of you going, "Argh, how am I going to do that? I don't have any connections." And my response is: one phone call, one article, one radio interview at a time. Perhaps you can begin by doing outreach. If you can teach young people your skill and, if it benefits their lives, your local newspaper reporters will jump at the chance to get your story. Remember, think local first-then, branch out. One successful radio show interview may beget another, and another, and so on. (Before you leave the studio, ask the producer if he knows of other places that might be interested in your story. If you did a bang-up job for him, he will not be offended.) Do this with all forms of media you can muster engagements with, and soon, like me, you will become the "Monkey Lady" in your region, or the "Party Game Expert" for your area, and folks will be reading about you and contacting you for themselves. Okay, you are doing a good job stroking the media and are beginning to establish your presence. Begin to keep numbers. How many speaking engagements have you done? How many radio or TV talk shows? How many classes or different groups of people have participated in your offerings? You will need these numbers because now, you finally have a potential audience. Now take that even further, stretch yourself. Milk this audience attention by starting your own newsletter. Whether it's paper or virtual Internet space, get a following. Collect a database of people who have listened to your message and want to hear more from you. If you get enough moxie-courage combined with inventiveness-you can start your own Internet radio show, publish your own e-newsletter, build web sites, and collect mailing lists of friends, readers, and fans. (And a special secret here: Folks buy books from authors they have seen and like.) When you have created an enterprise, an audience, and a vehicle for distribution, then, and only then, can you say you have a "platform"-something every good literary agent looks for in a potential client, who has a nonfiction book proposal, and needs representation. In other words, you are not only an interesting writer, but you have done most of the groundwork and are a catch. So get your thinking cap on. What about you can you build on and share with others who will want more of whatever it is you've got going? And then have fun. This is an exploration into who you are, and, better still, who you can become. Andrea Campbell is the author of ten nonfiction books on a variety of topics. You can subscribe to her free, bi-monthly e-newsletter, "Soup's On," by sending an e-mail to: campbell@arkansas.net Please put subscribe newsletter in the subject line. Also, if you're ready to put your expertise into book form, you'll need a nonfiction book proposal-the only medium literary agents will consider. Sign up for Andrea's ongoing workshop called: Publish That Book: How to Write a Nonfiction Book Proposal That Sells. Intense, 8-week e-classes are ongoing at Absolute Write: http://www.absoluteclasses.com/Campbell/publish.htm * How Tim Made His Book a #1 New York Times Bestseller Discover strategies the previously unknown author of "The 4-Hour Week" used to get published, tap the power of bloggers, sell tons of books and become an overnight hit. http://www.MillionDollarAuthorClub.com/timaudio/?10965 2) PROMOTIONAL COUPS Before her first book, Trust God and Buy Broccoli (Femme Osage 2007) was published, Gerri Helm did a lot of pre-selling and by the time the book was published, she'd sold 100 books. She also made appearances on the Women Are Talking radio show hosted by Peter Murphy on WMEL AM, which "increased sales on Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.com," she says. "Peter Murphy also posts my newsletter on the station's website and it also generates interest in the book." Some radio hosts are gems!! The book is about Gerri's approach to losing more than 100 pounds and keeping it off for the past 14 years. Gerri is a Life and Health Coach. http://www.lifecoachgerri.com http://www.trustGodandbuybroccoli.com 3) FEEDBACK "In response to Gilda Carle's lament about Word, someone sent me this recently," says Peter Bowerman: DON’T WRITE, SCRIVE!: Scrivener at http://www.literatureandlatte.com lets you keep your notes and ego while you write. Kick out the jams — and invigorate your style — with other Word alternatives like WriteRoom, CopyWrite, Avenir, Jer’s Novel Writer and Ulysses. I checked out Scrivener (only for Macs, but they suggest PC-friendly Word-alternatives) alternate programs. Fascinating program. Not sure it's ideal for non-fiction, but I'm guessing novelists would love it. And it's priced right for writers. Peter's latest book is The Well-Fed Self-Publisher (Fanove Publishing 2007). http://www.wellfedsp.com 4) GRIST FOR YOUR MILL Cynthia Brian contributed the following: Kevin Bacon, Sixth Sense and Network for Good have teamed up to offer America's Giving Challenge, which will donate $50,000 to the charity that gets the most donors in the next month. The winner is not based on the amount of the donation, but on the amount of donors. Minimum donation is $10 and it's all tax deductible. Help Be the Star You Are! be that charity. Visit our web site and click on America's Challenge button at http://www.bethestaryouare.org or click here and DONATE NOW! Again, it’s the number of donations that count, not the amount of the donation, so you really can help. Please pass this on to all your friends, fans, family, co-workers and internet buddies. Tell them we’d love them to send this newsletter to their mailing lists. Think of the donation as giving up two cups of coffee or tea to give the gift of literacy to a woman, family or child. Donate today. Here's the link: http://www.networkforgood.org/pca/Badge.aspx?BadgeId=109461 Be the Star You Are! 501c3 charity empowering women, families, and youth through improved literacy and positive media donates thousands of books to the needy and broadcasts a weekly upbeat positive weekly radio show to inspire and motivate listeners. http://www.bethestaryouare.org. You can email Cynthia Brian at cynthia@bethestaryouare.org 5) PROGRESS REPORT These are the spots I found for my clients: Tricia Molloy will be the guest of Koren Motekaitis on How She Really Does It on KDRT 101.5 FM, Davis, Ca., 2-3pm (PT) on February 25, 2008. http://www.howshereallydoesit.com Tricia is author of Divine Wisdom at Work™ 10 Universal Principles for Enlightened Entrepreneurs (Aha! House 2006) http://www.molloycom.com Two clients will be the guest of Deborah Watson on Healthy Talk Radio, a syndicated show and on http://www.healthytalkradio.com David Spero will be on February 7, 2008 at 8:15am (PT) and Sigrid Macdonald on February 13, 2008 at 9:15 am (ET). Sigrid is author of Getting Hip: Recovery From a Total Hip Replacement (AuthorHouse 2004). http://sigridmacdonald.blogspot.com David is author of The Art of Getting Well: Maximizing Health When You Have a Chronic Illness (Hunter House 2002) and Diabetes: Sugar-Coated Crisis: Who gets it, who profits, and how to stop it (New Society Publishers Sept. 2006), winner of the 2007 Eric Hoffer Award for best small-press book from Writers' Digest [hofferaward.com] and a Silver IPPY in the Health category from Independent Publisher. http://www.davidsperoRN.com http://www.art-of-getting-well.com Melissa Zollo will be the guest of Frank Gasiorowski, host of Power Talk on Blog Talk Radio, on February 12, 2008, airing at 4 p.m. (ET) http://www.blogtalkradio.com/PowerTalk, and a guest of Joseph Price, host of The Reaching Peak Show on WTAN, on February 23, 2008, 4-5pm (ET) http://www.reachingpeak.com Melissa is an imagist, author of audio programs, consultant and inspirational speaker. http://www.presentmemory.com 6) KUDOS A reporter and photographer from a suburban newspaper chain came to interview Arlene Uslander because she had a story published in a Chicken Soup book. ("and I'm having two more published in coming months," she says.) Before the event, she added, quite modestly: "That is such a silly reason to interview me. But, I will try to get in plugs for my books." As Office Depot Organizing Advisor, Monica Ricci has been touring the country, making appearances on morning TV, and teaching people how to get organized at work. "Until now, it's been local markets only," she says, but "if your city has a locally produced morning show, such as Good Day Atlanta, Great Day Houston, etc. I may have shown up there." The big news is that she was on Fox & Friends, national media, on Saturday, January 19, 2008. Monica is the author of Organize Your Office In No Time (Que Publishing 2006) and host of the weekly radio show, “Organization Nation” on 1620 AM in Atlanta and on the web at http://www.radiosandysprings.com http://www.catalystorganizing.com Francine Silverman, P.O. Box 1333, Riverdale, New York 10471, is author of: BOOK MARKETING FROM A-Z (Infinity Publishing 2005) written by 325 paid subscribers to Book Promotion Newsletter. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/102-0106967-2029708?initialSearch=1&url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Book+Marketing+from+A-Z&x=22&y=24 TALK RADIO FOR AUTHORS - Getting Interviews Across the U.S. and Canada (Infinity Publishing 2007) an intimate look into 230 talk radio shows that welcome guests. Both books are available at Amazon.com and at http://www.buybooksontheweb.com (Category: Marketing). http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/102-0106967-2029708?initialSearch=1&url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Talk+Radio+for+Authors&x=0&y=0http://www.amazon.com Subscribers are entitled to a 20% discount on either book. Contact Fran at franalive@optonline.net for code. The publisher's toll free number does not work outside the continental US and orders cannot be processed from its website for shipping outside the US. Subscribers in foreign countries who wish to purchase the books with the discount may email Michelle at michelle@infinitypublishing.com or fax an order (610/941-9959). She will provide confirmation that your order has been received and will be processed promptly. When using these options subscribers should put everything to Michelle's attention and reference the Promotional Code (contact Fran for code). Issue 130: February 13, 2008 ISSN 1545-5599 BOOK PROMOTION NEWSLETTER Issue 130: February 13, 2008 EDITOR: FRANCINE SILVERMAN http://www.bookpromotionnewsletter.com http://www.nystatetravel.com Issued every other Wednesday since 2003 INTRODUCTION The continuing saga of the publishers...the publisher who disappeared from the radar screen resurfaced with an email to me last Friday afternoon, apologizing for the time lag because he was so busy and asking me if I was still interested. On Monday I emailed him what he asked for and made it clear that I would like a response in a reasonable time. After all these intermittent emails, I have to believe he's interested. So stay tuned! Get Published Now! Satisfy a personal publishing dream – Turn family history into heirlooms or augment business income with a book for only $995 (or less.) Visit http://www.FiveStarExpressPress.com for more information. 480-940-8182 In This Issue: 1) Feature Article 2) Grist for Your Mill 3) A Good Question 4) Progress Report 5) From the Pen Of..... 6) Kudos 1) FEATURE ARTICLE Sell More Books in 2008 By Patricia Fry What do you see when you look at your book sales ledger? When you review those figures, do you feel like celebrating or do you want to cry? If the latter fits your situation, maybe it's time for a change in tactics. You know the concept-if it ain't broke, don't fix it; but if it isn't working, it's time for a change. Following are some common book promotion misconceptions and potential remedies: 1: Your book didn't win any of the contests you entered in 2007 and you're discouraged. This year, forget about contests. That sticker on your book that says, “5th place pick at the Timbuktu literary arts society” probably won't draw many customers, anyway. Instead, promote your book as a premium item. Banks, mortgage companies and other large corporations sometimes purchase books to give as customer gifts or as incentives for their employees. Sometimes companies will purchase thousands of copies of a book to use as an in-house training tool or a give-away at a conference or convention. Generally, they want discounts for bulk orders. What type of books might qualify? Novels or historicals related to local or regional history; personal finance or marketing books; self-help or how to books on a variety of topics-employee relationships, for example or even a fairy tale with a meaningful message. Scrutinize your book from various points of view and see if you can determine an appropriate slant you can pitch to companies and corporations in your area. Here in Ojai, the realty board keeps copies of my local history book on hand for new realtors coming into the valley. Various local businesses purchase it occasionally as employee gifts. I'd probably get more such sales if I'd promote it in this way. The key is, don't wait for these prime customers to find you - get out there and solicit sales. 2: Your book was reviewed at a few book review sites, but you didn't notice much return from this effort. This year seek reviews at topic/genre-related sites and appropriate publications. For your fantasy, thriller, science fiction book, solicit sites that focus on these genres. This is where you'll find your readers. Contact editors of appropriate magazines and newsletters and ask for a review or offer to submit a short story. For a book on parenting, contact some of the many parenting sites and publications related to this subject. You see, here is where you will find your readers. 3: You did a book signing and no one showed up. Yeah, that's typical, unless your name is recognizable OR unless you actually invite people to come. In my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book, I devote 6 pages to how to have a successful signing. Read a condensed version at http://www.matilijapress.com/articles/booksigningtips.htm. 4: Your newspaper press releases were ignored. Maybe that's because you neglected to make the right connection. This year, consider tying your book to a theme or a season or an event. Send press releases about your relationship book or your romance novel for publication around Valentine's Day. Pitch your historical novel during appropriate historical events. My book on how to present a Hawaiian luau on the mainland is popular around Fathers' Day. And the one I wrote on long-distance grandparenting always gets press in honor of Grandparents' Day in September. Make news. Start a volunteer organization related to an aspect of your book. Maybe your novel reflects the life of a homeless family. Get friends to help you make sandwiches every Sunday and hand them out to the homeless in the park. I know a young woman who got national press doing exactly this, only she didn't have a book to promote. If your book features the new wave of businesswomen on motorcycles, establish a charity ride and be sure to tell the press about it. Perhaps yours is a children's book. There are oh, so many children-related charities that you could become involved in - corral a group of teens to read to homeless children, collect books for group homes and children in foster care. If you're unhappy with your 2007 book sales, don't give up. Use your imagination to come up with new ways to promote your book this year. The key is to put yourself in your target customer's head. What sites do they visit? What publications do they read? What newspaper stories pique their interest? What are they passionate about? Where do they purchase their books? Gather this information, compile it, study it and then go out and introduce your book to them through the avenues most likely to reach them. Patricia Fry has been writing for publication for over 30 years. She is the author of 27 books, including The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book and the companion book, The Author's Workbook. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html. Patricia is also the president of SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writer's Network) http://www.spawn.org From the United States, announcing the release of Within Lanaia's Garden of Darkness, take Lanaia's hand and come travel with her through her garden of darkness, collecting all the things the darkness has to offer. Traveling through the darkness with the supernatural and spirits, only if you dare. Remember at the end of the garden, there is always a ray of light called hope. You can get this book of poetry of the darkness available everywhere by February 14, 2008, but you can get the book today just visit A. G. Press, the bookstore Check out the promotion for my novel Of Atlantis, a five volume fantasy series, book one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zDZQEzqA8o Leave a comment let me know what you think Also visit my web site http://www.alongstoryshort.net/lanaialee.html 2) GRIST FOR YOUR MILL This from Brenda Novak - I've been working hard to get some national media attention for my fourth annual on-line auction for diabetes research (May 1 - May 31st at http://www.brendanovak.com) and just received word that it will be featured in the May 7th issue of Woman's World. They have 2.5 million readers, so this is great publicity. In addition, there will be ads in Publisher's Weekly, Writer's Digest, RT Book Review Magazine, the Romance Writers Report and news of the auction will go out in many author newsletters. Last year, I had 9,542 unique visitors to the auction, who spent an average of 19 minutes poring over every item (over 70,000 hits). I expect that to double again this year, and publicity like the Woman's World piece will really help. I'd like to invite others to join with me in raising money for the millions who suffer from this disease, which is the fifth deadliest killer. Every donor will be entered into a drawing for a brand new camcorder (my way of saying thanks), and I will build a nice auction page for them that features their business, something about them, their URL, etc. Want to participate in my on-line auction for diabetes research which opens May 1st? Go to http://www.brendanovak.com Together we can make a difference! Probably best known for her evocative Stillwater Trilogy, Brenda is a national bestselling novelist. She has three books coming out this summer—TRUST ME, STOP ME and WATCH ME. 3) A GOOD QUESTION Amy Lundberg is looking for different ways to market her 10 week tele-course starting Feb. 15th. "I am also looking for affiliate partners that would be a good fit for what I am offering," she says. "My target is working moms, all moms, and independent professional women to take frustration and failure out of fitness." Amy is co-host of the radio show Living Your Personal Best. http://www.livingyourpersonalbest.com http://www.aimforfitness.com Shirley Cheng would like to know if anyone has heard of www.MonthlyReaders.com. She would appreciate any thoughts and/or personal experiences you could share. http://www.shirelycheng.com 4) PROGRESS REPORT These are the spots I found for my clients: Melissa Zollo will be the guest of Michelle Vandepas, host of Divine Purpose Unleashed on Blog Talk Radio on February 29, 2008. http:divinepurposeunleashed.com Melissa is an imagist, author of audio programs, consultant and inspirational speaker. http://www.presentmemory.com Walter Brasch was a guest on The Scooter McGee Show on KFKA, 1310 AM, Colorado on January 30, 2008. http://www.scootermcgee.com http://www.1310kfka.com Walter's latest book is SINKING THE SHIP OF STATE: The Presidency of George W. Bush (BookSurge Publishing 2007). http://www.walterbrasch.com Allie Theiss was a guest of Roxanne Brown, host of Create Abundance Now on BBS Radio, on Feb. 11, 2008. http://www.createabundancenow.net 5) FROM THE PEN OF......... The Encyclopedia of Associations (both a database and a print source) lists more than 100,000 membership organizations. Odds are excellent that at least one or two of them have a mission that would dovetail perfectly with the subject matter of any given book. Do you have a title about pets or animals? Try the ASPCA. Sports? Check the "Athletic and Sport" category. Is your children's book educational? Category (05), "Education," may have a perfect match. If your book has a religious theme, look through the entries for "Religious" (11). Once you have a list of prospects, how can you get their attention? Learn about an association's mission, structure, board of directors, and executive director... which you will be able to glean from the association's Web site - to craft a proposal that emphasizes over and over again how your book will help it and its members. In the course of writing a proposal to a large national association for one of my titles, I pointed out how my book would help it achieve its goals in terms of every single sentence in its mission statement. from Calling All Authors by Valerie Connelly, host of Calling All Authors on Global Talk Radio. http://www.globaltalkradio.com/shows/callingallauthors 6) KUDOS For its cover story, Dr. Gilda Carle discussed marriage and divorce on CBS Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood (9AM - 10:30AM, EST), February 10, 2008 in honor of Valentine's Day. Dr. Gilda is author of Teen Talk with Dr. Gilda - A Girl's Guide to Dating (Harper Paperbacks 2003); He's Not All That! How to Attract the Good Guys (Collins 2001) and Don't Bet on the Prince! (St. Martin's Press 1999). http://www.DrGilda.com For the third time in a row, Shirley Cheng is one of the honorees in Be the Star You Are! annual essay contest, this time winning Honorable Mention for her entry, My Mother: A Fighter, a Victor, a Lover, which applauds her stellar mother Juliet Cheng for being a loving and courageous fighter to protect her life at all costs. Read her entry at http://www.shirleycheng.com Francine Silverman, P.O. Box 1333, Riverdale, New York 10471, is author of: BOOK MARKETING FROM A-Z (Infinity Publishing 2005) written by 325 paid subscribers to Book Promotion Newsletter. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/102-0106967-2029708?initialSearch=1&url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Book+Marketing+from+A-Z&x=22&y=24 TALK RADIO FOR AUTHORS - Getting Interviews Across the U.S. and Canada (Infinity Publishing 2007) an intimate look into 230 talk radio shows that welcome guests. Both books are available at Amazon.com and at http://www.buybooksontheweb.com (Category: Marketing). http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/102-0106967-2029708?initialSearch=1&url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Talk+Radio+for+Authors&x=0&y=0http://www.amazon.com Subscribers are entitled to a 20% discount on either book. Contact Fran at franalive@optonline.net for code. The publisher's toll free number does not work outside the continental US and orders cannot be processed from its website for shipping outside the US. Subscribers in foreign countries who wish to purchase the books with the discount may email Michelle at michelle@infinitypublishing.com or fax an order (610/941-9959). She will provide confirmation that your order has been received and will be processed promptly. When using these options subscribers should put everything to Michelle's attention and reference the Promotional Code (contact Fran for code). If emailing Michelle, DO NOT put your credit card number in any email correspondence as this is not secure. Betty B's Arcana Connection by Betty Bradford Byers INNER-VIEWS WITH CELEBRITIES Short Stories Corner Poetry Corner Write On Southwest...Book Reviews by Connie Gotsch The BOOK DOCTOR Book Reviewer's Corner Public Service links And so much more! | Return Home | The BOOK DOCTOR | The BANYON NETWORK | The Banyon Buzz Newsletters | The Aton Project Newsletters | Contact Us | |
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