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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://creativewritingworkshop.info. 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 two (2) sponsors... ADRdomainsPlus.com for Your Domain Names and Internet Products  BOTH have 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 112: June 6, 2007 ISSN 1545-5599 BOOK PROMOTION NEWSLETTER Issue 112: June 6, 2007 EDITOR: FRANCINE SILVERMAN http://www.bookpromotionnewsletter.com http://www.nystatetravel.com Issued every other Wednesday since 2003 Please consider adding www.AuthorsandExperts.com and www.SchoolBookings.com to your list of resources. These are great places for authors, experts, and speakers to connect with members of the media, those searching for speakers, and schools. Free to schools and media members, and an economical resource for authors and experts. Ask us about partnership publishing! www.PartnershipPublishing.com In This Issue: 1) Feature Article 2) Grist for Your Mill 3) Promotional Coups 4) Progress Report 5) Kudos 1) FEATURE ARTICLE 15 Ways to Successfully Promote Your Book Through the Web By Patricia L. Fry Are you promoting your book through the Web? I mean are you really using the Web to gain exposure and sales? Sure, your book is listed at Amazon.com and maybe you have a Web site, but what else are you doing online to attract an audience? There is more to generating sales via the Web than just sitting back and waiting. I challenge you to become proactive. Express your adventurous side. Go where you have not gone before. You may just discover ways to minimize that stack of books in storage and maximize your bank account. Make Your Web Site a Valuable Marketing Tool Let's start by examining your Web site: Is it all that it can be? Do your site statistics indicate that people are visiting? Or is traffic sparse? Does your site appear on the first few pages of a Google search when you use your strongest keywords? There are ways to attract your audience in larger numbers. All you have to do is make it easy and enjoyable for people to find and use your site. For example, are you set up to sell your book from your site? Invest in a Merchant Account I dragged my feet for a long time before finally signing up for a merchant account that enables me to sell books through my Web site. This proved to be an extremely worthwhile expense. I have had the merchant account for exactly three years now and I've never had to take money out of pocket to pay the monthly fee. Every month, for 36 months, sales have far exceeded the fee. Without the merchant account, my Web sales of anywhere from $100 to $500 per month would have been lost. As an added bonus, I no longer must turn away credit card sales at book festivals and conferences. That's probably another $4,000 or so in sales I've gained over the three-year period. Cater to the Customer Identify the purpose of your site - to sell books-and make it easy for visitors to purchase them in the way they prefer. Besides having your book available for credit card purchase, offer a link to your Amazon page and provide your mailing address for those people who prefer to pay by check. Create a Web Site That's Useful to Potential Customers Offer articles, information, resources and links that are pertinent to your particular customer. And add to your site often. The more aspects you have at your site, the more there is for the search engines to register. And the more you have going on at your site, the more your customers will want to visit. Add to Your Site and Add to Your Credibility Use your site as a way to validate your level of expertise - your credibility. Add clips and links anytime an interview, article or review about you or your book is published. Post any awards you receive and upcoming speaking engagements. Shout About Your Site From The Highest Mountain Top Promote your Web site through business cards and other handouts. Include it in your "signature." List some of the features and benefits of visiting your site. Promote your site through appropriate newsletters and forums by announcing when you have added something new or when you are running a special, a contest or a series of online classes. Provide a Free E-newsletter Whether your genre is historical fiction, young adult novels or fantasy or you write nonfiction books on a specific subject, you can extend your reach by producing an e-newsletter. This is your opportunity to communicate with customers and potential customers on a regular basis. It's like taking all of the marvelous aspects of your Web site straight to the customer rather than waiting for them to visit your site. Use your e-newsletter to entertain and inform, to make announcements and to make friends. Promote Your Book Through Other Web Sites Study other sites related to the theme and/or genre of your book. If you haven't done this already, shame on you. If you have visited other sites, just to see what others are doing, that's a start. But now I want you to see what you can glean from these sites. Get involved. Find ways to participate. After all, your customers and potential customers are visiting these sites, too. How can you participate? Let me count the ways: Get Hooked Up With the Right People Ask Webmasters from popular like sites to link to your site. This might be tricky because they may want a reciprocal link. Make sure that you believe in what the other site offers before agreeing to reciprocate. If you think this is a good match and they provide appropriate services and information, list them in the resource list or recommended sites section at your site. If this is a high profile site, you'll certainly want to do what it takes to be listed at their site. Ask For a Review or Recommendation Locate sites where they recommend and/or review books in your genre or on your topic. This will be an ongoing project to locate appropriate sites. I suggest spending a few hours every week seeking out new sites and requesting reviews/recommendations. For a book of fiction, look for general review sites, literary sites and sites related to the theme of your book and the setting. For example, maybe your book is a romance novel set in Atlanta and your main character has diabetes, flies small planes, owns an Abyssinian cat and runs a rescue center for elephants. Consider sites focusing on the state of Georgia, diabetes, aviation, elephants, Abyssinian cats and wild animal rescue. Check the site to see if they review books or have a "recommended book" section. If appropriate, contact the site owner, describe your book and ask for a review or recommendation. Of course, once you've landed a review or your book is listed on another site, add this information to your site along with a link to the review or recommendation page. Go For an Interview While you're studying Web sites related to your genre and/or topic, check to see if they post interviews with authors or experts. I've been interviewed numerous times for writing/publishing-related sites over the years. It's excellent exposure. Let's say that you wrote a book featuring your World War II experiences or one on raised bulb gardens, vintage clothes-collecting or how to decorate a nursery. Visit appropriate sites, search for a section called, "interviews" and determine if you would be a good candidate to be interviewed here. Contact the appropriate person and dazzle em with your qualifications and expertise. Get Involved With Their Visitors Many sites have forums and chat rooms where like-minded people can discuss issues related to the topic or genre. Sometimes involvement is free and other times there's a fee. Sign up at those of your choice and participate with others. This is a good opportunity to express your knowledge, teach and promote your book. I would also recommend opening up to what others can teach you. You may want to write a sequel to your book. I often participate in forums with writers and authors. I enjoy responding to questions, offering encouragement and trying to guide hopeful authors and writers in the right direction. I also learn from others and glean article and blog ideas from them. Of course, I mention my book when appropriate. When not appropriate, I at least use my signature, "Patricia Fry is the author of 24 books, including, "The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book," http://www.matilijapress.com Submit Articles to the Site If you notice articles posted at the site, ask the site owner or director if you can submit an article for consideration. Sometimes you will find submission guidelines posted at the site. Study the guidelines and the other articles and come up with a useful article designed to inform, educate and/or entertain. Tack your bio, including the name of your book and ordering information, at the end of your article. Take Advantage of Newsletters Generated From the Site Many site owners publish or print electronic newsletters. Newsletter editors are usually hungry for material. They appreciate good, worthwhile, informative submissions. Read back issues of the newsletter, create an appropriate article idea and follow their submission guidelines. Also use newsletters to announce your activities. If you're going to lead a workshop on a cruise ship in June, send this information to all pertinent newsletters far enough ahead of time to be included. Maybe you're donating a portion of sales to a charity during the month of May. Get more coverage by sending this announcement to every newsletter on your list. Subscribe to these publications and read them. You may come up with reasons to write letters to the editor from time to time. Do whatever it takes to get exposure. Always Be in Research Mode Use the Internet and Web sites related to your topic or genre to locate new ideas for articles or companion books for your audience. Through your diligence and observational skills, you may also discover ideas for improving your Web site, for example. Visit Online Bookstores Sell your books through other sites. My books are for sale at my site and the usual major online bookstore sites (Amazon, B&N, Borders, etc.). But they are also offered for sale through several smaller bookstore sites related to the topic of the books. Search out general bookstores and also specialty bookstores where your books may fit in. Locate Conferences, Shows and Expos If you like to travel and participate in book festivals and trade shows or if you can present workshops in your genre or topic, use a search engine to locate venues throughout the world. I use http://www.lights.com/publisher/bookfairs.html to locate a directory of book fairs and http://www.shawguides.com/writing to find writers' conferences nationwide. To find shows and conferences in your field, type in keywords: "conference exotic cats" or "aviation shows directory" or "convention novel authors." Whether your subject is gardening, beauty tips, dieting, nutrition, how to invest in real estate, how to successfully negotiate a contract in your favor, aging, pet care or bird-watching, there are anywhere from 100 to many thousands of related sites. Many of them will welcome information about your book. Think about it. The World Wide Web is literally at our fingertips. You don't have to get dressed up to surf the Web. You don't have to drive anywhere or wait for doors to open. Like Las Vegas, the Web is always open for business. Use the World Wide Web in the ways described here and you will sell more books. Patricia Fry is the President of SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) http://www.spawn.org. She is also the author of 25 books, including, "The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book." http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html. Visit her blog often at http://www.matilijapress.com/publishingblog (2) GRIST FOR YOUR MILL Lia Metal lives in Greece and contributed the following: A new site in Greece accepts short ads for free (up to 20 words) or longer ads plus two pictures for $30. Writers (as well as everyone else) can post ads there to promote their work/services. They also accept short articles for the categories displayed on their page (just promo, no pay). Anyone interested should visit the site at http://www.aggelia-online.gr http://lianametal.tripod.com A new show for authors begins in June hosted by David K. Ewen, M.Ed. He filled out my form and will be in my new book. David will be looking for authors to interview. Booking information is on http://www.ewenprime.com and his email is TodaysAuthor@yahoo.com I came cross a book site that has two podcasts called "On the Air" and "Writers Interludes." The information for being a guest is on the site. Go to http://www.grits.com and click "On the Air with the GRITS.com." Steven Manchester's friend is seeking dust jacket blurbs for his new book, The Last Testament, an 83,000 word African-American Christian fiction novel. Contact Steve at Steven.H.Manchester@sunlife.com if you are interested. 3) PROMOTIONAL COUPS Tricia Molloy's intention has always been less about selling a lot of books and more about building her Working with Wisdom speaking, training and coaching business. "Last week was the highlight of this first year as an author and speaker," she says. "I spoke to about 100 IT women and a few men at Home Depot and they were so attentive and enthused. They wanted to know how to implement the Law of Attraction so I presented my latest talk called 'CRAVE Your Goals! Five Steps to Attract What You Desire and Deserve.' I came up with the acronym the day before because I wanted something they would remember and repeat. It stands for 1) Clean out the Clutter, 2) Raise Your Vibrations, 3) Affirm Success, 4) Visualize and 5) Express Thanks. I’m hoping to do ongoing talks and training with them. You can see some pictures of that event and others at http://www.divinewisdomatwork.com/Speaking.asp. I am very thankful." Tricia is author of DIVINE WISDOM AT WORK™ 10 Universal Principles for Enlightened Entrepreneurs (Aha! House 2006), the first in a series of books. http://www.molloycom.com 4) PROGRESS REPORT I had discovered a radio show called Mind Your Business with Danielle Hampson, which required those who wished to be guests to fill out a form on the site. I sent this information to three of my business authors and Tricia Molloy followed up. She was a guest on Danielle's show and what's more believes that the host "used the same segment for her general show and book author show." http://www.mindyourbizness.com Brian Wizard will be the guest of Matt Bruce on Flag Day, June 14, 2007 from noon to 12:30 PM, ET, on The Captains' America on Live 365, Net Talk World. Matt is a retired fire-rescure captain and Brian is an award-winning author, having won a Gold Book Award from the Military Writers Society of America for his war novel Permission to Kill (1981) and a Silver Book Award from the American Authors Association for his science/fiction/fantasy, Shindara (1991). All his books were published by Starquill Intl. His seventh book, Space Egg, was released as an e-book in 2006. http://www.brianwizard.com Both are Viet Nam vets. Judith Sherven and Jim Sniechowkski will be guests of Karyn Langhorne and Wendy Coakley-Thompson on The Book Squad on June 15, 2007 at around 12:25 pm on WMET 1160 on World Radio. http://www.thebooksquad.com This will be a wedding show and Judith and Jim's book on weddings is THE SMART COUPLE'S GUIDE TO THE WEDDING OF YOUR DREAMS (New World Library 2005). http://www.smartweddingcouples.com Saul Fathi will be the guest of Lisa Wexler on Lunch with Lisa on June 9th. The show originates in Norwalk, Conn. and airs 10:30 - noon on WSTC/WNLK (1350 and 1400 AM) from Fairfield County, CT to metro NY. http://www.lunchwithlisa.com http://wstcwnlk.com Saul's memoir is FULL CIRCLE: Escape from Baghdad and the return (Xlibris 2006) and he will speaking about Iraq and Iran. http://www.saulsilasfathi.com Monica Ricci will be the guest of Erik Listou on "Remodeling with Erik" on Sunday, July 8, 2007 on 630 KHOW, Denver, Colorado, airing live on Sundays, noon to 1 p.m. http://www.remodelingwitherik.com Monica is 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. 5) KUDOS David Spero's book, DIABETES: Sugar-coated Crisis: Who gets it, who profits, and how to stop it (New Society Publishers Sept. 2006), has received two awards. It won 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 [independentpublisher.com] http://www.davidsperoRN.com Cora Schwartz and her retreat in the Catskills were written up in a lovely review in Time Out NY. http://www.timeoutny.com/newyork/Details.do?page=1&xyurl=xyl://TONYWebArticles1/605/travel/to_get_to_the_author_side.xml Cora is author of GYPSY Tears - Loving a Holocaust Survivor (Hobblebush Books 2007). Julie W. Buscher's children's illustrated eBook, HOMER THE HELICOPTER GRAND CANYON ADVENTURES, was winner of the National INDIE Excellence 2007 eBook Fiction award. http://www.myspace.com/JulieSilverHelicopter http://www.homerthehelicopter.com A complete list of winners and finalists in each category can be found at: http://www.pubinsider.com/indieresults.html Francine Silverman is author of CATSKILLS ALIVE (second edition) and LONG ISLAND ALIVE, both published in 2003 by Hunter Publishing and geared to every interest. To learn more about her guidebooks and for links to hundreds of attractions on Long Island and in the Catskills, visit Fran's one-stop website at http://www.nystatetravel.com BOOK MARKETING FROM A-Z (Infinity Publishing 2005) is written by 325 paid subscribers to Book Promotion Newsletter. TALK RADIO FOR AUTHORS - Getting Interviews Across the U.S. and Canada (Infinity Publishing 2007) is an intimate look into 230 talk radio shows that welcome guests. Both books are available at http://www.buybooksontheweb.com (Category: Marketing) and at http://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. Mail: Infinity Publishing, 1094 New Dehaven St, Suite 100, West Conshohocken, PA 19428 Issue 113: June 20, 2007 ISSN 1545-5599 BOOK PROMOTION NEWSLETTER Issue 113: June 20, 2007 EDITOR: FRANCINE SILVERMAN http://www.bookpromotionnewsletter.com http://www.nystatetravel.com Issued every other Wednesday since 2003 INTRODUCTION Hi from the Hamptons!! I'll be back home on Saturday or Sunday. In This Issue: (1) Feature Article (2) Promotional Coups (3) Grist for your Mill (4) Contest (5) Progress Report (6) Kudos Please consider adding www.AuthorsandExperts.com and www.SchoolBookings.com to your list of resources. These are great places for authors, experts, and speakers to connect with members of the media, those searching for speakers, and schools. Free to schools and media members, and an economical resource for authors and experts. Ask us about partnership publishing! www.PartnershipPublishing.com (1) FEATURE ARTICLE Does Media Coverage Translate Into Sales? by Fern Reiss It’s wonderful to get media coverage for your book or business. But even if you’re successful in getting publicity in magazines and newspapers—how can you guarantee that your publicity will translate into sales? Here are five ways to up the odds that your media coverage will translate into sales: Target the right publications and media. Getting media attention, by itself, is no guarantee of sales, particularly if your media attention is in the ‘wrong’ media. While it’s probably true that there’s no such thing as bad publicity, there definitely is such a thing as ineffectual publicity: If you’re a vendor trying to target homewood floors manufacturers, an article in “Homewood Floors Magazine” will go straight to your target market—and probably will result in more sales than a generic article even in The New York Times. So think carefully about what your market is reading and listening to, and target those specific outlets. (A side benefit is that those publications will probably be easier to break into than more high-profile publications.) Be sure your distribution is set up and seamless. There’s nothing worse than getting the perfect media attention, and sending thousands of potential buyers out to stores in search of your book or product—and then finding out, belatedly, that your book wasn’t available to be purchased. If you’re going to go to all the effort of going after the media coverage, be sure your distribution is set up and ready to roll. Otherwise, you’re wasting your time and energy. Make sure the publicity you’re getting ties into your product. A lot of people end up pursuing media attention for the sake of media attention. And it’s true that any publicity is a good thing. But if the media attention you’re getting has nothing to do with the product you’re selling, or if you make it too hard for people to make the connection to your product, then that is sure to diminish, if not completely curtail, your sales. Be careful about word of mouth. Regardless of how good your ‘official’ publicity is, companies are made and lost on their reputations. So be sure that your product, and company, stay immaculate. Try to address problems early and respond to customer complaints promptly. The mark of a good company is not that they don’t have problems from time to time—it’s inevitable—but how you respond to your customers over time. Keep the buzz going. Remember that regardless of how much publicity you garnet, the public’s memory is very short. So however good your publicity is today, be sure that you’re also keeping an eye on tomorrow. The better you are at keeping your company and book’s ‘buzz’ going, the more successful your publicity, and your sales, will ultimately be. So get out there and rustle up some publicity. And then be sure you reap the sales that you’ve earned. Fern Reiss, CEO of PublishingGame.com/Expertizing.com, is the author of The Publishing Game: Bestseller in 30 Days (book promotion), The Publishing Game: Find an Agent in 30 Days (traditional publishing), and The Publishing Game: Publish a Book in 30 Days (self-publishing). To learn how to get better media attention for your book and business, sign up for Fern’s free Expertizing email newsletter at http://www.PublishingGame.com/signup.htm or register for her Expertizing Publicity Forum at http://www.Expertizing.com/forum.htm The annual fee for the newsletter is $7.50 payable either by check to Francine Silverman and mailed to P.O. Box 1333, Rivedale, New York 10471, or through PayPal to franalive@optonline.net. Non-residents of the U.S. are asked to use PayPal. (2) PROMOTIONAL COUPS Dena Dyer is author of GRACE FOR THE RACE: Meditations for Busy Moms (Barbour 2004). She says, "I scored a publicity coup when I asked a friend to write a 'reader review' of my book for the largest Christian women's magazine in America, Today's Christian Woman, and they published it. It ran as a sidebar in their reviews section, with a lovely four-color photo of my book. I was so excited!" http://www.denadyer.com Following are some marketing tips from the books of subscribers: Since my book proposal is in the hands of an agent, I am naturally interested in anything written about agents: In her book, THE RIGHT WAY TO WRITE, PUBLISH AND SELL YOUR BOOK (Matilija Press 2006), Patricia Fry writes: "Agents sometimes run in the same circles as publishers and can get inside information. An agent might know what type of manuscript a particular publisher is currently seeking. One author I know just received a tip from her agent. She said that a certain major publisher was in the market for a book on a particular topic. The author quickly put together a proposal and promptly landed a contract." Book agent Michael Larsen states in HOW TO WRITE A BOOK PROPOSAL (2003) that "New writers approach agents without an understanding of agenting or publishing. So one of the fundamental services that agents perform for their clents is to transform them from writers with something to say into authors with something to sell." Regarding book reviews, Stephanie Chandler, in ENTREPRENEUR TO INFOPRENEUR (John Wiley & Sons 2007), advises that when a "publication doesn't list a policy for accepting books for review, it might make more sense to send a query letter first - asking if the editor is interested in receiving a copy of your book for review. You could make it easier to respond by including a postage-paid postcard or stamped envelope." In AUTHOR 101 - Bestselling Book Proposals (Adams Media 2005), Rick Frishman notes that "since publishing is so market-driven, define your audience as soon as possible. Even if you touched on it in the lead paragraph, drive it home in greater detail in the second and subsequent paragraphs." Then in your book proposal, he adds: "Identify your audience as narrowly as possible: married working women, single mothers with children, commuters, first-time home owners." Patrika Vaughn in EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO WRITE PUBLISH & MARKET YOUR BOOK (A Cappella Publishing 1997), recommends that after you've done all the research for your book, "If significant time has passed between your original research and the time your work goes to press, check your most important and changeable information just before your deadline for making final corrections. This is especially important with books where the time between completion of a manuscript and publication can be a year or more." In THE WRITER WITHIN YOU, a Step-by-Step Guide to Writing and Publishing in Your Retirement Years (Caros Books 2007), Charles Jacobs shares both his own ideas and borrows heavily from other sources (including my book, Book Marketing from A-Z). For instance, he uses the website of Judy Cullins, http://www.bookcoaching.com, to demonstrate how this astute marketer uses her website to sell her books and coaching program. He also quotes her, "Want to sell more books than you ever dreamed of? You can market your book better, cheaper, faster on the Internet and make many more sales than with the traditional path." Idea maven Shel Horowitz shares in GRASSROOTS MARKETING - GETTING NOTICED IN A NOISY WORLD (Chelsea Green Publishing Company 2000) that he created his own holiday. "Everyone knows you can get a lot of marketing mileage by riding on the coattails of holidays and topical events - but do you know how easy it is to start your own holiday?" He started Frugal Fun Day on October 2, 1999, sent a form to Chase's Annual Events, and emailed the editor of Celebrate Today, establishing the first annual National Frugal Fun Day (subsequently changed to "International")..."Almost immediately, I got an email about the new holiday from Japan." Along with print coverage both here and in Japan, "Frugal Fun Day opened the door to a conversation with a reporter at a major women's magazine." (3) GRIST FOR YOUR MILL Are you a work-at-home woman? Check out the guest information at Home Business Women Talk Radio Show and Podcast at http://www.hbwtalkradio.ie/be-a-guest.html (4) CONTEST Dotsie Bregel is running another contest - the Boomer Women Speak JUNE-JULY Writing Contest. The theme is A Lesson I've Learned and the deadline is July 31, 2007. There is no entry fee. The winner's story is placed in the Our Voices http://www.boomerwomenspeak.com/stories.php section at Boomer Women Speak, http://www.boomerwomenspeak.com and winners receive the following: $50.00 CASH! FREE membership or renewal for the National Association of Baby Boomer Women, NABBW http://www.nabbw.com, the only association devoted to addressing issues concerning 38 million of the healthiest, wealthiest, and best educated generation of women to ever hit midlife - baby boomer women. Baby Boomer's Almanac, by Tim Brolus What Happens Next, by Chloe JonPaul A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Throne, by Georgia Richardson A Lesson I've Learned We've all had them. Those “life lessons” that make us stop and think and possibly see the world, our environment, or even ourselves in a different light; the lessons we'll never forget. Some call them “Aha” moments. Who was your mentor? Was it a teacher, a parent, or your best friend who helped to open your eyes and heart to learn? Maybe even a boyfriend? Or was it man's best friend; a pet? No matter who taught you, or how you learned, we all agree that over time, they are truly unforgettable. What is that one particular lesson that stands out in your mind? Did it change the course of your life, or maybe it wasn't life-altering, but it helped to shape the person you are today? Whatever your lesson, send us your story by entering our contest and win prizes! Guidelines at this link: http://www.boomerwomenspeak.com/display_news.php?nid=8&PHPSESSID=4cf6b0ceaad4ea980ba616277e68e588 (5) PROGRESS REPORT Joy Turner was a guest on Animal Radio on June 12, 2007 at 9:30 a.m., PT. The show is hosted by Hal Abrams and Judy Francis, but Hal had Joy talk with the animals of two callers instead of doing an actual interview. http://www.animalradio.com A spiritual teacher and a renowned communicator and energetic healer for animals and humans, Joy hosts the radio show, “Joy Turner's Talk With Your Animals,” on KKNW 1150 AM in Los Angeles every Wednesday 12-1 PM, PT http://www.talkwithyouranimals.com Kim Bloomer was interviewed by Julie Hill on Dog Cast Radio, based in the UK, on Tuesday, June 19, 2007 at 1 pm, EDT. The shows are archived on Julie's site at http://www.dogcastradio.com Kim is host of Animal Talk Naturally, http://www.AnimalTalkNaturally.com and co-author of Whole Health for Happy Dogs (Quarry Books 2006). When I heard that the American Museum of Natural History had just opened an exhibit called Mythic Creatures - Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids, running from May 26, 2007 to January 6, 2007, I immediately dispatched an email to Michele Avanti urging her to send her book, GreeHee The Journey of Five, to its bookstore. I could do that because I had read her fantasy novel filled with dragons, giants and unicorns and it was fresh in my mind. She apparently followed up. So you can imagine how pleased I was when she emailed me the following note on June 6, 2007: "Yesterday, I received a call from Charles Kanarick, buyer for the American Museum of Natural History store. I am sending a priority mail package to him today with a letter about the book and why I believe it will sell in his store, a price list, three pages of reviews, and copy of the book." We're all crossing our fingers. Michele Avanti will be the guest of Dr. Rita Louise on Aug 17, 2007 on Just Energy Radio. http://www.justenergyradio.com (6) KUDOS Brenda Novak reports that her third annual on-line auction for diabetes research raised $141,700 and would like to thank those who participated this year. Menopause seems to be the catchword here: Imagine my pleasant surprise when I opened The New York Times style page (June 7, 2007) and saw Beverly Mahone's name and photo in an article about menopause! She was pictured with her husband, Nathaniel Gibbs, and quoted extensively. She is author of WHATEVER! A Baby Boomer's Journey Into Middle Age (Benoham Publishing 2006) and host of Whatever on Talk2BevPodcast. http://www.talk2bevpodcast.com and Ferida Wolff has three stories in the new Chicken Soup for the Soul in Menopause and is now a contributor to six of the Chicken Soup books. Ferida is author of THE ADVENTURES OF SWAMP WOMAN: Menopause: Essays on the Edge (Authorhouse 2004) and two picture books for ages 4 and up, IT IS THE WIND (HarperCollins 2005) and IS A WORRY WORRYING YOU? (Tanglewood Press 2007). http://www.feridawolff.com Francine Silverman is author of CATSKILLS ALIVE (second edition) and LONG ISLAND ALIVE, both published in 2003 by Hunter Publishing and geared to every interest. To learn more about her guidebooks and for links to hundreds of attractions on Long Island and in the Catskills, visit Fran's one-stop website at http://www.nystatetravel.com BOOK MARKETING FROM A-Z (Infinity Publishing 2005) is written by 325 paid subscribers to Book Promotion Newsletter. TALK RADIO FOR AUTHORS - Getting Interviews Across the U.S. and Canada (Infinity Publishing 2007) is an intimate look into 230 talk radio shows that welcome guests. Both books are available at http://www.buybooksontheweb.com (Category: Marketing) and at http://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. Mail: Infinity Publishing, 1094 New Dehaven St, Suite 100, West Conshohocken, PA 19428 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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