March 2006 Newsletter #24

     By Stephanie Chandler

     *Dear Editor,
     This is one of my top strategies for book promotion and I recommend it to any author who wants to boost their exposure. I understand why serious freelancers wouldn't want to do this but their goals are different. Most are making their living from their articles, not promoting their books. It's a matter of priorities.

     Another strategy that I use is to publish articles online. I submit articles to many content sites including http://www.ideamarketers.com,
     http://www.ezinearticles.com, and http://www.articlealley.com. My articles get reprinted in e-zines and on websites all over the world and this effort brings me a TON of website traffic and new customers. It is also an important part of my overall marketing strategy.

     I hope that Cindy will reconsider her position and that other authors will see that getting your articles out there with a byline is an even better form of payment than a $50 check. The big magazines aren't going to reprint articles for fr~ee so you can spend your time querying those and trying to get paid if that is your goal. But the smaller pubs are exchanging exposure from experts in order to fill their pages and that's just fine by me.”

     ------------------

     Cynthia Brian is a New York Times best selling author of four books.
     "What has been interesting" comments Cynthia, "is that since I'm a best selling author, more venues expect me to offer my services for free or very low cost. They just assume I am wealthy. I finally had to convince myself that 'no' is a complete sentence. I don't need more exposure - what I need is to be fairly compensated for my expertise and professionalism. With that in mind, in 2006 I am no longer doing anything pro bono unless it benefits the charity I founded, Be the Star You Are!

     “I charge for writing, coaching, speaking, and of course all my acting. I also have no desire to speak at bookstores since they seem to order a huge amount of books, take months to return unsold ones and even longer to pay for what was sold. Over six months ago I spoke and signed at two bookstores in Utah who have still not paid me for books sold.
     It's time that bookstores pay up front with no return options, therefore making them accountable for purchasing just what they can sell.

     “Back of the room, premium, and internet sales are booming. Recently I was approached by a group of plastic surgeons who wanted me to give a keynote presentation to a conference they were arranging. When I asked about honorarium fees and travel expenses, they said they had no budget.

     I retorted, 'Well, how about a face lift, then?' Their response, 'We don't give away our services.' Fair enough- neither do I! Writers, speakers, and authors are professionals and deserve compensation. What I've discovered in my years in media is like everything else in life-why buy the cow when the milk is free? http://www.star-style.com

     ------------------------

     “Please tell Cindy that selling/trading/giving away articles is totally up to her!” urges Pamela S. Thibodeaux.

     “I know many authors frown upon giving away articles in lieu of selling them. However, it is getting more and more difficult to place reprints and even originals in paying markets due to the volume of articles they receive.

     As for feeling guilty for getting paid for an article previously placed for free, DON'T. As long as you are honest that the article is a reprint and give previous pub info, if they want to pay you, then by all means accept!

     Articles = Publicity & Exposure. In this business, name recognition is a big deal and, if you're like me with a very small promo budget, they are a great way to get your name circling about.
     I've donated articles as well as personal essays, prayers and devotionals.

     Personally, I don't have time to research EVERY new avenue out there, submit and wait when those articles can be getting me some attention, feedback, exposure and possibly a sale or 2. I've also had people request a reprint of articles and pay for them even though they know it's a freebie.

     MHO, do what gets you the MOST exposure!

     *******************************

     2) GRIST FOR YOUR MILL

     Thinking of investing? Murder mystery author Steve Haberman is a veteran investor and author of “this common sense, get-wealthy-slowly guide for the beginning investor” - Beginner's Guide to Top Low Cost Common Stock Mutual Funds (Lulu.com 2006). For more information, visit http://www.beginnersmutualfundguide.com

     -------------

     The charity founded by Cynthia Brian, Be the Star You Are! a 501 c3, is dedicated to empowering women, families, and youth through improved literacy and positive media.

     Authors who are considering partnering with a non profit may consider this literacy based charity that offers authors promotional considerations and tax deductions. For more information, visit http://www.bethestaryouare.org.

     ------------------

     Celise Downs will be a guest on The Good Life News on Achieve Radio with hosts Joe Carroccio and Joy Malumphy on March 16, 2006. Every 1st and 3rd Thursday, from 6-7 p.m., the host interviews only authors.

     Celise writes young adult fiction and her books are SECRETS AND KISSES (2004) and DANCE JAM PRODUCTIONS, both published in 2004 by Gemini Mojo Press. http://www.GeminiMojoPress.com

     -----------------

     If you have lots of links on your website - like I do - this may interest you. David Stanley pointed out a broken link on my site and suggested that I run it through http://www.dead-links.com It's amazing -it picked up several. David is the author of several Moon handbooks. http://www.southpacific.org.

     *******************************

     3) A GOOD QUESTION

     Julia Buckley is wondering “how to avoid resentment of local booksellers who might be selling your book. That is, I've been told that I should only market heavily to one faction, because an independent bookseller might feel angry if I also do a signing at a big Borders right down the road. How does one avoid the politics of this (assuming, with great optimism, that several bookstores would be willing to let me do a signing?)”

     Julia's mystery novel, THE DARK BACKWARD, is being published in May by Midnight Ink. http://www.juliabuckley.com

     *******************************

     4) CONTESTS

     Dawn Rivers Baker, editor/publisher of Brighid's Fire Books, contributed the following:

     Independent publisher, Brighid's Fire Books, celebrates Small Press Month by launching the search for unpublished manuscripts through its fifth Annual Fiction Manuscript Contest.

     The contest, which is co-sponsored by indie online bookseller LughnassadhBooks.com - http://www.lughnassadhbooks.com - is held each year beginning on March 1st, which is also the beginning of Small Press Month.

     "The choice to open the contest in March wasn't deliberate but, when we considered the timing with Small Press Month, we thought it worked," says Derek Stafford, owner of LughnassadhBooks.com. "A small independent bookseller and a small independent publisher joining together to celebrate independent publishing by searching for new voices in fiction - not bad, huh?"

     National Small Press Month is a yearly celebration of independent publishers and the vital role they play in the industry. Co-founded by the Small Press Center and the PMA, The Independent Book Publishers Association, this year marks the tenth anniversary of the event with the theme: "Books Beyond The Obvious."

     "That's a theme that we can certainly relate to," says Dawn.

     The Brighid's Fire Books/LughnassadhBooks.com Annual Fiction Manuscript Contest is open to unpublished, book-length fiction, with cash prizes for the top three submissions and the bonus of a publishing contract offer for the first place winner.

     Brighid's Fire Books specializes in debut fiction and uses the contest as a way to connect with unpublished authors and to find titles for publication.

     "It's getting more and more difficult for new authors to break into print if they don't want to self-publish," says Ms. Baker. "The contest evens the playing field a bit and helps us find strong first novels that deserve to be brought to the public."

     Contest details are available online at http://www.brighidsfirebooks.com/contest.html

     *******************************

     5) PROGRESS REPORT

     Earle Ziegler was a guest on Jason Merchey's show, America's Values Divide, on Tuesday, February 28, 2006, on World Talk Radio. To hear the show, go to http://www.valuesofthewise.com and scroll down on the left and click Jason's show. The show airs noon to 1 p.m.

     Earle's first trade book was published in 2002, WHO KNOWS WHAT'S RIGHT ANYMORE? A GUIDE TO PERSONAL DECISION-MAKING. He since written five more, including TELLING IT LIKE IT SHOULD BE (Challenging Human Values in North America 2004), all published by Trafford Publishing.

     ---------------------

     Yours truly will be on CALLING ALL AUTHORS with host Valerie Connelly, on April 4, 2006, airing on Global Talk Radio, on the second segment of the show beginning 7 p.m., Central Time. http://www.globaltalkradio.com/shows/callingallauthors

     --------------------

     The titles of Ben Romero's books had been added to the Somos Primos site. Now stories from two of his books are featured.
     Click here: Somos Primos: Dedicated to Hispanic Heritage and Diversity Issues http://www.somosprimos.com/sp2006/spmar06/spmar06.htm
     In Table of Contents, choose category “Cuentos” and scroll down to CHICKEN BREAST. Then scroll down more to UNCLE REY.

     Ben is also going to be a guest on “The Saturday Night Special” of The DeMarco Show, http://www.thedemarcoshow.com on March 26 at 10:35 p.m., MST. Click “Audio/Video” to listen.

     Ben's latest book is CHICKEN CHISME: THE FINE ART OF GOSSIP (Nov 2005). Other titles include CHICKEN BEAKS: GROWING UP HISPANIC (2003); CHICKEN BEAKS REVISTED: AN HISPANIC ADOLESCENCE (2004); CHICKEN BEAKS FOREVER: AN HISPANIC MIGRATION (2005) and DANCE OF THE CHICKENS: AN ANTHOLOGY OF LIGHT-HEARTED STORIES (2004). His sixth book, CHICKEN CHISTES: AN ANTHOLOGY OF SOUTHWESTERN HUMOR, will be available in late 2006. All his books are published by Trafford.

     -------------

     Heather Resnick was featured in Carol Kleiman's workplace column in the business section of the Chicago Tribune on January 24, 2006. The column was entitled “Opening the Back-to-Work Window.”

     Heather is author of WOMEN REWORKED (Creative Bound Inc. 2006), thought-provoking stories of inspirational women who jumped hurdles to achieve success. http://www.womenreworked.com

     ------------------

     After the fiasco with May Leilani's show, Mastery Minds on Achieve Radio (see last newsletter), Linda Pynaker's spot has been restored to her original time slot. She had initially given May a psychic reading over the phone. Last week, May called Linda to let her know she received her media kit and books. “She and the owner of the station were apparently very impressed and my two-hour March 28th interview has been restored,” says Linda, who will discuss her books and give a reading on the show. The Tuesday show airs 2-4pm Mountain Standard Time.

     Linda is author of MAKE IT HAPPEN! USE YOUR INTUITION AND POSITIVE SPIRALS (Linda Pynaker 2004) and TIME TO HEAL: A NOVEL (Infinity Publishing 2003). http://www.lindapynaker.com

     ---------------------

     Two humor authors were on Colleen Miller's radio show, “Lighten Up!” Marja McGraw was on yesterday, March 14, 2006, and Vicky DeCoster will be on next Tuesday, March 21. The show, which is pre-recorded, airs Tuesdays 10-11 a.m., PST. http://www.HealthyLife.net

     Prior to the show, Marja wrote: “It's an Internet Radio Show, and she says they have around 800,000 hits a month.” If this is true, then the books of these two authors should fly off the shelves!!

     Marja is author of BIG TROUBLE FOR A LITTLE LADY (Writer's Showcase Press 2001), the first of her Sandi Webster series. The second book, SECRETS OF HOLT HOUSE (iUniverse 2002) is a stand-alone mystery. http://www.marjamcgraw.com

     Vicky is author of THE WACKY WORLD OF WOMANHOOD (iUniverse 2003), a collection of her humorous personal essays on childhood crises, dating dilemmas, marriage mishaps, parenthood pitfalls and midlife mayhem, and HUSBANDS, HOT FLASHES AND ALL THAT HULLABOO!, due out in late 2006. http://www.wackywomanhood.com

     *******************************

     6) KUDOS

     Movie critic and author Betty Jo Tucker was interviewed about her Oscar predictions on KOAA-TV, an NBC-television affiliate. How did this happen?

     “A reporter contacted me because my ReelTalk reviews run on their website,” she explains. “I tried to talk her out of it because I don't like to do TV, especially in the studio. She said 'no problem' -- and this morning she and a camera man came out to the house and set up shop in my office, which is filled with movie memorabilia. It was live
     programming and fed back to the station in six segments (to cover the acting, director and best picture categories).”

     Betty Jo adds - “A banner day here! My article about Oscar predictions and preferences was also featured as a full-page story in The Pueblo Chieftain this morning. :-)”

     Betty Jo is author of SUSAN SARANDON: A TRUE MAVERICK (Hats Off Books 2004), CONFESSIONS OF A MOVIE ADDICT (Hats Off Books 2001) and co-author (writing as Elizabeth Lawrence) with her husband, of IT HAD TO BE US (Sands Publishing 2001). http://authorsden.com/bettyjotucker

     ----------------

     With the upcoming release of "Chicken Soup for the Horse Lover's Soul II," an excerpt from Lori Hein's book, RIBBONS OF HIGHWAY: A MOTHER-CHILD JOURNEY ACROSS AMERICA (Booklocker.com 2004), will go worldwide. Chicken Soup editors, including best-selling authors Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, chose Lori's RIBBONS OF HIGHWAY excerpt for publication from nearly 1,000 writers' submissions. The "Chicken Soup for the Soul" book series has sold over 80 million copies worldwide. Media interest and sales of Lori's book have already started climbing due to the Chicken Soup connection.

     If you live in the northeast, you can catch Lori on the Hearst Corporation's New England Cable News (NECN) on Tues., March 21 at 4 p.m. EST. Contact Lori at http://www.LoriHein.com or her world travel blog - http://RibbonsofHighway.blogspot.com.

     ------------------

     Dr. Gilda is the relationship expert for AMI Mini Mags, the booklets distributed at supermarkets, Wal-Marts and mass merchandiser checkouts.

     “My latest MiniMag (American Media, Inc.) has just been printed: 300,000 press run across the US & Canada in all the supermarkets at the impulse-buy checkout racks (the most valuable real estate in publishing, in my opinion), and in Walmart, 7/11, etc., she reports. “'Title: Dr. Gilda Tells You How to Improve Your Marriage.' Cost: 99 cents. What a bargain-and what a promotion!” http://www.drgilda.com

     ---------------

     Utah resident Charles Ehin was the subject of an article in his local paper, the Davis County Clipper (largest and most populous county immediately north of Salt Lake City) on March 2, 2006. The article announced his March 4th booksigning at the local Barnes & Noble of HIDDEN ASSETS: HARNESSING THE POWER OF INFORMAL SOCIAL NETWORKS (Springer, 2004). http://www.clippertoday.com/default.asp?sourceid=&smenu=73&twindow=Default&mad=No&sdetail=13633&wpage=1&skeyword=&sidate=&ccat=&ccatm=&restate=&restatus=&reoption=&retype=&repmin=&repmax=&rebed=&rebath=&subname=&pform=&sc=1005&hn=clippertoday&he=.com

     Charles Ehin is Professor of Management Emeritus, former Dean of the Gore School of Business at Westminster College of Salt Lake City, and author of another business book: UNLEASHING INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL (Butterworth-Heinemann, 2000), and an historical autobiography, AFTERMATH (PublishAmerica 2004). http://www.UnManagement.com

     --------------

     Wendy Orr spoke at the SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) in Sydney, Australia, in February, on the translation of her children's novel, NIM'S ISLAND (Allen & Unwin 1999), into film script, and on what fiction writers can learn from screen writing.

     Wendy has three books coming out this year: ACROSS THE DARK SEA (Australian National Museum, May); 'TOO MUCH STUFF (Penguin Aussi Nibble, July); and MOKIE AND BIK, Australian edition (Allen and Unwin, September) and American edition (Henry Holt, spring 2007).


     --------------

     Christine Hohlbaum had a phone interview “with a fabulous former Hollywood producer, Stephen Simon, (WHAT DREAMS MAY COME w/ Robin Williams) whose cinematic vision has taken him beyond the mainstream movie in the form of his film club, Spiritual Cinema Circle,” she reports.

     “I highly recommend the Spiritual Cinema Circle. It's been a source of my creative inspiration for over a year.”

     Christine credits the Spiritual Cinema Circle with her book on kindness, due out next spring from Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing. The anthology will cover many aspects of kindness, from the poor giving to the rich and the ill giving to the healed to how kindness and a stick of gum changed the world.

     “Watching the spiritual movies has reaffirmed my belief that we all are on a specific path,” says Christine. “I feel that I am clearly walking mine and fulfilling my purpose on Earth. It was so neat to convene with Stephen for a moment in time to know there are like-minded people out there doing such amazing things. It is so inspiring! In turn, that inspiration has given me further strength to pursue such writing projects as "Living in the 'Just Because'," which focuses on the goodness in humankind.” http://www.thejustbecause.com

     Christine is author of DIARY OF A MOTHER: PARENTING STORIES AND OTHER STUFF (iUniverse 2003) and its sequel, S.A.H.M. I AM: TALES OF A STAY-AT-HOME MOM IN EUROPE (Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing 2005). http://www.diaryofamother.com

     *******************************

     7) Patrika Vaughn contributed the following:

     This year's Summer Writer's Retreat will be held "August 12-18th at a great rural convention center in Florida (right on the water: canoes and fishing) with cabins featuring swimming pools and hot tubs," she says. "It's the perfect get-away for any writer who wants to be free to write and relax, without having to be on a fixed schedule," says Patrika. I'll be speaking about writing and the group will be critiquing each participant's works. I'll also do one-on-one sessions with each participant, and we'll greet the day and evening with yogic-type movements."

     To find out more, see http://www.acappela.com/summer-retreat
     http://www.acappela.com/books.htm

     *******************************

     8) CORRECTION

     Susan Schanerman neglected to include the link to her URL for the radio show -http://www.empowerhourlive.com - or the link to the network http://www.artistfirst.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 and available at http://www.buybooksontheweb.com (Category: Marketing) and at http://www.amazon.com

     Subscribers are entitled to a 20% discount. 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 book with the discount may email Michelle at michelle@buybooksontheweb.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

Banyon Publishing also offers...
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!