The year I won the San Francisco Writer’s Conference pitch conference, I had just gained some really valuable information in a morning session. (I mentioned this in an earlier WNFiN post.)  The session was taught by writing-career-coach Teresa LeYung Ryan and public relations/marketing consultant Elisa Southard.  I’ve never forgotten the lesson Elisa taught me and shares again in today’s WNFiN post: “Use power verbs to describe how people profit from your books.” I was able to apply this even to my novel (yes…a novel), and to see the contest judges’ eyes light up when I made my pitch. Later, other agents’ eyes also lit up when I pitched the manuscript to them. I volunteer at the San Francisco Writer’s Conference each year, and although I still think Elisa and Teresa have more expertise, I help a lot of writers hone their pitches using the skills I learned in their session. I also use this ability when writing pitches for query letters and book proposals.

Elisa has a wealth of great marketing information to offer, so I thought it fitting to end WNFiN’s series of posts on this topic with one from her. She has compiled really terrific tips on avoiding some common marketing traps.

7 Nonfiction Book Marketing Traps to Avoid
By Elisa Southard

You smile as you sign on the dotted line with your publisher. Bravo! Let’s clink glasses! Your work is done. Or is it? Your publisher provides limited marketing, which puts this urgent hat square atop your head. Keep your eyes on the footpath as you advance to avoid the jaws of the following marketing traps. Your fan base awaits…

1. Concentrating on what you can’t control

You give your business card to someone at a writing conference or agent panel. What assurance do you have he or she will contact you? None. Instead, gain control over the follow-up by getting the other person’s contact information. You walk away with a smile and control of the next step.

2. Taking too long

How long does it take to introduce your passionate offer? If you don’t get your message across quickly, you won’t get it across at all. Use power verbs to describe how people profit from your books. Here’s an example: “Through my book, Break Through the Noise, I help professionals power up, build and recharge their marketing and public relations messages.” Strong verbs generate strong interest—straightaway.

3. Focusing on facts

An avalanche of facts detracts from your message. Instead, launch the ultimate writer weapon—a story. With a story, you nudge readers to consider his or her personal life. Think in bullet points; limit your facts to three. Even an avalanche starts with snowflakes.

4. Hiding behind status

Do you feel you’ve earned your stripes? Do you think it’s time for agents or editors to come to you? Unless you provide an unrivaled book for a particular need, think again. Copious options tease your readers; feeling entitled traps you, the author. Instead, put status aside by sharing yourself. Show a friend how to research, step up to volunteer, speak up to support. With these actions, you’re memorable. You’re marketing.

5. Reacting not reaching

Blew it on the last agent or editor pitch? You didn’t give yourself the okay to practice without pressure. It’s time to take a tip from world-class athletes, who always warm up. Don’t you smile seeing those pre-game stretches or pre-season bouts? Model those rituals to conquer your skills under pressure. How to do it? Select one aspect of your pitch, set a mini-goal to practice with a friend until you master it without reservation. Then move on to the next until you ace it as a whole.

6. Assuming rather than swapping

When you assume people know the importance of your topic, you risk going on autopilot. Instead, keep your message fresh by swapping sides. Judge from your reader’s viewpoint. Browse through a blog or trade magazine in your area to access their viewpoints. Examine the top topics in your motif for current language. Take a quiz online. When you swap sides, you shift to your readers’ viewpoint. You hone your instinct to design messages that resonate in their own language.

7. Knowing without showing

An industry authority once said, “Marketing is talking to a passing parade.” How observant. Parades of potential fans come in the form of invitations to volunteer at a conference or event. You join the committee, bond briefly, move on. However, without sustaining relationships, you never convert colleagues into fans. Here’s how to stay in touch without straining your current commitments. Show what you know. Right now, write down one concept you advocate in your book. For Break Through the Noise, it’s, “Marketing is easy. You can do it, too.” Now write down the rewards of using this tip or technique. How many items do you have? I bet at least a dozen—enough to stretch this concept into a year of ideas. Write short “What If…” tips from your list. Show what you know by spreading these tips through your favorite venues, online and off.

With these seven antidotes to marketing traps you no longer need to fear turning your attention from manuscript to self-promotion. The next time you meet an agent or future fan, your marketing hat will be more than an accessory. You’ll wear it with conviction to build the fan base you always knew you deserved.

About the Author

Through her book, Amazon business best seller Break Through the Noise: 9 Tools to Propel Your Marketing Message, Elisa Southard loves to help professionals be their own best advocate. Elisa also serves as a faculty member of the San Francisco Writers Conference and a contributor to Helmet Hair.com Motorcycle magazine. She is researching her second book, Bring Your Inner Newbie Out for professional women launching into a new sport or pursuit.

ElisaSouthard@gmail.com
BreakThroughTheNoise.com

Help writers find the wonderful information and resources at Write Nonfiction in November all year:
Vote  WNFIN One of Writer’s Digest’s Annual 101 Best Internet Sites for Writers

Please visit www.copywrightcommunications.com and sign up for the free newsletter to receive a gift at the end of the Write Nonfiction in November challenge!

Don’t forget to sign into the WNFiN social networking and chat room and tell us what you are writing about or start a discussion.
http://writenonfictioninnovember.ning.com/

A very positive write-up of Lat’s cartoon/graphic novel Kampung Boy from Mike Shuttleworth on Read Alert, the blog of the Centre for Youth Literature at the State Library of Victoria:

Kampung Boy by LAT is an illustrated story of village life in 1950s Malaysia. This autobiographical story sparkles with vivid memories of family and friends, of tradition and change.

LAT, the author/illustrator, is a master of the form. The tight connection between text, image and page makes this a joy to read. There an impish humour throughout, with pictures frequently undercutting the text.

Kampung Boy is one of those books that has almost no age limit. Children, teenagers and adults can all find delight here.

The mission of Australian publisher Wilkins Farago is to bring the best international picture books to English language readers. They have certainly done so (again) here. To a generation growing up on Diary of a Wimpy Kid, LAT’s Kampung Boy has a lot to offer.

The CYL does a great job promoting books and reading to young adults and yesterday hosted the Inky Awards, which are the only ‘teenage choice’ book awards in Australia. Thanks, Mike.

Today, I’m offering another short excerpt from Chapter 5, “Concocting Genetic Clues,” in our recently released book The Evolution Conspiracy, Vol 1: Exposing Life’s Inexplicable Origins & The Cult of Darwin by Lisa A. Shiel. (Words in bold are included in the book’s extensive glossary. A complete bibliography is included at the end of each chapter.)

========

Phylogenetics: The Guessing Game

The relationships between animals alive today baffles us. What makes a species, if such a designation has any real meaning, along with what genetic similarities and differences actually mean mystify even the most learned of scientists. Chimpanzees share an estimated 99% of their DNA in common with humans, yet that 1% seems to make all the difference. If a tiny distance can produce the dissimilarity between Leonardo da Vinci’s inventive and artistic genius and a chimpanzee who hunts for ants with a stick, then perhaps what we think we know about genetics lies equally as far from the reality of DNA.

In books aimed at a lay audience, and in the media, we hear a lot about the chimp-human kinship. Despite the hoopla, not everyone agrees that chimps and humans share a close relationship. Anthropologist Jeffrey Schwartz of the University of Pittsburgh has remarked that, in some studies of the presumed genetic similarities, scientists had to ignore large amounts of data because it refuted the notion of chimps as our closest living relatives. In 1975 Mary-Claire King and Allan Wilson demonstrated that the tiny genetic difference between chimps and humans cannot account for the morphological differences. Still, King and Wilson stuck with the idea humans and chimps are closely related. Schwartz, however, suggests genetic similarity implies that modern organisms retain primitive genes—garbage leftover from evolution’s workings—rather than evidence of shared heritage.

Even when faced with contradictions like these, scientists cling to the idea of evolution. The evidence against the Darwinian notion that change occurs both gradually and continuously led to an alternate version of evolution. In this version, dubbed punctuated equilibrium or “punk eek” for short (see fig. 5.2), change occurs abruptly. A new species boings into being with the subtlety of a jack-in-the-box when, for unknown reasons, a geographically isolated population that has evolved separately begins to affect other groups. Darwinists stay faithful to the gradualistic model promoted by Darwin himself, though others before him had proposed similar models. The most widely known theory of evolution is Darwinism with its slow, small, ceaseless increments of change driven by natural selection.

When scientists can’t agree among each other, why should we rely on their ideas? They expect us to trust their wild guesses for the same reason parents give their children when the kids question a parental ruling—”because I said so.” Yet scientists can wield a weapon most parents lack. They can flash their PhDs. Trust them because they said so and they have PhDs, which must make them smarter than the rest of us.

Most laymen listen to what scientists say because they assume scientists must have loads of evidence to support their assertions. Scientists adopt catchphrases, such as “evolution is a fact and a theory,” to reinforce the unspoken notion that they know all. Delving a little deeper exposes the naked facts. When it comes to molecular clocks, scientists could use a lesson from Timex.

Happy Thanksgiving! It’s November 25th, and Write Nonfiction in November has just five more days left before the challenge ends. Blog readers have been busy reading, but I’ve heard little from writers. I hope that means you’ve been busy writing. I did notice, however, that many of the article on marketing and promotion garner less readers than others. I’m not surprised.

When I speak to nonfiction writers I’m always surprised at how few want to take on these tasks. In fact, many don’t realize they have to be their own best self and book marketer both before and after their book comes out.  Still others just refuse to take on this job.

I started a discussion once on LinkedIn in a group for writers and editors asking what online methods they found worked best to promote themselves, and the majority of writers flat out said they felt their writing provided the best marketing tool possible. They said they only needed to be good writers; they didn’t need to do anything else. I got the distinct impression that they thought less of me and any other writers spending time on marketing and promotion as a way of getting noticed by editors and publishers or getting our books published. I was more than a little bit amazed. (A few writers, agents and publishers in the group did chime in to say that marketing and promotion were, indeed, necessary.)

So, on this Thanksgiving Day I’m here — yes, just me today — to tell all you nonfiction writers to get your heads out of the mashed potatoes and stare the Turkey down. The turkey represents the actual business of getting your work published and selling your books. That takes marketing skill. That takes promotional efforts. And no one is going to do that for you or like you can.

I’m also here to tell you that reasons exist for you to actually be thankful for this job being yours and for making the effort to promote yourself as a writer and to promote your work as well. (Yes, you can offer up gratitude on Thanksgiving that this job is yours–and, basically, yours alone.) Let me explain why.

Remember what I said on November 1: Even though the business of writing takes you away from writing, it does not represent wasted time. By marketing yourself and your writing, you develop a readership for your work — and ultimately all writers want readers. What’s the use of writing if no one ever reads what you’ve written?  Many nonfiction writers write to help others (via self-help, spiritual, body-mind-spirit, religious books), but if their writing never reaches a reader, they help no one.

I’m not poo-pooing the need for good writing. Assuming your goal involves a published nonfiction book (and not articles), it’s a given that to sell your manuscript to a traditional publisher or your self-publish book to readers, you must have (1) a marketable idea, and (2) good writing skills. If you don’t have a good idea, no one will buy your book. If you aren’t a good writer, you can hire a good editor to make it look like you are a good writer. (If you need a good editor, contact me at cpywrtcom@aol.com or visit www.copywrightcommunications.com!) After that, you will need to market yourself and your writing, first, to develop a platform — develop readers (buyers), and, second, to sell books.

That said, if you, like most writers, cringe at the thought of becoming your own marketing expert, let me assure you there are ways in which to make this job less daunting and more fun. You can also make it fulfilling. I know this, because I took on the job and now actually enjoy it.

If you accept that fact that in today’s publishing world you will be asked by your publisher to do at least one thing every day to promote your book, you’ll realize that you might as well resign yourself to beginning this practice now. You’ll have to do more if you self-publish your book, because you’ll have no help from a publisher at all; even small publishers might offer an author a little bit of help promoting the book…even if that simply means getting it into some stores and helping set up some speaking gigs. So, find 1-5 activities you might enjoy doing and make them part of your daily to-do list.

Here are some I enjoy and in which I find some personal value. (Notice that many of them involve writing.)

Blogging: Blogging gives me a presence online and drives traffic to my website. It also gives me a steady stream of readers–both new and regular readers. Later, when my book is published, I can tell these readers and, hopefully, a percentage of them will buy the book, because they’ve grown to trust me as a writer, blogger and “friend” online. Plus, I get personal value out of this activity, because it provides me with another way to express myself through my writing. It’s a writing exercise for me. When I’m bogged down editing for clients or producing articles unrelated to my books, I can write about something that matters to me or that is related to my personal work. And, by doing so, I gain readers every day. I find it very satisfying to look at my stats and discover that 100 people read my blog on a particular day or to receive a comment from a reader who said my post made a difference in his or her life.

Providing Free Content to Directories: I try to write at least one article every month on a topic related to my books and post this to an article distribution service. This places my article in a variety of online directories, where it then becomes available for use in blogs, newsletters, websites, etc. In other words, anyone looking for content and willing to pay one of the directories for my article can purchase it and use it. Each article contains a resource box with a short bio and contact information. This sends them to my website, where they hopefully become regular visitors or blog readers or sign up for my newsletter. I pay for this service.  I love finding my articles in all sorts of obscure newsletters and blogs. Sometimes I just do a Google search of my name and spend an hour trying to find my articles. Or I’ll put a Google Alert out on some of the key words and see where the article landed. It’s really satisfying to know so many people find my articles worth publishing (even if they don’t pay me). And it’s satisfying to see my website traffic spike.

Writing News Releases that I Post to the Media: I maintain a yearly membership with ExpertClick.com, and there I am able to post news releases that go out to the media. I can tell them what I am doing. I can rewrite my articles and post them. In general, I can let them know that I am the expert on the subjects about which I am writing in my book(s). This way, they will think of me when something comes up in the news that relates to my upcoming books. This also provides me with the ability to comment on news that pertains to my book’s subject matter, making me a socially relevant expert. This activity feel personally valuable when I get a call from the media, which doesn’t happen too often. But when it does, I know my efforts have paid off. I did land a monthly podcasting job from this site, and that has paid off in numerous ways. In particular, I now speak ever month to a huge audience. (The podcast has 110,000 listeners in 90 different countries each month.) This site also gives me excellent Google ranking. (If you are interested in signing up for ExpertClick.com, use my link for a discount: www.ExpertClick.com/discount/Nina_Amir.)

Commenting on Blog Posts and Articles: I have Google Alerts set up for words related to the topics of the books I am writing. When I get an alert and see that someone has written a blog post or an article related to these topics, I click on the link, read what they have written, and, if I have something to add or feel they have written something worth noting, I leave a comment. These comments always provide a link to my website. This brings more traffic to my website, thus increasing my chances of more unique visitors (those who come back more than once), more blog readers, and more people signing up for my newsletter, thus increasing my the list of people to whom I can promote a new book. This activity seems worthwhile to me when I actually develop relationships with the website, blogger or writer. We may set up reciprocal links or begin sharing leads. This is when I know what I offer has value to someone writing about a similar topic or that someone feels their readers benefit from what I have to offer as well as from what they offer their readers. I also learn a great deal from those writing on similar topics, and I might not normally spend the time online finding these blogs or articles.

Frequenting Social Networking Sites: Since I work at home alone most of the time, only having contact with other people when I need to interview someone from my books or for an article, I have found that I really enjoy social networking. I most enjoy Facebook and Twitter.  It’s fun to find real friends there who follow you because they enjoy what you post or “tweet” not just to gain more followers.  When you show up at Twitter, for instance, and “tweeple’” are happy you are there, converse with you and “retweet” what you post, it feels good. And it’s just plain enjoyable.

Writing Articles for Ezines: I write for ezines related to my topics. Some of these pay and some of these don’t. Many writers refuse to write for free. I prefer to get paid, but if I can post an article on a site that get’s 5,000 visitors per day and is willing to run my bio with links to my website, I’m happy for the opportunity to promote myself and to attempt to gain more readers and more people on my mailing list. As usual, it feels great to have my writing read as well.

Speaking or Teaching: I do try to schedule at least a few speaking gigs per year. Sometimes these are local, and sometimes they are in other areas of the country. I must admit, they give me the jitters, but once there I enjoy myself. I like doing workshops or offering classes; then you get to talk to people one on one. This develops stronger relationships. I find it easiest to offer teleseminars. I can do this from the comfort of my home and potentially reach the most people possible. I enjoy testing out my ideas on people and having them give instant feedback; it’s a bit like test marketing your book, especially if you are doing it prior to having a published book. Plus, each time I speak or teach before an audience, I feel more prepared to be a published author. That gives this activity added value.

Writing for Traditional Print Publications: I send out queries or essays to a variety of print publications on topics related to my books. This tends to be hit or miss, since they have to accept my ideas or essays. However, when they do, I typically get paid and get a short bio and possibly a link to my website. As a magazine journalist by trade, I find this most satisfying. I love having my work published in magazines and newspapers and getting paid for my writing. The fact that people are reading my work, I’m getting paid for that work, I’m building my platform,and I’m gaining “fans” at the same time fulfills many of my goals in one fell swoop.

Additionally, I have gotten involved in a few organizations that give me some promotional advantages while also allowing me to pursue my interests or support causes in which I believe. This is why you’ll find me as director of public relations of CyberJudaism.org, for instance.

I’d like to leave you with the same information I offered on WNFiN Day #1: These efforts have helped me grow my “author” website (www.purespiritcreations.com) to 10,000 visitors per month and the related blog, called “As the Spirit Moves Me” (www.purespiritcreations.com/wordpress), to an average of 3,000 readers per month. To some these numbers may seem huge; to others they will seem small. Remember, I have only self-published a handful of booklets and many, many articles. I am not a well-known speaker.

I will admit that my “opt in” efforts have not been as good, and my mailing list has not grown tremendously over the years. That’s my next task–to get more people to actually opt in to my newsletter so my list grows.

On Facebook, my followers are not huge (over 360), but people tend to be more careful about who they “friend” on that site. On Twitter, though,  in about nine months I’ve gained over 760 “tweeple.” Every day that number increases.

Overall, I’m struck by the personal value I’ve found through my marketing efforts. Although I have bemoaned the fact that I have yet to receive the coveted traditional publishing contract, I have found my writing in ezines, newsletters and blogs all over the world. More people read my writing each day than I ever thought possible–possibly more than would read a published nonfiction book of mine unless it was on the New York Times best seller list or the next Harry Potter of nonfiction. When I think about the fact that I have yet to sell one of my book manuscripts to a traditional publisher, I remember that because of my marketing efforts I actually am reaching–and helping–an enormous number of readers. That fact, however, will likely help me reach my goal of landing a traditional publishing contract. In the meantime, I’m having some fun, finding personal value in my marketing efforts and feeling fulfilled as a writer.

No, I’m not making much money off these efforts–well, I make money off a few of them. However, if I wanted to self-publish a book or push my self-published booklets harder on my website, I could. When I want to market my teleseminars or workshops, I can. And when I do have a traditionally published book in hand, I can tell all these “friends,” “followers,” “visitors,” “readers,” and “tweeple” about it, and hopefully they will buy the book…and tell their “friends,” “followers,” “visitors,” “readers,” and “tweeple” to do the same.

In the meantime, I’m being read and listened to, and more and more people know who I am and what I do. I get feedback as well. All of this I find personally valuable. That makes my job as Nina Amir’s marketing director a bit easier to stomach. Actually, most days, the job “tastes” pretty good.

On that note, I think I’ll dig into my mashed potatoes and eat a bit of turkey before it get’s cold.

About the Author

Nina Amir is a seasoned journalist, nonfiction editor, author, consultant, and writing coach with more than 30 years of experience in the publishing field. She has edited or written for 45+ local, national and international magazines, newspapers, e-zines, and newsletters on a full-time or freelance basis. Her essays have been published in five anthologies and can be found in numerous e-zines and Internet article directories. An award-winning journalist, she also has a proven track record as a book editor; one of her client’s books was self-published and then purchased and re-released verbatim by Simon & Schuster (Fireside) and another won the 1998 Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Award (Inspirational category), received a contract from William Morrow but remained self-published and went on to sell over 115,000 copies. Another of her client’s books recently was purchased by O-Books, a fast-growing British publisher.

Nina also is an inspirational speaker, spiritual and conscious creation coach, teacher, and the regular holiday and spirituality expert on Conversations with Mrs. Claus, a weekly podcast heard in more than 90 countries and downloaded by 110,000 listeners per month (www.thefamilyyak.com). Through her writing and speaking, Amir offers human potential, personal growth and practical spiritual tools from a Jewish perspective, although her work spans religious lines and is pertinent to people of all faiths and spiritual traditions.

Additionally, Amir has written and self-published several booklets and workbooks, including :

• Using the Internet to Build Your Platform One Article at a Time, 8 Tips for Getting Publicity, Exposure and Expert Status by Providing Free Copy Online
• The Priestess Practice: 4 Steps to Creating Sacred Space and Inviting the Divine to Dwell Within It
• The Kabbalah of Conscious Creation: How to Mystically Manifesting Your Physical and Spiritual Desires
• From Empty Practice to Meaning-Full and Spirit-Full Prayers and Rituals…in Seven Simple Steps
• Navigating the Narrow Bridge: 7 Steps for Moving Forward Courageously Even When Life Seems Most Precarious

Currently Amir is writing four books; she also compiled a Jewish celebrity cookbook for which she is seeking a publisher.

To learn how to use the Internet to build your platform one article at a time, why every author needs a platform or how to enhance your expert status by posting articles online, go to:  http://www.copywrightcommunications.com/Teleseminars.html orhttp://www.copywrightcommunications.com/Products.html

Nina Amir
CopyWright Communications
cpywrtcom@aol.com

www.copywrightcommunications.com
www.purespiritcreations.com

http://www.facebook.com/people/Nina-Amir/1180528530
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/nina-amir/6/460/134
http://twitter.com/ninaamir

www.mysoncandance.wordpress.com
www.purespiritcreations.com/wordpress
http://www.examiner.com/x-7363-San-Jose-Jewish-Examiner

Help writers find the wonderful information and resources at Write Nonfiction in November all year:
Vote  WNFIN One of Writer’s Digest’s Annual 101 Best Internet Sites for Writers

Please visit www.copywrightcommunications.com and sign up for the free newsletter to receive a gift at the end of the Write Nonfiction in November challenge!

Don’t forget to sign into the WNFiN social networking and chat room and tell us what you are writing about or start a discussion.
http://writenonfictioninnovember.ning.com/

'The Red Piano' is on page 23.

Book lovers all over Australia are currently receiving a copy of the Summer Reading Guide inserted into their weekend newspaper. This year, we’re delighted to see our title The Red Piano, is in it.

The Summer Reading Guide is a bit of an institution. Produced for many years now by two of Australia’s leading independent booksellers, Melbourne’s Readings and Sydney’s Gleebooks, it is now used by quality independent booksellers across Australia, such as Brisbane’s Avid Reader. (I’ll try to get a complete list.)

Quoth the guide:

The Red Piano is a retelling of the story of Zhu Xiao-Mei, a concert pianist who was ‘reeducated’ as a child in the camps of China’s Cultural Revolution. After long days toiling in the fields and undertaking self-criticism classes, the small girl slips away to illicitly practise the piano. Music brings some humanity into her life, in a system that has none. It brings happiness and a hint of freedom. Barroux’s stark artwork highlights the poignancy of this tale of human resilience in the face of oppression. Published in association with Amnesty International. Ages 9+

For an independent publisher, there’s no better place to have your books featured this close to Christmas. You can’t buy The Red Piano on Amazon, so the best place to buy it from is an independent bookshop like the ones mentioned above (or see our Google map of  ’The Red Piano’ stockists).

Natural and ripe.   Reminds me of Eddie Izzard’s routine about the fruit bowl.  Definitely on that cusp.

Glad somethings are jokes.

So Katie Price goes back into the jungle to try and save her flagging public image, attempting to conjure up any form of positive publicity to gain acceptance in the celebrity-obsessed world she once ruled.

However, one too many bush tucker trials later, she realises this ain’t happening. So, what does the media savvy Jordan, sorry, Katie Price do? Leave the jungle, tail tucked firmly between her legs and dump her cage fighting “hunk” live on TV, and see the error of her ways? Absolutely!

With guaranteed millions of viewers, Katie made the announcement, although not the most tactful way of ending a relationship, Katie said she had a lot of time to reflect in the jungle, reflecting that in the last seven months she’s acted like a right ‘twit’ (not my first choice of words naturally). Poor, Katie eh? Or, very clever Katie…?

For her time in the jungle, Katie banked a cool, £350,000; pocket money compared to the millions she is set to earn from magazine and TV deals, not forgetting drumming up that all important public sympathy she so much loves and craves.

PR coup I hear you shout? Of course it was! Katie Price is a girl I love to hate, and although she is about as tactless as a shark in a pool, this girl knows how to play the media and keep them column inches rolling in.

When I mention social networking to my writing friends, they cringe. “It’s too time consuming,” they complain. “I don’t have time.”

It’s true. Social networking does take up time, but so does every other thing you must do as a nonfiction writer to promote yourself as a writer and your published work. And promote you must if you want it to sell your books.

Personally, I find social networking an enjoyable and effective way to build platform and promote myself and my writing. I have seen my efforts expand my readership and traffic to my websites and blogs.

As writers, we must be good book promoters and marketers. We must have a web presence. Why not try developing these things on the social networking sites? You might be surprised at what you’ll find there…not only a host of people that might enjoy “following” or “friending” you, but people you might enjoying conversing with as well. You might actually make some friends!

I use Twitter and Facebook daily and LinkedIn on almost a weekly basis. I truly enjoy Twitter and Facebook, and I have many friends in both places. I’ll even admit to “hanging out” on Twitter when I’m bored or want to procrastinate, because it’s interesting, fun and useful all at the same time.

However, don’t take my word for it. Take the word of Dana Lynn Smith, a book marketing coach with a degree in marketing and 15 years of publishing experience who is the author of several books about social networking for writers, including The Facebook Guide for Authors and The Twitter Guide for Authors. I had been looking for someone to write a WNFiN post that would convince nonfiction writers to take on social networking as part of their promotional plans when I discovered Dana. I’m just thrilled that she accepted my invitation to be a guest blogger this year, and I hope you will not only find her advice useful but heed it as well.  (By the way, you can find me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/NinaAmir, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/people/Nina-Amir/1180528530 and on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/pub/nina-amir/6/460/134.)

Why Social Networking is a Must for Authors
by Dana Lynn Smith

Over the past couple of years, social networking has become an increasingly essential online book marketing strategy—one that you can’t afford to overlook.

Reaching potential book buyers is the most obvious benefit of social networking, but not necessarily the most important one. For many nonfiction authors, developing relationships with peers and influencers is equally important. These contacts can review your book, recommend you to others, participate in your book launch, and publish your articles in their blog or ezine. They also are potential joint-venture partners.

Social networking is ideal for generating word-of-mouth marketing, where your message gets passed along by others. For example, when people enjoy a book, article, blog, or video, they often recommend it to others online. This type of user endorsement is more effective than traditional marketing.

Here are some other benefits of social networking:

• Building author platforms, expert status and brand recognition
• Driving traffic to websites and blogs
• Subtly promoting books, products and services
• Learning from others in your field and finding material for your books
• Increasing your opt-in subscriber list
• Getting speaking engagements or consulting customers
• Improving search engine optimization and search results ranking through back links from social sites.

Which social networks are most important for nonfiction authors? My top choices are Twitter and Facebook, used together. I also recommend the professional network LinkedIn.

Other sites may also be useful, depending on your target audience. For example, if you’re writing for young adults, MySpace would be a good choice. If your target audience is boomers, check out Eons. Search Ning.com, and Google for networks that serve specific niche audiences.

Also consider the virtual reader communities that aim to bring together authors and readers. GoodReads is the largest, but there are many others. See who has reviewed books similar to yours (or books appealing to a similar audience) and send friend requests to those folks.

Here are a few tips for getting the most from social networking:

• Be selective about which networks you join and who you invite as a friend. Only invite people who appear to share common interests with you.
• Send personalized friend requests, introducing yourself and stating why you want to befriend the other person.
• Get involved in the community. Add value by helping others, answering questions and sharing resources and knowledge. Don’t forget to share a bit of personal information about yourself.
• Be careful not to appear too promotional. It’s okay to promote your products and services on occasion, but don’t make that your main focus. Sending out an announcement of your book launch is fine; sending frequent promotional messages about your book is not.

While social networking is a terrific business tool, it’s also great fun to meet people all over the world who share your interests. If you haven’t already jumped onboard, get started today!

About the Author

Dana Lynn Smith is a book marketing coach with a degree in marketing and 15 years of publishing experience. She develops marketing plans for nonfiction books and is the author of several books including Facebook Guide for Authors and Twitter Guide for Authors. Her Book Marketing Maven blog is packed with marketing tips, and you’ll get a copy of her Top Book Marketing Tips ebook when you sign up for her free ezine at www.TheSavvyBookMarketer.com.

Dana also now offers “Boost Your Book Sales with Social Networking,” a 90-minute audio that teaches authors how to use Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to promote themselves and their books. Sign up here: http://bookmarketingmaven.typepad.com/savvy_book_marketer/boost.html

Follow Dana on Twitter at http://twitter.com/BookMarketer
Friend Dana on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DanaLynnSmith
Connect with Dana on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/in/danalynnsmith

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When the New York Times announced yesterday that they had to eliminate 100 newsroom jobs in a mere 2 1/2 months, it was a chilling arrow shot across both the media and PR professions.

Job loss of any kind is miserable and debilitating. When you sit back and think about 100 reporters and editors losing their jobs, it’s an incredibly large number of people who will take buyouts or be shown the door. If you are a regular reader of the Times’ excellent reporting, than imagine what a gaping hole in coverage will be made when that many people are gone by the end of the year.

As a public relations professional, I’m encountering the kind of sea change that reminds me of when local and national TV networks began trimming their staffs in the late 80’s. Because of manpower shortage, publicists were forced to become amateur TV producers, organizing segments and providing props if they wanted their segments to air, a trend that is still in force today.

For print and the web nowadays, my role has expanded unconventionally as well. For a research client, I have to provide more analysis to accompany the data than ever before because there are not enough reporters to do the job. I’m encountering more editors who are singlehandedly balancing print and web editorial duties. The AP’s Houston bureau chief told me she had only three reporters there, so unless there was something earth shattering, she could not afford to take somebody off business, political and sports coverage.

Clearly, there are going to be many stories and beats that are going to fall between the cracks and left behind. From a reader’s perspective, we’re not getting a complete picture of what’s going on in the world. From a public relations perspective, our windows of opportunities are smashed and shrinking.

Social media has forced us to become our own wire services. We are our own distributors. With a lot of moxie and persuasion, we have to use Twitter, blogs, Facebook, StumbleUpon and other vehicles to carry our message and news. It looks increasingly like it’s going to be a “change or die” scenario ahead.

Yet, there are still many public relations pro’s — more than you would think — who don’t know their Facebook from their checkbook. Many sign up, make a few friends, and leave it lying. I’ve run across a lot of professionals who have less than 10 connections in LinkedIn, and I know they are not that unpopular. One unemployed publicist I know is so clueless online, that her friend e-mails her Monster, PRSA and PR Week job ads daily because she has no idea how to have them sent automatically to her. Business Wire’s “Lost in MySpace” beginner seminars for learning social media always packed them in.

So when you read about journalists, editors and bloggers being let go, no matter where they are, those big bells should be ringing like the opening of the AC/DC song from Back In Black. It’s a wake up call that the game is changing.

With a struggling economy, journalists and editors pink slipped more often than baseball managers, and editorial staffs cut to the bone, it takes some kind of cajones to have a press conference these days.

Press conferences are one of public relations’ great gambles. It’s like throwing a party, sending out a lot of invites, and then praying somebody shows up after you’ve invested in decor, food and time.

What does it take to pry a reporter away from their desk, especially when they are probably stretched thinner than ever?

Clearly if you are Microsoft, Apple, Google, Yahoo or the President of the United States, you can pretty much count on everybody showing up, even if it was held on an ice floe in the Arctic.

Not long ago, I had lunch with the head of marketing of a Colorado-based digital start-up who was so smitten by his company’s product that he proclaimed that it deserved a press conference. Delicately, I asked him what if nobody turned up because they were, uh, so busy? He stopped for a moment — he had not thought about that — and then replied that there’s no reason nobody would come to a product that was so cool.

However, if anybody get an award for pulling a rabbit out of their press conference hat, it has to be CNN.com. Last week, on the same day Steve Ballmer was unveiling Windows 7, they held a snazzy soiree at the Time Warner Center to demonstrate… drum roll, please… the redesign of their web site with a new opinion section, and more photography and video.

Did that rock your world like, let’s say, the introduction of the new Motorola Droid or the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concerts at Madison Square Garden? Didn’t think so. Redesigns happen about as often as Metro North trains leave Grand Central Station.

But somebody at CNN.com felt it was worth a live press conference. And not just any press conference, but from what I hear, a lavish one with booze and food. So with that kind of lure, it was no surprise that many members of the third estate showed up. One of them said that CNN.com threw two parties to celebrate the occasion (perhaps to grab the media’s attention off the fact that the parent network fell into last place against other news cablers).

Another reporter said they didn’t think it was a press conference at all, but “more akin to an internal presentation” that was streamed live to employees, advertisers and the press.

Afterwards, about 25 stories were posted according to Google News. Whether this was the press coverage return on investment CNN.com was looking for after spending some serious party coin, I don’t think they’ll admit it, versus being a company-wide morale booster.

“Between you and me — it was strange,” one reporter e-mailed me, who didn’t post a story about it. “CNN even booked an outside PR firm for help with it.”

Free food and booze have almost always the surefire aphrodisiacs to get coverage of any event. Despite the depleting of journalist ranks, they still seem to do the trick — if you can afford the bill.

Publicists have to be social media mavens, but they are finding out, along with the rest of the world, that “old school” bad PR habits get them hung out to dry on Twitter and blogs. They can’t get away with it anymore.

Just a week ago, PaidContent.org founder Rafat Ali declared war on “Vocus PR and its scummy PR practices,” even suggesting people look up “Vocus spam” on Google — he wasn’t kidding about the results.

Brandweek editor Todd Wasserman tweeted: “FYI to pr folk: If I get a call asking if I received so and so, I always say yes just to rush the person off the phone.”

I know first-hand why journalists feel this way because I get my occasional spam from PR firms. I’m only a mild case compared to the avalanche other lucky PR bloggers find in their in-boxes.

Not only are ignorant publicists baiting professional journalists to roast them publicly for their sins, but they are begging to get it from their own kind too.

This is my definition of spam: impersonal e-mail blasts that contain completely irrelevant information.

Yet, as you’ll see, there are publicists who think this practice is perfectly acceptable.

PR spam originated from two technological advances: the ability to form groups in e-mail software, and companies like Cision and Vocus which can easily compile media e-mail addresses and export them in Excel format. Even a third grader can cut and paste an Excel list column into Outlook and let it rip by pressing Send.

However, bloggers and reporters have made it no secret over and over again that they can’t stand PR spam-filled e-mail boxes. What makes publicists think other publicists don’t feel the same way?

I have a simple method of handling PR spam. It’s probably far more time consuming than anybody else would do, but I feel I have to make an educational point and it’s far less messy than hiring “Johnny Knuckles” from Bayonne.

1) I reply to the sender politely: “Why did you send this release to me?”

Almost all of the time, they reply with a rousing explanation about the press release’s importance.

2) I then ask them if they’ve ever read my blog.

Most of the time, that results in silence.

3) If I am feeling a little more ambitious, I’ll actually look up the firm and drop a line to whoever is in charge, asking them if they knew their staff was sending out spam, that this is why reporters despise many publicists, and shouldn’t they be enforcing proper media relations instead of shotgun missives? I ask them if it’s OK if I blog about it.

Almost unanimously, they shoot back apologies, agree with me, and beg to not be mentioned in my blog. One even called me.

I figured it would be a noble ideal if I let a supervisor know that this is a surefire way to be ostracized, there may be a little less PR spamming in the world. Touching, but true.

Last week, I had a typical PR spam from a JAG Entertainment account executive, who sent out an e-mail blast addressed to “Hey!” and plugged her boss’ new Chicken Soup for the Soul book with an attached press release. When I asked why she sent me the press release, she took a different, more direct route: she said she found me on a list of PR bloggers on Cision. Of course, when I asked if she’d ever read my blog, no reply was forthcoming.

When I e-mailed her boss Jo-Ann Geffen about receiving the spam and why this hurts our image in the eyes of the press, she shot back: I hardly consider this spam. [Name of account executive] is extremely capable and there are hundreds of thousands of blogs. It is unlikely that ANYONE could read all of them. Perhaps you should notify Cision to take you off their lists.

Unfortunately, it’s not Cision’s fault that I am on their list. I do believe it is the fault of lazy supervisors and executives who find sending out e-mail blasts easy but teaching and enforcing the basics of media relations hard.

Do you pitch TV and radio shows blindly without knowing a thing about them? That’s a PR 101 concept that still stands today — watch the show so you know what it’s about before you pitch them. Same thing with blogs and every other form of media.

My fellow PR bloggers have their own thoughts about handling our own profession’s saboteurs:

The Flack’s Peter Himler: I usually ignore them, but if the pitch is so annoying I’d write them back and ask “why would I ever report this? Do you read my blog? Next time do your homework. In rare cases, I’d post or tweet about it. I might include the offending publicist’s client or place of work.

PR Squared’s Todd Defren: I ignore ‘em. They make me sad. I used to reply but the volume of nonsensical inquiries became too much to do anything but ignore.

PR 2.0’s Brian Solis: I’m deluged with horrible pitches by PR professionals who contribute to the stereotype. I delete them, I suppose until I finally get pushed over the edge. However, please do note, that I proactively write about how to do PR better as a positive means of teaching these individuals how to do their job better…I don’t see them reading the posts however.

Through Twitter we discovered Cafe Handmade which is an interesting website featuring various crafty people and links to their blogs/shops and how to follow them. Alex checked out this website and decided to sign up to it because they were offering a special rate. So The Bothered Owl is now a part of the virtual craft show and you can see our space on the virtual aisle by visiting The Bothered Owl

Some more exciting Craft market news will follow shortly.

By nature, I’m one of those ‘glass half full’ blokes. Optimistic.

I always think I’m going to get a parking spot. And I do. I’m usually blessed with luck.

But then Random House gave me Karen Reid, the company uber publicist, to travel with to promote my book!

Just joking. Karen’s great. Well, as much as a super-efficient, hard-working, take-no-prisoners, slave-driver can be. There’s been barely a moment to breathe ­ – between endless radio, TV and newspaper interviews, countless Facebook entries with photographs, Twitter tweets about where people can find me, book signings in every bookshop in the Southern Hemisphere, standing on highways holding a placard about where drivers can buy the book, and flying skywriting planes across the landscape. Well, almost.

Now comes the blog. There’s simply no limit to this woman’s ingenuity, single-minded devotion and drive for book sales. Mind you, it does seem to be working.

But, at what expense, I ask?

There’s been no time for simple meals, let alone nice restaurants. Just the ABC canteens – not that there’s anything wrong with them. (The ladies behind the counter have all been wonderful and understanding as they serve us. We now know them by their first names, not to mention their star signs.) It’s just that salad sandwiches day after day, meal after meal, get a trifle monotonous. And at the literary lunches and dinners I never actually get to eat because I’m talking and answering questions. (But my Aunt Karen is partial to dessert and donuts with pink icing, I can reveal.)

Not that I’m whingeing, mind you. It’s not such a bad thing for the waistline.

The very good news is people are turning out in their droves to book signings, shopping centres, and to our events.

Anyway, this is the first of many blogs on Travels with My Favourite Aunt. Tomorrow I’ll report on what people are saying about the book, and whether it’s more men or women lining up. But right now I have to rush off to the local Krispy Kreme…

Editor’s Note: “Underground Nashville” covers artists, authors, musicians, poets, political figures, and other compelling people and happenings not typically covered by the mainstream Nashville media. It also presents reflections and commentary from an underground/indie perspective. As I told ‘The Tennessean’ in 2008, “since moving to Nashville twenty-five years ago, I have met people whose lives do not remotely reflect the caricature of what many outside our city presume to be a Nashvillian” or the Nashville experience. “Underground Nashville” thus explores the soul of the city, not its surface—offering “thoughts from the shadows of a great American city.”

Dave Carew

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As we head into Thanksgiving week, please do not forget those less fortunate than you. The Nashville Rescue Mission just released a statement declaring “about 5,000 people will find their way here on Thanksgiving Day alone.” To make sure they receive love, friendship, and a comforting meal, please call (615) 255-2475 or visit Nashvillerescuemission.org.  Thank you.

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The “Grow Your Following” Series
for Singer/Songwriters and Bands

Part 1:  Getting the Media to Cover You

by Dave Carew

Let’s face it: If you’re an “indie novelist” like me—or an indie singer-songwriter like you or one of your friends—it’s not easy getting the media to cover you.

But here’s the deal: When my latest novel was published, I received positive media coverage in The Tennessean, The City Paper, The Vanderbilt Hustler, and Dish.com.

So how did I do it? More important: How can YOU?

Let me share a few publicity secrets I’ve learned over the years. First, don’t overlook what I call the “gimme’s.” This is the publicity you get when you’re automatically listed in the “club listings” of your local newspaper. Determine the e-mail address for submitting club listings (it’s often something self-evident, such as “listings@tennessean.com.”)  And make sure you e-mail a JPEG photo (at least 350 dots per inch) of yourself/ your band. You’ll “pop” in the club listings a lot more if your photo is there, next to your listing.

Next, move on to the next level of PR. Get the specific name, e-mail address, and phone number of every journalist in a given city who covers music. Then, at least 10 days before your gig, e-mail each journalist the essential information about your upcoming gig, starting with the “who, what, where,” but also sending interesting information about yourself or your band. In that information, try to quickly address the question” “What is unique about me or my band? Why would a music journalist and his or her readership find me/us interesting?”

Then, two days later, call each journalist, introduce yourself and say you’re briefly following up on the information you sent him or her. Specifically ask if he or she might like to write an article about you, in conjunction with your/your band’s upcoming performance. If the journalist says “no” this time, don’t give up. Implement the same PR strategy around your NEXT gig in your city, or when you travel to other cities.

The truth is, no one can predict how much publicity you’ll land thanks to any given PR effort. But using the strategy described above, I’ve helped artists land publicity in every single newspaper in Nashville, plus many others throughout the Southeast. Keep trying, and this activity will secure publicity for YOU, too.

David M. (Dave) Carew is editor of “Underground Nashville” and the author of the novels “Everything Means Nothing to Me: A Novel of Underground Nashville” and “Voice from the Gutter.” He also is a freelance publicist and copywriter.

I’ve never known a writer who wasn’t starving for something. Some want more time, some need ideas, most desire a champion to fight for them, and in this time of shifting publishing industry paradigm, all of them need to promote. The problem is, first-time authors just don’t have the money to do it right. Enter – the internet and every crazy “free” or “no charge” scam imaginable. It’s just the tip of the iceberg and very little of it is designed for long term results. Many are design to feed our egos, and most take advantage of ignorance about the publicity, marketing or promotions process. Always remember what your mom said, “You get what you pay for”. 

Today I’d like to explore a few specific tags authors on a tight budget seem to hone in on. Free, Cheap, Inexpensive, Reasonable, and Value/Value Added. 

FREE 

This is easily the most powerful word in the English language, maybe even more effective than “Fire!” Free falls into the bin with Easy, Stress Free and Child’s Play. Come now, you’re a writer. Has anything in this process been easy, stress free or child’s play? What makes you think promoting your book will go any smoother than writing it? Free is where the phrase Bait and Switch comes in to play. Let’s take an example: press release services. 

You’ve just written a sterling press release announcing the release of your book (or where you’ll be doing a book event, or when you’ll be interviewed on a radio show). Now you need to create a list for where to send it. But it’s more complicated than that, you must specify who will receive it at each target media. There are options here. You could painstakingly create a killer media press release list of your own by doing research and compiling everything yourself. Oh, that may be free but is sure isn’t easy. Or, you can seek out an already developed list, so you troll the web and low and behold, you find not one but several Press Release List services that boast the word FREE! You’re in like Flint, right? Wrong. Take a closer look. 

Yes, for free you will have your press release go out, but you won’t know to whom, nor can you specify an industry or subject in which the release should be categorized. You need two days lag time for the company to screen your press release and deem it inoffensive before it’s actually sent out. Seems reasonable, in fact, even paid press release email services take the time to look over your submission. Here’s the catch. For Free, you don’t get to add any attachments (i.e. your book cover or photo), you don’t know where the release is going, you don’t know if it was ever received so you have no idea how or with whom you should follow up, AND, you don’t even have proof it went out. 

I’m not condemning free press release email services. I’m only pointing out that such services make it extremely difficult to gauge the success of your press releases. 

If you go back to the main page of that press release mailing service site, you will see a chart. THE chart. The one that shows you what you get if you pay for it. Online email press release services range from free to hundreds of dollars per release. The super expensive services are not a scam; they include AP wire service, international targets and client specification down to the smallest detail. Those are the services that provide reports that gauge success. 

Nothing is free, at least nothing that works. Sorry. 

CHEAP 

Okay, time to look at Cheap. You need to self promote, there are no two ways about it. Without tooting your own horn, you will be lost in the tall weeds. Cheap directions can include a few free things, but in this category, everything requires your careful watchful eye and diligence. Websites can be created cheaply, but they don’t need to look cheap, so it may be beneficial to get some help in that area. If money is too tight, think about trading services instead of cash. For example, a friend who builds beautiful websites may occasionally need a writer to pen the blurbs for his/her clients. 

Blogging is cheap. Well, in most cases it’s free, but your time isn’t, so budget your time carefully to assure that your blog is updated and promoted regularly. Same with Twitter, FaceBook and all the other online exposure venues you are using. Saying you’re on Twitter and actually tweeting regularly are two different things. I have to laugh when clients tell me Twitter does nothing for them. A little exploration explains how they’ve done nothing to make Twitter a viable tool. Things like having a website, a blog and social marketing are the life blood of making yourself and your book known. Yes they’re cheap, but they can really score big if handled correctly. It’s a strategic investment of time and energy. 

INEXPENSIVE 

It’s a relative concept and depends on how empty your pockets really are. The best way to seek and utilize the illusive inexpensive strategies is to create them. Think outside the box. Maybe you can’t get on Oprah but why aren’t you trying to get on your local public television shows? Maybe speaking at the biggest bookstore chain isn’t possible due to scheduling, but look around, aren’t there fifteen small independent book stores and libraries nearby? Maybe you can’t purchase a quarter-page ad in the newspaper, but printing out flyers and posting them at your local market, beauty salon, your pet’s vet, your dentist’s office or any business related to your book subject just may be extremely effective. 

The difference between expensive and inexpensive is elbow grease. Trust me, you can work around anything and get astounding results if you just think creatively and work it to the bone. Lots of small efforts lead to big exposure that just may put you on the map sooner than you think. 

REASONABLE 

What’s reasonable for you? It depends on your goals. If you’ve self published, printed only a thousand books and have put no efforts in creating your platform, it’s highly unlikely you’ll be a New York Times best selling author by Christmas. Finding reasonable solutions to building success often takes an author back to the original question: Why did they want to write a book in the first place? Make a pot of coffee, grab a note pad, refresh the answer to that question and start getting reasonable. 

Writing is a career, not a pastime, not a fun thing we like to do … it’s a business. If you opened a corner coffee shop (self published), you’d be taking on an inventory based business with built-in competition. You’d do whatever you had to do to bring people off the sidewalk and into your doors. You’d create specials and maybe buy 5 get the 6 cup ‘o coffee free cards. You know why you’d work this hard? Simple. You’d do it because your failure would be painfully obvious when the “Out of Business” sign goes up in the window. When you’re on your own, it’s tougher. 

Now, let’s imagine that instead of being independent, you buy a Starbuck’s franchise (traditionally published). You’ve got guidelines, you’ve got training, specific products, national advertising and an already established following. Cool huh? But guess what, you still have to be there to open the doors, hire the employees, stock the shelves, make acceptable vanilla lattes and meet expectations. You have a lot of help but failure is still a looming possibility. 

Everyone has to work at it, and in the case of authors, reasonable is all about knowing your limitations and needs. It’s about understanding the professionals you need, choosing them carefully and working with them to get the success you want. Whether you opened an indi coffee shop or a shiny new Starbucks, you still have the same goals. Good professionals know how to help you reach them. Don’t randomly hire marketing experts, publicists, advertising agencies or even personal assistants. Make sure the relationship is reasonable for you, your wallet and your target goals. 

Oh, and just like owning that coffee shop, with hiring comes possible dismissal. Know how to say, “enough, it’s not working” and move on.

VALUE/VALUE ADDED

Promotional Marketing is about glitz and glamour, it’s about loud bongs and flashy lights and gaining awareness that results in sales. 

The problem is, as the creator of the product, we tend to get mesmerized by all that sparkle. Like a dog that suddenly stops mid-stride because he noticed a squirrel, we have a habit of falling head over heels in love with the ego-feeding super promotions. 

Please note, that doesn’t mean that those particular promotions are bad or ineffective or even ill advised. They may be perfect for your book, but the author’s responsibility is to stop drooling, take a deeper look and decide intelligently. Explore the value of the promotion … and seek out the added value, because therein lies the power. 

For example, who doesn’t get excited about things like book videos, high profile ads, audio books voiced by famous actors, a possible movie deal or international interest for translated publication of their book? It’s so heart-pounding it makes the head spin. There are three things you must think about before you swoon with visions of expectant riches. 

1)      Cool as it may be, does the promotion really serve to reach your reader target? Many promos blast off about reaching a million viewers, but honestly, if you’ve written a dark literary novel about the history of the Druids, and a large portion of the viewers boasted happen to be YA readers who prefer sparkly vampires, this may not be the promotion for you. How will you know if you don’t demand proof of the demographic receiving the promo info? And oh hell yes, you certainly can demand, after all, you are paying for this, right?

2)      Is it necessary? Really, it makes perfect sense to do an audio book version of your amazing Druid novel … but is it really necessary to get Russell Crowe to do the recorded read? Isn’t it the story that’s important? Wouldn’t an unknown with the perfect voice do just as well and cost … oh … less than your mortgage and/or first born male child?

3)      Where’s the added value? Some of these services have taken things several steps further to help assure success for not only their product, but their client’s promotion. For example, never, ever even consider having a book video produced unless the company offers a strong marketing package to make it all work. Yes, it’ll cost a bit more, but what good is having a cool book video if no one sees it? Ask for the added value packages, look them over carefully and choose the one most likely to create the success you want. 

So, there you go, the difference between Free, Cheap, Inexpensive, Reasonable and Value/Value Added. Any questions or comments? I’d love to hear your input.

http://www.abcactionnews.com/news/local/story/Pit-bulls-special-brand-of-therapy-in-demand/Tlm5P3ROjkOyBJvuRzzIaw.cspx

Pit bull’s special brand of therapy in demand

Reported by: Sarah Zak
Email: szak@wfts.com
Last Update: 11/23 1:37 pm

TAMPA, FL — A group of seniors is about to get an unusual brand of therapy. They won’t have to go anywhere and the experience won’t cost them a dime, but the rewards are priceless.

Today, Jasmine the pit bull will visit residents at the Fountains Assisted Living Facility in Tampa. Pit bulls often get a bad reputation for being aggressive but Jasmine is a Certified Animal Assistance Therapy Pet. She’s also a Pit Bull Ambassador for the Hillsborough County Animal Shelter.

Jasmine has passed several tests to ensure she’s safe and sure to bring a smile to anyone she visits.

That was certainly the case earlier this month when Jasmine visited the Emeritus at Carrollwood.

Once upon a time I had a webmaster who did everything for me. Then I had another webmaster. At first she did everything for me, but then she encouraged me to be my own webmaster…unless I needed help. Now, I have control over my own websites  as well as over my own blogs. (I have two websites and three blogs.)

Once upon a time I thought I was too stupid to do anything on the Internet. I was afraid to manage my own website or blog. I found doing anything on the Internet daunting. So, I let other people do my work for my online. Now I spend a good deal of every day promoting myself on the Internet via my blogs, websites, social networking, article marketing, etc. And, because I have been willing to take on the job of  ”Internet marketer and promoter,” even though I’d really like to just be writing my books, I’ve driven a tremendous amount of traffic to my websites and to my blogs. In fact, I’ve built a platform, and I might have more readers online than I could ever drum up for a book.

And, guess what? I kind of enjoy my time working online. I love blogging—and the fact that the more I blog the more readers I have. I enjoy social networking. I don’t mind writing articles and posting them to directories. I even kind of like working on my websites, which is easier than trying to explain to someone else what I want done.

To whom do I owe this knowledge, experience and revelation? To Linda Lee, my sometimes webmaster, always friend and an expert at helping writers develop a web presence and take control of their online life.  The founder and owner of AskMePc-WebDesign and SmartWomenStupidComputers, Linda Lee is a writer, speaker, educator, and website designer. Today, she offers a WNFiN post filled with great information to take the fear out of any writer who knows in their heart they must take the leap and create an online presence via a website or blog…no matter how much they don’t want to do so or fear doing so.

All nonfiction writers absolutely must have online presences today, and this presence becomes a necessity before their books hit the bookstore shelves not afterwards. So, read Linda’s advice and take action before November ends. If stating a blog or website ends up being the only WNFiN project you take on this month, so be it. Even if you don’t finish it by month’s end, you’ll at least have gotten started. (Just be sure you finish…)

Promoting Yourself Online for Writers:
How to Get Started Without Losing Your Mind
By Linda Lee

Writers often hate the promotion part of their job. Even non-writers can understand this emotion. Unless you have a “sales” personality, promoting yourself can be awkward and difficult.

Writers must face this fact that in today’s publishing world, no matter what kind of writing you do, you will need a website at some point to promote yourself on the Internet. This allows people to find you and your work.  Having a website also represents part of building your platform. Agents, publishers and your own readers expect to find you online. Gone are the days when you could say, “I don’t go online or use the Internet.” It is best to embrace this reality now, and get started as soon as possible.

Alleviate Your Fears of Working Online

Beginning your online promotion can be a creative and fun endeavor.  Even if you are a technophobe, you can do this. I have helped hundreds of people who had no computer skills or knowledge at all—and many writers as well—start a website or blog. They now enjoy the perks of having a web presence and are proud of themselves for pushing through their fear of getting started online.

Getting started consists of several components that ultimately create an online presence for you as a writer. Developing this is not as hard it may appear to you. People have lots of fear around working online. Almost daily I hear people say, “I am so stupid with computers,” “I don’t know anything,” and “I am a technophobe.”

You can alleviate these fears, however. When you work on the computer, no matter your current skills level, do the following:

1. Realize that you can do it. (Please, do not tell yourself you are stupid; you aren’t.)
2. Take it one task, one item, at a time.
3. Take a break when you feel frustrated.
4. Google for help. (I find answers to almost every question I encounter while working online simply by searching for it on Google.)
5. Stay focused on what you are trying to accomplish.
6. Do not compare yourself to others online. (You will reach their level of expertise.)

Stay Focused on What you Want to Accomplish Online

During the last 10 years of working online, the most important lesson I have learned is to stay focused on what you want to achieve. When you work online, literally millions of things clamor for your attention. Suddenly you begin to notice numerous internet marketing ideas, “get rich online” schemes and this tool and that tool. Then your friends start telling you about things you simply must do, like Twitter and  Facebook, and tons of things you may of never even have heard of! Everyone will tell you that they know best, and that you must try this or that. Before you know it, you will feel overwhelmed and frozen by your fear and confusion.

Right now, find an index card or a note card and write this down:

What am I trying to accomplish online?
Is what I am doing right now getting me closer to that goal?

When your head starts to spin with information overload, take out this car, close your eyes, take a deep cleansing breath, and read it. Then answer the questions honestly. This will help you stay focused and prevent you from getting distracted from your primary purpose.

I also suggest that you do not start buying internet marketing products until you have at least gotten a website or a blog up and have spent some time developing content.

No matter what your goals, focus always constitutes the first thing you have to learn. Staying focused on the basics allows you to get a little experience before you invest in Internet marketing products that have an entirely different learning curve and can be complex and a distraction from your purpose.

What You Need to Create a Website or Blog

As I said, to promote yourself as a writer, you need a website or a blog. Here are the basics you need to get started online:

1. You need a domain name.

You can buy a domain name from a variety of places.
The pricing varies from 6.95-14.95 a year.
Places that offer a very cheap price initially for a domain name will charge you full price upon annual renewal.

2. You need to select a hosting company.

This is where your website will live, or be “hosted.”
Be sure to look for a company with telephone support and a control panel, so you can login and work on your website yourself.

3. You need a website or a blog.

Once you have gotten your domain name, selected your hosting company and set it up, you are ready to create your website or blog. Both blogs and websites are websites. Blogging started out as more of a journaling tool, and the name blog comes from “web log.” An exciting medium has evolved out of this initial tool. WordPress, which has become the major blogging platform, now is more powerful then most websites in what it can do for you as a website.

WordPress functions as what is called a “content management system.” What this means is that you, as the user, have control over your website. You can login and add articles, or “posts” and “pages,” images, videos, and audio on your own without the need to pay a webmaster.

I encourage many of my clients to select what I call a “blog website” vs. the traditional straight website.

4. Get Started Right Now With a Free Blog

You can sign up for a free blog at WordPress.com or Blogger.com. I recommend WordPress.com, since they are the number one content management system out there. Plus, if you learn the system in their free version and later decide to host your own site, you will be able to transfer your work over to you own self-hosted blog and domain with ease.

Many of my clients ask me to explain the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org. WordPress.com hosts your blog, and they run the entire site, which is full of blogs. You are in control of the content, but your site “lives” with them. This is fine when starting out and if you want to get used to blogging for free. WordPress.com has its own communities you can join. They get great results in the search engines. If you are on a budget or want a great place to learn, I think this offers a perfect choice. You can’t beat the price!

WordPress.org is for people who are self hosting their own blogs. This is a support community with people who use self-hosted blogs helping each other.

5. Maintain a Traditional Website and Add a Blog

Many of my clients already have a website, and they want to add a blog. This allows you to maintain your website with your webmaster, and you can update pages on your blog yourself. Blogs get lots of “search engine love,” because they are fresher and updated more frequently. If you add a blog to an existing website, you will see your traffic increase almost immediately.

The Writers’ Advantage Online

Remember every journey begins with one step. Did I mention that working online can be a lot of fun too? As writers you already have a huge advantage over most people, since you already know how to write.

There is a saying online: “Content is King.” No matter what your site looks like, in the end it what you have written that brings in the readers. Just think of this as another opportunity to showcase your writing and attract new readership and attention,  and you will be building your platform online in the process.

About the Author

Linda Lee is the founder and owner of AskMePc-WebDesign and SmartWomenStupidComputers. She is a writer, speaker, educator, and website designer. She is currently working on her book Smart Women, Stupid Computers, A Savvy Guide to Getting Started Online. Available for consulting and coaching, she helps people launch blogs and websites and trains then in how to get traffic to their sites and to maximize their website presence with the use of blogging and search engine optimization of their websites. Linda is passionate about empowering people to take charge of their computer, showing clients with laughter and enthusiasm that they can make it work for them.

http://www.askmepc-webdesign.com
510-582-2837

Help writers find the wonderful information and resources at Write Nonfiction in November all year:
Vote  WNFIN One of Writer’s Digest’s Annual 101 Best Internet Sites for Writers

Please visit www.copywrightcommunications.com and sign up for the free newsletter to receive a gift at the end of the Write Nonfiction in November challenge!

Don’t forget to sign into the WNFiN social networking and chat room and tell us what you are writing about or start a discussion.
http://writenonfictioninnovember.ning.com/

Slipdown Mountain Publications LLC author Lisa A. Shiel completes her month-long virtual book tour for her new book The Evolution Conspiracy, Vol I: Exposing Life’s Inexplicable Origins & The Cult of Darwin this week. Here’s the schedule:

Monday, 23 Nov — Spunk on a Stick’s Tips (guest post)

Monday, 23 Nov — The Exminer (interview)

Tuesday, 24 Nov — The Hot Author Report

Wednesday, 25 Nov — The Hot Author Report (interview)

Wednesday, 25 Nov — Marta’s Meanderings (review and excerpt)

Friday, 27 Nov — The Hot Author Report (5 things you didn’t know)

Friday, 27 Nov — Reader Views (review)

Drop in at one of Lisa’s stops this week and start a discussion. Lisa will reply to all comments and questions.

The book is currently available online in print at Amazon and Barnes & Noble (and most other outlets), as a PDF on Scribd, and in the Kindle bookstore (and, of course, iTunes for the Kindle app).

Remember that you can now read Kindle books using the free Kindle for PC desktop application even if you don’t own a Kindle! You can find out more by reading my blog post about it.

Press Kits are a key component to any marketing campaign.

The #5 MUST-HAVE piece of marketing collateral every business should have is the trusty press kit. A press kit puts forth the essential information about your business or product in an easy to understand and informative marketing package designed to get you attention. Press Kits (or media kit as some people will call them) are made up of a variety of promotional materials for the media and its representatives. They can also be used for your prospective clients, vendors and investors. In sum, a good press kit is your company’s calling card.

The great thing about Press Kits is that they can be as simple or elaborate as you like depending on the budget, so long as they meet one, specific criteria: it must make a good first impression. The most important element is the information inside the packet, but with some clever packaging and appearance, it can give you a real leg up in some markets. The task of putting together a press kit can be very intimidating for some people. Today, however, we’ll run over some of those basic components and why they’re important to include.

1.)   A letter of introduction – This should describe your company and your product. At base, it should provide a quick and compelling portrait of you and your company while making the case that it’s important that the recipient seek out additional informational material.

2.)   Corporate history – When writing a story, journalists need as much information as possible. Give them the information you know they will need in order to write a story on you. A corporate history is a great place to start, as it can be a very simple reference piece. What awards has your company won? Who started it? What’s your mission? Goals and objectives? All these things can be learned from a company history.

3.)   Single Sheets – Single sheets can be any combination of a variety of individual documents that the reader can look at to give them more information about your company. This can include a press release, up-to-date and attractive looking company collateral, brochures, fact sheets, annual reports, etc. You may also want to include a schedule of any upcoming promotions and events where your products may be on sale.

4.)   Press coverage – The most powerful pieces of persuasive literature on your company never come from the companies themselves, but rather by what other people write about you. Good, bad or indifferent, other people’s perceptions of you can easily form other people’s perceptions. If you have received any positive press, it should be an absolute, must-have for your kit.

5.)   Photos and images – If you have company logo-art, include it. If you have pictures of the products you’re looking to sell, include those too! Most important, include pictures of the people whom you want the press to recognize. It can be a huge help, especially if the press kit has been distributed at a big event.

Make sure that you present your material in an orderly fashion. You’ll want an attractive, well-organized bundle of facts that will make your reader will want to flip through. I’m sure you’ll have other ideas for the kit, but be sure that if you incorporate them, you do so in a logical flow that doesn’t overwhelm the key components we’ve discussed here today. If you keep these essential, core components in your press kit, you will have put together an easy-to-update press kit that will be attractive to potential customers as well as help better position your organization as an industry leader.  Good luck!

I just noticed my traffic jump drastically this morning, and noticed The Consumerist picked up my story. Thanks Ben Popken.

The Ellingsworth Family, photo by Ross William Hamilton for The Oregonian, 11/22/09

This year, one of the families involved in The Next Door’s Families First program, was chosen as part of The Oregonian’s “Season of Sharing Wishbook.” 

This is a wonderful opportunity for the family, who will receive donations from generous readers of the newspaper.   Last year, readers contributed $373,420.69, which was more than enough to fulfill all of the “wishes” people and agencies asked for. 

Families First Program Director, Karen Enns, and Home Visitor, Elisa Cartwright, wrote a very compelling proposal about the family.  It is the family itself, however, that really shines forth–for their courage, love and faith.  Is it any surprise that the newspaper chose to help them?  I don’t think so.

The Next Door and Families First are not mentioned in the article.  Healthy Start of the Columbia Gorge (which is one of the programs of Families First) and Elisa are referenced.  I’m happy that the family is front and center, although it would have been nice to get a little publicity out of it.

To read the article, follow this link: http://www.oregonlive.com/special/sharing/index.ssf/2009/11/a_happy_baby_and_parents_despi.html

To read the other “wishes”, here’s the link (be forewarned, every story is compelling–the need is so great out there): http://www.oregonlive.com/special/sharing/

We’re so grateful to The Oregonian for doing this for those in need.  This is partnership in action!