Tony Eldridge's Blog, page 11

Sunday Kindle Book Giveaway AM: The Stumpwork Robe By Prue Batten

This morning's Sunday Kindle Book Giveaway is The Stumpwork Robe from author Prue Batten. This is your opportunity to discover new authors and books each Sunday while having a chance to win a copy of the Kindle version of the books directly from the authors. All you have to do for your chance to win this Kindle book from Prue is to leave a comment below.















Description From Amazon.com

No one would believe that a tragedy to rival Romeo and Juliet could be hidden beneath the embroidery of a rare gown. If the writer is found out, she could be killed.



Adelina the Traveller, skilled embroiderer, creates a treasure hunt across her robe. In a world eerily like our own, where enchanted Others weave through the weft of life, Adelina places her own existence on the line in order to condemn her gaoler to a death sentence.



This is the story of The Stumpwork Robe...





Prue's Blog: http://www.mesmered.wordpress.com

Prue's Twitter: @pruebatten

Prue's Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1844011999



Reviews

Amazon

Amazon UK

GoodReads













Message From The Author

I live in Tasmania, have a pet Tasmanian Devil called Gisborne, eat kangaroos' testicles, have the most ridiculous one-star ever awarded on Amazon, and wrote a novel on Twitter. True or false? Read this: http://markwilliamsinternational.com/2011/05/16/miniature-men-in-tights-down-under-prue-battens-bizarre-world/



For your chance to win a Kindle copy of The Stumpwork Robe, all you have to do is leave a comment below. We will randomly choose a winner next Saturday.



Last Week's Winners:

Thin Blood By Vicki Tyley: Jim Crigler

Saving Bluestone Belle by Strawberry Shakespeare: Kristi Burchfiel





From Our Sponsors



Comparison of prices & availability of Kindle bestsellers in different regions/countries. Read at Ebook Friendly.



Time to publish your thoughts? www.taleist.com









  



























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Tony Eldridge is the author of The Samson Effect , an action/adventure novel that Clive Cussler calls a "first rate thriller brimming with intrigue and adventure." He is also the author of the Twitter marketing book, Conducting Effective Twitter Contests . His new novel, The Lottery Ticket , was just recently released on Kindle.

Resource Of The Week: Google Keyword Tool

Today's resource of the week is the Google Keyword Tool. This powerful tool is available for free, without having to create an account, though if you have a free Google Adwords account, you'll find the tool in there. We all  know that when we write posts or landing pages for our books, we want to use relevant, powerful keywords to help the search engines find the content.



What the Google Keyword Tool does is help us uncover related keywords that we may be overlooking. So, if we were to type in the word "blog", we will get 100 other keyword ideas related to "blog". The tool also gives us how many monthly global searches have been done on the keywords and how many monthly local searches have been done. These stats will help us determine how popular the keywords are with people who are looking for content.



There is also a small bar chart that tells us how competitive that keyword is. Sometimes, we can find keywords that have great traffic with little competition, which can show us that we may have found a valuable sleeper. Now, this is designed for people who are looking to place Adwords ads, so this is where the competition graph really has its value.



If you're looking for a way to spark your creative juices for new keywords and you want to see how well the keywords have performed, then the Google Keyword Tool is a simple, powerful tool you should bookmark and have in your marketing arsenal.





Last 4 Resources Of The Week

Post Rank

MeasureIt

Sonar 3

Jing







  



























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Tony Eldridge is the author of The Samson Effect , an action/adventure novel that Clive Cussler calls a "first rate thriller brimming with intrigue and adventure." He is also the author of the Twitter marketing book, Conducting Effective Twitter Contests . His new novel, The Lottery Ticket , was just recently released on Kindle.

Choose Mentors; Not Mistakes By Janice F. Baca

Today's guest is Janice F. Baca, who will share with us the importance of having mentors and how these mentors can help us avoid many of the book marketing mistakes we'd make without them.



Before we get to Janice's posts, I want to thank everyone for your support with my books. The Samson Effect is still doing well and my new novel, The Lottery Ticket, is outpacing The Samson Effect at the same time it was selling. And thanks to some added exposure, my Twitter marketing book, Conducting Effective Twitter Contests is doing well too. Thanks to everyone for your help!



Now, on to Janices' post...





Choose Mentors; Not Mistakes

By Janice F. Baca



Publishing my first book launched me into an exciting new world. I found myself hungry for knowledge and seeking the wisdom of those who have gone before me. In fact, that "hunger" pushed me to a place where even experienced authors seek my advice. Why? Because my desire to learn from others taught me how to succeed in marketing my book, Gods Healing Plan.



When Tony asked me to write a guest blog, I knew I needed to encourage new, as well as, experienced authors to never grow weary of seeking mentorship.



A dear friend once told me, "Seek mentors, not mistakes."



Who wants to learn from mistakes? Not me! I went through hours of hard work to publish my book. It's not worth losing the marketing potential because of bad decisions or laziness. Publishing a book requires both the "author's hat" and the "marketing hat" in order to succeed.



So, what does this mean for you? It means that seeking mentorship may, or may not be a direct face-to-face relationship. But it what it does mean is that we, who desire to learn and grow, need to constantly seek wisdom from others who have succeeded. That's why I follow Tony's blogs. Tony's success is something I strive to achieve with my own books. Therefore, I chose him as my mentor.



In fact, I didn't realize how much I learned until I attended my first book signing at the local book fair. I prepared my table with all my marketing material, books, and computer to play my book trailer. 



There were 12 other authors at the book fair with me. All were seasoned authors and had multiple books proudly displayed. I was the only author with one book.



My table was attractive and well organized. My marketing material was on my table, as well as in my hand, ready to hand to those who were interested.



When I stepped to the front of my table, I was approached by one of the seasoned authors. With 13 books on display and more in the publication process, I was intrigued by his experience, and was hoping to learn from him. Instead, he introduced the man next to him. He stated his friend was recently accepted for publication and was in the process of peer review.



"Janice, you really have it together and seem to know a great deal about marketing," the season author stated.



I was taken back by his comments. I didn't realize he overheard my conversations with my table buddy.  He knew my publisher taught me to succeed. He too wanted to succeed; even if it meant learning from a first-time author.



Since that first book fair, I've had a number of seasoned authors request I mentor them.



My research, diligence, and learning from experts such as Tony paid off. I may not have a bestseller — yet; but I'm on the right path to get there.



Below are a few tips I've learned while publishing my book. But the first thing I recommend is mentorship. Never be too proud to seek those who have succeeded. They have a great deal to offer you and me.


It's okay to ask questions. Don't ask your uncle whose books are stacked high in the trash to teach you about marketing. Learn from those who have succeeded. Take advantage of their blog comment section or email opportunities. You may be surprised how many are willing to offer advice to those who are eager to learn.




Don't fall into laziness! We have obstacles to overcome. Bookstores won't automatically stock our books. We must be diligent and work to get our books sold. That's why my publisher, Tate Publishing, recommends we partner with them to market our books. Through our combined efforts, we are guaranteed a success.




It's never too late. If one marketing tool works for one person and doesn't seem to work well for you, then make an adjustment. It's never too late to make small changes that result in huge returns.




Don't give up. Persistence pays off. If publishing a book is really your passion, as I know it probably is. Then your passion is worth the time and effort needed to succeed. In the end, you will reap the benefits of your hard work.



Being a first-time author is an exciting challenge. You had a dream to publish — and your dream is worth striving to achieve! You have a choice to learn from mentors or mistakes; choose mentors.



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Janice F. Baca is the author of Gods Healing Plan. She is also a Life Breakthrough Coach, inspirational writer, speaker, and a registered nurse.



Janice served over 9 years as an officer in the United States Air Force where she nursed America's troops during times of conflict and war.



Janice graduated with her Baccalaureate degree in Nursing at Lamar University and is currently pursuing her Masters of Theology degree at St. Mary's University.



Currently, Janice continues to serve as a Life Breakthrough Coach helping others discover, recover, and fulfill their greatest dreams.



Janice is also an active member of her community and is currently serving as a Trustee to The Coming King Foundation.



www.JaniceFBaca.com















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-------- Tony Eldridge is the author of The Samson Effect , an action/adventure novel that Clive Cussler calls a "first rate thriller brimming with intrigue and adventure." He is also the author of the Twitter marketing book, Conducting Effective Twitter Contests . His new novel, The Lottery Ticket , was just recently released on Kindle.

Don't Forget Word Of Mouth Advertising For Your Book By Juli Schatz

Today's guest is someone who has taken word-of-mouth book marketing and created a local group in Chicago to run with it. In her post today, Juli Schatz will discuss the importance of Word Of Mouth (WOM) to authors.



Before we get to Juli's post, I want to remind you about this week's Sunday Kindle Book Giveaways. Thin Blood By Vicki Tyley and Saving Bluestone Belle By Strawberry Shakespeare are the two books we are highlighting this week. To have a chance at winning these books, visit the posts and leave a comment. It's that simple.



Now, on to Juli's post...





Don't Forget Word Of Mouth Advertising For Your Book

By Juli Schatz



No doubt online social media is at the forefront of networking today, but it doesn't mean that good old-fashioned face-to-face networking is passé or ineffective. In fact, the opposite is true.



Facebook, Linkedin, MySpace, Twitter, Blogger and the hundreds of other online networking tools have contributed to the success of authors in promoting themselves and selling their books. The ability to reach tens or hundreds of thousands of prospective buyers and readers in literally an instant lets one reach a far wider potential market than was possible just a few years ago.



Think of online networking as the "yellow brick road" that leads to Oz, paving the way to greater awareness of you and your book(s) and ultimately, sales. Whatever study you read about the most effective kind of advertising, you'll invariably find "word of mouth" (WOM) at the top of the list. Social media is one kind of WOM advertising, but it lacks the overwhelming advantage of being personal.



Remember the commercial that aired several years ago, urging consumers to "tell two people; and they'll tell two people; and they'll tell two people, and so and so on..."? That's the underlying premise of social media… and also how personal networking works.



Why is face-to-face networking still a critical component of book marketing?



"Particularly with teachers," says children's historical author Kate Gingold, "there are so many resources that it's overwhelming on their side and hard for an author without a powerful publisher to stand out in the crowd. The school districts also try to control the amount of junk information teachers get which makes it even harder to get through online. But teachers certainly network amongst each other, so getting to know some of them in person helps forge real relationships within the school community."



How many of us trust online media over our friends' and family members' personal recommendations? Not many. Why? Because you know your friends and family, and you know you can rely on them to tell it to you straight.



Of course, an author will never reach the number of people in person that she will through a well-crafted, informative, and interesting Facebook page. Nonetheless, when she "tells two people, who then tell two people, and so on" such WOM advertising can quickly build a targeted, interested base of fans and followers.



Here's how quickly and simply the numbers add up: when two people tell two people twelve times over, almost 4,10 people learn about your book... personal networking can also "go viral!"



Would you rather 4,100 people know about your book through personal recommendations --or hope that several thousand happen to stumble over your Facebook page only to stay on it for approximately 1.3 seconds?



"With the barrage of information we get on phones and computers," adds Kate Gingold, "we have to filter most of it out, so we handle our electronic 'relationships' with less consideration than we would in our face-to-face relationships.



"Still, you can learn a lot about people online so that when you do have an opportunity to meet them in person, you can speed up the relationship process by getting to shared interests more quickly."



To sell books in today's marketplace, there's no arguing that you must have an online presence. Its strength is in the capacity to build awareness. Use social media to generate buzz about your book, especially if it's a controversial subject; use it to reach all the book clubs you can find; use it let potential readers know where you stand on issues of the day, or where your heart lies; use it to give people something to think about, and something to talk about.



Bottom line: Devote at least as much time to face-to-face networking as you do to online networking to help more people get to know you, the person behind the byline.



NETWORKING: BEYOND THE NUMBERS



As important as it is for authors to sell their books, to get them into the hands of interested readers, there's more to networking than sales figures.



I started Author! Author!, an author and book marketing group, two years ago to help authors market themselves and their books – bringing them together to exchange ideas, to share with fellow authors what worked and what didn't. We meet monthly, and following each meeting are such comments as, "I'm always inspired after our meetings" and "After spending hours each day alone at a computer, writing, researching, etc., I need to get out amongst other people, especially my writing peers."



Kate Gingold says she "follows what the people in our {Author! Author!} group are doing, their blogs, emails, press releases, etc... I feel we're friends through the group so it's okay for me to ask them questions about how a marketing idea is working for them, how they got certain opportunities, or for introductions to people they know."



What has been interesting is the amount of information and number of connections exchanged among members, even though they're all essentially in the same "industry." Members feel free to throw out the names of individuals or publishers they are trying to reach. More often than not, someone knows someone who knows that person... and a connection is made.



And that's networking the old-fashioned way. Says Luisa Buehler, author of the seven-book Grace Marsden murder mystery series: "Nothing will ever (nor should) replace face-to-face marketing. We are social creatures and have a need to sit together and exchange ideas, plans, and experiences. Expressions are priceless; they drive productive conversation."







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Juli Schatz is a commercial copywriter who shares her writing and PR expertise with authors and small businesses, and promotes the annual Love is Murder Conference held every February in Chicago. In 2008 she founded the Author! Author! Book & Author Marketing Network to help authors effectively promote themselves and their books. Based in Chicago's western suburbs, she plans to soon establish Author! Author! groups in other regions.









  



























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Tony Eldridge is the author of The Samson Effect , an action/adventure novel that Clive Cussler calls a "first rate thriller brimming with intrigue and adventure." He is also the author of the Twitter marketing book, Conducting Effective Twitter Contests . His new novel, The Lottery Ticket , was just recently released on Kindle.

Writers' Conferences Are More Than Giant Writing Classes By Carolyn Howard-Johnson

Our guest author today is a veteran to Marketing Tips For Authors. Carolyn Howard-Johnson is back and today, she talks about how to get the most when you attend your next writers' conference.



Before we get to Carolyn's post, I have one quick announcement: I have a call with Roger C. Parker this afternoon at 4:00PM EST that I invite you to attend. We'll be talking about how to use Twitter contest to attract qualified followers and readers. Check out his blog and the post entitled Using Twitter to attract qualified followers and readers made easy for more details on how you can attend this free event.



Now, on to Carolyn's post...



Writers' Conferences Are More Than Giant Writing Classes

By Carolyn Howard-Johnson



Make the most of a conference by planning in advance. You want to treat a conference like a garden and bring home all the ripe stuff that suits your palate. That means you have to organize. This section will help you do that. Without it you won't be able to glean the most from whatever conference you choose.



Your notebook-- either the old-fashioned paper kind or the one you set up on your laptop-- is key to getting the most from a conference:


Bring a seven-subject notebook. Divide the notebook into sections that match your goals. These might include: Agents, Publishers, Promotion, Writing, and Other Contacts. Leave one section open for a category that crops up after you arrive.




On each separator page tape a number ten envelope in which you slip business cards, bookmarks, mini notes to yourself, and small brochures. When you arrive home, part of your filing and sorting will be done.




Take blank mailing labels to make index tabs that stick out from the edge of your notebook.




On the first night of the conference, clip and paste separate parts of the conference handouts into corresponding segments of your notebook.




At the back of your conference notebook make a directory section. Use the label index markers to delineate each one.


The first page is a name and address list for publishers. They should be listed in conference handouts but you may glean more from seminars. Star the ones you spoke to. Make notes. What have they published that is similar to your book? Jot down anything that will help them remember you when you write to them and mention your encounter. Query letters work best when you indicate that you are familiar with the person or company being queried.



Big Hint: When you talk to publishers always ask them what they do to promote their authors' books. Pin them down to specifics.




The second directory page is for fellow authors. Jot notes on them, too. It's no fun to arrive home with a useless business card.




Ditto for agents. Another for conference planners. You may be surprised at how often you'll refer to this page.




A page for "Other Resources" includes information on anything from other conferences to books you'd like to read.




Designate a few pages for writing ideas.




The final pages are for new promotion ideas.



Hint: Bring a small pouch of tools—I use one I received with an Estée Lauder gift-with-purchase. Toss into it color-coded pens, snub-nosed scissors (sharp ones may not get you through airport security), a small roll of cellophane tape, your index labels, paperclips, strong see-through packing tape, hammer, tacks, razor, ChapStick, hole puncher, breath mints, elastic bands, Band-Aids, and your personal medication. Don't unpack this when you get home. You'll need it in the future for other conferences, book signings, book fairs, and other promotional events.





You can use a conference to promote, too.


Some conferences offer tables where participants can leave promotional handouts for their books or services. Before you leave home, ask your conference coordinator how you might utilize this opportunity.
Ask the conference coordinator if they publish a newsletter or journal. If so, send the editor media releases as your career moves along.




Take your business cards to the conference.




If you have a published book, take your bookmarks to give to others.




If you have an area of expertise that would interest a conference director, introduce yourself. She may be busy, so keep your pitch very short and follow up later.


Think in terms of gathering endorsements for your book to use in the future. You are building a network.





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Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of book for writers. Learn more about them at www.howtodoitfrugally.com. She also blogs writers' resources at Writer's Digest 101 Best Websites pick www.SharingwithWriters.blogspot.com. Follow her tweets at www.twitter.com/frugalbookpromo.



















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-------- Tony Eldridge is the author of The Samson Effect , an action/adventure novel that Clive Cussler calls a "first rate thriller brimming with intrigue and adventure." He is also the author of the Twitter marketing book, Conducting Effective Twitter Contests . His new novel, The Lottery Ticket , was just recently released on Kindle.

Quick Update- My Computer Problems Persist

Today, I have a quick update and a request for those who might be waiting to hear from me. Between my offline work working on the sequel of The Samson Effect, I didn't realize that my e-mail archives got corrupted. I am having problems locating many of my saved e-mails. To complicate that, my calendar is not working. I have gone from having everything under control to completely frazzled.



I have been able to gain access to most of my e-mails by now, and I have been able to recreate my calendar fairly accurately. Here's what I ask of you:



If you are waiting to hear back on me for any project or joint venture, please send me an e-mail today so that I can move that to the top of my priority list. I apologize for the inconvenience but I thank you for your help.



I do have a call with Roger C. Parker tomorrow that I invite you to attend. We'll be talking about how to use Twitter contest to attract qualified followers and readers. Check out his blog and the post entitled Using Twitter to attract qualified followers and readers made easy for more details on how you can attend this free event.







  



























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Tony Eldridge is the author of The Samson Effect , an action/adventure novel that Clive Cussler calls a "first rate thriller brimming with intrigue and adventure." He is also the author of the Twitter marketing book, Conducting Effective Twitter Contests . His new novel, The Lottery Ticket , was just recently released on Kindle.

Sunday Kindle Book Giveaway PM: Saving Bluestone Belle By Strawberry Shakespeare

This afternoon's Sunday Kindle Book Giveaway is Saving Bluestone Belle from author Strawberry Shakespeare. This is your opportunity to discover new authors and books each Sunday while having a chance to win a copy of the Kindle version of the books directly from the authors. All you have to do for your chance to win this Kindle book from Strawberry is to leave a comment below.



Description From Amazon.com

Saving Bluestone Belle is a rollicking adventure about Homer Easton, a quirky ten year old who sets out from his California home on a perilous journey to rescue his beloved albino mare, Bluestone Belle, from horse thieves. Along the way, he discovers the horrific reason why 'Blue' was taken and that he himself is in grave danger!



Whether he's tracking Blue across desert and sea or infiltrating the horsenappers' fortress, Homer's very life depends on his ability to outfox his terrifying opponents. Can Homer marshal his unique strengths to save his own life and rescue Blue?



Animal lovers of all ages will treasure this tale about an endangered horse. Kids will love the breathless pace and surprising twists and turns. They'll laugh out loud at the madcap predicaments Homer gets himself into, and cheer him on as he proves himself an unlikely hero.



With ten full-page illustrations that capture the most dramatic moments, Saving Bluestone Belle tells a heartwarming story that inspires young readers to be the best they can be.





Find Strawberry's book on Squidoo: http://www.squidoo.com/horsebookforchildren

Find Strawberry on Author's Den: http://www.authorsden.com/strawberryshakespeare

Find Strawberry on Fiction Books For Kids: http://www.fictionbooksforkids.net

















Reviews

Amazon









Message From The Author

I had two primary goals with Saving Bluestone Belle: I wanted to reach reluctant readers as well as avid readers and I wanted to touch on the issue of animal cruelty in the horse slaughter industry. The result -- a fast-paced tale with delightful illustrations, laugh out loud humor, and an emphasis on action and dialogue that has won popularity with both avid and reluctant readers. This inspirational adventure novel encourages children to be kind to all living creatures and to stand up for what they believe.



For your chance to win a Kindle copy of Saving Bluestone Belle, all you have to do is leave a comment below. We will randomly choose a winner next Saturday.







Last Week's Winners:

Fatal Embrace By Aris Whittier: John Poindexter

The House on Crash Corner by Mindy Greenstein Ph.D.: Daisy





From Our Sponsors



Kindle Popular Highlights are a great tool to discover new books. Read more about them at Read at Ebook Friendly.



Time to publish your thoughts? www.taleist.com







  



























--------

Tony Eldridge is the author of The Samson Effect , an action/adventure novel that Clive Cussler calls a "first rate thriller brimming with intrigue and adventure." He is also the author of the Twitter marketing book, Conducting Effective Twitter Contests . His new novel, The Lottery Ticket , was just recently released on Kindle.

Sunday Kindle Book Giveaway AM: Thin Blood By Vicki Tyley

This morning's Sunday Kindle Book Giveaway is Thin Blood from author Vicki Tyley. This is your opportunity to discover new authors and books each Sunday while having a chance to win a copy of the Kindle version of the books directly from the authors. All you have to do for your chance to win this Kindle book from Vicki is to leave a comment below.













Description From Amazon.com

"Page after page of twists make this novel a smashing success." ~Suspense Magazine



"The story flows so easily that before you know what's happened, fifty pages are gone. It practically reads itself." ~Ebook Alchemy



Craig Edmonds, a successful stockbroker, reports the disappearance of his wife, Kirsty. What starts as a typical missing person's case soon evolves into a full-blown homicide investigation when forensics uncover blood traces and dark-blonde hairs in the boot of the missing woman's car. Added to this, is Craig's adulterous affair with the victim's younger sister, Narelle Croswell, compounded further by a recently acquired $1,000,000 insurance policy on his wife's life. He is charged with murder but, with no body and only circumstantial evidence, he walks free when two trials resulting in hung juries fail to convict him.



Ten years later, Jacinta Deller, a newspaper journalist is retrenched. Working on a freelance story about missing persons, she comes across the all but forgotten Edmonds case. When she discovers her boyfriend, Brett Rhodes, works with Narelle Croswell, who is not only the victim's sister but is now married to the prime suspect, her sister's husband, she thinks she has found the perfect angle for her article. Instead, her life is turned upside down, as befriending the woman, she becomes embroiled in a warped game of delusion and murder.





Vicki's Blog: http://vickityley.blogspot.com

Vicki's Website: http://www.vickityley.com



Reviews

Amazon

An American Editor

Lit Fest Magazine

eBook Alchemy











Message From The Author

The ties that bind us are not always of blood. Thin Blood, a #1 Kindle Mystery bestseller and 2010 Amazon Customer Favorite, is a contemporary Australian murder mystery set in my home capital city, Melbourne. Thank you for taking the time to check it out.



For your chance to win a Kindle copy of Thin Blood, all you have to do is leave a comment below. We will randomly choose a winner next Saturday.



Last Week's Winners:

Fatal Embrace By Aris Whittier: John Poindexter

The House on Crash Corner by Mindy Greenstein Ph.D.: Daisy





From Our Sponsors



Kindle Popular Highlights are a great tool to discover new books. Read more about them at Read at Ebook Friendly.



Time to publish your thoughts? www.taleist.com







  



























--------

Tony Eldridge is the author of The Samson Effect , an action/adventure novel that Clive Cussler calls a "first rate thriller brimming with intrigue and adventure." He is also the author of the Twitter marketing book, Conducting Effective Twitter Contests . His new novel, The Lottery Ticket , was just recently released on Kindle.

Resource Of The Week: PostRank

Today's resource of the week is PostRank. Another hat-tip to Jane Friedman for mentioning this tool in her blog post, 2 Tricks to Keep Your Online Reading Manageable. PostRank is a way to measure how socially engaging content like RSS feeds and blog posts are. It was recently acquired by Google and is a great tool to help you see what content might be worth spending your time reading as you sift through the mountain of data available to you.



While the applications of this tool are continuing to grow, there are two ways you can use it today to help you prioritize which content you read. First, you can incorporate PostRank into Google Reader to see which posts receive the most social engagement. If you click on the screen shot at the top of this post, you can see how the PostRank scores can help you see which posts you might want to pay special attention to reading.



A second way you can use PostRank is by adding a widget to your blog. This will display the posts on your site with the highest PostRank scores and allow your visitors to search your blog and pull up search results and the PostRank associated with each post. Click on this screenshot to see the widget on my blog, or visit my blog and scroll down to the widget found on the right sidebar to see it live.





PostRank tracks a number of interactions with your post to determine the scores including comments, tweets, other social media mentions, clicks and posts that have been created in response to other posts. Taking all of these items into consideration will give you a broad-based view of how engaging your posts are in a way that goes beyond simple analytics. In fact, it will give you a whole new way to see how people interact with your posts.



As I said, this just is part of how you can use PostRank. For more information on this tool, and to see how to implement it into your site and your Google Reader, please visit their site.













Last 4 Resources Of The Week

MeasureIt

Sonar 3

Jing

FastStone Photo Resizer













  



























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Tony Eldridge is the author of The Samson Effect , an action/adventure novel that Clive Cussler calls a "first rate thriller brimming with intrigue and adventure." He is also the author of the Twitter marketing book, Conducting Effective Twitter Contests . His new novel, The Lottery Ticket , was just recently released on Kindle.

When Authors Get Too Busy To Write

A funny thing happened to me on the way to becoming an author... I got so busy writing about "writing" that I didn't have time to write. One of my passions is this blog. It gives me an outlet to connect with writers and other experts that is valuable and fulfilling beyond description. No doubt, this will be a part of my daily life for the foreseeable future.



But where my real passion lies is in writing. Writing fiction. Recently, I committed to complete the sequel to The Samson Effect by late summer/early fall. My writing schedule has picked up like never before. I've experienced those flashes of inspiration that I've not seen in years.



I have a couple of writing spots that I go to where I can be free of distractions. Every now and then, I call my wife to share a "brilliant" plot twist that I've created. She patiently listens and utters her support, not because the story is so amazingly interesting to her, but because she loves me. I then go back to my coffee and my writing.



It's funny, there are certain things I need to have before I can sit down and write effectively:



* Blank Typing Paper

* Black Ball Point Ink Pens (Not Blue)

* Black Coffee Within Arms Reach

* Back Ground Noise (Conversations In A Coffee Shop Is Perfect)



But the biggest thing that I need is the one thing I had been holding back... Time.



I've found time for people to watch my 5 year old twin boys so Daddy could sit down to write. I've rearranged my schedule to make sure I'm not so busy that writing is always the thing I sacrifice for everything else. When I have a block of time that I can devote for writing, I turn off my computer, kiss my wife and my kids bye, and walk out the door with my pen and paper in hand.



The first time I didn't have my computer was excruciating. But I quickly learned that, for me, being totally untethered from the real world allowed my creativity to flow.



So, to all the authors out there, here's my advice. Make sure when you get busy doing all the things you need to to to market your book, you don't forget to make time for your true passion... writing. Remember, you market to support your book, you don't write to support your marketing activities.



We're all going to have to make sacrifices when we choose what activities to give time to; writing will never complain if we sacrifice it. But as authors, we will only be completely fulfilled if we write. Whether it's fiction or nonfiction, it's part of who we are.







  




























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Tony Eldridge is the author of The Samson Effect , an action/adventure novel that Clive Cussler calls a "first rate thriller brimming with intrigue and adventure." He is also the author of the Twitter marketing book, Conducting Effective Twitter Contests . His new novel, The Lottery Ticket , was just recently released on Kindle.