Tony Eldridge's Blog, page 15
June 12, 2011
Sunday Kindle Book Giveaway PM: Without Regrets By Kristi Burchfiel
This afternoon's Sunday Kindle Book Giveaway is Without Regrets
from author Kristi Burchfiel. 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 Kristi is to leave a comment below.Description From Amazon.com
If only... Each person alive could complete that thought with any number of phrases expressing sorrow, lost wishes, and faded dreams. In a word: regrets. But, are regrets inevitable? Without Regrets: A Study of Ecclesiastes meets this question head on. This study aims to help readers understand the basic principles found in the Bible for recognizing actions and attitudes that lead to regrets, while learning through examples from the life of Solomon. The practical explanations and examples make this study simple enough for a beginner, yet the profound truths will be challenging for even the seasoned Bible scholar. What does it take to live a life Without Regrets? Join author Kristi Burchfiel as she guides you through the book of Ecclesiastes to seek out the answer.
Find Kristi on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Without-Regrets-A-Study-of-Ecclesiastes/122149427808582
Find Kristi on Twitter: @kristiburchfiel
Kristi's Website: http://www.kristiburchfiel.com/
Kristi's Blog: http://blog.kristiburchfiel.com/
Reviews
Amazon
Selling Books
Message From The Author
Do you have regrets? Ever wondered if it was possible to go through life without having those times we desperately wish we could change? Living Without Regrets is possible, and through this study you will learn the principles to having a regret-free life along with practical application to live out in your daily life.
For your chance to win a Kindle copy of Without Regrets: A Study of Ecclesiastes, all you have to do is leave a comment below. We will randomly choose a winner next Saturday.
Last Week's Winners:
Mrs. Lieutenant: A Sharon Gold Novel By Phyllis Zimbler Miller: Jeff Edwards
Teen Devotionals...for Girls! by Shelley Hitz: Sharon Gibson
From Our Sponsors
Ebook Friendly - discover Kindle ebooks in a distraction-free environment. Tips, news, bestseller lists and more.
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.
Sunday Kindle Book Giveaway PM: Without Regrets By Kristi Burchfiel
This afternoon's Sunday Kindle Book Giveaway is Without Regrets from author Kristi Burchfiel. 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 Kristi is to leave a comment below.Description From Amazon.com
If only... Each person alive could complete that thought with any number of phrases expressing sorrow, lost wishes, and faded dreams. In a word: regrets. But, are regrets inevitable? Without Regrets: A Study of Ecclesiastes meets this question head on. This study aims to help readers understand the basic principles found in the Bible for recognizing actions and attitudes that lead to regrets, while learning through examples from the life of Solomon. The practical explanations and examples make this study simple enough for a beginner, yet the profound truths will be challenging for even the seasoned Bible scholar. What does it take to live a life Without Regrets? Join author Kristi Burchfiel as she guides you through the book of Ecclesiastes to seek out the answer.
Find Kristi on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Without-Regrets-A-Study-of-Ecclesiastes/122149427808582
Find Kristi on Twitter: @kristiburchfiel
Kristi's Website: http://www.kristiburchfiel.com/
Kristi's Blog: http://blog.kristiburchfiel.com/
Reviews
Amazon
Selling Books
Message From The Author
Do you have regrets? Ever wondered if it was possible to go through life without having those times we desperately wish we could change? Living Without Regrets is possible, and through this study you will learn the principles to having a regret-free life along with practical application to live out in your daily life.
For your chance to win a Kindle copy of Without Regrets: A Study of Ecclesiastes, all you have to do is leave a comment below. We will randomly choose a winner next Saturday.
Last Week's Winners:
Mrs. Lieutenant: A Sharon Gold Novel By Phyllis Zimbler Miller: Jeff Edwards
Teen Devotionals...for Girls! by Shelley Hitz: Sharon Gibson
From Our Sponsors
Ebook Friendly - discover Kindle ebooks in a distraction-free environment. Tips, news, bestseller lists and more.
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: Bridges: A Tale of Niagara By dk LeVick
This mornings's Sunday Kindle Book Giveaway is Bridges: A Tale of Niagara
from author dk LeVick. 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 dk LeVick is to leave a comment below.Description From Amazon.com
When a faded picture sets in motion a perilous journey for five young men, they not only encounter harrowing adventure in the forbidden Niagara Gorge, but are forced to confront the swirling illusions of the world they knew changing their lives forever.
'Bridges' brings together a series of historical events, in a twist of mystery and revelation with a group of 1962 teenagers caught up in the complexities of a changing world around them, exploring the questions of all peoples of all times.
Find dk on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bridges-DK-Levick/157243617667780
Find dk on Twitter: @dk_levick
dk's Website: http://www.bridgesataleofniagara.com/
Reviews
Amazon
Goodreads
Message From The Author
"Congratulations and I wish you to find some happiness and enjoyment with my book "Bridges". Embrace life's bridges, for they define who you were, who you are and who you will be."
For your chance to win a Kindle copy of Bridges: A Tale of Niagara, all you have to do is leave a comment below. We will randomly choose a winner next Saturday.
Last Week's Winners:
Mrs. Lieutenant: A Sharon Gold Novel By Phyllis Zimbler Miller: Jeff Edwards
Teen Devotionals...for Girls! by Shelley Hitz: Sharon Gibson
From Our Sponsors
Ebook Friendly - discover Kindle ebooks in a distraction-free environment. Tips, news, bestseller lists and more.
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.
June 11, 2011
Resource Of The Week: FastStone Photo Resizer
Today's resource of the week is FastStone Photo Resizer. This free utility is one I use often to change the size of my pics as well as convert them from one format to another. It's a breeze to create the proper e-book cover size with this handy little tool. CNET has this rated as a 5 star program.To give you an idea of what this nifty little tool can do, check out this list of features taken from its website:
* Convert and Rename images in batch mode
* Support JPEG, BMP, GIF, PNG, TIFF and JPEG2000
* Resize, crop, change color depth, apply color effects, add text, watermark and border effects
* Rename images with sequential number
* Search and replace texts in the file names
* Preview conversion and renaming
* Support folder/non-folder structure
* Load and save settings
* And much more...
If you're looking for a free tool to help you convert the size and file type of your photos that is simple to use, then give FastStone Photo Resizer a try!
Last 4 Resources Of The Week
PayPal
Google's Call Me Widget
Paint.Net
MobiPocket Ebook Creator
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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.
June 9, 2011
Book Marketing Strategies And Tips Around The Net: June 10th
It's Friday, but today we're going to do something a little different from our normal trip around the net. I'm hoping you'll indulge me and allow me to share 12 guest posts that I have written for BookBuzzr and one review they did for my Conducting Effective Twitter Contests
book with videos. As you read this, I'm probably on my way to Houston, TX, so these were very easy for me to pull together to share with you. I also wanted to make two quick in-house announcements:
Over the weekend, I released my new mystery/thriller novel, The Lottery Ticket: A Novel
on Kindle. I invite you to download the free sample from Amazon and help me spread the word.Also, we have an opportunity this week for you to win one of two Kindle books in our Sunday Kindle Book Giveaway. All you have to do is leave a comment on the posts before Saturday and you qualify for the giveaway. I invite you to check out Phyllis Zimbler Miller's, Mrs. Lieutenant; A Sharon Gold Novel and Shelley Hitz's, Teen Devotionals...for Girls! and leave your comment today.
Now, on to my guest posts on BookBuzzr...
1. How To Keep Up With The People You Follow On Twitter- As your Twitter lists grows, how do you keep up with thousands of followers? Check this post out for some ideas.
2. Using Your Blog As A Virtual Hand Shake- This post can show you how to meet the contacts you want to meet by using your blog.
3. Tools To Help You Create Videos For Your Blog/Website- Videos are the rage on the net now. In this post, I share some resources to help you use videos on your site.
4. 5 Tips On Setting E-Books Prices- I throw in my two cents when it comes to e-book pricing in this post.
5. Free Downloads For Authors- This is the mega list of fun toys and downloads for authors.
6. Recognize Your Clients/Readers To Show Appreciation- Everyone loves a pat on the back or a little spotlight from time to time. See how you can do this for your readers.
7. The World Loves A Great Contest- See how you can use contests to have fun with your readers and followers.
8. Don't Go At It Alone- Marketing your book can be a tough thing to do by yourself. The good news is that you don't need to do it alone.
9. How To Get Your Book Mentioned In A Newspaper- Most authors want to see their book in the local newspaper. Here are some tips to show you how.
10. Mid-Week Book Marketing Tips: Creating A Marketing Hub- This post will show you how to organize a diverse and chaotic internet presence.
11. Now Is The Time To Facebook- Are you on Facebook? If not, you should be and in this post, I'll tell you why.
12. Important Communication Lessons Learned From The 2010 Midterm Elections- Last year, the Republicans thumped the Democrats in the mid-term elections. Check out these communications lessons from those elections you can use in your own book marketing efforts.
13. Review: Conducting Twitter Contests by Tony Eldridge- Read why BookBuzzr said that Conducting Effective Twitter Contests
"is a must read for anyone planning a twitter contest!"That's it for this week's trip around the net.. or should I say a trip around BookBuzzr. Thank you for letting me share my BookBuzzr guest posts with you today. Next Friday, we'll get back to looking at the posts that caught my eye from other experts around the net.
Last 4 Tips Around The Net:
June 3rd
May 27th
May 20th
May 15th
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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.
LIGHTS, CAMERA… wait, what? By John Sparger
In today's post, I'm excited to introduce you to our guest, John Sparger. John is an author and a talented video creator. After viewing some of his work a couple of months ago, I talked John into writing up this post to share some of his video tips with you. If you ever wanted to create a book trailer, then get ready to take some notes; John has a lot of great tips for you.Before we get to John's post, I have a quick in-house announcement. Over the weekend, I released my new mystery/thriller novel, The Lottery Ticket: A Novel
on Kindle. I invite you to download the free sample from Amazon and help me spread the word.Now, on to John's post...
LIGHTS, CAMERA… wait, what?
By John Sparger
There are a ton of ways to market your product/service/what have you (and specifically, your book), but most folks aren't gonna be a phenom in each and every one of these methods. Sure, there are the exceptions to the rule who can do it all (or have a team that can facilitate/execute it all). But if you're like me, it's a one man show doing the best you can.
When I released Stories from the Asphalt, I read the books and the blogs, listened to the experts telling you what you needed to do to get the word out. But my marketing attempts were minimal at best. I sent the obligatory email to family and friends, press releases to local media, and was able to secure one review. Aside from passing out some postcards & bookmarks and a bit of handselling, that's been the extent of things – until now.
VIDEO.
Google "book trailer," and you'll see a variety of what authors and publishers are doing with this medium. We've heard Tony talk about it, along with countless others. Figured it was time to throw my videographical hat in the ring. True, just another tool in the marketing box, but we are increasingly becoming a visual world. Monkey see, monkey do I wanna buy it. What better way to get our book in front of those eyeballs, than to literally get it in front of those eyeballs.
"But I'm not a film director, videographer, cinemagraphical DP wunderkind." Yeah, me neither. But relax, it's cool. There are many levels as to how you can use this medium – from the very basic slideshow of photos and text with some music in the background to the full blown Spielberg/Lucas/James Cameron movie-style trailer. We'll stroll through some different formats, and then I'll throw some resources your way to get you started.
First off, I gotta tell you I'm a DIY kinda guy. Ask my family – it took me eight years to completely rehab our last house cuz I'm too cheap to pay someone else to do something I know I can do myself. Having said that, I also know my limitations. Projects that I am absolutely NOT qualified to do will be outsourced and properly paid for. But this video stuff, YOU can do. On the cheap.
BASIC – at the very least, you can throw together a slideshow with some superimposed text and music in the background. Think Powerpoint presentation (but not quite so lame). One of Joanna Penn's early videos displays this style. Push this out a little further and you can get something like Beautiful Creatures (which does contain one short bit of moving footage).
TALKING HEAD – this one can be as simple as you sitting at your desk giving a brief synopsis about your book. The webcam on your computer, or a flip cam, or the video mode on your digital camera will suffice. We're not looking for high dollar resolution here, just the real you telling us about your story.
READINGS/INTERVIEWS – make sure you've got a camera rolling during that reading you're giving. Snag a clip from that interview you gave.
TESTIMONIALS – not comfortable getting in front of the camera? Have others do it for you (and not as actors). Get fans, friends, readers discuss what they liked (or didn't like) about your book.
VOICEOVER – this can be done with the aforementioned slideshow or with film/video footage. Check out the trailer for Thomas Pynchon's Inherent Vice. Doesn't hurt to have some music floating in the background, although you can do it without.
MUSIC VIDEO – the dominant element in this style is indeed the music. But honestly, it's nothing more than an advanced version of the BASIC style. You can still use still photos, but try and add some moving footage as well. Here's a piece I put together that's still a work in progress, but hopefully gives you an idea of what can be done. The beauty of a music video is: you can use scenes and vignettes and whatnot, but not have to worry about dialogue and boom mics and other assorted gear to get the shot. The soundtrack will cover all of that. On a much more produced level, Eduardo Porter's The Price of Everything uses animation to make this super cool vid.
ANIMATION – speaking of which: depending on skill levels, there are various forms that can be created. Zoe Winters used Xtranormal for some of her videos, while Stephen King's N has more of a comic book feel to it.
MOVIE style TRAILER – this is probably the most challenging type to produce. You can get away with a few photos and some well placed text, but most of what people will expect is footage shot as you would expect to see in a movie trailer. James Patterson's Maximum Ride is short and sweet with special effects; the trailer for Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters is well produced and only contains minimal special effects; while Night of the Living Trekkies pretty much made me think it was for a movie.
Now, this doesn't begin to cover all the ways video can be used to market your book, but hopefully it gives you a good idea of what is possible.
All right, you've got some different styles to draw from. Now how do you go about getting it done? Let's briefly cover some tools to make that happen.
We're doing this on the cheap, right? So you could certainly take your own photos, record your own music, and shoot your own video. Maybe you have some friends who are photographers or musicians. But if that's not a possibility, you wanna look for sites where the Creative Commons License is in effect or prices are extremely low.
PICS – Hitting up Google for "royalty free" photos, or images, is a good start. You can also give flickr a shot. I'll admit I've dropped a few coins over at iStockphoto, but that's only when I feel it's just right. And absolutely don't forget about Stock.XCHNG. Recently acquired by Getty Images, these files are FREE.
MUSIC – pretty much the same process as for pics. Google "royalty free music" and see where it leads you. This one popped up which contained a handful of other sites with free music. And if you've just gotta have a commercial song for your project, you can check with ASCAP or BMI (but that's gonna cost you). Another alternative would be RightsFlow. I just heard an interview about this company on Beyond the Book. Looks like their rates are very reasonable.
FOOTAGE – Getting decent stock footage can get pricey. A good number of stock image sites are also now doing footage as well. So you could give those a look. Again, flickr's a good start. Videohive has reasonable prices. Pond5 starts at $5. Clipshot charges by the second. Just to name a few.
EDITING SOFTWARE – depending on which operating platform you use, Windows Movie Maker or iMovie will certainly get the job done. And YouTube even has its own video editor built in.
CAMERAS – use whatever you've got. It can be the video function of your point and shoot all the way up to a 1080p HD camcorder. Remember that for the most part, though, these videos are just going up on the web.
ACTORS – if you plan on shooting a full blown movie-style trailer, you're gonna need actors (and a camera operator, and a lighting guy, and a sound guy...). Some places to check out for this type of talent can be community colleges, community theaters, church drama groups, or put up an ad in the talent section on Craigslist.
Hope this gives you an idea of what you can do with video. Doesn't have to be expensive (unless your budget permits), and it doesn't have to be super-produced. Just be yourself and share the story of your book.
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John Sparger is a writer, actor, musician, photographer and owner of more motorcycles than he can ride at one time. His first video attempt was a goofy mashup between his book and Mr. Charlie Winning Sheen. He is currently in the middle of a bathroom remodel and promises his family it will not take eight years to finish.
Related Posts
Resource Of The Week: Incometech- Truly Royalty-Free Music
Create and Sell an Audio Book Using These 5 Simple Steps By Shelley Hitz
Review: Camtasia 7 Is Out For Video Marketing With A Punch
Creating Instructional Videos For Your Website Or Blog
5 Ways To Use Video On Your Site And Blog
Resource Of The Week: YouTube's Creator's Corner
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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.
June 8, 2011
6 Important Marketing Lessons Learned From Representative Anthony Weiner
I thought long and hard before deciding to pull the trigger on this post. It's such a textbook case on what not to do when you find yourself in a public relations nightmare. I remember my PR professor in college playing the same chorus over and over: Never lie. Never-ever-ever. Never. It will always create more problems than it solves. People will always find out.As professionals engaging on marketing, we are purposely taking our message to the public. That gives us a lot of leeway when it comes to choosing how we are going to deliver that message.
Regardless of your political affiliation, what happened to Representative Weiner recently was one of those train wrecks that you just couldn't tear your eyes away from. And at the end of the day, you had a communicator who made a series of poor decisions that made things worse and worse.
So here we go; these are my lessons that I take away from Anthony Weiner. (If you are one of the few people who hasn't heard of Weiner's problems, Google it):
1. Don't Lie- This is the basic lesson any professional should learn, especially when dealing with a PR issue. Lying almost always leads to a deeper whole to climb out of. And once you go down the road of lies, you'll find it hard to keep the lie going. Representative Weiner should have cut his losses and nixed any ideas about lying. Now, the truth is out and he has to deal with critics on both sides of the isle because he lied to everyone about what happened.
2. Don't Make False Claims- One particular lie many people are tempted to use in order to hide their problems is the false claim. This is when you put forth an untruthful explanation for a mistake you made. This is often the genesis of a PR death spiral and it's something you want to stay away from. Whether it's claiming that your Twitter account was hacked or that you wrote the words to Gone With The Wind before Margaret Mitchell, your sins will eventually find you out. And when they do, you'll have a worse consequence to contend with than the original PR issue you're trying to cover up.
3. Come Clean Early- Once you see that a PR issue is surfacing, it's almost always best to take in a deep breath and tell the truth early on. It might hurt for the moment, but like yanking a Band-Aid off your arm, you'll be able to deal with the issue and put it behind you before things escalates and you do irreparable damage to your brand.
4. Don't Blame Others- Sometimes, it's tempting to point the finger of blame at someone else to try and make the burden easier for you to handle. While there's usually nothing wrong with identifying the guilty parties when you come clean, you want to make sure that you're not looking for a scapegoat. If you place blame on someone who is innocent, you can damage your reputation more than you think possible.
5. Bring In Help- If a PR issue starts to get out of control for you, it may be time to bring in help. Sometimes it takes someone with an unemotional connection to the PR nightmare to give sound advice on how to handle it. A good PR professional can help you mitigate the problems while helping you create a constructive plan to move past it.
6. Keep Your Pants On- While this might sound like a cheap shot at Representative Weiner, it's not. My point is that the best way to avoid a bad PR nightmare is by not doing stupid things to begin with. While problems often come from an innocent action or a careless word, why would you invite headaches by doing things that you know you shouldn't do?
I think that the Anthony Weiner story is finally starting to go away. But by looking at the awful way he managed his PR nightmare, you can walk away with a vivid reminder of what might be in store for you if you follow his lead. Your brand is too valuable to sabotage by making bad PR decisions.
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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.
June 7, 2011
Research for Writers: The Case for Conducting Interviews By Joseph L. Giacalone
Today, we have a guest who is not only an author, but an expert who himself is "the source" for his topic today. Joseph Giacalone is an author and a law enforcement supervisor. In today's post, Joesph is going to help us translate his professional and literary skill of interviewing into a rock-solid research tool. Before we get to Joseph's post, I have a couple of quick in-house announcements. Over the weekend, I released my new mystery/thriller novel, The Lottery Ticket: A Novel
on Kindle. I invite you to download the free sample from Amazon and help me spread the word.Also, we have an opportunity this week for you to win one of two Kindle books in our Sunday Kindle Book Giveaway. All you have to do is leave a comment on the posts before Saturday and you qualify for the giveaway. I invite you to check out Phyllis Zimbler Miller's, Mrs. Lieutenant; A Sharon Gold Novel and Shelley Hitz's, Teen Devotionals...for Girls! and leave your comment today.
Now, on to Joseph's post on conducting interviews...
Research for Writers: The Case for Conducting Interviews
By Joseph L. Giacalone
"Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing." -Wernher Von Braun
The old saying, "Write what you know," is great when you are writing for yourself. Whether it is fiction or nonfiction you choose how and what to write. Little or no research is necessary because you are the resource! Many of us do not have that luxury or expertise to write about certain topics, so we have to conduct extensive research. The process is time consuming, however, if you can master the art of interviewing, you can save yourself hours of aggravation and maybe you will become the resource in the future.
For those of us that had to go to a building called a "library," research takes on a different meaning. You found a book on your topic and would turn to their references for additional sources. It was a long and drawn out task. Now, we just have to turn to the Internet and type in a few choice phrases and within nanoseconds our research is done. It is cold, impersonal and sometimes detrimental to your work. Just because it is on the Internet doesn't make it true. I know that is hard for some of you to believe. Like the song goes, "Video Killed the Radio Star," and the Internet has killed the library.
I know it is blasphemous not to rely on Google for everything, but I enjoy going directly to the source. What better way to conduct research then to sit down and talk with an expert or the individual you are writing about. I do have an advantage over most people because I spent the better part of twenty years extracting information out of people, most of whom were uncooperative and had committed some of the most heinous acts upon humankind. However, through persistence and determination I obtained the necessary information.
When it comes to the topic of interviewing, you may describe yourself as apprehensive, introverted or something else, but those are only excuses. Most people are more than willing to share their knowledge with writers for no more compensation then a a sincere thank you. The interviewer can obtain a lifetime of information in the matter of minutes simply by asking the right questions. Do you want to know about court procedures? Ask a trial lawyer. Do you want to know what a panda bear eats? Ask a zoologist, Do you want to know about book marketing? Ask Tony Eldridge, etc.
There is a bonus that comes with working with experts. If they don't know an answer, they can turn you on to a source that can. Writers seeking information on how to effectively market themselves and their books should interview successful writers!
Interviewing is a skill you only get better at the more you do it. The first step is make a PACT with yourself to be a better interviewer.
Plan
Ask the right type of questions
Check the facts
Thank the interviewee
Plan
Before you conduct an interview, the writer should make a checklist. What information do I want? A plan keeps you focused and ensures that you will obtain the information that you seek. Inevitably, the interviewee will say something that sparks your interest and takes you on a tangent. The interviewer should be prepared for these "what if" scenarios, but must be able to bring the conversation back to the intended discussion, your research needs. During the interview you may discover that the culture is more interesting than the procedure itself. If so, be prepared to run with that.
Ask the right type of questions
The interviewer will develop a series of open and closed ended questions. The interviewer should always start off with an open ended question which is designed to elicit a story. For example, "What made you decide to be a lawyer?" or "Tell me about the first case that you won." A closed ended question is used to establish facts. For example, "What university did you attend?" Closed ended questions are also a way to verify information that you received so that you and the interviewee are comfortable with what was said. No one wants to be misquoted.
Remember, an interview is a two-way conversation with a purpose. Sometimes the interviewee wants to ask you questions in return in a little "quid pro quo." The interviewer should be ready for this. For example, they might ask you, "How did you get involved in writing?" or "Where have you been published?"
Check the facts
I adopted the old maxim that carpenters use, "Measure twice and cut once," for my research but with a twist. I "Check facts twice and write once." There are many nefarious characters out there who purport to be someone or something else, especially on the Net. One way the researcher can avoid this problem is to ask for referrals from other writers that used the person as a source in the past and verified their qualifications.
Thank the interviewee
Everyone likes to be thanked after they have donated their time. With today's technology it is even easier to express your gratitude. A simple E-mail thanking the person for their time can go a long way and keep the lines of communication open for the future. For those special people that made your work come to fruition, an acknowledgement should be added to your book.
Conducting research through interviews can be daunting at times, but once you overcome the fear the recipe is quite easy: First, develop your research plan, sprinkle in a few open and closed ended questions, stir in some fact checking and add a thank you!
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Joseph L. Giacalone is a 20 year law enforcement supervisor and author of the Criminal Investigative Function: A Guide for New Investigators. He is also an adjunct professor at john Jay College of Criminal Justice and in his spare time authors the Cold Case Squad Blog http://www.coldcasesquad.com
You can follow Joe on Twitter @JoeGiacalone @ColdCaseSquad and on the web at http://www.joegwrites.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.
June 6, 2011
Amazon Asks Site Owner To Remove Kindle From Domain Name By Steven Lewis
Today's post is an important one for you to read on many levels. It goes to the heart of what this blog is about. As you build your brand, the lessons you learn in this post are priceless and will set you ahead of the curve with most authors and others with a web presence.Recently, a friend and colleague of mine, Steven Lewis, was contacted by Amazon and asked to change his domain by removing their trademarked "Kindle" from his domain name. Can you imagine having to change months, or years of posts and link relationships? When you read this, you'll realize just what a daunting task this can be.
I approached Steven about sharing his story with us for a couple of reasons. First, I believe that Steven's site is such a great resource for authors that I genuinely wanted to do what I could to help spread the word of his domain change. But second, this is a rare opportunity for me and my readers to learn, first hand, the "whys" and "hows" of a move like this. You truly have a unique seat at the feet of someone willing to open up and share this amazing experience with you.
Well, enough from me. Let's listen and learn from Steven. What you'll read below is really amazing stuff...
Amazon Asks Site Owner To Remove Kindle From Domain Name
By Steven Lewis
When Amazon asks you to change the name of your site there's a lot to do -- technically and in terms of marketing -- as I found out when it happened to me.
A short while ago I had a call from Amazon.com about my website for self-publishing authors, which lived at kindleselfpublishing.com. They were calling to ask, very nicely, if I would change it to something that didn't include the Kindle trademark.
When I set up the site there were many well-established and popular sites that also cover the Kindle and include the word in their titles and domains. I thought it wouldn't be problem for me to do the same. It turns out I was wrong. While Amazon liked what I was writing and the service I was providing, it would rather I wasn't doing it with "Kindle" in the title and domain lest it confuse people into thinking it was an official site. (I do wonder what this means for those other sites.)
I've written about the experience with Amazon on my blog but, in short, they couldn't have been nicer about the whole thing. It did, however, create technical and marketing challenges.
If you've ever built or run a website, you'll know that moving it from one place to another is fraught with the potential for disaster both technically and for your brand.
The technical issues
Finding a new name for my site wasn't a problem. Much of what I do -- publishing and corporate podcasting -- I already did under the name Taleist, a noun I invented to mean "teller of fine tales". That brand -- a place for tellers of tales -- fits perfectly with the mission statement of what was kindleselfpublishing.com -- "Helping writers become published authors".
So Taleist was an obvious and easy choice for a new home.
While the new name was easy, the move wasn't as simple as copying and pasting everything from one domain to another. My site is built over three sub-domains with hundreds of pages and interdependencies -- like one page linking to another. The site also interacts with services like PayPal and video hosts.
I sell guides, reports and how-tos through the site, which are delivered through a members' only section. All of those members had accounts with kindleselfpublishing.com. They needed to move seamlessly to Taleist.com.
Re-writing every link and rebuilding every user account by hand would have taken forever and created multiple opportunities for mistakes.
The site is built in WordPress, in which I would describe myself as an advanced user, but it would have been beyond my skill to effect the move automatically, e.g. having all links containing kindleselfpublshing.com rewritten to swap in Taleist.com.
Fortunately, as I'd written only a couple of weeks before, I didn't build my website by myself. I believe you should build every website as if it will grow and expand -- otherwise, why build it? -- so I got a professional in from the beginning.
Because my webmaster, Dane had setup the site for me, he was familiar with every aspect of it and could handle the backend work required to move it.
Aside from the site breaking in the move, the biggest consideration was Google. Google has indexed my site and delivers most of its traffic. It was essential that Google know the site had moved, that it indexed the new site, and pointed people to equivalent Taleist.com links. This is done through a redirect in the background -- every page on the old site is mapped to the same page on the new site and anyone clicking an old link is taken to the new page.
Fortunately Dane did that for me, so I didn't lose any of my Google "juice".
(The redirect will eventually be switched off as Amazon will be taking ownership of the kindleselfpublishing.com domain.)
Keeping the brand and marketing on track
I'm a long-time devotee of David Allen's Getting Things Done (GTD), a personal productivity methodology. Recently I supplemented that with Jim Benson's Personal Kanban techniques, which I know other writers have found helpful because I podcasted about it and it's one of my most popular posts.
Both of these tools were essential when it came to planning what to do about the marketing considerations; identifying all the people and systems affected by the move; listing what needed to be done; and working my way through the list.
I needed to identify everywhere that had a link to the old site and make plans to change it. You need a system to capture places as you think of them -- Twitter profile, email signature, other sites, LinkedIn... For me the list went on and on.
The list of people I needed to tell included:
Readers, who needed to know to update any bookmarks so they visited the new site
Subscribers, who get the blog by email and needed to know that nothing changed for them; and subscribers who get the blog through its RSS feed and might need to make a change
Members, who have bought products and will need to login to the new site to get updates and watch the included videos
Affiliates, who have special links to the site enabling them to earn a commission when they refer someone who goes on to buy something from what is now Taleist
Other site owners, who have linked to the old site and must now either go through the inconvenience of updating those links or having a broken link on their site, which isn't a good experience for their readers
I had to work out which groups to tell at which stage of the process and how to do it. I also needed to decide on my "message".
Getting the message right
Luckily for me the message was easy. The truth is that I'm delighted to be renaming the site Taleist. My principal mistake had been to choose a name that was clear signal to search engines about the content of the site but that wasn't really a brand I could build on or invest in emotionally.
On the practical side, it restricted me to writing only about the Kindle when increasingly I can see that I want to be covering a less specific self-publishing beat.
I'm excited to be working now under a brand that is unique, my own, and that I'm proud of. I'm excited that my scope is no longer restricted, the change has freed me to think of all sorts of other things that I can do and I've already had a rush of great ideas.
That's a message that's a pleasure to be communicating.
Why blogging is so important
Through the blog, which has been running since November, I've built a relationship with my readers. By giving away so much information for free and letting people get to know me, readers can see clearly who I am, what I'm about and, more importantly in this case, what I'm not about -- messing people around or fly-by-night practices.
If my site was simply a sales page for a number of paid-for products, I wouldn't have that relationship with my community. Regrettably, the move has inconvenienced many members of that community because of the updates they've had to make as a result. Because of the relationships I have built up, people have been generous and tolerant.
I write about 3,000 words of content a week for the blog; it takes hours; and I give it away. The dividends it pays are in those relationships and the trust it engenders with people, one of whom is Tony who very kindly offered space on his blog for this post.
My advice to you
Don't use "Kindle" or another trademark in your site name!
Build your site as if it will grow -- putting my site on a proper foundation from the outset made it easier to move
Find a productivity system -- like GTD or Personal Kanban -- that works for you. When you take on a big project -- like, say, writing a book -- doing the most you can in the least possible time will pay off
Approach self-publishing as a business -- much is written about how self-publishing is turning the publishing world on its head and traditional publishers need to adapt or die. True but there's much we can learn from traditional publishers about selling books as a business. If you've approached your web presence as a business, you're more likely to have it setup in a proper, structured way that makes it easier to grow or to cope under strain
Document what you do and use the right tools -- I'll now have a comprehensive list of everyone I need to communicate with and every service I need to update when I make changes; also, by using a service like Google Analytics, I'm able to trackback to see where my visitors are coming from and contact those sites to ask them to make updates, too
Build relationships with your readers -- one day you might find yourself asking something of them, which will be harder if you don't have a relationship with them
I hope you'll visit me at Taleist. I can certainly promise you that this one isn't going anywhere!
-------- Steven Lewis is the author of a number of guides to self-publishing on the Kindle and, it shouldn't surprise you to learn now, that he can be found at Taleist!
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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.
June 5, 2011
Sunday Kindle Book Giveaway PM: Teen Devotionals... for Girls! By Shelley Hitz
This afternoon's Sunday Kindle Book Giveaway is Teen Devotionals...for Girls!
from author Shelley Hitz. 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 Shelley is to leave a comment below.Description From Amazon.com
These devotions are written specifically for teen girls...girls who want to find their true beauty in Christ. They are intended for you to read one each day, think on it and apply what you have learned to your life.
These devotions will take you on a journey through God's Word, learning about different areas in the Bible that we hope you can relate to. Followed by ideas for ways that you can apply them to your lives, and a prayer you can pray. It is our hope that these devotions touch your hearts and lives and draw you closer to our wonderful God and Savior.
Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" Matthew 4:4
Find Shelley on Facebook: www.facebook.com/findyourtruebeauty
Find Shelley on Twitter: @ShelleyHitz
Shelley's Website: Teen Beauty Tips
Reviews
Amazon
Message From The Author
In our culture, teen girls face pressure from the media and their friends in the areas of beauty, body image, friendships, fashion, dating and more. Therefore, the goal of this devotional book is to provide relevant help and encouragement for the issues teen girls face everyday. Each devotional starts out with a scripture and a short teaching and then ends with a personal reflection, application and prayer. This book is packed with 90 devotionals that can be used individually or in small groups and was written by my amazing team of volunteers at Teen-Beauty-Tips.com, including both teens and adults.
For your chance to win a Kindle copy of Teen Devotionals...for Girls!, all you have to do is leave a comment below. We will randomly choose a winner next Saturday.
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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.
