Tony Eldridge's Blog, page 27

8 Holiday Marketing Tips

We are in the final homestretch of the holiday season. People are in the buying and giving mood and few gifts can compare to a great book. Books are inexpensive and can bring days of satisfaction. So whether you are a novelist or a on-fiction writer, your signed book can be a wonderful surprise for someone special.



Before we get to the holiday marketing tips, take a few minutes to sign up for my free video tips for authors. Not only will you get the current tip on how to publish your blog to the Kindle, but you will also get instant access to over 45 minutes of free on-demand video marketing tips. It's free, so why not give it a try?



So with the holiday season in full gear, here are some tips that will help you sell your book.



1. Bring Back Your Oldies- When new books come out, people often forget about books that have been in the market for years. Holidays can be the perfect cameo opportunity for those aged books.



2. Bundle- During the holidays, shoppers are looking for deals and merchants are eager to oblige. One of the best deals is a bundle. Sell two books at a discount or maybe throw in a copy of a book published a few years ago with your current hot release. Either way, creative bundling can help boost your book sales.



3. Joint Ventures- JVs can be a great way for you and another author to pool your resources and offer something bigger than each of you could offer alone. Whether you have a joint signing or bundle your books together, the synergy you will create

can help you sell more books.



4. Contests- Everyone likes a good contest and the chance to win something for free. And social media platforms can be a cost effective ways to launch a contest and find new readers. With the interest you generate with a contest, your book's exposure can be your biggest benefit. And if you haven't done a contest before, might I suggest my Conducting Effective Twitter Contests book, complete with instructional videos to help you launch a contest without a hitch.



5. Sales- It's hard to find anything during the holidays that isn't on sale. Jump in with both feet and slash the price of your book to catch the attention of all those shoppers looking for a great buy.



6. Offer Free Autographs- Sure, you probably sign your books for free anyway, but we are talking marketing, right? By bringing attention to the "free" signing, you are simply speaking the holiday marketing message that consumers are tuned into listening for.



7. Limited Time- Scarcity is still one of the best motivators to buy. And with the holidays, you have one of the most potent scarcity message at your feet. "By today and you will have it before Christmas..." You have a lot to use with scarcity if you take a few moments to think about it.



8. Free Holiday Espresso- If someone spends, let's say, $25, then you can offer them a free cup of coffee to enjoy while they are reading your book. At Starbucks, you can buy a $5 gift card and send it along with the book. Just make sure you do the math and make sure you are not losing money in the process.



The purpose of these tips is simple. People are ready to spend money and you want to give them a reason to spend it on your book instead of a spice rack. With a little thought, you can come up with a lot of great holiday marketing tips of your own.



Happy Holidays and Happy Book Selling!

Productivity Tip: Manage All Your E-Mail Under One Roof

If you are like me, you have many e-mail addresses that you have accumulated over the years. Some are "throw-away" addresses you create and use for a single purpose because you don't want your primary address overcome with SPAM. Others are utilitarian addresses you use for different purposes.



For example, I have two G-mail addresses I use. One is for Marketing Tips For Authors that gets me into Google Analytics and Blogger. The other is a personal G-mail account I use to sign into other Google services.



I also have working e-mail addresses from my three main domains: SamsonEffect.com, MarketingTipsForAthors.com and The-Eldridges.com.



Until now, I have been managing my e-mail addresses through Microsoft Outlook. Outlook allows me to retrieve and send e-mails from whichever e-mail account I need. It also keeps all my e-mail on my computer for easy access.



However, I am about to make a shift in the way I plan on managing my e-mail addresses. I am creating a HUB G-mail account and I will be managing all my e-mail addresses through it. I have been testing it through a temp G-mail account and I am very happy with what I see.



Here are the reasons I am making the switch:

G-mail allows me to send and receive all my e-mail online. That means I will have access to all my e-mails on any computer I am using.



G-mail allows me to import my Outlook contacts and calendar.



G-mail allows me seamless integration into the myriad of Google apps and services to make me even more productive (for example, I can chat, place a phone call through my G-mail account to any phone, or have video conferences through G-mail).



As an Android phone owner, I will have seamless integration with my G-mail account and my smart phone (though there are G-mail apps available for those who have iPhones).


This is an extremely small list of reasons why I am making a switch from my computer-based Outlook to an Internet-based G-mail account. And for those who feel the change will be too technically challenging for you to make, don't worry. I am planning a series of short videos that walks you through the process of making this change while highlighting the benefits you'll want to watch out for. To watch these free videos, make sure you sign up for my free Video Tips newsletter.



I know that services like Yahoo and other online mail services have similar abilities that Google offers with G-mail. I go with G-mail because I am familiar with it and I use many of Google's services, so the convenience of integration is a big plus for me. Also, they have a reputation for constantly bringing new functions to the marketplace. And, of course, most of their services are free.



Regardless which service you might choose (including MS Outlook or the free open source Thunderbird), spending a little time pulling all your e-mail addresses under one roof can be a huge productivity boost for you. And with the evolution of e-mail services, making the switch no longer requires an IT professional. It's a quick and simple process that will get you up and running in no time.

Happy Thanksgiving

As I prepare for a day of homemade food, football, and naps, I have more things than ever to be thankful for. Another year with a wonderful, beautiful wife, twin boys I adore, family far and near who live in my heart, and each of you. You might be surprised to know how often I think about my blog readers and supporters and how many times I give thanks for what you have done for me. Anything I give to you is nothing compared to what you give me. For that, I am truly thankful.



Happy Thanksgiving



Tony

The Importance of Editing By Gloria Oren

I am excited to introduce you to today's guest author, Gloria Oren. Gloria is going to speak on a subject that we as writers all need to keep at the forefront of our minds; the importance of editing. I have to admit, this is one area I need to spend even more time on and I want to thank Gloria for her words of wisdom on this topic.



Before we get to her post, I wanted to let everyone know that my new video tips for authors is out: Publish Your Blog To Kindle. If you are a subscriber to my free video newsletter, you already received the e-mail with the video link. If you would like to sign up to watch this video for free, just visit my video tips newsletter page. I'll even give you instant access to over 45 minutes of other free video tips as my way of thanking you for signing up.



Now, on to Gloria's post...







The Importance of Editing

By Gloria Oren



No first draft is publication ready. No matter how new or how experienced the writer is, a written piece requires editing.



Why is editing so important? First of all when a reader reads your piece for the first time it is through the piece of writing that the reader forms an opinion of you. This may be likened to the first impression when meeting someone face-to-face. You, as a writer, want to make a good impression. You don't want typos that could easily have been fixed. You don't want spelling or grammar errors either. But editing is not only searching for the small obvious errors; editing your written work is the heart and soul of your writing. What you do want is a clean, error-free piece of writing to present to your readers.



Another reason to edit your written work before posting to a blog, let's say, is to show courtesy toward the reader who will perhaps give you feedback on a well-written, clean presentation of your article. When you write something you know what you want to say, but will the reader get your exact message? If you ever expect to receive feedback from readers, you had better put in the effort to edit the piece so that your message is understood by the reader as you want it to be understood. That is the true essence of editing a piece and that is why it is so important.



Thirdly, no one is perfect, not even the most experienced writer. Not even he or she can afford to just write up a first draft and post it. Typos happen, especially when typing quickly, and not always are they noticed at the time of typing. Many things are caught later when reading it through carefully with an editor's eye. Sometimes you misplace scenes, or the chronological line gets out of whack in the first draft, but this becomes evident in the editing stage. The reader may think I'm not going to spend my time reading or answering this writer anymore when I don't get what he's saying or when I feel the inattention evident by so many errors in the writing itself. Do you as a writer want that? I don't. I'd rather scrutinize my writing as best I could before posting than not do it. And yes, even with editing, sometimes typos sneak into the writing. In those cases, which shouldn't occur, but do, let's all try to be a bit forgiving and not rush to make the wrong impression right off the bat. After all we're all humans, and humans err from time to time.



***********

By Gloria Oren, author, book reviewer, and freelance editor. Gloria blogs at http://gloriascorner.com and maintains a Web site at http://gloriaoren.com. She's currently working on an autobiographical memoir. Her personal experience article, "A Blessing in Disguise," was published in the Thin Thread Special Edition – Recovery and Survival this past September.

Quick Update

I wanted to post a quick note to let you know what's going on with me. A few days ago, I took courses that gave me another certification as an instructor. That took a lot of my time and my posting was slowed.

I also received a call from my father. He said my maternal grandmother's health has taken a turn for the worse. The family has been advised to see her sooner rather than later.

When my paternal grandmother had health issues, I missed seeing her until her funeral. Because of that, I am on my way to Indiana to see my grandmother and plan on being back by next Thursday.

Until then, the posting schedule will continue to be sporadic and I thank you for your support and patience. I do have a guest writer lined up for Tuesday, so we will have a great post from another expert.

To those who have contacted me via e-mail, I appreciate your patience. I will contact you as soon as I can.

I look forward to sharing marketing tips and ideas with you again in a few more days.

Best Wishes,

Tony

"After the Book" Marketing in the 21st Century by Sylvia Hubbard

I'm excited to introduce you to our guest author today, Sylvia Hubbard. Sylvia is a suspense romance author and the founder of The Michigan Literary Network and AAELN.com. She is the author of 14 novels and a prolific blogger. Today, Sylvia will discuss a topic at the heart of what this blog is about: Book Marketing. It's my pleasure to introduce you to her today!







"After the Book" Marketing in the 21st Century

by Sylvia Hubbard





Gone are the days of just sitting behind a table or creating billboard websites to sell books. Now you have to get up and get out there in front of your audience whether you're online or offline. Marketing your book with your brand is about engaging and creating relationships with visitors.



Authors should be trying to create the most powerful selling technique with your customers and potential customers, which is word of mouth marketing. True you should be your loudest cheerleader, but if others aren't selling tickets to your game, you will never fill up your stadium - hence, you will never sell out of your books.



Let's start at the beginning of the path to book marketing in the 21st century.



Once a writer becomes an author, they are now in the business of writing. This is no longer a hobby and every business needs a plan.



For authors, there should be a marketing plan.



Like Pam Perry, a book marketing expert, states book marketing should start taking place six months before the book is published. Some other experts have said even earlier than six months.



Yet, if you're the author that has just made the plan to publish a book with no further plans in mind, then I hope these tips will help still.



Create a Marketing Plan



A Marketing Plan will address how your book will be sold and outline the promotion strategies you will initiate to gain book sales. This isn't a college thesis and an author can pretty much draft a solid plan in one night.



Three most common places where authors can sell their books can be through major bookstore chains, online bookstores and independent bookstores. I advocate always selling books directly from your website as well, which will be your most important tool in your bookselling and marketing success.



Include in your marketing plan your press release. A press release is simply a notice to the media your book is now available for sale. The first part of the press release should introduce your book and then a little bit about the author. (Not a long drawn out bio.) Near the end, ask recipients to contact you to schedule an interview or request a review copy.



Great press release and marketing plan tips and examples can be found at John Kremer's site, Bookmarket.com. I also highly recommend checking out other authors marketing plans and press releases to see what they are doing to make your book marketing a success.



Promotional Products



Simple promotional items can be: Business Card, Postcards, Bookmarks, Rack cards and booklets



On these items you want to have your book cover or a picture of you along with your business name, website address and your email.



What brings these items into the 21st century is that you add the social networks you are connected with by using the social network's logo or your name on that social network.



For instance on twitter, my handle is @sylviahubbard1. I have placed these on different marketing materials so others with twitter accounts can quickly engage with me or connect with me immediately. I've seen success with this especially at offline events and I see the same people who may not have bought a book from me at the event, but have connected with me online and then later bought a book from me.



Other promo items can include: shirts, pens, discount cards, downloaded cards & bags



Vistaprint.com can manage most of these items for you and there are others as well even local printer shops. I've even seen authors get items from OrientalTrading.com in bulk they can pass out as novelty items, but place specialty labels from Avery.com on them to mark them as promo items.



Remember to try to get the best price for your dollar.



Yet the point of promotional items and marketing plans is for your material to create an impression for possible customers and to create a connection with loyal customers.



Book Signings... NOT!



Let's not just do book signings, let's do events! Nowadays, people just don't want to come and hear an author read out of their book. They want something that will change their life, they want to have a good time and most importantly they want value for their dollar and time. This is where your brand comes in.



Promoting your brand with your event should move people to come, spread the word and prompt people to want to buy the book personally autographed by the author.



Authors should be promoting these events on their own mailing list. Also at the different venues where you are doing your book signings, ask them to promote the event on their own mailing list. I've seen authors create postcards just for the event and have the store pay for the postage. You can hang posters up in advance weeks before the signing. Partner with non profits and organizations that coincide with your brand as well.



Media Interviews



Before you even think about buying an ad on radio, magazines, newspapers or televisions, please try to request interviews. I think it was Carolyn Howard Johnson, an expert frugal book promoter, who advocates get the free first.



There are so many books that cover promoting through radio, magazines, newspapers, and television stations, but a lot of authors forget not only are there offline media, but also there are millions of online media platforms that cater to their book and their brand. Getting on and in these platforms can be as simple as emailing or faxing a press release to producers requesting an interview.



Marketing Online



I could write a book about online marketing... Matter of fact I did! It's called The Internet Marketing Guide for Authors and Businesses.



Basically, I cover the step by step process for newbies to understand marketing products on the Internet.



I would need at least a minimum of five hours to go into hows, whys and whens of Internet Marketing, but for now, I will give you five tips.



1. Have a website or now it's called a content management site, i.e., blog



Websites can no longer be just stagnant billboards for visitors to come in, buy something and leave. In the 21st century marketing for authors, now you must be able to engage with each visitor and keep their visits longer at your website to create relationships with them and to make sure they are leaving their information so you may be able to stay connected to them.



A content management system is simply a blog that is masked behind a great page or site. Don't depend on a Facebook page or LinkedIn page to be your website because this is not something you own. Get your own website and your own domain!



Subscribing to your mailing list, downloading free reports, sharing your information on the social networks they are connected with are ways to get your visitors to become your cheerleaders.



I cannot stress how important it is to have your own website. You are now in the business of being a writer and every business needs a storefront, which your website becomes. Your website is open twenty four hours a day and I cannot even tell you how good it feels to know you can sell books in your sleep. Yet an even better feeling is that when other people are visiting your site just from a recommendation by someone who previously visited your site.



2. Update your blog at least once a week



Not just with buy my book, buy my book messages. Contribute content as to why you wrote your book, how your book and brand is important to society or humanity and even journals of your book marketing journey. Get testimonials, reviews and so forth or others speaking about how your book changed their lives and even provide photos, videos and even PowerPoint presentations.



In addition to this, you can also add interviews of people who are doing things like you and especially authors or experts who are authorities in your brand.



3. Connect on the social networks



Authors should have connections in at least the following social networks:



Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Youtube, and also have your profile updated on Google.



Most important tip I can share with you is to: stay social. Connect with others who will benefit you and who will share your information. Connect with your readers and potential readers. Be ready to help others who reach out to you in these networks with tips and information, because these could also be the people who become your ticket sellers and sideline cheerleaders.



Another good tip for social networking: Contribute and comment to on other pages and profiles.



Respond to request for information if you know something or can connect people together that you know whom others don't know without expecting anything in return.



4. Connect offline with people you've met online. Social networking doesn't have to just take place online. There are lots of events and ideas that start online that eventually go offline and meet. A great place to find local people who meet up offline is at meetup.com. Meeting people face to face solidifies your online relationships and these people can become part of your cheerleading team.



5. Article Marketing - One of the most powerful ways to generate traffic to your website is writing articles about your book, brand and platform. As an author, you are considered an expert at what you do and writing articles to show your knowledge of your subject that you submit to article sites can bring in potential customers and awesome traffic. Sites such as EzineArticles.com let you submit articles where media can use for their websites and more. In return, they place your byline at the end of your article, which connects their readers back to your site.



Other tips can include having a professional email; Either with your name, book name or brand title. Pam Perry gave an excellent tip about keeping your brands constant across the board. This meant if I use Sylvia Hubbard on Facebook, I should use Sylvia Hubbard on Twitter and LinkedIn. Brand confusion comes when authors decide not to use constants across the Internet and their readers or even potential customers can't find them.



Create an e-book of your product or another by product and sell these on your site or at different online booksellers such as Smashwords.com and even Amazon.



Have video and audio podcasts broadcasted from your site and available to download.



Make sure your website is mobile friendly. Putting flash, large pictures and videos on the front page is not conducive to most mobile programs. If you do have this, you should also make a mobile friendly site for people who use their phone to search the web.



For more tips, tricks and resources, please look into the Internet Marketing For Writers & Businesses available Amazon.com.



Once you do all of these steps that I've spoken about, go to the beginning and start again . Never stop marketing and promoting yourself and you'll always be ready to book market in the 21st century.





Online Resources:



Bookmarket.com

howtodoitfrugally.com

writersguide2internetmarketing.com

VistaPrint.com

OrientalTrading.com

Wordpress.com

Blogspot.com

MarketingTipsForAuthors.com

Smashwords.com

Amazon.com







Book Resources:



Jump Start Your Book Sales

Guerrilla Marketing for Writers.

How to Publish and Promote Online

Red Hot Internet Publicity

Publicize Your Book

Self Publishing Manual Volume 1 & 2

1001 Ways To Market Your Books



Sylvia Hubbard, Suspense Romance Author and Founder of The Michigan Literary Network and AAELN.com has independently published over 14 novels in the past ten years. As a blogger at LoveABlackWoman.com and WritersGuide2InternetMarketing.com, she also provides live books on her website at: http://sylviahubbard.com

Marketing Tips Around The Net: November 1st

We've come to that time on this blog where we reach out to take a peek at other marketing tips found around the net. If you get a chance, stop by BookBuzzr to read my guest post, Important Communication Lessons Learned From The 2010 Midterm Elections. But for now, let's sit back with a cup of our favorite beverage and get going on today's trip around the net...



1. Developing Contacts to Promote Your Book- Part II: Last week, L. Diane Wolfe kicked us off with a list of questions to help us with our book promotion activities. She's back with more must-read questions for this week.



2. Update on Amazon Sales Tax Issues- Dana Lynn Smith updates us on the taxing issues that every author needs to stay up-to-date on.



3. Is This YOUR Web Site or Bookmark Faux Pas?- Carolyn Howard-Johnson has a message for every author with a website, and it it may be hard for some to hear; but, it's definitely one we all need to heed.



4. How Kobe Bryant Flunked the Personal Branding Game- Todd Rutherford invites Mike Consol to share some branding lessons we can learn from one of the best players in the NBA.



5. How to Write a Popular Writing Blog- BookBuzzr invites Lexi Revellian to share tips on building a great writing blog.



6. Marketing tips: Make your offer as visual as possible- Roger C. Parker discusses the importance of using visual as well as written elements in your marketing message.



7. Designing And Choosing A Book Cover- Joanna Penn takes you through a wonderful process of choosing a book cover by looking at her own upcoming novel, Pentecost



8. 6 Things Your Website Should Tell Book Reviewers About You (and Your Book)- Paula Krapf shares the basic elements that your author website needs to contain.



9. 10 Useful WordPress Plugins You Might Not Know- Yael Miller gives you advice on which plugins will make your WordPress blog more user friendly.



10. My New Amazon Kindle Unboxing [Photos]- Quick Online Tips has a great unboxing piece for people who purchase a Kindle. Unboxing videos or photos visually take you through the process of opening, setting up, and turning on new electronic items.



That's it for this week's trip around the net. I hope you all have a wonderful week. We will see you bright and early tomorrow. For those in the US, don't forget to vote tomorrow. This year, especially, you vote really does count.

7 Simple Steps to Getting Your Book Reviewed by Paula Krapf

I am excited to introduce our guest today, Paula Krapf. She is the Chief Operating Officer of Author Marketing Experts, Inc., a company that has it's finger on the pulse of the publishing industry. She will be blogging on a subject that every writer wants to learn more about: How to get your book reviewed.



You may also want to check out the Publishing Insiders Wrap-Up: Blogging Ideas the Whole Year Through. This is the summary of the Blog Talk Radio program that Paula interviewed me on as a guest. You can also replay the interview on demand when you want to listen to it.



Make sure you check out the great additional resources that Paula lists at the end of the post.



7 Simple Steps to Getting Your Book Reviewed

By Paula Krapf



Your book is ready for reviews and all you need to figure out is where and how to find the appropriate reviewers – so you can add the reviews to your website (you were planning to add the reviews to your own site, right?), find blurbs for your book cover if you don't have any yet, and just generally spread the word about your book.



But first, you need to know what to look for and where to go online to find reviewers.



1. Google is your friend



You can always start with Google and type in your "genre" + "book reviews" to start building your list; or, if you are familiar with books already published that are in your genre you can type in the "book title" + "book reviews" in order to discover reviewers who have reviewed similar material and might therefore be open to reviewing your book. When doing these searches, be prepared to do some serious groundwork, however – you'll need to visit each of these sites not only to collect contact information but to learn about the blogger and his or her site. You'll want to make sure they're still accepting review requests, see the genres they typically review and get a general feel for the blog and its tone and whether you feel it fits you.



2. Use the free tools



If you can, download Google's free toolbar which includes the Google Page Rank (GPR) algorithm. This is a useful tool for determining the "weight" of a given site; the higher the rank (from 0-10), the more important Google deems the site. What you want to try to do is find the most active people who review in your genre. A rank of 3 is very good for a review blog; although that doesn't mean you should discard anything below a GPR of 3. You should also read the blog and get a sense of whether the blog attracts readers; one sure sign of this is the fact that there are comments following the blog posts. Certain factors don't weigh as heavily – for instance, many blogs have Google subscribers, but this number can be misleading as those who join have to sign up to do so. There are many regular blog readers who simply won't take the time to sign up, so the number of Google subscribers may not mean much. You'll also want to see if the blogger is active on sites like Twitter and Facebook; if so, then the books they review are most likely posted to those popular social networking sites, which is great additional exposure for you and your book.



3. Read the fine print



In addition, most bloggers post their blog policies and genre/publishing preferences – it's important to read their policies in order to understand what they review, preferred genres, whether they'll consider self-published books and how long they may need to review your book. Here's a great example of a review policy: http://blog.mawbooks.com/contact-me/. If you're working on a tight timeframe and they indicate it could take 6 months to get to your book, well... you probably won't pitch them. Then again, if your book is in a small niche and this blogger and site seem perfect for you, a longer wait might be worthwhile. Many authors do not read the review policies before pitching bloggers, which is a bad idea. This information is readily available and there for a reason. Also, never send attachments via email but DO send links: to your author bio, photo, press release, books blurbs and book excerpts. These should all be on your website, and including them in your pitch is a great way to make it easy for prospective reviewers to learn about you and your book.



4. Reviews versus blog tour considerations



There is a difference between pitching for reviews versus seeking a blog tour. Requesting reviews could lead to coverage at any time, really, unless you work out a timeframe with the reviewer, but each situation is handled separately. A blog tour is typically coverage of your book by a certain number of bloggers within a given timeframe – a week, two weeks, a month. Blog tours can consist of reviews, interviews, guest posts and giveaways – there are many options. But before you seek bloggers to fill your tour dates figure out in advance what you'd like to do, how long you'd like to do the tour (so you know how many bloggers you'll need) and if you can't prepare guest posts in advance at least have some topics ready to present. Some bloggers love blog tours, others don't want any part of it. Your research will uncover the best prospects to pitch; just give yourself plenty of advance time to set up your tour. Bloggers are busy so you may find a certain number must decline due to other commitments and you'll need to seek others in their place.



5. Be thorough



The key is to do your homework – research the blog, the blogger and learn the things that matter, such as the blogger's name, contact information and preferred genres so you can send a professional, personalized pitch. If your genre is a natural fit for them it's a fact you can use in your pitch by indicating that your book is similar to other books they've reviewed (and provide examples). Also become familiar with their style – some bloggers tend to emphasize the positive and if they can't say anything nice, they may decline to review the book. Others prefer to be honest (brutally) if need be. Some bloggers are not afraid to tear and book and its author apart and are quite merciless in their approach. You need to know this before you pitch and be honest with yourself – look at the tone of the blog as ask yourself how you'd feel having your book reviewed the same way. If you can't handle it, don't do it. There are hundreds of blogs out there and there's room for you to decide that a certain blog or blogs don't work for you.



6. Free versus paid



One final note regarding paid reviews or tours. There are some review sites that charge for reviews claiming that they must compensate their reviewers for their time. There are sites that will charge you for a blog tour. They do not do anything you can't do yourself – research and identify bloggers, pitch, schedule, send books – so let the buyer beware, as the saying goes. You may be much better off going the free route in the book blogosphere where hundreds of bloggers connect with each other daily and work hard to provide as much exposure as they can for each book.



7. You do know best



Don't be afraid to trust your gut, either. You might find a gem of a blog that has a low Google Page Rank, but it's a nice-looking site, well written, has regular commenters and basically demonstrates a commitment to reviewing books – if you like what you see don't sweat the statistics, make a pitch! There are things you can do to boost your reviews such as posting your reviews on Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites, and those techniques will help you gain even wider exposure for that review. Once you find blogs you like, you can also look at their blogrolls for additional blogs to check out – often bloggers who like similar books list each other on their blogrolls.



Additional resources



Looking for sites to pitch? Here are some great and useful lists:



* Book Reviewers on the Web – this list includes industry standards, literary blogs, off the beaten track blogs and the more opinion-driven book bloggers, http://robinmizell.wordpress.com/book-reviewers/



* Midwest Book Review – a listing of a number of sites to check out, http://www.midwestbookreview.com/links/othr_rev.htm



* Best of the Web blogs – blog listing with a description of each blog listed, http://blogs.botw.org/Arts/Literature/Book_Reviews/



* YA Book Blog Directory – bloggers who specialize in Young Adult books, http://yabookblogdirectory.blogspot.com/p/ya-book-blogger-list.html



* Kidlitosphere Central – bloggers in Children's and Young Adult Literature, http://www.kidlitosphere.org/bloggers/



* Book Blog Directory – a large list of blogs followed by a brief description, http://directory.kaysbookshelf.com/



* FSB – search by genre(s) for bloggers, http://www.fsbmedia.com/book_blogger_search.php



* Book Blogs Search – a huge listing of blogs, http://fyreflybooks.wordpress.com/about/book-blogs-search/



* Things to know about Blog Book Tours - http://blogbooktours.blogspot.com/2010/06/blog-tips-to-consider.html







Paula Krapf is Chief Operating Officer of Author Marketing Experts, Inc., a marketing and publicity firm that specializes in Internet promotion, strategically working with social networking sites, blogs, micro-blogs, ezines, video sites, and other relevant sites to push an author's message into the virtual community and connect with sites related to the book's topic, positioning the author in his or her market. In the past 15 months their creative marketing strategies have helped land 10 books on the New York Times Bestseller list. Get free tips from our blog, http://www.amarketingexpert.com/blog/ and our biweekly newsletter Book Marketing Expert, http://www.amarketingexpert.com/. You can find Paula on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/PaulaatAME.

9 Tips For Great Web Copy: How To Keep Them Reading

If you are using a blog, newsletter or website, I have pulled together a few tips for web copy that you will want to consider. Remember, most people really do "surf" the web, meaning that they click on a site, scan it, and move on. You have a few precious seconds to grab their attention and encourage them to read on.

Balance of white space- You want to make sure that the eye easily flows over your information, including any pictures you might include. If you have seen a web site with blocks of text from narrow margin to narrow margin, you know how hard it is to read it. The same is true for sites with pictures everywhere. It almost looks as if the author wanted to cram everything into the page that they could find. This layout looks messy and few people will make the effort to wade through the info.



Keep paragraphs short- Remember, people are in scanning mode when they land on a web page. Short paragraphs invite them to read on, while long blogs of text encourages them to click on to the next site.



Use simple terms- You need to strike a balance between technical terms and plain English, as well as common words and words above the average person's head. If you can find the balance of common language with your wordsmith, then you are more likely to encourage your visitor to read on.



Use keywords- In order to get people to find your information, you will need to lay out the breadcrumbs to your site. One of the most powerful ways to do this is through relevant keywords. Make sure your content has those words that make the search engine happy.



Lead off with your thesis- You want to make sure that people know exactly what your content is about as soon as possible. The last thing you want to do is bury your lead deep into your content. Remember, create your content for surfers.



Use bullets- A great way to help surfers quickly find out what your main points are is through bullets. It aids in scanning and helps draw your main points to the surface. Bullets can be one of the best ways to get visitors to continue reading your post.



Never forget substance- We have talked about a lot of "form" issues, but choosing form over substance is a bad thing to do. The bottom line is this: Form may help people read the first time but substance will bring them back again and again.



Speak to the motivation- Every person has a reason that caused them to click on your site. If you can identify that motivation and speak to it in your content, then you will have a better chance at keeping your readers engaged. The two great motivators are fear and pleasure. There are others, but if you identify your visitors' motivation and give an answer to their motivation, you will keep them reading.



Know your reader- Make sure that you keep relevant content coming to your reader. If you are writing to people wanting information to help their marketing efforts, a post on fantasy football techniques and tips will cause your visitors to flee. Make sure you are speaking to your audience with information relevant to them.



I hope these tips get you thinking about the content you are creating. By keeping your visitors in mind, you will be more likely to make the choices in your web copy that best helps them find and digest the information you are offering them. I would love to hear comments from other experts with their tips as well!

Marketing Tips Around The Net: October 22nd

It's Friday and that means it's time for another trip around the net to look at marketing posts that have caught my eye this week. Before you take a look at these posts, check out the Publishing Insiders Wrap-Up: Blogging Ideas the Whole Year Through. This is the summary of Penny Sansevieri's Blog Talk Radio program that I was interviewed on. You can also replay the interview on demand when you want to listen to it.

Now, on to our trip around the net...

1. EBook Publishing Inspiration With Mark Coker From Smashwords- Joanna Penn interviews the founder of Smashwords about everything you need to know to create and market your own e-book, including where the e-book industry currently stands.

2. Five Easy Ways to Grow Your Platform- Penny C. Sansevieri gets you started on the right track when it comes to growing your author network.

3. Do Your Offline and Online Book Promotion Activities Support Each Other?- BookBuzzr invites Phyllis Zimbler Miller to discuss the issue of making sure that all your marketing activities work together.

4. Promote Your Book With Social Media Marketing- Dana Lynn Smith shares a great lists of resources to get you started with your social media marketing efforts.

5. Steal the marketing thunder from your corporate competitors at your next event- Roger C. Parker shares a resources that can help you with all your signage collateral for you next big event.

6. Good Idea to Read Facebook's Terms to Avoid Being in Violation- Phyllis Zimbler Miller provides this must-read post if you are promoting your business on Facebook.

7. Effective Media Interviews Generate Book Sales- Todd Rutherford invites guest Michael Ray Dresser to share tips on preparing for that big media interview.

8. Developing Contacts to Promote Your Book - Part I- L. Diane Wolfe shares some questions you need to ask yourself if you want to promote your book.

9. Test How Your Website Looks On The iPhone- Daniel Scocco shares a tool that will help you see what your website will look like in iPhone right on your desktop,

10. Author-Friendly Radio and TV- Do you want to be on radio or TV? Carolyn Howard-Johnson shares a lists of shows friendly to authors.

That's it for today's trip around the net. I will see you all on Monday with more Marketing Tips For Authors!