Doris-Maria Heilmann's Blog, page 77

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Tagged: free calls Skype, http://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2012/01/03/why-throw-out-your-money/, save money on phone, Skype phone, Skype SMS, video calls, worldwide calls with Skype

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Published on August 14, 2013 04:19

Smart Authors Get Paid for Marketing Their Books!

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Benefits of Content Marketing vs Asking for Media Reviews

Almost every author I meet, worries about getting reviews for their books, getting known by readers and selling more books. No wonder – with millions of books competing for exposure! Book reviewers, both in the media, especially magazines, newspapers, or radio and avid readers/reviewers and book bloggers, are overwhelmed with requests.

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But why asking for (media) reviews, when you could get both: book promotion and at the same time (often) being paid? I know, it is a new concept to many writers, but when you think about it – it makes really sense: why use your time and effort to chase reviewers, when you can use your energy to leverage your books content and your research content - to create articles that you can pitch to both, print and online newspapers and magazines?

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Make use of your assets!

The three main assets you have:

- your writing skills

- the content you already wrote

- the research you have done for your book(s)

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Write about anything

In recent blogs I introduced two writers who (indirectly) promoted their books to a million readers, just by writing

- about restaurants that are mentioned in his book (Steven Raichlen) in Huffington Post

- about how much he hates self-promotion (Sean Beaudoin) in Salon.com

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Let your imagination soar

I was just talking with a client, who wrote a romance novel, how much material she has to write about for blogs and newspaper/magazine articles. Not only her book, but using all the research she has done for it. Keywords for her book are: Skiing, mountain, outdoors, FBI agent, inheritance, stolen jewels, gemstones, Montana etc.

Other than surf- or football magazines, she can write for pretty much any newspaper or magazine in English language media. Note, that I did not say any US-media! English language media are covering not only America, but half of the world: Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain, Canada etc. as well as all English internet content providers.

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Two more benefits of writing content:

You have lots of material to write about.

You can tweet it, post on Facebook, put in your timeline on Google+ and mention in your blog – which you have certainly connected to your Amazon author page and to your Goodreads page.
You get valuable back-links to your website/blog.

In practically all articles you write, there is the “bio” or “about the author” where you can mention your book or your website – together with a link or sometimes maybe two. Click the links above to the two author blogs by Steven Raichlen and Sean Beaudoin, who wrote for Huffington Post and in Salon.com.

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Learn the techniques to write for newspapers / magazines

Write newspaper style: the inverted pyramid. Write in an inverted-pyramid style, with the conclusion first, details later. GoodDocuments.com gives these tips: “Write with the “punch line” first, starting with the conclusion, rather than building up. One way to learn to write this way is to write the section first with all the details, and then go back and start it with a lead sentence or two.”

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Writing Successfully for the Web

Online readers’ attention span is 10 seconds long, so writing for online publications is a bit

different from writing for print. WritersDigest gives lots of tips what’s different in online writing to writing a novel.

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Writing content can grow into free-lance writing

Ever wondered how freelance writers find markets for their craft and talent? Check out these websites/blogs for writing markets or freelance writing for airlines,

Do your research – both about your topic (double-check everything) and the publication you are pitching, rely on your particular expertise about a place or subject matter, and produce insightful copy, aimed at a sophisticated audience.

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Use a variety of media

Content book marketing includes not only blogging or writing articles for newspapers and magazines, but also podcasting, email marketing, creating online courses and even book marketing through webinars.

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Perfect for shy writers

Content book marketing is also perfect for shy writers who might cringe at stepping outside their comfort zone. They can promote their books at the end of each article they write and even add links to their website or book sales page. Traditional media is more and more outsourcing, barely any full-time writing staff is left, which means they are open to pitches from freelance contributors.

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Your articles are creating content people love to share, because it is either funny / witty or useful advice or otherwise interesting for readers. Content is used to draw in your ideal readers / reviewers and to build a platform. The result: you will increase your exposure, show your writing skills, grow a loyal following and attract reviewers – in one sentence: Achieve success with your books – and in many cases, even get paid for it. Once you break the “glass-ceiling” – the sky will be the limit!

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If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book intensively promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only $ 159 for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/ Once you are on this website, click on Seminar to register.

Please feel free to check out all previous posts of this blog (there are 830+ of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Chime.in, Facebook, Tumblr and to StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing

http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

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Tagged: AbsoluteWrite, content marketing, English language, freelance writing jobs, FundsforWriters, media bistro, web content writing, writing markets, Writing skills

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightning_Source

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Published on August 13, 2013 04:15

How Do You Distribute Your Print Book?

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Worldwide Distribution Credit wikimedia.org/wikipedia/common

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In a recent blog post - How Much Does Self-Publishing Cost? and earlier, Distribution of Your Print Book and CreateSpace, LightningSource or both? - we explained how to distribute your print book. Self Publishing With Amazon, CreateSpace, and LightningSource: Print-Book self-publishing guru Aaron Shepard, author of Aiming at Amazon set up a few guidelines that will suffice for new author publishers:

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1. Start with CreateSpace to most easily, efficiently, and reliably handle sales to Amazon, your biggest market. One exception is, if LightningSource is better able to produce your book. For instance, Lightning now has color offerings that beat those of CreateSpace either in quality or in affordability.

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2. When and if your sales are high enough that an extra 10% to 20% is worth doubling your effort, and if you want to have your book worldwide distributed, add Lightning Source. And for heaven’s sake, read POD for Profit, so you understand what you’re getting into.

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3. At least at first, set your list price to … Read all of Aaron Shepard guidelines, and his explanations for everyone, interested in print publishing and distributing books – maybe even worldwide.

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More about LightningSource and CreateSpace

https://www1.lightningsource.com/default.aspx

https://www1.lightningsource.com/benefits_small.aspx

Terri Giuliano Long, Boston College teacher and bestseller author wrote:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/terri-giuliano-long/self-publishing-platforms_b_2810092.html

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If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book intensively promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only $ 159 for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/ Once you are on this website, click on Seminar to register.

Please feel free to check out all previous posts of this blog (there are 830+ of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Chime.in, Facebook, Tumblr and to StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing

http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

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Tagged: Aaron Shepard, Aiming at Amazon, Book distribution, CreateSpace, LightningSource, POD for Profit, worldwide distribution

http://www.amazon.com/ dp/B00DL3ALDE

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Published on August 11, 2013 20:17

Suspense and Romance: Burn on the Western Slope

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“Burn on the Western Slope” by Angela Smith

“Captivating jewel”, “fantastic read”, “well-built characters”, “full of genuine conflict with fresh & unique twists”, are just a couple of many 5-star reviewer remarks for this fantastic debut novel. Angela Smiths lets her readers travel to the ski mountains of Montana and fascinates them on 274 pages of her book:
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Reagan McKinney is on a mission to discover more about a deceased uncle who mysteriously left her a sizable inheritance, a condo in the mountains, and a stash of stolen jewels. With both her graphic design career and her love life in shambles, the opportunity to begin a new life could not have come at a better time. When she becomes involved with the sexy FBI agent next door, she finds her struggle is not only to keep her heart intact, but her life.

Grief stricken after an undercover investigation ends in the death of his partner, FBI Agent Garret Chambers goes home to find solace in the arms of his mountain retreat. That is, until his boss assigns him to investigate the spirited brunette staying in the condo next door. He is assigned to investigate Reagan’s involvement with a large jewel fencing organization, but his investigation becomes compromised when his attraction to her heats up. Will his discovery destroy everything he has come to love, including Reagan?

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Author Angela Smith

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Find Angela Smith’s novel in digital form at these online retailers, $ 3.99 – print will follow soon and will be available at major retailers too:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/burn-on-the-western-slope-angela-smith/1115916239?ean=9781440570353

http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Burn-on-the-Western-Slope/book-DzzRVGdYBE6J_DUxJQHPAg/page1.html

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/burn-on-the-western-slope/id665930023?mt=11

http://www.scribd.com/doc/153493256/Burn-on-the-Western-Slope

Get to know the author on her website and blog:
http://www.loveisamystery.com/my-blog/

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Tagged: Author Angela Smith, Burn on the Western Slope, Crimson Romance, FBI agent, jewels, Montana, Skiing, stolen jewels

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Published on August 10, 2013 19:08

How to find Book Review Editors

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In the last blog post you could read how useless and expensive (measured to results) it is, to send out mass press releases, in the hope someone will pick up your book, review it and to write about it in a major newspaper or magazine. However, most likely it doesn’t work this way.

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You read how important it is, to customize your press release and send it to a targeted audience. But how do you find editors and journalists, who could write about your book – if it is hardcover and in the certain genres they review. More about this later.

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So, how can you find these Editors/Journalists?

Nothing easier, just google “Newspaper Book Review Editors”. On one of the top ranking places you will find John Kremer’s generous and helpful, free listing of editors of leading newspapers in the USA. Authors from other parts of the world just add the name of their country into the search function. This doesn’t mean that editors wouldn’t write about English books from abroad, but the likelihood is higher when the author comes from the same country.

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Use an Excel List and more tips

John Kremer also shows how a professional list of editors could be compiled in the Window’s Excel program. His lists are a free service and not updated constantly. As editors often change or might retire, it is anyway necessary to call ahead before you send out your news release. John Kremer also cautions: “Note that most newspaper book reviewers are only interested in major fiction, major social issue books, biographies of famous people, and some regional books.

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Important: good timing

Most newspapers only review new books. So, they need to have a book (galley copies or advanced review copies) six to twelve weeks before the publication date of the book. The most likely reason for no response is that your message was received and considered spam because it was not directed to the name of the editor/journalist, or a need those recipients have, or if it isn’t clear what the email is about!

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What about memoirs, non-fiction or children’s book authors?

You could start out with local newspapers or radio stations and try to get and interview, if there is anything in your book that you can hook to local points or to an upcoming holiday. So plan well ahead, at least three – six months ahead of your book launch.

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Another way to find names of media professionals who could introduce your book to a wider audience can be found when reading reviews in magazines and newspapers, online and print or listening to radio interviews. Note the name of the editor, journalist, reporter or interviewer. Google the mail or email contact of the editor. Sometimes names can also be found on new books back cover blurbs.

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What Press Release companies will NOT tell you:

Usually book editors will not review a book that is not published in hardback, and still often self-published books. A trade paperback, is also a huge strike against the chances of the book getting reviewed (but not absolutely impossible) even first-time author genre books are seldom reviewed, unless they are local. Non-fiction books seem a little easier to get reviews from them. However the self-published rule applies to all books.

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Before you send out your news release, make sure to get the editors submission guidelines – and that there is a slight chance for a review – things that press release companies don’t bother to do!

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What does all this mean for first-time, self-published e-book authors?

Direct your energy into getting in contact with book bloggers and book reviewers on Social Media sites, Goodreads and other literary websites and follow / friend these “power” readers to ask them – after you got them to know – to read your book, and hopefully they will review and write about it.

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If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book intensively promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only $ 159 for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/ Once you are on this website, click on Seminar to register.

Please feel free to check out all previous posts of this blog (there are 830+ of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Chime.in, Facebook, Tumblr and to StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing

http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

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Tagged: how to write a press release, pitch an editor, press release, self-published books, trade hard back, trade soft cover

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Published on August 09, 2013 11:01

Secret of a Successful Press Release

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A client emailed me recently:

“I received an offer: Promote your book to 1,000 websites, media outlets, and search engines. What do you think? Is there a realistic ROI (Return of Investment) for the $97.00 press release?”

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My reply:

“Do you really want an honest answer? It is terribly expensive for what you get! Their work-effort is five minutes maximum, these mass email costs them less than a dollar – and the rest is profit…

The recipients are not selected to the readership of your books genre. It goes out in a mass email to any websites, any media outlets (can be a lifestyle magazine or a Christian newspaper, or a garden / cooking magazine, a sports magazine, just about anything …). Well, and you are in search engines listed anyway with your blog and your website.

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The one who writes the press release will be you! They just copy / paste it into an email form (images seems not to be included, as far as I can see) and off it goes by mass email. NOT to your potential

readers! ROI (Return of Investment) with this kind of mass email? No way!”

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You might have read two former blog posts: 7 Errors To Avoid When Dealing With the Media and How to Write a Press Release for Your Book

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No time to read thousands of emails every day

Journalist, reporters and editors are under constant time pressure and overwhelmed with emails, they don’t even read them anymore, and for sure they are not reading mass emails with press releases that were not directly sent to their name, rather were sent to their newspaper office.

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Statement from a journalist:

“Why do companies and PR’s still target these useless muppets to waste journalists’ time, bombarding them with irrelevant stories. Do your homework properly, build up your own media contacts list and deal with them directly.”

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Make sure you email the right person.

Put together a file of hand-picked contact people at newspapers, radio stations, TV stations and other organizations that would be a good fit for your niche. The days of… blind copying everybody and hoping somebody picks up your press release is really over. Reporters and editors just get annoyed.

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If you want to receive great results from a promotional campaign, it must go to a target audience. To promote your book, you need to find journalists who are writing about books, and convince them that your work stands out among thousands in the same genre – and that it is useful / interesting for their readers. Having a great story is just not enough anymore. You need to know how to get reporters to listen. A successful press release campaign needs to be well planned:

• research of recipients

• research of key words

• research of benefits for readers

• creating a compelling headline

• get stunning photos

• write a catchy text

• editing, editing, editing

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As with everything you learn as an aspiring author-publisher-entrepreneur: When you do it the first time, it is a bit of en effort, but from the second Press Release on the learning curve is very steep, you have already a prototype, you have your checklist, and a number of journalists, reporters and bloggers coordinates in your files. Now you just need a brilliant photo or two, and to craft the article, which should be a breeze. After all you are a writer, right?

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If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book intensively promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only $ 159 for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/ Once you are on this website, click on Seminar to register.

Please feel free to check out all previous posts of this blog (there are 830+ of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Chime.in, Facebook, Tumblr and to StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing

http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

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Tagged: book promotion, marketing campaigns, news releases, newswire services, opt-in email form, press releases, recipients of press releases

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Published on August 09, 2013 03:56

How to Write a Brilliant Blurb for Your Book

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Blurbs are the second most important selling tool you have for your book, so you want this short description to grab the reader’s attention. Learning to write a short blurb for your book can be fun, but it is also a helpful practice for writing promotional short articles of any kind, especially for online copy, which should be always short and concise.

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Writing a blurb for your books’ back cover is not the only way you can make use of it:

as part of a proposal for a publisher
for your e-books online sales page on Amazon, Kobo, B&N etc.
as content for your website page or your blogs’ “About” page
for your submission for a contest
for your application as a “Writer in Residency”
editors or journalists need a blurb for an article on you and your book
as your book blurb for the person introducing you in an interview or a writers’ panel

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Remember the blog article about the “elevator pitch“, You Never Get a Second Chance…the 30-60 second description of your book? Writing a book blurb or a very short synopsis of your book is almost the same task of explaining your book in a few short sentences.

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What is the difference between a book blurb and a short synopsis?

A books blurb does NOT have a spoiler! It stimulates interest and curiosity and wets the readers appetite to buy / read the entire book.

A synopsis is a summary of the whole story – the beginning, the middle and the end: What happens throughout the story, at the end, how everything is resolved.

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What’s in for your reader? Tips on writing a blurb

Blurbs can range from a few lines to a few short paragraphs. A book blurb does not provide answers, but rather spark the reader’s curiosity.

First, you must determine the market for your story.
Most of your success will depend on your opening line — aka the hook or the headline.
Write your blurb in a way that shows your potential reader how you will deliver.
End with a reason for the reader to buy / read your book. It can be in the form of a statement or a provocative question.
Study lots of back cover blurbs in your own or a library’s shelves.
If it’s a novel, it should promise a fabulous, entertaining read. A Non-Fiction or self-help books blurb should promise a solution or appeal to the reader’s interest.

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Blurbs for Fiction

Book blurbs tend to pitch to the emotional side of fiction readers. The character’s experience is spooky, utterly devastating or heart-breaking. The blurb might talk about a mystery to be solved. Add questions into your novel’s blurb.

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Blurbs for Non-fiction

These book blurbs promise answers and strategies, such as “chock full of information“ or “gives you the solutions you where looking for.”

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Five basic elements

American Bestselling Author and writing teacher Mike Wells writes in his blog:

Each and every story is composed of the same five basic elements: a (1) hero who finds himself stuck in a (2) situation from which he wants to free himself by achieving a (3) goal. However, there is a (4) villain who wants to stop him from this, and if he’s successful, will cause the hero to experience a (5) disaster.

Read his worthwhile blog where he explains in detail how to write a synopsis of your book, under “Advice for Writers“.

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Writer short and shorter

How to shorten what has already been trimmed and trimmed and more trimmed? Learn it from Marilyn Byerly.

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Get testimonials

Once you mastered writing your own book blurb, you might want to get testimonials from celebrity writers in your genre. How you can achieve this, explains Marcia Yudkin and offers great tips on getting testimonials.

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Phrases with instant appeal

Sarah Kettle, copywriter for Penguin: “Note words and quotes and phrases with instant appeal, atmosphere, an air of mystery, a sense of character, a sense of place and put them all together in a coherent and exciting way.” So, whoever picks up the book and reads the blurb, thinks “I must read this book”.

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If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book intensively promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only $159 for three months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/ Once you are on this website, click on Seminar to register.

Please feel free to check out all previous posts of this blog (there are 830+ of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Chime.in, Facebook, Tumblr and to StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing

http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

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Tagged: blurbs for non-fiction, blurbs for novels, Book Blurbs, Book Synopsis, help with blurbs, how to write a blurb, Mike Wells, Sarah Kettle

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Published on August 08, 2013 05:13

10 Ways of Marketing with Pinterest

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70 million users and 2.5 billion monthly page views: Pinterest, an image-based, dandy social networking platform has been growing at record speed. Direct sales content is not allowed at Pinterest, according to their Terms of Service. However, but this doesn’t mean authors and publishers can’t get creative and use Pinterest for brand-building and to drive visitors via links to their book sales site.

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Here are 10 creative ways to use Pinterest as a platform for indirect marketing purposes in your social media marketing mix. It’s free and easy to use. The visual aspect offers great opportunities for authors to connect with readers by “pinning” their book cover images, photo scenes and illustrations from within their book.

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1. Create several Pin Boards

Depending on the story of your book, you could create custom product pin boards that indirectly

market through topics of your book. For example, when you wrote a historical novel, you can create

a pin board with historical photographs of the area, where the novel takes place and a pin board

about events happening at the time. A pin board about the characters… etc. Or if you wrote a

thriller, set in the financial sector, pin images of Wall Street or offices of investment bankers.

However be careful to show images of persons only after getting their written! consent if you take

the images.

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2. Images of You as a Writer

You could also create a pin board, showing images of your old typewriter, a pile of notes, your laptop, cute writing paper with a pretty pen, you – sitting on your desk and writing, or you – at a book signing or giving a talk.. you get the idea. And always add a cover image of your book, including an image of the back side if it is a paper book, a link to your sales page and the price of your book to EACH of these pin boards.

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3. Creating a direct link to your sales page

Pinterest drives more referral traffic than YouTube, Google+ and LinkedIn, combined. This means if you want people clicking through to the book page on your website or on Amazon, B&N or Kobo, so Pinterest may be your best bet. Don’t post only your books. Treat it as a way to share things you love. Visitors to your page will be happy to “meet the author”.

Make sure that your visitors can find – and buy your book: Add a description of your book, the direct link to your sales page and add the price after the description with a $ sign. Example: $2.99. Pinterest will place the price in the upper left corner of the image. Pinterest will automatically link to your sales site when a person clicks on it.

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4. Use “Send Pin” feature

With its new “Send Pin” feature, you can now send pins directly to friends within the site! I love this feature because I am constantly finding books that I think my friends would like. You can now simply click on the Send button and choose another Pinterest user, and from your phone or computer, you can also add a short message. You can only send pins to people that you follow and that follow you back, much like Direct Messages on Twitter.

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5. Informal Market Research

Use Pinterest to show several drafts of the cover images of your next book. Ask visitors to share their thoughts through comments and vote for their favored image. Encourage them to invite their friends on Pinterest, Twitter, Google+, Facebook or LinkedIn to participate and give an e-book

version of the upcoming book as prize drawing for the most popular cover image, chosen by them. You can also ask for feedback on illustrations, video, your book trailer, your ads, and much more.

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6. Create a Contest

Contests can get really creative on Pinterest. You could hold a contest for the best image story, pinned by a Pinterest user / customer taking images of your books or photos to create it. You could for example ask people to pin images of them, reading your book to Pinterest as part of your contest.

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7. Video Pin boards

When publishing How-to videos on YouTube or on your business blog, pin it on Pinterest and share that useful content. Create a pin board for all of your helpful content to give it broader exposure. Create a testimonial board – A great way to leverage your customer and fan enthusiasm is to create a board dedicated to ways that your product or service has helped them. Leveraging testimonials is an excellent way to use Pinterest.

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8. Promote Your Pin Boards

Cross-promote the content you publish on Pinterest pin boards – on your blog, Twitter, Google+ and other social media profiles – and vice versa, your social media appearance on Pinterest pin boards. Help your potential customers to spread the word by putting a button “Follow Me on Pinterest” to your website/blog as well as a “Pin It” button. It’s an easy way for people to pin your image or your video with a single mouse click. You can install these buttons within seconds; it makes your content more share-able.

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9. Tags & Hashtags

Neil Patel advises in “The Marketer’s Guide to Pinterest ”Tag popular pinners – You can get the attention of other pinners by including a “@mention” tag like Twitter in your caption. This will send a message to this particular user, who may then pick up on what you are pinning and re-pin it.”

“Use hashtags – like other social media sites: hashtags work on Pinterest to help you gain attention across multiple platforms and build up a following during a marketing campaign. It also works in gaining followers in much the same way as it does on Instagram.”

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10. Use Pinterest’s Analytics and Insights tool

To access the new analytics, click the word Analytics in the top-right menu under your name. If you

don’t see it yet, you need to make sure to switch to the new Pinterest look and verify your website.

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Authors and publishers who already have a personal account on Pinterest will be able to convert it to a business account. The process to open an author / business account with Pinterest is very easy and really fast. Visit their sample sites to learn more. Use Pinterest’s buttons and widgets to make it easier for people to pin items from your site, see what you’re doing on Pinterest, and follow you or your boards. Pinterest is the hottest social media tool right now. So, how do you make your own Pinterest page working for your book publishing business?

Have a look at these blog posts:

http://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2013/03/25/3-top-reasons-to-have-your-book-on-pinterest/

http://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2012/11/16/pinterest-for-business-launched/

http://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2012/03/26/are-your-books-already-on-pinterest/

http://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2012/01/29/how-can-pinterest-increase-your-book-sales/

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If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book intensively promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only $ 159 for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/ Once you are on this website, click on Seminar to register.

Please feel free to check out all previous posts of this blog (there are 830+ of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Chime.in, Facebook, Tumblr and to StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

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Tagged: Images on Pinterest, photographs, pin a photo, pin images, Pinboards, Pinterest, social media, Video Pinboards

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Michael-Cairns/e/B00C7UVAB4/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

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Published on August 06, 2013 19:06

8 Lessons from a Part-Time Author

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Today’s guest blog is by author Michael Cairn, who’s Fantasy novel The Spirit Room just launched. It is book one of the Assembly Trilogy. As a diligent writer we will not have to wait long, until his number two Book will follow. Michael learned eight lessons as a part-time author, while writing his latest book and a couple of novellas.

The Spirit Room

“Although I wrote my first novel in a couple of months just over two years ago, the main bulk of my work as a writer started a little over 8 months ago. It was then I launched my website, started blogging, tweeting and writing daily. This year I have written over 400,000 words, launched 3 novellas with my first full-length novel out on 1st August.

I have been really fortunate in that time to connect with some writing and marketing masters, and have learnt a huge amount from those generous people who share so much of their expertise. I have also picked up a few tips from my own ever present struggle to balance my vocation of writing with a full time job; caring for a young daughter; being a part time gigging musician and keeping the Missus happy.

Here are 8 lessons learnt from the last 8 months, I hope you find them helpful.

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1. Write as regularly as possible:

As a part time author, I don’t have the luxury of living the writer’s dream. My pajamas are off by half six, and I’m on my way to work well before seven. Writing regularly has helped me to

Write more quickly,
Get into my flow more quickly, and thus use those short bits of time more effectively, and
Create a lot of content in a short amount of time.

Since November, I have written three and a half novels, six novellas and a bunch of short stories. Something that every experienced self-published author agrees on is that regular, quality content is essential for those of us wanting to make the leap from part-time to full-time. I have also found that it helps to: Stop writing when you are in the middle of something. By pausing halfway through a scene, it is much easier and quicker to dive back in. If you always have to begin with a new chapter, it can take longer to get going.

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2. Make time.

The key thing that has made the above possible is putting aside chunks of time in the day to devote to my writing. Once these times are programmed in, they become sacrosanct. I’m hugely fortunate in having a wife who is both patient and believes in me. She understands the importance of me getting this time, and I think it is essential that you explain to your loved ones / cats / boss / students / Playstation how vital it is. Find or make time, then make it sacred.

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3. Plan your time.

Try writing down a detailed account of your day, for a few days. Include timings on everything, and be as detailed as you can. What you are likely to notice are the gaps, the short spaces of time when you can’t really account for what you did. These spaces are dead time, when maybe you watched the coffee percolator, or even better, cats on YouTube, (easily done J). This is your writing time.

A focused ten minutes is two hundred words. Look for the dead spots, and use every second that you have.

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4. Read constantly.

I read constantly, and have done so for as long as I can remember.

Michael Cairns

My childhood was filled with epic fantasy and Sci-Fi, my twenties with as many classics and modern literature novels as I could find. These days it’s both and everything in between, as the mood takes me. I also read comics, of all kinds, and recommend them just as strongly as books. Just as an artist studies the masters, or a great songwriter listens to the Beatles, so we must examine, critique, learn from and enjoy what has come before us.

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5. Watch people.

A big part of being an author is the creation of characters, of people others want to spend time with. The more true-to-life those characters are, the more emotional impact their journey has on the reader.

I watch people when they interact, and when they think no one is watching. I watch how they walk, and use their hands, and what their forehead does when they think, or laugh, or talk to someone. I watch people across the street on their phone, and invent the conversation. Watching people is one of the best, and most efficient ways of developing your ‘show don’t tell’ skills.

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6. Write stuff that excites you.

If, as a part time author, your writing comes between feeding the cat, putting the bins out, and sleeping, or in the seven minutes you get between buying your sandwich and heading back to work, you have to be motivated. The passion to write can come from many places. Creating something that you can’t bear to step away from, that draws you back to it, really helps add fuel to the fire. Create content, be it fiction or non-fiction, which gets you going, and raises your heart rate, something that transports you somewhere magical whilst you’re writing, and those seven minutes may well be as useful as seven hours.

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7. Get as much quality advice as possible.

The difference that advice and help, from trusted sources, has made to my journey is quite astounding. From a self-publishing course from Jo Penn, to the countless blogs I have read, everything I am doing now has been influenced by the hundreds of people who have done it before me, and been generous enough to share their experience. For the part-time writer, time is everything, and spending five minutes reading something that could save you hours is well worth it.

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8. Ignore the advice that doesn’t work for you, or everyone is different, be yourself:

Quality advice is good but you also need to know when to ignore it. I have sometimes struggled in the last few months to deal with the fact that I am a complete pantser. My plotting normally takes the form of writing a sentence, then going ‘ohh, wouldn’t it be cool if…’, then writing a paragraph and going ‘ahh, yes, and then this could happen…’ and so on. By the halfway point, I’ll normally know how it’s going to finish, but beyond that, I’m just winging it. I read blogs on writing constantly, and therefore come across plenty of advice on plotting and planning. Every few weeks I’ll read a particularly compelling one, and find myself questioning my approach. Then I’ll remember that everyone has their own way of writing, and that mine, so far, seems to be working. So I breathe a sigh of relief, ignore the advice, and move on.”

“What works for you? Do any of these strike a chord, or do you have your own helpful hints? Let me know.”

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Michael Cairns Blog Tour Bio: Chocoholic Michael Cairns is a writer and author of the real-world epic fantasy trilogy, The Assembly and science fiction adventure series, A Game of War. He is a musician, father and school teacher. When not writing he can be found behind his drum kit, tucking into his chocolate stash or trying, and usually failing, to outwit his young daughter.

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Social Media: http://www.twitter.com/cairnswrites

Feel free to ‘like’ http://www.facebook.com/cairnswrites

http://www.amazon.com/Spirit-Room-Assembly-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B00E6XP7BE

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Tagged: http://www.pinterest.com/michaelcairns, make time to write, Michael Cairns, Part-time Author, Playing God, The End of Innocence, The Spirit Room

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Published on August 05, 2013 20:01

Why I Hate Self-Promotion

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Why I Hate Self-Promotion is the title of a Salon.com article by SEAN BEAUDOIN, author of

You Killed Wesley Payne
Going Nowhere Faster
Fade to Blue
The Infects
and tomorrow, August 6, his latest book will launch: Wise Young Fool

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I planned a completely different blog post today, but when I read this hilarious article, I just had to write about his sad/funny musings and how it can help authors. Sean Beaudoin’s subtitle is: ”As an author, marketing myself is a crucial part of the business — but that doesn’t mean I hate doing it any less”.

Sean has a publisher, however, as with all big (and small) publishers, he is “responsible for his own book promotion, as he is not John Grisham. And even John Grisham bitches about his promo budget.” Sean explains: “Publishers used to do most of the marketing for the books they put out. The best an author could do was finish the last chapter and then show up reasonably sober for a tri-city book tour.”

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“It’s essentially the record business model. A label signs 100 bands and tosses a few singles out there, hoping one gets noticed and blows up. Meanwhile, they spend all their cash stroking Mariah Carey, who is going to sell the same shit-train of albums regardless. The label does nothing to promote the 100 unknown bands, and if their singles die–which almost all of them do–so be it. Contracts were made to be canceled. But there are rare unexpected and random hits, and that is where the money comes from.”

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So, what can we learn from Sean Beaudoin?

He makes almost everything right: I have never heard about him or his books. Now I do! Why?

He is smart and wrote a guest post on Salon.com, a really great and funny peace of writing that makes readers wanting to see his books. And it allowed him to include lots of links to:

his website
his Facebook account
his Twitter handle @seanbeaudoin
his YouTube trailer for his latest book

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You get the idea?

If you don’t get an article like this into Salon.com or the Huffington Post, write at least for a major newspaper (or a regional one), a magazine or a blog that has lots of readers (not writers), who might be interested in your topic. You can write about scenes and facts of your book in a thousand angles and topics. See also a sample of what you can do in a former blog post about Steven Raichlen’s article in the Huffington Post.

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Did I mention his book’s great cover design? Another good idea: he (or his publisher) posted his latest book on Amazon and other online retailers for pre-orders, which every author should do. Why this is so important? Bookstores return unsold copies after three months to the publisher. Bookstore chains, such as B&N, sell over the internet too. And some readers who have heard from friends or online about your book go (still) to bookstores to get it. As more buzz is made about your book BEFORE it launches, as better for its success.

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We can learn a lot from Sean’s promotion mistakes too

He writes: “I have 975 followers on Twitter, an embarrassing pittance for anyone trying to move units.” Well, in the meantime his Twitter followers increased by a hundred more – for sure due to his article. Anything less than 2,000 Twitter followers is pretty useless. Lots of books about Social Media recommend even NOT to follow people under 2,000 followers at the least. Better those from 5,000 and up… To reach these numbers, one just needs to be pro-active and re-tweet a lot. And most important to choose readers, bloggers and book reviewers as followers.

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Sean Beaudoin is NOT on Goodreads, where readers flock to, and this is a big mistake. There he could not only have an author page, but also a second one for all his books. He could join lots of reader groups in all possible genres and beyond, without having to peddle his books. He could upload all his Twitter followers and Facebook friends with one click. His shear presence would be enough; plus a Goodreads Giveaway campaign that could bring a lot of attention to readers and also book reviewers.

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Same with Google+ where he could join reader communities, show off his books and on his Google+ page show all his book titles several times a day – a rarity in Social Media. Most important: being on Google+ means authors and their books are automatically on Google’s search engine top rankings. An additional benefit of Google+ is their EVENT page where one can announce a book launch for free to the public. However, the same is true as for all Social Media sites: choose lots of followers, which is very easy at Google+, done with only a click on the ADD function which is next to each Google+ account. It is even easier as with other sites. You don’t have to wait for approval as on Goodreads or Facebook.

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Having said all this, Sean Beaudoin’s marvelous website, his great book trailers, an interview and especially his article in Salon.com and in Weeklings will find him lots of new readers. Check out his new book Wise Young Fool on Tuesday, August 6, in bookstores – and is already available on Amazon.com. The Hardcover sells for only $13.23, and the e-book for $8.89. Wise Young Fool is certainly available on Amazon.co.uk and other countries as well.

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You see, even here in this blog post Sean Beaudoin’s books are indirectly promoted, just writing about his initial article. It proofs that writing for magazines, blogs and newspapers, no matter if print or online, will help to show off your books and start a snowball system of publicity.

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If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book intensively promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only $ 159 for three months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/ Once you are on this website, click on Seminar to register.

Please feel free to check out all previous posts of this blog (there are 830+ of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Chime.in, Facebook, Tumblr and to StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing

http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

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