Doris-Maria Heilmann's Blog, page 94
February 13, 2013
9 Reasons to Get Help Boosting Your Books Success
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Author-Publishing looks like a puzzle first, but we will help to set it up
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Our blog has had now more than 133,000 visitors, over 500 subscribers, on Twitter we have far more than 40.000 followers, in our Google+ circles are 5,000 people. On Chime.in‘s Writing & Publishing Groups are 2,700 followers, on Goodreads 1,300 friends, plus Pinterest, Facebook with two accounts, StumpleUpon, 111Publishing.com website… and some more …
Why do I list all this? To show you how much visibility your book(s) can get when we help you to built a community / network platform and a brand for you as an author. We show your book constantly on all these sites!
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9 Reasons (at least!) to Choose our Book Marketing Help:
Three hours of one-on-one Book Marketing Online Seminar phone-consultations
Unlimited book marketing consultations by email for up to three months
Unlimited social media help by email for up to three months
Instructions / Checklist / Hundreds of links for you to use for your book promotions
Free e-book: “Book Marketing on a Shoestring” launch in March 2013
Support & advertising your book on free days with Amazon KDP to hundred thousands
Blog posts including cover image/author bio/book description on both, blog and our websites
NEW: Author interview on our blog website
NEW: “Book of the Month” recommendation major book lover sites
Advertising of your book several times/week for 3 months on all our social media sites
Plus one surprise gift we will reveal once you sign up!
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As you can see, our Book Marketing Help is customized for you, the author, and we will individually work with you on your book’s success. It all starts with our purchase of your book and then an evaluation of your book’s sales page, your social media presence and your marketing activities so far. We will explain you the benefits of various steps in building the platform for you as an author and how you can establish a brand without incurring extra cost, such as expensive ads or how to avoid costly POD’s.
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Get Help from Professionals who Have Studied Marketing & E-Publishing!
We do NOT sell publishing / marketing videos, pre-recorded Webinars or DVD’s! We really work one-on-one with you!!! In some cases we worked up to 20 hours per client – it is not only the time we talk with everyone, it is the research in each case and the amount of time we invest in individual programs we create for each of our clients.
We recently did a search of several dozen book publicity sites and their price for similarly individual marketing and comparable work would be around $2,500. We are charging only $98 for 3 months (approx. $1 / day) advertising, coaching and consultations.
Book your first 3-months package securely with PayPal on our website:
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Hyper Smash
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Tagged: Book M, Book Marketing, one-on-one instruction, online training, PayPal, www.111Publishing.com/seminar
February 11, 2013
Interview with Patrick Jones, author of “The Wolf’s Moon”
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Patrick thank you so much for taking the time today for this author interview. Let’s dive right in:
What inspired you to start writing?
I have written since I was a kid. I wrote a mystery novel in High School. My classmates liked the story but it, like everything else, wound up in the circular file cabinet. Mrs. Ruth Morrisey, an English Lit teacher, encouraged me to write, while my family said I would starve.
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How did you get the idea for the novel?
One day I sat with a pen and paper and just started writing. Sandy, my wife, was giving a lecture at a seminar so I decided to kill some time. The more I wrote, the more it took on its own life. “The Wolf’s Moon” went from a doodling, to a short story and ended as a novel. I only wrote what I saw in my mind.
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Author Patrick Jones
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How would you describe your book to someone who has not yet read it?
The story is an action suspense thriller that intertwines love, loyalty and in the end, redemption. Mark Lansdowne wants to be left alone to grieve the loss of his wife to illness but instead is pulled into uncontrolled circumstances which narrowly cost him his life. Although he knows he and his lifelong pal, Warren Skruggs, should leave it to the proper authorities, things continue to happen causing Lansdowne to take matters into his own hands.
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Does your book have any underlying theme, message, or moral?
Loyalty and Love: The loyalty between Linden and Skruggs: Trusting each other even if it caused their death, never questioning their motives. True love that Linden has for his deceased wife: Linden made a commitment and took a vow. He loved her completely in life, so her death is only a temporary separation. Love and friendship do not die.
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Who is your favorite character and why?
Skruggs. The reason I like Skruggsy is because he would rather see humor than the bad in life. He always smiles, but when the smile fades he becomes a very controlled, violent individual. He deeply loves his wife. He would help anybody at the drop of a hat that needed help. But he would kill just as fast.
Are your plots based on your real-life experiences?
For a writer to convince the reader that a character is real, he must believe each and every one of them is real. While one is writing the story he or she lives with each character as though they actually exist. Maybe they are fictional but life experiences, what the writer sees, feels and hears must be the same for them. I think this is true regardless of genre if the writer expects their readers to identify with the characters. Each reader should think of someone they know or have met.
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Give us an excerpted quote from your favorite review of this book:
“Thriller fans will rejoice at the well-paced vignettes and spiking tension.”
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If Oprah invited you onto her show to talk about your book, what would the theme of the show be?
I would think that I could get on stage and Oprah would say, “How in the world did you write a book and have it made into a movie at this time in your life?” Adele would then sing the song she made for the movie!!
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What would/could a reader or reviewer say about this book that shows they “get” you as an author?
The Kirkus Review has captured the essence of the book by the following description of their interpretation: “Jones’ novel confidently lays the groundwork for future books, with romantic and thriller subplots tightly interwoven in the service of a propulsive narrative. No time is wasted in introducing the characters or the creature, yet nothing feels rushed. Fans of romance may feel shortchanged by the surprisingly chaste nature of Lansdowne’s interactions with the nurse. However, thriller fans will rejoice at the well-paced vignettes and spiking tension. Jones doles out information with care, providing enough history to make things clear without overwhelming exposition. This same care is evident in the novel’s resolution, which ties up loose ends without shutting the door on further developments.”
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Thinking way back to the beginning, what’s the most important thing you’ve learned as a writer from then to now?
Years ago, before Indie Publishing, it was hard, if not impossible, to get a book on the market. Now if a person is willing to pay people (that a publisher pays) it’s not as hard. What I have really learned is writing the book is easier than selling the story. When I received my first proof copy, I was satisfied that I completed what I had set out to do. I have learned literary agents are tough people who have to say, “no,” a lot. They cannot take too many chances. Books are their bread and butter and they have to maintain a good rapport with publishers. If a publisher, after spending time and money promoting a book and it doesn’t sell, he or she is on the street.
I don’t think of a rejection letter as a bad thing. It just tells me I need to sharpen my skills. It is like getting a bad review. I smile knowing I did something they probably did not – I wrote a book.
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Considering a book from the first word you write to the moment you see it on a bookstore shelf, what’s your favorite part of the process? What’s your least favorite?
Since my book has not been in a bookstore yet, I suppose my favorite part really is working with my wife. It is fun. We work well together. I have not found anything I don’t like, except trying to find new ways to sell my book.
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If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything about your book?
No, I like it the way it is. The editor said the first chapter sounded like a travel log. Maybe, but people who have read the book tell me it helps to understand the Ozark Region. Stephen King wouldn’t have liked Chapter One but I don’t think he has read “The Wolf’s Moon”. I haven’t heard from him…YET.
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What genre have you not yet written but really want to try?
A children’s book. I think it would be fun but I can’t visualize anything yet. One day, perhaps.
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If your book would be made into a movie, who should play the main character?
The guy who played the part of the scientist in the TV program SG1, Michael Shanks. He looks much like I imagined Linden to look and I think he could pull it off.
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How did you get published? Please share your own personal journey.
We self-published. Sandy and I shopped around to find someone and decided on Create Space. We were actually able to speak with a person that advised us. The rest sent emails. Yes, most everything had a price tag. They were not the cheapest nor were they the priciest. The people at Create Space were easy to talk with. When we ordered books, they usually arrived before the scheduled delivery date. They mentored us through all of the steps we needed to go through to get the book published. We learned that the process does not end there. There are a multitude of other steps that are necessary to traverse through the self-publishing adventure. We have met wonderful people along the way who have mentored us throughout the entire process. Sometimes it is frustrating, but with each baby step we move ahead in the journey.
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What general advice do you have for other writers?
If there was any advice I would give to an aspiring writer, it is to write. Read other people, not for story content, but to see how they put the story together. Don’t read just the King’s or the Patterson’s but also the Twain’s, Spillane’s and Fleming’s out there. Then develop your own style. Anyone can copy a style but to be unique to you, it must be your own style.
When they have what they feel is their style – let a few people read something. They should be people that will tell the truth and give an honest opinion. If it’s not what you wanted to hear, don’t get discouraged, get determined. Don’t quit.
Remember: There are a great many people out in the world wanting to sell their work. Whether you sell only one copy or make the New York Times Bestseller List, you did something that many want to do and never do – you wrote and completed a book.
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What do you find is the best part of being an author?
That is a hard question. I think meeting, talking, or emailing people who have said they enjoyed the book and they want to know, “when is the next one coming out?” It is fun to know they enjoyed the story enough to want another.
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What is ONE thing that you have done that brought you more readers?
Blogging has done a lot but my wife continuously gets me involved with social media. She says that it is important for people to know that I am no different from them. I still cut grass, work in my wood shop, go grocery shopping. I do all the same things that they have to do. Where they may work in a factory, my job is writing.
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What’s one thing that your readers would be surprised to know about you?
My personal world is a simple, comfortable place, as my immediate family makes life wonderful. Sandy (my wife) and I like flowers, so we have several gardens around the house. Our house is like one from a fairy tale. At the end of a day, sitting with her on the deck having that last cup of coffee, watching the sun set and the moon rise give me great satisfaction and contentment.
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Where can people learn more about your writing?
To know more about me they can go to the website: http://www.thelindenchronicles.com .
There readers can see pictures and my blogs. I like to blog about everyday things.
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Thank you so much Patrick to get to know you better and to hear about your journey of writing the first book and the first year as an author-publisher.
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Hyper Smash
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Tagged: http://www.thelindenchronicles.com, Kirkus Review, Michael Shanks, Ozark Mountains, Patrick Jones, Stephen King, The Wolf's Moon, Thriller
February 7, 2013
Have You Got a Marketing Plan for Your Book?
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Marketing possibilities for your book sometimes seem to be overwhelming. Use this article to schedule and divide it into small pieces to execute one at a time – make it a habit to work on it every day.
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Let’s assume that you, as a self-publishing author have produced an excellent, high-quality book or e-book and now you are going to publish and to market your book.
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Or take scenario two: you have written the best book and found the best agent possible and she’s made the best deal she can get with the best publisher who’s interested, then you will be surprised to learn about the reality in traditional publishing: Publishers do spend money on advertising, PR and paid placement in bookstores, but they don’t spend the same amount on all books. On average publishers spend less than $2,000 on advertising 90% of their titles—not much to get the word out about your book.
Bookstores will return your unsold books after three months to the publisher, which means almost the end of your book’s “brick & mortar” career. These are the reasons YOU will have to get the word out about your book, no matter if you author-publish or if you go with a big, traditional publisher.
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You certainly have done your homework before you started writing your book:
You researched your possible competition and how popular the genre is in which you are writing.
You have identified your target market and in which time-frame you want to accomplish the introduction for your book.
You made plans for your writing career, you vision already – and maybe even lined out several books, you know that one book only doesn’t make for a writing career.
You thought about where you want to be in one, three, or five years from now, and what you want to have accomplished as a writer then.
You also know that book marketing starts ideally before and while you write your future bestseller.
There are two avenues to market and sell your work, even if you have sold your manuscript to a traditional publisher. Either you:
will invest lots of money and buy ads / go on book signing tours / attend book fairs – or you
will invest time into building a platform and an authors brand through the use of social marketing and content marketing, plus you learn some fast and free tricks to spread the word about your book
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And then there is 1. the promotional, social part and 2. the “hard-selling” part for your book.
The latter will barely work if you have not laid out the foundation with the first part. Would you likely buy something from an unknown person, no matter if on- or off-line? Remember that your competition in published books is fierce and there are millions published every year. Readers have to be convinced to buy an unfamiliar book from a totally unknown author…
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It will be the same for both, fiction or non-fiction: The foundation for your books’ success is in building a community, a social environment and a platform to introduce yourself and your work to readers. How can you accomplish this, even before your book is finished? It takes a year to make yourself known in the book community, so start early in order to have a successful book launch:
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1. What you can do before your book is ready to go to the beta-reader, copy-editor and final editor:
- Have a professional! photographer taken a portrait to use for your avatar
- Get to know and introduce yourself to potential readers, sign up at Google+
(good for SEO), Twitter, FB, Pinterest, Flickr
- Join several book communities, #1 Goodreads, #2 Wattpad, #3 KindleBoards, BookTalk, Scribd…
- Visit forums in your field, especially if you write non-fiction
- Join HARO (Help a Reporter out) to make yourself a name as an expert in your field
- Start and write regularly (once or twice a week) blog posts
- Create your own (not a free!) author website
- Send your blog articles to newspapers / magazines and even to e-Zines
- Write guest blogs for other bloggers to get your name out
- Write your “elevator pitch” and practice your “elevator speech” for quick pitch
- Start a spread sheet or list with email addresses of potential readers
- Create an email signature & use it for every email you send out
- Print business cards / book marks
- Get an ISBN number and register your copyright
- Register with Bowker to have your book worldwide listed (free)
- Choose the right genre (category) and keywords for your book
- Gather as many reviews as possible and write a compelling blurb
- Research media contacts and prepare Press Releases
- Invite several thousand! people as followers and friends on your social media sites
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2. Plan of action, once your book is edited, has an appealing cover – that’s what people see first, is professionally converted (e-book), or got a perfect layout (print) and is ready to launch:
.- Place your book into the right category / genre and sub-genre (important for its success!)
- Create a second, separate BOOK PAGE on Amazon, Goodreads, Google+ and FB
- Submit your book to the Library of Congress (USA only)
- Set up a media press kit on your website with a link to your book trailer
- Plan and create an email campaign to potential readers
- Get customer orders for special (price) pre-launch sale
- Invite more reviewers for your book
- Submit photos of your book cover image to Pinterest, Flickr…
- Create a slide show and/or video book trailer
- Send copies to book reviewers in various publications and to book bloggers
- Send review copies to book clubs with large distribution
- Automate submissions to and between all your social networks
- Write a blog post about the upcoming launch
- Spruce up your website and blog for your book launch
- Write a compelling press release
- Ask your friends to “Like”, “Thumbs up” & “Listmania” your book on Amazon
- Participate in “Carnival of the Indies” blog carnival to promote your blog URL
- Comment on other blogs and write lots of guest blogs
- Submit your blogs including an URL link to even more e-Zines
- Consider to participate at KDP Select free days, announce your upcoming book for free
- Offer interviews at Radio /TV stations and newspapers or on other blogs
- Try to set you up to become a desirable guest expert on a talk or morning show
- Befriend influential book bloggers for even more reviews and articles
- Donate your book to local libraries and offer to speak
- Contact local bookstores for book signings
- Gather writing friends for cross-promotions and blog tours
- Add press clippings and articles, already published, to your website
- Get a new business card with an image of your book and sales link
- Place the books’ cover image & description daily on your Google+ stream
- Announce your book launch or book signing on Google+ for FREE
- Get even more friends, followers and people in your circles on social media sites
as you need lots of audience to spread the word about your new book!
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What else can you do to increase your books’ success:
- Become a guest speaker at writers conferences or business seminars
- Sell your book to libraries
- Let your book translate in other languages or sell foreign rights
- Split your (non-fiction) book in pieces and sell single articles to magazines
- Participate in writing contests and book awards
The possibilities are endless… Stay tuned for more tips at http://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com
Make sure you have done every one of these steps to have a great start once your book is published. Write for pleasure – publish for profit!
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If you enjoyed this blog post, please feel free to check out all previous posts of this blog (there are almost 700 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 StumpleUpon.
Follow on Twitter: @111publishing
And don’t forget to spread the word on other social networking sites of your choice for other writers who might also enjoy this blog and find it useful. Thanks, Doris
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Hyper Smash
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Tagged: author brand, Book Marketing, book signing, building a platform, do spend money on advertising, e-book, Pinterest, Social Media Networking
February 5, 2013
Which Plug-Ins Are You Using For Your Website or Blog?
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Your website or blog is your online billboard and resume. You want to have it seen by as many readers as possible. There is no easier way to multiply the amount of readers or potential customers than with plug-ins and sharing buttons – up to seven times.
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Installing click-able buttons to offer the idea of sharing front and center to your readers, makes it incredibly simple for them to post your link to Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or other social networks and share the news or information with their peers. These little buttons are just too tempting to click on and tell all your peers about the wonderful article you just read or the great website you discovered.
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However, there are not only plug-ins to multiply your audience, there is a variety of well coded security plug-ins such as Bulletproof security, Wordfence, or Better WP security. Also very useful are the ones who help with Search Engine Optimization, for sample Google XML Sitemaps, a plug-in which will generate a special XML sitemap, supporting search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo and Ask.com to better index your blog. With such a sitemap, it’s much easier for the search engine crawlers to see the complete structure of your site and retrieve it more efficiently.
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A quick overview gives an info-graphic by wptemplate.com, including short descriptions and ratings.
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WP Template
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Jeff Bullas wrote a great blog post again, listing the 30 most popular WP plug-ins, and their direct links to detailed information. Get the list of these most popular WP plug-ins here on his website.
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Visitors, who find your blog content valuable, can link to it with one click to their Google+, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, Reddit, StumpleUpon and Facebook accounts – and even to several hundred smaller social media sites. Give them the chance to spread the word about you and your (book) business. Install your plug-ins now into your website and blog.
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If you enjoyed this blog post, please feel free to check out all previous posts of this blog (there are
almost 700 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 StumpleUpon.
Follow on Twitter: @111publishing
And don’t forget to spread the word on other social networking sites of your choice for other writers who might also enjoy this blog and find it useful. Thanks, Doris
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Hyper Smash
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Tagged: Blog Marketing, Blogging, Jeff Bullas, most popular sharing plug-ins, security plug-ins, SEO plug-ins, share buttons, Wordpress, WP plug-ins
February 3, 2013
13 Reasons for Writers to Cruise the Caribbean
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Many cruise travelers want more stimulating activities on days at sea than simply reclining by the pool, sitting on the bar, drinking or playing cards. A growing number of cruise lines are adding programs - interactive workshops, lectures from experts, culinary demonstrations and seminar presentations on a variety of topics.
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Carnival Cruise Lines added a Seminar for Writers at the brand new “Breeze”, which departs on November 3, 2013 from Miami into the Caribbean. Stops will be in:
- Nassau, Bahamas
- Grand Turk
- Ocho Rios, Jamaica
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Why is it a fantastic possibility for writers to spend their vacation (or part of it) on a Caribbean cruise and learn at the same time about publishing and book marketing?
1. Before you start your NaNoWri Month, learn which publishing possibilities are out there and how you could create your author platform – before your book is ready to publish.
2. November is a great vacation month in the Caribbean, and at this time of the year cruises are more for adults as the school year is in full swing.
3. Spoil the author in your life and have this event booked before Valentines Day – as it is a fantastic gift for your loved one, better than any chocolates or over-priced dinners. What you pay for a Valentine evening out is almost the down payment for this cruise!
4. This unique “Workshop-At-Sea” will help authors to:
Strategically establish a writing career
Create their own brand and platform
5. The seminar gives writers suggestions:
How to market and publicize their books on a budget or for FREE
Find book publishing funding sources, grants and writers residencies
6. The seminar will help you to:
Identify their target readers and
how to reach these potential book buyers, without incurring costs
7. As a Special Guest at this “Seminar Cruise” you qualify for Discount Rates on spectacular shore excursions, such as to the cascading waterfalls of Dunn’s River, near Ocho Rios, Jamaica, or diving excursions on Grand Turk’s protected coral reef.
8. This Book Marketing & Publishing Seminar will be held during the days at sea – two half-day lectures – and offers as an added value, one-on-one consultations for authors.
9. Staterooms in this time-limited offer are unobstructed and in preferred categories and include the amazing exclusive events / amenities, outlined in #11
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10. For this 6 Night Cruise, spouses who are not participating in the seminar, get a reduction of $200 for their fares. Prices are “Per Person” and include all port charges, government fees, taxes and mandatory pre-paid gratuities. The Carnival website and most other online cruise sites do NOT include these “extra” charges…but this special offer rates DO!
11. Signing up with the cruise representative requires only a down payment of $250 per person, the remaining is due latest to the end of July 2013. Packages start at $1.032 per person for a double, and $832 for those who are not attending the seminar.
12. Authors who established a writing business can partially deduct costs for the cruise, such as the two days at sea, the seminar fee (which is included in the faire) and transportation / accommodation to Miami. For details ask your tax advisor.
13. Cruise voyages are very inclusive and offer great value:
Brand new attractive staterooms
Transfer to Miami pier
A bottle of Sparkling Wine in every stateroom
Chocolate Covered Strawberries in every stateroom
FREE Photograph Credit for every stateroom
An Onboard Bon Voyage “Meet & Greet” Party
Two Book Marketing Success Workshops plus individual consultations
A Private Farewell Party with champagne toast
Your cruise certainly includes all your meals in the regular dining venues, a smorgasbord of on-board entertainment including Vegas style shows/musical performances/comedy & variety shows, and some beverages (coffee/tea/juices).
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If the idea of taking a publishing and book marketing class and experiencing the pleasures of cruising at the same time appeals to you, you can conveniently and safely book your reservation online at http://Writers.TheCruiseEvent.com or call Dancing Moon Travel (404) 913-4FUN
Cruise ships to the Caribbean fill up months in advance. Our experience shows that many of the best and preferred cabins will be reserved within just a few weeks!! Plus, there are several other niche groups scheduled to be on board. If you are considering cruising with us, register now.
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If you enjoyed this blog post, please feel free to check out all previous posts of this blog (there are almost 600 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 StumpleUpon.
Follow on Twitter: @111publishing
And don’t forget to spread the word on other social networking sites of your choice for other writers who might also enjoy this blog and find it useful. Thanks, Doris
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Hyper Smash
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Tagged: Caribbean Cruise, Carnival Breeze, Grand Turk Islands, learn on days at sea, learning while on a cruise, Nassau Bahamas, Ocho Rios, Publishing & Book Marketing Seminar
February 1, 2013
How to Prepare for and Announce Your Free KDP Select Days
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In the last blog post “Free Days on KDP Select - is it for you?” the pro’s and con’s of joining Amazon’s KDP Select program have been shown. Today let’s look at how to prepare and advertise the free days for your Kindle e-book.
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A month before your free days:
Make sure you have at least a handful of book reviews on Amazon
Update the books file and add some promotional links
Check that your book is in the right categories
Set up the best days for your “free” promotion
Write to all the free book websites and ask to announce your free days
Write an article about your books free days on your own blog
Raise the price for your book
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Twitter
A week before the big day, prepare a list with at least two dozen tweets (to post them at least every half hour), so you have them handy to schedule in Twuffer, Futuretweets, Hootsuite or whatever Twitter scheduler you use. Incorporate these hashtags into your messages: #FreeKindleBook, #freekindle, #freebook, #free, #kindlepromo, #freeE-books or #freeKindledays, just to name a few.
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Google+, Pinterest and News Release to blogs
Prepare lots of photos of you book cover, at least in 600 x 800 pixel (not the small one from your Amazon site).
Write a short description about your book and it’s free days with exact Amazon links for each country! and offer it to other bloggers, including your books photo. Do this at least a week before the free days, to give bloggers time to incorporate your article into their blogging schedule. A couple of them will post it, especially if you wrote guest posts for them before and you offer them a reciprocal.
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On your free days post your books cover and description several times on your Google+ site, with a variation of text and headline. Same with Pinterest, Chime.in and Facebook. Ask your friends on all these sites to submit it for you to their friends as well.
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Goodreads
Ask a couple of your peers at Goodreads to send out a book recommendation with a note of the free days to all of their friends (you cannot recommend your own books on Goodreads). Choose those with the most friends to reach a maximum audience.
Double-Check everything!
Make sure your dates at the free book lists are correct! Most of these posts are scheduled in advance so if your book is not free, you could be blacklisted. Double-check your Amazon ASIN number if the link is correct when you submit to sites (copy and paste from Amazon rather than type it in). You certainly can shorten your Amazon link, e.g. Amazon.com/dp/B008Y15YYO. However, do not use any of these commercial link shorteners (bit.ly, wp etc. or Amazon affiliate links) for submission to promotional free book websites, they will not accept them.
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Here are ten sites where you can advertise your free days – for free – t here are certainly many more. Please drop us an email: 111Publishing a t gmail.com and we will email them to you.
Pixel Of Ink
FKB Books and Tips
eReader News Today
Free Booksy
Bargain eBook Hunter
Kindle Book Review
Ebook Deal of the Day
Book Goodies
KindleMojo
Indie Book Promo
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Twitter accounts that re-tweet your free books – get more from us, send us an email!
@DigitalBkToday
@kindleebooks
@Kindlestuff
@KindleEbooksUK
@KindleBookKing
@KindleFreeBook
@free_kindle
@FreeReadFeed
@freebookdude
@4FreeKindleBook
@FreeKindleStuff
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Amazon has an abundance of lists, such as Top Rated lists, Bestsellers List, Hot New Release list, Gift Idea lists, Top-100 lists for each category, “If you like this you may …” lists, “So you want to” lists and Top Rated Author Lists. When someone downloads your book (for free or paid), it moves up the charts. A lot more people will see it then, compared to before your free days. Being more visible when the book is reverted back to a paid download, means more people can find it, and will results in more sales. When people download your book, it starts appearing in the “People who bought this book also bought..” and “Recommended for you” sections, even more increasing visibility.
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Once the free days are over, start to promote heavily lending/borrowing of your e-book, in order to get Amazons Prime members to borrow your book.
Possible Tweets could be:
Did you know? Amazon Prime Membership allows you to borrow …..
Amazon Prime Members can borrow …. for free
The benefit of Amazons Prime Membership is: you can borrow ….
Amazon Prime Members in the UK and Ireland:
Amazon Prime Members in Canada: you can….
Amazon Prime Members in Germany:
Amazon Prime Members in Spain:
You get the idea…. Use the remaining weeks and months to further promote your books for lending. You will be paid for that!
Good luck for your KDP Select promotion and let us know if you have more ideas how to publicize your book during this time.
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If you enjoyed this blog post, please feel free to check out all previous posts of this blog (there are almost 600 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 StumpleUpon.
Follow on Twitter: @111publishing
And don’t forget to spread the word on other social networking sites of your choice for other writers who might also enjoy this blog and find it useful. Thanks, Doris
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Tagged: Bargain eBook Hunter, Ebook Deal of the Day, eReader News Today, KDP Select, Kindle Prime Members, Pixel Of Ink
January 31, 2013
Free Days on Amazon KDP Select – is it for you?
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In Part 1 of this Amazon KDP Select article, lets look at pro’s and con’s of using free days and participating in the Prime Member Lending Library. Part 2, the next blog post will show you how to organize your free days and will give you lots of links for free advertising, plus marketing tips for your free days and beyond.
Authors are divided in praising or damning Amazon’s KDP Select Program. This book marketing opportunity may or may not work for your book. It can put your novel or non-fiction work in front of thousands of readers so, at the very least, it’s a great way to grow a readership.
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The Upside: Pro’s of KDP Select
You are allowed to select five “free” promotional days within the 90-day KDP Select period into the Lending Library, where the value of each borrow is currently $1.70. Each counts as a “unit sold” and helps your paid sales rankings. You might gain more reviews. Books with a greater number of reviews have a higher probability of being featured in book blogs.
Readers who are eager to download free books choose those that have more reviews because a higher number of reviews “validates” the book and indicates it is worthy of a download. They also suggest that in the readers’ eyes, this metric is more important than the ranking (number of stars) the book has because readers understand that some people may not like a good book and leave a negative review.
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Readership Explosion: With KDP Select, a new author can grow a following at an enormous rate, and will garner far more reviews than with sales that trickle in under normal circumstances through sheer visibility in the free KDP Select store. After getting downloaded thousands of times, chances are you’ll reach more readers who will love your book and recognize your name as an author.
Amazon rewards sales with visibility. They treat free downloads the same as sales – according to their number of downloads, placing the author’s book cover in places such as “customers who bought this also bought” section, below other books purchased by those who downloaded the free book, and often in the same genre. KDP Select gives you indirectly promotion not only for the free book but also for the other books written by you listed on your Amazon Author page.
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Possible Downside: Con’s of KDP Select
You must commit exclusivity with Amazon for 90 days, which means that you must remove your e-book (NOT the print version!) from all other retailers and give up your e-book royalties from Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple iBook store and Sony’s Nook eBook store or wherever else you sell it. If you are earning more than 80 or 90% of your royalties from Amazon, then the decision to go exclusively with them for 90 days to enter the KDP Select program including Kindle Owners’ Lending Library is an easy one. An Amazon KDP Select Press Release explains that on average, by joining KDP Select, you can earn an additional 26% in royalties from the KDP Select fund, on top of royalties from your paid sales.
Leaving those other platforms, you are also giving up your current sales rankings on them. It could be very difficult to scale those bestselling lists again and reclaim your previous royalties from non-Amazon sources. If your royalty stream from Amazon is less than 70%, think twice if you really want to go with KDP select as you will loose significant royalties on other platforms.
You might also garner a number of negative reviews from people who would not normally buy your type of book, yet download it on free days. When they find out it is not to their taste or not what they expected, some of them seem to enjoy telling everyone why they did not like it.
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What to consider?
How well are you selling on your platforms? The more you are selling, the more likely you are to be on best-selling lists at Amazon, which greatly increases your discoverability and usually translates into higher lends and “free” giveaways – and therefore greater post-“free” sales.
On the other hand, you also might be well-positioned at your other online retailers. Which weighs more heavily? Being well ranked on Amazon or non-Amazon platforms?
Your ranking on Amazon is weighted more than any other platform, as Amazon represents the lion’s share of the e-book market. If you are already on a Top 100 Amazon Bestselling list in a genre, what would the increase get you? Would this increase bounce you into the Top 50 or even Top 10? On average, increasing your best-selling Amazon ranking will increase your royalties by about 7% for each page (Top 80, 60, 40, 20). If you sell well, you will lend well, and you will “give away” well. If you are not selling well, you will not lend well, or even “give away” well.
Most successful seem to be authors with multiple books or a series of books out – they use promo days to give away the first book in a series, hoping that customers will come back and buy the other books from that series. There is no guarantee with this strategy, but if your sales at the other e-book online retailers have been stale, then taking a 90-day-gamble on KDP Select might be an interesting experiment. If you have six to ten book titles it’s easier for readers to find you. An author with so many books has probably grown his or her platform over the years anyway. But when you only have one or two titles, KDP Select is the only program which can accelerate the long, draining process of finding readers for your book.
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Goodreads has Giveaway Contests too:
Amazon’s KDP Select is not the only game in town: Goodreads has ‘Giveaway’ contests which is a great way to raise awareness for your books as well as generating sales and reviews. On average, at Goodreads 45% of giveaway winners will review your book – and getting good reviews is one of the best ways to improve your book’s chance of long-term success. Goodreads website offers plenty of advice on getting the most out of your giveaway contest.
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Plan your free days well ahead – at least one month!
Get as many reviews as possible, free book listings often promote only books with a certain amount of reviews. And readers also check out the amount of reviews (not necessarily the stars), to find out if your book is worthwhile to download.
As Amazon Prime Members tend to borrow rather $5.99 – $9.99 e-books, raise the price of you book short before you join KDP Select. To give away a $0.99 e-book for free or to offer it to borrow is a bit of a joke.
Check out if your book is really in the right category. Compare with bestsellers in your genre.
Updated your e-book file and include a page within the first part of the book, asking readers to leave a review for you on Amazon; include a direct link to your books’ page. Add a link to your homepage and add all of your other books as well
Don’t use your promotional days on the weekend (especially Saturday) because people are typically away from their computers and spending time with their families on the weekend, especially holiday weekends. Weekdays are generally better and if you can have at least two days back-to-back you will have more time to build momentum for your promotion.
Inform the free book listing sites a month in advance to have your book listed – mostly for free. Make sure you list PixelofInk, EReaderNewsToday and Digital Book Today. Read their submission rules carefully.
Write an article in your blog about your free days, and ping / share a link to this blog post on Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest etc. several times a day in a variety of headlines.
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More promotional tips and dozens of links for free e-book promotions in Part 2 of this series.
See also a great blog article “The Secret Anatomy of KDP” by James Calbraith, where he explains “The algorithm shows your book to millions of readers; there is no ad that reaches more people, no social network campaign. However…”
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If you enjoyed this blog post, please feel free to check out all previous posts of this blog (there are almost 600 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 StumpleUpon.
Follow on Twitter: @111publishing
And don’t forget to spread the word on other social networking sites of your choice for other writers who might also enjoy this blog and find it useful. Thanks, Doris
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Tagged: Amazon KDP Select free days, how to promote free days on Amazon, KDP Select
January 29, 2013
Young Readers Use Social Media to Discover Books
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Young E-Book Consumers Three Times More Likely to Use Social Media for Book Discovery reports Digital Book World. Social media is an increasingly important discovery tool for all forms of entertainment, and the survey shows the impact it is having on the book publishing industry.
iPad
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Watching TV Every Day? Success Indicator?
Mary Ellen Tribby created this Success Indicator, Info-Graphic by MetEdge Do you want to know whether or not you are headed for success? See which side is the better one… As it might be hard to read, here the traits on the left side: The Success Factor Indicator
Successful People
Have a sense of gratitude
Forgive others
Accept responsibility for their failures
Compliment
Read everyday
Keep a journal
Talk about ideas
Want others to succeed
Share information and data
Keep a “to-be” list
Exude joy
Keep a “to-do/project” list
Set goals and develop life plans
Embrace change
Give others credit for their victories
Operate from a trans-formational perspective
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A larger version can be found on Empirella.com or at Stephen’s Lighthouse
Note the one indicator for successful people: READ EVERYDAY ! Like that!
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Tagged: indicator of successful people, MaryEllen Trippy, Read everyday, sense of gratifude, successful author, Writing Success
