Becky Robinson's Blog, page 71

Featured on Friday: A List of Links You DON’T Want to Miss!

Happy December! It’s the last month of 2014 and the Weaving Influence Team is hard at work, getting ready for a plethora of launches in the new year. It’s always exciting to see what is heading our way, and 2015 is going to be a truly outstanding book launch year! We have a few new sign up opportunities for you (with more to come), plus links to several great articles featuring our current authors. So sit back, pour yourself another cup of coffee, and start clicking!

February 2015 Launch Teams

February 2 – 5, 2015: Sign up to become a part of the launch team for The Hidden Leader by Scott Edinger and Laurie Sain.
February 2 – 5, 2015: Join the Ken Blanchard and Morton Shaevitz as they launch their first book together, Refire! Don’t Retire – sign up today !
February 9 – 13, 2015: Chip Bell is at it again and launching his new book, Sprinkles. Be among the first to join his team !
Coming Soon: Joanie Connell‘s launch of Flying without a Helicopter: How to Prepare Young People for Work and Life is taking place February 23 – 27, 2015!

Links to Share

John Spence is talking about 2 books that he calls, “life changing” – including one by our November book launch author, Frank Sonnenberg!
As our team grows, so does our need to communicate clearly. If you find yourself in a similar situation, you might enjoy John Stoker’s post on connecting with different communication styles.
A little shout out to our very own Becky Robinson for her terrific post on the Lead Change Group today: Beyond the Bottom Line .
Linda Pulley Freeman recently returned from another life-changing trip to Cambodia, and she’s urging us all to embrace our own power  and make a difference in the world.

In Case You Missed It…

Have any young people in your life or business? Don’t wait to start developing them as leaders! Great post from Julie Winkle Giulioni over at Halogen Software.
This post , by Chris Edmonds, is a MUST READ for anyone in business, no matter what their position or what size team they work with.
Chip Bell is comparing – you KNOW this is a post you’ll want to read! Don’t forget to his posts on LinkedIn.
Gershon Mader wrote a great post about the past and the future. As we wind down the old year and start thinking about the new, this post needs to be on your “to read” list.

Clearing the (Mental) Clutter

I cleaned out my closet over the weekend and packed up more than 5 bags of clothes to donate.

Now my closet is more organized than it’s probably ever been. I can see my clothes. It’s tidy, orderly, and wonderful.

I cleaned out my dresser, too — which means I can actually open and close my drawers. Putting away laundry, something I typically avoid, will be much easier now.

I feel lighter, and by more than the weight of the clothes I’m removing from my closet and drawers.

So it fits that Sunday’s newsletter from Chris Brogan included encouragement to clear the mental clutter. “Your mental shelves are full to bursting and there’s stuff all over the floor around them.”

Though Chris referenced information overload, he inspired me to think, instead, about what’s weighing me down mentally and emotionally.

You know, those less-than-helpful thoughts that creep in?

Lies.

I call them lies, but I live like I believe they are true.

What is true: I am enough. I am not a failure.

Unfortunately, though I bag up and banish those big, heavy bags of mental clutter on a regular basis, the lies somehow creep back in, one at a time, until (again) my mental shelves are stacked high and only an all-out purge will make it right.

Mental clutter drains my energy from more productive thinking.

I wish there was a way to get free once and for all,  recognizing the lies for what they are and getting rid of them forever.

But I’ve found that what works better is a daily commitment to choosing the truth instead. When I hear the lies, I can move them aside and remember the truth:

I am not a failure. I am enough. I can make a significant difference in the lives of others.

Tell me something! What mental clutter do you need to clear? Will you choose, today, to replace lies with truth?

Get Ready for Your Best Year Yet

It’s just a month until 2015. The time goes so fast. Are you prepared for the new year?

My challenge to you is to prepare for 2015 right now and use the month to fully prepare yourself to have an amazing year.

Think of the New Year as a hiking track, you need to get yourself physically and mentally prepared. Build some new skills and a game plan for the rough terrain ahead. For leaders, let me be clear, what got you here will not get you there.

The challenges are daunting. Not just because you have a big objective in 2015, because you’re leading people to accomplish your goal and the numbers, they’re stacked against us.

Three-quarters of your team or your organization are disengaged to some degree. At best your folks are sometimes motivated to go the extra mile and at worst they’re completely disinterested in what you want to accomplish as a leader. Studies even show that thirty percent of your team are wondering “does this person really even care about me?” and this is costing you big time. Definitely in productivity, but also in dollars and cents.

Did you know that for every $10,000 you pay a disengaged employee, it’s costing you up to $3,400? That’s staggering, and even if you don’t exactly fall into this situation, if you have even one person on your team or in your organization that’s less than completely committed, it’s having an impact on your results. You need your team to be their best and you can’t afford to settle for anything less anymore.

So here’s my challenge to everyone who leads a team or an organization, large or small. Certainly, make it a priority to achieve your goals in 2015, but make it your highest priority to be a better leader for your people and use the next month to get ready.

Let’s do it together!

For now, this is what I want you to do. First, write down what you want to achieve through your leadership in 2015. Be a specific as you can be for now and then go back and add details later as they emerge for you.

Next, and this is the most important part, is to declare your commitment to be a better leader for your people. For their sake and for the sake of the results you want to achieve. Your declaration might sound something like this — follow along with me, raise your right hand and say: “I am a leader who understands that I will only go as far as those that I am leading. Leading my people is my top priority every day. I’m committed to leading in a way where my people willingly volunteer their commitment, their passion, their creativity and their effort.”

So go out to Twitter or Facebook and post your commitment with the hashtag #PrepareFor2015.

I’m so excited to get started. I wish you all the best!

 

Jeff Harmon is a character driven, results focused coaching professional with over 20 years of experience building relationships to equip leaders and organizations to successfully execute on strategic priorities. Jeff is the owner and head coach for Brilliance Within Coaching and Consulting, a full-service business, personal and leadership coaching company; and author of The Anatomy of a Principled Leader and Become a Better Leader, 10 Minutes at a Time.

 

 

Featured on Friday: Meet TBB Member @andyuskavitch

Behind the book launch scenes we talk about our Team Buzz Builder (TBB) folks with reverence and awe. Without them, our launches would not be as successful, our clients would not receive the same amount of publicity, and we’d be a single promotional megaphone shouting into the social media world during launch weeks.

With them, we see better numbers Amazon and Twitter, have more content to use for promotion, and are able to amplify the message of our clients. TBB helps us spread the word about authors and their books, and in return the #WITeam has the opportunity to interact and engage with some truly outstanding folks.

Meet Andy Uskavitch

A couple of weeks ago, I sent an email to Andy (one of our faithful members of Team Buzz Builder) and requested that he answer a few questions for me. You think you know someone online, and then you ask a few simple questions and discover they happen to be a Disney buff. Who knew?

So Andy, why do you like being a part of TBB?

I first met Becky Robinson, a few years ago, when she worked for Kevin Eikenberry.  It’s been a great opportunity for me to continue working with Becky and the whole TBB team while watching the wonderful growth of the organization – and hopefully helping along the way.  I like to read, but not fiction.  The types of books that TBB promotes are right up my alley.

What benefit do you think you receive from being a part of TBB?

I’m a huge proponent of continuous learning.  Having access to such great books and authors not only benefits myself personally, but it’s also information and experiences that I can use in my corporate training programs and my blogs.  It’s also quite the experience being able to associate with such great writers and business people.

In return for being a part of Team Buzz Builder, the promotion they give my personal social media posts is invaluable.

If someone asked you why they should join Team Buzz Builder, what would you tell them?

TBB is a great place not only to have access to some great books from some fantastic authors, but also to be a part of a growning social marketing team.  You can learn a lot about social media marketing, and what goes on to promote books and their authors.  Each contact with the TBB team is a learning experience.  You really get a sense of being a part of the team.

Tell us a little bit about yourself… work, family, life, hobbies…

I’m the next Guy Fieri – not – more like wannabe.  I enjoy cooking/grilling and working in the yard landscaping.  My main focus in the workplace has been developing leadership and customer service programs and training.  I’m currently setting up a corporate training department for the quality software company I work for.  I enjoy reading – obviously – and also writing leadership articles and blogs, some of which you can find on Linked2Leadership, as well on my blog (link below).

. . . I’m also quite the Disney buff, mostly in a business sense.

Follow Andy Online:

Blog
Twitter
LinkedIn
Facebook
Google+

Thanks, Andy! The next time you’re grilling in your backyard, feel free to invite the #WITeam! 

Launching a Book After April 12, 2015?

Last week’s launch of Frank Sonnenberg’s great new book, Follow Your Conscience, brings our 2014 launch calendar to a close. This year we launched 17 books, bringing the total number of book launches we’ve launched to 40.

We’ll soon unveil our book list for 2015 — there are some exciting titles from fantastic authors. We’re excited for each launch and for a few others in the works that aren’t official yet.

With launches booked nearly every week through February and March (8 total), we anticipate a busy start to the year. In fact, I promised my team that I won’t commit to any book launches unless they are scheduled to launch after April 12.

Why?

There is one main reason why we can only sign books launching after April 12: to be most effective, we need about 3-4 months to prepare. The more time we have to build a foundation, momentum, and excitement for a launch, the more likely we are to achieve the results our clients desire.

Much of our process depends upon getting books into the hands of influencers who will share books with their networks. Influencers need time to read and review books. Ideally, we get books into people’s mailboxes a month or more before the launch, depending on the time of year. During the holidays or summer months, we like to give people even more time.

We also need time to assist our clients in gathering and creating content for their book launches. One of our goals is to make books ubiquitous during our authors’ launch weeks. We want it to seem like our clients’ books are everywhere. To do this, we often schedule several guest posts, articles, and interviews during one week. Writing those posts and articles? It takes time.

One additional reason we are declining book launches in the first quarter of 2015 is that we much prefer each book to have a unique launch week. We want to focus our attention on one book at a time and we want our blogger network to be able to focus on one book at a time. While we have launched two books in a week (this year: The Culture Engine by Chris Edmonds shared a week with Why Motivating People Doesn’t Work and What Does by Susan Fowler), we all felt a little crazy at the end of that week. Both books are doing extremely well, though. We have two books in one week during the first week of February in 2015, but their audiences are different, and we’re already proactively planning for how to meet the two-book-in-a-week challenge. My strategy includes lots of caffeine.

My preference is that any author begin thinking about marketing their book even before writing it. It’s best to build your network before you need it when you can connect, share, relate, and give, without any expectations or agenda.

If you can’t begin marketing before writing, give yourself as much time as possible. By all means, give your publicity firm the time they need to adequately prepare.

The only exception? You’re a rock star. This year we happily joined a book launch only about a month prior to the launch. The only way it worked is because the author, Alexandra Watkins, is a superb marketer. She had been preparing from the day she signed her book contract with gazillions of creative marketing strategies. As a result, we supported her in the launch of Hello, My Name is Awesome, with much less lead time than we are used to.

Wondering about the other books we launched this year? Here are the rest:

Leading Valiantly in Healthcare by Catherine Robinson-Walker

Love `Em or Lose `Em by Bev Kaye and Sharon Jordan-Evans

The Age of the Customer by Jim Blasingame

Lead Positive by Dr. Kathy Cramer

The Idea-Driven Organization by Alan Robinson and Dean Schroeder

Lessons from China by Beau Sides

Inspired for Greater Things by Linda Freeman

Raise Your Voice by Brian Sooy

Hooked on Customers by Bob Thompson

The Secret by Ken Blanchard and Mark Miller

Overcoming Fake Talk by John Stoker

Leaders Open Doors by Bill Treasurer

Tell me something! Which of the books we launched in 2014 did you most enjoy?

Note: I’d love to talk to you about a book launch after April 12, 2015… send me a note!

Featured on Friday: #WeAreThankful

It’s back! Another year, another list of thankfulness from our team members. This is probably my favorite post to write all year because I love hearing from my virtual co-workers what causes them to give thanks. I asked the members of our team to share one or two things that they were grateful for, and I wrote this post with a smile on my face. Are you ready? There are a lot more of us this year than last, so let’s jump right in!

Becky Robinson – I am thankful for the opportunity to make a difference in the world through the work I do. I am thankful for my family, my friends, my team, our clients, and our online communities.

Amy D. –  I’m thankful for my four children who are such unique individuals and who who bring joy, laughter, and love to my life every day!

Christy K. – I am thankful for sunny fall days when the light makes the trees look like stained glass,  for my cat walking across my keyboard to tell me it’s break time, for every second I get with my Dad,  for wonderful parents, family, and friends,  for work I love,  for all the gifts of my life- I’m blessed beyond measure.
Joanna J. – I am thankful for answered prayers, the sounds of my children’s laughter, the health of our family, freedom in Christ, and the cherished people with whom I interact on a regular basis. And coffee.

Amanda H. – I am thankful for my family! My husband and children are my life, with them I have everything I need!

Sharon P. – I am thankful for God’s blessings and the ability to serve Him.
Christina S. – I’m thankful that I grew up learning to smile while I walk.
Christy V. – I’m thankful for good health, a great family, a great job, and so much life ahead of me.
Elizabeth J. – I’m thankful for new mercies from God every morning, for a loving family who laughs and prays together, for coffee and good books, and for the privilege of living in America!
Max S. – I am thankful for my wonderful and wildly entertaining family, getting to do work that I love, coffee and of course…Ghostbusters.
Paula K. – I am thankful for words. Sometimes they are part of my vocation; sometimes they are part of my avocation. They always challenge me, please me, soothe me unlike anything else.
Kylah F. – I am thankful for my loving and supporting family, friends, and for finding a true partner in my best friend/boyfriend. I am also thankful for my job that lets me say “yes” to life; going places and doing things that wouldn’t have been possible without it.
Rachel R. – I am thankful for my wonderful and hilarious family, the opportunity to do the work I love from home, and the amazing God that we serve.
John M. – I am thankful for being given the opportunity to make a difference is so many people’s lives. This includes, my wife and her family, my own family, the people I work with and our client partners. I see it as all being very circular meaning that when you give from the heart, others will remember this, and give to you when you are truly in need.

Nikki D. – I’m thankful for far more things than I can list here, but I’ll narrow it to my family, my friends, my health, my sense of humor, and the second chance at a great life that God granted me.

Sara R. – I am thankful baked goods, funny banter, being able to work in pajamas, unexpectedly running into friends around town, and my weird and wonderful family.
Nate D. – I am thankful for my family and friends. I have such a strong support system, and I would not be where I am today without them.
Karen K. – I am so thankful for my children, for my family and friends, for great clients who value my work, and for healthy changes I’ve been able to implement in my own life over the last year.
Jennifer D. – Writing from California, I’m super thankful for the much-needed rain that came today!
Lisa P. – I am thankful for the love and support of cherished family and friends, for life’s challenges, for the opportunity to engage in meaningful work that really matters, and for the opportunity to look fear in the face every day and actively choose to be awesome–not average.

When Lisa shared her thankfulness list with me, she also passed along this quote to go with it:

“There are only two paths in life: average and awesome. The average path is easy because all you have to do is nothing. The awesome path is more challenging, because things like fear only bother you when you do work that really matters.” – Jon Acuff, Start

The Weaving Influence team has been on an awesome path this year. It has not always been easy, and we have certainly gone through our share of struggles, disappointments, failures, and hardships – both personally and professionally – but as we reflect back over the year, it’s humbling and gratifying to see how far we have come. Looking ahead on the calendar, we can see 2015 filling up with work, and though we cannot know the challenges that are ahead of us, we believe they will show that our team is anything but average.

Oh yes, and one more list, from me.

Carrie Koens – I am grateful to know that despite health issues, family concerns, future unknowns, and past mistakes, I am loved by a Heavenly Father who is writing my unique story. I am surrounded by friends, family, clients, and co-workers who forgive me when I slip up; I’m married to a man who keeps me sane, grounded, and very much in love. #iamthankful

The “Q” Word

Do you ever think about quitting?

I do, although I hate to admit it here.

Pushed to the limit, stretched beyond comfort, I consider what my life might be life if I chose an easier path. What if I changed course? What if I scaled back? What if I quit? What then?

During the 26 miles of my marathon earlier this year, I did not think of quitting. Focused on the goal, I kept running, all the way to the finish line.

When there is no clear finish line, staying the course can be more challenging.

I ran a 10K Saturday. Cold air rushed into my lungs with every breath and my fingers tingled, numb, through the first two miles.

Yet I knew that within the hour, I’d complete the run, kicking triumphantly across the finish line. I felt no need to walk, no need to stop. My goal stayed in clear focus in my mind: keep running.

Frank Sonnenberg’s new book, Follow Your Conscience: Make a Difference in Your Life and in the Lives of Others shares this wisdom about quitting:

“While determination builds character, quitting is habit forming. When quitting becomes routine, you won’t even think twice about giving up next time. On the other hand, when you overcome even an insignificant challenge , you’ll gain the strength and motivation to confront your next challenge with confidence.”

I want to be a person of determination and persistence. I want to be a person who keeps going.

The only way to become a person who doesn’t quit is to not quit.

Whether I am running, or growing my business, or working on a project at home, every challenge is an opportunity to build confidence and banish the “Q” word from my vocabulary,

Find out more about Frank Sonnenberg’s new book, share his book with others, or find out how to buy it by visiting followyourconscience.com.

 

Featured on Friday: #VeteransDay Begins At Home

Earlier this week there was a lot of public thanks for our veterans. Becky was traveling on Veteran’s Day and came back talking about how Delta thanked the veterans on her flight, then handed out truffles to everyone. A simple gesture of thanks goes a long way, and it’s always good to take time to remember that the freedoms that you and I enjoy (like casting a vote last week), are not actually free; they came at a price.

Sometimes this price can go unnoticed by those who are not directly involved. It’s easy to forget that while we go about our daily lives, families are still (voluntarily) separated from loved ones serving both here and abroad. When I was a child, the Vietnam conflict was not that far in the past, but as we’re some 40+ years from it now, it’s easy to forget what our military, and their families, went through.

As I was thanking my dad this week for his service, he made the comment that he didn’t come back from Vietnam the same as he was before he left. His time serving as an Army Flight Surgeon made a long-term impact on him, and affected him in ways we’re only just now hearing about. Meanwhile, my mother held down the home-front with three kids under the age of seven, and six months pregnant with their fourth child; judged by the people around her because my dad “volunteered” (a story I heard for the first time this week).

My father-in-law immigrated from the Netherlands in 1955 to escape the post-war financial depression still plaguing his homeland. As soon as he and his siblings turned 18, each of them volunteered for various branches of the U.S. Military; their way of giving back to the country that had taken them in. My in-laws were married just days before he shipped out for Vietnam, and while he headed to sea, she went back home to her parents to wait for a year and pray that he returned safely.

The stories of my parents and in-laws are not uncommon in the military world, but hearing them again reminds me not to take for granted the freedoms that I enjoy.

This week I asked others on our team if they had family members who served. Stories and pictures came thick and fast of fathers, cousins, uncles, brothers, and a spouse. They primarily represented the Greatest Generation of WWII – a driver for Patton, soldiers storming Omaha Beach, an officer stationed in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. But they also showed up in Vietnam, and several team members have family who continue to serve today. In fact, with just 9 people, we had more than 30 military personnel represented.

As a team, we hear a lot about leadership. We promote books on it, share blog posts about it, and handle social media for those who spend their lives talking about it. But the conversations this week showed me that most of us learned about leadership at home first, from family members who led by example, gave of themselves, and sacrificed years of their lives so that we might live in freedom.

As a team, we want to say THANK YOU. Your service is not forgotten. 

Featured on Friday: “Best Of” Links

It’s been one of those weeks again, the kind that have kept the team hopping due to travel, family issues, home improvement projects, and our regular work on behalf of Weaving Influence clients. I think it’s safe to say that we’re all happy to see Friday arrive – how about you?

This week I’m sharing several links that I hope you’ll spend some time this weekend clicking through. If it’s a blog post, take an extra minute to stop and leave a comment, or if it’s a book you’ve read, leave a review (the author will love you). Something you find useful? Share it on social. Bottom line: don’t just take, give a little back. Get the conversation started, and let them know we sent you!

Giving Back

Linda Pulley Freeman  shares how she is inspired by children who are so motivated to learn that they will build their own school in Cambodia. Did you know that 100% of the proceeds of the sale of Inspired for Greater Things goes to help Linda’s work with Teen Challenge in Cambodia? Buy it today or leave a review!
Bill Treasurer is also giving back 100% of the proceeds from Leaders Open Doors to a cause that is near and dear to him. In honor of his daughter, Bina, Bill is donating his royalties to organizations working to help those living with Cerebral Palsy. Discover how he helped the Gandee brothers open doors for others, and then don’t forget to become a part of the chain by purchasing a copy of the book or leaving a review.
Mark Miller has written several books over the years (his first book with Ken Blanchard, The Secret , just celebrated it’s 10th anniversary!), and Mark joins Linda and Bill on the list of authors who gives away 100% of his royalties. Find his list of charities here, and don’t miss his post on Three Things Every Leader Should Do.

Inspire and Motivate

Bob Tiede is extremely generous with his blog space, and if you haven’t spent time scrolling through his blog, you should. Filled with leadership posts and books, there’s something for any leader, including his new, FREE ebook, 103 Quotes Your Mentor Will Share With You, Sooner or Later…, which you can receive just by signing up for his newsletter.
S. Chris Edmonds caught my attention this week with one line in his post, “I still screw up, but I’m trying to be nice and of service, every day.” He goes on to talk about how leaders can help their team go “off script”, but what inspired me was the idea that even though he wrote an awesome book, he’s still a work in progress, just like me. While you’re at his site, don’t forget to sign up for his newsletter (and then receive his free ebook, “Be a GREAT Boss”).

Something to Think About

John Stoker , author of Overcoming Fake Talk , offers a slightly different take on why others may not be listening to you. It certainly gave me something to think about. If you enjoyed reading his book, it’s never too late to leave a review!
Alan Robinson and Dean Schroeder , co-authors of The Idea-Driven Organization, just wrote a post about how the ideas in their book could have helped with the Ebola issues in the U.S. If you want to learn more about frontline ideas, we highly recommend picking up a copy of their book.

Looking Ahead

Did you receive a copy of A World Gone Social by Mark Babbitt and  Ted Coiné ? Next week would be a great week to leave a review on Amazon!
Do you follow Frank Sonnenberg online? Did you know he has a new book launching on November 17th? Check out his site for details and ways to share!
If you enjoyed reading , Alexandra Watkins will be joining Becky for a FREE webinar on November 19th. Sign up now!
Did you know Chip Bell is coming out with a new book in February 2015? Sign up to join his launch team!

Happy Friday!

One Activity to Delete From Your Book Marketing Plan (and What I Recommend Instead)

From time to time, clients forward messages to me from other publicists who are supporting book marketing efforts for authors.

I’ll admit it, my team and I use these emails in two ways:

We look for great ideas to implement in our work.
We use it as a chance to pat ourselves on the back for the ways we are excelling.

In reviewing an email that came into my inbox this morning, I visited an author’s book marketing website, looked at his collateral, and did a quick review of his tweets and other social presence.

This author had some great creative approaches. In fact, my team and I identified two or three good ideas to consider including creating a calendar of ideas, week by week, for angles on marketing/promotion.

But reviewing his approach had me scratching my head about two tactics: Using a Facebook business page for a book, and using Twitter to ask people to like the Facebook page.

Of two recent books I’ve seen Facebook pages for, each has about 70 likes. I am guessing those 70 likes are mainly organic: the author’s friends, family, and business associates. There are a few issues with a Facebook fan page for an individual book.

Fan pages for books have very short shelf lives. Even if you start the page as soon as you sign the book contract, how long will you keep up the book fan page? Once you write another book, will you share content on both pages? And to what end? Once your active promotion of a book ends, you’ll likely abandon the page. Or, if you don’t abandon it, it will be one more place to keep updated in a growing list.

Fan pages for books are financially costly. If you want to grow a page of significant size on Facebook, beyond your normal circle of friends, you will likely need to spend money, as Facebook is increasingly pay to play. Once you use Facebook advertising to grow the fan page for your book, Facebook will likely only show a small percentage of your fans your content. So you pay to GROW the page, and then you pay to SHOW your posts to your fans. If you feel strongly that you want to have a fan page, I recommend an author or business-centric page that can be evergreen; you can use that page as a place to share content from each book as you release it.

Here’s what I recommend instead: Use your Facebook profile in a blended way, personal and professional, and share about your book through your personal profile. Add as many friends as you can over time to build your network on Facebook. When you sensitively share about your book among other posts about your life and business, you will reach the people who are most invested and most likely to respond and engage.

And use Twitter as a place to find and form relationships. Save those 140 characters of each tweet to add value to your network, not to invite them to like your fan page.

P.S. I have one or two exceptions to this advice. If you have written a classic book (i.e., one that has sold hundreds of thousands of copies for years or decades) and your book is a recognizable brand, a Facebook fan page can be a very helpful part of your book marketing strategy. Or, if you are so famous that you would quickly reach Facebook’s limit of 5000 friends, you also should certainly have an author fan page.