The Top 7 Ways Authors Mess Up Their Book Marketing

The Top 7 Ways Authors Mess Up Their Book Marketing
By Lynne Klippel

Imagine this scenario: You've just finished your first book. You are thrilled beyond measure. Fantasies of best seller lists, limo rides in New York, and appearing on Oprah dance through your head

It's a beautiful dream.

However, that dream can turn into a nightmare of wasted money and disappointment if you don't know how to market your masterpiece.

In fact, according to industry insiders, some new authors sell between 40 and 100 copies of their books. Yes, you read that correctly.

However, many new authors sell thousands of copies of their books. Mark Victor Hansen and Robert Allen of Chicken Soup fame sell millions of copies of books each year.

What's the difference?

Strategy and marketing skills make the difference between having cases of unsold books sitting in your garage and creating a media empire. If you don't know what to do with your book once it is written, it will be pretty difficult for you to sell many copies.

Thankfully, there are resources available to help you with all the facets of marketing your book successfully. There are many different techniques that you can use, depending on your personal strengths and preferences. There isn't a cookie cutter approach to book sales that you are required to follow.

In fact, if you know some of the most common book marketing mistakes, you can avoid them, saving yourself from wasting time and money.

Review this list carefully. Authors who don't sell many books:
Wait to plan their marketing efforts until after the book is written. That's like planning a wedding before you have a groom.
Fail to view the book as a business. Instead, they see their book as a passion, a message to the world, or a legacy. Sure, a book can be those things, but foremost, it is a business and requires an investment of time and resources in order to be successful.
Use a poorly designed cover. You have an average of 8 seconds to grab a reader's attention with your book cover. In fact, 75% of bookstore owners surveyed said that the number one reason a book did not sell in their stores was an unattractive cover.
Give up too soon. Some authors shelve their book if it does not sell well in the first month. Book selling is a marathon, not a sprint. It takes an average of three years for a new author to get a book selling briskly.
Depend on book signings and bookstore sales. It is very difficult for new authors to achieve significant sales in bookstores. Today's successful authors give readers a variety of ways to buy their books including on websites, with on-line retailers like Amazon, or at live appearances where the author presents a workshop or seminar.
Fail to give readers the chance for a second date. If a reader loves your book, he will be very likely to want to learn more from you. If you direct her to your website for a free report, worksheet, or article, you can begin a long term relationship that may lead to sales of additional products and services.
Aim for Oprah too soon. Appearing on talk shows can be a very effective way to sell lots of books. However, it takes skill and poise to give a great interview. Successful authors start with local radio and television shows, gain experience and skill in interviewing, and then work their way up to the larger shows. Really savvy authors hire media coaches who can help them avoid looking like a fool on national television.

Now that you know what not to do, you can research the book marketing techniques you need to successfully sell your book. Many resources are available at your local library and on the internet.

When you spend as much time planning the marketing of your book as you spend writing it, your book sales will make your dreams come true.

Want to know 8 more book marketing mistakes you can avoid? Grab your free ecourse at www.BookMarketingBlitz.com Lynne Klippel is a publisher, author and book shepherd who specializes in helping authors write business building books.

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How Authors Instigate the Topic?

How Authors Instigate the Topic?
By Vicheka Lay

One of the hardest works for author is instigating (thinking of) the topic to write. Author is not supposed to write everything, because our job is to spread out the beneficial lessons to the public: intellectual appetite and this intellectual appetite may not lay in that everything. For this purpose, author is not supposed to copycat the everyday news, copy and past others works, but our vocation is to think of the topics that are yet to be written and, to the largest extent, be responsive to the public good.

Remember, some of the characteristics of author are: creativity, stubbornness, intellectual perspiration and inspiration and expectation. This article will not explain each characteristic that author should be endowed with, but only explains how author can raise the topic to write about.

For author, surrounding everything can become a topic; socializing with peers, in-class discussion, watching television or listening to radio, reading books, problems and encountering beneficial lessons at work, driving along the way back and fourth, sightseeing, etc. It is the authors vocation to convert problems (pros) and benefits (cons) hiding in these daily repetitions, into serious lessons for himself or herself and for all concerned and even not concerned. Furthermore, do not hesitate to write any topic that you think would appeal to others, because for author, everything is serous and amongst these serious things, there may be some ridiculous topics for non-authors.

I do confess that even to me, it is extremely hard to explain how to instigate the topic from those daily repetitions, but to make you an author, be attentive to daily problems and beneficial lessons and you must deeply understand these; otherwise you cannot literally draw it or make it appeals to the readers. Moreover, authoring is not just about listing the problems or beneficial lessons, but we are also obliged to expand our ideas in an artistic and inspirational methodology.

Until today, there is no any educational institution that officers authoring curriculum yet, so, to me, one of the most effective paths to be an author is to start writing as soon as possible. Once you start writing, you will be aware of those hardships, benefits, intellectual perspiration and inspiration, independence and other characteristics of author.

For those who are still doubtful about this article, wanting to know more, curiosity about Cambodia and requesting the topic, are strongly advised to directly contact me Lay Vicheka.

Lay Vicheka is a translator for the most celebrated translation agency in the Kingdom of Cambodia, Pyramid Translation Co.Ltd.. He is now hoding other two professions: freelance writer for Search Newspaper; focusing on social issues and students' issues and Media Liaison Officer for Asia's first free on-line IELTS consultation website. Lay Vicheka is the expert author for ezine and prolific article contributor to other websites around the world such as articlecity, 365articles, spiderden, talesofasia, etc (Just google him). He is also a volunteer Cambodian-newspapers columnist (Rasmey Kampuchea and Kampuchea Thmey). Lay Vicheka has great experience in law and politics, as he used to be legal and English-language assistant to a Cambodian member of parliament, migration experience (home-based business) and in writing. He is also member of a New York-based research company. Posting address: 221H Street 93, Tuol Sangke quarter, Russey Keo district, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Tel: 855 11 268 445, vichekalay@yahoo.com

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SelfPublishing From Author's Last Option to Best Option? Five Advantages to SelfPublishing

Self-Publishing - From Author's Last Option to Best Option? Five Advantages to Self-Publishing
By Jeanette Joy Fisher

The concept of self-publishing has carried a somewhat negative connotation. However, over the past few years, it's become much more common for authors to self-publish their work and market their books themselves in a variety of creative ways.

In fact, many authors prefer to control their book production and sales. Today's authors self-publish because they make more money, faster, without working so hard.

The explosion in self-publishing has been driven by advances in technology, which have allowed authors to print books more quickly and at considerably less expense. One advance has been print on demand (POD). With POD, authors can often bring a perfect-bound paperback book to the market for less than $1,000. That's thousands of dollars less than self-publishing used to cost, and the books delivered by the majority of POD houses are generally of excellent quality. Although these books can be sold on Amazon, POD books still receive negative treatment from reviewers and book stores.

The best advance in technology is digital printing. Today's authors can order small runs of books, from 50 to 250 copies at a time. These books can be sold in book stores just like any large publishing house book.

Five Advantages to Self-Publishing

1. You don't have to buy a large quantity of books to get a reasonable discount as was the case years ago. (In fact, many POD houses don't require you to buy any books at all.)

2. Your book can be printed quickly, which can be important if you're writing about a timely subject or if you need books in your hands to sell at an event or speaking engagement. Sir Speedy in Whittier printed 250 books in less than a week. They received the PDF and cover art, sent a proof overnight, received the fax with corrections, printed the books, and shipped to Las Vegas in time for a convention.

3. You're in total control of how your book is marketed, which can be a distinct advantage. If you're not a well-known author and you're lucky enough to sign with a major publishing company, you can't expect them to promote your book. They're mainly interested in blockbusters, and all their other titles generally suffer as a result. As a self-publisher, you're free to do radio and television interviews, book signings, seminars, or any other sales-generating ideas you might have--without seeking permission from your publisher. You keep all your hard-earned profits instead of sharing the majority with a company that didn't book the event.

4. You can easily test an idea you may have for a book. You don't have to go through the formal (and tedious) process of writing proposals and doing market research to prove to a publisher that you have a winner. You can publish it yourself and reap all the benefits.

5. As a self-publisher, you get to keep a much larger percentage of the profits. For example, if you sell copies of your book at $20 that only cost $5.00, you quadruple your profit on every book. On the other hand, you'd be lucky to get one-tenth that amount through a standard contract with a mainstream publisher, which means you'd have to sell ten times as many books to realize the same profit. And, if you print more books at a time, you can make even more money because the cost per book goes down significantly.Self-publishing allows you to call yourself an author, because you can hold up your book and proudly say, I wrote this! That may be the greatest benefit of all. So if you've been avoiding self-publishing the manuscript you've worked on so long and hard, it may well be time to join millions of other self-published authors who have a special reason to celebrate!

Copyright 2006 Jeanette J. Fisher

Get your book in print before another celebration passes you by. Join our FREE Speakers and Authors Network and learn how to write a book fast. You'll also learn how to write a book that SELLS and how to promote yourself and your business. Free Author Help! ebook: http://www.writertoauthor.com

Design Psychology Expert and author Jeanette Fisher helps speakers and authors with free teleseminars. Jeanette is the author of best-selling real estate investing books.

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Top 5 Mistakes SelfPublished Authors Make And How To Avoid Them!

Top 5 Mistakes Self-Published Authors Make And How To Avoid Them!
By Tracy Repchuk

I was recently invited to be a part of the Canadian Authors Association panel discussion on self-published books as the marketing expert. Since I spend a great deal of my time in marketing, PR and the promotion of books and authors, I was thrilled to impart some of my wisdom with the eager audience. As the evening went on, I realized that a large percentage of authors self-publish, yet dont know how to take it beyond the book stage. So here are some tips I presented at the symposium.

Self-publishing is a great way to showcase your talent, bring your work from the quiet recesses of your mind, to the public where it belongs. However, somewhere along the way most authors fall short of their goals, because once they have created their book, they feel their work is done. Unfortunately, this is where the journey begins.

1.Target Market
Many poets write their poems, put them together in a book, and then try to sell it. This is a backwards approach, and can sometimes fall short of your expected goals. First step before you even start to write your book or if you already have your book, is to decide who do you want to sell it to. Who is your audience? When a screen writer creates, their audience is the studio reader, not the movie goers. That is the job of the filmmaker. So you need to write for your market. If you are creating a book of love poems, although universal, who do you see as purchasing the most copies. Probably women, so tug on their heart strings until they cant put it down. Be specific, youre not limiting your sales, youre starting them.

2.Price
Dont just put $5 or $20 because everyone you know sells for that. Price comes from your target market. So, if you are targeting women, do your research. You want your book to be bought. Determine how much women spend on a book your size. Look in the bookstores, research on the internet, conduct a survey with friends, and then select your price. Your friends are a good gauge since they are usually the first to buy it. If your book targets teens, they buy whats trendy, regardless of cost. Business people, males, retirees, no matter who your audience, theyll spend a certain amount of money easily, so make sure you are just under their threshold.

3.Distribution Method
This is the means by which your book is made available to the public. So as an example, if you are selling to women, and youve priced it at $9.95 after discovering $10 is their discretionary threshold for a book, now how do you reach them?

There are a few methods; bookstore chains, independent bookstores, internet web sites, craft sales, womens groups, home parties (remember the days of Avon), and whatever other creative method you can think of to get yourself in front of your target market. If its kids, go to schools. Think outside of the box for every possible channel, and then try to get in all of them. If you are going for the large chain stores, be ready to give up 50%, and hit the book tour trail, because with a selection as wide as they offer, your book may end up sitting quietly in oblivion.

4.Advertising Methods
Youve got your book, the target market, price and distribution methods, now is the time to consider advertising. Many authors create a book, and put an ad in a magazine or journal they read. Is this who you are targeting? For example, the audience for The Poetry of Business, is business people, so money may not be well spent in a poetry journal, but better spent in business magazines, internet sites, or industry newsletters. If you dont have a lot of money to spend on advertising, the only replacement for this is to get in front of your audience every chance you can.

5.Getting the saleOkay, youve reached your audience, they like the price, and they want to buy it how do they do that? Go back to your target market, and determine or survey what they would want. For example, women dont mind sending in a cheque via snail mail if your address is clearly provided. Men on the other hand rarely play with stamps, and want fast, easy, and painless such as on-line purchasing. Make sure you always carry a copy of your book with you, or a few if you are at an event. If your target audience doesnt use the internet, dont spend all of your time automating a web site. The best advise is provide as many methods of collecting money and closing the sale as you can. Most people buy on impulse, so if you dont have a smooth closing mechanism, chances are youve lost the sale.

Tracy Lynn Repchuk is the author of The Poetry of Business, which is available through Chapters, Indigo, Amazon and various stores in the US. She speaks at Chamber, Rotary, and other business and networking organizations about her book, and entrepreneurial experiences.She is also the President and Founder of the Canadian Federation of Poets http://www.federationofpoets.com and Editor of Poetry Canada magazine http://www.poetrycanada.com

Her latest marketing efforts include a website that has increased sales by 200% over traditional sites.Check it out: http://www.ifyoucanimagineityoucanhaveit.com

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Trinity Authors

Trinity Authors
By Damian Sofsian

Trinity means a set of three, arranged by relationship and response to each other. The trinity could be a set of writings, group of authors, or, if we go by Christian religious meaning, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The trinity presents itself as one, prompting us to take them in entity.

Fiction has Dan Browns Da Vinci Code, the second of three books (or trinity) questioning age old tenets and beliefs. The author takes the reader on a rollercoaster ride of codes, mysteries, puzzles, and conspiracies with a novel that is part detective, part thriller and part conspiracy theory, interspersed with hypothesis concerning the Holy Trinity, the Holy Grail and the role of Mary Magdalene in Christian history. It is a different matter that Dan Brown deviates from the truth, but as popularity charts go, he has managed to be on the best sellers list.

Trinity can also be a set of authors complementing each other, as the study or research of one author necessitates the study of other two. The nineteenth century had trinity authors Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Walt Whitman, who all complement one another; during the forties and fifties, there was a trinity of Black authors Richard Wright (Native Son), Ralph Ellison (Invisible Man), and James Baldwin, who wrote Notes of a Native Son in direct response to Wright's book. The American trinity of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happinessin all its connotationswas showcased by different sets of authors throughout the centuries.

If we go by religious sentiments, then trinity is not only about the number three, but about the Holy Grail and Christian way of living. American authors responded to the call of their hearts and spirits. J. Stephen Lang (1,001 Things You Always Wanted to Know About the Holy Spirit), Norman Mailer, Martin Marty, Nora Gallagher, Frederick Buechner, Alan Jones, and Richard Gillet have all written about their experiences of the religious or spiritual kind.

Authors provides detailed information on Authors, Black Authors, Trinity Authors, Book Authors and more. Authors is affiliated with Calligraphy Fonts.

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Article Production and SWS Stop Watch Systems for Online Authors

Article Production and SWS - Stop Watch Systems for Online Authors
By L. Winslow

How long does it take you to write an article for an online article submission website? Some have floated the idea of keeping a stop watch by their desk to time themselves and use the clock to keep your mind focused and to get the words to flow out of your mind, through your fingers and onto that key board.

Is it possible to average 20-30 minutes per article? Indeed it is and let me explain way. So far into this article I have spent 4-minutes and writing as I type. I am not worrying about the sentence structure yet, I will work on that when I am completed through an editing process.

That's right I said process because we are talking about production of online articles. Obviously the more articles you write and put online the more people will read them and perhaps choose to click on the link below in your by-line.

It is very possible to write a decent 350 - 400 word article in 10 minutes and edit in another 5 - 6 minutes, no problem. I have found when I try to keep the total under ten minutes that the articles come out a little screwy. So far now I am into this article for about 6 minutes, and perhaps this gives you a better idea of the time factor.

Now I believe it is best to think in terms of 45 minutes and under then when you get better go for 30 minutes and when you get really good you can handle 20-25, but I will tell you it takes a lot of practice to stay consistently under 20 minutes. You can do it when you are in the zone, but the trick is consistency too. This article is not completed and it is 300 words approximately and just for the sake of argument, I will do not editing as an example of what can be done to help you think about this theory of SWS - Article Production. (350 words - written and posted in 10 minutes w/ no editing as an example).

L. Winslow is a Writer and Economic Advisor to the Online Think Tank, a Futurist and retired entreprenuer. Currently he is planning a bicycle ride across the US to raise money for charity and is sponsored by http://www.Calling-Plans.com and all the proceeds will go to various charities who sign up.

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Internet Authors aren't Newspaper Columnists

Internet Authors aren't Newspaper Columnists
By Mike Scantlebury

The problem with the internet is that it changes so fast, and develops in so many different ways, that ordinary people have problems keeping up with it. Worse, they don't see new things as they are but instead, as reflections of things they are already familiar with. It's as though somebody caught sight of a zebra for the first time and said, 'Oh look, a horse with black and white stripes'. Well, yes, that's almost true, but a zebra isn't a horse. It's a unique species. And what is developing on the web isn't old ideas with new stripes, either. They are new species too.

I heard a man on Radio 4 this morning and he was complaining that bloggers aren't as good as old-fashioned newspaper columnists. His argument rested around the fact that they weren't being paid! The underlying assumption he had - that he was revealing - was that if people who wrote blogs were any good as writers, then they would be able to get jobs on newspapers. Since they aren't - employed on newspapers - they must be inferior writers and shouldn't be read!

To me, this is an example of mixing up genres and failing to see how the internet has changed things. Sure, some bloggers aren't good writers and some blogs are boring and even incoherent. But some bloggers, on the other hand, are excellent writers and would be welcome in the offices of any publication, (if they chose to try their hand at the world of journalism). Any regular internet reader knows this. I don't have to argue the case. It's only the regular newspaper readers, the people who drop in on the internet occassionally, dip in and out, cruise around and don't really get a feel for it, who might believe that the bad blogs they find are typical. They aren't.

There's also the assumption that if people aren't paid, it's because they're no good at what they do. It's not like that. Most people write blogs because they have something to say, not because they have adopted the professional position of 'journalist' or 'commentator' or 'columnist'. Only later, if they really are good at it, (and people notice and come to their site regularly), then they might decide to throw in a few Adsense ads or incorporate some other money-making venture at their address. But - the man on Radio 4 poured scorn on these attempts. He quoted the case of a blogger who, he asserted, was '50th in the world' in terms of popularity. The man had only made $3,500 last year from his blog, (stated our radio pundit), Somehow, to him, this proved the man wasn't a good writer. Nonsense. It 'proves' he isn't a well-paid newspaper columnist, drawing a fee to produce a regular weekly column, but it says nothing about the standard of writing - merely that the rewards for writing articles on the internet are on a different level from out there in the 'traditional' writing world.

The problem really, it seems to me, is that the new world of interent authoring has created new ways of 'being a writer'. Our commentator above probably longs for the days when he could attend polite dinner parties and people could discuss newspaper columns they'd read, from writers they admired. The great thing then, of course, was that if someone said, 'Did you see what so-and-so said in The Observer this week', then there was a good chance that everyone might have seen it. (But not everyone sees the same articles on the web, they're too widespread.) Even better, if you hadn't seen the article in question, you could still go home and dig out your copy, or borrow one from a friend, or even - heaven knows, new technology - go to the internet and download a copy from the newspaper's website. There would then be a feeling of shared culture, everyone reading the same things, giving their opionions on the same pieces they had read. It was comfortable.

But, just as changes in TV broadcasting have produced hundreds of channels and a huge divergence in viewing patterns, so the web has given great new opportunities for more writers to get online, more views to be expressed, and more debate to happen. It's just different. It needs new skills. For instance, you are in the process of reading this article in front of you. It might have cropped up on any number of web sites. You might have found it anywhere. But, if you want to find what else I've written, it's simple: you put the name 'Mike Scantlebury' into a search engine and track down other articles by me. You might then decide to print them out and save them in a folder.

People used to do that. The only difference then was that their 'favourite' columnist would have been found in the same place, at the same time. Say, a column in their favourite Sunday newspaper. Now, it's different. Now you may have to hunt around to find other stuff by the same author. But if you liked what the person said, you could still decide to save the clippings. Hey, what have you got? A folder full of bits of paper, (just like the example above). That hasn't changed.

What has changed is that there are more opinions getting an airing, more voices being heard. That's threatening for people who want to feel comfortable with a 'spokesperson' they feel comfortable with. The plethora of opportunities to be seen is confusing for anyone who likes to have a habit. So, if you are used to buying your regular Sunday newspaper because you like its style, its stance, its take on the news, how upsetting would it be to go in the shop one day and find that there were suddenly a thousand papers on sale, instead of the choice of six or eight that you were used to seeing? It would be very disturbing.

The answer, to our friend on the radio, is that he has decided to close his eyes to this new choice, and try to limit it somehow. Mainly by deriding the new writers, and attacking the range of choice offered by the internet. No need. That will happen anyway. Why do you think his example was the '50th most popular' blog on the web? Because people don't read everything that's out there, regularly. People make choices, anyway. Readers liked what the '50th' person had to say and kept coming back. That made the blog popular. Even better, suppose the writer then becomes famous, who knows, some newspaper might come along one day and offer them a position (or even, perhaps, syndicate their output in the paper). That would be great for our man on the radio. He would then be able to read the newspaper and discuss the articles inside with his friends at dinner parties, just as he has always done. In fact, he would be looking at an animal with black and white stripes, but no worries. He could still pretend it was a horse.

Mike Scantlebury is an Internet Author, selling his varied books at Lulu and making downloads available at his home site. He has also founded a Discussion Forum about the future inevitable triumph of internet publishing at http://www.publishingisdead.com where all contributions to the debate will be warmly welcomed.

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Under the Radar Tactics for PR Challenged Authors

Under the Radar Tactics for PR Challenged Authors
By V. Michael Santoro

Some authors find it difficult to call the media to promote their books. Many of us are either introverted, working full-time or, quite frankly, we dont like to feel like were either bothering someone or asking for something. I like to think of it as human nature getting in the way of our book promotion goals.

If you are not a PR professional, then you have two choices to obtain your piece of the PR pie for your book:

Compete with PR professionals using traditional methods to cultivate media contacts and develop excellent follow up skills, or

Use technology and under the radar tactics to accomplish both

A Word of Caution
Regardless of which technique you chose to use, you still need to have something of interest to offer the media. Just having written a book may be okay to get some courtesy coverage in your local newspaper, however, unless you are a celebrity or controversial, it will not produce your desired results. You need to spend time upfront determining what you can offer that the media will want to share with their readers, listeners or viewers.

One suggestion is to become an expert on a niche topic that is associated with your books theme. For example, if youve written a novel about how your main character faced or overcame a particular hardship or illness, you can offer quality information that will help others who are experiencing the same challenges.

Create a content-rich Website that provides valuable information about your niche topic and use your book for credibility. Essentially, do not promote your book promote yourself as an expert and published author on your niche topic. This approach will attract the medias attention and your expertise will help you to sell more books, as well as help others.

How to Effectively Use Technology to Accomplish Your Book Marketing and PR Goals

To say that media professionals are inundated with telephone calls and email messages is an understatement. To be effective in this era of information overload, you need to develop both proactive and passive campaigns. The proactive component is directly contacting the media, while the passive component is having your content-rich Website place in the Top Ten of the major search engines. When reporters and producers are searching for information on your niche topic, they need to be able to find your Website.

Under the Radar PR Tactics
When you conduct your PR campaign, you need to use a rifle, as well as a shotgun to achieve better results. For example, posting your press release on-line or paying to have it mass distributed can produce disappointing results unless you write it for good search engine placement and follow up with the editors and producers that you have contacted.

The PR Shotgun Approach

1. Write a Keyword-Rich Media Release
Incorporate one major keyword phrase and two three secondary related keyword phrases into your release. This helps to ensure that the search engines index it and give your release a good ranking.

2. Post Your Release to the Free Press Release Distribution Websites
Make your release available to reporters and producers by posting it to the free press release distribution Websites including:

PR Web - http://www.prweb.com

MediaSyndicate - http://www.mediasyndicate.com

Free-News-Release - http://www.free-news-release.com

Press Release Spider - http://www.pressreleasespider.com

3. Sign Up for Google Alerts
Google Alerts are email updates of the latest relevant Google results (web, news, blogs and groups). By entering your keyword phrases and e-mail address, Google will forward links to the posted items. This will act as your clipping service - http://www.google.com/alerts?hl=en Include your name as one of the keyword phrases.

The PR Rifle Approach - Research - Email FAX Leave Message after Hours Email AgainIf you want to get through the information overload, this tactic will get your release noticed without initially having to talk to a reporter.

1. Research Media Contacts
Create a list of specific media contacts that are interested in your niche - including their email addresses, telephone and fax numbers. For an excellent US media research tool, go to: http://www.congress.org/congressorg/dbq/media

2. E-mail Your Release
E-mail your media release to each contact. Do not mass mail to your list. Address each contact by name and ensure correct spelling. Have a catchy subject line and stress the benefits you are offering their readers, listeners and viewers within the release. To test your release, contact the first five and measure your results. If the response is poor or non-existent, review your release to determine if it is written to stimulate interest. Then send it to the next five, and so on.

2. FAX Your Release
The following day, FAX the release to each editor with the following message preceding the actual release. Yesterday, date, I e-mailed you the following media release. The subject line is and my e-mail address is . As I know you are inundated with e-mails, and the SPAM filters can also play a role, I wanted to ensure that you received it. If you did not and would like me to resend an electronic version so you do not have to retype it, please let me know.

Faxing a copy is a great follow up reminder and provides them with a hard copy version in addition to the electronic version.

3. Call and Leave a Message after Hours

Then, in the later evening or early morning, call and leave a voice message when you know they are not in the office. The message can be as follows:

Ms. , This is . I wanted to follow up with you concerning my media release. (Describe your content and why her readers will love it). In addition to e-mailing it on (Date), I also faxed it to you. My phone number is . If you have any questions or need more information, please call or e-mail me. Again, my phone number is .

4. Follow Up E-mailThen wait two days and follow up again by e-mail.

Subject line: Follow up: Your release title.Ms ,How are you?I am following up to see if you are planning to use my release on. I feel that your readers will benefit (State benefits, solutions, etc.)

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Thank you,Name / Phone number / Media Kit URL

Conclusion
With this technique, you are productively making several media contacts in less time and surrounding them with your release to ensure that they read it. You are also creating a content-rich Website that the media can find in the search engines.

When the media does express interest, remember to be professional, friendly and get them to like you.

V. Michael Santoro is creator of the Authorpreneur Program which helps authors turn their books theme into an online niche business. His Website provides original Internet book marketing information http://www.proauthors.com Subscribe to his free e-zine and receive a powerful PDF Creation software program and training program for FREE.

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Great Authors of the Future What will they be like?

Great Authors of the Future; What will they be like?
By Lance Winslow

As we study the great literature of past periods one has to ask what will great authors of the future be like? Human societies and civilizations are changing rapidly and as we get into the information age where information come at us faster and faster and where fewer and fewer people sit down and read literature. Sure, there are plenty of people reading suspense novels, detective stories and cheap love stories, but is that really literature?

Is the age of literature dying? Will be authors of the future be virtual reality specialists who design, build and innovate artificial dreamlike environments to help humans in order so they can think? The future will be interesting indeed, but will we be willing to give up human literature of past periods and a future without such? Great authors of the future; what will they be like? Will the great authors of the future be similar to the authors of the past or is that style of writing to complex and to slow to read for a modern age.

Will readers of the future accept long drawn out novels where it takes 20 pages just to develop the character in order for the reader to understand the dynamics of their personal and inner psychology? Will the great authors of the past be replaced with virtual reality scenes of the future? How will the new paradigm of literature change the way we think and learn? Consider all of this in 2006.

Lance Winslow - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance in the Online Think Tank and solve the problems of the World; www.WorldThinkTank.net/

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Powerful Book Pricing Tips for Authors

Powerful Book Pricing Tips for Authors
By Brent Sampson

First let's provide definitions for the 4 terms covered in this article:

Retail margin is the difference between your books wholesale price and your books retail price. For example, a book with a cover price of $10 and a wholesale price of $5 has a 50% retail margin. This is the profit enjoyed by the retailer.

Wholesale price is the cost of your book to a retailer. To use the same rudimentary example, a book with a cover price of $10 and a retail margin of 50% will be sold to a retailer for $5 wholesale price.

Retail price is the same as cover price or selling price or list price. This is the cost of the book to the end consumer (the reader). The retail price is typically printed on the cover of the book and also embedded within the barcode on the back. For example, a book with a wholesale price of $5 and a retail margin of 50% will have a retail price of $10.

Trade discount is the percentage off the retail price that a wholesaler (not a retailer) pays for your book. Since the retail margin is always a portion of the trade discount, the trade discount always exceeds the retail margin. Distributors typically expect between 50% - 70% in order to provide an acceptable margin to the retailer. A book with a retail price of $10 and a retail margin of 50% might have a trade discount of 60%, and therefore the wholesale price is $5 and the trade discounted price is $4.

Confused yet? Don't be. Understanding book math is what separates successful authors from unsuccessful ones. As you can see, retail margin, wholesale price, the trade discount, and retail price are interconnected.

MAKING DISTRIBUTION WORK FOR YOU

The higher your trade discount, the greater your level of distribution. Think about it - distributors want to make money, too.

While your book's trade discount is but a piece of your pie (albeit a big piece), it is the entire cake for distributors and retailers, who together must split the take. The greater the trade discount, the larger their piece of the pie, and the greater incentive they have to distribute your book, sell your book, and market your book, etc.

The proper trade discount depends upon the author's goals, and can vary from author to author just as readily as from book to book. Typically, the higher the retail margin, the higher the cover price, so authors interested in maintaining the lowest cover price possible will often opt for a lower retail margin. This may be okay, and even preferred, if the book's largest market is through on-line sales.

Conversely, those authors who long for the best distribution possible will elect a higher trade discount, even though their cover price will increase accordingly (or their profit will decrease accordingly). Non-fiction or niche-markets are less affected by higher retail prices. Additionally, greater distribution is often advantageous in finding those niche markets. Suffice it to say, a non-fiction book can almost always sustain a higher trade discount than a fiction book.

Trade discounts can be as low as 20% to successfully get listed on Internet retailers like Amazon.com, who manage to make a profit with such low margins through EDI (electronic data interface) with distributors like Ingram and on-demand publishers like Outskirts Press.

By comparison, trade discounts can be as high as 75% - 80% when dealing with a niche wholesaler, or when attempting distribution for a book that does not have a proven market. In these cases, the distributor may be padding the coffers a bit in anticipation for a harder sell and perhaps, also, in preparation for offering an increased retail margin to close the deal.

INDUSTRY STANDARDS

Industry standards for retail margins are difficult to define because, ultimately, it comes down to negotiation between all parties involved. Publishers have the power to negotiate with distributors, who have the power to negotiate with retailers, who have the ability to negotiate with the reader, but the typical trade discount is around 55%, which allows for a typical retail margin of 40%.

Publishing-on-demand is removing some of the participants in this little dance, and as a result, the same piece of pie is being divided among fewer people, resulting in more money for the remaining players (especially the author). This is particularly true if the author is going after online sales exclusively, which allows the author to set a much lower trade discount with little to no repercussions when publishing via a flexible on-demand publisher such as Outskirts Press, who lets authors set their own pricing. Now you have the flexibility to do it and the knowledge to do it right.

Brent Sampson is the President & CEO of Outskirts Press at http://www.outskirtspress.com, where the future of publishing is here, today. He is the award-winning author of Publishing Gems: Insider Information for the Self-Publishing Writer and Self-Publishing Simplified which is available on Amazon for an unbelievably low $5.95 or for free in e-book form at outskirtspress.com/publishing

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We Need an Abbreviated Law School for Authors

We Need an Abbreviated Law School for Authors
By Lance Winslow

Many writers who write books often write about the various types of crime as part of the plot or storyline. Sometimes these writers have characters who are detectives, policeman, court reporters, judges, lawyers and even jurors. For authors who write about courts, police and crime all the time perhaps they need an abbreviated law school, which explains how the court systems work. This would help the fictional works come across much more real life in nature.

In television movies and in most modern novels there are at least some courtroom scenes and it makes sense that these courtroom scenes are indeed more factual in nature. There is nothing worse than reading a book with bad information in it. Since the public seems to be somewhat interested in these types of subjects, it therefore makes sense that we have an abbreviated Law school to help authors with their work.

There should also be more e-books and perhaps writer help books that can assist authors in getting the facts right to make sure their storyline is correct in detail. Authors write about courts, police and crime all the time and it makes sense to have material available for these authors and writers to do it correctly. Please consider all this in 2006.

Lance Winslow - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance in the Online Think Tank and solve the problems of the World; www.WorldThinkTank.net/

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Online Article Authors and Those Who Steal Your Work

Online Article Authors and Those Who Steal Your Work
By Lance Winslow

It is amazing the amount of plagiarism and so-called borrowing that goes on these days on the Internet. In fact, I often notice that articles I write are put onto websites that I would never wish to be associated with in a million years. Other sites lift my articles change the titles, claim these articles are their ideas. Worse they steal the articles and kill the links or take my name off completely. Then others again steal those stolen articles from their sites?

We need to get aggressive and attack. In the new paradigm of the net-centric battlespace the Future Fighting Force will need to have more than just camouflage, armor, superior weaponry, as it will be much about information, data, bandwidth. Using remotely piloted UAVs, space age laser attack scenarios and good geo-spatial intelligence these tools will utilize all the latest innovations in technologically advanced sensors.

In other words you must be all-knowing on land, underground, on the sea, under the ocean, in the air and in space and be able to transmit thru all dimensions of the battle field bubble. I hope each online article author understands that winning, takes a streamlined strategy to insure that the tip of the sword is precise, targeted and accurate. You must use your smart munitions to win.

This is not a game to be played lightly and the stakes are too high to pretend. Understand the mind of your enemy, prepare for pre-emption, expect a limited reciprocal response, beware the natural guerilla war tendencies and fight the battles you can win at the speed of thought.

Press on Article Authors; give 180% and Expect to Win! Take no prisoners. I certainly hope this article is of interest and that is has propelled thought. The goal is simple; to help you in your quest to be the best in 2007. I thank you for reading my many articles on diverse subjects, which interest you.

Lance Winslow - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/ Lance is a guest writer for Our Spokane Magazine in Spokane, Washington

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Authors

Authors
By Damian Sofsian

An author is a chronicler and creator of works of fiction or facts in book, electronic, or document form. It took American authors nearly 200 years after setting foot on the new continent to develop their own style and set standards to be followed by future generations.

Initially, the style was more of a colonial carryover, relying on historical and religious writings. The change came with the American War of Independence, giving a sense of belonging and opportunity. We had classics like The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and authors such as Washington Irving. The great authors of nineteenth centuryNathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, and Edgar Allan Poegave way to post-Civil War trendsetters or mega authors like Mark Twain (Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Adventures of Tom Sawyer) and the birth of realism in American writings. It was also a period of thinker authors such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, an ex-minister who published a nonfiction work called Nature.

Social themes were the hallmark of twentieth-century writings, and authors Henry James, Edith Wharton, Upton Sinclair, Jack London, Sinclair Lewis, Ernest Hemingway, and F. Scott Fitzgerald brought out impressive characterizations of the period. Another important event of this era was the emergence of black authors finally breaking away from the slavery mold. They soon worked towards crossing the racial line and entering mainstream publishing.

Every century has its icons, and the present is cluttered with aspiring authors and celebrities like Hillary and Bill Clinton and Dan Brown of The Da Vinci Code fame and with autobiographies of political or theatrical figures. Other first-time success stories are book authors or information spreaders who market the written word through specific topic books, audio programs, fiction, history, home-study courses, computer programs, seminars, or newsletters. Certain subject areas like electronic media, research papers, blogs, e-zines, or how-to books restrict the creativity of authors. Some authors get lucky with first-time books and follow them up with a series that could be how-to books, suspense, detective, family drama, or humor series. Trinity authors have unique content and established platforms, which they refurbish to their advantage. Whatever the subject, success depends on the sincerity of purpose and of words.

Authors provides detailed information on Authors, Black Authors, Trinity Authors, Book Authors and more. Authors is affiliated with Calligraphy Fonts.

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One Catch22 of Internet Marketing For Authors

One Catch-22 of Internet Marketing For Authors
By Seth Mullins

When I became a published author, little over a year ago, I realized that my publisher would be doing next to nothing to push my book. So I started researching ways of doing my own promotion. I read about preparing press releases, doing book signings, methods for approaching that various media.

Somewhere along the line, I began to have more sober thoughts. Wait! I dont even own a car. What am I gonna do, hitchhike around on an authors tour? And most authors dont get offered interview spots on T.V. and Radio unless their book is ALREADY a bestseller or unless the topic theyre writing about ties in with some current and news-worthy event.

Basically, the tried-and-true methods of book promotion were beyond my means or just not feasible. No one wanted to review my book because I was an unknown author (!) The editors of the local papers and the folks at the college radio never replied to me.

Then the idea hit me: I could reach as many people on the internet, and not even have to leave my house. From that time on, I devoted hours to traversing the web. I participated in discussion forums, submitted my title to book lists like IBLIST, wrote and posted free to reprint articles with attached authors bio and links to my website on AuthorsDen. And on that site I posted a full bio, links to my book page on my publishers site, and sample chapters.

Some weeks as many as a hundred people would visit my site, and a dozen would read my excerpts. This went on week by weekover a years time.

How many books did I sell as a result of this (not including other efforts)? I could count them on my fingers. So what happened there?

Heres my hypothesis, and it has to do with the average persons perception of the web. See, to an author it seems a natural place to be exposed and generate sales. But to others, its a wide ocean of FREE information, a kind of cyber-library. My guess is that my visitors read through my sample chapters and enjoyed them.

Then they moved on, continuing to browse the endless field of free-to-view content that will forever come-hither in response to their keystrokes.

Seth Mullins is the author of Song of an Untamed Land. Visit his complete blog at http://www.writingup.com/blog/sethmullins

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Article Marketing for Authors Does It Work?

Article Marketing for Authors - Does It Work?
By J.D. Verhoeff

The process of marketing books online has become a multi-million dollar project. But the reality may be somewhat different. Im going to focus on generating some traffic to a new book release site, using Article Marketing and see if it does work.

The purpose of Article Marketing is to bring traffic to your website. And that does work. The proof is in the pudding (or the signups on my website), and youll just have to trust me on this - but Ive had several signups for my new Ezine The Secret to Prosperity just since I published a couple of articles last week. And Article Marketing is the only Marketing Ive done so far on that site.

So, I thought Id share the process with you.

1) Design a nice page with squeeze technology, using simple html, a friendly background, and a signup form from your favorite ezine producer. I use www.ezezine.com. This doesnt have to be pretty, but it should be straight forward, honest, and smooth. Upload the page to your site and start creating content for the back side of the website. (Be sure you get the links right; people hate having to click back to find what they were looking for the second time.) 2) Write. Now heres the sticky part, what you write should have something to do with your website topic, ezine, and be informative about what youre doing online. The more professional sounding your articles are, the more credible youll be as an expert in your field. This doesnt mean you cant have fun, or that your articles have to be dry. Just dont do stupid stuff in your articles, like share your prejudices, talk a lot of political dissention, or air your dirty laundry in public.

Make your articles more than 300 words and strive for a range somewhere between 400 and 700 words. Pick a single topic and stay on topic for the whole article. (I lack some serious expertise in this area, I tend to wonder a bit, but editing helps solve this problem.)

3) Promote your site. For instance: the book project. Anne T. Oxley is a writer who wanted to publish a book about her Faith, so she wrote a book. Several publishers turned her down because it appeared to be too controversial. But, an online publisher offered to help her publish her book online, and make it available through her website at http://annetoxley.com and it worked. Anne researched the History of the Catholic Church, and inserted her views on faith, along with some opinion, and her understanding of several doctrines including Christianity, Judaism, Catholicism, and Muslimism, and wrote them into her book We are ALL Children of the Same God. The book is written from her heart and has a definite purpose.

Her book has several things going for it.

a) it was released just before Easter.

b) it is written by an author who is recognized.

c) it is a controversial topic that will get a lot of attention.

d) it will attract those who are in a specific niche.

e) its available online for a reasonable fee.

Using Article Marketing to market a book is simple if you know the contents of the book. You can write actual content from the book into articles, and allude to the solution found in the book, but never quite answer the questions, so people want to purchase the book. Or, if you dont use content from the book, you can write from content that might surround the book, perhaps focus on the controversy.

To learn more about Article Marketing and presenting your business online, visit http://secret2prosperity.com and sign up for your FREE Subscription to The Secret to Prosperity Ezine and claim more FREE REPORTS that will make Article Marketing Successful.

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The Top Ten Secrets of Successful Authors

The Top Ten Secrets of Successful Authors
By Judy Cullins

If you are not a successful author yet, incorporate the following ten success secrets:

1. Treat your book as a business.

You spend many hours creating a masterpiece to help your audience. It follows then, you need to set up a regular time schedule to market and promote it. Do at least three High Level Activities (HLAs) each day. Write a sales letter for each book. Write an ezine to send to your audience monthly. Create a blog to draw your audience.

2. Create a flyer for each book you offer.

In your flyer, include an excerpt from you fiction or a tip from your self-help book. Put your books cover on the flyer and include testimonials on it. A flyer acts a lot like your books back coverits a good traditional marketing tool.

Hand out your flyer at business meetings or at any public place. Ask your audience to pass the flyer along to friends and associates. Offer one free report or ezine on the flyer to get new email addresses to send promotion to later.

3. Create a line or two about your book in your signature file that goes out on every email you send.

After your name, title, and benefit statements, add something like: eBk: Write your eBook or Other Book--Fast! Include your addresses and phone numbers too.

4. Invest some money in book marketing.

Start a promotion bank account before you finish your book, so you can share your book with thousands and feel confident about its distribution. Contact a bookcoach an internet marketing coach to schedule a low-cost introductory session to see if you are a match and will get what you need. Many authors print too many copies or use an expensive print on demand service to get a book published. Put as much time into marketing as you do in the writing.

5. Take a teleseminar on how to market your book.

Teleseminars are simply seminars via the phone (conference call) with email support.These low cost and low time investments can make your book the great seller it should be. Your audience will want some tips from your book, and you can divide them up over several one-hour phone teleseminars. A great way to sell books, and a great way to attract new clients. Discover this inexpensive way to market via the phone and email. How convenient!

6. Don't get fooled by high-cost services.

If it's too good to be true, it isn't true. When you hire someone to do it all for you, it can cost $8000-$15,000 a publishing project, often with small results. When you hire a publicist, you may pay from $1000-$3500 a month. Results are what count. Check out a coach who knows who provides what for what cost. Save yourself grief in time and money lost. Check out what services fit your budget, and get a realistic picture of what your results will be.

7. Delegate some of the marketing.

Like me, hire a low-cost computer assistant from your local high school. They know more than about computers and the internet than many professionals. For under $10 an hour, you can multiply your promotion exponentially via the ecommerce book promotion your assistant does for you 2-3 times a week. You can look like a big company for a small price.

8. Set a dollar goal for your book each month.

Don't count copies sold. Count each month's book sales. Put your goal near your workstation to remind you of what you want. Don't price your book too low, so you'll appreciate an easy, profitable experience--getting what you deserve for all your work.

9. Learn more about internet book marketing.

Think about reaching hundreds of thousands of your audience every week. When you give them what they want--free information--they will eventually buy. Ask your coach about the number one method to get visitors to your web site--that is, advanced article marketing. Many authors go the traditional path of talks, ads, or press releases. These don't always pay well for the time and effort put into them. Realize what's working and what's not.

10. Keep marketing each week.

Many clients come to me and say they are discouraged their book didn't sell well in four months. Replace doubt with patience for the process. Success takes many months, but once you get it, the internet keeps it multiplied for you. From just a few articles submitted to top web sites five years ago sprung hundreds that are still bringing exponential sales each month.

Knowing the secrets of what successful authors practice can help you receive the same prestige, branding, sharing the good word, and becoming

Judy Cullins 2006 All Rights Reserved.

Judy Cullins, 20-year Book and Internet Marketing Coach Bk The Fast and Cheap Way to Explode Targeted Web Traffic free 2 monthly ezines, The Book Coach Says. . ., and Business Tip of the Month. at http://www.bookcoaching.co

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Website Owners Using Free Article Content Often Complain of Article Authors

Website Owners Using Free Article Content Often Complain of Article Authors
By Lance Winslow

As an article author with 46,000 article captures from Ezines and websites, many publishers use my articles as content and I am amazed and the level of condemnation that these folks give about the online content available at online article submission sites. Why? Well, not because I completely disagree with all of their complaints, some are actually reasonable observations of the way things are and yet if the content is relatively inexpensive thru syndication or even free then why are they complaining at all?

Additionally, very few of these folks are completely legitimate themselves in their own endeavors. One website owner said that he felt to many of the high output online article authors put out too much crap. This is interesting indeed, as I am a high content article author and I found my articles on this gentlemans website?

Further I found questionable content I care not to be associated with on his website also. I find this problematic and I think such hypocrisy of telling us how some article authors ruin the Internet article online submission site categories and then having porno links on his websites where the directed traffic goes to for his own articles is wrong. And well, I just do not appreciate the attacks on my fellow authors and then this display of filth. Consider this in 2006.

Lance Winslow - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance in the Online Think Tank and solve the problems of the World; www.WorldThinkTank.net/

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Online Article Submission Sites Should Authors Have the Ability to Choose Who Uses their Articles?

Online Article Submission Sites; Should Authors Have the Ability to Choose Who Uses their Articles?
By Lance Winslow

Online article submission web sites have become very popular in the last few years and many believe that this was only a fad, but it appears to be a long-term trend. This is why solemn online article submission sites are now offered more options. One of the main online article submission sites is considering allowing the authors to have the ability to choose if they want their articles syndicated or not. Should online writers of articles have the ability to choose who uses their articles? Some believe they should.

Well this is a great subject indeed. Originally, as an online article wannabe author or writer; I was quite concerned when I saw some of my articles in places and websites I would prefer my name and articles not be associated with. Yet over all I am happy either way now that I have come to understand it all and going into my 15 month of writing articles.

It would be kind of cool to be contacted or choose which sites I allowed my articles. Ezines, which use the articles are much higher caliber than websites, which mainly pick up the articles in order to derive revenue from click ads.

Ezines have to be very careful with content, as they have to worry about their readers dropping them. Some websites seem to pick up articles, which do not really fit their theme or venue and display them poorly, but they only care about ranking well in the search engines in order to create traffic for themselves. There are becoming so questionable Blog Sites picking up articles that are also somewhat questionable you see? Consider all this in 2006.

Lance Winslow - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance in the Online Think Tank and solve the problems of the World; www.WorldThinkTank.net/

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What if All Online Article Authors Joined in a Common Cause?

What if All Online Article Authors Joined in a Common Cause?
By Lance Winslow

Can you begin to imagine what would happen if all online article authors all at once started writing on a single subject and each one wrote only 5 articles on a particular issue? One online article author submission website has about 30,000 article authors on it, but if all of these folks wrote 5-articles on a specific subject in one month that would be some 150,000 articles and if they were released all over the Internet and in online distribution such as Ezines, well that would certainly be something indeed.

Do you see the IMPACT this would make on the World? Do you want to cure cancer? If we all wrote 5-articles next month, then that PR would ROCK the Political Scene to put a fire under the political process to see more money flows to the cause and we could in fact change the world. Next month we should. But after we all did that? What would we do next month? Hmm? Pick another cause and go for that.

They say that the pen is mightier than the sword, but can you begin to see how this concept could shape the minds of the masses to get something done? If we can put a man on the moon we can do anything including curing cancer. Longer lives, better health and increased productivity; wow, that would certainly catapult the human race forward and all because a group of online article authors cared enough to make it happen. Consider all this in 2006.

Lance Winslow - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance in the Online Think Tank and solve the problems of the World; www.WorldThinkTank.net/

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Article Marketing Authors Should Pick Websites Which Allow Free Submission Help

Article Marketing Authors Should Pick Websites Which Allow Free Submission Help
By Lance Winslow

Some of the top quality online article submission sites will post your articles for you rather than you having to post them online yourself. Why is this of value? Well if you have 100s of article to put online it will save you hours of time and it makes sense because the average time to post an article online is about 45-seconds.

For those online article submission sites that do this free of charge for bulk submissions, well I say that; This is an incredible offer and time saver and I would also like to say as we go into another season of article writing. When choosing an online article submission site you should look for sites that are continually being upgraded too. Recently I went to a top online article website which had modified its home page, wow you know I was very impressed with this new Very Professional Home Page Design. It is a very good upgrade without taking away the Feel and Successful Original Style. It is hard in web design to upgrade without losing the spirit and original successful style which made a website so Great. This particular online article submission site has achieved both criteria and this will be another New Beginning for them, as they storm into the future, charting new waters and building something that is so great for all mankind. I am impressed with all of it. If you are into article marketing then perhaps you will consider all this in 2006.

Lance Winslow - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance in the Online Think Tank and solve the problems of the World; www.WorldThinkTank.net/

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Why do Authors Need Portable Document Format?

Why do Authors Need Portable Document Format?
By Judy Cullins

If you write eBooks and you market them Online, you need to put your unique information into Portable Document Format (PDF) once your project is finished.

E-publishing is easier, more profitable and saves the author valuable time and money. No waiting for the printer, no middleman who keeps half the profits. No packaging or mailing, saving the author enough time that he can either write another book or spend a few hours a week promoting it.

Your Online audience wants the product instantly, and you can deliver it with PDF. You can send straight to your customer's inbox from your email or create a hyperlink on your Web site, or someone else's site, that downloads it with just the touch of a button. That's convenience for both you and your customer.

You potential customer doesn't need an additional machine like a palm pilot to read or store your eBook. You simply save it as a text file, and then transfer it to PDF to send out. Your buyers are more than happy to print out a copy or read portions of it on their screen at their leisure. Just remember to make your book shorter than the print version--7-99 pages are enough.

Portable Document Format--What it Is

This new technology allows you, the writer, to transfer your Word document files straight to a professional bookcoach or designer who offers Portable Document through the program Adobe Distiller.

The advantages?

1. PDF allows all the fonts and formatting of a printed book without the paper. You can illustrate or use graphics with this program. Be sure to format your book with alternate fonts such as Arial and Times Roman. Keep them consistent.

2. You catch errors before they are too late and easily edit your Word version, then transfer the updated version to PDF.

3. Your PDF file does not allow any one who buys it to alter your words in any way, keeping it yours. With your email address and Web site URL on every page, it creates a safeguard your work.

4. With PDF you can produce good type and fonts, not different from producing any good digital document. Based on the Adobe PostScript standard around for many years, the rules that apply to PostScript also apply to PDF. While you can transfer the copy straight from Word to PDF, you will want to make a good PostScript file for your images and graphics first, then use Distiller to render the PDF. Just note that Mac users substitute Helvetica for Arial.

If you are a newbie or non-techie you can buy the PDF program for around $50 from a professional book coach or book designer, depending on the number of pages and live links.

If a techie or you intend to write multiple books, you can buy the whole package from Adobe. Acrobat Distiller is available at www.adobe.com for around $300.

Keep 2 versions of your eBook, one in Word and another in PDF. You can always update the Word file, then reformat it in PDF. Or, you can offer anyone who buys your books a free yearly update.

PDF offers many advantages over print books. Make your book look as professional as possible, use Portable Document Format.

Judy Cullins, 20-year book and Internet Marketing Coach, Author of 10 eBooks including Write your eBook Fast, and How to Market your Business on the Internet, she offers free help through her 2 monthly ezines, The Book Coach Says...and Business Tip of the Month at http://www.bookcoaching.com/opt-in.shtml and over 140 free articles. Email her at mailto:Judy@bookcoaching.com

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Why Internet Authors Don't Need Critics

Why Internet Authors Don't Need Critics
By Mike Scantlebury

I love to help people, and I'm always ready to give advice to people who ask.

For instance, there's a lot of people out there seeking advice because they've written a book. A lot of people. Almost as many as the number of people who give advice to people - who've written books. Most of that advice is meant to be helpful, but is, quite frankly, wrong.

For instance, I saw an article the other day which said that it 'was OK to publish on the internet', (which is patronising enough), but then went on to say that it was important that the book 'had all the usual things in it', so as to 'impress the Critics'. Why? Why do Internet Authors need Critics?

The problem, as I see it, is that these 'Advisors' don't seem to realise that being published on the internet is a new kind of experience. It's not like Traditional Publishing, which has dominated the world of letters for the last 250 years. It isn't a 'cheap imitation', or something that you do while you're waiting for a 'real publisher' to notice your book and make you an offer. It's a whole different world. If you get your book onto an internet publishing site like Lulu.com, you will be able to get a few copies printed, enough for yourself and your friends, and maybe that's all you really want. You will stop there. Of course, you have the other opportunity, which is to carry on, do the 'submitting to publishers' thing, like all authors do, (even though you've seen your book in print - internet print), and wait by the mailbox like other authors do, hoping against hope that you're going to get good news. And wait. And wait. Just like other authors do, playing the game that publishers have been forcing authors to play for the last few hundred years.

If you think that Traditional Publishing is the right way to go, really the only way, the one true way, then yes, Internet Publishing is going to seem like a weak and pale imitation. More important, the books that come out from the Internet Publishers, are going to look all wrong. After all, Internet Published books are mostly laid out and planned by amateurs. Authors, that is, but rank amateurs when it comes to layout, design and book jacket artwork. These authors may find, (as I found), that getting your picture properly sized is a minefield, and matching pic and text is easy to get wrong. Page numbering is another quagmire. The result? Books that purport to be 'paperback novels' but look nothing like the things you pick up and buy in the shop.

That's what this woman was getting at, with her advice. She wanted Internet Authors to make sure they put a nice blurb on the back; a tempting extract on the front page (like 'real' publishers do); and ensure that the ISBN information was all correct and properly laid out on the reverse of the Title Page. Lost? Confused? Don't worry. My advice is more simple. Pick a book off your bookshelf and copy that. When you upload your own manuscript to Lulu and begin the long journey of becoming an Internet Author, copy what you can see in one of your 'normal' books. Make sure you have the same first few pages, and draw up a Dedication Page for instance, and Contents Page, or whatever you can see the proper publishers doing. (Like me, I put in a 'Cast of Characters' page into my romantic novel, but only because I saw that other similar authors had done it first!)

As a result, your Internet book will look and feel 'normal'. This is what the woman was advising. Most particularly, she was worried that if Critics received a copy of your Internet book and it somehow looked different - looked cheap, badly printed, poorly laid out - then they wouldn't take it seriously and wouldn't give it a good review.

Who cares? What are the chances that any reputable Critic is going to get hold of a copy of a book that is published on the Internet? Would any Internet Author dare send their self-produced novel to a national newspaper for review? I mean, what if the Critic liked it and orders flooded in - how are you going to print off the thousands of copies you will need? How will you get them distributed to bookshops?

No, Internet Publishing is a different game. First and foremost it's about satisfying the author, and finding a way to put your well-loved and crafted manuscript into book form, so you can enjoy that frisson of holding your book in your hand. Second, it's about impressing your family, your friends, your neighbours and their dog. It's not about rivaling the Traditional Publishing companies. It's about filling in that gap between 'published' and 'unpublished' for all those aspiring authors who have been passed over, ignored and generally reviled for the past few generations. It's also about giving readers more choice.

It's not, definitely not, about pleasing Critics. Internet Authors don't need Critics.

Mike Scantlebury is an Internet Author. He writes books, which can be found on Lulu.com, but you can also download selected chapters from his crime novels at his own website, http://www.mikescantlebury.biz where you can find links to his other sites, the home of romantic thrillers and Science Fiction. Mike also runs a Discussion Forum on the future of publishing.

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http://EzineArticles.com/?Why-Internet-Authors-Dont-Need-Critics&id=547005

Publicity for Buzz Marketing for Authors

Publicity for Buzz Marketing for Authors
By Miriam Silverberg

Congratulations, you've written a book and even gotten it published! Now, all you have to do is get people to buy it.Getting people to actually enter a bookstore with the purposeof buying your book is not easy because you're not a randname yet. But you do have a potent weapon at your command--the telephone. Use it.

Call the editor of the books section of your paper. Say you'dlike to send a copy to him or her. Ask if he has a few minutesso you can briefly tell him about the book on the phone. Afteryou send the book, give her a chance to read or at least glanceat it, then call again.

If you can possibly tie the book to something in the news, that's great. Let's say you wrote Cooking with Chocolate andthe health section of your paper has an article on the healthbenefits of chocolate. Call editors and reporters in the health, food and book sections.

If there's a human interest reporter or columnist, call and thensend them a copy of the book. Human interest reporters canusually write on anything that interests them. Try to interestthem in you. What did you do before you wrote the book and whydid you write it? Do you have eight children and wrote it atyour kitchen table every morning between 2:00 and 5:00 am? Did you gain 20 pounds writing the book? Or, did you lose20--proving that chocolate really isn't fattening?

Call the assignment editors at television news programs.Frequently, if there's an interesting hook, they will interview you. Track down book shows on radio and televisionand call the producers.

Don't be afraid to make the phone calls and don't believesomeone when he says he'll get back to you. He won't. Theperson who has the most to gain (you, in this case) has tomake the call. Too often people are afraid to call. Askyourself what's the worst that can happen. They'll say no,right? Editors are not going to gather menacingly on yourdoorstep or come after you with garlic and torches. They'llsay no. Can you live with that? Of course, you can, socall.

Put on a comfortable pair of shoes, gather up copies of thebook and hit the pavement. Stop in at every small bookstoreand beg to leave copies. I assume you've already called thebiggies. Offer to appear to talk bout and read from your book 9or doi a mini-seminar.

You've got to do things to create a buzz. The author of theaforementioned book on chocolate could give away chocolatebars with each copy. Or slices of cake she made (recipe inthe book) during her appearance in the bookstore. It wouldn't be a bad idea to drop off a cake with the book inthe newsrooms.

Don't forget retailers. They might agree to do a windowaround your book. I once got a prominent jeweler to do awindow with diamonds falling out of toe shoes and copies ofthe book, written by a dancer, displayed.

Miriam Silverberg is president of Miriam Silverberg Associates,a publicity firem in New York City. Listed in Who's Who ofAmerican Women, she has publicized authors, restaurants, hotels, New York City Ballet and people in the fashion, beauty and medical fields. She is a guest on the publicity panel at Marymount Manhattan College's seminar for writers.

She may be reached at silverbergm@iopener.net.

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Article Marketers and Article Authors Argue Over Article Lengths

Article Marketers and Article Authors Argue Over Article Lengths
By Lance Winslow

Many article writers just do not understand that Internet Surfers do not wish to read long articles, they like short sound bytes. In fact maybe this is good for those who have websites who place these articles on their sites because no one will bother to read this boring bunk and therefore are more likely to leave; hopefully by way of a Pay-Per-Click Advertisement. Smart article authors if they want any worthy targeted traffic at all will make their articles under 400 words and preferably under 300 to insure internet users read them thru and click on their by-line.

For the past year and a half I have written 8822 articles and put them online and recently I have decreased my word counts of my articles to the 300 word average range and guess what I have increased my article pickups to 31,600 and am now on pace to clear 35,000 pick-ups within 2 months. But why is this? Well simple because Ezines, websites and even those built for the sole purpose of AdSense like the shorter articles.

Occasionally we here complaints by some article authors who say that any article under 300 words is a joke and cannot be called a real article? Well this is an interesting comment because most articles on the major news media outlets 300 words or less. Does this mean that articles on MSN.com, Google News and Yahoo News are not articles? Sure they are and if they are not, well what are they called then?

If we look at most Ezines, which come into our email boxes the trend surely is for shorter articles not longer ones, because we all know those do not get read all the way thru generally. With over 2.5 Million Article views it is obvious to me that shorter articles are in and the long articles truly do not do the article authors justice or help them achieve target traffic numbers like I am getting on my site. Consider this in 2006.

Lance Winslow - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance in the Online Think Tank and solve the problems of the World; www.WorldThinkTank.net/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=LanceWinslow
http://EzineArticles.com/?Article-Marketers-and-Article-Authors-Argue-Over-Article-Lengths&id=300547

How to Recruit Authors for a Marketing Online Magazine

How to Recruit Authors for a Marketing Online Magazine
By Lance Winslow

What is the best way to recruit online authors to write for your marketing online newsletter? Well some believe it takes a little bit of psychological hocus pocus to get them on board. For instance they will tell you how they can make you a charter member of their writing team and how you too can get in on the ground floor.

They will blow smoke up your butt with compliments too, almost to the point of out right lying to you. Next they will tell you that you will be part of a select team of people, carefully chosen; again so what. Actually what they should have said is that you are part of a group of people gullible enough to fall for joining their team.

If for some reason you have an objection they will counter that objection and boomerang you like an old fashioned sales pitch, typical used car salesmen scum I tell you. Then they will agree with you, even when they do not believe it or are such socio-pathological liar that they cannot believe it.

If you are a writer you need to tell these people to take a hike and tell them that you do not work for free and tell them point-blank what you think of their little games. Additionally, if they try to tell you that you are unprofessional for being blunt, tell them that you would rather be unprofessional than a lying scum like them. Show them the door. Consider all this in 2006.

Lance Winslow - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance in the Online Think Tank and solve the problems of the World; www.WorldThinkTank.net/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=LanceWinslow
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Recruit-Authors-for-a-Marketing-Online-Magazine&id=214448

Article Authors What are Your Daily Statistic Increase Figures?

Article Authors; What are Your Daily Statistic Increase Figures?
By Lance Winslow

Many online amateur and professional online article writers have considered their over all statistics. This is smart thinking, but the true test of article author stats are the daily statistic increases. Let me illuminate this subject for you.

Currently, my page views increase 4,000 to 10,000 per 24 hours, depending on Over All Internet Traffic and what is in the News and what folks are searching. My Ezine Publisher pick-ups increase about 65 to 3000 per day or so. Average is more like 150-250. I just hope everyone understands that these numbers do not lie. These numbers of daily article statistic increases have been going up since the first day I stated writing some 19-months the prior. The true importance is not how many article views a single article does, but rather an authors increase of exposure over time.

The longer articles are out on the Internet and syndicated the better they will do and the more attention they receive. The more articles one writes the more the entire group of articles will do. In the end the daily statistic increases are all that count, because this indicates how well the online article author is doing out there. Please consider all this in 2006.

Lance Winslow - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance in the Online Think Tank and solve the problems of the World; www.WorldThinkTank.net/

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http://EzineArticles.com/?Article-Authors;-What-are-Your-Daily-Statistic-Increase-Figures?&id=282005

Compliments to Recruit Online Authors to Write For You

Compliments to Recruit Online Authors to Write For You
By Lance Winslow

Many folks in business do in fact see the need for writers to help propel their political agenda, businesses or some other need. They know they need a writer and are somewhat lazy to get busy and just start writing to fill the gap. Instead this laziness takes hold and they try their old leadership skills.

I say old because some of the manipulative compliments they use to recruit are something you would expect a clerk at a Wal-Mart to use to get the night crew to move a little faster stocking the shelves somewhere in the deep South of the United States. Such sales tactics used to recruit authors is a little condescending indeed and it is a wonder that any online authors even bother.

Some people actually believe and even write books that a compliment will go along way. Indeed perhaps it will, but insincerity is not leadership, embellishment is not truthful and there is no honor in blowing smoke up someones butt.

Now then, there are writers, artists and authors who are of low self-esteem and personal character and perhaps being nice and polite makes sense, but too often those who try to recruit others to their cause are indeed so manipulative and insincere that they borderline manipulative psychological fraud.

If you are an online author and see these tactic used on you, make note of it and take immediate and appropriate action. If you are some who recruits online article writers then think twice before blowing smoke. Consider all this in 2006.

Lance Winslow - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance in the Online Think Tank and solve the problems of the World; www.WorldThinkTank.net/

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http://EzineArticles.com/?Compliments-to-Recruit-Online-Authors-to-Write-For-You&id=216052

Writing Your Own Compelling Author's Biography

Writing Your Own Compelling Author's Biography
By Dawn Arkin

Most publications today want an author's biography, called a bio, when they accept a writer's work. Readers love to learn a little bit about the person who wrote a story or poem they enjoyed reading. It is a way for the reader to feel close to the writer.

Creating an author's bio your readers will love reading can be as trying as writing your story. You want to entertain with your bio and tell a bit about yourself as well.

A bio is used to give the reader information about the author. A book publisher will want one to run on the back page of your novel. A magazine will want one to run with your story or poem. You should write a bio that is aimed at the item it will be published with so it is relevant.

Though most editors will have their own guidelines for writing an author's bio, you can use these general guidelines to write a standard bio, one you can alter to match any work you get published.

Length
Most bios run between 50 and 400 words, with the average length about 150 words. Double space your bio and try to it no one more than one page in length.

Tense
When you write your biography, do so in the third person. You should use present tense, unless a past tense is absolutely necessary.

Content
Depending on what manuscript the bio is for, include any qualifications, education, skills, or experience you may have helps makes you look professional. Do not include unimportant information.

Achievements
Most of your bio should be devoted to your writing achievements. Previous publications, writing awards, or degrees you have relating to your work's subject should be in the bio. If you have real life experience in your subject, be sure to also include it.

Promotions
If you are lucky enough to have been interviewed by a known publication, or have had a radio or television interview, mention that in your bio.

Tone
This should compliment your piece. If you have written a free and modern story, then make your bio the same way. Do not have a silly bio with a serious writing article.

Mood
Always present your information in a positive way. If you do not have a lot of work published, do not fret. Post what you have in an upbeat manner. Even if you have not been published before, you still have talents and qualifications - use them.

Do not make your bio seem too good to be true by over exaggerated information. Making yourself sound better than you are can, and will, backfire in the long run.

Do not lie. It will only make you look like an amateur, and could cost you future sales. Aim your bio at the editor who is publishing your work. List only publication credits that will impress them.

Even if you have no publishing credits, you can still write a bio. Just keep it brief. An example is: Jane Doe is a writer living in Hometown, USA. She is currently at work on. Be sure to keep it upbeat.

Writing a bio to go with a published piece should not be harder than writing the item itself. Following some simple guidelines will make the process easier, and leave you with a bio you can be proud of.

Dawn Arkin is an author on http://www.Writing.Com/ which is a site for Poetry. Her portfolio can be found at http://www.Writing.Com/authors/darkin so stop by and read for a while.

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http://EzineArticles.com/?Writing-Your-Own-Compelling-Authors-Biography&id=435539

Zen and the Art of Online Article Authorship

Zen and the Art of Online Article Authorship
By Lance Winslow

Many say that it is essential to detach yourself from your article writing to maximize your efforts in the online article author domain. They say that becoming one with the universe and all things can help you achieve all. Yes indeed, sounds great and when you are done crossing the galaxy like a shooting star then perhaps you might come back to Earth and live in the real world in time to utilize all this wonderfulness you have achieved.

You know as nice as all this sounds you do not have to clear your plate to will events to occur or expect the holistic universe to perform. However it all works, it works either way. It simply is. All frequency and vibrational energy intersects, you do not have to detach to plug in.

It is not Newtonian Universe VS Eastern Culture. It is both. If you are really one with all, then show me your results in the here and now and also the spiritualness side simultaneously. And you can detach yourself from the here and now and collect enlightenment from the universe or collective minds if you wish, but then who is writing your article then? You or Us? If you are not writing it, then leave your name and link off of it, because that is plagiarism. HA! Lets debate it shall we?

There is a time for detachment from your articles and neutrality, thinking outside the box and domain of the subject or topic. Then there is a time to ignite passion for your article and allow the juices to flow like never before. Consider it. I certainly hope this article is of interest and that is has propelled thought. The goal is simple; to help you in your quest to be the best in 2007. I thank you for reading my many articles on diverse subjects, which interest you.

Lance Winslow - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/ Lance is a guest writer for Our Spokane Magazine in Spokane, Washington

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http://EzineArticles.com/?Zen-and-the-Art-of-Online-Article-Authorship&id=443772

Article Authors WARNING You Are Being Ripped Off by Unscrupulous Website and Ezine Owners

Article Authors - WARNING - You Are Being Ripped Off by Unscrupulous Website and Ezine Owners
By Gary Simpson

All article authors know that spending time writing articles is an effective way to draw a steady stream of free traffic to their own websites. This is done via the resource or signature box at the bottom of the article that gives the author's short biography and their link or links.

The established convention is - you write an article and you allow it to be picked up (copied) by webmasters and ezine owners on two conditions. These are:

no alterations whatsoever

a LIVE link back to your designated point of origin (usually your website)

Well - here's NEWS for you! Many so-called article websites are NOT complying with this convention. They carry your article, make your LIVE link DEAD then surround YOUR work with Google Adsense advertisements so that THEY make money. They do not want visitors to their article farms to click away from your article to your site. No. They want the only escape from the page to be via a Google Adsense advert that they make money from. How insidious is that?

I have been doing random searches of several of my most popular articles - ones that have had thousands of views - and I am finding DEAD links all over the place. Do a search yourself and you will undoubtedly find exactly the same thing is happening to you.

Many of these rogue sites have no Google PR ranking yet. This indicates that they are fairly new and haven't earned a ranking. However, they are carrying 1000's of articles. One that I am investigating has over 100,000 articles. This would have to be a case of Google Adsense at its very worst. Greed has taken over and the owners of these sites are reaping the reward of all the hard work that article writers like you and me are doing. Basically, they are stealing copyright for personal gain.

Worse, some of these sites do not contain any email address or site administration information for you to make a complaint should you catch them out. That does not deter me. I go to places like www.alexa.com or www.whois.com and find out who runs the site and their email address then I email them with a short message like this:

You people are using one of my articles - (insert URL of article here).

You are not displaying a live link back to my site. You know that this is one of the rules for displaying content. You are also displaying Google Adsense ads around my article. This means that you are attempting to make money from my work with no credit back to me. That is unfair.

Please make the link live or delete the article from your data base.

Please reply back to me with your actions.

While you are at it, if you are displaying any more of my many articles you'd best fix them too - or delete them. I will be checking on this tomorrow. Failure to take action will see this matter escalated. Thank you.

Check your own articles - particularly your popular ones. They are the articles that unscrupulous people like this target because they know that they are proven traffic pullers. That is what they want for their Google Adsense click throughs. I believe that these article farm sites are simply raiding the well-known reputable article sites for their material.

I intend to make a complaint to Google itself if these sites ignore my warnings. Then there would be a very real possibility that all their Google Adsense adverts will be disabled.

If every article writer did this then the word would soon get around. After all, what is the point of crafting a well written and informative article if rogues are going to disable the live links then steal them for their own profit? They are dishonest but I doubt if they are that stupid to place their entire cobbled together sites at risk.

About the author: Gary Simpson is the author of eight books covering a diverse range of subjects such as self esteem, affirmations, self defense, finance and much more. His articles appear all over the web. Gary's email address is budo@iinet.net.au Click here to go to his Motivation & Self Esteem for Success website where you can receive his enspirational Thoughts plus an immediate FREE copy of his highly acclaimed, life-changing e-book The Power of Choice.

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http://EzineArticles.com/?Article-Authors---WARNING---You-Are-Being-Ripped-Off-by-Unscrupulous-Website-and-Ezine-Owners&id=403359