5 Marketing Basics

Having yearly, monthly, and/or weekly marketing goals are crucial to achieving success. With goals, you know where you're heading and can work toward that end. Marketing goals can be considered a marketing plan, and it will have a number of steps or objectives that must be set in motion and accomplished.

Whether you're trying to sell a product or services, five of the bare basic marketing strategies are:

1. Create a presence and platform

Creating an online presence and platform can be initiated by creating a website or blog. First though, you'll need to be sure of your niche because the site name and content should reflect your area of expertise is.

Remember, plan first. Choose a site name that will grow with you. Using an author as an example, if you choose a site name, Picture Books with [Your Name], you've limited yourself. What if your next book is for young adults?

Some authors create sites with the name of their book. This is a good strategy for pure focus on that one book, but again, what happens when more books become available. Will you create a site for each of your books?

While you can do this, you will be stretching yourself thin and diluting your main focus: you as the author of multiple books.

Leave room to grow; it's always advisable to use your name as the site's name.

In addition, with today's gone-in-a-second attention span, it's a good idea to keep your site simple. Sites that take a few seconds or more to load may cause you to lose potential buyers.

2. Increase visibility

Writing content for your readers/visitors is the way to increase visibility. The word is: Content is King. Provide interesting, informative, and/or entertaining content that will prompt the reader to come back. Also, be sure your content is pertinent to your site, and keep your site and content focused on your platform.

3. Draw traffic to your site

To draw traffic to your site, promote your posts by using social media. You can also do article marketing which will increase your visibility reach.

Another strategy is to offer your readers free gifts, such as an e-book relevant to your niche. This will help to increase your usefulness to the reader. This is considered organic marketing; it funnels traffic back to your site with valuable content and free offers.

4. Have effective call-to-actions

Your site must have call-to-action keywords that will motivate readers to visit and click on your links. Keywords to use include:

• Get your Free gift now for subscribing
• Subscribe to our Newsletter
• Free e-book to offer on your own site
• Buy Now
• Sign up
• Don't hesitate, take advantage of our expert services
• Be sure to Bookmark this site

You get the idea, motivate the reader to want what you're offering and give him/her a CLEAR and VISIBLE call-to-action. Make it as simple as possible for the visitor to buy what you're offering.

5. Develop a relationship with your readers

It's been noted that only 1% of first time visitors will buy a product. Usually, only after developing a relationship through your newsletter, information, and offers will your potential customer or client click on the BUY NOW button.

A Great Solution for Writers: Online Book Printing

Are you an author that is interested in having your book printed? Have you come to the realisation that it is difficult to get published using a conventional publishing house? It can be quite a time-consuming endeavour and no guarantee can be given that your book or written material will be published. Many publishing companies may be reluctant to publish your written material as they perceive the risk of publishing an unknown author to be too high. An alternative to approaching a normal publishing house is to rather have your book printed by an online book printing company.

In the past, authors would send their manuscript to a publishing house and would have to wait to hear if their written material would be published or not. Often, authors with great potential have had their books rejected by publishing houses. Fortunately, today you can have your book printed via other means, and time will not be wasted.

Having your book published by an online printing company could be a worthwhile option, specifically if you have not achieved it using normal procedures.

We are increasingly using technology for more and more reasons. Other than printing your book using your local printers, a viable option is using an online printing company. Inevitably it will not be as cheap, but it will be professional as well as being a convenient method. There are many benefits that will arise if you decide to make use of an online book printing company.

An advantage of using an online printing company is that you can easily choose your preferences online, hassle free. Your first consideration will be to decide which book cover would best suit your needs. Other considerations would include the layout, page size and font.

A further point to consider is that you will need to acquire an ISBN number, it is sensible to buy one as without one your book will not be saleable in any bookstore. You will additionally need to decide whether you would like it to be printed as a hardcopy or softcopy.

Furthermore, if you advertise your book online and interest is shown, you can order according to your immediate printing needs. A great advantage is that if people wish to purchase your book, you can print the exact amount as you need it. Effectively, there will be no limitations on how few or how many you wish to print. Moreover, it is an essentially practical solution as you will not be sitting with unsold copies and as demand increases you can order accordingly.

Best Seller - Six Strategies How To Write a Book In 7 Days or Less!

Do you want to write a book in a week?

Have you been putting off the books over year?

Are you frustrated that another year has gone by?

Do you want to attract more clients through your best-selling book?

Do you feel overwhelmed from all the steps needed to write your book?

I know how you feel. I've been there. It's super frustrating for me. But that's in the past. We'll quickly go over in this article the areas below:

-How to start the book.

-How to find an awesome topic.

-How to find time to write your best selling book

Tip 1: Don't Limit Yourself

I use to limit myself, saying that "I can't write" or "I don't think I can write" or "I'm not an expert or have anything to say" But I found that these are perceived problems. Shift your mindset. Instead of saying that "I can't". You can use empowering questions instead. You have the power to choose. So label it "I choose to..." "I choose to write for 15 minutes", "I choose to be grateful for the skill to write". If you say "I can't" you really saying that "I choose not to". You subconscious mind can only agree with what you say to yourself so talk in the positive light. This is what you can do on a daily basis. Change the way you choose your words in life. This applies in any area of your life.

If you can talk, you can write. Just write as you are talking to a client, friend or even your mom, about the topic you want to write about. Be as easy going and conversational using the kind of language someone who is a amateur at the subject will be hearing. What I'm saying is, don't use big words.

If you think you don't have the time, then plan a day based when you feel most creative and write during that time frame. For me, this is between 10am to about 12. I make sure I write some ideas down or record it before I head to my next scheduled daily task or appointment.

Tip 2: Marketing Mesh

The marketing mesh starts now. When you work on your book, also be working on your marketing. Find out what your target market want to know. How? It's simple.

Instead of sending a questionnaire to your email list because you're just starting out with info product Creation. Instead of doing a survey, go the Amazon.com and look at best selling products. You see, people are already buying these products. Next, ask yourself, not people, what problems or concerns do you have about the product. How do you use the product? What challenges come from using this? If you have no clue nor are you interested, read reviews about the product and write and research based on the elements from customer reviews.

Again, look at the list of products that are being bought and you won't rack your brain trying to "read" your prospects mind.

Tip 3: Short Yet Powerful

Look, it doesn't have to be 200 plus pages. It could be a simple daily quotes book with a piece of your own take of wisdom on the quote. Use your quotes or use someone Else's. Reference the source and underneath it, write a paragraph or two on how the quote has inspired you to do something an area in your life.

Tip 4: Unique Systems List

Present your system think about explaining a problem talking my problems and explaining how to solve it.

People in your market will always need personalized, face to face help so don't worry so much that your book will draw personal clients away from you. The opposite is true. Many will call out the true source (you) and hire you. For example, I have a problem with a leak in water piping around the shower head of my bathtub - work behind the wall. I could have read books upon books and watched Internet videos about the problem.

But if the problem became overbearing and I couldn't stand, it I ended up calling expert and he ended up coming over to fix it. the moment.

Tip 5: The Sacred Space

Do you have a sacred space for your writing? Display pictures objects or things that help you tap into your inner self. I'm often traveling and not take a folder or collapsible folder items have to do with my inner self pictures that inspire me a CD that motivates me -- relaxing music or nature sounds. You have a unique place in the world find so you will find your place in it for your writing -- make this an important ritual. If you write at home, create a writing space, it could be your den or small area that you can find privacy. Set aside time each day to dedicate and write in that sacred space. I travel in my vehicle and sometimes my sacred space is inside my car in between a client and a break I have.

Tip 6: Health Patterns Change Writing Patterns

You must take charge of their health and well-being, exercising specially the one you especially the type you enjoy -- will Bush energy and harsher power to write, he gets more oxygen to your brain which will help you think better, and we all know that we need to think better more clear when we are writing. So make sure you set aside time for moving -- I love the way loose your mood and you're at your creativity, like I said if you think of a candle without option will happen to that candle that fire would die the same thing with your your brain -- the more option you get through exercise through physical exercise the better to creativity flame.

Make Money Selling eBooks: Simple Internet Marketing Strategies To Make Money On the Internet

Many people make money selling ebooks can be a very lucrative avenue for generating substantial, and more importantly passive, income in a short period of time with minimum investment. If this sounds too good to be true you are correct, for most people at least. What happens to the majority of folks getting into internet marketing is information and option overload. There are countless ways to make serious money on the internet, but only if you pick a plan and stick to it rather than losing focus and trying every possible option that you happen to come upon.

One of a great many strategies is to make money selling ebooks as everyone can see the world is moving digital and is showing no sign of slowing down. This internet marketing strategy allows for easy entrance to making money on the internet with little financial investment. It also has one of the shortest learning curves of the many methods that are available.

One of the greatest benefits of this internet marketing strategy is the residual income that is generated. The work invested on the internet promoting ebook sales continue long after you stop investing time into promoting a product. "I guarantee that the folks working at your local bank will want to know what you are doing to receive all those checks each month" says Harold MacPhee "a couple of bank tellers even thought ClickBank was an actual bank when they looked at the check".

One option for making money selling ebooks on the internet is signing up as an affiliate on ClickBank. ClickBank has over 100,000 ebooks by thousands of authors who pay commissions of up to 75% per sale. An added benefit is these authors usually have developed marketing materials to assist their affiliates promote their products. These materials can include articles, press releases, websites, blogs, website content, ads, etc.

Another option is to write your own ebook and have affiliates sell it for you. This is generally the more profitable option that has produced a many semi-retired internet marketers before they reached their thirtieth birthday. The important this with this internet marketing idea is to create products that create value for the buyer, usually by solving a problem they have.

There is an almost unlimited number of options available for aspiring entrepreneurs to chose from and the learning curve can be as great as one allows it to be, so keep it simple. Pick a path, create a simple plan, and most importantly, stick to it to become successfully in the shortest time possible.

Publishing Your Book at the Perfect Time

Is there a perfect time to publish your book? Most authors want their book in the hands of readers as soon as possible, but if you want to maximize your ability to get media attention as well as to sell your book to readers, you should think about which month to publish into. When planning your book's publication date, keep in mind the mood of typical readers and book buyers, as well as holidays, special events, and seasonal themes.

Here are some ideas about good months for publishing particular types of books.

January. Because of New Year's resolutions, January's theme is a new year, a new you. It seems everyone wants to start a diet, stop smoking, fix their relationship with their spouse, partner, or child, or write a book at last, starting January 1! If your book is on self-improvement or offers insight into the obstacles to meeting personal growth, January might be the perfect month for publishing your book.

February. Valentine's Day brings up thoughts of relationships, sex, and romance. My cousin and coauthor, Beverly West, and I once came up with a successful book idea by starting with the question, "What kind of $10 by-the-register Valentine's Day book could we write?" February is also a good time to publish books about movies because of the timing of the Academy Awards.

February into March and April. Spring is a typical time for publishers to release midlist books (books with minimal advertising budgets that publishers expect to sell in modest numbers). This way, the smaller books don't have to compete against huge blockbuster novels and nonfiction being released in the fall to entice Christmas shoppers. If your book is on a serious subject, or on spring cleaning, or gardening, try to get your book published in the springtime.

May. Mother's Day is a great time for gift books and books on mother/daughter or mother/son issues. Swimsuit season begins soon, so May can be a terrific time to publish books on getting in shape and losing weight.

June. Weddings, Father's Day, and Graduation. June is a great time to publish gift books and books that about dads, careers, and weddings, and books that would appeal to fathers, graduates, and brides to be.

July and August. Unless your book is a great beach read, getting your book published in July or August when people aren't typically thinking about serious topics and many people are on vacations may result in minimal or no publicity for your book.

September. Back to school means talk of careers and education and, of course, kids and what they need to learn. My book, Raising a Sensory Smart Child, cowritten with Lindsey Biel, was recently relaunched in September. Over the years, my coauthor and I found that parents, teachers, and professionals who work with kids are most likely to be seeking information on children with hidden issues such as sensory processing disorder in September when school starts.

October. Thanks to Halloween, October is a fantastic month paranormal themes whether it's ghosts, vampires, or witches. If your novel is the next Twilight, October would be a perfect publication month for you.

November. Big books for the fall-the potential blockbusters-come out in September through November, but especially in November due to television ratings "sweeps" that month. TV shows book celebrities to get the best ratings, which determine ad revenue in the coming months. Ever notice that all those bestselling authors do their PBS specials in November? If yours is a smaller book, and you're not famous, you may wish to avoid November as a publication date. The exception is if your book is on politics or policy that might be discussed around election time. If you are not a celebrity, and your book has nothing to do with politics, don't even consider a November publication in a major election year! Media attention will be very difficult to procure.

December. Of course, people are talking about Christmas and family in December-but books rarely actually publish in December because if your book isn't on the shelves by November, it may not make it onto one. Bookstores are so busy around the holidays that your book will probably fall between the cracks and not make it onto the shelf.

These are general guidelines-there are exceptions-but it's very wise to consider what the public's and media's mood will be when your book comes out. Take a look at other books that will share the shelf in the bookstore with your own and see if you can figure out their publication date.

Then too, when it comes to handing in your final manuscript, you have to work backward from your publication date. April 1 is about the last date that a publisher wants to pass the manuscript for an October book into the production department. They need many months to produce a quality book, and the publicity department wants time to get the galleys to certain publicity outlets and to potential endorsers before the jacket and book are printed up and the book is shipped. If your heart is set on getting your book out quickly, you might want to consider self-publishing instead of going with a traditional publisher who needs more production time. Regardless, pay attention to what month would be best for publication and, if you do end up working with a publisher, make a case for the publication date you believe will most benefit your book.

Book Publishing - Self-Publish Your Book on Amazon to Build Your Business and Change Your Life

You may already have heard that more than eighty percent of people throughout the world would like to write a book. The sad part is that fewer than 5% actually achieve their goal. And of those who write and publish a book, less than 1% of them ever go on to publish a second book on any topic. It doesn't have to be this way. If becoming an author is one of your goals, know that it has never been easier to get your information out to the world in the form of a published book.

This is due, at least in part, to the world of self-publishing. Amazon was the first company to really take off with this strategy, and thousands of people quickly found an outlet to easily get their book for sale. I have now published one paperback book through their Create Space program, as well as an audio book that is available as both a physical CD and downloadable mp3 files. They make it so simple that almost anyone can write or record their information and upload it to their site for publication.

I would still recommend that you have an editor take a look at it before you upload the final version, because it is your reputation that is at stake if you have errors or incorrect information in your final book or audio CD.

You can then publish your book as a Kindle offering. This is also very easy to do, simply by following their detailed instructions. Many people now prefer to read on a Kindle, iPad, or computer screen (yes, you can download a version of the Kindle reader to your desktop) so be sure you are providing your content in a format that is preferable to them.

Now it's time to market your book to your prospects. You can do this easily by blogging on your topic, writing short articles, hosting teleseminars, and becoming active on the most popular social media sites - Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Let people know who you are and what you have to offer them by communicating openly and regularly on your topic and answering all questions. This will increase both your visibility and credibility, resulting in more book sales, opportunities to speak at live events and on teleseminars, and even being able to coach or mentor others who want to follow in your footsteps.

Think of your book as a stepping stone to a variety of events that will end up changing your life in a big way over a short period of time. Get started right away so that you'll know what other questions you need to have answered.

How to Make Your Book Cover Attractive and Attention Grabbing

Your book cover is the first thing a potential buyer sees, whether online or in the book store. So it is critical that you make it attractive. Here are five tips to help you sell more books.

1. Consider your target market.

There is a huge difference in the look of a book for one target market versus another. So you need to look in a bookstore to see what appeals to buyers like the ones who will buy your book.

For example, you may find that books for entrepreneurs are generally paperbacks, in the 5.5 x 8.5 size, with read and yellow as predominant colors and an average of 150 pages.

On the other hand, books for corporate executives are hard bound, in full 6 x 9 size, with blue and gray paper covers and an average of 200 pages or more.

2. Your front cover is the first impression.

When browsing online, the first thing that people see is the front cover. So you want to make it jump out at them, either with a large title or an attractive photograph. Ideally you want both.

Your title should grab their attention and your subtitle should give them more details. So while your title doesn't necessarily need to have the key concept of the book, it does need to appear in either the title or subtitle. That means you can give it a catchy, memorable title that raises curiosity. But then you need to explain it further in the subtitle.

Whether or not you choose to put your photograph on the book cover is determined by your purpose and your fame. If you are well-known in your field and people recognize your face, then put your photo on it. Likewise, if you are using the book to build your fame, then your photograph is a good way to reinforce your image.

On the other hand, it is not uncommon to use an abstract image or design or a photograph of something associated with the book. For example, a book for architects may have a blueprint on it.

3. Your back cover sells.

Your back cover needs to have a headline, followed by a short synopsis of the book with no more than 200 words.

Follow that with testimonials and endorsements for the book. When you use a variety of sources that your target market recognizes or identifies with, you will sell more books.

Your bio paragraph and photo at the bottom of the back cover is optional. If you are building your reputation with the book, then include it. If you feel you will sell more copies based on showing more endorsements, use those instead.

Reserve the bottom right corner of the back cover for the bar codes that are required. Those will need to be included in the final design as well.

4. Remember the spine.

While we generally consider that people will pick up your book in a bookstore based on the cover, "face out" display is normally reserved for the top-selling books. Everything else is on the shelf, spine out.

So be sure the print on your spine is clear and easily read from a distance. While you want to have your last name on the spine for proper shelving, it's better to sacrifice your first name, if need be, to allow more space for the title.

5. Test your cover.

Create a mock-up of your book cover and have it printed at your local print shop. Trim it to fit. Then wrap it around a book of the same size as your book will be.

Hold it. Turn it around. Show it to friends. Even take it to your local bookstore and put it on the shelf where it will appear once it's published. Does the spine show up easily?
When you pick it up do you want to turn it over and read more about it? Does the cover make you want to buy it?

If you answer no to any of these questions, go back to the drawing board and refine the cover.

When you take the time to go through each of these steps, you will create a book cover that is attractive and attention grabbing - and sells your book.

A Guide to Publishing an Ebook on Amazon Kindle, Barnes and Noble and Smashwords

In this post I'm going to try and demystify the ebook publishing process. I've been through it and lived to tell the tale. So here goes. Stand by for a fun ride. It'll be worth the trials and tribulations along the way!

Ingredients:

• Book (preferably in.doc format) - see detailed formatting guidelines below
• Cover picture (in JPG format, max 1200 pixels high)
• Short book description (400 characters max)
• Proper book description (up to about 2,500 characters)
• About the Author summary
• Book categories (i.e. Young Adult, Fantasy, etc.)
• Decision on selling price of book

Method:

1. Do not attempt to publish your book without ALL the above ingredients. Delay or disaster could occur
2. Ensure you have full publishing rights to the book you are publishing (I know this sounds odd, but if you have signed a contract with anyone, check and make sure...)
3. Log in to Smashwords.com and create an author account if you don't already have one (trust me, there is method in my seeming madness) - complete your author profile
4. Select 'Publish' on your dashboard and complete the page, copying and inserting the various ingredients from above as requested
5. Press 'publish' and wait while SmashWords processes your book (this could take several hours. SmashWords uses a queue which will update to inform you of its progress)
6. When SmashWords has published your book, go to its page (click on book title) and download it to your PC / iPad / Ebook reader. Look carefully at the results and decide whether anything needs reformatting. If so, reformat and resubmit book to queue. PLEASE NOTE - This step is really important and time spent here will saves hours later)
7. Once book is successfully and satisfactorily published at SmashWords, go to Amazon.com (you will need an account at kdp.amazon.com. You will also need an author account at authorcentral.amazon.com)
8. On your 'bookshelf' page (at kdp.amazon.com), select 'add a new title' and complete the form as requested (similar to SmashWords)
9. Submit the book to Amazon and wait while it converts it. You will then be taken to a page where you can select royalty rate and book price. Finally select publish and then wait
10. It will take 24 hours or longer for your ebook to appear in the Amazon Kindle store. This is why it is advised to publish at SmashWords first (to ensure format looks correct). You cannot view or correct any publishing errors at Amazon until after the book is completely published
11. Once book is published, attach it to your author profile at Amazon
12. While book is publishing at Amazon you can publish it at Barnes & Noble in much the same way. Go to pubit.barnesandnoble.com and set up an author account
13. Select 'add a title' and go through a similar routine as at the other sites. It will take up to 24 hours for the ebook to be available at the Barnes & Noble site
14. Market shamelessly!

Exceptions:

• You may receive emails from Amazon or Barnes & Noble if there are problems with publishing. Do not ignore these emails. The quicker and more fully you respond to them, the quicker your book will publish. Each email will delay the publishing process by at least a day
• If you have previous books published at Amazon that you want linking to your author account you can do that at the authorcentral site
• If there are also physical copies of the books that you are epublishing you will need to email amazon to 'merge their entries'. This can take several days
• Check back regularly for publishing progress (often the books will appear in the bookstore before they are highlighted as 'published'. Try searching for them on Amazon or B&N)

Book Launch Ideas - Use These 5 Tips to Get Readers Interested in Your Masterpiece

Your book is finished. It's about to hit the bookshelves and online stores. Now you're ready to launch.

Hold on! (Sound of screeching brakes) This is not the time to launch your book. That time actually started months ago, when your book was just a glimmer in your eye and a glow in your brain.

So how do you launch your book - before you have a book? And how do you carry that through after you publish your book? Here are 5 tips that will get you started right, regardless of where you are in the process.

1. Start a blog

While you will post articles about the topic of your book on your regular blog, it's never too early to start a blog dedicated to your book. There is where you can post the progress of the book, from concept to completion. You can write about the actual process of writing and publishing the book. This is the place for "all things book-related."

2. Build a tribe

At the same time as you start your blog, you should also start to build your tribe. You want to offer to keep people updated on the topic of your book. Get them interested and keep them informed. When you let them take the journey along with you, they will "buy into" your book and your tribe. It may be through videos where you're talking about the writing process. It may be through photos of you doing the research or interviewing experts who will be in the book. It may be celebrating completion of the first draft.

The more you involve your tribe with polls on their opinions to getting them to spread the word on actual launch day, the more likely they are to want the book and everything else you offer.

3. Get social

We can't ignore it any longer - social media is here to stay. And that means that you have a powerful media tool to use as you launch your book. Create a Facebook Page (formerly fan page) for your book and get all of your tribe to like it and share it with their list of friends. Offer a free sneak peek into the book when it's ready.

As soon as you have the book front cover finished, add it to your page. Then use the power of Facebook and Twitter to tell everyone about it. Better yet, run a contest between two or three designs you are considering and let them vote on them. People love to be involved!

4. Involve the media

Send press releases to online outlets at each news-worthy step of the way:

• When you launch the blog for the book
• When you launch the Facebook Page
• When you run a contest for the book cover - and again when you announce the final cover
• When you launch the book

Pay for press release services at the time of your book launch to ensure it hits all of the newswires on the same day. Respond to any and all media requests in your topic area, always mentioning the book.

5. Create an event

Your book launch should be an event. It's big for you. Now make it big for your entire tribe. Consider having a live face-to-face book launch party locally. Invite your followers to attend - and webcast it for others to see, regardless of their location. Pre-schedule tweets and emails to go out throughout the day, reminding everyone that today is THE book launch day and where they can pick up a copy of your book.

The more excited you get about your book launch, the more involvement you will get from your fans and followers. And the more readers you will get for your book!

Your book launch starts long before the book is finished. And it can continue long after the day of the launch, when you use these five tips to get people interested in reading and buying your book.

Writing, Marketing and Promotion

Is it your true wish to not finish your novel? Well, then why are you making it so difficult to complete it? When I talk with authors and writers, the real passion comes to them in the form of sitting down and writing the words. Writing makes their heart sing and soul feel alive. But then they say, "but I have to also worry about the marketing and promotion of my book too."

You may think I would say, "Oh, I understand it can be hard (which it can be) but it is important to know you can get help with the marketing and promotion so you can continue the writing. The marketing and promotion is crucial while you are writing your book because it gives your readers' time to get to know you as the author and more about the message of your book.

Don't allow yourself to think that you can wait to market and promote your book after is it released. This type of thinking can really put your potential to gain more readers with lack luster results. Why do I feel you need someone to help you with your book promotion anyway?

1) Want - Do you want to be doing all the marketing for your book yourself? No, of course you don't. You want to be working on those things that make you happy and those things that bring you joy to help others.

2) Knowledge - Do you have the connections and know how to find those who will put you and your book in front of your readers. Now, don't get me wrong, here. You could gain the knowledge and know how, but then this goes back to the "want" part of the equation.

3) Time - You want to focus your time and efforts on those things in your business that you love to do. If marketing and promotion is not something you want or have the know how to do, why take the time to concentrate on it when you can have someone who is passionate about helping you succeed in this area of your writing.

When you are writing your book, which part of the business do you feel you should be focusing on? You know that having a marketing and promotion plan for your book is important but you do not want to spend your time having to do all of this work yourself while you really want to be bring your passion to helping others to the forefront.

You can let an online book promotion manager handle the marketing efforts of getting you in front of your readers because they have the want, the knowledge and time to devote to spreading the message of your book. An online book promotion manager will be there for you because it is their passion to help you. Accept the help so you can concentrate on your passion to help others in your business.

Writing A Book: You're Making It Too Hard

One of the most common issues people have in writing a book is the writing. People who can send out 100 Tweets, write 20 emails, and post to Facebook 15 times suddenly find it hard to write.

It's not that it's hard to write. It's that you have it in your head that when you "write a book" it must be all proper and perfect. Let's dispel that myth right now - you don't need to be perfect just because you're writing a book.

So how do you make it easy to write a book? Here are five tips for making it easier to write.

1. Set realistic expectations

Too often we enter the "writing a book" mindset thinking that our first book is going to be a best-seller and we'll suddenly be rich and famous. It could happen.

But it's much more likely that you will publish your book. It will help a lot of people. You'll gain credibility and more fame, doing what you already know how to do. And you'll write your next book.

So now that the pressure of writing the next Best Seller is off, you can relax and just be you - imperfect as you are.

2. Write like you talk

Again you may be thinking that a book needs to be in formal, academic-type language. It's just not so! You need to write like you talk. After all, if you were speaking the information to someone (your buyer for example) you wouldn't suddenly become stilted and formal. Just be you.

3. Talk it onto paper

One of the most effective techniques many people use is to literally talk aloud as they type. If you don't type fast, then just record your "writing" and have someone transcribe it. It's the easiest way to be sure your writing both sounds like you and is readable.

4. Separate writing from editing

One of the biggest slow-downs that many authors experience is confusing the editing process with the writing process. Writing is just that - writing. Don't worry about spelling, grammar or formatting. Just write.

If you have a hard time turning off your internal editor, then use a text processor that doesn't allow you to identify spelling or grammar errors. Likewise you cannot boldface, use italics or use bullet points. You just write.

5. Keep writing

It's tempting. You hit a blank spot in your thinking and just take a minute to check your email. But your email won't help you finish your book.

Then you need to do some online research - and while you're there take just a second to check Facebook. But Facebook won't help you finish your book.

When you are writing, keep writing. Even if you hit a wall and don't feel like you know what to write next, go ahead and keep writing. Write about the road block to your thinking and how it's holding you up. Write about how much you want to get this book finished.

Regardless of what you write, keep writing. You can always go back and delete it from the book file later. But for now, keep writing. Over time you will write yourself right out of your slump.

Simple Inexpensive Ways to Market Your E Book

A trend among writers and business owners is to compose e books about the product that they are selling, or to sell the e book on a particular subject. The part that stumps most, is what to do next. What technology do they need? How much does it cost? And how do they get traffic to it in order to sell it? I will take you through some simple steps in an easy to follow order here.

The fact is, that it is far easier than it looks when you are actually purchasing an e book. Normally,you would go through a bunch of busy pages with lengthy explanations about the e book content and the benefits of having it.

The first step is to create a Thesis statement. I know, bad college flashbacks here. The thesis statement is a fantastic way to bring your focus into view nice and clear about what problem you are going to solve for your reading public. This is important because most people who buy e books, buy them because they want instant information to solve an issue they have with something. This could be anything from a self - help relationship issue or a technical computer issue.

Next, we focus on the reading public. Who is your audience? What are there needs?

How do you find this out? Easy, go to a search engine that has (SEO) search engine optimization like, Google AdWords. Look up the key words that represent what you are writing about and look to see how popular that search is. If it is not searched much, then look at what keywords people are actually using that have a high rating, and write in that particular genre.

For example, if you want to write a self- help on relationships, you would look to see what key - words about relationships people tend to use more. The reason is two - fold; first, your book's title should be searched more this way hence making it easier to find; second, if you use those words in the body of the book enough, it will take your search rating higher the longer the book is online.

A word on keywords. Make sure that your keywords are at a good percentage but not too much. There has been much argument about what is deemed good keyword density. It is good just to keep in mind that what you write should sound natural.

After the book has been written:

Now you have to get the e book on a webpage. Look at other people in the genre that you are writing in and see if they are selling them on a website or just a page. The most popular is one good landing page. The page content would be as follows.

• The book title
• What the features and benefits of the book are
• Any engaging content in keeping with the story.

Keep the attention of the buyer and make sure that what you are advertising is honest. Your reputation is important. Have faith in your writing and do not feel you need to pad the truth. You do not want to burn bridges for your future e book sales.

Next step; you must have a secure way to sell the book and have buyers download the book without allowing piracy. It's very daunting to find this information. The programs that are out there cost around $150.00 but are well worth the investment. What the programs allow you to do is to send an e mail automatically after the buyer has paid and give them a code to type into a box to download the book and will even limit the amount of time they have to download it.

4 Ways to Use Social Media to Promote Your Book

Using Social Media to Promote Your Book

In this age of technology nothing is more important for promotion that utilizing the internet. There are countless social networking sites that can be your best friend as you grow your following and get noticed.

Twitter:
Twitter can be a useful tool to share links to your books and blogs with your followers. However, one of the hardest things to do is gain followers. One method is to search for specific keywords in the search bar. If you're a sci fi writer, search for sci fi geeks and avid readers. Be sure your profile description says that you are a science fiction writer and even mention the title of your book/s. Twitter only lets you follow 2,000 people so be careful who you choose to follow. Eventually, people will follow you back. Check your followers regularly and re-follow anyone who might be a potential reader. One final thing, your tweets should never be used only for promotion. No one wants to follow a spammer. Put some personality in your posts and you will go far.

Facebook:
Create a facebook page for you as an author. You can even make a page or group for each individual book if you have a lot of extra time on your hands.

Blogging:
Create a blog! This is the best way to gain readership. Write blogs about your writing process, daily life, themes from your books, whatever, just keep them coming regularly. Reading an example of your writing can be the difference that gets you a sale. Blogger and WordPress are two of the more popular blogging platforms, both of which are quite easy to use. To get more traffic to your blog, contact other bloggers to Blog Roll with them or join a Blog Carnival! There are other articles written specifically for those two blogging tools.

Goodreads:
Goodreads is a site where you can add which books you have read, write reviews, and share them with friends. It might be a good idea to make some friends on this site and recommend your book to your "friends."

LinkedIn:
While Conan O'Brien makes fun of LinkedIn as a lame Facebook, it can be useful at times. It is a professional network that can help you meet industry professionals, from editors to publicists. I use it, though it's not as essential as the other options.

There are many more options besides these four, but these are the ones I've found the most helpful in generating sales and gaining notice. It can take months before you see any dramatic change in sales so don't give up! Add friends daily to Facebook and Twitter, comment on other blogs, and ask other bloggers to review your books. There are tons of options out there to promote, this is just the start.

Supporting and Promoting Your Book With Giveaways

Consumers want free stuff these days. Authors are responding to this demand with free print books, free electronic books, free electronic newsletters, and other products. My latest book is in production now and I've been thinking of ways to promote it.

Free bookmarks are one of the first ideas that come to mind. Cardboard bookmarks aren't as durable as plastic or laminated ones. Though plastic bookmarks are "top of the line" they are expensive and you may not be able to afford them. I know I can't.

A free plastic wallet card is another idea. It would be the size of a business card and have rounded corners. The front of the card would contain information that extends the book. The back of the card would tell how to order the book and provide author contact information. Many companies advertise plastic business cards on the Internet and the prices vary widely. Two colors are cheaper than full color. Straight corners are cheaper than die cut corners.

Posters are another idea. The big plus with a poster is that it gives you a chance to show your book cover. Mini posters, eight and a half inches by 11 inches, are cheaper than legal size. You could design your own poster and photocopy it yourself. The office supply stores in my city often run photocopy specials and I watch for them. I've gotten photocopies for 20 cents each.

Adding extras to your website is also an idea. Website visitors aren't just looking for author information, they are looking for free stuff and links. My website ha three links to archived radio programs I was on, for example. I just added a blog tab to my website and paid a technician big bucks to do it. Visitors also appreciate free checklists and handouts.

Cost will determine whether or not I have giveaways. I researched plastic business cards on the Internet, asked for an estimate, and it appeared on my screen in seconds. A short while later I received a call from a sales representative. While it was nice to talk to a live person, her job is to sell, and I had to be blunt. "That's too much money," I said. "Thank you."

If you choose the giveaway route, you need to choose your options wisely. I've worked with a local graphic designer for years and his rates are reasonable. You may be able to create your own design and upload it. Does your book cover need to be in full color or could you get by with a black and white image and colored lettering? Is it possible to adapt an idea?

My wallet card idea may be too expensive. Yet I may be able to adapt this idea and, instead of paying for plastic wallet cards, use the design for pocket-size cards. You and your publisher are the only ones who can decide if you want to spend money on giveaways. Some authors have boosted their sales with giveaways and the same may happen to you.

Getting Your Book Noticed - How to Promote a Self-Published Book

Self-publishing a book is not easy. On the contrary, it's rather difficult and overwhelming. You are totally in charge of designing an attractive and professional looking cover design, making sure that your book's interior layout is likewise professional and up to the industry standard's, you must edit and proofread your book extensively to ensure proper grammar and spelling, and most of all, you have to write a great story about your topic! After this lengthy process, most authors will find themselves exhausted and ready for a break.

Well, it doesn't come just yet. Now you will need to put all of your efforts and energies into one thing: promoting your new book. Unless you have the money to hire a publicist or a marketing firm, you're on your own here too. Try not to be discouraged by this news, since the internet is such a breeding ground for opportunity and I'm happy to tell you there are endless ways to generate buzz for your book.

The following list are the top questions that most first time self-published authors have on their minds after reading that:

• "How do I get attention for my book?"
• "How much does it typically cost to get my book noticed?"
• "Who should I approach for promotion opportunities?"

1. The answer the first question is very broad. This can depend a lot on what your particular subject and format actually are. For example, if you're promoting a self-published ebook then you will probably want to devote most of your marketing efforts to online ventures. For print books, in person events and touring may be better options.
2. The answer to this will vary significantly depending on where you are featuring your book. To be honest with you, online buzz and attention from the media should never cost you anything. These things should be free, because the organization or person hosting your book has decided it is noteworthy enough to create an engaging story which will mutually benefit them as well as yourself. The only thing which is really worth paying for to promote your book (in my opinion) is press release distribution. You should definitely start out your marketing plan with a concise news/press release and pay a professional company to distribute news about your book to media outlets. This usually has surprisingly positive results, but only if your story is captivating enough to catch people's attention and your press release was written sharply and to the point. Never pay to have your book reviewed!
3. The answer to this will be specific to the type of book you have written, but there are some general answers that will help all authors. First and foremost, connect with other writers and authors! Network with your contacts and grow your social network to find new opportunities. Think of any organizations, clubs, associations or businesses that might be interested in the subject of your book/writing. That can be a great way to land a public speaking opportunity, or snag an invitation to do a book reading. Book bloggers are a great source of attention for books online also. Always be sure to read their review policy thoroughly before contacting them to pitch your book to them. Make sure they accept your genre and then write them a personalized email with a brief synopsis of your book's plot, and a polite request for a spot on their to-read and review list. Find websites, podcast shows, online radio shows, local newspaper columnists and pitch your book to them also. Just always remember to make sure you are sending your pitch to the correct person.

The Paradox of the Book

The paradox of the book has been on my mind the last few weeks. No one thing seems to inspire people as does writing a book. Yet, no one thing seems so simultaneously disregarded these days. I began these thoughts off and on again several years ago, however, driving home from a sales call the other day I was listening to one of NPR's news talk shows, I noticed that segment after segment begin with the guest being an expert because they had recently written a book. Does this sound familiar: "Our guest today is Mr/Mrs....and the author of a new book on... " It's the same on PBS news shows, and AM radio talk shows, newspaper articles, podcasts, even blogs, the single factor that determines a person as an expert is most likely to be that they wrote a book. I also get to be an "expert" from time to time, both for having written a book, as well as for publishing books. So, it is clear, committing to writing a book does make a person both an expert and for many, becoming an author is a wish come true.

So where's the paradox? The paradox is that although we recognize that becoming an author is worthwhile, we've left behind the book itself. I am constantly surprised that more people don't read, because most people want to write a book.One of the best ways to write a better book is to read. Buying others books will increase you odds of having a book published as well. After all, most people assume that other people will want to read their book, yet the sales numbers are, in this case, truth serum--everyone that wants to write a book, does not read or purchase others books. Book reviews in newspapers are down. The mood in many bookstores is just one notch above burn out and depression. People don't value a book in the spirit it deserves. A life long quest, to be an expert, to publish, and share your book ought to result in more than an electronic file, a nook, an e-book. A book, as a tangible object is symbolic of effort, thought, and desire and deserves a tangible conclusion. A book deserves to be shared on nice paper and savored for the creation that it is. To have aligned all your thoughts just right, to have formed all the sentences in order, to have edited and rethought all the ideas until each has made the journey from inspiration to fully formed thoughts is diminished when a book is only provided in e-form, or worst of all not read.

The paradox is that the process, the hope, and the value we place on the writing of a book is not being fully realized in the final product. Somehow, somewhere along the line the actual purpose of the book seems to have been forgotten.

Should a Book Author Pay for Cover Design?

In my earlier writing days I had a publications lawyer. She guided me through several book contracts and I learned a lot from her. Cover approval was one provision she insisted upon. "Bosomy covers have been put on serious books," she explained, "and you don't want that." The cover provision clause applied to national and international rights.

Since I have a graduate degree in art I was grateful for this provision. As I'm writing a book, I see sample covers in my mind. I experiment with various fonts for chapter titles and headings. All the while, I'm hoping the publisher will put an eye-catching cover on the book, a cover that enhance sits content.

Before I started my latest book I looked for royalty-free cover photos on the Internet. In fact, I looked at more than 2,000 photos. Finding a photo for a grief resources is a challenge because many images -- a candle, a tree, a rainbow, a path -- have been used time and again. After weeks of searching I found a close-up shot of a flower I thought I could use and sent the number of the photo to a graphic designer I've worked with many times.

To my surprise, he sent me related shots, the ones beneath the main photo that you can click on and view. We agreed on a flower photo and instead of centering it, the designer shifted it to the bottom-right corner. The prickly center of the flower is orange, the petals are pink, and the background is green. Pink and orange are a striking combination, one that suits the book, which is about finding happiness after loss.

The spine of the cover is orange the designer continued the pink on the back cover. Though I've taken design courses, I don't have a degree in graphic design, and totally trust his judgment. His bill for the front and back covers was $425, a bargain in today's economy. I emailed my publisher, offered to pay for the cover design, and forwarded it to the executive director. She approved the design.

I paid for the design and decided to make the most of it. How could I promote and support my book? A wallet card was one way. I wrote the copy, sent it to the executive director, and she loved it. With her approval, I asked my friend to proceed with the design. My original copy is on the front and the cover of the book is on the back. His bill for the wallet card design was $25.

So far, I've spent $275 on design and I think it's worth the money. I know my book will have an attractive cover. I know the design supports the theme of the book. I know I have a helpful wallet card to give away. But my spirits really soared when I talked with the executive director on the phone. "This book is ready to go!" she exclaimed.

Book Marketing Crash Course for Coaches

Why is it important for authors to learn about book marketing? Because you can't afford to just write a novel and put it up on your web page and expect it to sell just because it's the best thing written on your subject. As a matter of fact if you do not work diligently every day to network and reach your target market than you're going to be woefully disappointed with your income and quickly at that.

So, what's involved with book marketing?

Well here's a crash course that will pay off immediately after you finish reading this article. To start with is everything you are going to need to master, you do not need to master how do every single step yourself, however you need to understand the process in detail so you can manage your success.

Start here;

• Niche - you are going to need to learn as much as possible about your niche. Their age, where they hang out, what they read, what they but, who the thought leader is within your niche. The top books on the subject, etc. You can do some free research which will only cost you some time. Or you can hire a company who specializes in this type of research like, mintel.com.
• Conversion - you are going to need to understand what this means. The definitions as we use it is; the process of going from a browser to a buyer. This will include list building, email prospecting, tele-calls, webinars, speaking etc. Any activity that helps your prospective buyer learn more about you and your book and why they need to buy it Today!
• Networking - you are also going to need to Master the process of networking. Where to go to find where your buyers hang out. How to approach them, how to connect with the perceived experts within your niches network. Even more importantly you are going to need to be able to crate and craft persuasive joint venture deals that you can leverage into highly profitable business deals.
• Differentiation - this and this alone can mean the difference between success and failure. No one needs another book on your subject, but if you can make it interesting, different and unique even if it's on an old subject can help you standout form the crowd and become a leader in an otherwise crowded and tired field. Remember if you're in this business for the long haul you are going to need to build a sustainable book marketing model that can succeed over the long haul.