by: Wayne Perkins
Have you ever heard the expression, " the quickest way to reach your goals is to help others reach their goals?"I remember this expression and use it as my Internet book-marketing plan. It has paid off with 3 best selling books for me in the past year.How does it work in Internet Bookselling? Let me explain.Websites generally have three characteristics that help them consistently remain in the top search engine standings:1. Websites must add and change their content often. (Once or twice a day is perfect)2. Websites must offer an e-zine or newsletter. The top websites offer newsletters and e-zines that are delivered via e-mail every day.3. Websites will usually have their own bookstore with an affiliation or association with Amazon.com to allow visitors a method of purchasing books that complement the information on the website.Top websites spend a great deal of time and money to remain at the top of the heap. Everyone wants to be there, but only a few can hold down those top positions.Understanding these three characteristics have enabled me to achieve my goals by helping websites achieve their goals.Step One: Search for the Big Guys on the InternetI have two areas of expertise. I am a hypnotist who writes books and e-books on how to achieve success through hypnosis. I am also an E-book Marketing Consultant and write books on how to write and sell e-books.In order to find top websites that may be interested in hypnosis, I search on broader topics like "health" and "mental health." For my books on E-book marketing I search on topics like "Internet marketing" and "E-commerce."Even though there are hundreds of search engines and thousands of directories, I begin with searching on Yahoo. Yahoo is a directory that is difficult to get into and even more difficult to maintain a high ranking.>From my own experience once I made the top of the heap in Yahoo, under "hypnotism" my web traffic more than doubled and stayed that way over the past three years.Therefore, I conclude that the websites that arise to the top of Yahoo will be much more highly visited than through other search engines and directories.Step Two: Help the Webmaster Offer More ContentOnce I search under the two major categories that fit my topic, I send e-mail to the webmasters at those sites sending along my article or sample chapter.I tell the webmasters I would appreciate posting my article for their readers in return for a short bi-line or description on what I do and a link over to Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com or my own website in return for the favor.Most webmasters jump at the opportunity at receiving free content that allows them to maintain the high rankings on their websites.Step Three: Help the Website Newsletter EditorThe top ranking websites also sponsor their own newsletter or e-zine. After contacting the webmaster about content added directly to the website, I then contact the newsletter editor in regards to placing an article or sample chapter in the newsletter. Sometimes at the bottom of a sample newsletter there will be specific instructions on how to submit articles. Many times there is even a section on the website where you can post your articles directly to the editor.After following the directions in the newsletter, I submit my article or sample chapter to the website newsletter editor.I have just added more content to their website, again helping the website increase traffic and at the same time direct interested visitors to my book offerings located in the author's bi-line.Step Four: Help the Website Bookstore Make MoneyMost of the time, you will find that the top websites also have their own bookstore. Usually the Website bookstore will be an "associate of Amazon.com."For example: You search on the keyword "health" on Yahoo and are taken to the top five health sites. Let's call the top website "health.com."After navigating around the website you find a Health.com bookstore that offers many titles on a particular aspect of health you are interested in. When you click on a book cover on that website, you are immediately sent over to a book description page on Amazon.com.If you look at the complete link that shows up in your browser you will see an URL (the Internet address) which looks something like this:http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1929695217/healthcom/104-2910323-8772701The two most important parts of the link are the ISBN number which is the number called "ASIN/" which is Amazon.com's identification number, and the words following the book's ISBN number which is "/healthcom.""Healthcom" is the website's Amazon.com Associate identification number. This number allows the website to get paid for any sales that result by someone clicking on the link and then purchasing the featured book on Amazon.com.The next thing you do is shave off the number off the end of the URL.Now the URL will look like this:http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1929695217/healthcomIf your own book title listed on Amazon.com has an ISBN number or ASIN number of 1585003557, what you do is insert that ISBN number in place of the website's featured book.Now the URL will look like this:http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1585003557/healthcomThat new URL is going to mean instant book sales for you.Take your revised URL with your book ISBN and send a short message via e-mail again to the webmaster of the website. Ask the webmaster to feature your book on the website. Mention that you are including the URL with the website's Amazon.com Associate identification number.Within a few days you will begin to see a surge in your book sales as a result of this technique.Summary:By helping the webmaster add content, the newsletter editor offer new articles and the website bookstore earn more money from Amazon.com by adding your books, you are helping the website maintain a top ranking.By helping the top websites achieve their goals you are driving qualified traffic to your own website or to Amazon.com to fulfill your goal of becoming a best selling author.
About the Author
Wayne Perkins is an E-book Marketing Consultant and author of the best selling e-book, A Cheap and Easy Guide to Self-publishing E-books.http://www.wayneperkins.net/order/BkTitles.htmlWayne offers free e-book marketing teleseminars at:http://www.wayneperkins.net/ebooks/write.htmlmailto:wayne@wayneperkins.net
6/20/08
Getting Help to Market Your Book
by: Penny C. Sansevieri
Marketing your own book can be fun, but it can also be a daunting task. Deciding how and when you need help will usually depend on a few things. First off, if the success of your book is suffering because you have limited time to promote it, you might want to consider having someone promote it for you. While promotional windows for most books can run for months or even years, there are several things like book reviews, signings and tours you can't afford to wait on. Other indicators that you're ready to outsource this project are if you're at a loss as to how and when to send something to the media, if you don't know where to start, or you want to begin a media campaign and don't have the contacts. It may be time to outsource some of this work. #1 Look for someone with book marketing experience!When you begin looking for assistance, try to find a publicist or media relations person who is familiar with the author/book market. Book promotion is entirely different from anything else, it's crucial that whoever is going to promote your book has a background in this. Also, don't be shy about getting references. Talk to other people they've worked for, and find out who they've placed and on what show. #2 Find out how they charge, leave nothing to chance!Inquire as to their fee structure. Some publicists will bill by the hour, while others charge a project fee. Some will charge additional for postage and phone calls. Others will include it in their project fee. Does the publicist you're looking for charge a per city fee for promotion? Most do. In fact, it's good to list the cities you're thinking of promoting to and tell that to the publicist right up front. He or she will be able to tell you whether or not you'll get dinged for every city they promote you to. When it comes to book promotion, flexibility is key. If budget is a concern, it's better if you can find a publicist who won't bill you per city otherwise this could considerably limit your options. Also, keep in mind that hiring someone doesn't mean you have to let them do all of the work. In fact, if you decide you want to outsource only a portion of this, find someone who is willing to just handle those items. Press release creation, media kits, book reviews, radio interviews, and tv segment proposals are all items that can be handled on a case by case basis. #3 Don't go for big and glamorous unless it's right for your book and your budget!Remember that more is not better, sometimes it's just more. If the publicist you're thinking of hiring is trying to talk you into a big, national campaign, watch out. Unless your book is being published by a traditional house, you probably don't need or want to get into the expense of a national campaign. Also remember that as a self-published author, you are limited to a certain degree as to what you can and can't do with your book. Make sure the publicist you're dealing with is familiar with print-on-demand and self-publishing. The campaigns for these books are decidedly different from those of traditional publishing houses. #4 Be wary of flash in the pan promotion!Be wary of one shot packages! I see a lot of packages out there promising a great deal but delivering very little. Fax blast programs are a great example of this. For a nominal fee, your press release will go out to seven hundred media people around the country. This seems like a great way to get the word out about your book, right? Wrong. Fax blasting is a good idea only if you have pre-qualified the media you're sending to. Most of these packages are just a blind list used over and over again for every book. Without pre-qualifying or follow-up, these programs are fairly ineffective. One shot packages are great when it comes to something like book reviews but little else. If you purchase one of these packages, make sure you clearly understand who does what and how much follow up work the publicist will do for you. Finally, remember that you must feel comfortable with whomever you bring in to help publicize your book and it's important that they understand your topic as well as your audience. Bringing someone in to help share the responsibility of book marketing is an important one. Spend the time it takes to research your options so you can form a partnership for success!About the author:Penny C. Sansevieri The Cliffhanger was published in June of 2000. After a strategic marketing campaign it quickly climbed the ranks at Amazon.com to the ##1 best selling book in San Diego. Her most recent book: From Book to Bestseller was released in 2005 to rave reviews and is being called the “roadmap to publishing success.” Penny is a book marketing and media relations specialist. She also coaches authors on projects, manuscripts and marketing plans and instructs a variety of coursing on publishing and promotion. To learn more about her books or her promotional services, you can visit her web site at www.amarketingexpert.comTo subscribe to her free ezine, send a blank email to: mailto:subscribe@booksbypen.com Copyright ã 2005 Penny C. Sansevieri
Marketing your own book can be fun, but it can also be a daunting task. Deciding how and when you need help will usually depend on a few things. First off, if the success of your book is suffering because you have limited time to promote it, you might want to consider having someone promote it for you. While promotional windows for most books can run for months or even years, there are several things like book reviews, signings and tours you can't afford to wait on. Other indicators that you're ready to outsource this project are if you're at a loss as to how and when to send something to the media, if you don't know where to start, or you want to begin a media campaign and don't have the contacts. It may be time to outsource some of this work. #1 Look for someone with book marketing experience!When you begin looking for assistance, try to find a publicist or media relations person who is familiar with the author/book market. Book promotion is entirely different from anything else, it's crucial that whoever is going to promote your book has a background in this. Also, don't be shy about getting references. Talk to other people they've worked for, and find out who they've placed and on what show. #2 Find out how they charge, leave nothing to chance!Inquire as to their fee structure. Some publicists will bill by the hour, while others charge a project fee. Some will charge additional for postage and phone calls. Others will include it in their project fee. Does the publicist you're looking for charge a per city fee for promotion? Most do. In fact, it's good to list the cities you're thinking of promoting to and tell that to the publicist right up front. He or she will be able to tell you whether or not you'll get dinged for every city they promote you to. When it comes to book promotion, flexibility is key. If budget is a concern, it's better if you can find a publicist who won't bill you per city otherwise this could considerably limit your options. Also, keep in mind that hiring someone doesn't mean you have to let them do all of the work. In fact, if you decide you want to outsource only a portion of this, find someone who is willing to just handle those items. Press release creation, media kits, book reviews, radio interviews, and tv segment proposals are all items that can be handled on a case by case basis. #3 Don't go for big and glamorous unless it's right for your book and your budget!Remember that more is not better, sometimes it's just more. If the publicist you're thinking of hiring is trying to talk you into a big, national campaign, watch out. Unless your book is being published by a traditional house, you probably don't need or want to get into the expense of a national campaign. Also remember that as a self-published author, you are limited to a certain degree as to what you can and can't do with your book. Make sure the publicist you're dealing with is familiar with print-on-demand and self-publishing. The campaigns for these books are decidedly different from those of traditional publishing houses. #4 Be wary of flash in the pan promotion!Be wary of one shot packages! I see a lot of packages out there promising a great deal but delivering very little. Fax blast programs are a great example of this. For a nominal fee, your press release will go out to seven hundred media people around the country. This seems like a great way to get the word out about your book, right? Wrong. Fax blasting is a good idea only if you have pre-qualified the media you're sending to. Most of these packages are just a blind list used over and over again for every book. Without pre-qualifying or follow-up, these programs are fairly ineffective. One shot packages are great when it comes to something like book reviews but little else. If you purchase one of these packages, make sure you clearly understand who does what and how much follow up work the publicist will do for you. Finally, remember that you must feel comfortable with whomever you bring in to help publicize your book and it's important that they understand your topic as well as your audience. Bringing someone in to help share the responsibility of book marketing is an important one. Spend the time it takes to research your options so you can form a partnership for success!About the author:Penny C. Sansevieri The Cliffhanger was published in June of 2000. After a strategic marketing campaign it quickly climbed the ranks at Amazon.com to the ##1 best selling book in San Diego. Her most recent book: From Book to Bestseller was released in 2005 to rave reviews and is being called the “roadmap to publishing success.” Penny is a book marketing and media relations specialist. She also coaches authors on projects, manuscripts and marketing plans and instructs a variety of coursing on publishing and promotion. To learn more about her books or her promotional services, you can visit her web site at www.amarketingexpert.comTo subscribe to her free ezine, send a blank email to: mailto:subscribe@booksbypen.com Copyright ã 2005 Penny C. Sansevieri
Get Your Book Done … Now!
by: Penny C. Sansevieri
I don't believe in writer’s block. (I can hear the gasps of disbelief already.) Listen: If you hire a plumber to come to your house and fix a problem, do you expect him to say, "Sorry, I can't figure out what your problem is. I think I have plumber’s block"? Probably not, and if he did, you'd toss him out and call another guy faster than you can say Drano. Not that plumbing can be compared to writing, but if we follow the proper steps to get the job done, I find that writer’s block melts away, the drains are unclogged, and the words start flowing like water from a faucet. But what are these "steps"? Well, a big part of my job as a book marketing specialist is to help people create something they can actually market: a finished book. Many of us have ideas aplenty but not a clue how to get them down on paper.Unlike other professions, authors operate under a whole different set of rules. We often can't just sit down and pound out a story, and those who do have created their own formula for doing so. We see this huge story with all sorts of directions we want to take it, we see the cover, we see the characters, we see the market potential. Then we see Katie Couric or Oprah smiling and holding up our book for the whole world to see. Then we glance back down at our monitor and see a tormenting blinking cursor and blank screen. And we are again reminded of what a failure we are. We have all these stories and nothing on paper. We are idea generators. We have zillions of them running through our minds, but none of them on paper. Unless you make your money in a think tank, operating this way probably isn't getting you any closer to your goals.When a project looms before us, it’s like this big elephant -- huge, overwhelming and ready to stomp us flat any minute. There’s an old saying: "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time." The same is true for writing. You finish a book, one step at a time. But to create these steps, you first have to break down your book into manageable, bite-size pieces. This can be accomplished by creating a TOC (table of contents) that can guide you through the book. My reasoning behind this is as follows: You'd never think of driving from California to New York without a map, right? Well, how can you expect to finish your book without one? Your TOC is your roadmap, guiding you through your book. If your chapters don't have individual headings, then write a 2-3 sentence description of what the chapter encompasses. Don't get too elaborate on this. Remember, it’s not going in your book; it’s just a brief descriptor. Once the TOC is outlined, you'll have a vision of your book from star! t to finish. A few things that creating this TOC will do for you: It will show you any gaps in your story that might need to be fleshed out, and it will give you a sense of completion, of seeing the book or project actually done, and this is a serious psychological turn-on for most authors, because we often live in a world of half-completed projects. Sometimes this step alone can propel an author enough to get their book done, or at the very least give it a darned good kick-start.Once you've developed your TOC, you'll want to go through it and create a "to do" list. Regardless of what genre your book is, you will always have a to-do list. Whether it’s getting endorsements, doing research, or getting approvals for quotes or excerpts for your book, this to-do list will become yet another item that will help propel your book toward completion.Once the to-do list is done, set it aside. Now you should have your completed TOC with a vision of the entire book and a growing list of items that will need to be handled for the book to get done. Now the real fun begins.Some books on writing will tell you to set aside a day or two a week, or an evening here and there to get your book completed. I disagree with this theory, and here’s why: You need to stay dialed into your topic. When I was working on an upcoming book, I would often put the project aside for days or weeks at a time, promising myself to schedule time "as soon as I could." Well, that rarely happened. What I found is that if I set aside some time every day to do something on the book, I got it completed a lot quicker. The more you keep your hands in your project, the more it will stay at the front of your mind and on your radar screen, and the more energy you will invest to finish it. I won't tell you to set aside hours of your time each day -- in fact, you don't even have to set aside an hour. Take 15 minutes, or even five -- whatever your schedule permits. If this seems like a ridiculously short amount of time, consider this: You now have your to-do list and your outlined TOC! . If you are short on time one day, pick a quickie item from your to-do list and get it done. If you have more time, then pound out a chapter or two. The idea behind creating the to-do lists and a TOC is to not only give your project a structure, but to also eliminate any and all excuses for getting it done. Don't feel like writing today? No problem. There’s probably a mountain of research just waiting to be traversed. Get the picture?But let’s say you can't even get through the TOC. "My book has too many layers," you lament. "Too many back stories, tons of stuff going on. I can't possibly be expected to filter it down into a neat little TOC." Yes, you can, and you must. If your book has no focus, your book will have no focus. It’s as simple as that. But it doesn't stop there -- if your book is all over the place and you do actually manage to get it done, you'll never be able to keep a reader interested because you will be the only one who will get it, and what’s the point of that? What you'll need to do in this case is find the "core" of your book or the focus of your story. Ask yourself this: What’s the one thing this book cannot do without? What’s the one thing this story circles around? That’s your core. If you're still coming up with three or four things that your story circles around, you aren’t focused enough and neither is your book. Find that one thing and build your story or book around it.If you follow these steps, your book will get finished quicker than you could have ever imagined. And the once-dreaded writer’s block will go from a stumbling block to a building block.Need a little coaching? Check out our book coaching program - guaranteed to get your book on the road to completion in four sessions - or less! http://amarketingexpert.com/store/product_info.php/products_id/68?osCsid=5d1f3ca504d47bd6cd0faee53546ee47About the author:Penny C. Sansevieri The Cliffhanger was published in June of 2000. After a strategic marketing campaign it quickly climbed the ranks at Amazon.com to the ##1 best selling book in San Diego. Her most recent book: From Book to Bestseller was released in 2005 to rave reviews and is being called the “roadmap to publishing success.” Penny is a book marketing and media relations specialist. She also coaches authors on projects, manuscripts and marketing plans and instructs a variety of coursing on publishing and promotion. To learn more about her books or her promotional services, you can visit her web site at www.amarketingexpert.comTo subscribe to her free ezine, send a blank email to: mailto:subscribe@booksbypen.com Copyright ã 2005 Penny C. Sansevieri
I don't believe in writer’s block. (I can hear the gasps of disbelief already.) Listen: If you hire a plumber to come to your house and fix a problem, do you expect him to say, "Sorry, I can't figure out what your problem is. I think I have plumber’s block"? Probably not, and if he did, you'd toss him out and call another guy faster than you can say Drano. Not that plumbing can be compared to writing, but if we follow the proper steps to get the job done, I find that writer’s block melts away, the drains are unclogged, and the words start flowing like water from a faucet. But what are these "steps"? Well, a big part of my job as a book marketing specialist is to help people create something they can actually market: a finished book. Many of us have ideas aplenty but not a clue how to get them down on paper.Unlike other professions, authors operate under a whole different set of rules. We often can't just sit down and pound out a story, and those who do have created their own formula for doing so. We see this huge story with all sorts of directions we want to take it, we see the cover, we see the characters, we see the market potential. Then we see Katie Couric or Oprah smiling and holding up our book for the whole world to see. Then we glance back down at our monitor and see a tormenting blinking cursor and blank screen. And we are again reminded of what a failure we are. We have all these stories and nothing on paper. We are idea generators. We have zillions of them running through our minds, but none of them on paper. Unless you make your money in a think tank, operating this way probably isn't getting you any closer to your goals.When a project looms before us, it’s like this big elephant -- huge, overwhelming and ready to stomp us flat any minute. There’s an old saying: "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time." The same is true for writing. You finish a book, one step at a time. But to create these steps, you first have to break down your book into manageable, bite-size pieces. This can be accomplished by creating a TOC (table of contents) that can guide you through the book. My reasoning behind this is as follows: You'd never think of driving from California to New York without a map, right? Well, how can you expect to finish your book without one? Your TOC is your roadmap, guiding you through your book. If your chapters don't have individual headings, then write a 2-3 sentence description of what the chapter encompasses. Don't get too elaborate on this. Remember, it’s not going in your book; it’s just a brief descriptor. Once the TOC is outlined, you'll have a vision of your book from star! t to finish. A few things that creating this TOC will do for you: It will show you any gaps in your story that might need to be fleshed out, and it will give you a sense of completion, of seeing the book or project actually done, and this is a serious psychological turn-on for most authors, because we often live in a world of half-completed projects. Sometimes this step alone can propel an author enough to get their book done, or at the very least give it a darned good kick-start.Once you've developed your TOC, you'll want to go through it and create a "to do" list. Regardless of what genre your book is, you will always have a to-do list. Whether it’s getting endorsements, doing research, or getting approvals for quotes or excerpts for your book, this to-do list will become yet another item that will help propel your book toward completion.Once the to-do list is done, set it aside. Now you should have your completed TOC with a vision of the entire book and a growing list of items that will need to be handled for the book to get done. Now the real fun begins.Some books on writing will tell you to set aside a day or two a week, or an evening here and there to get your book completed. I disagree with this theory, and here’s why: You need to stay dialed into your topic. When I was working on an upcoming book, I would often put the project aside for days or weeks at a time, promising myself to schedule time "as soon as I could." Well, that rarely happened. What I found is that if I set aside some time every day to do something on the book, I got it completed a lot quicker. The more you keep your hands in your project, the more it will stay at the front of your mind and on your radar screen, and the more energy you will invest to finish it. I won't tell you to set aside hours of your time each day -- in fact, you don't even have to set aside an hour. Take 15 minutes, or even five -- whatever your schedule permits. If this seems like a ridiculously short amount of time, consider this: You now have your to-do list and your outlined TOC! . If you are short on time one day, pick a quickie item from your to-do list and get it done. If you have more time, then pound out a chapter or two. The idea behind creating the to-do lists and a TOC is to not only give your project a structure, but to also eliminate any and all excuses for getting it done. Don't feel like writing today? No problem. There’s probably a mountain of research just waiting to be traversed. Get the picture?But let’s say you can't even get through the TOC. "My book has too many layers," you lament. "Too many back stories, tons of stuff going on. I can't possibly be expected to filter it down into a neat little TOC." Yes, you can, and you must. If your book has no focus, your book will have no focus. It’s as simple as that. But it doesn't stop there -- if your book is all over the place and you do actually manage to get it done, you'll never be able to keep a reader interested because you will be the only one who will get it, and what’s the point of that? What you'll need to do in this case is find the "core" of your book or the focus of your story. Ask yourself this: What’s the one thing this book cannot do without? What’s the one thing this story circles around? That’s your core. If you're still coming up with three or four things that your story circles around, you aren’t focused enough and neither is your book. Find that one thing and build your story or book around it.If you follow these steps, your book will get finished quicker than you could have ever imagined. And the once-dreaded writer’s block will go from a stumbling block to a building block.Need a little coaching? Check out our book coaching program - guaranteed to get your book on the road to completion in four sessions - or less! http://amarketingexpert.com/store/product_info.php/products_id/68?osCsid=5d1f3ca504d47bd6cd0faee53546ee47About the author:Penny C. Sansevieri The Cliffhanger was published in June of 2000. After a strategic marketing campaign it quickly climbed the ranks at Amazon.com to the ##1 best selling book in San Diego. Her most recent book: From Book to Bestseller was released in 2005 to rave reviews and is being called the “roadmap to publishing success.” Penny is a book marketing and media relations specialist. She also coaches authors on projects, manuscripts and marketing plans and instructs a variety of coursing on publishing and promotion. To learn more about her books or her promotional services, you can visit her web site at www.amarketingexpert.comTo subscribe to her free ezine, send a blank email to: mailto:subscribe@booksbypen.com Copyright ã 2005 Penny C. Sansevieri
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