Author Tech Tips » Book Promotion

Increase Speaking Gigs With BookTour.com

Dave Lieber — Mon, 03 May 2010 16:00:20 +0000

Imagine a website that would email thousands of people in your town to let them know where you are speaking next. Now imagine that this is free.

Your imagination has become a reality.

Here’s an easy and free way to get noticed every week as a popular author in your hometown.

BookTour.com, which calls itself the world’s largest, 100 percent free directory of author events, offers a wonderful event calendar for your author engagements.

Free Event Promotion With BookTour.com

The best part is the periodic e-mail update that gets sent to all readers who subscribe to learn about author events within a certain number of miles from their zip code.

What this means is this: If you list several events each month, you’ll show up on subscribers’ e-mail updates on a regular basis — unlike a visiting author who makes one appearance a year. Your consistency and obvious popularity will cause more buzz about you among your region’s serious readers.

But aside from pumping life into your public image, that same e-mail that arrives to subscribers with your “tour” dates, also comes with everyone else who is scheduled to appear in your designated region. This gives you real-time intelligence about which stores and events host authors on a regular basis and who they are hosting. This insight gives you a head-start when calling the bookstore: “Hi, I saw you booked Thomas Umstattd Jr. last week. You know, I’m almost as good as him.”

Connect BookTour to your Amazon Author Page.

As a reader award, I’m saving the best for last. Recently, BookTour and Amazon struck a deal so that all of your listed events on BookTour now stream into your Amazon Author Page, assuming you have one.

Go to Author Central to sign up for an Author Page.

BookTour can give you a competitive edge.

A live stream of appearances on your Amazon Author Page gives you a leg up on many other authors, especially those who aren’t around anymore. Nathaniel Hawthorne and Mark Twain aren’t coming to a bookstore near you. But you are.

You’re out there! Now the let the world know free and easy, every week, all the time — and find out what everyone else is doing, too.

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Social Media & Authors – An Interview with Dave Evans

Thomas Umstattd — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:16:06 +0000

“If I couldn’t interrupt you, how would I reach you?”

This is the question Dave Evans (@EvansDave on Twitter) helps people answer all over the world.

Dave is the author of Social Media Marketing: An Hour a Day and a frequent speaker on social media and emerging technologies.

What are the biggest trends in book marketing over the last few years? What has changed?

Dave Evans>> The ability to promote a book, like nearly anything else, is very different now. Amazon opened this up ten years ago with public, unfiltered reviews. The Social Web has taken it from there.

How have you used social media to promote your book?

Dave Evans>> Yes, absolutely, though I’d re-phrase that question like this: “How has (my) book benefited from social media?” It’s really not about what I am doing to social media–that’s not a channel I can control directly.

Rather, what I’ve done is to respond to both positive comments like “Hey Dave, I love your book!” (I send a ‘thank you’) and negative like “Good book…but where are the worksheets?” (I’d forgotten to put the URL In the book). I’ve tried to build a relationship with people who have bought my book or otherwise come in contact with it.

How have you used your website to promote your book?

Dave Evans>> The website, ReadThis.com, is purely backup. For example, this is where the PDF worksheets are found, and where updates and corrections are listed. The main conversation is “out there” and beyond my direct reach.

What are some of the pitfalls you see authors fall into as they jump into Social Media?

Dave Evans>> Believing they can create a viral event or control a conversation; believing that “social media” is free. A million people talking about your ad doesn’t directly help you on the Social Web. Instead, it’s about slow, decided, steady effort (the time for which has a definite cost) and of course measurement and correction based on what is observed.

What are the common misnomers about social media that you have noticed?

Dave Evans>> The biggest misnomer is something like “Facebook + Twitter = Social Media.” That’s like saying “Cement Mixers + Hammers = America.” It’s not the parts, it’s what the collective does with those parts. Facebook and Twitter are two small components (with lots of members, to be sure) that are very likely part of a solid strategy.

There are also support communities, ideation platforms, applications like Social Vibe, curation platforms like Bazaarvoice…and much more, all of which extend well beyond the big networks while obviously connecting to and leveraging them. It is “social” after all. ;-)

Where should authors focus their time? What social media activities have the highest ROI in terms of time?

Dave Evans>>

First, listen. Use Google Alerts or Techrigy’s SM2 to track conversations about your book, your publisher, competing titles and authors, etc.
Use social tools like Buzzstream to identify and respond to influential voices.
Create a basic presence on Facebook or Twitter or LinkedIn — your audience will tell you which one(s) — and then connect the conversations into these sites.

In what ways does Social Media Marketing: An Hour a Day help authors?

Dave Evans>> My book helps authors (and all small businesses) by providing practical, step-by-step exercises that lead to an understanding of how to apply social media based marketing in business.

–

Thanks to Dave Evans for the interview. You can find his book Social Media An Hour a Day on Amazon and or at your local bookstore.

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7 Reasons Why Mail Chimp is Better than Constant Contact for Author Newsletters

Thomas Umstattd — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:59:45 +0000

Constant Contact is the most popular solution for author newsletters. But is it the best? Here are 7 reasons why I prefer Mail Chimp to Constant Contact.

1. MailChimp is free(er) than Constant Contact

Constant Contact costs a minimum of $15 a month. If you have 500 names or less MailChimp is free. After the 500th subscriber the prices are (currently) the same.

If you are just starting your email list you probably don’t have many names. It takes many authors years to build a good sized list. Why pay $15 a month for the first slow months when you can start using MailChimp for free?

If it takes you a year to get to 500 addresses you will save $180 by using MailChimp. That’s like a free iPod.

2. MailChimp integrates with Twitter

Mail Chimp lets your readers share your newsletter with their Twitter followers with one click. Even if you don’t use Twitter this can be a big platform builder.

3. MailChimp integrates with your blog.

MailChimp can take your blog posts from any blog and turn them into email newsletters automatically. This is called RSS to email and it is a must have in any email solution in my opinion. iContact & FeedBlitz also provide RSS -> Email services. Constant Contact does not.

MailChimp also has widgets premade for WordPress, Typepad, Joomla and Drupal. Constant Contact has no official plugins although there are some third party plugins available.

4. MailChimp has cleaner embed code.

Constant Contact allows you to embed a subscribe form in your site but the code is bad code. It sometimes breaks other parts of the design and is generally difficult to use. MailChimp, on the other hand, uses relatively clean CSS instead of invisible tables used by constant contact. MailChimp is still not standards compliant but it is at least a step in the right direction.

5. MailChimp has a easier interface.

This, is a matter of opinion, but I think MailChimp is easier to use. Mailchimp has a monkey at the top of every page that gives tips on how to use the site. Who can compete with that? This is in addition to the video guides, webcasts and intuitive interface.

6. MailChimp keeps you out of the spam box.

The worst thing that can happen to your newsletter is for someone to mark it as spam. When they do that your newsletter can get spammed for your other subscribers as well. When MailChimp sees that someone marked you as spam it automatically unsubscribes that person from the list. Both MailChimp and Constant Contact provide easy unsubscribe features. I’m not sure if they auto unsubscribe when you get spammed though.

7. MailChimp plays nice with others

Whether you are putting together an event on EventBrite, a survey on SurveyGizmo or want to see Google Analytics reports from your email surveys MailChimp will integrate with those services.

So lets say you wanted to schedule an event to speak about your book. You could create the event in EventBrite which would kick the info to MailChimp for the invitations. You could then create a speaker evaluation with SurveyGizmo and then MailChimp will do the rest.

Constant contact does not integrate with much. It is almost like they got lazy a couple of years ago when they got dominant market share and stopped innovating. As a result they feel like a Web 1.0 company trying to compete in a Web 2.0 world.

What do you think?

What newsletter solution do you use?
Are you happy with it?
What do you like/dislike about Constant Contact?

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Marketing Mistakes Top Level Authors Make

Rob Eagar — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 18:45:28 +0000

Best selling authors are not perfect. Here are some of their blunders and how to avoid them. Avoid these mistakes and you may become the next top selling author.

In today’s publishing industry, it is common for 80% of a publisher’s book sales to come from less than 20% of their authors. These “A-level” authors are treasured for their book’s ability to sell 100,000 – 1,000,000 copies or more. Plus, their platforms are so strong that their presence at a book-signing or speaking event can quickly draw hundreds of readers.

Thus, publishers tend to devote more marketing dollars and resources to these writers. Who can blame them? A-level authors represent a safer bet to
produce much-needed revenue, especially in a difficult economy.

The surprising reality, however, is the amount of marketing mistakes that some A-level authors continue to make. Sure, they’ve sold a lot of books. But, they could generate even larger sales if their oversights didn’t hold them back. By making a few simple improvements, these authors could sell an extra 25,000 – 100,000 copies.

So, if you’re a top author, take a moment to examine if you might be limiting yourself. For new authors, pay attention and consider some of the mistakes to avoid in the future. And, if you’re a publisher, make sure your top guns aren’t wasting opportunities to boost book sales.

Mistake #1: Falling behind on new technology.

As our society transforms into an Internet-based culture, it’s imperative for authors to use new technology to reach readers. Fortunately, it’s never been easier to setup a website and use social networking tools to influence large groups of people. But, I’m shocked at how many A-level authors fail to maximize these resources.

For example, I recently spoke with two publishing houses who admitted that some of their best-selling authors didn’t have a website! That’s a major mistake. In addition, I’ve viewed many A-level author websites that haven’t changed in over a year. They look like static, boring brochures.

There are some authors who prefer to avoid technology or hide from their public. But, an A-level author who lacks a web presence is like a pro tennis player who plays with an antique wooden racket. At the minimum, every author needs a website that allows readers to experience the power of their books and provide ways to spread buzz. Even if the author isn’t personally involved, a third-party can manage the system.

Don’t shun technology. Instead, use it to your benefit. If you already have a large platform, then maintaining a website, blog, or FaceBook page will only make you more efficient. These new tools are a great way to capture readers at their emotional peak, generate national word-of-mouth, and empower fans to help market your books.

Mistake #2: Believing that “It’s all about Me.”

Authors who sell over 100,000 copies should be proud of their success. Becoming a bestseller is a rare achievement that most writers only dream about. But, the marketing style of many A-level authors comes across as “it’s all about me.”

For instance, I recently visited over five big-time author websites whose Home page was actually the Store page for their books! From the beginning, their marketing seems to imply, “I don’t care about you. Just hurry up and buy my book.” Other examples include bestselling authors who plug their books throughout an entire speech. The audience wonders if they’re stuck in an infomercial.

You can’t sell books if you don’t let readers know that they exist. But, you can’t endear readers to your message and grow a larger platform if you don’t meet their needs first. The main issue that concerns most people is “How can you help me?”

To establish the value that you offer your audience, consider these two questions:

How is the condition of my audience improved?
What tangible results do my readers experience?

The key to effective book marketing is showing how you meet people’s needs, even if you write fiction. Therefore, your marketing efforts should be reader-focused, rather than self-focused. Examine all of your promotional materials, such as websites, bios, blogs, and brochures. Do they express a selfless desire to help others? Or, do they convey a sense of self-importance?

When A-level authors achieve success, some mistakenly believe that people are flocking to their personality. In most cases, however, the real attraction is to the message that changed the readers’ lives.When authors stop focusing on value, they start churning out fluff that leaves people disappointed. Over time, this mistake erodes trust and respect with their audience.

Mistake #3: Stagnating in the Success Trap.

If an author sells a million books, it can be easy for them to think that they’ve reached their peak. But, this mindset can lead one to stagnate. In the corporate world, leaders are expected to expand their knowledge and increase their skills. Yet, in the publishing world, many A-level authors are treated with awe and rarely challenged.

Worldwide management consultant, Alan Weiss, explains the success trap by saying, “To grow, you must fail periodically so that you are continually aware of opportunities for improvement and for expanding your envelope. This discipline not only will provide for internal stimulation, but it will influence how the external world views you.”

When top authors get stuck in success, they can end up out of sync with their audience. An example is a recent parenting book by a well-known male author who presumed that most mothers weren’t working outside of the home. Or, if they worked, their jobs were mostly administrative roles. Plus, his parenting advice never touched on remarriage and how to handle raising stepchildren. This author’s material is so out of touch with current society that he risks losing credibility and growth potential.

Other examples include A-level authors who fail to improve their public speaking skills. They don’t use fresh illustrations or recent experiences. Their messages lack creativity and original content. The lack of self-evaluation prevents these thought-leaders from speaking at larger events that could dramatically impact book sales. It’s easier than ever before to learn new talents. An author’s platform usually starts to diminish when complacency takes hold.

In a tough economy, A-level authors are the fortunate few who can still touch thousands of readers and sell large numbers of books. They’re in the best position to thrive and keep their publisher growing. So, don’t let simple mistakes undermine platform potential. Utilize new technology, stay focused on reader needs, and avoid the success trap. Enjoy the benefits of a bestseller status, and use it to the full
advantage.

Rob Eagar is the founder of WildFire Marketing and helps authors and publishers sell more books through innovative marketing strategies. For more information, call 1-800-267-2045 or visit: StartaWildFire.com

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Why Your Blog Should Be Your Book’s First Draft

Thomas Umstattd — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 20:02:17 +0000

7 Reasons To Blog Your Book First

1. You start building a platform right away.

Platform is the first thing publishers look for. No platform? No contract. Your platform is how many people listen to you on a somewhat regular basis. As you blog regularly you will gather a faithful group of readers which will be the beginning of your platform.

2. You find out what connects and what doesn’t.

When you write you have no idea what people like and what they won’t. Your editor can help, but you are both shooting in the dark. On a blog the stats show what connects with your audience. More importantly, you find out what doesn’t connect. Your book will dramatically improve if you remove the boring content.

3. Blogging allows you to enhance your message with media.

Is there a video that helps you prove a point? If you have a blog you can embed it. Try that with a paper book.

Click here to view the embedded video.

4. Your message gets out right away.

The publishing industry moves at the speed of a blind turtle. If everything goes well, it will be years before it hits store shelves. And that is if you work hard and get all the right breaks. If you want to reach people tomorrow start blogging today.

5. Your blog creates a rally point for your following.

Assuming you spend the $20 a year to buy YourBlogName.com, you will be able to use your blog as the center of your platform. Got a radio interview? Push your blog. Writing an article for a magazine? Put your blog in your bio. As people come to your blog and subscribe you get their permission to contact them when your book comes out.

6. You get instant feedback.

The comments you get on your blog will help you find logical flaws, and answer people’s questions and objections before they have them. Did something not make sense? The commentators will let you know.

7. Your blog will boost your credibility.

As an unpublished author it can be hard to build credibility. But, if you are the editor of YourBlogName.com suddenly people will treat you like the expert. The key is to have your blog on YourName.com. A free blog will not boost your credibility. You need your own domain name.

Will a publisher buy my writing if it’s published online?

In a word, “yes.” I have clients who have sold their blog’s as books and can point to many bestselling books that were blogs first. Free is not your enemy. Obscurity is your enemy.

Your book will have exclusive content. Save some of your nuggets for your book. Plus, everything in your book will be edited and focused. Remember all those stats and comments from benefit #6? They will help you hone your message. Plus, your editor will add value to the book by cleaning up your language.

What do you think?

Do you think this will work? Do you know someone who has sold their blog to a publisher? Do you have a blog you want to get published?

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How to Track Your Message Online

Rob Eagar — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 18:26:46 +0000

Whether you’re an author, speaker, or publisher, your goal is to sell more books and spread your message. But, how do you know if your message is really spreading? How do you track the success of your book marketing and platform-growth efforts?

There are several obvious factors you could use, such as increased book sales, speaking engagements, or newsletter subscribers. In this article, however, I want to share two little-known services that you can use for free to help gauge your book marketing effectiveness.

Google Analytics

Your website is your most important book marketing tool in today’s economy. But, many authors fail to utilize the power of the Internet. Instead, they settle for a barebones website, rarely update the content, forget about it, and wonder why book sales are sluggish.

In contrast, you can use your website to your advantage. And, there’s a great tool that can help called, Google Analytics. This is a free service available at: www.Google.com/Analytics Once you create your account, Google generates a specific piece of computer code that you embed on each of your webpages. It’s a simple task, but if you’re unfamiliar with html code, then ask your webmaster or designer for help.

After your code is setup, Google automatically begins to track all of your website statistics and provide insightful reports. Here’s why it’s so cool. According to Google, their service shows you how people found your site, how they explored it, and how you can enhance their visitor experience. They provide reports that identify important information, such as:

How many unique visitors come to your website
Where each visitor comes from
How long people stay at your website
Why they leave and which pages are popular
What keywords people use to find your website

For instance, knowing what keywords drive readers to your website is invaluable. You can use that data to adjust your site in ways to help boost web traffic and grow your author platform. In addition, Google Analytics can help you improve your website’s return on investment, increase conversions, and make more money selling products.” Sure, the making more money part isn’t as easy as it sounds, but Google can at least point you in the right direction.

Until recently, website analytics software was really expensive. But, thanks to Google, it’s free. So, if you’re struggling to make your website work for you, consider this service.

TitleZ.com

If you’re an author who loves to peek at your book’s Amazon ranking, then you’re going to love this next tool. There’s a free service still in beta testing called TitleZ, which allows you to analyze the sales trends of books based on data compiled from Amazon’s sales rankings. The current database contains sales history information for over 500,000 titles. And, if your book isn’t currently being tracked, you can easily add it to their database.

TitleZ lets you analyze sales for an individual title, a specific author or publisher, or even an entire segment. The sales history of titles is broken down into seven-day, 30-day, 90-day, and lifetime averages. Plus, you can compare the sales trends of several books against each other.

I like this service, because you can also track your book’s sales history over time, even down to a particular date. This ability allows you to see if a specific media interview or marketing initiative created a spike in book sales.

Since Amazon’s sale rankings are not totally accurate, do not get obsessed with their numbers. Amazon is just one small slice of your book’s total sales. But, it can be one way to track your book’s overall success. For instance, you could check your “lifetime average” ranking and compare that with this chart on my blog for a rough estimate of Amazon sales.

Amazon isn’t the most reliable book sales tracking tool. But, since it’s almost impossible to get current sales information from bookstores and publishers, TitleZ.com can be a useful resource. Take advantage of this free service before they start charging for it.

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Don’t Play Hide & Seek with Your Readers

Rob Eagar — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 19:35:26 +0000

While surfing the web recently, I visited several author websites and noticed an alarming problem. Whenever these individuals offered a free resource to download from their website – the documents were devoid of any contact information! Don’t be guilty of the same blunder.

3 Reasons to Stop Hiding

Whenever you offer any kind of resource from your website or blog, ALWAYS INCLUDE YOUR FULL CONTACT INFORMATION. And, if my shouting all-cap font isn’t enough to convince you, here are three reasons why:

Leaving off your contact information makes you look like a forgetful amateur. Professional authors know how to cover their marketing bases, which means they make sure anyone can always find them. You should, too.
If someone downloads a resource from your website to read later, but you didn’t list your contact info – then they may forget where they got the information from – which means you just lost a potential sale.
Most important: Many people may download resources from your website to give to a friend (this is called “word-of-mouth” – the holy grail of marketing). But, if you don’t include your contact information, then the new person can’t find you – which means you just lost another potential sale.

What to Include

Contact information…put it on everything. And, don’t be stingy…include your:

Website address,
Phone number (preferably a toll-free number),
Email address,
Mailing address (or P.O. Box).

Don’t play hide-and-seek with your customers…because people can’t buy your books if they can’t find you.

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How the Creative Commons Can Help Your Book Spread Like Crazy

Thomas Umstattd — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 16:40:09 +0000

In this post you will learn what the Creative Commons is and why emerging authors are using it to promote their books.

The Creative Commons allows writers to reserve some rights and grant others. It is flexible, fair and allows your ideas to spread much faster. It lowers the friction for sharing that can help your book spread like a virus. Remember piracy is not your enemy. Obscurity is.

Imagine if Bible study leaders around the country copied chapter 4 of your book and discussed it on Wednesday night. That would be a huge win for you. By allowing them to share non commercially you have just turned them into your evangelists. And all for free.

How the Creative Commons Works Video

Here is a quick video that explains how the creative commons works.

Creative Commons has several components that you can mix and match:

This is a Creative Commons logo. It tells your readers “some rights reserved.”

This attribution icon comes with every creative commons license. It means that your readers must give you credit.

This “non commercial” logo tells your readers they are welcome to share your work as long as they don’t do it for profit.

This “non derivative” logo means that your readers are not allowed to change your work. Consider leaving this off just to see what people do with it.

This “share alike” logo means that if someone uses your work in thiers they must use the creative commons too.

What do you think?

Do you agree that it is smart to allow people to share and even remix your work? Does the the idea scare you? Leave a comment and let us know.

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8 Elements of Effective Author Newsletters

Rob Eagar — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 03:40:45 +0000

To create a newsletter that gets results, use the following eight components. These elements apply regardless of whether you’re creating an email or print version. Schedule print newsletters to leaders every 90 days, and email newsletters to your audience every 30 days.

Important Note: The problem with most newsletters is that they blather about the sender too much. That’s selfish and turns off your readers. Instead, use your expertise to create a newsletter that helps the reader improve their daily life. Try to focus 75% of your newsletter content on helping the audience, and 25% promoting yourself.

1. Brief feature article

The feature article only needs to be around 500 – 750 words. However, pack the article with helpful information for the reader. Use bulleted lists to make reading easier. Don’t talk about yourself. Be brief, pithy, and focus on helping the reader solve a specific problem. Search through your past books and messages for good articles.

2. Extra element of value

After your article, give your readers another brief section of helpful information. For example, you could offer interesting statistics, Q&A section, helpful resource listings for leader, or an insightful opinion on current events.

3. Value statements

Create a list or column of bulleted phrases that explain the benefit you provide to your audience and booking leaders. These key statements should explain what sets you apart from other speakers and why your message is so helpful. Focus on phrases that communicate the “life-change” you make happen for your audience.

4. Upcoming events calendar

Create a small box or listing of where you’ll be speaking over the next 3 months. Include the date, location, and event contact information. This shows readers how active you are, and reinforces the fact that other people request you. Also, include any national or regional media appearances (radio and TV).

5. Testimonial from a well-known leader

Use two or three sentences from a leader declaring how great you are, and how you’ve helped his or her audience. Use someone with a well-known name or title, because your readers care more about “who” said it, rather than “what” was said. Shy away from endorsements that sound vague. Instead, use a testimonial that communicates a specific benefit you provide.

6. Featured product

Show a small picture and provide brief description of a featured product, such as your book, CD, new presentation, etc. To help create urgency in the readers mind, offer a coupon or a discounted price if they order within the next 30 days. Be sure to include ordering information (your website and phone number).

7. Full contact information

Give your readers a list of all the possible ways to reach you, including phone, email, website, address, etc. For a print newsletter, list this information near the header and under your return address.

8. Professional-looking layout

Compliment good content with good graphics. If you’re comfortable with Microsoft Word software, try doing it yourself. Or, hire a graphic artist to make a template for you. Then, you can quickly drop the content into it for each issue. For print templates online, visit: www.StockLayouts.com For a good email newsletter system with a 60-day free trial, check out: www.ConstantContact.com

If you have extra space to fill, then throw in a pithy quote, an interesting statistic that would appeal to your audience, or a brief update on your ministry or personal life. This is the one place where it’s appropriate to talk about your children or a recent vacation.

Now you’re finished. Do these steps every 90 days for a print newsletter to leaders, and every 30 days by email to your audience database. Then, watch as your platform grows!

Used with permission from WildFire Marketing by Rob Eagar

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6 Things Readers Want from Your Author Website

Thomas Umstattd — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 09:49:23 +0000

If you build it they won’t come. The only way to get people to visit your author website is to give them something they are looking for. But what is that?

This article summarizes research done by the Codex Group about what readers want from author websites.

1. Exclusive Content

43% of respondents to the Codex Group Survey want exclusive online content.

This is an untapped goldmine. Provide special goodies exclusively on your site and watch your visits blast off. Give them fun stuff they would be willing to pay for. MP3′s short stories, whole books. Go crazy.

Seth Godin gives more stuff away for free on his blog than most other authors. He also sells more books than most other authors. He gives stuff away on his blog only to his blog readers. He has no “goodies” page.

2. Your Speaking Schedule

36% want speaking schedules, book signings, and appearances.

This is really true, particularly for guys. I check Mark Cahill’s website often just to see if he is coming to Texas. Posting your speaking schedule can also increase your appeal as a speaker. If event planners know you bring your own crowd they will be willing to pay you more.

3. Recommended Books

36% want to see recommended books; “explainers,” or inside information about the book.

This is also a great way to make a little extra money on the side since amazon will give you a commission on any book sales you refer using their affiliate program. Garr Reynolds does book recommendations well. He doesn’t just recommend a book, he explains the jist of the book visually. He also has a list of recommended books along the right side of his site.

4. Book News

33% want weekly e-mail news bulletins with updates on tours, reviews, and books in progress.

Let your website visitors feel like they are on the “in crowd” they get to know about stuff first and get special perks by visiting your website.

5. Your Contact Information

Nothing is more frustrating for readers than to digg up an authors website only not to be able to contact that author. Setup an email address just for getting reader feedback. The practice of corresponding with readers is centuries old. C.S. Lewis used to spend hours hand writing responses to his reader’s letters. If he can do that the least you can do is give people your email.

5. Your Social Networking Information

Are you on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter? Make sure to include buttons so that your readers can connect to you on those networks.

6. Good Photos

People don’t want to see lots of plain text when they come to your site. They also don’t want to see that snapshot your husband took of you in the back yard. You don’t need photos of you necessarily but you need photos of something. Use photos that relate to your topic. Get some professional photos of yourself.

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How to Sync Your Address Book With Facebook

Thomas Umstattd — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 07:49:35 +0000

Have you ever got a Facebook group invitation saying something like “I lost my cell phone. Please give me your number.” Or “I just moved here is my new address.” What if there were a way to get Facebook to update your address book automatically. You can and best of all its free.

Plaxo is a tool that can connect your address book with Facebook. But it does a lot more than that. It can also purge duplicate addresses and sync your address book with your iPhone or Blackberry.

Here is how to sync Plaxo with Facebook:

Step #1 Sign Up For Plaxo

Go to Plaxo.com and click “sign up now“. Follow the instructions. It’s pretty straight forward.

Step #2 Sync Plaxo & Facebook

You can do this by going to settings -> Facebook or click here.

Step #3 Connect Plaxo With Your Address Book

The true magic comes when you connect Plaxo with your address book. Whether you use Mac’s address book, Yahoo, or Outlook, Plaxo can keep your address book up to date automatically. To sync the address books click here and then click “add sync point” at the bottom of the screen.

Other cool things Plaxo can do:

Purge your address book from duplicate entries.
Keep your address book up to date. When you connect with someone, Plaxo will keep both of your contacts for each other up to date.
Synchronizing your address books. Do you have more than one computer? Plaxo can keep all those computer adress books synced. It even works with the iPhone, Palm and BlackBerry.
Blog re-syndication: Plaxo can re-syndicate your blog and podcast which is great for search engine rankings and helping grow traffic.

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Authors: Don’t Bow Down to Amazon

Rob Eagar — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 08:36:37 +0000

When readers visit your website to buy a book, do you send them to Amazon? If so, you could be making a huge mistake. Why? Sending customers to Amazon is the marketing equivalent of idolatry and ineffectiveness.

Now, before you whine about convenience or the importance of a high sales ranking, let me give you the big picture:

1. Amazon Takes Your Contacts

Amazon loves it when you send book-buying customers to them, because they get the most important piece of business data possible – contact information! That’s right. Amazon is more concerned about getting your customer’s email and mailing address than selling your book. Why does it matter? Because, the best way to grow a business (and your writing career) is to develop a database of highly-interested customers.

People who visit your website to buy books are like marketing gold. Customers who buy one book are likely to buy another book or know someone who will. Therefore, you want to stay in touch with these people through your newsletters and promotional activities. Odds are in your favor that they’ll buy again. However, if you send customers to Amazon, then you lose the chance to build a relationship with these important people. Meanwhile, Amazon laughs all the way to the bank. How do you think they grew so fast?

If you’re still not convinced, consider this. Publishers love authors who build a personal database with thousands of targeted contacts, because it means easier marketing for your next book. Show your publisher a large, legitimate database, and they’re more likely to show you large advances and bigger marketing budgets. Are you with me?

2. Amazon Takes Your Profits

If you send a customer from your website to buy your $12 book at Amazon, you’ll be lucky if you make $1.50 in profit – regardless of whether you use Amazon’s Advantage or Affiliate programs. However, if you sell a $12 book from your own website, you can usually make at least $6.00 in profit. That’s a big difference!

Look at this way…for every 100 books you sell yourself, you make $600 in profit (not just revenue). That’s enough money to buy a new computer, new clothes, or go on a relaxing weekend vacation.

Now, don’t give me that nonsense about, “I don’t care about money…I just write as a ministry unto the Lord.” If you really write as a ministry, then you should be the best possible steward of your God-given talents. So, ask yourself, “Would God prefer me to mindlessly give away money to a secular corporate giant (Amazon), or use that money to help feed my family or feed orphans in Africa?

3. Amazon Takes Your Marketing Effectiveness

Let’s assume your new book is about to launch. You’re doing a big marketing campaign with email newsletters, blog tours, and media interviews. Let’s also assume that your marketing is awesome. People read your e-newsletters, surf the blogs, and watch you on TV. Enamored by you, they come running to your website. But, when they’re ready to buy your book, you redirect them to Amazon.

A month later, you start wondering if your marketing campaign was effective. Guess what? You’ll never know, because Amazon is holding all of your data. Sure, you can check your website hits and your faulty Amazon ranking, but all that really matters is the actual sales data. Yet, you don’t have that important information, because you gave it away to Amazon. They know who bought your book, but you don’t – isn’t that weird?

So, what’s the marketing moral of the story? Stop sending customers to Amazon, and start selling books from your website. How do you do that, you ask? My article Easy E-Commerceand Fulfillment from Home explains how.

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7 Ways to Send More Traffic to Your Website During a Radio Interview

Thomas Umstattd — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:53:21 +0000

Imagine you are doing a radio interview and you hear the closing music start to play. The host asks you to give your website one more time. What do you say?

#1 Repeat Your Domain

On average, radio listeners listen for about 5 minutes at a time. So If you are in a 30 minute interview and you mention your website twice more than half of the listeners will never hear how to get more information. Don’t wait for the host to remind you to push your site.

#2 Include a Goodie

You want to give the listeners a reason to visit your website. I’m not just talking about a sample chapter here. Give them something they can only get on your website. This tip alone can more than double your hits after an interview.

Whatever you give away make sure to get it professionally edited. Then you can setup an auto responder so that anyone who signs up for your newsletter gets it for free. Or just add it as a pdf download.

Fiction Goodie Ideas

If you write fiction take some of that back story you cut and put it together into an interesting 10 page short story.

Or put together some short stories from your box of short stories.

Non Fiction Goodie Ideas

Non fiction has a ton of potential for creative goodies.

Writing a book on marriage? Put together a 10 Dating Ideas for Married Couples guide.
Writing a book on parenting? Write up the 7 Funniest Things Children Say.
Writing a book on music? Include a free mp3 download.
Writing a book on personalities? Include a free personalty test.

Be creative. This is also a chance to supplement your book with videos, music, tests and other media that paper cannot convey.

#3 Buy YourBookTitle.com

You don’t need to build a new web site for this step. You can buy YouBookTitle.com from NameCheap for $9.69 and have NameCheap forward visitors to your real website automatically. The benefit of pushing YourBookTitle.com is that it makes people twice as likely to remember your book and your website. When you push one you push the other

#4 Don’t Say “Http://”

Saying “http://” is code for “zone out now.” Don’t do it. They don’t need to type it. You don’t need to say it.

#5 Don’t Say “www” Either

People know to type the www. And, even if they forget they will go to your website anyway. Don’t believe me? Type “YourWebsite.com” into your browser and see where you land.

#6 What to Say

What not to say: “For more help about (book title) visit my website at http://www.mywebsitename.com”

What to say: “For more info about (book title) visit BookTitle.com. And while there don’t forget to downlaod my free short story about Carl the cowboy ninja who falls in love with a pirate princes…”

Do you see what just happened? You were able to mention your book title and your website twice right at the end of the show. This is a double win. The listeners are much more likely to remember your title and website than they were zoning out to “http://www.”

#7 Repeat Your URL

We are not kidding about this tip. If you want people to visit your site they must know about it. Repeat Repeat it as often as you can without becoming obnoxious.

What do you think?

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Authors: Piracy is Not Your Enemy

Thomas Umstattd — Wed, 20 May 2009 17:25:44 +0000

Many authors are terrified that someone will steal their work. They don’t realize their true enemy is obscurity not piracy.

If a million people “steal” your book you win. As long as you get credit you win when people share your book with others. Books that sell well spread from person to person like a virus. The harder you make it to share your work the more obscure you will be.

Piracy is Viral

Image if church small group leaders started copying chapter 5 out of your book to study at meetings. Would that hurt? No. Because now people who had no idea who you were before are now reading what you have to say. They are way more likely to buy your book than before it was “stolen.”

Everyone Wins from “Piracy”

You win because your platform grows, you can book more speaking engagements at higher prices.
They win because they can use your work to minister to others.
Your publisher wins free marketing. Your publisher spends a lot of time and money trying to get people to talk about your book. Books sell from word of mouth. Allowing people to share your works turns them into evangelists for free! More talk = more sales.

What do you think?

Do you agree that it is smart to allow people to share and even remix your work? Does the the idea scare you? How do you make it easy for people to share your work?

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Does Your Website Pass the Radio Test?

Thomas Umstattd — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 23:59:21 +0000

When you say your website on the radio can listeners find it? Can they spell it? The radio test is not just important for the radio. Anytime someone talks about your website you want to make sure the listener goes to the right site.

Here are 7 tests to see if your website passes the radio test.

Test 1 – Numbers?

When you say a number over the radio it will fail the test. 12Step.org sounds just like TwelveStep.org. Only one site will help you with addiction recovery.

12Step.org (fail)
TwelveStep.org? (fail)

How to get around this pitfall: Buy both domains then have one forward to the other. So if your book title was 8 Ways to Save Your Marriage I would buy both 8WaysToSaveYourMarriage.com and EightWaysToSaveYourMarraige.com.

Test 2 – Similar Sounds?

My website cgames.com is short but it fails this test. Is it SeeGames.com or SeaGames.com? Can’t tell. I always end up spelling it over the air. To make matters worse, the letter “c” sounds like half a dozen other letters.

cGames.com (fail)
SeeGames.com (fail)
SeaGames.com (fail)

How to get around this pitfall: Before you buy a domain, call a friend and tell them what domain you want to buy. Ask them to spell it back to you.

Test 3 – Acronyms

When your website is an acronym instead of a word you say the individual letters. The letters “b” “c” “d” “e” “g” “p” “t” “v” and “z” all sound the same over a bad radio connection. Buy domains with words not letters whenever possible.

ccsa.info (potential fail)
cbsa.info (potential fail)

This not a universal rule. YMCA.com will work. If people know the acronym or what it stands for you can sometimes get away with it.

Test 4 – Underscores?

Avoid underscores at all costs. They are cheesy and they take too long to say over the radio.

KathyHoward.org (pass)
Kathy_Howard.com (fail)

Test 5 – Dashes?

Most listeners don’t know what a dash is or how to type it. They also get confused with the difference between a dash and a hyphen.

FreedomForGamers.com (pass)
Freedom-For-Gamers.com (fail)
Freedom4Gamers.com (fail)
Freedom-4-Gamers.com (epic fail)

Test 6 – Text Speak

Just because “u” means “you” on a text message does not mean it will work for your domain. HelpForU.com sounds cheesy and it fails the radio test.

HelpForU.com (fail)
HelpForYou.com (potential fail)

I would completely avoid the word “you” in your domain.

Test 7 – Weird Spelling?

The problem with UmstattdMedia.com and ThomasUmstattd.com is that no one can spell “Umstattd.” If the word is not in Websters it will fail the radio test. If your 7th grader can’t spell it, your domain fails the radio test.

UmstattdMedia.com (fail)
ThomasUmstattd.com (fail)

What do you think?

Have you ever been confused with how a URL sounds? How about your domain? Does it pass the radio test?

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