Here is a way to keep the most recent version of your book synced across multiple computers for free. This not only works for word docs but MP3s spreadsheets and any other file on your computer.

The Old Way

Back in the olden days, when you wanted to move a .doc from one computer to another you needed to put it on a flash drive and then copy it to your other computer. You could also email it to yourself. Either way you waste time and create multiple versions that can get confusing after a while.  Yuck.

The New Easier Way

What if I told you there was a way to keep the files on your netbook and desktop synced wirelessly. What if that would also backup both computers. What if I told you this tool was free. Well guess what, there is such a way and it is called Dropbox.

How DropBox Works

This video explains how Dropbox works in plain English.

Click here to view the embedded video.

How To Get Dropbox

1. Go to Dropbox.com
2. Fill out account info and click “create account.” The free Dropbox account gives you 2 GB which is more than enough space for over a hundred word documents. Just don’t expect your music library to fit in the free account.
3. Download & Install Dropbox onto your computer. Dropbox gives you easy instructions on how to do this.
   
4. Download & Install Dropbox onto your OTHER computer. This is basically the same thing you did in step 3. Repeat step 4 for each additional computer. You can add the drop box to as many computers as you would like.
5. Drag the word doc of your book into your Dropbox folder. After you do this you should see the doc on both computers. Open it up and make changes and magically those changes will appear on the other computer. Just don’t open the file on both computers at the same time. This will create a rift in the space time continuum.

You can also create folders to share with other Dropbox users. I often will share a Dropbox folder with my clients to exchange files for their websites. This is a lot easier than emailing photos back and forth.

What do you think?

Do you use Dropbox? Are you happy with it? Do you use one of its competitors like SugarSync or Box.net? Which do you like better?

Related posts:

1. How to Sync Your Address Book With Facebook

Chances are you’ve heard people talking about Apple’s new iPad. Will it change everything for authors? Is it our doom or salvation?

As a technologist, an author and a marketer this is my take on the iPad.

You may also want to check out some of the other  great reviews of the various iPad features.

What the pundits are saying about Apple’s iPad

Industry leaders have speculated about the effect the iPad will have on the publishing industry. Here is a sample:

• Greg Winter gives six reasons why the iPad may save the industry.
• Michael Hyatt thinks the iPad is an elegant solution in search of a problem much like the Segway.
• Paul Michelman says the iPad cannot save the publishing industry from itself.

But what does all this mean for you?

Here is my take on the iPad as a technologist, an author and a marketer.

7 Things the iPad Can Do for Authors

1. Display Kindle books. This is a big deal because the potential audience for Kindle books just grew by half a million people in the last three weeks. Ironically, being in the Amazon Kindle Store is more important now than ever before.
2. Allow you to write on the go. Pages allows you to edit documents. The iPad is  surprisingly easy to type on and can use an external keyboard. There are several great apps for writers. Look for a roundup in the coming weeks.
3. Blend multi-media with traditional books. The iPad gives you a bigger box in which to be creative inside. You are no longer limited to just words.
   • Prediction: vooks (which blend video and writing) will become far more popular with the advent of the iPad.
4. Make color cheap to distribute. Up to this point if you wanted to incorporate graphics into your book you either had to deal with prohibitive costs or go black and white. No more. Now color is no more expensive than black and white.
   • Prediction: books will become far more graphical with the advent of the iPad.
5. Make self publishing easier. Apple has made is easy for self published authors to get into the iBook store. This will likely put pressure on Amazon lower barriers as well. This is good news for self published authors.
   • Prediction: some unknown authors will come out of nowhere with innovative uses for the iPad. Will you be one of them?
6. Keep you connected to social media on the go. For those of you who don’t have an iPhone the 3G iPad will be a great tool for using Twitter and Facebook on the go.
   1. Prediction: The iPad 3g could replace a smart phone for many people and for a cheaper monthly cost.
7. Make blogs more accessible & important. Before the iPad, the only places people could read blogs were sitting in front of a laptop or squinting into a smart phone. Now blogs are just as comfortable to read as books. Apps like NetNewsWire allow iPad users to read their Google Reader feeds offline. This is good news for authors who blog and bad news for authors who don’t.

5 Things the iPad Can’t Do for Authors

1. Raise your royalties. By making the web more available and self publishing easier, Apple is raising the supply of writing. This will create a downward pressure on prices. I doubt the iPad will boost demand enough to keep up with the boost in supply.
2. Help you with presentations. I was excited about using the iPad from the lectern in my technology talks. My hope was that it would give me control of the presentation and show me my current slide the next slide and a timer. It fails to do all three of these things. I can edit presentations and that is about it. These are issues that may be fixed in the future but as of right now the iPad fails to help with presentations.
3. Replace your laptop. If you are an author you probably won’t be able to ditch your laptop for an iPad. But it may keep you from having to take your laptop everywhere you go just so you can check email and work on your book.
4. Reduce Distractions. The iPad provides one more thing to do other than write. Keep this in mind before you get too excited about this new gadget.
5. Help your publisher stay in business. If your publishing house is struggling now, the iPad is only going to make things worse. The houses that will benefit from the iBooks market and boosted Kindle market are likely going to be the ones who have already been embracing the new trends. If your publisher has struggled to adapt so far, how will the iPad change anything?

3 Things the iPad is Changing for Authors

1. Distribution. Think of the iPad is the iPod for books. Now think about how much the music industry has changed in the 10 years since the iPod came out. Paper is going the way of the CD. Print on Demand + Digital Distribution is becoming a more and more viable strategy for small print houses. Some publishing houses like Marcher Lord Press have been able to abandon traditional offset publishing altogether with great success.
2. Competition. Thirty years ago authors only competed with the other books and the TV for the living room. Now they must compete with the whole internet for that coveted “couch time.” Writers must write better than ever.
3. Pricing. A plummet in book prices is inevitable.  The big publishing houses will fight this of course but this will just create room for small houses to eat market share away from them with low cost digital books. Savvy authors will know they can make more money with a lower price.

Bottom line

You don’t need an iPad to be a successful author. But you do need to understand how the iPad is changing the publishing industry.

• Some authors will thrive in this new environment of high competition. They will incorporate color graphics and drop prices to sell more books and make more money.
• Other authors will wither. They will complain about the changes the iPad and its army of clones will bring to the industry. They will fight these changes to their own demise.

What do you think?

• Do you have an iPad? Do you like it?
• Do you plan to get an iPad? Why or why not?
• Will the iPad help or hurt authors?
• Do you plan to incorporate more graphics into your books now that it is cheaper and easier to do?

No related posts.

“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>>

1. First, listen. Use Google Alerts or Techrigy’s SM2 to track conversations about your book, your publisher, competing titles and authors, etc.
2. Use social tools like Buzzstream to identify and respond to influential voices.
3. 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.

Related posts:

1. Author Interview: Mary DeMuth
2. 4 Reasons Why Authors Should Avoid MySpace
3. Marketing Mistakes Top Level Authors Make
4. Is Facebook A Fad?
5. 7 Ways to Integrate Facebook into your Online Platform

Just because you have a website doesn’t mean that it’s effective. Fortunately, there are easy ways to track if your website is helping to build your author platform.

Monitor Tangible Outcomes

First, you can monitor tangible outcomes, such as tracking new subscribers to your newsletter, speaking engagement inquiries, media interview requests, or book sales from your website. If you send visitors to Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble.com (which I don’t recommend) you can check your book’s ranking and see if it improves. Use www.TitleZ.com to gauge your book’s Amazon ranking over time.

Analyze Website Statistics

Another good tracking tool is to analyze your website statistics. If your web designer or hosting company doesn’t provide this information, you can set it up for free with Google Analytics. After you create a free account, Google will provide you with special computer code that you embed into your website’s individual pages. Once you do this, then Google will track all of your website data for you.

When you examine your website statistics, however, make sure you concentrate on the right information. For example, basing your site’s effectiveness on how many “hits” or “pageviews” you get is a flawed notion. These are inflated figures that don’t give you accurate information about your web traffic. A better guide is to track how many “Unique Visitors” your site receives. This number reflects how many different people actually visited your site, which is a better reflection of your real platform.

How to Bring Visitors Back

If you notice a decline in visitors, sales, signups, or other factors, it could mean that people are bored with your website. So, take time each month to assess where you can add new content that provides value to your readers. If you run out of ideas, bring in guests with a similar message. People will appreciate your desire to help them, and they’ll show it by returning to your website on a regular basis. And, the more often people return, the more likely they will buy your books.

Used with permission from WildFire Marketing by Rob Eagar

Related posts:

1. How to Track Your Message Online
2. The Best Way to Track Site Statistics
3. 6 Things Readers Want from Your Author Website
4. The Top 5 Author Website Mistakes
5. 8 Elements of Effective Author Newsletters

Sometimes the free photo sites just don’t have what you need. Or you may want an image that is not used a thousand other places on the web.

That’s where premium photo sites come in. Starting at $1 an image they have better selection and quality than site like sxc.hu.

Premium Sites

These sites have photos starting at $1 a photo. The prices generally go up if you want a larger photo. But for blogs small is what you want anyway.

• iStockPhoto.com – Best search
• StockXpert.com - Best value sold to iStockPhoto
• VivoZoom - Best Value
• Fotolia.com - Second best selection
• iClipArt.com – This site has clip art drawings instead of photos
• BigStockPhoto.com – Expensive but good plan B.
• ShutterStock.com – Best selection but $10+ per image

Super Premium

The images on these sites start around $50+ a photo. The primary benefit of super premium images is that they are less common. You may even be able to buy exclusive rights to the photo, so that the image is taken down after you buy it. These are the sites your publisher probably uses for book cover images.

• GettyImages.com – Been around for a long time. Be careful not to pay $50 for a decade old photo.
• JupiterImages.com – Premium photos but not all are royalty free. Mare sure to check the rights on the photo you want.
• FotoSearch.com -This site is the bottom feeder of the super premium site. But if it has the photo you’re looking for then its a winner.

Did we miss a site? What image site do you use? Leave a comment below.

Related posts:

1. Where To Find Free & Legal Stock Photos Online

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.

Related posts:

1. 5 Ways to Keep Your Book From Rotting in a Paper Prison
2. Authors: Piracy is Not Your Enemy
3. Why Your Blog Should Be Your Book’s First Draft
4. How to Get Your Book on Virtual Shelves
5. Why Copyrights Hurt Authors

If you use Firefox these free plugins will save you time and perhaps even reduce stress. They help with research, time management and spelling.

Check out the list and leave a comment with some of your favorite add-ons.

1 – Zotero

Need help keeping track of citations and research while you browse the web? Zotero [zoh-TAIR-oh] is a free, easy-to-use Firefox extension to help you collect, manage, and cite your research sources.

2 – PDF Download

This plugin turns any webpage into a PDF. Save trees and money by using PDFs instead of paper.

3 – TimeTracker

Do you spend too much time on Firefox? Do you open tabs faster than you can close them? Cannot get things done? Keep track of how much you browse with TimeTracker.

4 – Video Download Helper

The easy way to download and convert Web videos from hundreds of YouTube-like sites. This works also for audio and picture galleries.

5 – United States English Dictionary

This dictionary lets you look up the definition of any word with the click of a button.

6 – GooglePreview

GooglePreview lets you see a screen shot of the pages in a google search. This a huge time saver in search.

7 – TwitterFox

TwitterFox puts a little “T” in the bottom right hand corner of your browser that keep tabs on recent tweets. Its one of the easiest ways to do Twitter.

8 – Bible Refalizer

The  Bible Refalizer automatically searches for Bible references within web pages and adds hyperlinks from those references to an online Bible.

9 – Bible Toolbar

This extension is  designed to ease searching BibleGateway.com. It allows specifying keywords, passage references, parallel searching, and limiting searches based on certain versions or sections of Scripture.

10 – Text Area Word Counter

Text Area Word Counter counts the number of words and characters in a web page textarea – great for writers who want to word count their online writings.

11 -  Adblock Plus

Adblock Plus blocks advertisements. It is particularly nice for site with offensive adds like Facebook and MySpace.

12 – Copy Plain Text

Have you ever copied something to Word and been annoyed that the text formatting (bold, font size, etc) came with it? Copy Plain Text gives you an option to copy text without the formatting. You can even set it to trim extra space in and around the copied text!

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1. Why Internet Explorer is Bad for Authors

You’re an author. Your time is sacred. Finding to time to write is hard enough as it it before your agent told you to get something called a “platform.”What you want is maximum platform bang per minute. Here are 4 reasons why MySpace is not for you.

Reason 1 – Hard to Give Value

If I were to summarize networking in one phrase it would be “collecting favors by doing favors for others first.” So, how exactly are you supposed to provide value to other people in MySpace? Facebook makes it easy to connect with old friends. Twitter makes it easy to spread the word about your work. LinkedIn has a dozen ways to help build your professional network.

Reason 2 – Mostly for Kids & Bands

Now if you are a band you can provide value by putting up full length songs for people to listen to. MySpace started off as a band and groupie hangout and it still does that well. Bands can provide value by letting fans listen to their music for free.

Reason 3 – MySpace is Messy & Unprofessional

One of the biggest reasons people give for why they avoid MySpace is how ugly the site is. Giving 14 year old girls the ability to decorate their own page is not a recipe for professionalism. Especially when their photos show up on your page.

Reason 4 -The People Are Somewhere Else

MySpace has a lot of users but most of them are empty accounts as people have left for greener pastures at Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Not Worthless But Not Worth It

This is not to say that you can’t get value from MySpace. But for the same amount of time investment you can get more from other social networks.

What do you think? Have you been able to use MySpace to promote you book? Leave a comment below.

Related posts:

1. 4 Reasons Why Every Author Should Use LinkedIn
2. 7 Ways to Integrate Facebook into your Online Platform
3. Social Media & Authors – An Interview with Dave Evans
4. 7 Reasons Why Mail Chimp is Better than Constant Contact for Author Newsletters
5. Is Facebook A Fad?

Stop using google image search. Using those images is often illegal and they are not the best images anyway.

Here are a dozen sites that are better and legal.

1. Stock Exchange

Of all of the stock photo sites on the web sxc.hu is the best. It has high quality free stock photos. But be careful. The first row of photos cost money. Clicking on them will take you to a different site where you have to pay. Most of the photos we use here at AuthorTechTips.com come from sxc.hu.

2. Flickr Creative Commons

Flickr has a huge selection of photos mane of which are protected under the Creative Commons which means you can use them legally as long as you attribute the photographer.

3. EveryStockPhoto.com

Every Stock Photo searches several other stock image sites for you. It does not filter offensive images, so use with caution.

4. MorgueFile.com

Morgue File has many photos that you are free to use commercially without attributing the photographer. The photos are mostly snapshots and not true stock photos.

5. FreeStockPhotos.com

Not only does Free Stock Photos have some great nature photos it also has a list of over a dozen other free stock photo sources.

6. IconsPedia.com

Icons Predia has the best selection of free icons. If you want to add a cool Twitter Bird to your website this is the first place to look.

7. BiblePlaces.com

If you need biblical photos BiblePlaces.com is a great place to start.

8. NASA

I’m not sure how this happened but if the U.S. government takes a photo they often release it into the public domain. If you want high quality technology or space photos you can’t do much better than NASA.  

9. StockVault.net

StockVault has 13,000+ high quality stock photos. The photos are high quality but low selection. The site does not offer safe search so use at your own risk.

10. FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Freedigitalphotos.net has high quality photos but the selection is not great and the terms of use require a link back to use the photo for free.

11. FreePhotosBank.com

FreePhotosbank has a lame selection of mediocre photos.

12. HistoricalStockPhotos.com

If you want vintage photos Historical Stock Photos is the site for you. Don’t expect much color here.

Related posts:

1. 9 Premium Stock Photo Sites
2. How to Get Your Avatar to Show Up Everywhere
3. 8 Quick Search Engine Optimization Tips:
4. How This Little Orange Icon Can Save You Time

The biggest contributor to the look of your author website is the quality of the photos. Unfortunately, most author websites have terrible photos.

Here are some tips of what to do and what not to do when looking for a photographer.

Before the Shoot

1. Find a photographer who can capture your personality. You don’t want to look like an insurance agent. A good photographer will get you laughing. A better photographer will want to know all about your book before taking any photos. Remember, your photo needs to “fit” with your book’s theme and cover.
2. Find a photographer who can help with your wardrobe. You want to bring several outfits to the shoot. A dozen outfits is not to many. You may not wear them all but it will give the artist more paint for his pallet.
3. Avoid photo factories. You know those places at the mall? Avoid them. You want the personal touch not an assembly line. If the word “next” is ever uttered by the staff, you’re in a photo factory.
4. Don’t use your brother in law. Yes I know he just bought a fancy new digital camera. Resist. There is a lot more to a good photo than the equipment.
5. Pay the photographer for the session instead of per photo. This way you get all the photos instead of just a few. It will cost more up front but you be be glad in the end.
6. Make sure to buy the rights to reproduce the photos. The last thing you want is to have to track down and pay the photographer every time you want to make a copy of your portrait. Settle this with your photographer before the session.

During the Photo Shoot

1. Use different backgrounds. Get images from both inside and outside. Variety is the spice of life.
2. Get your “portraits” shot in landscape. You can always crop landscapes into portraits but not the other way around.
3. Get shot outside and inside. Remember, you want a lot of photos in different settings.
4. Pose different. If you have the same pose in every shot you only have one image.
5. Get some white background shots. There is a lot you can do with a white background. Photoshop + white backgrounds = all kinds of awesome.

After the Shoot (How to Pick the Best Picture)

1. Get high resolution versions of the photos. Your publisher and web master will thank you.
2. Get a second opinion. It can be overwhelming to go through a thousand photos of yourself by yourself.
3. Realize your husband is biased. Your agent will give you more helpful feedback than your spouse. Your spouse is looking for photos that capture you in a way they love. Your agent is looking for photos that will help you sell books.
4. Send your agent the short list. Once you narrow your images down to about a dozen, send them to your agent or publicist. Don’t send her all thousand photos.
5. Get the photos retouched. You want to look your absolute best. This does not have to be expensive. PicWash costs as little as $7 a photo. ReTouchMax costs $10. Your photographer might offer to do it but chances are they will just send it to one of the discount places anyway.

Related posts:

1. How to Get Your Avatar to Show Up Everywhere

This tip is so easy and effective it will blow your mind. After you recover you will hit yourself for not thinking of it yourself.

Ask google. No seriously. Type the question into google.com’s search box. You can even include the question mark it it will help.

Here are some sample questions to prove my point:

• How do I post a video on youtube?
• How do I get more Twitter followers?
• What is a podcast?

You can also use Google as a dictionary:

• What does bombastic mean?
• What does translucent mean?

Related posts:

1. How This Little Orange Icon Can Save You Time
2. 12 Firefox Add-ons Every Author Must Have

As an author your time is precious. Internet Explorer is slow and dangerous. Fortunately, it is not the only free option.

Here are five reasons why Firefox is better than that little blue “e” you’ve been clicking on all these years.

Reason 1 – Firefox is Faster

Most people who switch to Firefox notice a significant speed boost right away. Once you get used to pages popping right up you may get frustrated when forced to use Internet Explorer even for short amounts of time.

Reason 2 – Firefox Checks Your Spelling

Firefox checks your spelling while you type. This is helpful when writing on your blog, posting to a forum and writing comments. Trust me, you will look better on Facebook with Firefox watching your spelling.

Reason 3 – Firefox Plugins Give You Cool Ninja Powers

Firefox has some great plugins that add some nifty features IE can’t even dream of. Here is a full list of firefox plugins. You authors might want to check out Zotero, Dictionary, PDF Download, and TwitterFox.

Reason 4 – Firefox is Safer

Security experts use words like “Swiss Cheese” and “Leaky Siv” to describe IE’s security. If you have ever had your identity stolen, or your computer infected with a virus, you know how important security is for your browser.

Reason 5 – Firefox is Easier

Firefox makes it super easy to subscribe to RSS feeds. RSS is changing the world. RSS is so hard in IE most IE users don’t even know what it is. If you don’t know what RSS read How This Little Orange Icon Can Save You Time.

How to Get Firefox for Free

You can download Firefox for free on from Firefox.com. It works on both Macs and PCs. Installation is a breeze and soon you will be wondering why you didn’t switch sooner.

Related posts:

1. 12 Firefox Add-ons Every Author Must Have

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

Related posts:

1. 7 Reasons Why Mail Chimp is Better than Constant Contact for Author Newsletters
2. How to Track Your Author Website’s Effectiveness
3. Don’t Play Hide & Seek with Your Readers
4. How This Little Orange Icon Can Save You Time
5. Marketing Mistakes Top Level Authors Make

In 1977 my great grandfather wrote a book. A few years later he passed away. No one in my family knows who inherited the copyright.

If a publisher wanted to reprint the book or make it available online they need permission to avoid breaking the law. But who should they ask? The copyright does not expire until 2052 so the problem will only intensify as his descendants multiply.

My great grandfather’s book is rotting in a paper prison. Unless you’re careful  your book may be orphaned as well.

How to Escape the Paper Prison:

#1 Own the Copyright in Your Name

This is essential. If your publisher owns the copyright, what will happen when the company is purchased, merged, liquidated or spun off? Who will own the copyright then? Many publisher own thousands of copyright that they don’t even know about. Nor does anyone else. If you don’t own the copyright, the question is not if but when will your books become orphaned.

#2 Designate a Literary Heir in Your Will

You may need to talk to your lawyer about how to do this. But your great grandchildren will thank you. The problem is your heir will also need to designate an heir since the copyright will likely outlive him or her as well. If you expect your book to continue to sell well for years to come this is even more important.

#3 Release Your Book into the Public Domain Upon Your Death

The public domain is where the works of William Shakespeare, Mark Twain and Charles Dickens live. They can be reprinted without paying royalties and stored in online repositories such as the Gutenberg Project. Willing your book to the public domain saves your children from the hassle of designating an heir. They won’t collect royalties if you release it to the public domain. If they forget your book it may still be orphaned. If you book is not selling this is the best option.

#4 Publish Your Book Under The Creative Commons

The creative commons is like a flexible public domain. Its some rights reserved instead of all rights reserved. Using the creative commons can also be an effective promotion strategy.

#5 Limit the Term of The Copyright

When you write your copyright at the front of the book you can set it to expire on a certain date. When our founding fathers first created the copyright they set them to last for 14-21 years just like patents. After that they automatically went into the public domain. Consider adding a clause that says (Copyrighted untill 20xx)

Disclaimer

This is not legal advice. I’m not a lawyer. You should consult your lawyer before you do anything crazy. Just try to find one who know what the creative commons is.

What Do You Think?

Related posts:

1. Why Copyrights Hurt Authors
2. How the Creative Commons Can Help Your Book Spread Like Crazy
3. Where To Find Free & Legal Stock Photos Online

As a follow-up to my article, Don’t Bow Down to Amazon, maybe you’re wondering, “What’s the alternative? Isn’t Amazon the best way to sell my books from my website?” No way, and if you haven’t, first read my previous post for the 3 big reasons why.

Instead, I encourage you to consider selling books from your website and doing the fulfillment yourself. Now, I know you’re immediately thinking, “But that’s time-consuming and expensive! I’ll have to pay big bucks for a fancy website store and waste all my writing time shipping book orders.” Not anymore.

Today, you can use PayPal to handle e-commerce and all credit card sales directly from your website. Plus, you can setup a free online account with the U.S. Postal Service to buy postage, print professional mailing labels, order free shipping supplies, and ship packages – without ever leaving your house. Once you setup your system, most book orders can be completed in less than five minutes. It’s one of the best deals in the history of bookwriting!

With PayPal and the USPS.com, you don’t have to setup a separate merchant account or stand in long lines at the Post Office. Plus, you get credit card fraud protection and a virtual terminal from PayPal and free delivery confirmation from the USPS. And, all transactions are completed online.

Stop sending your website visitors to buy your books at Amazon.com. Otherwise, you’ll miss out on important profits, customer contact information, and marketing effectiveness. You don’t need Amazon to make it as an author – you can do it yourself.

Note: If you’re a fiction author, you’re probably reading this and crying out, “But my publisher will be mad, because if I sell books from my website or at events, then it won’t count towards my sales numbers!” Relax…if you’re helping to sell more books and grow your platform, your publisher won’t care about selling books from your website. They’ll be happy, because they know that you’re growing your platform, which means higher sales potential for your next book.

Some of you need to stop worrying about your publisher’s concerns and start worrying about making your writing career last longer. Remember, to publishers, it doesn’t matter where the book sales come from, as long as there are sales. And, happy, growing authors make happy, growing publishers. Without successful authors, publishers can’t exist.

Related posts:

1. Authors: Don’t Bow Down to Amazon

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.

Related posts:

1. How to Get Twitter to Update Your Facebook Status
2. 7 Ways to Integrate Facebook into your Online Platform
3. How to Sync Files Across Multiple Computers Automatically
4. How Connect Your Blog to Facebook
5. Is Facebook A Fad?

We’ve all seen this orange icon. But did you know that in 5 years it will be more important than email? It reworks the internet saving people massive amounts of time.

You are an author and your time is at a premium. We guarantee reading this post will be a good time investment or your money back :-)

Surfing the web is so 1999.

Back in the olden days people would “surf” over to one website and then “surf” over to another website. It was fun but it had a problem. Surfing wastes time switching between sites. Even at high-speed, surfing was lame.

What if the new stuff on sites (blog posts, news events, new pages) could surf to you?

Well that is what the little orange icon does. It represents a technology called “RSS” which brings the new stuff to you. Now, instead of checking dozens of sites for updates you only need to check one.

Here are some sort videos that make using this new technology super easy.

So, what is that little orange icon anyway?

Click here to view the embedded video.

Setting up an RSS feed is not hard and so worth it. If my mom can do it, you can do it. My mom can do it.

How to setup an RSS Reader.

Click here to view the embedded video.

This video gives a step by step guide to setting up an RSS reader. Best of all, it comes with a pause button.

How to use Google Reader.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Even if you have already been using Google Reader for a while, I think you will find this post helpful.

What do you think?

Do you use a blog reader? Why or why not?

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2. One Easy Answer to 90% of Your Tech Questions
3. Where To Find Free & Legal Stock Photos Online

When our founding fathers created the copyright they did it to encourage the spread of ideas. Copyrights, like patents, only lasted 14 years. Hollywood changed all that and every 5 years or so they extend copy right by 5 years.

The result? Millions of books have been locked in paper prisons rotting into oblivion.

History of Copyright

Here is a great video by Lawrence Lessig that covers the history of copyright:

What Do You Think?

Leave a comment and let us know how you feel. Does the current copyright system need to be reformed?

Related posts:

1. 5 Ways to Keep Your Book From Rotting in a Paper Prison
2. How the Creative Commons Can Help Your Book Spread Like Crazy
3. Authors: Piracy is Not Your Enemy

As a writer, your goal is to place your book on as many shelves as possible. That should include virtual shelves! In this post you will learn how to use Shelfari to not only promote your book online for free, but also find reviewers, keep up on trends and improve your blog.

Shelfari is “a gathering place for authors, aspiring authors, publishers, and readers, and has many tools and features to help these groups connect with each other in a fun and engaging way.”

Shelfari facilitates discussion and recommendations for book lovers.  Members have a virtual shelf with books they are reading, books they recommend and books they plan to read. The type of readers who use Shelfari are the type of readers who recommend books to many people.

5 Ways to Use Shelfari

#1 Stay Up-to-date with Current Trends within your Genre

Join a group that discusses and makes recommendations for the type of book you are publishing.  This is a great way to get feedback on readers’ preferences.

#2 Find Reviewers

You are likely to find potential buyers, bloggers and book reviewers in your reading group.  Become an active member and develop rapport before requesting a book review.

#3 Decorate Your Blog

Shelfari has developed a popular widget that can display your Book Shelf on your blog for interested readers.  Here is an example.

#4 Promote Your Book / Develop a Following

If someone has not already written a description for your book, write it and send it to your friends.  Invite other readers to post comments and thoughts.

Here is an example of a digital bookshelf on Shelfari

#5 Find a Book to Read at the Beach

If you are a writer, you are probably an avid reader.  Shelfari users are always the first to know about great books, so you can stay ahead of the mainstream media by staying close to other enthusiastic readers.

If you have questions about how to use Shelfari, this group is available to answer your questions:

Related posts:

1. How the Creative Commons Can Help Your Book Spread Like Crazy
2. How Blogging Got Me Published
3. Why Your Blog Should Be Your Book’s First Draft

Podcasts are a great way to promote your book. But what are they and how to they work?

This post has simple videos that explain podcasting for authors.

If You Write Non-fiction

Think of a podcast as a short radio program on your topic. You can use it to build an audience and gain credibility. The best selling book Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing started off as a podcast. It took Mignon Fogarty from an unknown editor to Oprah guest and bestselling author.

If You Write Fiction

Think of a podcast as a radio drama that delivers your audiobook to millions of people. Scott Sigler podcasted his first several fiction books. His podcast landed him a 5 book deal with Crown Publishing and a fan base of over a million listeners.

How Podcasts Work

This video How Podcasts Work by podgrunt is one of the best video explanations of podcasting online.

Podcasting in Plain English

Here is a great into to podcasting by our friends at the Common Craft Show.

We will have more info on how to start your own podcast in later posts.

No related posts.

Have you ever noticed how some people’s photo’s appear next to their comments and others do not?

In this post you will learn how to get your avatar to show up automatically when you leave a blog comment or forum post.

What is an Avatar?

Avatars are the small photos that represent you online. Most authors use their author photo as their avatar.

Why Bother?

Having an avatar next to your name helps you look more professional and can boost traffic to your website.

How to Setup Your Universal Avatar

These steps take about 5 minutes and will save you tons of time in the long tun.

• Step #1 Go to Gravitar.com
• Step #2 Click sign up now!
• Step #3 Type in your email address and click sign up. Gravatar uses your email address to link your avatar with your comment.
• Step #4 Check your email and click the activation link.
• Step #5 Pick a nickname and password. Only lowercase letters and numbers allowed for the username.
• Step #6 Add an image by clicking “Add one by clicking here.” Gravitar can grab images from your computer, your webcam, and the internet.
• Step #7 Click “My Computer’s hard drive” to select a photo from your computer.
• Step #8 Choose file and find the photo you want to use on your computer.
• Step #9 Crop the photo. This is fun and fairly self explanatory. Then click “G” for your rating.
• Your done! Now  your comments on blogs and forums around the world will have your avatar.

Did it work?

Feel free to test your avatar by leaving a comment below.

Related posts:

1. Where To Find Free & Legal Stock Photos Online
2. How to Avoid Lame Author Portraits

The goal of Author Tech Tips is to help you use technology to build your online platform.

Have any questions?

Send your questions to questions AT authortechtips.com and let us answer it for you. Or just leave a comment below.

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