Earlier he wrote a post on why bestseller lists are inaccurate. You can read that here: Why Bestseller Lists Are Inaccurate.
Here's another great discussion of the flaws inherent in many of the major bestseller lists: Bestseller Lists.
Friday, December 29, 2006
Toward a Better Bestseller List
Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, just wrote a great post on creating a better bestseller list, especially one that counts Christian books. Read more about his post here: Toward a Better Bestseller List.
Earlier he wrote a post on why bestseller lists are inaccurate. You can read that here: Why Bestseller Lists Are Inaccurate.
Here's another great discussion of the flaws inherent in many of the major bestseller lists: Bestseller Lists.
Earlier he wrote a post on why bestseller lists are inaccurate. You can read that here: Why Bestseller Lists Are Inaccurate.
Here's another great discussion of the flaws inherent in many of the major bestseller lists: Bestseller Lists.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Some Great Book Trailers
Hey, check out the great book trailers for a few teen novels. Each of the trailers made me want to read the book -- and I'm not the audience (the book's are for young teen girls).
Check them out at: Teen Book Videos.
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Good-Bye, Good Friend
I just heard via email that a really good person died over the holidays. My good friend, Celia Rocks of Rocks-DeHart PR, died on Christmas Day. I will miss her greatly. She was one of the good people, besides being a great publicist. I wish her family the best during this trying time.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Sample Kremer 100 PR Newsletter Listing
Newspapers: Santa Fe New Mexican
Santa Fe New Mexican, 202 E Marcy Street (87501), P O Box 2048, Santa Fe NM 87504-2048; Main switchboard: 505-983-3303. News: 505-986-3030; Fax: 505-986-9147. Email: newsroom@sfnewmexican.com. Web: http://www.santafenewmexican.com.News and Opinion
- City desk: 505-986-3035.
- Howard Houghton, City Editor; 505-986-3015. Email: hhoughton@sfnewmexican.com.
- Mike Cosgrove, Editor, Nation & World; 505-986-3024. Email: mikec@sfnewmexican.com.
- William Waters, Editorial Page Editor.
- Camille Flores, Opinions Editor; 505-995-3850. Email: publiceditor@sfnewmexican.com. For op-ed columns.
- Letters: 505-986-3053; Fax: 505-986-3040. Email: letters@sfnewmexican.com.
- Trail Dust, Marc Simmons, Columnist. Weekly Saturday column on New Mexico history. Simmons is the author of numerous books about New Mexico.
- Bob Quick, Business Editor; 505-986-3011. Email: bobquick@sfnewmexican.com.
- Consumer Watch, Wendy Brown, Columnist; 505-986-3072. Email: wbrown@sfnewmexican.com. Covers consumer news and personal finance.
- Bernadette Garcia, Neighbors Editor; 505-986-3050. Email: bernadetteg@sfnewmexican.com.
- Ana Maria Trujillo, Seniors Reporter; 505-995-3803. Email: atrujillo@sfnewmexican.com.
- El Mitote gossip column. Email: elmitote@sfnewmexican.com. Celebrity news.
- Family Cafe, Claudette Sutton, Columnist. Email: claudette@sftumbleweeds.com. Family column.
- Public Works, Gussie Fauntleroy, Columnist. Covers New Mexico government people.
- Religion Events: 505-986-3049. Email: service@sfnewmexican.com.
- Kristie Jones, Editor; 505-986-3032. Email: kristiej@sfnewmexican.com. Email her with calendar events.
- Jon Lechel, Assistant Editor; 505-995-3847. Email: jlechel@sfnewmexican.com. He also writes Reality Bytes, a column of video game reviews.
- Terry England, Books Editor; 505-995-3878. Email: tengland@sfnewmexican.com. Reviewed Marjane Satrapi's novel Chicken with Plums and Marisa Marchetto's Cancer Vixen: A True Story.
Tom Clagett reviewed The Hart Brand western by Johnny D. Boggs and Jim Levy reviewed Maria Finn's anthology: Mexico in Mind. Robert Mayer reviewed Angelo Jaramillo's short story collection, The Darker. - Panelhead, Brandon Garcia, Columnist; 505-995-3826. Email: bgarcia@sfnewmexican.com. Reviewed a number of books from Canadian publisher Drawn & Quarterly.
- Pat Reed, Travel Editor; 505-986-3054. Email: preed@sfnewmexican.com.
- La Fashionaria, Phaedra Haywood, Columnist; 505-986-3004. Email: phaywood@sfnewmexican.com. Fashion column.
- Patricia West-Barker, Real Estate Editor; 505-995-3804. Email: pwest@sfnewmexican.com.
- Collector's Corner, Rosemary McKittrick, Columnist. Writes about art, antiques, and collectibles for the New Mexican as well as her http://www.LiveAuctionTalk.com website.
- House to Home, Debbie Travis, Columnist. Email: house2home@debbietravis.com. Web: http://www.debbietravis.com. Q&A column on home decorating and fix-up.
- Tommy Trujillo, Sports Editor; 505-986-3060. Email: ttrujillo@sfnewmexican.com.
- Lee Yobbi, Sports Columnist; 505-995-3885. Email: lyobbi@sfnewmexican.com.
- Pancho Morris, Sports Writer; 505-995-3835. Email: pmorris@sfnewmexican.com.
- Priscilla Gobez, Sports Writer.
Monday, December 18, 2006
Down with Anonymity
Why is it that so many book promotion companies that I get emails from or who post news releases on the Internet -- why is it that they never say who they are? If I'm going to spend $1,500 or more on their services, I want to know who they are. I want names, addresses, phone numbers -- not just an anonymous email and a website that doesn't tell me who they are.
Just got another such email from Mayfair Book Promotions. I do know where they're from -- London, England. But no names, no numbers, no real people email addresses. Why, oh why? It's just plain stupid not to let people know who you are and what you can do.
When you go to bookmarket.com, you will see me all over the website. By the beginning of the new year when I have my redesigned website up and running, you'll be able to find me even more readily.
Don't be anonymous. Let people know who you are and what you can offer them -- no matter what sort of website you have or what sort of book you wrote.
Just got another such email from Mayfair Book Promotions. I do know where they're from -- London, England. But no names, no numbers, no real people email addresses. Why, oh why? It's just plain stupid not to let people know who you are and what you can do.
When you go to bookmarket.com, you will see me all over the website. By the beginning of the new year when I have my redesigned website up and running, you'll be able to find me even more readily.
Don't be anonymous. Let people know who you are and what you can offer them -- no matter what sort of website you have or what sort of book you wrote.
The Write and Wrong Way to Promote Your Book
In the last issue of her Book Marketing Expert newsletter, Penny Sansevieri wrote a great commentary that she has given me permission to share with you. Here it is:
The Write and Wrong Way to Promote Your Book
Did you know that if you're marketing your book to sell books, you may be marketing for all the wrong reasons? Why? Well frankly, marketing a book to make sales will rarely ring the cash register; in fact, most of the time it amounts to what I call the anti-sale, the sale that always seems to elude you. If you're looking at your last 12 months of marketing and wondering what went wrong, ask yourself one question: "What was the driving force behind my book marketing choices?"
In a recent coaching session an author told me: "I spent $30,000 on advertising and I don't know why I haven't sold a single book." Why did the author advertise? Because she thought it would sell books. Now you might think that $30k is extreme, and perhaps it is, but she isn't the only one. Most of the topics of conversation during coaching calls, consultations or classes I teach are: "I've spent all this money and done all this work, what am I doing wrong?" What you're doing wrong is selling the book and not the message or the benefits. In other words, you're marketing your books for all the wrong reasons. It's not that dissimilar from scheduling a slew of book signings because you think you have to or because you're hoping to sell scads of books. If you hate doing them, and they're not working, why bother?
Let's take a look at the example of our $30k author more closely. She had a book about child rearing, she was a noted speaker, a child psychologist and was quoted extensively in the media. The odd thing was, when you walked into her office her book was no where to be found. "I don't want to be boastful about my book." She said, "I think selling my book to my patients is unethical." Well, perhaps she's right, but still, she was missing the point. The point was that she had her buyers in front of her all the time and yet she overlooked them in search of the almighty book sale. In fact, I found out later that she wasn't even selling her book at her speaking sessions. Why? Because she thought the ad space she bought would be enough to carry the momentum of the book. When we finally broke down her marketing campaign and her options, she realized that she could sell thousands of copies of her book and it wouldn't cost her a dime. She had at her disposal hungry buyers she wasn't even tapping into.
So are you missing your buyers? What piece of your campaign have you overlooked in an attempt to sell your book? To distill this even further, let's go through an exercise together to help unearth some marketing opportunities you might be overlooking. When you do this exercise I want you to remove the notion of book sales from your vernacular, what I mean is I want you to start looking at your efforts through a different lens:
On a separate sheet of paper, list all the marketing that you've done for your book. This may take a while, but seeing it all on paper will be helpful. List everything, even the minutiae.
Now that you have your list, let's take a hard look at it. First off, I want you to cross off the marketing you've done that has just been a total waste of your time. Next, go through and star everything that worked really well. Remember, by "really well," I don't mean book sales, although that could have been a result of your efforts; I mean star the items you really enjoyed doing that seemed to get you great feedback.
What you have left will be a list of mediocre things, marketing ideas you tried that did reasonably well (at least enough so you didn't feel you needed to cross them off with the first batch). Take a hard look at the starred items, what do you see? Quite possibly you see a list of things that a) you loved doing, and b) that sold you some books despite the fact that you didn't think it would.
Now let's expand on that starred list. For example, if you have book events on this list, how can you expand this?
Next, I want you to make a list of the items you're missing. If you are brainstorming an expansion of your star list these missing pieces might be self-evident or they may require some additional brainstorming.
The idea behind this exercise is to become very clear on what's working and what isn't and to focus on the stuff you love doing. Generally the stuff you love is dialed directly into your audience. And if you love it, you'll probably do more of it, and hopefully this will lead you to book sales.
In author coaching I've found that we often set aside the stuff we love because we think book marketing should be hard. Let me tell you, it doesn't have to be. And if you're doing stuff that's hard, you're probably marketing for all the wrong reasons, anyway.
In a recent interview, media darling Rachael Ray cited that for years she did only local media. She would do cooking show after cooking show, often losing money on each one (when you factored in her time, gas, supplies, etc.). So why did she keep doing it? Because she loved it and because it's what she wanted to do. Now, of course, she's on everything from your local cross-town bus to any and all kitchen supplies. I'm not saying that her way of marketing is a recipe for success. Certainly, it worked for her, but the bigger message is that when you do what you love, you'll keep at it, and that’s the key. Whatever you do, you must love it, and you must do a lot of it.
This coming year can be a revelation for your campaign if you take the time to figure out what worked, what didn't, and what you'd love to do more of. Do it because you love it, and the sales will follow. You can bank on it!
The Write and Wrong Way to Promote Your Book
Did you know that if you're marketing your book to sell books, you may be marketing for all the wrong reasons? Why? Well frankly, marketing a book to make sales will rarely ring the cash register; in fact, most of the time it amounts to what I call the anti-sale, the sale that always seems to elude you. If you're looking at your last 12 months of marketing and wondering what went wrong, ask yourself one question: "What was the driving force behind my book marketing choices?"
In a recent coaching session an author told me: "I spent $30,000 on advertising and I don't know why I haven't sold a single book." Why did the author advertise? Because she thought it would sell books. Now you might think that $30k is extreme, and perhaps it is, but she isn't the only one. Most of the topics of conversation during coaching calls, consultations or classes I teach are: "I've spent all this money and done all this work, what am I doing wrong?" What you're doing wrong is selling the book and not the message or the benefits. In other words, you're marketing your books for all the wrong reasons. It's not that dissimilar from scheduling a slew of book signings because you think you have to or because you're hoping to sell scads of books. If you hate doing them, and they're not working, why bother?
Let's take a look at the example of our $30k author more closely. She had a book about child rearing, she was a noted speaker, a child psychologist and was quoted extensively in the media. The odd thing was, when you walked into her office her book was no where to be found. "I don't want to be boastful about my book." She said, "I think selling my book to my patients is unethical." Well, perhaps she's right, but still, she was missing the point. The point was that she had her buyers in front of her all the time and yet she overlooked them in search of the almighty book sale. In fact, I found out later that she wasn't even selling her book at her speaking sessions. Why? Because she thought the ad space she bought would be enough to carry the momentum of the book. When we finally broke down her marketing campaign and her options, she realized that she could sell thousands of copies of her book and it wouldn't cost her a dime. She had at her disposal hungry buyers she wasn't even tapping into.
So are you missing your buyers? What piece of your campaign have you overlooked in an attempt to sell your book? To distill this even further, let's go through an exercise together to help unearth some marketing opportunities you might be overlooking. When you do this exercise I want you to remove the notion of book sales from your vernacular, what I mean is I want you to start looking at your efforts through a different lens:
On a separate sheet of paper, list all the marketing that you've done for your book. This may take a while, but seeing it all on paper will be helpful. List everything, even the minutiae.
Now that you have your list, let's take a hard look at it. First off, I want you to cross off the marketing you've done that has just been a total waste of your time. Next, go through and star everything that worked really well. Remember, by "really well," I don't mean book sales, although that could have been a result of your efforts; I mean star the items you really enjoyed doing that seemed to get you great feedback.
What you have left will be a list of mediocre things, marketing ideas you tried that did reasonably well (at least enough so you didn't feel you needed to cross them off with the first batch). Take a hard look at the starred items, what do you see? Quite possibly you see a list of things that a) you loved doing, and b) that sold you some books despite the fact that you didn't think it would.
Now let's expand on that starred list. For example, if you have book events on this list, how can you expand this?
Next, I want you to make a list of the items you're missing. If you are brainstorming an expansion of your star list these missing pieces might be self-evident or they may require some additional brainstorming.
The idea behind this exercise is to become very clear on what's working and what isn't and to focus on the stuff you love doing. Generally the stuff you love is dialed directly into your audience. And if you love it, you'll probably do more of it, and hopefully this will lead you to book sales.
In author coaching I've found that we often set aside the stuff we love because we think book marketing should be hard. Let me tell you, it doesn't have to be. And if you're doing stuff that's hard, you're probably marketing for all the wrong reasons, anyway.
In a recent interview, media darling Rachael Ray cited that for years she did only local media. She would do cooking show after cooking show, often losing money on each one (when you factored in her time, gas, supplies, etc.). So why did she keep doing it? Because she loved it and because it's what she wanted to do. Now, of course, she's on everything from your local cross-town bus to any and all kitchen supplies. I'm not saying that her way of marketing is a recipe for success. Certainly, it worked for her, but the bigger message is that when you do what you love, you'll keep at it, and that’s the key. Whatever you do, you must love it, and you must do a lot of it.
This coming year can be a revelation for your campaign if you take the time to figure out what worked, what didn't, and what you'd love to do more of. Do it because you love it, and the sales will follow. You can bank on it!
Saturday, December 16, 2006
What Is a Pay-Per-Click Worth?
Ian Lurie of Conversation Marketing has created a handy tool to calculate what you can afford to pay in pay-per-click advertising deals such as Google AdWords. One thing you discover very quickly is that you need one or more of the following to make the calculation pay off for you:
1. a high-priced product (over $40.00)
2. a high click-through rate (not likely, but testable)
3. a small click-through price (10 cents or under)
Try out the following easy-to-use calculator to see what you can afford to pay for a click: http://www.conversationmarketing.com/clickworthsale.html.
1. a high-priced product (over $40.00)
2. a high click-through rate (not likely, but testable)
3. a small click-through price (10 cents or under)
Try out the following easy-to-use calculator to see what you can afford to pay for a click: http://www.conversationmarketing.com/clickworthsale.html.
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Million Dollar Author Crash Course
Here's a message from my friend, Steve Harrison:
Time is running out if you're interested in being one of just 50 new clients to attend my upcoming Million Dollar Author Crash Course & Publicity Program, January 11-13th in Philadelphia. The price goes up $1,000.00 after tomorrow (Thursday, December 14th) so if you'd like to attend go here now: http://www.freepublicity.com/crashcourse/?10005.
If you're feeling skeptical or don't feel like traveling to Philadelphia that's perfectly natural. But remember on my recent teleseminar I said the top 3% of authors who sell tons of books, get massive amounts of publicity, and touch so many people's lives do so because they've taken the time to consistently develop and sharpen their marketing skills. What I didn't say is they don't always feel like doing it. How about you? There are a lot of reasons for not feeling like attending my Million Dollar Author Crash Course & Publicity Program but most of them aren't worth listening to if you're serious about your success.
Remember, over 175,000 books are published every year. The average book doesn't sell more than 500 copies!!! Do you REALLY think you're saving time and money by staying home? If you're on the fence about attending, do yourself a favor and go right now to: http://www.freepublicity.com/crashcourse/skeptics.htm.
At that site, you'll hear from ten former skeptics who initially all had their own reasons for not coming to a training I recently conducted which covered the material you'll learn in my crash course, BUT THEY CAME ANYWAY! And they're so glad they did!
Remember, listening to the skeptic inside you will cost you dearly in the long run. That's why so few authors succeed. It's also why I offer a complete 100% money-back guarantee on my program if you're not thrilled by 5 pm on the first day. What reason is there to let doubt and skepticism rule your future?
And here are a couple of other things to say to your inner skeptic:
#1: If you don't have the money to easily afford this (and most people don't), that's why you should attend. It's an investment that will repay itself for many years and save you from many countless costly errors. It also may be a last-minute 2006 tax deduction for you.
#2: If you're feeling overwhelmed with all your options and all the things you have to do, your top priority should be applying for at seat at my upcoming Million Dollar Author Crash Course & Publicity Program. You'll get clarity and and discover how to create a focused plan you can execute.
#3: If you're waiting until you get your book done before attending my training, you'll regret that big time! When people come to me and tell me their book is done, I'm able to help them. But I often find that it would be a lot easier to help them if they had come to me during the writing process. The reason is I could have showed them how to write their book in a way that makes it easier to get publicity. I'd also have helped them engineer it to create more word-of-mouth and drive the next sale!
#4: If you're turned off by my sales copy or persistent emails I'm sorry. It pains me to think you'd turn down an opportunity to learn proven ways to become a bestselling author, become a highly-paid speaker, and get tons of national publicity for such a silly reason but that's your choice. I don't apologize though for trying to wake you up and get you on the road to succeeding as an author. As an all-too-often couch potato myself, I've been fortunate to have some good coaches and mentors wake me up to achieving more than I initially thought was possible.
#5: Maybe you're already an established author who's achieved a lot and you're wondering what I can possibly teach you. Be particularly sure to read Tim Dobbins's and Joe Rosenthal's stories. Once you've heard what these ten former skeptics have to say, I know you'll want to join us in Philadelphia next month.
You can apply for one of the spots at: http://www.freepublicity.com/crashcourse/?10005.
I look forward to helping you make 2007 your best year ever!
Best, Steve Harrison
Bradley Communications, 135 E Plumstead Avenue, Lansdowne PA 19050
610-259-0707 x264 (Customer Service voice mail)
Email: Steve.Harrison@rtir.com
Time is running out if you're interested in being one of just 50 new clients to attend my upcoming Million Dollar Author Crash Course & Publicity Program, January 11-13th in Philadelphia. The price goes up $1,000.00 after tomorrow (Thursday, December 14th) so if you'd like to attend go here now: http://www.freepublicity.com/crashcourse/?10005.
If you're feeling skeptical or don't feel like traveling to Philadelphia that's perfectly natural. But remember on my recent teleseminar I said the top 3% of authors who sell tons of books, get massive amounts of publicity, and touch so many people's lives do so because they've taken the time to consistently develop and sharpen their marketing skills. What I didn't say is they don't always feel like doing it. How about you? There are a lot of reasons for not feeling like attending my Million Dollar Author Crash Course & Publicity Program but most of them aren't worth listening to if you're serious about your success.
Remember, over 175,000 books are published every year. The average book doesn't sell more than 500 copies!!! Do you REALLY think you're saving time and money by staying home? If you're on the fence about attending, do yourself a favor and go right now to: http://www.freepublicity.com/crashcourse/skeptics.htm.
At that site, you'll hear from ten former skeptics who initially all had their own reasons for not coming to a training I recently conducted which covered the material you'll learn in my crash course, BUT THEY CAME ANYWAY! And they're so glad they did!
Remember, listening to the skeptic inside you will cost you dearly in the long run. That's why so few authors succeed. It's also why I offer a complete 100% money-back guarantee on my program if you're not thrilled by 5 pm on the first day. What reason is there to let doubt and skepticism rule your future?
And here are a couple of other things to say to your inner skeptic:
#1: If you don't have the money to easily afford this (and most people don't), that's why you should attend. It's an investment that will repay itself for many years and save you from many countless costly errors. It also may be a last-minute 2006 tax deduction for you.
#2: If you're feeling overwhelmed with all your options and all the things you have to do, your top priority should be applying for at seat at my upcoming Million Dollar Author Crash Course & Publicity Program. You'll get clarity and and discover how to create a focused plan you can execute.
#3: If you're waiting until you get your book done before attending my training, you'll regret that big time! When people come to me and tell me their book is done, I'm able to help them. But I often find that it would be a lot easier to help them if they had come to me during the writing process. The reason is I could have showed them how to write their book in a way that makes it easier to get publicity. I'd also have helped them engineer it to create more word-of-mouth and drive the next sale!
#4: If you're turned off by my sales copy or persistent emails I'm sorry. It pains me to think you'd turn down an opportunity to learn proven ways to become a bestselling author, become a highly-paid speaker, and get tons of national publicity for such a silly reason but that's your choice. I don't apologize though for trying to wake you up and get you on the road to succeeding as an author. As an all-too-often couch potato myself, I've been fortunate to have some good coaches and mentors wake me up to achieving more than I initially thought was possible.
#5: Maybe you're already an established author who's achieved a lot and you're wondering what I can possibly teach you. Be particularly sure to read Tim Dobbins's and Joe Rosenthal's stories. Once you've heard what these ten former skeptics have to say, I know you'll want to join us in Philadelphia next month.
You can apply for one of the spots at: http://www.freepublicity.com/crashcourse/?10005.
I look forward to helping you make 2007 your best year ever!
Best, Steve Harrison
Bradley Communications, 135 E Plumstead Avenue, Lansdowne PA 19050
610-259-0707 x264 (Customer Service voice mail)
Email: Steve.Harrison@rtir.com
Monday, December 11, 2006
Don't Get Over-Sold on Self-Publishing
Q: I have already been accepted by an agent, but have not yet signed the contract as I feel self-publishing and owning my own rights is to my best advantage. Rather then make 10 to 12 percent of retail price from book; obviously I would like to see a higher profit margin.
A: Most authors make as much money selling to larger publishers who love their books and get behind it as they do by self-publishing. If the publisher is simply throwing the book out there and seeing what happens, then you are better off self-publishing or finding a publisher who does love the book.
If you are self-publishing to make more money, you are self-publishing for the wrong reason. Most self-publishers lose money. I don't know if anyone has done a study on this but I would guess -- from my experience of talking with thousands of self-publishers -- that 50% of self-publishers break even or lose money. Probably 90% make less than $10,000 via self-publishing.
Don't get sold on self-publishing to get rich or make more money as an author. Choose self-publishing because 1) you want more control, 2) the book needs to get out now, 3) you are a great businessperson, 4) you love to talk to strangers on the phone (and sell your book or yourself), and/or 5) you have an exit strategy or sales plan that is reasonable.
A: Most authors make as much money selling to larger publishers who love their books and get behind it as they do by self-publishing. If the publisher is simply throwing the book out there and seeing what happens, then you are better off self-publishing or finding a publisher who does love the book.
If you are self-publishing to make more money, you are self-publishing for the wrong reason. Most self-publishers lose money. I don't know if anyone has done a study on this but I would guess -- from my experience of talking with thousands of self-publishers -- that 50% of self-publishers break even or lose money. Probably 90% make less than $10,000 via self-publishing.
Don't get sold on self-publishing to get rich or make more money as an author. Choose self-publishing because 1) you want more control, 2) the book needs to get out now, 3) you are a great businessperson, 4) you love to talk to strangers on the phone (and sell your book or yourself), and/or 5) you have an exit strategy or sales plan that is reasonable.
Saturday, December 09, 2006
Get Between the Covers
Notice from a consulting client who has written a book you might be interested in:
Dec. 28th Amazon.com Launch Date for Get Between the Covers: Leave a Legacy by Writing a Book by Neil Shulman, M.D. and Eric Spencer
Mark your calendars! On Thursday, December 28, 2006, Get Between the Covers will have its official launch on Amazon.com with one goal in mind ... to get to #1 on the Bestseller List.
We’ve put over 5 years of work into this book, which will hopefully lead tens of thousands, if not millions, to write a book in their lifetime and thus be able to share their knowledge, creativity, and experience with this generation as well as future ones. It’s been endorsed by nearly all of the top people in the publishing industry—many of whom contributed material because of the influence they believe it will have. When people think about writing books, reading, or publishing, we want them to think Get Between the Covers!
Why should you purchase Get Between the Covers! on the 28th?
As part of purchasing this book on December 28th, you will be supporting several endeavors, including: a literary grant/scholarship program for both high school and college students that we are establishing which will encourage and enable them to write and publish books and a program that donates books to children who are less fortunate, so that they might develop a love for reading.
That’s right, we will give ALL of the income received from book sales on the 28th to support these efforts! So, in addition to getting a copy of a book that you will enjoy if you have ideas for books and want to translate them to paper, or know a friend, family member, or co-worker who does, you will also be helping us to give back.
It’s as simple as:
Going to our website http://www.getbetweenthecovers.com on December 28th. Clicking the link to purchase Get Between the Covers on the homepage. Completing your purchase on Amazon.com after it clicks through.
Dec. 28th Amazon.com Launch Date for Get Between the Covers: Leave a Legacy by Writing a Book by Neil Shulman, M.D. and Eric Spencer
Mark your calendars! On Thursday, December 28, 2006, Get Between the Covers will have its official launch on Amazon.com with one goal in mind ... to get to #1 on the Bestseller List.
We’ve put over 5 years of work into this book, which will hopefully lead tens of thousands, if not millions, to write a book in their lifetime and thus be able to share their knowledge, creativity, and experience with this generation as well as future ones. It’s been endorsed by nearly all of the top people in the publishing industry—many of whom contributed material because of the influence they believe it will have. When people think about writing books, reading, or publishing, we want them to think Get Between the Covers!
Why should you purchase Get Between the Covers! on the 28th?
As part of purchasing this book on December 28th, you will be supporting several endeavors, including: a literary grant/scholarship program for both high school and college students that we are establishing which will encourage and enable them to write and publish books and a program that donates books to children who are less fortunate, so that they might develop a love for reading.
That’s right, we will give ALL of the income received from book sales on the 28th to support these efforts! So, in addition to getting a copy of a book that you will enjoy if you have ideas for books and want to translate them to paper, or know a friend, family member, or co-worker who does, you will also be helping us to give back.
It’s as simple as:
Going to our website http://www.getbetweenthecovers.com on December 28th. Clicking the link to purchase Get Between the Covers on the homepage. Completing your purchase on Amazon.com after it clicks through.
Friday, December 08, 2006
Why Do You Write?
In his speech accepting the 2006 Nobel Prize for Literature, Turkish novelist Orham Pamuk asked that question, "Why do you write?"
Here below is his answer. What is yours? You are invited to add your answer to the comments below.
"Why do you write? I write because I have an innate need to write! I write because I can't do normal work like other people. I write because I want to read books like the ones I write. I write because I am angry at all of you, angry at everyone. I write because I love sitting in a room all day writing. I write because I can only partake in real life by changing it. I write because I want others, all of us, the whole world, to know what sort of life we lived, and continue to live, in Istanbul, in Turkey. I write because I love the smell of paper, pen, and ink. I write because I believe in literature, in the art of the novel, more than I believe in anything else. I write because it is a habit, a passion. I write because I am afraid of being forgotten. I write because I like the glory and interest that writing brings. I write to be alone. Perhaps I write because I hope to understand why I am so very, very angry at all of you, so very, very angry at everyone. I write because I like to be read. I write because once I have begun a novel, an essay, a page, I want to finish it. I write because everyone expects me to write. I write because I have a childish belief in the immortality of libraries, and in the way my books sit on the shelf. I write because it is exciting to turn all of life's beauties and riches into words. I write not to tell a story, but to compose a story. I write because I wish to escape from the foreboding that there is a place I must go but—just as in a dream—I can't quite get there. I write because I have never managed to be happy. I write to be happy."
Why do I write? Because I can't help myself. I'm impelled to write. Sometimes I wish I could just be a simple baker or salesman or burger flipper but, alas, I am impelled to write.
Here below is his answer. What is yours? You are invited to add your answer to the comments below.
"Why do you write? I write because I have an innate need to write! I write because I can't do normal work like other people. I write because I want to read books like the ones I write. I write because I am angry at all of you, angry at everyone. I write because I love sitting in a room all day writing. I write because I can only partake in real life by changing it. I write because I want others, all of us, the whole world, to know what sort of life we lived, and continue to live, in Istanbul, in Turkey. I write because I love the smell of paper, pen, and ink. I write because I believe in literature, in the art of the novel, more than I believe in anything else. I write because it is a habit, a passion. I write because I am afraid of being forgotten. I write because I like the glory and interest that writing brings. I write to be alone. Perhaps I write because I hope to understand why I am so very, very angry at all of you, so very, very angry at everyone. I write because I like to be read. I write because once I have begun a novel, an essay, a page, I want to finish it. I write because everyone expects me to write. I write because I have a childish belief in the immortality of libraries, and in the way my books sit on the shelf. I write because it is exciting to turn all of life's beauties and riches into words. I write not to tell a story, but to compose a story. I write because I wish to escape from the foreboding that there is a place I must go but—just as in a dream—I can't quite get there. I write because I have never managed to be happy. I write to be happy."
Why do I write? Because I can't help myself. I'm impelled to write. Sometimes I wish I could just be a simple baker or salesman or burger flipper but, alas, I am impelled to write.
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Half-Price Consulting: December Only
Two weeks ago I broke my clavicle. I was hanging from monkey bars and slipped. Bam, right on my shoulder. Broke the clavicle. And, so, I've been a one-fingered typist the last two weeks. I'm still not fully recovered. So, since I can't spend full-time typing like I normally do, I'm offering half price on consulting with me during December.
In half-hour blocks (normally costing $250), you can consult with me on any of your book marketing and publishing questions and concerns. All for only $125 per half hour. What a bargain.
Call me at 505-751-3398 to set up a time. Or email me for a time at:
JohnKremer@bookmarket.com. Thanks.
In half-hour blocks (normally costing $250), you can consult with me on any of your book marketing and publishing questions and concerns. All for only $125 per half hour. What a bargain.
Call me at 505-751-3398 to set up a time. Or email me for a time at:
JohnKremer@bookmarket.com. Thanks.
Monday, December 04, 2006
Marketing Poetry: One Poet's Experience
I loved the Marketing Poetry piece in your Book Marketing Tip of the Week from several issues ago. I can certainly relate. I am a published and self-published poet.
All poets know it's an uphill battle to get known, to get people to even read poetry, and to have any substantial sales of poetry. My books mostly sell at the workshops I present, readings I perform, the author events I host or attend, and other personal appearances. I also offer a discount of 21% if people buy all 3 of my poetry books. In addition, word of mouth provides many sales.
While I'm only known locally as a poet, it's quite a thrill! I'm hoping to have more success as an author once my nonfiction book comes out and have a memoir in the works that I will start writing sometime in 2007, to be followed by my 4th poetry book. I also have a sea monster/horror movie in mind. I've literally watched the whole movie in my head and now I have to get it all down on paper, either as book or screenplay.
My passion for poetry, which started up in 2003 (after over 20+ years of not writing any) has led me in many different directions. I have found many useful tips in your book, and have constantly recommended it to other published authors.
— Michelle True, poet. Web: http://www.michelletrue.com.
- A small publisher published my first two books of poetry.
- I self-published three poetry chapbooks.
- I self-published my third poetry book.
- I self-published two poetry anthologies: Reflections (for the poetry writers group I founded in 2003) and In Katrina's Wake (which was the first book inspired by the disaster of Hurricane Katrina, all profits of which are donated to the American Red Cross.
- I founded an online poetry magazine which I published until this summer, when I had to let it go due to website costs (True Poet Magazine).
- I perform book reviews.
- I offer book-editing services to other authors.
- I published audio editions of my poetry books.
- I read my work at poetry reading open mikes.
- I participate in multi-author panel discussions, literary festivals and similar events.
- I developed, organize and host an annual event at my local library called WriterFest, where Chicago-area published authors answer questions posed by aspiring authors on writing, finding agents, publishing, self-publishing and book promotion.
- I was asked in late 2005 to present poetry publishing workshops for the Inside Writing & Publishing series sponsored by the North Suburban Library System in early 2006.
- Based on the huge turnouts for the workshops (18 to 40 attendees), I decided to present poetry-writing, memoir-writing, poetry-publishing and book-publishing workshops at Chicago area park districts, libraries, writing centers and writers groups. I presented a number this fall and have 30 scheduled in the first half of 2007.
- I hosted an internet radio talk show podcast called Practical Poetry,
where I interviewed published poets and others in the literary world and provided writing, publishing and promotional advice specific to poets. - I started a newsletter for Writers early this year called Write-On!
- I mentor high school students interested in a writing career.
- I will be leading a monthly life/memoir-writing group/workshop at my local library starting in March 2007.
- I'm looking for an agent and publisher for my first nonfiction book: The Poet's Manual: How to Become the Poet Laureate of Your Home Town.
- The small press, poetry journals, literary newsletters and literary websites
have published my articles, tips and poems. - I am a member of the Steering Committee (and the Marketing sub-committee) of the Chicago Writer's Association (http://www.chicagowrites.org).
- I've been interviewed by my local weekly newspaper several times, twice by a
local radio show on the arts, and by several internet radio talk shows.
All poets know it's an uphill battle to get known, to get people to even read poetry, and to have any substantial sales of poetry. My books mostly sell at the workshops I present, readings I perform, the author events I host or attend, and other personal appearances. I also offer a discount of 21% if people buy all 3 of my poetry books. In addition, word of mouth provides many sales.
While I'm only known locally as a poet, it's quite a thrill! I'm hoping to have more success as an author once my nonfiction book comes out and have a memoir in the works that I will start writing sometime in 2007, to be followed by my 4th poetry book. I also have a sea monster/horror movie in mind. I've literally watched the whole movie in my head and now I have to get it all down on paper, either as book or screenplay.
My passion for poetry, which started up in 2003 (after over 20+ years of not writing any) has led me in many different directions. I have found many useful tips in your book, and have constantly recommended it to other published authors.
— Michelle True, poet. Web: http://www.michelletrue.com.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Get Better Testimonials
Don't do what Harper did with the following testimonials, which are simply way too obvious and salesy. These are just too terrible. I almost hate to reprint them. No author would write a real testimonial like the ones below.
The 2007 publishing schedule includes bestselling fiction author Susan Elizabeth Phillips, who says of the new imprint, "It's about time! HarperLuxe is exactly what I've been waiting for, both as a reader and a writer." She continues, "I'm thrilled to know my books will be published in such a stylish and accessible fashion with the HarperLuxe imprint, and I also know I'll be a devoted consumer. Thanks, Harper, for making life just a little easier for all of us."
I bet she's not been sleeping nights because there wasn't an imprint such as HarperLuxe.
New York Times bestseller James Rollins adds, "Innovation has always been a trademark of HarperCollins Publishers: from the multiple stepback covers of my first book, Subterranean, to the holographic lenticular cover for one of my latest books, Sandstorm. So I was thrilled to hear that HarperCollins is again moving forward to anticipate readers' needs by introducing the new HarperLuxe editions for easier reading, proving again that there is still room in publishing for simple yet progressive improvements." Rollins continues, "HarperLuxe will certainly enhance the comfort of the reading experience for the average person, but it also holds the promise to broaden the accessibility of books to those with compromised vision. Such an innovation is long overdue."
Where has this bestselling author been for the past 50 years? What innovation in using larger print? He cites no other innovation in the new HarperLuxe line. What simple progressive improvements?
Who wrote these testimonials? Pity the poor authors who had these words put into their mouths. Alas.
The 2007 publishing schedule includes bestselling fiction author Susan Elizabeth Phillips, who says of the new imprint, "It's about time! HarperLuxe is exactly what I've been waiting for, both as a reader and a writer." She continues, "I'm thrilled to know my books will be published in such a stylish and accessible fashion with the HarperLuxe imprint, and I also know I'll be a devoted consumer. Thanks, Harper, for making life just a little easier for all of us."
I bet she's not been sleeping nights because there wasn't an imprint such as HarperLuxe.
New York Times bestseller James Rollins adds, "Innovation has always been a trademark of HarperCollins Publishers: from the multiple stepback covers of my first book, Subterranean, to the holographic lenticular cover for one of my latest books, Sandstorm. So I was thrilled to hear that HarperCollins is again moving forward to anticipate readers' needs by introducing the new HarperLuxe editions for easier reading, proving again that there is still room in publishing for simple yet progressive improvements." Rollins continues, "HarperLuxe will certainly enhance the comfort of the reading experience for the average person, but it also holds the promise to broaden the accessibility of books to those with compromised vision. Such an innovation is long overdue."
Where has this bestselling author been for the past 50 years? What innovation in using larger print? He cites no other innovation in the new HarperLuxe line. What simple progressive improvements?
Who wrote these testimonials? Pity the poor authors who had these words put into their mouths. Alas.
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Obvious Adams: The Book on Marketing
In a recent Forbes online column, marketing author Jack Trout wrote about his favorite book, Obvious Adams: The Story of a Successful Businessman by Robert R. Updegraff. As Trout notes, "to give you a taste of what Mr. Updegraff writes, here are his Five Tests of Obviousness:"
* The problem when solved will be simple. The obvious is nearly always simple--so simple that sometimes a whole generation of men and women have looked at it without even seeing it.
* Does it check with human nature? If you feel comfortable in explaining your idea or plan to your mother, wife, relative, neighbors, your barber and anyone else you know, it's obvious. If you don't feel comfortable, it probably is not obvious.
* Put it on paper. Write out your idea, plan or project in words of one or two syllables, as though you were explaining it to a child. If you can't do this in two or three short paragraphs and the explanation becomes long, involved or ingenious--then very likely it is not obvious.
* Does it explode in people's minds? If, when you have presented your plan, project or program, do people say, "Now why didn't we think of that before?" You can feel encouraged. Obvious ideas are very apt to produce this "explosive" mental reaction.
* Is the time ripe? Many ideas and plans are obvious in themselves, but just as obviously out of time. Checking time lines is often just as important as checking the idea or plan itself.
To Trout, "Those five principles are worth a thousand books on marketing, mine included."
I agree.
Friday, November 24, 2006
Quill Book Awards
I just saw the end of this year's ceremony for the Quill Book Awards. Nice production. The show was carried on my local NBC affiliate. It was great seeing a TV ceremony for books.
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Guilty, Guilty, Guilty, Part II
Well, now that OJ's book has been cancelled, it is still available on Amazon.com. Users there have already voted. They've been tagging the book title with all sorts of judgments, none good. Here are a few of the tags: pathetic, racist killer, boycott, disgusting, shameful, murderer, guilty, repulsive, scum, shame on Amazon, sick, blood money, boycott regan books, evil, liar, killer.
All I know is that I'd hate to have to sell a book with those kind of reviews.
Obviously, few people think that O.J. was really not guilty.
Thank God for true free speech.
All I know is that I'd hate to have to sell a book with those kind of reviews.
Obviously, few people think that O.J. was really not guilty.
Thank God for true free speech.
Monday, November 20, 2006
Guilty, Guilty, Guilty
Recently there has been a lot of fuss among booksellers on whether or not they should stock and/or sell O.J. Simpson's new book. All the discussion hinges on free speech. Should potential readers have the right to buy the book if they want to read it? Should a bookstore be able to not stock the book because they disagree with the sugject?
Well, first, bookstores censor all sorts of books so I don't know why they are talking about free speech. Bookstores don't stand for free speech. Not at all. They stand for what they see as good books. If they really stood for free speech, they'd be traumatized every day in selecting which of 6 million titles to fit into their stores. I don't know of any bookseller who is so traumatized.
Second, and perhaps more important, a jury trial determined that O.J. Simpson was not guilty. And our country used to pride itself on a person being presumed innocent until proven guilty. Yet, in this discussion no one has questioned the underlying assumption: That O.J. Simpson is guilty despite a jury finding him innocent.
Now, of course, it's hard to think that Simpson was truly not guilty. Most of us think that the jury erred (and that the prosecutors were incredibly inept). But will anyone else stand up for our jury system? Or will we all drape ourselves with flags and the sanctity of free speech and shout Guilty! Guilty! Guilty! If so, we should do the same for every other man or woman found innocent by a jury -- especially if we disagree with the verdict.
I do think that Simpson was guilty. I don't want to believe that, but if I had been on the jury, I would probably have voted guilty. I say probably because I didn't watch the trial closely and I don't know even half the evidence that was presented on either side.
I cried when Simpson was driving around in a white Bronco. I cried for the lost opportunity of a good life, for the sad fact that many marriages end horribly, for the brutality of many men against women, for the fact that Simpson had been one of my heroes. All of that. I wanted him to be innocent. I came to believe that he was not. So sad.
His new book, from what little I've read about it, is junk. As a publisher, I would never have published it. I would have demanded a true telling of his story. I don't think we got that with this book.
So, it should be obvious to many of you that my thoughts on this subject are jumbled. My emotions certainly mixed. But, still, will anyone stand up and say, "Hey, a jury found this man innocent! Are we to become the new judge and jury, and ignore the due process of the legal system?" Oh well.
Well, first, bookstores censor all sorts of books so I don't know why they are talking about free speech. Bookstores don't stand for free speech. Not at all. They stand for what they see as good books. If they really stood for free speech, they'd be traumatized every day in selecting which of 6 million titles to fit into their stores. I don't know of any bookseller who is so traumatized.
Second, and perhaps more important, a jury trial determined that O.J. Simpson was not guilty. And our country used to pride itself on a person being presumed innocent until proven guilty. Yet, in this discussion no one has questioned the underlying assumption: That O.J. Simpson is guilty despite a jury finding him innocent.
Now, of course, it's hard to think that Simpson was truly not guilty. Most of us think that the jury erred (and that the prosecutors were incredibly inept). But will anyone else stand up for our jury system? Or will we all drape ourselves with flags and the sanctity of free speech and shout Guilty! Guilty! Guilty! If so, we should do the same for every other man or woman found innocent by a jury -- especially if we disagree with the verdict.
I do think that Simpson was guilty. I don't want to believe that, but if I had been on the jury, I would probably have voted guilty. I say probably because I didn't watch the trial closely and I don't know even half the evidence that was presented on either side.
I cried when Simpson was driving around in a white Bronco. I cried for the lost opportunity of a good life, for the sad fact that many marriages end horribly, for the brutality of many men against women, for the fact that Simpson had been one of my heroes. All of that. I wanted him to be innocent. I came to believe that he was not. So sad.
His new book, from what little I've read about it, is junk. As a publisher, I would never have published it. I would have demanded a true telling of his story. I don't think we got that with this book.
So, it should be obvious to many of you that my thoughts on this subject are jumbled. My emotions certainly mixed. But, still, will anyone stand up and say, "Hey, a jury found this man innocent! Are we to become the new judge and jury, and ignore the due process of the legal system?" Oh well.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
PTA Interactive: New Online Marketing Service
Planned Television Arts is now offering a new service to help authors to market their books via the Internet. They guarantee you at least 25 placements on the Internet over the course of a three-month program customized to your book. Here are just a few of the services they offer via PTA Interactive:
* Online Book Tours (using teleseminars combined with Internet tech)
* Viral Email Blasts (sending email to ezines and blogs)
* Podcasts (develop and record a series of podcasts, distribute via online stores like Audible.com and iTunes.com, and distribute via RSS feeds)
* Viral Videos (produce and promote author-related videos for Internet distribution)
* Author Blogs (create micro-sites for authors and titles)
* Virtual Book Readings (Promote virtual readings via communities such as Second Life)
* Placing information on other people's influential blogs, podcasts, and online media sites)
* Creating original content for your blog, social networking pages, etc.
For more information, check out their website at http://www.plannedtvarts.com.
Or call Brian Feinblum at 212-583-2718 and tell him I sent you. He'll give you a great deal. You can also email him if you prefer at feinblumb@plannedtvarts.com.
* Online Book Tours (using teleseminars combined with Internet tech)
* Viral Email Blasts (sending email to ezines and blogs)
* Podcasts (develop and record a series of podcasts, distribute via online stores like Audible.com and iTunes.com, and distribute via RSS feeds)
* Viral Videos (produce and promote author-related videos for Internet distribution)
* Author Blogs (create micro-sites for authors and titles)
* Virtual Book Readings (Promote virtual readings via communities such as Second Life)
* Placing information on other people's influential blogs, podcasts, and online media sites)
* Creating original content for your blog, social networking pages, etc.
For more information, check out their website at http://www.plannedtvarts.com.
Or call Brian Feinblum at 212-583-2718 and tell him I sent you. He'll give you a great deal. You can also email him if you prefer at feinblumb@plannedtvarts.com.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Free Teleseminar: Internet Audio Made Easier
Mike Stewart, founder of http://www.InternetAudioGuy.com, will be giving a free teleseminar on why you should own the right equipment to record your podcasts, create other Internet audio, and put together quality audio and video products that sell for big dollars.
To participate in this teleseminar sponsored by Planned Television Arts, call 620-294-4000 (then press in this code: 222089#) at 8:00 p.m. EST on Thursday, November 16th.
If you miss the call, you can dial the replay line at 620-294-2837 after the call.
Or, you can visit the Planned TV Arts website to download past teleseminars.
To participate in this teleseminar sponsored by Planned Television Arts, call 620-294-4000 (then press in this code: 222089#) at 8:00 p.m. EST on Thursday, November 16th.
If you miss the call, you can dial the replay line at 620-294-2837 after the call.
Or, you can visit the Planned TV Arts website to download past teleseminars.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
The Best Time to Start
Just in case you didn't already know, I love reading Seth Godin's blog. In today's entry, he wrote about the best time to start. After listing twenty standard best times to start, he concluded with: "Actually, as you've probably guessed, the best time to start was last year. The second best time to start is right now."
Personally, I think the best time to start is right now. Or ten seconds from now. But no more than 24 hours from now. Last year is too late.
Personally, I think the best time to start is right now. Or ten seconds from now. But no more than 24 hours from now. Last year is too late.
Monday, November 13, 2006
BookExpo in Las Vegas: 2010
BookExpo America will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2010 (New York in 2007, Los Angeles in 2008, and New York in 2009). One bookseller from Washington DC strongly disapproved of holding a book convention in the city of sin. Hm, I thought, her comments could easily apply as well to DC, where the expo was held last year. See if you don't agree (I substituted DC for Las Vegas and politics for gambling):
Holding the convention in DC gives "our tacit support to an industry that is corrupt and corrupting. I know that DC is bigger than politics now, but politics is what the hotel and restaurant industry is about and depends on." Having a convention "in a place like DC is inappropriate for an industry that depends on print, books, editorial judgment."
I especially like the part about editorial judgment as it applies to politicians and the comment about an industry that is corrupt and corrupting, which certainly also applies to DC (both Republican and Democrat). I'm a universal disapprover of politics as it is practiced now.
Holding the convention in DC gives "our tacit support to an industry that is corrupt and corrupting. I know that DC is bigger than politics now, but politics is what the hotel and restaurant industry is about and depends on." Having a convention "in a place like DC is inappropriate for an industry that depends on print, books, editorial judgment."
I especially like the part about editorial judgment as it applies to politicians and the comment about an industry that is corrupt and corrupting, which certainly also applies to DC (both Republican and Democrat). I'm a universal disapprover of politics as it is practiced now.
Friday, November 10, 2006
What Is Your Message? Are You Clear?
In the coming days, you're going to hear the Democratic leaders continue to assert that voters have chosen the Democratic agenda and have demanded its implementation. Bosh!
It's the same false conclusion as the one George Bush made in 2004 when he said that voters had given him a mandate. Bosh again!
In this election, the voters chose to vote against George Bush, scandals, and the war in Iraq. They did not vote FOR the Democratic agenda. First, every Democratic campaign ad I saw during this election cycle focused on bashing Bush, the war, and Republican congressional leaders. Not one promoted any Democratic platform points. The people voted against the Republicans not for the Democrats.
Are you also sending the wrong message? Are you surviving because your competitor is simply incompetent? Or are people actually choosing to buy and read your books because they truly are the best? Are you gaining sales because your message is getting through or because your competitor's message sucks?
Be sure to be proactive. Know why people should buy your book. State why people should buy your book. Sell them on why your book is the best. Don't settle for sales by default as the Democrats have done.
It's the same false conclusion as the one George Bush made in 2004 when he said that voters had given him a mandate. Bosh again!
In this election, the voters chose to vote against George Bush, scandals, and the war in Iraq. They did not vote FOR the Democratic agenda. First, every Democratic campaign ad I saw during this election cycle focused on bashing Bush, the war, and Republican congressional leaders. Not one promoted any Democratic platform points. The people voted against the Republicans not for the Democrats.
Are you also sending the wrong message? Are you surviving because your competitor is simply incompetent? Or are people actually choosing to buy and read your books because they truly are the best? Are you gaining sales because your message is getting through or because your competitor's message sucks?
Be sure to be proactive. Know why people should buy your book. State why people should buy your book. Sell them on why your book is the best. Don't settle for sales by default as the Democrats have done.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Polite Fictions and True Cause-Related Marketing
In his blog today, Seth Godin writes about polite fictions, where everyone agrees to a story so they can go on doing what they are doing.
For instance, many of us like Ben & Jerry's ice cream so we applaud them for all their cleverness and devotion to social causes. But the truth is that ice cream is really bad for us, especially eating too much of it. Eating Ben & Jerry's (or other ice cream) can lead to being overweight, getting diabetes, developing heart disease, etc. But with Ben & Jerry's, as compared to many other ice cream brands, we can feel somewhat good about it because Ben and Jerry are so nice.
Now, if Ben & Jerry really wanted to do some good, they would lead the fight against heart disease (which, if they were honest with themselves, they might actually have a hand in creating more instances).
If they were to embrace true cause-related marketing, they'd get behind and support heart disease research -- AND they would encourage people to eat their ice cream in moderation. They would create an entire campaign encouraging people to watch what they eat. It's hard for them to condemn McDonalds (I don't know if they do) when they are selling high-fat, high-calorie ice cream that can do as much damage as eating at McDonalds.
Of course, with the polite fiction that many of us participate in, we can feel much better about eating Ben & Jerry's than eating at McDonalds. That's why a man can make a movie about McDonalds (Super Size Me) but I doubt anyone would make a similar movie about Ben & Jerry's. They're some of the good guys, while McDonalds is simply a big, evil corporation.
The truth is that both foods are terrible for us in excess, but probably okay in moderation. But try telling that to people who attack McDonalds while happily eating their Ben & Jerry's. Polite fictions, they are a way of life.
What polite fictions are you living with? What have you agreed to ignore?
How does this all relate to book marketing? Well, if you're going to get involved in cause-related marketing, make sure that the causes you support are ones you can live with, ones that lessen the damage you do to your body, your environment, or your society.
For instance, I believe that book publishers and authors should support associations that help to reforest our land or preserve the wild areas that are left. Why? Because books use a lot of paper -- and that, right now, means lots of trees. Until we as a society begin using hemp for paper, book authors and publishers need to support reforestation and nature preservation.
Check out some of the groups I support. I list them all on my website at BookMarket.com.
For instance, many of us like Ben & Jerry's ice cream so we applaud them for all their cleverness and devotion to social causes. But the truth is that ice cream is really bad for us, especially eating too much of it. Eating Ben & Jerry's (or other ice cream) can lead to being overweight, getting diabetes, developing heart disease, etc. But with Ben & Jerry's, as compared to many other ice cream brands, we can feel somewhat good about it because Ben and Jerry are so nice.
Now, if Ben & Jerry really wanted to do some good, they would lead the fight against heart disease (which, if they were honest with themselves, they might actually have a hand in creating more instances).
If they were to embrace true cause-related marketing, they'd get behind and support heart disease research -- AND they would encourage people to eat their ice cream in moderation. They would create an entire campaign encouraging people to watch what they eat. It's hard for them to condemn McDonalds (I don't know if they do) when they are selling high-fat, high-calorie ice cream that can do as much damage as eating at McDonalds.
Of course, with the polite fiction that many of us participate in, we can feel much better about eating Ben & Jerry's than eating at McDonalds. That's why a man can make a movie about McDonalds (Super Size Me) but I doubt anyone would make a similar movie about Ben & Jerry's. They're some of the good guys, while McDonalds is simply a big, evil corporation.
The truth is that both foods are terrible for us in excess, but probably okay in moderation. But try telling that to people who attack McDonalds while happily eating their Ben & Jerry's. Polite fictions, they are a way of life.
What polite fictions are you living with? What have you agreed to ignore?
How does this all relate to book marketing? Well, if you're going to get involved in cause-related marketing, make sure that the causes you support are ones you can live with, ones that lessen the damage you do to your body, your environment, or your society.
For instance, I believe that book publishers and authors should support associations that help to reforest our land or preserve the wild areas that are left. Why? Because books use a lot of paper -- and that, right now, means lots of trees. Until we as a society begin using hemp for paper, book authors and publishers need to support reforestation and nature preservation.
Check out some of the groups I support. I list them all on my website at BookMarket.com.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Top 10 Ways to Get a Technorati Top 100 Blogger to Link to Your Blog or Website
If you'd like a list of the Top 10 Ways to Get a Technorati Top 100 Blogger to Link to Your Blog or Website, check out Michael Pollack's blog here: Top 10 Ways.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
How to Use Teleseminars to Sell More Books
Four questions for you today....
#1 -- What's even better than having your own radio show?
#2 -- What key marketing tool did one first-time author use to hit the New York Times bestseller List?
#3 -- How can you go on a national book tour for less than $100 without ever leaving your home?
#4 -- What's one of the fastest ways to make more as an author (or expert in your field)?
In each case the answer is: Do Your Own Teleseminars!
If you're not using teleseminars, you're missing out on one of the least expensive and most effective ways to market a book (and many other things).
In addition to promoting your books, doing your own teleseminars is also a great way to make big money as an author because you can repackage the info from your book into a series of teleseminars for which people will gladly pay $295 to $2,500.
Free Teleseminar This Wednesday
Ready to learn how to do your own profitable teleseminars?
You're invited tomorrow Wednesday, November 8th for a free teleseminar on: How You Can Use Teleseminars to Sell Truckloads of Books and Make Hefty Profits
On this 90-minute call, you'll hear Steve Harrison interviewing Alex Mandossian, an author and speaker who sells tons of books and does over $1.2 million a year with teleseminars:
To enroll for Wednesday's teleseminar -- which is offered at your choice of two times: either 2 pm Eastern (11 am Pacific) or 7 pm Eastern (4 pm Pacific) go here now: Alex Call.
Be sure to make the call Wednesday because I'm not planning to make recordings of it available any time soon. This may be your only chance for quite a while to learn Alex's methods such as:
* Eight different models to use teleseminars to sell books/products and make buckeroos.
* Why hosting teleseminars is even better than having your own radio show and can quickly make you a celebrity in your field.
* How anyone with expertise can get started doing profi.table telseminars without leaving home even if you're a total unknown -- all for less than $100.
* How Alex sold 1,782 books in a single teleseminar.
* The time he made $13,000 from the delivery room at Mt. Sinai Hospital when his son was born.
* Why you're lucky to get 10 people at a bookstore signing but Alex has two models for virtual book signings he's used to get almost 1,200 people on the phone and sell tons of books!
* The case history of how Alex used teleseminars to help a first-time author hit the New York Times bestseller List.
* How Alex has used teleseminars to network with and do business with famous authors including Mark Victor Hansen, Stephen Covey, Brian Tracy and Harvey Mackay.
* The small, but important, details most people ignore that can dramatically increase the number of people you get on your calls.
This is a call you don't want to miss. Sign up today to be in on the call: Alex Call.
#1 -- What's even better than having your own radio show?
#2 -- What key marketing tool did one first-time author use to hit the New York Times bestseller List?
#3 -- How can you go on a national book tour for less than $100 without ever leaving your home?
#4 -- What's one of the fastest ways to make more as an author (or expert in your field)?
In each case the answer is: Do Your Own Teleseminars!
If you're not using teleseminars, you're missing out on one of the least expensive and most effective ways to market a book (and many other things).
In addition to promoting your books, doing your own teleseminars is also a great way to make big money as an author because you can repackage the info from your book into a series of teleseminars for which people will gladly pay $295 to $2,500.
Free Teleseminar This Wednesday
Ready to learn how to do your own profitable teleseminars?
You're invited tomorrow Wednesday, November 8th for a free teleseminar on: How You Can Use Teleseminars to Sell Truckloads of Books and Make Hefty Profits
On this 90-minute call, you'll hear Steve Harrison interviewing Alex Mandossian, an author and speaker who sells tons of books and does over $1.2 million a year with teleseminars:
To enroll for Wednesday's teleseminar -- which is offered at your choice of two times: either 2 pm Eastern (11 am Pacific) or 7 pm Eastern (4 pm Pacific) go here now: Alex Call.
Be sure to make the call Wednesday because I'm not planning to make recordings of it available any time soon. This may be your only chance for quite a while to learn Alex's methods such as:
* Eight different models to use teleseminars to sell books/products and make buckeroos.
* Why hosting teleseminars is even better than having your own radio show and can quickly make you a celebrity in your field.
* How anyone with expertise can get started doing profi.table telseminars without leaving home even if you're a total unknown -- all for less than $100.
* How Alex sold 1,782 books in a single teleseminar.
* The time he made $13,000 from the delivery room at Mt. Sinai Hospital when his son was born.
* Why you're lucky to get 10 people at a bookstore signing but Alex has two models for virtual book signings he's used to get almost 1,200 people on the phone and sell tons of books!
* The case history of how Alex used teleseminars to help a first-time author hit the New York Times bestseller List.
* How Alex has used teleseminars to network with and do business with famous authors including Mark Victor Hansen, Stephen Covey, Brian Tracy and Harvey Mackay.
* The small, but important, details most people ignore that can dramatically increase the number of people you get on your calls.
This is a call you don't want to miss. Sign up today to be in on the call: Alex Call.
Monday, November 06, 2006
An Interview with Voice in the Dark Newsletter
Meet John Kremer, editor, Bookmarket.com
Interview by Anne K. Edwards
Q. What is the history of Bookmarket.com? Is its focus expanding or do you see changes in it in the near future? What url would visitors use?
A. I started Bookmarket.com in 1995, but have been online since 1994. Its focus has always been to provide lots of useful information and resources for use by self-publishers, authors, and independent publishers in marketing their books. Plus, of course, to help sell my books. I do plan to redesign the website but the content will remain primarily the same. The URL continues to be http://www.bookmarket.com.
Of course, I have other websites of interested to authors as well such as http://www.selfpublishinghalloffame.com and http://www.book-marketing-bestsellers.com.
Q. What is the most popular sections of your sites? Do visitors often contact for other specific information? What would be the most common questions they ask?
A. I honestly don't know what the most popular sections are. I haven't been tracking them. But many search out the resource sections for publicists, book printers, cover designers, distributors, and POD providers.
Visitors often email me with questions not covered by the site. Generally, I try to answer them unless they are too general. Then I send them to my book. The most common question has to do with distributing books.
Q. Are you an author? If so, would you like to tell us something about your books? Do you have any projects under way at the moment you'd like to tell readers about? Where would your work be available?
A. I am an author. All my books are featured on my BookMarket.com website. The book I'm best known for is 1001 Ways to Market Your Books. The 6th edition came out in May of 2006.
All my books, reports, databases, etc. can be ordered via BookMarket.com. Some are also available on Amazon.com and in many bookstores.
I am now working on the Kremer 100 Program.
Q. What are the most common errors new writers of any genre make? Do you have any advice for them?
A. New writers don't read enough in their own genre. Because of that, they fail to meet the expectations of current readers within their genre. The most successful writers in any genre are fans first, writers second.
Q. How can a new author with a book coming out most effectively market that book? Since most agents prefer established authors and most of the larger publishers do not consider unagented authors, what is the best way to break into getting a book published?
A. The most effective way to market your books today is via the Internet. Even that, though, is a big subject. I devote more than 100 pages to the subject in the new edition of 1001 Ways to Market Your Books.
To get a book published, most authors, especially novelists, need an agent. The best way to get an agent is via referral. The second best way is to target agents who have worked with authors you admire within your genre. For a list of 1400+ literary agents with sample titles they've sold, including more than 300 agents who have sold a first novel in the past two years, see my special report on Literary, Foreign, and Subsidiary Rights Agents at http://www.bookmarket.com.
Q. What do you see as the future of POD books?
A. POD books will only become more plentiful. Indeed, all books may someday be produced that way -- when the economy of POD becomes better established. Meanwhile, POD is currently a wonderful tool for testing the market for a new book and for keeping older titles in print. In addition, POD is great for books that are updated frequently such as John Kremer's Self-Publishing Hall of Fame, which I continually add to.
Q. What do you see as the future of Internet publishers?
A. The future of Internet publishers is extremely rosy. More and more book sales are being made via the Internet. It is an exploding market, especially for smaller publishers, authors, and self-publishers.
Q. Do you see ebooks becoming more popular?
A. Ebooks will become more and more popular. And sell more and more copies, but printed books won't be disappearing for at least another 20 years.
Q. If you were an author of an ebook that would not be coming into print, what would be the main steps you'd take in marketing it?
A. Totally marketing via the Internet, building relationships with webmasters and editors at the top 30 websites for my keywords. I'd work with them to have my content, sales information, and more featured on their websites in an on-going way. All of them would become my affiliates. Etc.
Q. Do you think book reviews and other online promotions help authors connect with readers?
A. Book reviews can help authors connect with readers. Blog and website interviews can do even more.
Q. Do you have any other websites you'd like to tell readers about?
A. I have about 30 websites, but the main ones I've already talked about. Others outside the book marketing area include http://www.CelebrateToday.com, http://www.HotSpotscoolPlaces.com, and http://www.WayBackWords.com.
Q. What part in book promotion do you think online radio interview shows have? Will this get better or not in the future?
A. Online radio interview shows so far don't have much of an impact on book sales. That will change as some of these shows begin to build a real audience. Right now, though, there are not enough ways for people to discover these online radio shows.
Q. Is there anything you'd like to tell readers about your work, your site or yourself? I see you are holding a seminar on marketing in New Mexico. Do you have others planned? Do you offer seminars online?
A. I don't offer seminars online at this point, but I will be doing something like that as part of my Kremer 100 Program.
I hold Book Marketing Blast-Off Seminars three or four times a year. I'll be setting up more of these and your readers can find out where I'll be speaking and doing seminars by going to http://www.JohnKremer.org any time.
=====
John Kremer, author, 1001 Ways to Market Your Books. Open Horizons, P O Box 2887, Taos, New Mexico 87571; 575-751-3398. Email: johnkremer@bookmarket.com. Website: http://www.bookmarket.com.
Interview by Anne K. Edwards
Q. What is the history of Bookmarket.com? Is its focus expanding or do you see changes in it in the near future? What url would visitors use?
A. I started Bookmarket.com in 1995, but have been online since 1994. Its focus has always been to provide lots of useful information and resources for use by self-publishers, authors, and independent publishers in marketing their books. Plus, of course, to help sell my books. I do plan to redesign the website but the content will remain primarily the same. The URL continues to be http://www.bookmarket.com.
Of course, I have other websites of interested to authors as well such as http://www.selfpublishinghalloffame.com and http://www.book-marketing-bestsellers.com.
Q. What is the most popular sections of your sites? Do visitors often contact for other specific information? What would be the most common questions they ask?
A. I honestly don't know what the most popular sections are. I haven't been tracking them. But many search out the resource sections for publicists, book printers, cover designers, distributors, and POD providers.
Visitors often email me with questions not covered by the site. Generally, I try to answer them unless they are too general. Then I send them to my book. The most common question has to do with distributing books.
Q. Are you an author? If so, would you like to tell us something about your books? Do you have any projects under way at the moment you'd like to tell readers about? Where would your work be available?
A. I am an author. All my books are featured on my BookMarket.com website. The book I'm best known for is 1001 Ways to Market Your Books. The 6th edition came out in May of 2006.
All my books, reports, databases, etc. can be ordered via BookMarket.com. Some are also available on Amazon.com and in many bookstores.
I am now working on the Kremer 100 Program.
Q. What are the most common errors new writers of any genre make? Do you have any advice for them?
A. New writers don't read enough in their own genre. Because of that, they fail to meet the expectations of current readers within their genre. The most successful writers in any genre are fans first, writers second.
Q. How can a new author with a book coming out most effectively market that book? Since most agents prefer established authors and most of the larger publishers do not consider unagented authors, what is the best way to break into getting a book published?
A. The most effective way to market your books today is via the Internet. Even that, though, is a big subject. I devote more than 100 pages to the subject in the new edition of 1001 Ways to Market Your Books.
To get a book published, most authors, especially novelists, need an agent. The best way to get an agent is via referral. The second best way is to target agents who have worked with authors you admire within your genre. For a list of 1400+ literary agents with sample titles they've sold, including more than 300 agents who have sold a first novel in the past two years, see my special report on Literary, Foreign, and Subsidiary Rights Agents at http://www.bookmarket.com.
Q. What do you see as the future of POD books?
A. POD books will only become more plentiful. Indeed, all books may someday be produced that way -- when the economy of POD becomes better established. Meanwhile, POD is currently a wonderful tool for testing the market for a new book and for keeping older titles in print. In addition, POD is great for books that are updated frequently such as John Kremer's Self-Publishing Hall of Fame, which I continually add to.
Q. What do you see as the future of Internet publishers?
A. The future of Internet publishers is extremely rosy. More and more book sales are being made via the Internet. It is an exploding market, especially for smaller publishers, authors, and self-publishers.
Q. Do you see ebooks becoming more popular?
A. Ebooks will become more and more popular. And sell more and more copies, but printed books won't be disappearing for at least another 20 years.
Q. If you were an author of an ebook that would not be coming into print, what would be the main steps you'd take in marketing it?
A. Totally marketing via the Internet, building relationships with webmasters and editors at the top 30 websites for my keywords. I'd work with them to have my content, sales information, and more featured on their websites in an on-going way. All of them would become my affiliates. Etc.
Q. Do you think book reviews and other online promotions help authors connect with readers?
A. Book reviews can help authors connect with readers. Blog and website interviews can do even more.
Q. Do you have any other websites you'd like to tell readers about?
A. I have about 30 websites, but the main ones I've already talked about. Others outside the book marketing area include http://www.CelebrateToday.com, http://www.HotSpotscoolPlaces.com, and http://www.WayBackWords.com.
Q. What part in book promotion do you think online radio interview shows have? Will this get better or not in the future?
A. Online radio interview shows so far don't have much of an impact on book sales. That will change as some of these shows begin to build a real audience. Right now, though, there are not enough ways for people to discover these online radio shows.
Q. Is there anything you'd like to tell readers about your work, your site or yourself? I see you are holding a seminar on marketing in New Mexico. Do you have others planned? Do you offer seminars online?
A. I don't offer seminars online at this point, but I will be doing something like that as part of my Kremer 100 Program.
I hold Book Marketing Blast-Off Seminars three or four times a year. I'll be setting up more of these and your readers can find out where I'll be speaking and doing seminars by going to http://www.JohnKremer.org any time.
=====
John Kremer, author, 1001 Ways to Market Your Books. Open Horizons, P O Box 2887, Taos, New Mexico 87571; 575-751-3398. Email: johnkremer@bookmarket.com. Website: http://www.bookmarket.com.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Book Trailers on the Cheap
Martin Bertram, author of Vanity of Vanities, sent me a link to his trailer. According to Martin, "This was very inexpensive for me and I think it turned out well. I got a grad student in graphics/animation who needed a project for his coursework to do it for $50, plus I paid $150 for the graphics/3D models, $75 for a voice actor to do the 3-minute voice track, and $50 for the royalty-free soundtracks. All in all it cost about $325."
Now I don't think that his book trailer is the best one I've ever seen. And his voice talent was not talented. Indeed, the narration devalued the rest of the trailer. But, for the price, it was a decent trailer. I'll be interested to get a report back from Martin later on how whether or not the trailer helped him to sell any books.
Now I don't think that his book trailer is the best one I've ever seen. And his voice talent was not talented. Indeed, the narration devalued the rest of the trailer. But, for the price, it was a decent trailer. I'll be interested to get a report back from Martin later on how whether or not the trailer helped him to sell any books.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Book Evaluations and Testimonials
Alexander Kjerulf, Chief Happiness Officer and author of a book about happiness, is asking people to evaluate his book. I like his approach. You might want to try something similar. Not only will he get some great detailed critiques of specific chapters using his approach, but he'll also be getting testimonials he can use on his book. A double win for him, but a win for the pre-readers as well because they'll get to see lhis book before anyone else AND be able to influence what goes in the book, or what comes out.
Check out his plea for help in evaluating his book at: http://www.positivesharing.com/2006/11/help-me-evaluate-
my-book.
Check out his plea for help in evaluating his book at: http://www.positivesharing.com/2006/11/help-me-evaluate-
my-book.
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Some Unusual Graphic Advertising
My friend Greg Godek, author of 1001 Ways to Be Romantic, sent me the following graphic. Now this is clever advertising. Gets attention really quick. Enjoy.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
22 vs. 66
In his blog today, Seth Godin noted that Virgin Records recently released a greatest hits record from Cracker, a band they'd kicked off their label. Cracker, knowing that Virgin was going to release such a record, release a greatest hits album of their own on the same day. Now, that was creative timing!
Seth noted that "The indie edition is ranked 22,000. That's approximately 30 times the sell rate of the Virgin edition at 66,000." Now, I'm not sure where he's getting those numbers, but if those are Amazon.com numbers, the indie edition is not selling at 30 times the sell rate of the Virgin edition. Perhaps double, but certainly not 30 times.
Seth noted that "The indie edition is ranked 22,000. That's approximately 30 times the sell rate of the Virgin edition at 66,000." Now, I'm not sure where he's getting those numbers, but if those are Amazon.com numbers, the indie edition is not selling at 30 times the sell rate of the Virgin edition. Perhaps double, but certainly not 30 times.
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Books, Branding, and All-Media Seminar
Books, Branding, & All-Media Seminar:
October 14th and 15th, 2006
I am hosting a new two-day Books, Branding, & All-Media seminar in Hollywood, California on Saturday and Sunday, October 14th to 15th. This unique seminar will cover branding, rights sales, special sales, selling to mass merchandisers, and Internet marketing. It will not cover general book marketing or publicity.
This seminar will be loaded with information, tips, and resources for you.
When: Saturday and Sunday, October 14th and 15th, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Where: Renaissance Hollywood Hotel at Hollywood & Highland, Los Angeles, California. Room reservations only: 800-769-4774.
How: Register at http://www.bookmarket.com/orderform.html. Click on Books, Branding, and All-Media Seminar. Or call 505-751-3398.
How Much: $296.00.
Who: Speakers will include John Kremer, author of 1001 Ways to Market Your Books and editor of this newsletter; Ken Atchity, author, publisher, literary agent, movie producer, brand manager, and book video producer; Ron Martino, DVD producer, screenwriter, and filmmaker; Josh Mettee, owner of American West Books, a key supplier to Costco; and several surprise guests who will blow your mind wide open!
If you think you want to attend, sign up soon. We expect to sell out and we only have room for 120 people maximum. The room won't hold more than that. This is not a sales gimmick. This is just the flat-out truth.
This seminar is going to blow my mind. If it blows my mind, think what it will do with yours! No sales pitches will be made. This ain't your mamma's inspirational fluff. This will be a solid, nitty-gritty, detailed, hands-on, mind-bending, expanse opening, incredible seminar.
If you want to make a whole lot more money writing and publishing books or creating other intellectual property in 2007, you can't miss this seminar. Don't come if you want a so-so 2007.
October 14th and 15th, 2006
I am hosting a new two-day Books, Branding, & All-Media seminar in Hollywood, California on Saturday and Sunday, October 14th to 15th. This unique seminar will cover branding, rights sales, special sales, selling to mass merchandisers, and Internet marketing. It will not cover general book marketing or publicity.
This seminar will be loaded with information, tips, and resources for you.
When: Saturday and Sunday, October 14th and 15th, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Where: Renaissance Hollywood Hotel at Hollywood & Highland, Los Angeles, California. Room reservations only: 800-769-4774.
How: Register at http://www.bookmarket.com/orderform.html. Click on Books, Branding, and All-Media Seminar. Or call 505-751-3398.
How Much: $296.00.
Who: Speakers will include John Kremer, author of 1001 Ways to Market Your Books and editor of this newsletter; Ken Atchity, author, publisher, literary agent, movie producer, brand manager, and book video producer; Ron Martino, DVD producer, screenwriter, and filmmaker; Josh Mettee, owner of American West Books, a key supplier to Costco; and several surprise guests who will blow your mind wide open!
If you think you want to attend, sign up soon. We expect to sell out and we only have room for 120 people maximum. The room won't hold more than that. This is not a sales gimmick. This is just the flat-out truth.
This seminar is going to blow my mind. If it blows my mind, think what it will do with yours! No sales pitches will be made. This ain't your mamma's inspirational fluff. This will be a solid, nitty-gritty, detailed, hands-on, mind-bending, expanse opening, incredible seminar.
If you want to make a whole lot more money writing and publishing books or creating other intellectual property in 2007, you can't miss this seminar. Don't come if you want a so-so 2007.
Update Your WebSite
Remember to update your website frequently. The more often you update it, the higher your search engine rankings will go.
Also, of course, be sure to create relationships with the Top 30 websites you find when you type in your key search terms (how you think people will find you) in Google or Yahoo. To create relationships with those websites, ofter them a review copy of your book, an interview with the author (that's you), or an excerpt from your book that would be valuable for their visitors.
Also, of course, be sure to create relationships with the Top 30 websites you find when you type in your key search terms (how you think people will find you) in Google or Yahoo. To create relationships with those websites, ofter them a review copy of your book, an interview with the author (that's you), or an excerpt from your book that would be valuable for their visitors.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Foreword This Week Interview with John Kremer
I did an interview with Foreword This Week recently. Here is the interview. Enjoy.
John Kremer's Dossier
John Kremer is a book marketing expert, whose books include 1001 Ways to Market Your Books, The Complete Direct Marketing Sourcebook, High-Impact Marketing on a Low-Impact Budget, Do-It-Yourself Book Publicity Kit, and Celebrate Today. He owns his own publishing company, Open Horizons, and offers consulting services to self publishers and presses of all sizes. He hosts seminars and speaks frequently on book marketing. He lives in New Mexico with his wife Gail, the author of Little Fox and the Golden Hawk.
Occupation: Author and publisher, Open Horizons
Residence: Taos, New Mexico
Why you know the name: Author of 1001 Ways to Market Your Books
In his free time: Walking, playing with dogs, cuddling with wife
In his former life: Teacher, clerical worker
What book are you reading, and where is your favorite place to read?
For entertainment, I primarily read mysteries, one or two a week. I read in bed before going to sleep.
What qualities do you value most professionally?
Integrity, enthusiasm, honesty. The neat thing is that many of the people in the book business are really great people. They are open, sharing, kind, sweet, and honest. I would trust many of them with my life.
What are you still determined to learn to do?
Fly an airplane. As for things I'd like to do, I'd like to be on stage with Bruce Springsteen in front of thousands and thousands of screaming fans (probably yelling at me to get off the stage, but, oh well, it'd still be fun).
If you were a member of a tribe, what would be your special role in it, and why?
Ambassador to other tribes.
What is your favorite hometown library and/or bookstore?
I've just moved to Taos, so I don't know the library or bookstores that well. In Fairfield, Iowa, where I used to live, I loved the library and the head librarian who was one of my best friends and co-conspirators. In other cities, I love Tattered Cover in Denver, Colorado; Elliot Bay Bookstore in Seattle, Washington; and Book Passage in Corte Madera, California.
What kind of music do you enjoy while you are reading?
Rock and roll from the '60's and '70's, country music, Kitaro, folk music.
What would you save from your home if it were burning?
My wife, my dogs. Since my office isn't in my home right now, I don't have much else that I would need to save. Of course, in my office I have many things I would want to save: notes for future books, computer files, books I've yet to read, research, etc.
What question has never been answered for you?
What is love? I understand the experience but I couldn't tell you exactly what it is.
What would surprise most people to learn about you?
I can't sing. Well, actually, I doubt many people would be surprised by that.
If you could have any five people over for dinner, who would they be?
A literary dinner: Mark Twain, Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman, Robert Heinlein, and Emily Dickinson. Emily would really blossom at this dinner. For my spiritual and political dinners, of course, the guests would be different.
What is your prediction for independent publishing in 2007?
I think we will see the first bestselling self-published novel. It has to happen sometime. Why not in 2007? We will also see the advent of the first blogging network for authors that will actually pay authors to blog (I'm working on that one right now). Next year could also see the first book to sell a million copies via the Internet alone. That would be exciting.
John Kremer's Dossier
John Kremer is a book marketing expert, whose books include 1001 Ways to Market Your Books, The Complete Direct Marketing Sourcebook, High-Impact Marketing on a Low-Impact Budget, Do-It-Yourself Book Publicity Kit, and Celebrate Today. He owns his own publishing company, Open Horizons, and offers consulting services to self publishers and presses of all sizes. He hosts seminars and speaks frequently on book marketing. He lives in New Mexico with his wife Gail, the author of Little Fox and the Golden Hawk.
Occupation: Author and publisher, Open Horizons
Residence: Taos, New Mexico
Why you know the name: Author of 1001 Ways to Market Your Books
In his free time: Walking, playing with dogs, cuddling with wife
In his former life: Teacher, clerical worker
What book are you reading, and where is your favorite place to read?
For entertainment, I primarily read mysteries, one or two a week. I read in bed before going to sleep.
What qualities do you value most professionally?
Integrity, enthusiasm, honesty. The neat thing is that many of the people in the book business are really great people. They are open, sharing, kind, sweet, and honest. I would trust many of them with my life.
What are you still determined to learn to do?
Fly an airplane. As for things I'd like to do, I'd like to be on stage with Bruce Springsteen in front of thousands and thousands of screaming fans (probably yelling at me to get off the stage, but, oh well, it'd still be fun).
If you were a member of a tribe, what would be your special role in it, and why?
Ambassador to other tribes.
What is your favorite hometown library and/or bookstore?
I've just moved to Taos, so I don't know the library or bookstores that well. In Fairfield, Iowa, where I used to live, I loved the library and the head librarian who was one of my best friends and co-conspirators. In other cities, I love Tattered Cover in Denver, Colorado; Elliot Bay Bookstore in Seattle, Washington; and Book Passage in Corte Madera, California.
What kind of music do you enjoy while you are reading?
Rock and roll from the '60's and '70's, country music, Kitaro, folk music.
What would you save from your home if it were burning?
My wife, my dogs. Since my office isn't in my home right now, I don't have much else that I would need to save. Of course, in my office I have many things I would want to save: notes for future books, computer files, books I've yet to read, research, etc.
What question has never been answered for you?
What is love? I understand the experience but I couldn't tell you exactly what it is.
What would surprise most people to learn about you?
I can't sing. Well, actually, I doubt many people would be surprised by that.
If you could have any five people over for dinner, who would they be?
A literary dinner: Mark Twain, Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman, Robert Heinlein, and Emily Dickinson. Emily would really blossom at this dinner. For my spiritual and political dinners, of course, the guests would be different.
What is your prediction for independent publishing in 2007?
I think we will see the first bestselling self-published novel. It has to happen sometime. Why not in 2007? We will also see the advent of the first blogging network for authors that will actually pay authors to blog (I'm working on that one right now). Next year could also see the first book to sell a million copies via the Internet alone. That would be exciting.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
BestSelling Book Publicity
Author 101: BestSelling Book Publicity: The Insider's Guide to Promoting Your Book — and Yourself
This new book in the Author 101 series by Rick Frishman and Robyn Freedman Spizman is just superb. If you follow Chapter 7, they say that you'll have producers calling you for interviews. Chapter 11 literally guarantees you a bestseller. What more could you want? Check out their new book and bestseller campaign at http://www.BestSellerPromotions.com/author101.
This new book in the Author 101 series by Rick Frishman and Robyn Freedman Spizman is just superb. If you follow Chapter 7, they say that you'll have producers calling you for interviews. Chapter 11 literally guarantees you a bestseller. What more could you want? Check out their new book and bestseller campaign at http://www.BestSellerPromotions.com/author101.
Friday, September 15, 2006
Book Mooching Made Easy
Something terrifying comes this way. Now there's a website where readers can pass on books they no longer want and ask to receive in return books they want to read.
At BookMooch.com, you can add books you will send out to others to your inventory. If they match a book someone else wants, that person can ask you to ship the book to him or her. For every book you add to your inventory, you get 0.1 points; for every book you ship you get 1 point; and leaving feedback also earns you 0.1 points. In return, every book you get costs you 1 point.
So far, the site has accounted for about 10,000 books traded, worth about $150,000. That's possibly lost sales for publishers.
How to make a silk purse out of this pig's ear?
Well, offer to give away your book. It might be a good way to get people to sample your book or to build an audience for a new author, whose second book is coming out soon (give away the first book, not the second). It could also be a great way to get rid of excess inventory or hurt books.
At BookMooch.com, you can add books you will send out to others to your inventory. If they match a book someone else wants, that person can ask you to ship the book to him or her. For every book you add to your inventory, you get 0.1 points; for every book you ship you get 1 point; and leaving feedback also earns you 0.1 points. In return, every book you get costs you 1 point.
So far, the site has accounted for about 10,000 books traded, worth about $150,000. That's possibly lost sales for publishers.
How to make a silk purse out of this pig's ear?
Well, offer to give away your book. It might be a good way to get people to sample your book or to build an audience for a new author, whose second book is coming out soon (give away the first book, not the second). It could also be a great way to get rid of excess inventory or hurt books.
Dvorak's Advice on Getting a Marketing Edge
In the latest issue of PC Magazine, John Dvorak provided what I think is the best advice I've heard in a long time on how to get a marketing edge. His advice reveals the secret of marketing anything. Here's what he wrote:
"My advice if you want a sales edge? Make a good product and tell people the truth about it." — John C. Dvorak, columnist, PC Magazine
For his entire column on Nude Playmates, Gay Porn, Free Offers!, see http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2014455,00.asp. Note that his article doesn't really talk about any of the headline topics. It covers Google's new project to listen in on your home activity.
Friday, September 08, 2006
Midwest Connections: New Book Promotion Program
The Midwest Booksellers Association has just announced a new book marketing program for publishers and booksellers to promote books and authors in the Midwest.
Booksellers will be able to participate in each promotion at one of three levels, depending on what works best for them. For example, to be classified as a top tier store, which would allow for an author appearance, a store would have to meet specific criteria, including doing a certain amount of promotion for the book and author, submitting a proposal for the author event, ordering books directly from the publisher, and being a Book Sense store that reports to the Heartland bestseller list.
Publishers can promote books in three categories: adult fiction and nonfiction; cookbooks and how-tos; and children's, middle grade, and YA books. Publishers can suggest authors and titles to be included in the program, help with co-op, provide promo materials to the stores, and provide authors for tours to the top stores.
The Midwest Booksellers Association will be organizing the program and coordinating all efforts between publishers and booksellers.
Check out all the details in their PDF brochure at: Midwest Connection.
For more information, contact Susan Walker, MBA Executive Director, at 612-926-5868 or via email at susan@midwestbooksellers.org.
The first book to be promoted will be Tom Drury's novel The Driftless Area. Events include a retional author tour, a spoken word radio taping, speaking at the MBA trade show and author dinner, ads and featured listings on member bookstore websites, and more.
Booksellers will be able to participate in each promotion at one of three levels, depending on what works best for them. For example, to be classified as a top tier store, which would allow for an author appearance, a store would have to meet specific criteria, including doing a certain amount of promotion for the book and author, submitting a proposal for the author event, ordering books directly from the publisher, and being a Book Sense store that reports to the Heartland bestseller list.
Publishers can promote books in three categories: adult fiction and nonfiction; cookbooks and how-tos; and children's, middle grade, and YA books. Publishers can suggest authors and titles to be included in the program, help with co-op, provide promo materials to the stores, and provide authors for tours to the top stores.
The Midwest Booksellers Association will be organizing the program and coordinating all efforts between publishers and booksellers.
Check out all the details in their PDF brochure at: Midwest Connection.
For more information, contact Susan Walker, MBA Executive Director, at 612-926-5868 or via email at susan@midwestbooksellers.org.
The first book to be promoted will be Tom Drury's novel The Driftless Area. Events include a retional author tour, a spoken word radio taping, speaking at the MBA trade show and author dinner, ads and featured listings on member bookstore websites, and more.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
The Passion Test
My friends Janet and Chris Atwood are launching their Amazon Bestseller Campaign for The Passion Test today. Even if you don't like Amazon campaigns, you'll love their book. Check it out at Passion Test.
Hey! They've hit #2 at Amazon.com as of 10:00 p.m. Mountain Time today. Congratulations! And now they are at #1 as of 3:00 p.m. Mountain Time on Thursday. Hip, hip, hooray! And also now #1 at B&N.com. Whoopie!
"The Passion Test astounds us with the possibility that life can be fun, challenging, rewarding and purposeful, all at the same time. Chris and Janet Attwood will take you on an adventure into your own heart, and show you how to wake up the passions which are the fuel for living the life you were meant to live." -- Richard Paul Evans, New York Times bestselling author of The Christmas Box.
What could more passion mean in your life? More meaning, more joy, more fulfillment -- a rewarding life.
Here's what Jack Canfield, co-creator of Chicken Soup for the Soul, said about The Passion Test: "When I did the work on discovering your passion with Chris and Janet, I wasn't expecting that much to happen because I am already living my passion -- teaching others about how to become more successful. However, their powerful process took me to an even deeper place, where I realized I was not spending enough time with my true number one passion -- my family! That realization, and the other work they did with me, has changed the way I have lived the past year. This book contains what you need to know to create the same breakthroughs for yourself. I highly recommend it."
As if that's not enough, Chris and Janet have used their incredible connections to arrange a spectacular collection of special gifts for you when you purchase The Passion Test today. These gifts feature: Wayne Dyer, Mark Victor Hansen, John Kremer, and more than 40 others!
If you order the book totay, you get these great bonuses as part of the package. Check out the deal at Passion Test.
Learn how you can discover and empower your passion today!
Hey! They've hit #2 at Amazon.com as of 10:00 p.m. Mountain Time today. Congratulations! And now they are at #1 as of 3:00 p.m. Mountain Time on Thursday. Hip, hip, hooray! And also now #1 at B&N.com. Whoopie!
"The Passion Test astounds us with the possibility that life can be fun, challenging, rewarding and purposeful, all at the same time. Chris and Janet Attwood will take you on an adventure into your own heart, and show you how to wake up the passions which are the fuel for living the life you were meant to live." -- Richard Paul Evans, New York Times bestselling author of The Christmas Box.
What could more passion mean in your life? More meaning, more joy, more fulfillment -- a rewarding life.
Here's what Jack Canfield, co-creator of Chicken Soup for the Soul, said about The Passion Test: "When I did the work on discovering your passion with Chris and Janet, I wasn't expecting that much to happen because I am already living my passion -- teaching others about how to become more successful. However, their powerful process took me to an even deeper place, where I realized I was not spending enough time with my true number one passion -- my family! That realization, and the other work they did with me, has changed the way I have lived the past year. This book contains what you need to know to create the same breakthroughs for yourself. I highly recommend it."
As if that's not enough, Chris and Janet have used their incredible connections to arrange a spectacular collection of special gifts for you when you purchase The Passion Test today. These gifts feature: Wayne Dyer, Mark Victor Hansen, John Kremer, and more than 40 others!
If you order the book totay, you get these great bonuses as part of the package. Check out the deal at Passion Test.
Learn how you can discover and empower your passion today!
Free Trade Magazines
Much of what I learn each month comes from my extensive reading of trade magazines. If you'd like to subscribe to some free trade magazines, click on one of the following graphic links:
Friday, September 01, 2006
1001 Ways to Market Your Books
If you've been waiting to order a copy of the new 6th edition of 1001 Ways to Market Your Books until Amazon.com had it up and selling -- well now it's finally there. Go buy it today. Help me get it up above 10,000 today.
Thank you for your patience. Not that I had any. But I am so glad it's finally up for sale on Amazon.com. Go buy it today at: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/
091241149X/bookmarketingupd.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Express Yourself Authors Conference
Come listen to Dan Poynter, Brian Jud, Penny Sansevieri, Paul Krupin, myself, and many others at the Express Yourself Authors Conference.
September 29 to 31, 2006, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania — Express Yourself Authors Conference
During this conference, I'll be giving a new special talk that I've never given before. This is an extra special bonus just for this conference. It will knock your socks off.
As my way of extending the benefits of this Authors Conference to you, Infinity Publishing has allowed me to offer you a $50 discount off the full registration fee of $639 with lodging or $429 without lodging. If you are a member of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) you may deduct both discounts. On the registration form at http://www.authorsconference.com, in the space just above the line “Discounts Available…” print my name, and on the right-hand side print -$50. It’s as simple as that. Note: this offer expires on September 15th.
September 29 to 31, 2006, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania — Express Yourself Authors Conference
During this conference, I'll be giving a new special talk that I've never given before. This is an extra special bonus just for this conference. It will knock your socks off.
As my way of extending the benefits of this Authors Conference to you, Infinity Publishing has allowed me to offer you a $50 discount off the full registration fee of $639 with lodging or $429 without lodging. If you are a member of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) you may deduct both discounts. On the registration form at http://www.authorsconference.com, in the space just above the line “Discounts Available…” print my name, and on the right-hand side print -$50. It’s as simple as that. Note: this offer expires on September 15th.
Photo Fraud from the Media
Can you believe it? The media actually fakes photos! I was shocked, well, not really. Don't believe me? See the following from aish.com: http://www.aish.com/movies/PhotoFraud.asp.
Why does the media do this when there are so many legitimate stories out there, when there is already enough horror in the world that you don't have to fake it. But they do, and they do it way too often.
Why does the media do this when there are so many legitimate stories out there, when there is already enough horror in the world that you don't have to fake it. But they do, and they do it way too often.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Have You Wikied Yourself Yet?
On Monday the South Bend Tribune published an article on self-promotion as a good thing. In the article, they noted, "After his 11-minute MySpace: The Movie, became a YouTube phenomenon -- 8 million views and counting -- David Lehre scored an agent and is now developing a comedy show with Fox. Brooke Brodack signed a deal with Carson Daly Productions after Daly noticed the 20-year-old's YouTube videos. Book deals for bloggers are now so common that they have their own trophy, the Lulu Blooker Prize: the first winner was Julie Powell, whose book Julie and Julia has sold more than 100,000 copies."
As part of the article, they described six ways to self-promote your work via the Internet -- as described by Chris Anderson, author of The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More. One of his points was to make yourself easy to find. As part of this suggestion, he recommended that you give YOURSELF an entry in Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia of encyclopedias. Do it today.
Go to wikipedia.org. Search for your name. If there's not an entry, write one. It's that simple. You'll have to create a personal account in Wikipedia before you can create an entry. Note that they discourage promotional entries, so focus on the books you've published and the things you've done to help people.
Check out John Kremer at wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_kremer.
After you do that, read the rest of the South Bend Tribune article at South Bend Article.
As part of the article, they described six ways to self-promote your work via the Internet -- as described by Chris Anderson, author of The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More. One of his points was to make yourself easy to find. As part of this suggestion, he recommended that you give YOURSELF an entry in Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia of encyclopedias. Do it today.
Go to wikipedia.org. Search for your name. If there's not an entry, write one. It's that simple. You'll have to create a personal account in Wikipedia before you can create an entry. Note that they discourage promotional entries, so focus on the books you've published and the things you've done to help people.
Check out John Kremer at wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_kremer.
After you do that, read the rest of the South Bend Tribune article at South Bend Article.
Retire Secure
My friend Jim Lange has a great new book out called Retire Secure. If you order it today, you'll get tons of great bonuses! Here is the info....
Can you live too long? John planned to die young. He had every reason to live. He loved life, was healthy, happy and had a great career and a loving family. His life expectancy was good, but one small decision insures John will live for many years after his retirement savings runs out.
What was that one small decision? Find out at: http://www.langebook.com.
You know the trends. You will live longer. The government will not pay you enough to live on, and many corporation are freezing or eliminating traditional retirement plans. Leaving millions at risk. Fortunately, you need not be one of them.
When you read Jim Lange's Retire Secure, you will see how a few strategic decision will vastly improve your income possibilities over the decades you have left to live. This can be very important to authors and publishers. I urge you to spend a minute right now and pick up a copy of Jim's book Retire Secure.
The book is on sale today, with a special bonus gift package worth $3,277 when you order a copy of this inexpensive book. Go to: http://www.langebook.com.
At the same time as you help yourself, you'll also be helping Jim make his book an Amazon.com bestseller. Now, that's a win for both of you. His book is already at 1,600 and moving up!
I've been working with Jim now for more than a year, and the man is smart. He knows what he is writing about when he covers the subject of retirement -- smart retirement, where you keep more of the money for yourself and your heirs than for the government. A lot more money. I trust this man to give only the best advice.
Can you live too long? John planned to die young. He had every reason to live. He loved life, was healthy, happy and had a great career and a loving family. His life expectancy was good, but one small decision insures John will live for many years after his retirement savings runs out.
What was that one small decision? Find out at: http://www.langebook.com.
You know the trends. You will live longer. The government will not pay you enough to live on, and many corporation are freezing or eliminating traditional retirement plans. Leaving millions at risk. Fortunately, you need not be one of them.
When you read Jim Lange's Retire Secure, you will see how a few strategic decision will vastly improve your income possibilities over the decades you have left to live. This can be very important to authors and publishers. I urge you to spend a minute right now and pick up a copy of Jim's book Retire Secure.
The book is on sale today, with a special bonus gift package worth $3,277 when you order a copy of this inexpensive book. Go to: http://www.langebook.com.
At the same time as you help yourself, you'll also be helping Jim make his book an Amazon.com bestseller. Now, that's a win for both of you. His book is already at 1,600 and moving up!
I've been working with Jim now for more than a year, and the man is smart. He knows what he is writing about when he covers the subject of retirement -- smart retirement, where you keep more of the money for yourself and your heirs than for the government. A lot more money. I trust this man to give only the best advice.
Monday, August 21, 2006
Top 101 Book Publishers on the Net
Congratulations to McSweeneys and Nolo for being among the Top 101 websites selected by PC Magazine for 2006. For the entire list, see http://www.pcmag.com/category2/0,1874,7488,00.asp.
These 101 websites are places where you want your books to be featured. Check them out!
These 101 websites are places where you want your books to be featured. Check them out!
BookSmart is not very smart
Anyone who pays "as little as $29.95 for a single copy of a 40-page hardcover book, custom jacket included" is not very smart. Unless that's all they want, and they want it to be mindlessly easy to create. That's what it costs, as a minimum, to publish one copy of a book using BookSmart software from Blurb.com.
Now, Blurb.com does offer some great BookSmart software to make a book out of a blog, website, or user-generated content website (such as MySpace or Flickr). But their cost to print that book afterwords is high. The balance you have to seek as a BookSmart author is how much time the software saves you in laying out a book (if it actually does save you time) versus the cost to print that book in comparison to Lulu.com, AuthorHouse.com, InfinityPublishing.com, etc.
Blurb.com, itself, is brilliant. Incredible. They just received another $12 million in additional venture capital to build their business. Wow. No venture capital firm is making that kind of commitment to a real book publisher. Too bad.
Canaan Partners and Anthem Venture Partners led this round of additional investors.
Eileen Gittins is founder and CEO of Blurb. John Balen is general partner of Canaan Partners, the lead investor.
Now, Blurb.com does offer some great BookSmart software to make a book out of a blog, website, or user-generated content website (such as MySpace or Flickr). But their cost to print that book afterwords is high. The balance you have to seek as a BookSmart author is how much time the software saves you in laying out a book (if it actually does save you time) versus the cost to print that book in comparison to Lulu.com, AuthorHouse.com, InfinityPublishing.com, etc.
Blurb.com, itself, is brilliant. Incredible. They just received another $12 million in additional venture capital to build their business. Wow. No venture capital firm is making that kind of commitment to a real book publisher. Too bad.
Canaan Partners and Anthem Venture Partners led this round of additional investors.
Eileen Gittins is founder and CEO of Blurb. John Balen is general partner of Canaan Partners, the lead investor.
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Does It Pay to Nag?
Nagging Oprah
Does it work to nag top media people? Here are a few stories that indicate the power of nagging, or the power of persistence.
It worked for Chicago author Michele Weldon, who regularly pestered the producers of Oprah for over three years. Finally they said yes. Michele's appearance on behalf of her 1999 book, I Closed My Eyes: Revelations of a Battered Woman, produced sales of about 35,000 copies.
It didn't worked for self-published author Maria Veloso and her site nominatemidwinterforoprah.com (no longer an active site). If the signature count had reached one million, Veloso would have submitted the evidence for Oprah's consideration. She gathered over 18,000 signatures, but that wasn't enough to do the trick.
Persistence can sometimes pay and sometimes not. Either way, just be nice about it.
Does it work to nag top media people? Here are a few stories that indicate the power of nagging, or the power of persistence.
It worked for Chicago author Michele Weldon, who regularly pestered the producers of Oprah for over three years. Finally they said yes. Michele's appearance on behalf of her 1999 book, I Closed My Eyes: Revelations of a Battered Woman, produced sales of about 35,000 copies.
It didn't worked for self-published author Maria Veloso and her site nominatemidwinterforoprah.com (no longer an active site). If the signature count had reached one million, Veloso would have submitted the evidence for Oprah's consideration. She gathered over 18,000 signatures, but that wasn't enough to do the trick.
Persistence can sometimes pay and sometimes not. Either way, just be nice about it.
Friday, August 11, 2006
Make Money with Google AdSense
If you'd like to make some spare change or big money with Google AdSense or Shopping.com or other pay-per-click advertising opportunities, then check out these blog posts:
Erik at ProductWiki.com provides an interesting look at how Google AdSense and Shopping.com ads pay off for his consumer electronics review blog. Check out his post at http://blog.productwiki.com. Pay attention to what he has to say. Then read the following post:
Eric Guiguere, author of Make Easy Money with Google and AdSense, provides some inside advice on how to optimize your Google AdSense listings. Read his blog here: http://www.memwg.com/blog.
Then read his book. A great read if you want to make passive income from your websites (besides selling your books). I use Google AdSense on most of my web sites except for my main BookMarket.com website. In the next several months, though, I plan to redesign that site as well to include Google ads. It just makes sense to use AdSense to increase your subsidiary income.
You can order Eric's book by clicking on the cover image above.
Erik at ProductWiki.com provides an interesting look at how Google AdSense and Shopping.com ads pay off for his consumer electronics review blog. Check out his post at http://blog.productwiki.com. Pay attention to what he has to say. Then read the following post:
Eric Guiguere, author of Make Easy Money with Google and AdSense, provides some inside advice on how to optimize your Google AdSense listings. Read his blog here: http://www.memwg.com/blog.
Then read his book. A great read if you want to make passive income from your websites (besides selling your books). I use Google AdSense on most of my web sites except for my main BookMarket.com website. In the next several months, though, I plan to redesign that site as well to include Google ads. It just makes sense to use AdSense to increase your subsidiary income.
You can order Eric's book by clicking on the cover image above.
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Free Teleseminar: Amazon Bestseller Campaigns
Would you like to see your book on Amazon.com's Bestseller List?
You'd be silly not to want that. Because you'll move lots of books, Plus, being on Amazon's Bestseller List can open the door to many other opportunities -- selling your book to a larger publisher, publicity opportunities, speaking engagements, selling foreign or film rights, etc.
And wouldn't it be fun to add bestselling author to your resume?
To learn a simple formula any non-fiction author can use to make their book an Amazon Bestseller, you're invited this Thursday, August 10th at your choice of two times: either 2:00 pm Eastern (11:00 am Pacific) OR 7:00 pm Eastern (4:00 pm Pacific) for a 75-minute telephone seminar on...
How to Make Your Book an Amazon.com Bestseller and Sell Tons of Copies Even if You're a Marketing Novice
You'll hear Steve Harrison interview two authors, Randy Gilbert and Peggy McColl, about the simple system they've used to make many books Amazon Bestsellers
Your only cost to participate in this 75-minute telephone seminar is your normal long distance charges (same as when you're calling Aunt Edna in Connecticut).
To register for either of Thursday's calls, go here now: Amazon Bestsellers.
On the call, you'll learn:
* Randy & Peggy's ingenious yet simple, five-step formula any author can use to hit the Amazon Bestseller list in only 38 days at almost no cost.
* How they've used the formula to make numerous books Amazon Bestsellers and how one author used their formula to sell 6,828 copies for $27 each without spending a dime on advertising (yes, that's $184,256.00 in sales!).
* Why their formula works for all types of books, fiction or non-fiction, regardless of subject -- whether they're self-published, POD, ebooks; newly-published or even those that have been out for years.
* Why you need absolutely no marketing expertise or experience to implement their Bestseller Formula.
* Big mistakes almost all publishers make selling books on Amazon.
* Case histories of several authors who've hit the Amazon Bestseller list using this approach.
* How the morning after hitting #5 on the Amazon List, Randy started getting calls from agents and publishers from all over the world intersted in buying foreign rights.
* Want big-time publicity? You'll learn how becoming a Bestseller makes it much easier to get media exposure.
Again, there's no cost to participate in this telephone seminar except your normal long distance charges.
To register for the telephone seminar, go here: Amazon Bestsellers.
Who knows, maybe I'll be seeing your book on the Amazon Bestseller List soon!
You'd be silly not to want that. Because you'll move lots of books, Plus, being on Amazon's Bestseller List can open the door to many other opportunities -- selling your book to a larger publisher, publicity opportunities, speaking engagements, selling foreign or film rights, etc.
And wouldn't it be fun to add bestselling author to your resume?
To learn a simple formula any non-fiction author can use to make their book an Amazon Bestseller, you're invited this Thursday, August 10th at your choice of two times: either 2:00 pm Eastern (11:00 am Pacific) OR 7:00 pm Eastern (4:00 pm Pacific) for a 75-minute telephone seminar on...
How to Make Your Book an Amazon.com Bestseller and Sell Tons of Copies Even if You're a Marketing Novice
You'll hear Steve Harrison interview two authors, Randy Gilbert and Peggy McColl, about the simple system they've used to make many books Amazon Bestsellers
Your only cost to participate in this 75-minute telephone seminar is your normal long distance charges (same as when you're calling Aunt Edna in Connecticut).
To register for either of Thursday's calls, go here now: Amazon Bestsellers.
On the call, you'll learn:
* Randy & Peggy's ingenious yet simple, five-step formula any author can use to hit the Amazon Bestseller list in only 38 days at almost no cost.
* How they've used the formula to make numerous books Amazon Bestsellers and how one author used their formula to sell 6,828 copies for $27 each without spending a dime on advertising (yes, that's $184,256.00 in sales!).
* Why their formula works for all types of books, fiction or non-fiction, regardless of subject -- whether they're self-published, POD, ebooks; newly-published or even those that have been out for years.
* Why you need absolutely no marketing expertise or experience to implement their Bestseller Formula.
* Big mistakes almost all publishers make selling books on Amazon.
* Case histories of several authors who've hit the Amazon Bestseller list using this approach.
* How the morning after hitting #5 on the Amazon List, Randy started getting calls from agents and publishers from all over the world intersted in buying foreign rights.
* Want big-time publicity? You'll learn how becoming a Bestseller makes it much easier to get media exposure.
Again, there's no cost to participate in this telephone seminar except your normal long distance charges.
To register for the telephone seminar, go here: Amazon Bestsellers.
Who knows, maybe I'll be seeing your book on the Amazon Bestseller List soon!
Monday, July 24, 2006
How to Brand Yourself and Sell Lots of Books
Guest post by Peter “The Humorator” Fogel
Congratulations! You’ve done it! You’ve had your book published. From idea to proposal to final creation it certainly was an arduous journey, wasn’t it? Whether you’re a fiction, or non-fiction writer you must now decide what to do with the marketing of your baby. Yes, having a media blitz with a hired publicist or doing your own grassroots campaign is very important.
But know this: If you have loftier ambitions such as branding yourself as an expert in your chosen field and selling lots of books (Cha-Ching!) one of the quickest and fun ways to do that is through public speaking. Now if you have a fear of public speaking…
Realize 90% of Nervousness Doesn't Even Show
Contrary to what you might thing, public speaking is not essentially stressful. Believe it or not, the audience can not see the butterflies, shaky hands, or sweaty palms. A quick way to combat that is to focus on your audience, the passion you have for your book and how will it change their lives.
I promise you once you get on your feet and put your energies into delivering strong content and see the eager faces in front of you – you will lose your nervousness. And guess what?
You Don’t Have To Be Perfect!
Many of us have observed public speakers and thought to ourselves, "Wow, I could never be that smart, calm, witty, entertaining, polished ... or whatever." Well, I've got news for you: You don't have to be brilliant, witty, or perfect to succeed. You see, in the beginning you can be average. You can make mistakes, get tongue-tied, or forget whole segments of your talk. (on a limited scale of course.) That’s because in the beginning your audience doesn't expect perfection.
If they can walk away feeling better about themselves, their job and lives and ways to improve it through your knowledge—then guess what? You were successful!
Want Better Results? Then Make Eye-Contact With Your Audience!
Yes, nerves create a need to hide. So what do you do? You look down or look away and think, “If I we can’t see them, then they can’t see us, right? Wrong! Listen, you’re not hidden in front of a crowd of people. Since that won’t work, you can use the old “look just over the tops of their heads.” But that breaks the audience connection.
Here’s a technique that’s always worked for me. Focus on making eye-contact with someone in the front row. Once you feel comfortable with that person then move down the row to the next friendly face. It really works!
Remember: the secret to selling more books through public speaking is to find your targeted audience that can immediately benefit from it. Take them on a journey with you. Depending on the length of your talk you should focus on three major key points and use a journalist’s technique: The 4 W’s of who, what, where, and why.
Make no mistake: public speaking will sell a lot more books than just doing a bookstore signing where you’re hoping people pass by your table and buy it. Carp diem. Take action. Contact libraries, associations that love having authors present their work. Infuse humor in your presentations, learn the tricks of the trade of seasoned speakers, and you’re guaranteed to exponentially increase your brand, your business, and your book sales.
-- Peter “The Humorator” Fogel is a reinvention and communications expert as well as the author of the book, If Not Now… Then When? Stories and Strategies of People Over 40 Who Have Successfully Reinvented Themselves. He’s also the creator of the program, Peter “The Humorator” Fogel’s Guide To Effective Public Speaking.
Congratulations! You’ve done it! You’ve had your book published. From idea to proposal to final creation it certainly was an arduous journey, wasn’t it? Whether you’re a fiction, or non-fiction writer you must now decide what to do with the marketing of your baby. Yes, having a media blitz with a hired publicist or doing your own grassroots campaign is very important.
But know this: If you have loftier ambitions such as branding yourself as an expert in your chosen field and selling lots of books (Cha-Ching!) one of the quickest and fun ways to do that is through public speaking. Now if you have a fear of public speaking…
Realize 90% of Nervousness Doesn't Even Show
Contrary to what you might thing, public speaking is not essentially stressful. Believe it or not, the audience can not see the butterflies, shaky hands, or sweaty palms. A quick way to combat that is to focus on your audience, the passion you have for your book and how will it change their lives.
I promise you once you get on your feet and put your energies into delivering strong content and see the eager faces in front of you – you will lose your nervousness. And guess what?
You Don’t Have To Be Perfect!
Many of us have observed public speakers and thought to ourselves, "Wow, I could never be that smart, calm, witty, entertaining, polished ... or whatever." Well, I've got news for you: You don't have to be brilliant, witty, or perfect to succeed. You see, in the beginning you can be average. You can make mistakes, get tongue-tied, or forget whole segments of your talk. (on a limited scale of course.) That’s because in the beginning your audience doesn't expect perfection.
If they can walk away feeling better about themselves, their job and lives and ways to improve it through your knowledge—then guess what? You were successful!
Want Better Results? Then Make Eye-Contact With Your Audience!
Yes, nerves create a need to hide. So what do you do? You look down or look away and think, “If I we can’t see them, then they can’t see us, right? Wrong! Listen, you’re not hidden in front of a crowd of people. Since that won’t work, you can use the old “look just over the tops of their heads.” But that breaks the audience connection.
Here’s a technique that’s always worked for me. Focus on making eye-contact with someone in the front row. Once you feel comfortable with that person then move down the row to the next friendly face. It really works!
Remember: the secret to selling more books through public speaking is to find your targeted audience that can immediately benefit from it. Take them on a journey with you. Depending on the length of your talk you should focus on three major key points and use a journalist’s technique: The 4 W’s of who, what, where, and why.
Make no mistake: public speaking will sell a lot more books than just doing a bookstore signing where you’re hoping people pass by your table and buy it. Carp diem. Take action. Contact libraries, associations that love having authors present their work. Infuse humor in your presentations, learn the tricks of the trade of seasoned speakers, and you’re guaranteed to exponentially increase your brand, your business, and your book sales.
-- Peter “The Humorator” Fogel is a reinvention and communications expert as well as the author of the book, If Not Now… Then When? Stories and Strategies of People Over 40 Who Have Successfully Reinvented Themselves. He’s also the creator of the program, Peter “The Humorator” Fogel’s Guide To Effective Public Speaking.
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Website Link Exchanges
I received the following email today:
> I'm the webmaster of http://www.xxx.org.
>
> According to the results of a recent scan, we could NOT
> locate the link to http://www.xxx.org at your site.
> According to our records, the page on your site with a link
> to http://www.xxx.org should be.
>
> If you have removed the link to our site by accident or in
> error, or the link to our site has been moved elsewhere,
> please let us know immediately.
>
> Otherwise, the link to your site at http://www.xxx.org
> will be automatically deleted after 3 days.
My response to this email (actual website URL changed to xxx)? Quite simple. I was offended. Read below:
I am offended by such a rude email. I will not be adding a link to your mall. Get your act together. Links are a service to your website visitors not a cold exchange. If you haven't learned anything about the Internet as a network of relationships, then I don't want to support you.
Don't threaten people with link subtraction. If you are that free and loose with your links, then a link from you is really not important to me. It will generate no visitors to my website.
I don't object to exchanging links with other websites. Indeed, I encourage that. But I don't encourage threats. That's not cool at all. It's stupid. It doesn't help to cultivate relationships. And it's relationships which build a workable and profitable website business.
Why don't people understand that by now?
> I'm the webmaster of http://www.xxx.org.
>
> According to the results of a recent scan, we could NOT
> locate the link to http://www.xxx.org at your site.
> According to our records, the page on your site with a link
> to http://www.xxx.org should be.
>
> If you have removed the link to our site by accident or in
> error, or the link to our site has been moved elsewhere,
> please let us know immediately.
>
> Otherwise, the link to your site at http://www.xxx.org
> will be automatically deleted after 3 days.
My response to this email (actual website URL changed to xxx)? Quite simple. I was offended. Read below:
I am offended by such a rude email. I will not be adding a link to your mall. Get your act together. Links are a service to your website visitors not a cold exchange. If you haven't learned anything about the Internet as a network of relationships, then I don't want to support you.
Don't threaten people with link subtraction. If you are that free and loose with your links, then a link from you is really not important to me. It will generate no visitors to my website.
I don't object to exchanging links with other websites. Indeed, I encourage that. But I don't encourage threats. That's not cool at all. It's stupid. It doesn't help to cultivate relationships. And it's relationships which build a workable and profitable website business.
Why don't people understand that by now?
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Merchandise Data Sheet: Catalog Sales
If you need a sample Merchandise Data Sheet for sending books for possible sale to catalogs, check out http://www.bookmarket.com/mds.pdf. You can make a ton of money selling to catalogs if you target them correctly and make the right pitch.
For more information on selling books to catalogs, see Chapter 19 of the new 6th edition of 1001 Ways to Market Your Books and/or order the Catalog Sales Data Files at http://www.bookmarket.com/orderform.html.
“John, thanks for providing us with your specialty retailer and catalog databases. We have sold more than 3,000 copies of one of our books to customers from these two lists...none of whom had ever ordered from us before. Well worth the $60 we paid for the two lists!” — Steve Deger, Sales and Marketing Manager, Fairview Press
For more information on selling books to catalogs, see Chapter 19 of the new 6th edition of 1001 Ways to Market Your Books and/or order the Catalog Sales Data Files at http://www.bookmarket.com/orderform.html.
“John, thanks for providing us with your specialty retailer and catalog databases. We have sold more than 3,000 copies of one of our books to customers from these two lists...none of whom had ever ordered from us before. Well worth the $60 we paid for the two lists!” — Steve Deger, Sales and Marketing Manager, Fairview Press
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Bloggers Are Now Earning Money!
According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 8% of bloggers earn money from their blogs. 12 million Americans blog. 57 million people read blogs.
How is your blog going?
How is your blog going?
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Book Authors ala Fred Gleeck
Here is a recent article from the Fred Gleeck Insight ezine.
=====
Fred Gleeck:
In the past month or so I've spoken at a lot of events for authors and publishers. They are an interesting group. Most of them have an incredible passion for their subject matter. I applaud that. They are also some of the worst business people (generalization but true) on the planet.
When speaking to these groups recently, I've been using the line: "Are you in the publishing BUSINESS or the publishing HOBBY?"
You act and treat a hobby differently than a business.
Hobbies don't have to make you money. In most cases they end up costing you a bundle. Ask anyone who owns horses. This is the only hobby I've heard that makes you spend more money than you would on developing a workable piece of software.
The SINGLE biggest mistake this group makes is thinking that they can make any real money from a book alone. The answer to that would be a big NO!
To be honest there are FEW exceptions, but that number is VERY small.
The author who wants to make REAL money needs to develop a line of products related to their topic. This is the only way to make book writing profitable.
Fred Gleeck, Fred Gleeck Productions, 209 S Stephanie Street #B-209, Henderson NV 89012; 800-345-3325. Email: fredgleeck@mac.com.
=====
Fred is correct in saying that you rarely can make money on a book alone. You really need to add ancillary products or services: subsidiary rights, tapes, CDs, MP3s, seminars, consulting, speaking, etc.
=====
Fred Gleeck:
In the past month or so I've spoken at a lot of events for authors and publishers. They are an interesting group. Most of them have an incredible passion for their subject matter. I applaud that. They are also some of the worst business people (generalization but true) on the planet.
When speaking to these groups recently, I've been using the line: "Are you in the publishing BUSINESS or the publishing HOBBY?"
You act and treat a hobby differently than a business.
Hobbies don't have to make you money. In most cases they end up costing you a bundle. Ask anyone who owns horses. This is the only hobby I've heard that makes you spend more money than you would on developing a workable piece of software.
The SINGLE biggest mistake this group makes is thinking that they can make any real money from a book alone. The answer to that would be a big NO!
To be honest there are FEW exceptions, but that number is VERY small.
The author who wants to make REAL money needs to develop a line of products related to their topic. This is the only way to make book writing profitable.
Fred Gleeck, Fred Gleeck Productions, 209 S Stephanie Street #B-209, Henderson NV 89012; 800-345-3325. Email: fredgleeck@mac.com.
=====
Fred is correct in saying that you rarely can make money on a book alone. You really need to add ancillary products or services: subsidiary rights, tapes, CDs, MP3s, seminars, consulting, speaking, etc.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Half-Baked Amazon.com Book Reviews
The following Amazon.com review of 1001 Ways to Market Your Books really misses the point. While the reviewer notices that my website is informative, he really missed on the reports and my book. As an author, having people review your book and totally mislead potential customers is really frustrating. The following review does that.
Below is my critique of the review. Perhaps I'm giving the review too much publicity by blogging about it, but it is so uninformed that I couldn't let it pass. I'm sure many of you have felt the same about reviews of your books.
Review: "John Kremer's web site is very informative, so I expected more from this book. (I also purchased a CD containing numerous short articles that was extremely disappointing)"
As noted, my website is very informative, but the articles are even more informative. If he was disappointed in my Book Marketing Reports on CD, he didn't read many of the reports. Because the reports are very detailed and cover many areas that I don't cover in the book -- and in more detail. Whoa, how did he miss this?
Review: "The problem with this book is that it tries to tell you so much that it doesn't tell you enough. Kremer seems to want to overwhelm you with ideas, many of which are marginal at best (e.g. skywriting as a marketing tool) and the result is a confusing mishmash of half-baked ideas. Much of the text is regurgitation of very basic marketing principles you can glean from any marketing text."
Skywriting is not a marginal idea. It certainly isn't for everyone, but it has been used effectively by more than one publisher -- as noted and described in the book.
There might be a few half-baked ideas but not many. The individual obviously hasn't spent much time in marketing if he feels that "many" of the ideas are half-baked. Almost every idea I feature in the book is backed by examples of authors and publishers who used the idea effectively. How, then, can the idea be half-baked? More like fully cooked, served, eaten, and enjoyed!
Yes, the book includes many basic marketing ideas. It has to in order to be complete. But it also includes many details that haven't ever been discussed in any other book on marketing books. The chapter on Internet marketing could easily sell as a manual for anyone marketing anything via the Internet. And sell effectively with many happy customers. The chapter on subsidiary rights covers that subject in more detail than entire books that have been written on the subject.
Review: "The book seemed poorly organized and fragmented."
Yikes, what book did he read?!? Not 1001 Ways. It is very well-organized. Intensely so. And thousands of readers and reviewers have praised it for its organization.
I can understand the fragmented critique. Because my book does itemize many things rather than try to integrate everything into a flow of prose. But each item is highly integrated into the topic.
Review: "Kremer apparently sold "ads" in his book disguised as short "informational" articles by people trying to sell various products and services to book publishers."
I didn't "apparently" sell ads. I very obviously sold ads. And make it very clear inside the book. These ads were sponsorships where I invited people I respected to write a useful article and include information about their services. No one could sponsor my book without writing a useful article with some great advice and tips.
Review: "I found these extremely annoying, especially when found in a book that is priced 50% higher than other (better) books on the same subject."
My book is not priced 50% higher than other books on the subject -- more like 40% higher ($27.95 versus $19.95). I hate inaccurate reviews. Plus the book is twice the size of any competitor. It is actually underpriced, as many reviewers and readers have told me.
Better? Not by a chance. Not by a sliver. Not by any measure of "better" when viewed by any objective standard.
I know all the books on marketing books, and none are better. Of course, I am biased, but it really stings my butt when I see such blatant inaccuracy when the rest of the review shows such poor judgment.
Now, I've probably created an unfriend by commenting on this review, especially when the person really liked my website, but I can't sit by when such a poorly informed review hits Amazon.com. At least I can blog about it.
And that I've just done.
Below is my critique of the review. Perhaps I'm giving the review too much publicity by blogging about it, but it is so uninformed that I couldn't let it pass. I'm sure many of you have felt the same about reviews of your books.
Review: "John Kremer's web site is very informative, so I expected more from this book. (I also purchased a CD containing numerous short articles that was extremely disappointing)"
As noted, my website is very informative, but the articles are even more informative. If he was disappointed in my Book Marketing Reports on CD, he didn't read many of the reports. Because the reports are very detailed and cover many areas that I don't cover in the book -- and in more detail. Whoa, how did he miss this?
Review: "The problem with this book is that it tries to tell you so much that it doesn't tell you enough. Kremer seems to want to overwhelm you with ideas, many of which are marginal at best (e.g. skywriting as a marketing tool) and the result is a confusing mishmash of half-baked ideas. Much of the text is regurgitation of very basic marketing principles you can glean from any marketing text."
Skywriting is not a marginal idea. It certainly isn't for everyone, but it has been used effectively by more than one publisher -- as noted and described in the book.
There might be a few half-baked ideas but not many. The individual obviously hasn't spent much time in marketing if he feels that "many" of the ideas are half-baked. Almost every idea I feature in the book is backed by examples of authors and publishers who used the idea effectively. How, then, can the idea be half-baked? More like fully cooked, served, eaten, and enjoyed!
Yes, the book includes many basic marketing ideas. It has to in order to be complete. But it also includes many details that haven't ever been discussed in any other book on marketing books. The chapter on Internet marketing could easily sell as a manual for anyone marketing anything via the Internet. And sell effectively with many happy customers. The chapter on subsidiary rights covers that subject in more detail than entire books that have been written on the subject.
Review: "The book seemed poorly organized and fragmented."
Yikes, what book did he read?!? Not 1001 Ways. It is very well-organized. Intensely so. And thousands of readers and reviewers have praised it for its organization.
I can understand the fragmented critique. Because my book does itemize many things rather than try to integrate everything into a flow of prose. But each item is highly integrated into the topic.
Review: "Kremer apparently sold "ads" in his book disguised as short "informational" articles by people trying to sell various products and services to book publishers."
I didn't "apparently" sell ads. I very obviously sold ads. And make it very clear inside the book. These ads were sponsorships where I invited people I respected to write a useful article and include information about their services. No one could sponsor my book without writing a useful article with some great advice and tips.
Review: "I found these extremely annoying, especially when found in a book that is priced 50% higher than other (better) books on the same subject."
My book is not priced 50% higher than other books on the subject -- more like 40% higher ($27.95 versus $19.95). I hate inaccurate reviews. Plus the book is twice the size of any competitor. It is actually underpriced, as many reviewers and readers have told me.
Better? Not by a chance. Not by a sliver. Not by any measure of "better" when viewed by any objective standard.
I know all the books on marketing books, and none are better. Of course, I am biased, but it really stings my butt when I see such blatant inaccuracy when the rest of the review shows such poor judgment.
Now, I've probably created an unfriend by commenting on this review, especially when the person really liked my website, but I can't sit by when such a poorly informed review hits Amazon.com. At least I can blog about it.
And that I've just done.
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