A Children's Book That Has Sold 29 Million Copies

Eric Carle's A Very Hungry Caterpillar has sold 29 million copies over its 40 year existence. Better yet, merchandise based on the characters of Carle's books still sell $50 million every year.

Read the rest of his story in Newsweek here: http://www.newsweek.com/id/189230

Think and Grow Rich: Great Title, Great Story

Great story on how Think and Grow Rich got its name. Originally told by Jordan McAuley at http://www.celebritypr.com/marketing-media-publicity.

In the Success System that Never Fails, W. Clement Stone tells the story of how the best-selling success book of all time got its name:

When Napoleon Hill finished his book, it had the working title: The Thirteen Steps to Riches. The publisher, however, wanted a better selling title; he wanted a million-dollar name for the book. He kept calling every day for the new title, but even though Hill had tried about 600 different possibilities, none of them was any good.

Then one day the published phoned and said: “I’ve got to have the title by tomorrow. If you don’t have one, I have. It’s a humdinger — Use Your Noodle and Get the Boodle.

“You’ll ruin me,” shouted Hill. “That title is ridiculous.”

“Well, that’s it, unless you get me a better one by tomorrow morning,” responded the publisher.

That night Hill had a talk with his subconscious mind. In a loud voice, he said, “You and I have gone a long way together. You’ve done a lot of things for me — and some things to me. But I’ve got to have a million-dollar title, and I’ve got to have it tonight. Do you understand that?” For several hours, Hill thought; then he went to bed.

About two o’clock, he woke up as though someone had shaken him. As he came out of his sleep, a phrase glowed in his mind. He jumped to his typewriter and wrote it down. Then he grabbed the phone and called the publisher. “We’ve got it,” he shouted, “a million-dollar sales title.”

How Do You Avoid Offending People: A Twitter Experience

I posted a tweet this evening expressing curiosity why so many people unfollowed me today after a particular quote. The tweet was as follows:

John's Tweet: Why did 20 people unfollow me after this quote? - Great minds have purpose, others have wishes. — Washington Irving, short story writer

Here are some of the replies and DMs I received in response to my question. Almost all the responses came within a few minutes of my tweet.

@johnmcginn -- That is unfortunate. That is a great quote.

@elidet -- Sometimes the trackers aren't accurate & other times people just add so you can add them, then unfollow you.

@transcribe -- Perhaps they realised they have no purpose or wishes?

@amous -- i don't know why they went but you'll Get RT from me

@minnieburley -- watching unfollows does not serve you...

@BargainHustla -- Don't know, I'm still following you. Good quote ...

@CathyBend -- Gee, I don't know. It's a great quote.

@whimsicalwalney -- Don't know if any rhyme or reason to some of unfollows lately. Had similar exp. What might u say on purpose 2 get ppl 2 unfollow

@TheStory -- lol perhaps you helped them find purpose?

@SandwichINK Probably they were spammers & you didn't follow them so they left? That's what mine usually are :)

@mmd1080 -- Guess they thought you were too anti-wish? I enjoyed the quote!

@kccaferadio -- Could be They WISH ya didn't Say it :)

@Smalltalkwitht -- I think there was a major gaffe on Twitters part tonight. Several had 20+ around 8pm - 9pm just quit + some were conservatives

@jessicacolon -- Maybe they are taking it personal.

DM -- That tweet came at noon ET on a Sunday. Lot of people hitting their computers then. So not the individual post per se.

DM -- Because it scared them - Thought is not enough - Focus and action achieve results - Some just want to dream.

My guess is that it was part Twitter glitch, part Sunday cleaning time for some tweeple, part spammers, and perhaps a little bit of the quote offending some people. Not sure why. You never know what will offend some people, and when you have 5,000 followers, you're almost guaranteed to offend some -- if they read your tweets. But you still have to be true to yourself and tweet with daring and purpose as usual.

Of course, if you don't yet follow me, you can follow me here: http://www.twitter.com/johnkremer

The Secret to Approaching Top People

Just had a question from an author:

Would you please tell me the best way to go about contacting these people via email? Should I direct them to my website? Am I asking for their mailing address so that I can send them a free signed copy?

My answer:

When contacting anyone, don't ask what they can do for you. Tell them how you can help them -- get more readers, satisfy the ones they have, build a larger audience, attract more people to their websites, sell more books, etc.

If you tell them how you can help them, they will look at anything you have to offer them.

Sending anyone to your website before you've given them a real good reason to go is useless.

Sending review copies, even signed, is also useless if you don't already have a relationship with them that will ensure the book gets read.

Be Controversial Says Tim Ferris, Bestselling Author

Several years ago at a Viral Marketing Conference, bestselling author Tim Ferris made these points on how to market via viral marketing:

Make interesting blog posts that elicit comments from haters as well as fans. For example, Tim wrote one blog post called Geek2Freak with before and after photos. His blog post made the front page of Digg (and so it got tons of visitors).

Another of his blog posts, called Marijuana Beats Blackberry for Productivity, made it to the front page of The Huffington Post.

If you want to market your book in a viral manner, you need to create a shitstorm of controversy.

Watch the 10-minute video here:



While you are at it, you might want to watch Tim's most popular video: How to Peel Hard-Boiled Eggs Without Peeling (over 4 million views):

Twitter Tools for Everyone to Create a Better, Easier, Quicker, More Effective Presence on Twitter

I've spent a lot of time lately researching, testing, and updating the following pages on the BookMarket.com website. They feature more than 150 tools to help you have more fun on Twitter, create more relationships, and maybe even sell some books.



Twitter Tools Home

Twitter Attachment Tools: Tweet photos, big posts, videos, polls, etc.

Twitter Away: Miscellaneous Twitter Happenings

Twitter Blog Connections and Advertising

Twitter Design Tools: Make Your Twitter Profile Look Better

Twitter People: Resources for Finding and Following Tweeple

Twitter Promotional Tools

Twitter Short: Tools for Shortening URLs (and Tracking Clicks)

Twitter Tools and Social Networking Tools

Twitter Trends and Tracking Tools

Twitter User Guides, Handbooks and Blog Posts

50 Ideas on What to Tweet

Please follow me at http://www.twitter.com/johnkremer

Google me: http://www.google.com/search?q=John Kremer

Incredible Interview: All About Book Marketing

On Wednesday afternoon, Janice Campbell of Words Matter Week interviewed John Kremer. The topic was anything and everything about book marketing. It was a great interview with at least 10 takeaway, do-it-now ideas for any author or publisher. You can listen to it here:

What Bookstore Sells More Books: A Revealing Story

New York Times bestselling novelist Brad Meltzer tells a story about which Barnes & Noble bookstore sells the most copies of his thrillers.

A Barnes & Noble national sales representative once asked Brad to guess which Barnes & Noble store sold the greatest number of Brad’s books.

Brad first guessed Washington D.C., since most of his novels are political thrillers. Not so, said the rep. Brad then guessed New York City. Again, a no. Well, Brad wasn't going to ever guess the real answer.

The true answer? The Barnes & Noble store that sells the most Meltzer books is located in a small town in Florida, just down the street from the furniture store where Brad’s mother works.

Now, that's word of mother!

Tweets for Today

Twitter post

• Alert: new blog post Tweets for Today: Twitter post RT @lynnelee Use what talents you posses.. snipurl.com/dabxb
• When you embark for strange places, don't leave any of yourself safely on shore. Have the nerve to go into unexplored territory. — Alan Alda
• When in doubt, DO something. If it turns out to be wrong, correct it. But you will never know until you do it. — Ivan Burnell, author
• When all else fails, read the instructions. — Cahn's Axiom
• Be careful. With quotations, you can damn anything. — Andre Malraux, author and resistance leader
• ɔıɯɐpɐ sınoן — ˙uɹoɥʇ ɐ ɟɟo ʎǝuoɥ ƃuıʞɔıן ǝʞıן sı ƃuıʌıן ʇɐɥʇ pıɐs sʎɐʍןɐ ɹǝɥʇɐɟpuɐɹƃ ʎɯ
• RT @joelcomm People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care - Zig Ziglar, sales trainer and speaker
• RT @screamingeagle1 Your playing small does not serve the world. - Marianne Williamson, author
• RT @screamingeagle1 Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. — Mahatma Gandhi, non-violent leader
• Am looking for someone to partner with on two new related Twitter apps that would be a lot of fun to do. Anyone?
• Oh, yes, I need someone to program the new Twitter apps. I'm a dummy when it comes programming, but great with ideas.
• BookMarket.com's Alexa ranking on 1/12: 169,421. Today: 134,528. That's 35,000 change because of Twitter (only difference in promos).
• RT @thecreativepenn All Books Have Genders by Neil Gaiman jijr.com/ASq. JK: I love that title. 1001 Ways to Market Your Books: male.
• All of marketing consists in creating relationships. Real relationships: friends, lovers, partners, warriors, fans.

Tweets for Today

Twitter post

• RT @lynnelee Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best. - Henry van Dyke
• RT @jonathanmead It's funny when people make goals to post a set number of times per week. Better idea: write when you can give real value.
• RT @wordywoman Are you interested in what they have to say? That is my only criteria for following. I don't care if they follow back.
• Alert: new blog post Incredible Interview: All About Book Marketing: On Wednesday afternoon,.. twurl.nl/an83wl
• Boy, I used Twitseeker today and I will never use them again. They tweet everyone you follow through them under your name. Very bad form.
• Blog post: YouTube Videos: A Funny Series of Movie Take-Offs: budurl.com/gkzt
• I like writers. I follow a lot of them. Interesting people. Also like Internet marketers and bloggers for the same reason.
• Alert: new blog post Tweets for Today: Twitter post Words Matter Week teleseminar with me (J.. twurl.nl/ax41as
• Alert: new blog post YouTube Videos: A Funny Series of Movie Take-Offs: I'm not sure who did.. twurl.nl/t0w42t
• RT @tamar 5 great business books that never expire with their wisdom: cli.gs/5ppQTN
• I just subscribed to get TwitterSplit, I'll soon be on TOP of all my Twitter links. Get it here twittersplit.com
• TwitterSplit forces you to tweet the previous message in order to learn more about them. Not good form as far as I'm concerned.

Tweets for Today

Twitter post

• Words Matter Week teleseminar with me (John Kremer) in 45 min. To listen in for free, go here: budurl.com/nupm/d.
• Words Matter Week teleseminar on book marketing with John Kremer; specific time: 3:30 p.m. Eastern: budurl.com/nupm/d
• RT @Mike_Wesely Champions keep playing until they get it right. - Billie Jean King, tennis player
• RT @TheMorganizer @CoachDeb Hey... I'll see ya in Vegas next week! JK: Remember: What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. :))
• RT @deann_atwood The secret that has led to my goal, is that my strength lies solely in my tenacity. - Louis Pasteur, biologist
• Well, actually I hope what happens in Vegas goes out to all the world if it's a good thing.
• Words Matter Week teleseminar on book marketing with John Kremer; specific time: 3:30 p.m. Eastern: budurl.com/nupm. Coming in 1/2 hr
• Words Matter Week teleseminar on book marketing with John Kremer; specific time: 3:30 p.m. Eastern: budurl.com/nupm. Coming in 5 mins
• Join me live NOW for the Words Matter Week teleseminar on book marketing. Go here to log in: budurl.com/nupm.
• Real neat video from @scobleizer budurl.com/luut. All about how he uses Twitter efficiently. Great stuff.
• RT @BoulderCoaching Not what we have but what we enjoy, constitutes our abundance. - John Petit-Sen
• Alert: new blog post Book Marketing Group formed: twurl.nl/8ayouk
• Alert: new blog post Tweets for Today: Twitter post RT @Mike_Wesely If you don't like someth.. twurl.nl/qdvrv6
• RT @JanetGomez There are two ways to spread happiness; either be the light who shines it or be the mirror who reflects it. - Edith Wharton
• You can only improve what you accurately measure. -- Alex Mandossian @alexmandossian
• If you want a quick pick-me-up each day, check out TED's video page at www.youtube.com/user/TEDtalksDirector. Great stuff here.
• RT @FilmTruth @jasontryfon I hope twitter will come out on top. JK: Twitter isn't going anywhere despite Facebook's new move.
• RT @paulhartunian A great source for press release story ideas & headlines is anything by Boardroom.com, i.e. Bottom Line Personal.
• Great interview about marketing books: tinyurl.com/bkmluq. Features John Kremer!

Tweets for Today

Twitter post

• RT @Mike_Wesely If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. - Maya Angelou
• Comment on: Removing the Clutter: Readability Bookmarklet Makes Online Reading Easier ff.im/1jLsm
• Wow, now the Internet will be just like a book. All text, no razzmatazz. Back to the old ages. Since I love... re: ff.im/1jLmU
• Wow, now you can read Internet pages just like a book. All text, no distractions. Check it out at budurl.com/thxv. Thks @readwriteweb
• Neat social bookmarking icons: tinyurl.com/cd3lhx. 30 sets of creative icons.
• RT @joelcomm Win a $25 Amazon.com gift certificate by tweeting! Follow @joelcomm and visit twitterpower.com/win/ for details.
• RT @amyvernon Love this page: tech.alltop.com. JK: Yes, that is a great page as are all the alltop.com pages. Wonderful resource.
• RT @caradvice4women John Kremer's book is fabulous. I am waiting for some money to come in so I can buy my own copy. budurl.com/33w8
• Great article by @alexmandossian: 7 Reasons to Repurpose Your Articles on Twitter. Short and to the point: budurl.com/a7s9
• I'm trying to get my Twitter updates equal to my followers, but I don't think I'll ever catch up. Getting about 80 followers per day. Alas.
• RT @cekster @JohnKremer I love your "who should I follow" tip in your marketing e-mail! JK: Thanks I liked it too.
• www.bookmarket.com: Alexa rank went from 169,000 to 135,000 in six weeks. Only difference. More tweeting. Twitter does it!
• Alert: new blog post What Bookstore Sells More Books: A Revealing Story: New York Times best.. twurl.nl/1hblz5
• Alert: new blog post Tweets for Today: Twitter post RT @AnnKingman I've been thinking a lot .. twurl.nl/qpyqwg
• Verbs make good headlines. Nouns bore us.
• RT @tferriss People should take stumbleupon.com much more seriously - 14k visitors in less than 14 hrs to this post: ping.fm/cX8Xa
• Talking on the phone with good friend @RonMartino. Check him out. Good guy to follow. Expect great things from him.
• I just joined the book marketing group on Buzzable, a great service for Twitter groups! Join me: buzzable.com/books

Book Marketing Group formed

Tweets for Today

Twitter post

• RT @AnnKingman I've been thinking a lot about bookstores & preorders. Here are a few of my thoughts: budurl.com/kpx8.
• RT @thecreativepenn I love being a writer. What I can't stand is the paperwork. - Peter de Vries
• Authors: You should read this: budurl.com/q5r4. It's an article about online marketing and unrealistic expectations.
• Authors: You need to learn how to create relationships. That's the key to all successful marketing, whether books, products, services, etc.
• Author: The majority of book buyers still discover new authors the way they always did: by word of mouth, & my experience proves this true.
• Alert: new blog post Tweets for Today: Twitter post RT @rossbeckham Wow, it appears that I j.. twurl.nl/3azluq
• What Bookstore Sells More Books? - A Revealing Story: tinyurl.com/c9453y. Good tip!
• Word of mother: More powerful than word of mouth: TwitPWR.com/wordofmouth.
• RT @JonathanGunson Why is Google scanning a EVERY BOOK in the world? tr.im/gVaB. JK: Because books provide great content!
• RT @JonathanGunson Why is Google scanning a EVERY BOOK in the world? tr.im/gVaB. JK: A great video on changes in search.
• I'm off to Taos District Court on a personal matter. Please pray for me. Thank you.

Top Applications for Using Twitter

Found the following at HubSpot: http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/4584/New-Data-on-Top-Twitter-Applications-and-Usage.aspx. I'm surprised that TweetLater.com isn't included in this survey. They will be soon.

Marlon Sander's 21-Step Cheat Sheet to Profiting from Twitter

I'm sharing this great post on how to profit from Twitter.com

Marlon Sander's 21-Step Cheat Sheet to Profiting from Twitter
by Marlon Sanders

This article has been updated and moved to a new website: http://bookmarketingbestsellers.com/22-step-cheat-sheet-to-profit-from-twitter

Tweets for Today

Twitter post

• RT @rossbeckham Wow, it appears that I just won $1,000,000 from Free Lottery Agency. Looks like I won't be going into work tomorrow. Me, too
• Besides my book marketing and Internet marketing websites, I also have several hobby websites. Here's one: www.celebratetoday.com.
• And here are several others: www.touristtrains.us and www.hottimescoolplaces.com. Enjoy them if you like.
• RT @TheTonyChan Nobody gets to live life backward. Look ahead, that is where your future lies. - Tony Chan
• RT @anitafiander Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another steppingstone to greatness. - Oprah Winfrey
• RT @art_schobey It doesn't work to leap a twenty-foot chasm in two ten-foot jumps. - American proverb
• Just wrote and posted a blog about the new TweetLater services: budurl.com/mhje. Good stuff here.
• www.OneSentence.org: I knew he loved me when he admitted his refusal to let me sleep by the window was for fear of a stray bullet.
• www.OneSentence.org: You tell a story, true or fanciful, in one sentence. Neat. Like Twitter.
• 21-Step Cheat Sheet to Profiting from Twitter: budurl.com/ffmv. Some great advice on tweeting.
• Neat Twitter backgrounds: tinyurl.com/bp6b76. Check them out for ideas.
• Alert: new blog post Tweets for Today: Twitter post Just finished an interview with Tsufit o.. twurl.nl/7wm7nz
• Alert: new blog post Tweets for Today: Twitter post RT @joelcomm Thinking about doing Q&.. twurl.nl/u02j5e
• Alert: new blog post Marlon Sander's 21-Step Cheat Sheet to Profiting from Twitter: I'm shar.. twurl.nl/wdqxrx
• Alert: new blog post Tweet Later Professional: An Incredible Twitter Tool: Tweet Later: http.. twurl.nl/4d67rb
• Alert: new blog post Top Applications for Using Twitter: Found the following at HubSpot: htt.. twurl.nl/p8arck

Tweet Later Professional: An Incredible Twitter Tool

Tweet Later: http://www.tweetlater.com/84911.html — Allows you to post tweets to be sent later as well as to send automatic messages every time someone new follows you? Users can set up Tweets to happen later on in the day, week, or month. Also allows you to set up Twitter alerts for any keywords, people, companies, etc. that you want to track. Alerts are sent to you via email. Also allows you to auto follow those who follow you and send them a welcome message. Finally, if you have multiple Twitter accounts, it allows you to tweet to one or more accounts at the same time (I use this to tweet quotes I like to more than one account).



Their free service allows you to do all the above. Their new professional service allows you to direct message all your followers, integrates Ping.fm, schedule @replies and direct messages, and read and post to all your Twitter accounts at once.

Neat service. I use it every day. TweetLater.com makes life on Twitter a lot easier.

Tweets for Today

Twitter post

• RT @joelcomm Thinking about doing Q&A on uStream all day on Wednesday. Wonder who would join me? JK: Me. Let me know details.
• Updating my list of newspaper book reviewers. The new list should be up at BookMarket.com in a few days with lots of changes.
• RT @stanleytang @chriswebb Hey Chris, I'm looking to write a new book on social media marketing. Wondering if you would be interested?
• RT @stanleytang Very clever use of Twitter to contact a key book editor. By the way, I look forward to reading his new book.
• RT @kathyIreland Great experience today! Mentored by John Kremer of bookmarket.com. Kind & Genuis! You want a winning book? Visit his site!
• RT @justinglover Don't tell God you have a big problem. Tell your problem you have a big God!
• RT @Tsufit Just did an interview with book marketing guru John Kremer. Is there anything this guy doesn't know? www.bookmarket.com.
• My DBI is 96.10 Find yours and manage your followers at tweetsum.com #DBI
• RT @thecreativepenn How to Make Your Writing Matter to Your Readers snipr.com/cuoh1. JK: Stimulating article.
• RT @fleurdeleigh If your telling me how to get 19K followers in 30 days, you don't get Twitter & you don't have my ear....jus sayin. JK: yes
• One of the great things about Twitter for me are the people from around the world I get to follow: UK, Ireland, Germany, NZ, Aussies, etc.