Choose The Right Designer To Set Up Your Author Platform By Roger C. Parker

Today, I am thrilled to introduce you to a marketer who is a wealth of information: Roger C. Parker. It would take up the entire post to list his credentials and the resources he makes available to authors. Suffice it to say that if you have not visited his site, read his blog, downloaded his tools, read his books or listened to his free weekly teleseminars, you are missing out on great resources.

Today, Roger gives us practical advice when it comes to hiring the right web site designer. He helps us understand how to evaluate a designer that not only knows how to put together a site, but one who is familiar with integrating basic marketing functions within our site as well.

Before we get to Roger's post (a classic to be on this blog), I have an exciting announcement to make. Today, I am announcing the pre-sale launch of my first product since starting Marketing Tips For Authors: Conducting Effective Twitter Contests.

I have pulled from my background as an author and a marketing director for a company that produced training videos to bring you a truly unique learning tool to help you launch your own successful Twitter contests. It's what I call a Video E-book. It's a PDF e-book packed with marketing information, but throughout the book, you will be able to watch embedded videos to help drive home the lessons.

It launches on March 1st, but you can reserve your copy today at a special pre-sale price. Check it out and watch 2 of the 20 videos I have made available for you to preview today.

Now, on to Roger's post...


How to choose the right designer to set up your author platform
By Roger C. Parker

Authors often ask the wrong questions when looking for a web designer to help them create a blog to serve as the hub of their author platform. This is especially true when authors approach- -or are approached by- -local web designers.

During the past 2 years, I've encountered a distressing number of authors who have spent great amounts of money (4-figure sums are not uncommon!)- -who, after 3 or 4 months- -still don't have an appropriately, functioning blog-based author platform.

This is bad enough from the point of view of wasted money. But, it's even worse when viewed in terms of lost opportunities caused by the delays and non-performance.

Inappropriate expectations and delegation
The unhappy scenario described above begins when an author chooses the wrong designer, then delegates too much unsupervised authority to them.

Many designers come to blog and web from a print background. A print background is fine, especially when it has taught the designer the fundamentals of organizing and presenting complex information in a manner that emphasizes readability and permits easy scanning.

The problem is that many "jack of all trades" designers have previously earned most of their living from creating ads, brochures, logos, menus, and newsletters for local businesses and non-profits. They often have a different perspective; they approach blogs and author platforms from an exclusively creative, or "image" background.

As a result, these designers tend to over-emphasize color, type, and layout, while under-emphasizing the functional and programming aspects of blog set-up and design needed for success as the hub of an author platform.

"Many local designers are unaware of the hundreds of thousands of successful authors who have attracted publisher and reader attention with simple, but full-featured blogs that have created platforms based on efficient message creation, distribution, and relationship building."

How to avoid hiring the wrong designer
There are 3 keys to hiring the right designer:

• Change your perspective. Put the emphasis on function rather than aesthetics! Emphasize efficiency and function, rather than "aesthetics" and "image." Granted, it's important that your blog be readable and project a unique, appropriate image. But, it's more important that your blog be ready as soon as possible to perform all of the tasks needed to become the hub of your author platform. Setting-up a full-featured blog should neither drain your resources nor delay your platform-building.
  
  
• Change the playing field. Don't be "wowed" by examples of beautiful designs! All designers can point to examples of previous design excellence. Design ability is just the price of admission. Remember that you- -as a non-designer- -are likely to over-rate a designer's ability to create good-looking graphics. (It's the same way, you, an airline passenger, are likely to pilot's abilities, since you don't know how to fly a 747). Instead of being intimidated by their design abilities, change the playing field from "aesthetic" to "functional" by asking the right questions. Put the emphasis on the total author platform rather than surface issues.
  
  
• Supervise rather than delegate. You must provide informed leadership, your designer should implement. With rare exceptions, don't expect your designer to be a marketing expert familiar with concepts like "marketing funnel" and permission-based marketing. Many designers are more comfortable designing logos, for example, than autoresponders, downloadable incentives, landing pages, and the latest social marketing tools. You have to know what you want, based on observing what other authors and information marketers are doing, and adapting their strategies.
  

"The set-up of your blog should neither drain your resources nor should it delay your platform-building. And you must take the lead in knowing what you want."

Questions to ask yourself before hiring a designer
The easiest way to choose the right designer is to ask the right questions. Here, are some questions to ask, adapted from my Designers Qualification Checklist:

1. What kind of clients have you previously worked with? Check out several client websites. Beware of designers whose previous web experience has been primarily based on attractively-designed "brochure" sites that appear to be rarely updated.
   
   
2. What's the designer's own website like? When was it last updated? Is there a recently-updated blog? Did you learn anything about design from visiting their website? Does their site offer a downloadable incentive to encourage e-mail sign-up and long-term relationships? Does the site project a unique, appropriate image?
   
   
3. Do their previous blogs and websites tell a full story in the home page opening screen? Analyze their previous work from a usability point-of-view. Beware of sites that require extensive home page scrolling before the visitor benefits become obvious. Watch out for sites that use fancy video animations to camouflage the lack of a thought-out message.
   
   
4. When visiting site examples, is it easy to locate information and sign-up for e-mail newsletters or tips? Look for "sticky" sites that stress the benefits of building an on-going relationship. Look for examples of sites that educate and engage rather than trying to "close a sale" on the first visit.
   
   
5. Are you willing to show me how to update my blog after you set it up? Authors simply cannot afford the costs and delays inherent in a "hostage" website. It's imperative that your designer be willing to educate you on the basics of adding and deleting content, including creating landing pages and changing the incentive. Look for designers who want to empower you, rather than lock you into a lifetime of future revenues.
   
   
6. Are you comfortable with the designer's fees and terms? What's included? Does the fee cover everything needed for a blog-based author platform? Basics include a downloadable incentive, autoresponder, e-mail and shopping cart capability, a few additional background pages, plus training in adding posts, responding to comments, and creating additional landing pages?
   
   
7. What's the typical project turnaround time? Do you have a formal process, or systems in place, to move the projects forward as quickly as possible? Inefficiency is certain to result if every blog involves a "reinvent the wheel" situation.
   
   
8. What happens when you're not around? Do you have a back-up? Who will be there to help me if something goes wrong and you're not around because you're traveling. Without a team behind them, freelance graphic designers may leave you vulnerable if they get busy or become ill.
   

Checklists and worksheets
When working with my coaching clients, I encourage clients to download and print out a copy of my Designer Qualification Checklist which, as a reader of this blog, you can download for free (no registration required).

Hint: print copies on 3-hole punched paper. Print a different copy for each of the designer's you're interested in, and fill it out by hand as you visit their own website and other websites they've designed.

After you're through, you can store the filled-out worksheets in a 3-ring binder with all of the other worksheets and forms you use to plan, write, promote, and profit from a published book.

About Roger C. Parker
Roger C. Parker is a popular book coach and author of over 30 "how to" books. At his www.publishedandprofitable.com website, and his daily writing tips blog, he offers resources (including free weekly teleseminars) for planning, writing, promoting, and profiting from nonfiction books by breaking big projects, like books, into a simple tasks.

Roger C. Parker On Deck

I wanted to drop a quick post to everyone letting you know that I have an exciting post from a top marketing expert. Roger C. Parker will be talking to us about how to choose the right designer to set up your author platform. You won't want to miss it! That's tomorrow morning.

I have enjoyed my time with my family over the last couple of weeks, but I am eager to get back into the grind of things with my blog and videos as well. We will kick off my return to work with Roger's post tomorrow.

Oh, many of you know that I am from Indy. Even though it was hard to see the Colts lose the Super Bowl, it couldn't have been against a better team. Congrats to the Saints and to the city of New Orleans. They are a class act all the way and certainly deserve the honor of being world champs.

Tony Eldridge

Do-It-Yourself Marketing by Jerry B. Jenkins

It's Tuesday, and that means it's time for our guest post for the week. Today, I am thrilled to introduce you to one of the most prolific writers I have met. Jerry Jenkins will be sharing his rich knowledge on Do-It-Yourself Marketing for authors. Jerry has written over 175 books, having sold over 70 million books worldwide, including co-authoring the popular Left Behind series.

I have been way from the computer for a few days, and it looks like my access may be spotty again until next Monday, but I did want to take a few moments before we get to Jerry's post for a couple of quick announcements.

1. If you have not had a chance to sign up for my free Marketing Tips For Authors Video Tips, you can do so now and I will start you off with access to over 45 minutes of Tips when you sign up.

2. I also want to let people who are following the film project of my book, The Samson Effect, know that you can check its IMDb page to keep track of what's going on with it's progress. This is the page that the film producer told me he will update for people to publicly keep track of what's going on with it.

And now, on to Jerry's post...


Do-It-Yourself Marketing
by Jerry B. Jenkins

There are two ways to see your books fly off the shelves: 1—write a book that becomes a phenomenal bestseller, providing your publisher with enough resources to promote and advertise it without limit, or, 2—take advantage of every avenue available to push your own book.

Imagine what might happen if you're successful at number 2. (See number 1 above.)

Believe it or not – and fortunately I know this from personal experience – the books you see heavily advertised and promoted by publishers were big sellers before they qualified for those marketing dollars. Sure, some titles by established authors get more promotion dollars up front, but to justify significant campaigns, a book has to prove to be a big seller first.

Every so-called name author you've heard of (with the exception of people who happen to pastor huge churches or have radio or TV ministries was once where you may be: unknown and unpublished. That you now recognize their names means that somewhere along the line, something went right for them.

Little surprise, if a newcomer's book is going to be heavily promoted, the author is going to do most of the work. If you're not prepared for that, your publisher will be less interested.

So you have a book and a publisher. Now what?

With Twitter, Facebook, and all the other ways to communicate with the masses, it's time to get busy.

A few tips:

Check out www.StartaWildFire.com. Rob Eagar puts out a newsletter, The WildFire Report, that he calls "Book Market News You Can Use." He also provides services for authors, like coaching on how to build your platform, website and social networking advice, as well as services for publishers.

Tyndale House Publishers offers their authors "Top Ways to Be a Super Self-Promoter," which recommends books like:

Author 101 by Rick Frishman and Robyn Freedman Spizman

Plug Your Book! Online Book Marketing for Authors by Steve Weber

1001 Ways to Market Your Books by John Kremer

A Savvy Author's Guide to BOOK Publicity by Lissa Warren

Tyndale also recommends that you be available to your publisher, partnering with them and helping them by providing them with lists of media and personal contacts, writing an opinion editorial on the subject of your book, and giving them with anything else they ask for.

They also urge you to create a relationship with your local bookstore and library, write articles and even create discussion questions based on your book, make contacts with local media, launch a website dedicated to your book, make use of e-newsletters and a blog, urge readers to review your book on Amazon.com and take advantage of Amazon's many tips for writers, develop your speaking ability and make yourself available for such opportunities. They also list tips for how to be a good interview subject for radio, TV, phone, in print, and on web chats.

All publishers urge you create buzz through web campaigns, mass mailings, attending conferences and trade shows, and finding author-centered websites that feature new books.

Find publishers you like on line and ask for their self-promotion hints. You'll be surprised how many will send them, even if you're not one of their authors.

One of the better publications for authors is The Book Marketing Expert Newsletter, which describes itself as "all about successful publishing and powerful promotion." Its editor is Penny C. Sansevieri (penny@amarketingexpert.com).

I found one of their recent issues chocked full of usable stuff on such subjects as:

Their new Author's Edge Book Marketing Program, Branding, Tweeting, Marketing Your Book Event Yourself, Blogging, Penny's blog on The Huffington Post, and much, much more.

These are just a few resources that barely scratch the surface of the plethora of tools available to the enterprising writer. No one knows or cares about your book as much as you do. You owe it to yourself and to your work to take advantage of every avenue to let everyone know about it.



Jerry B. Jenkins's writing has appeared in Time, Reader's Digest, Parade, Guideposts, and many other periodicals. His 175 published books have sold more than 70 million copies worldwide. He owns the Christian Writers Guild and Jenkins Entertainment, a filmmaking company. He serves as a contributing editor to Writer's Digest.

10 Truths About Self Marketing, Like It Or Not

In today's post, we are going to look at a few "truths" that surround marketing yourself, your book, or your business. When I talk about "self" market, I am talking about being in the position where you are responsible for any marketing that you will receive; you pull the trigger, you make the calls. You own the business or the responsibility to get things done rest squarely on your shoulders.

I will be the first to tell you that this list may be highly subjective. I don't doubt that many will disagree with what I say. I also believe that many marketing veterans will have more items to add to this list. That's OK. I am fine with that. The purpose of this list is to help a new author or business owner know what's waiting for them.

I hope that if this list does nothing more, it will help marketers think about what awaits them. In doing that, my hope is the list will help them reflect, and maybe make better decisions as they look for marketing success.

• Your Success Is Dependent On You Alone- Don't get me wrong, you will meet a lot of people who will help you, especially if you help them. People, for the most part, are genuinely good and they want to see others succeed. But when it's said and done, you can't hang your hopes on someone else if you want to be a success. Your success will be solely dependent on you. If you don't succeed, you have no one else to blame. The ability and willingness to take responsibility is a perennial hall mark of success. That will not change when you take up the challenge to market yourself.
  
  
• Things Will Only Get Done If You Do Them- Are you a "big picture" person? Do you have lofty dreams that you believe your marketing activities can help you achieve? If so, great! I applaud you. All successful people have the rare ability to think big and make it happen. The challenge is not in the dreaming big; it's in the "making it happen."
  
  
• You Have To Plan Your Marketing Activities- Marketing requires that you plan. You can only get so far if you wing it. In fact, you will limit your success more than you can imagine if you don't take the time to create a marketing plan and hold yourself to it. Of course, you need to be flexible to change as situations warrants, but you still need to know how to get where you want to go.
  
  
• You Have To Do The Boring Things As Well As The Exciting Things- For all the interviews, public events, and spotlights, there are hours spent in quite solitude to lay the foundations which make the exciting things happen. There are daily grinds that must be done or you risk sabotaging your success.
  
  
• You Have To Be In It For The Long Haul- Marketing builds on itself. It's the blood that flows through your business and brand. Rarely will you have immediate success when you start to market. By committing to a long-term marketing plan, you will not only see your success come, you will see the success grow stronger and stronger over time. It's an amazing thing to have to re-evaluate your goals because you are exceeding them ahead of schedule.
  
  
• You Have To Keep Learning- Your current knowledge will only take you so far. If you want to be in it for the long haul, you have to build into your marketing plan the time and resources to add to your knowledge. Things change in every industry. By staying stagnant, you run the risk of being left behind. Dinosaurs are easy to spot and, sadly, will eventually become extinct. Continue to evolve by feeding yourself a steady educational diet that keeps you on the cutting edge of your industry.
  
  
• You Can't Give Up If Things Go Wrong- The most successful and wealthy people have seen failure. Failure is, more times than not, a necessary step in your growth process. Failure does have it's benefits for those who don't become a master to it:
  
  
  
  1. It creates patience- There is nothing like dealing with failure and learning to overcome it to produce patience.
     
     
  2. It grants wisdom- Failure can be a great school master, teaching you what to do and what not to do in the future. Some of the smartest people we meet will be smart because they learned from their mistakes.
     
     
  3. It sharpens our decision-making muscles- Failure is a type of resistance. Resistance is what builds our muscles. The same is true for our ability to make decisions. Inaction is worse than taking the wrong action (provided we learn from the wrong action).
     
  
  
• You Have To Listen To The Right People- You will read a lot of advice from a lot of people. Some will give good advice, others will not. If you consistently listen to the right people, you will start to have the success you are looking for. Seek out the people who have the success you are looking for. Anyone who is successful in even the smallest area you want to be successful in is worthy to listen to.
  
  
• You Must Know Who Not To Listen To- Sadly, there are many people who you should chart a course to steer clear of. People who discourage you from your dreams can be deadly. Most of the time, you will see that these people are the same ones who gave up on their own dreams, or worse, people who never had the courage to start to chase their dream. Also, if someone is giving you advice, look at their success. A failed business owner is not the ideal person to get advice from on how to be a successful business owner. You can almost hear their advice now, can't you?
  
  
• You Must Realize What A Privilege It Is To Live In A Time Where You Have The Opportunity To Market Your Own Products And Services- Let's face it, we live in a great time as business owners. We are connected globally and each of us has the ability to connect to a universal audience. We have been blessed to have the same opportunities that were once reserved for the nobility of eons past. Opportunity does not guarantee success, but it does make success possible.
  

My encouragement to you is to reach out and grab your dreams. Listen to others with a critical ear. Be thankful when others help you achieve success, but don't delegate your success to anyone else. Surround yourself with people who have the same success you are striving for. And remember, the buck stops here. Isn't it a great feeling to know that no one else can take that buck from you?

Surprise! Branding Is Not Always About Your Book By Carolyn Howard-Johnson

Today's guest author is no stranger to Marketing Tips For Authors. Carolyn Howard-Johnson is back to share her wisdom with us. In today's post, she talks about the importance of creating a brand as an author. It's my pleasure to bring you this excerpt from her book, The Frugal Promoter.


Surprise! Branding Is Not Always About Your Book
by Carolyn Howard-Johnson
An Excerpt from The Frugal Book Promoter: How to Do What Your Publisher Won't

Branding is not advertising, nor publicity, not even general
exposure. It is how all of your efforts, working together, coalesce
into the public's perception of who you are, what you do.



Poets and Writers Magazine reports that Riverhead Press, ZZ Packer's publisher, "Bank(ed) on . . . .name recognition" when they sent her on a 10-city tour in 2003, something that the press's publicist maintains is a rare occurrence for a first-time author.

It is unlikely that you will have the name recognition that your, your publisher or publicist can count on when your first book comes out. Not unless you are already a known expert and are writing a nonfiction book allied with that expertise. Or unless you've been working on a platform way before your publisher or publicist is ready to make such decisions.

These are the reasons why it is never too early to start promoting your career. Notice, I said career, not book. Your early publicity efforts should be aimed at who you are, your expertise and any writing you did (or are doing) before your book was but a shadow of an idea in your head.

Even with a general background in PR and experience in another specialized field of publicity (fashion) I fell into some gigantic publicity pitfalls. One of the worst: I put my book—my passion—first.

One day I realized that I was the one that I should be branding instead of my book. I was putting together a business card on www.vistaprint.com. I'm not very computer savvy and I couldn't get my book cover of This Is the Place to load. I had seen many business cards for real estate professionals that used their photos so I did the same. Then I thought, "Well, it's OK because I won't have to do much redesigning when and if I complete another book." Lightning! Of course I would write another book! And of course, when I think of my favorite books it usually isn't the title I remember, but the author's name! In fact if that author had written quite a few books—I might not be able to name more than one of them.

Even after this flare of clarity, I was reluctant to give up my focus on the name of my book because This Is the Place is a metaphor at several levels. The place is, of course, Utah, my beloved home where I was born and raised. Place refers also to the farm where my protagonist goes to learn more about herself, but it also refers to that singular spot inside each of us where we must go to find the courage to follow our own passion rather than those indicated by others. That's when I realized that I wouldn't have to change the name of my Web site for it, too, was a place, the place, in fact, for learning more about me and my books. I since outgrew that Web site (I needed control over adding and deleting my own content!) but it worked for nearly six years.

Some of the most focused companies in the world, like Coca Cola, use several related approaches to branding themselves.(Coke is it! The Real Thing!) Branding is not necessarily an all or nothing proposition. I am working fervently on promoting my passion, a campaign against prejudice of all kinds (gender, race, religion, body type, nationality and on and on). It matters not where my books are set or their names, "The Place" will always be that place inside of each of us that is very much like the place in the person we think we don't like for whatever reason. So a page on my new site will be carry this header.

You are after the same kind of universal approach to your branding. It's okay if you aren't a Johnny One Note. In fact, it's preferable. The last thing you want to do it narrow your efforts to a single title, even the name of a single series. Not even a single genre.

As it turned out, my second book, Harkening, is not a novel, but a book of true short stories. I'm glad I didn't brand myself too narrowly because stationary or business cards that say "novelist" wouldn't fit for that nor would it have fit for my how-to books for writers. A few years later, "novelist" or even "writer of fiction" wouldn't work for my poetry chapbooks, either.

This may seem like nit picking, but, in terms of branding, even one word can be important and an author working on a PR campaign will continue to refine his or her approach. That's another reason why you don't want to have too many postcards, business cards or bookmarkers printed at once. In the future, you may be turning corners you never visualized.

Here are some aspects of branding you'll want to consider.

• Decide what you want your brand to say.
  
  
  
  1. Take into consideration what you might do in the future. Your first book may be a romance but if you choose a red hot image and decide to write a literary book, you will have chosen your brand unwisely
     
     
  2. Certainly you'll want to consider tie-ins to your writing or business career from your prebook days if they will contribute to the picture you are trying to paint.
     
  
  
• Consider general branding as you design your Web site and other promotion materials.
  
  
• A look that coordinates your author's stationery, cards, invoices, your Web site and bookmarks is part of branding. So is your voice mail greeting, your e-mail signature, the look of your instant messaging and more. Wait, however, until just before your book is released to implement most of these efforts.
  
  Hint #1: Once your publisher has firmed up your title
  begin to think about a banner or logo for the book to be used on Web sites. If you are not handy with a computer, try T.C. McMullen's graphic talents: http://tc_mcmullen.tripod.com/editorialservices/
  or Brenda Weeaks, br_we@sbcglobal.net.
  
  Hint #2: You don't need a book or a title to settle on a logo for your stationery, etc. Your logo should fit into your general branding concept and that might be something as simple as an attractive rendition of your initials.
  
  
• Work now on making yourself into an expert based on something related to your book. Choose the broadest brush possible. Tolerance is broad and it (or the lack of it) is constantly in the news. Book promotion is less general but that's OK. It's a nice niche market. Novelist Tony Eldridge has used that niche to good advantage.
  
  
• When you're making these decisions, follow your star. It will be easier to follow though on a subject for which you are passionate.
  
  
• Don't be afraid of widening your path. This is akin to building a reputation. You wouldn't want to be known only as honest among dozens of traits you aspire to.
  
  Hint: This rule changes when your book is about to be published. Then you will want to specifically target the audience and media that will be most receptive to that specific work, but only for a while. It won't be long before you'll need to pick up a fatter brush that holds more paint.
  

----------------------

Carolyn Howard-Johnson is a multi award-winning novelist, short story writer, poet and author of nonfiction books for writers. She is also an instructor for UCLA Extension's Writers' Program and has shared her expertise at venues like San Diego State's world renowned Writers' Conference and the Sinclair Lewis Writers' Conference. She was recently awarded Woman of the Year in Arts and Entertainment by the California Legislature and her city's Ethics award for her work on promoting tolerance. Her HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers have won USA Book News' Best Professional Book awards, the Irwin Award, Reader Views Literary award and her marketing campaign for THE FRUGAL EDITOR won a New Millennium award. She writes a blog that was chosen Writer's Digest 101 Best; it is www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com Another helps writers present whistle-clean copy, www.thefrugaleditor.blogspot.com. Her Web site is: http://www.HowToDoItFrugally.com.

Effective Book Marketing By Sharyn Abbott

This week, we have another guest post by someone who really knows her stuff. Sharyn Abbott is the author of 7 books and works with authors to complete their books. Today, she covers a topic near and dear to my heart--how to find ways to leverage your book marketing power.

Before we get to her post, I wanted to let people who are following the film project of my book, The Samson Effect, know that you can check its IMDb page to keep track of what's going on.

Now, on to Sharyn's post...


Effective Book Marketing
By Sharyn Abbott


Book Signings are one of the first stops when new authors finally have their book in their hands. In truth, books signings should be scheduled for only two reasons. You want to announce to all those who know you "I AM an author!" and you want to bask in their admiration of the amazing accomplishment you have achieved.

The second reason to have a book signing is to capture media attention. One of the tactics I use with my authors is to find a well known bookstore and ask if they will sponsor the book signing event. I also mention that we will be on local TV, radio and mentioned in the local papers which will bring the bookstore extra foot traffic. This is always a bonus to them.

The reasoning behind book signings is to gain the media attention. The more the better, the more often the better.

I know most authors droll over shelf space in bookstores, but in reality, bookstores are nothing more than libraries that allow you to take books home and never bring them back. The sad reality is that more people bring books back (23% according to booksellers.com) every year. They can be earmarked, have writing in the margins and missing pages and as long as the consumer has a receipt, the books store is generally likely to give the consumer a refund.

However, author's marketing has taken a turn for the positive during the past two years. We now have access to several resources such as websites like Amazon, Facebook, Self-Growth and Goodreads just to name just a few, where authors congregate. You can enlist their help in cross promoting each other's books through an email marketing campaign. It's very effective.

Another strategy is to interview other authors in your genre. They send a notice to their database proudly proclaiming the interview date and the details in which their loyal audience may listen for free! Yes, free!

The benefit for you as an author is you'll be able to capture the other author's database! It comes back to the more people who know who you are, the more sales you’ll make.

One of my favorite marketing tactics is speaking. I will speak to any size audience and sell an average of 25% either books, CD's or previous recorded teleseminars. Each time you speak, you will want to record the presentation. Every author you interview you'll record the call. Every teleseminar you conduct, you'll have another product. Every product you have leads to more sales.

I've also managed to create a series of workshops based on my books for organizations and churches. I offer them 50% of the proceeds. They do all of the promotions, I show up and create a new audience of those interested in my topics.

You'd also be amazed at how easy it is to be booked on talk radio programs. I will typically have four interviews a month and sell between 25 and 100 books each interview.

Any author who spends ten to fifteen hours a week marketing their book will realize better than a full time income within a few short months. It takes a plan and then the discipline to follow through with the plan consistently.

Please feel free to stop by my blog for more insights.

Write on,

Sharyn Abbott
www.creativeimpressionscorp.com
www.SharynAbbott.com

Sharyn is a professional speaker and author of 7 books. She has been helping authors complete their books in six weeks, get their books out into the world and retain the majority of the book's sales value.

Two Questions to Answer For Your Best-Seller by Al Lautenslager

It's Tuesday, an that means it's time for our guest contributor. Today, I'm thrilled to introduce you to Al Lautenslager, a public speaker, author, marketing consultant and Guerrilla Marketing coach. Among his books, you may be familiar with Guerrilla Marketing in 30 Days which he co-authored with Jay Conrad Levinson and his new book, The Ultimate Guide to Direct Marketing. Today, Al will be talking to us about what it takes to make your book a best seller.

Before we get to his post, I wanted to thank everyone for the get-well wishes. I think I am finally past this bug, but it has moved on to the rest of my family. Thankfully, we all seem to be over the worse of it.

Also, for those who wish to follow the project of my book, The Samson Effect, making it to the silver screen, you can check it's IMDb page to keep track of what's going on.

And now, on to Al's Post...


Two Questions to Answer For Your Best-Seller
By Al Lautenslager


The best books are acknowledged with best-seller status. Notice that status is not one designated as best-writer. More and more people believe that there is a book inside of them and yearn to write, yearn to create, and yearn to see that book on the shelf of bookstores. None of this yearning includes the selling and marketing of the book. Selling and marketing a book makes it a best-seller, not just the writing.

Asking those yearning, two basic questions, sets the proper marketing perspective which eventually turns into the proper selling perspective which eventually causes books to fly off the shelf but it's not automatic and it's not always easy.

Here are the two questions that every best-selling author can answer and any wannabe best-selling author ought to be able to answer:

1. Who is going to buy your book?
   
   
2. Why should they buy your book?
   

These two questions sound like common sense but the development of the answers is not common practice.

In business, communicating the benefits, what's in it for the prospect, is paramount to a sale. The same goes for book marketing, "What's in it for the reader?" In business, the next logical question to answer is what benefit am I going to get from you that I wouldn't get from the competitor. That is, by definition, the competitive advantage. The competitive advantage of your book is what the reader will get from your book that they won't get anywhere else and that is why they should by your book. Developing this and honing this takes time, great thought, challenging and sometimes testing; much like a business develops their marketing.

Many times these two questions are flushed out in the proposal process but the communication of the answers is a continuous process. In Guerrilla Marketing in 30 Days, the benefits were: fresh, real world examples that matched the readers' businesses, action plans accompanying each chapter that guided the reader to implementation, and teaching readers to market without spending money, to name a few. The competitive advantage or the one that other marketing books didn't offer was the particular real world examples with the action plans. These all are very apparent now and when reading the book but when planning the marketing of the book, they were not as apparent. They needed developed. They were tested with potential book buyers and readers. They were honed to the point that it is easy to state them as done here. They were communicated over and over and over on the way to the book reaching best-seller status.

It is now going on 4 years since the first edition of Guerrilla Marketing in 30 Days was released and the book still sells well. Communication of the information stated above and getting the messages to market is never ending. Selling and marketing a book is not a flash in the pan. A good book can be sold and marketed for a long period of time. Knowing who is going to buy the book and why they will buy it turns into a continuous marketing message that results in continuous sales, more products, more books, more related ways to generate income, all making a true, "best-seller." Dig deep for the answers, ask purchasers why they bought the book, and continually test the market.