How to get people saying "A friend of mine has just written a book" by Shelagh Jones

It's Tuesday and that means we have the pleasure of reading the advice from a guest author on this blog. Today, Shelagh Jones will explain how you can get people excited about mentioning your book to everyone they know.

Before you read Shelagh's post, make sure you sign up for my free video tips newsletter. You get how-to videos created to help you with some of the more technical aspects of marketing your book on the Internet.

Also, make sure you check out my newest marketing training product, Conducting Effective Twitter Contests. You'll learn a lot more than how to conduct contests; you'll learn things like how to find Twitter followers, how to build relationships with your peers that can lead to more joint venture opportunities, how to harness the power of the search engines to market your book, how to drive qualified traffic to your blog or website, and a whole lot more.

Now, on to Shelagh's Post...



How to get people saying "A friend of mine has just written a book....."
by Shelagh Jones

"Hi Mum! A friend of mine has just written a book, and I think you'd like it. Go and check it out....."

Wow! Is there any more powerful call to action than someone you know really well, and who knows you, recommending that you look at a book they've just read?

I don't think so – and creating as many opportunities as possible for this to happen is my Marketing tip for you today.

Many authors are now realizing the power of having other people spread the word about their books, and are deliberately thinking about how to connect with those people right from the book being no more than the proverbial "twinkle in their eye".

So how on earth do I do that, I hear you thinking.

It's all about making connections with people who resonate with you.

I'm not talking here about building a huge Twitter list with an automated tool.

I'm talking about making real connections because of shared interests and, equally important, shared values.

You do this primarily for the enjoyment of the experience of meeting new people, interacting with them, and sharing "stuff" with them.

But then, when the time comes to spread the word about your book, you have this network of people who know you, who "get" you, and who are only too pleased to help when you ask them to tell the people they know about your book.

So how do you find these people?

Well, it's straightforward enough if you are writing a book about a specific topic. Any of the social media places are full of groups and forums dedicated to almost any area of interest. Joining some of these places and entering into the discussions is a great way to establish yourself as someone with knowledge of whatever your book is going to be about.

They are also great places to test out some of your ideas and maybe even share a chapter or two and get feedback which can help you improve your book.

But if your book is not around a specific topic, and is of more general interest, then this is where you look for places where people like you congregate.

Think about:

• What you do in your "spare time"
• Where you go on a day off
• Where you shop
• How you educate your children
• Age related interests – Mom, grandparent, School governor
• Your philosophy of life

You get the idea!

The more, and more varied, the communities where you are known, the wider the reach when you go and ask for help to spread the word about your book.

And when you go to ask for that help, there is one important tip that will greatly increase the results you get.

Think about what you can offer those who help you in return.

The term "Joint Venture" describes the formalized version of this process –and it's called "Joint" because both sides benefit.

The most usual pattern is that the person with something to sell offers something of value to the person with the means to connect with a lot of people- it could be a commission, or increased exposure through the launch process.

So think about something you can offer those who you ask to help – maybe access to a special discussion group, or an action plan based on your book, or a discount at a store to buy a related product.

Knowing that you have a way to say "thank you" makes it much easier to ask for help, I find!

My own personal passion in life is for connecting people, and one of the greatest joys of running Spiritus is to see relationships develop between our members such that they help each other when one has a new product (or book!) to bring to the world.

I hope I've helped you see ways of using this sort of co-operative marketing to promote your own book.

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Shelagh Jones, Founder of Spiritus - the Spiritual Marketing Directory

Shelagh started her working life as an industrial chemist, but then embarked on a long and varied entrepreneurial career in everything from chilled food manufacturing to plastics manufacturing sales to retail.

Throughout all the changes in her life, Shelagh was devoted to the study of metaphysical teachers, and to exploring her own spirituality.

For the last 17 years she has worked in or with small businesses, and currently runs a consultancy providing sales and marketing support to SME's throughout the UK.

It was seeing the struggle of these small businesses to make their voice heard an increasingly noisy world, and recognizing the authenticity of the concept of spiritual marketing, that lead her to create the online business directory Spiritus, which connects customers and businesses in a unique manner, congruent with Law of Attraction.

Shelagh also broadcasts her "Wheel of Life" program online at Southside Broadcasting in the UK.

Shelagh lives with her husband Trevor in East Yorkshire, England in the house of her dreams – "with a view of the sun setting behind hills with trees on the skyline".

Connect with Shelagh

Spiritus - the Spiritual Marketing Directory is the place for authors to attract buyers for their books and to connect with fellow members in joint promotional ventures.

The main website is http://www.spiritus-thespiritualmarketingdirectory.com

Find out all about the Directory and join as a member: http://www.spiritus-thespiritualmarketingdirectory.com/attraction

Shelagh is on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/spiritusshelagh

The Facebook Business page is http://www.facebook.com/spiritusthespiritualmarketingdirectory

Shelagh has a personal blog associated with her radio program The Wheel of Life http://www.thewheeloflife.org