Best of Best Book Marketers Tell Secrets in Anthology

Title: Indie Author Book Marketing Success

Subtitle: Proven 5-Star Marketing Techniques from Successful Authors and Book Marketing Experts
Genre: Nonfiction/Marketing/Anthology
Published by Self-Publishing-Coach.com
ISBN: 978-0615767253
Contributing Authors: Shelley Hitz, Heather Hart, Laura Pepper Wu, D’vorah Lansky, Dana Lynn Smith, Joel Friedlander, Penny Sansevieri, Eric Van Der Hope, Lorilyn Roberts, Kristen Eckstein, Lindsay Buroker, Carolyn Howard-Johnson, Staci Stallings, and Karen Baney

Synopsis:
 

If you take a quick step into the online world, you’ll find hundreds if not thousands of websites and books all related to book marketing and from hundreds of different people and perspectives. The diversity of book marketing experts is as assorted as the books they write and market, yet each one holds an insight or two that the others might have missed.

But why do we need another book on book marketing?

“Indie Author Book Marketing Success” is unique because it brings some of the leading book marketing experts and best-selling authors from around the web all to one place. Each author writes about their own area of expertise with the hopes of help other authors be successful.

Shelley Hitz and Heather Hart from Self-Publishing-Coach.com hand-picked each of the contributors to this book – including me! Other contributors include:

· Joel Friedlander from TheBookDesigner.com

· Laura Pepper Wu of 30 Day Books

· Penny Sansevieri from Author Marketing Experts, Inc.

· Eric Van Der Hope author of “Mastering Niche Marketing“

· Lorilyn Roberts founder of the John 3:16 Marketing Network

· Kristen Eckstein, The Ultimate Book Coach

· Lindsay Buroker of LindsayBurker.com

· Dana Lynn Smith, The Savvy Book Marketer

· D’vorah Lansky author of “Book Marketing Made Easy“

· Carolyn Howard Johnson from How To Do It Frugally and the Writer's Digest 101 Best Website award winner, SharingwithWriters.

· Staci Stallings co-founder of CrossReads

· Karen Baney of Christian eBooks Today

· And from Self-Publishing-Coach.com, Shelley Hitz and Heather Hart

14 different authors

14 different marketing topics.

The book marketing journey is one that every successful author must take in his or her own way. There is no one way to market books successfully. You have to work hard and find what works best for you. Book marketing can be intimidating, let us help you find your way.

 

The official book launch for our new book is February 19^th-21^st and everyone that purchases a copy during those dates will also receive 7 free bonus gifts and can enter to win over $100 worth of free prizes.

 

You can learn more at: http://bit.ly/IndieAuthorBookLaunch

 

Self-Publishing-Coach.com is a website that offers authors free book templates, articles, newsletters, tele-classes, special reports, eBooks, webinars, podcasts, videos and other resources to help authors get published and noticed!

Shelley Hitz is the founder of Self-Publishing-coach.com and an entrepreneur, speaker, author and consultant to individuals, organizations and small businesses who want to multiply their impact through self publishing. She teaches from personal experience. Over a two year span, while working full-time, she published five books, multiple audio CDs, authored two websites that attract thousands of visitors each month, and created multiple products that she sells through her website and at her speaking engagements.

Heather Hart is a book marketing expert and Shelley’s assistant at Self-Publishing-Coach.com. She has authored and contributed to multiple books, including “A Year of Book Marketing.” Helping other authors since 2009, Heather lives in Texas with her husband and four children where she fills her days typing away on her keyboard and brainstorming new marketing ideas.

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Diane Wolf Brings Her SpunkOnAStick Experience to How-To Book

How to Publish and Promote Your Book Now
Subtitle: Publishing and Promoting Made Simple
By L. Diane Wolfe
ISBN: 9780982713952
Publisher: Dancing lemur Press, LLC
Genre: Nonfiction: How-To/Writing/Marketing/Publishing

How to Publish and Promote Your Book Now by L. Diane Wolfe delivers exactly what the subtitle promises, Publishing and Promoting Made Simple. The language, the interior design, and the choices made by the author all contribute to this basic book aimed at anyone considering publishing a book. She gives an unbiased take on the advantages and disadvantages of traditional publishing and self-publishing and publishing paths that combine the two.

She covers both traditional- and self-publishing, print and e-book setup, formatting, and distribution, finding your target audience, generating reviews and media interest, networking and developing an online presence, promotional materials and appearances. Most chapters are a bare (essential!) two to four pages. There is no clutter.  It's the perfect book for those who want an overview to begin the decision-making process. And, it is important to note, Wolfe's advice comes from long experience as the author of Circle of Friends series and SpunkOnAStick entities, a speaker, and an inspirer. 

Learn more about Wolfe and what she can do to help writing careers at http://spunkonastick.net.

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

Prolific Author Loves The Frugal Book Promoter

 

 

Title: The Frugal Book Promoter

Subtitle: How to get nearly free publicity on your own or by partnering with your publisher

Second Edition

By   Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Genre Nonfiction: How-to for writers
Publisher HowToDoItFrugally Publishing
ISBN 9781463743291

Available as paperback and on Kindle

Reviewed by Dave Menefee, originally for BookPleasures.com

 

Would you spend a nickel for the best advice you could ever receive?

If you are a writer, spending 5¢ a page for a 395-page book packed to the seams with the most comprehensive collection of established, helpful advice ever compiled would be well worth the investment. In The Frugal Book Promoter, author Carolyn Howard-Johnson details how to get nearly free publicity on your own by partnering with your publisher. Spend the $17.95 for the huge book and get your career on track for success. Carolyn not only shows you the way, she lights the trail to triumph with a blazing torch.

The book’s title may seem misleading, once you dig deeply into the thirty-two chapters and find that Carolyn’s suggestions often hinge on either the author or the publisher spending money on touting a tome. Don’t let this throw you. The Frugal Book Promoter does not pretend to be a book for an author wishing to succeed on a shoestring. Instead, Carolyn shows you how to wring the most out of your advertising, marketing, and promotional budget. For example, staging a book signing event usually entails purchasing books to sell, travel expenses, signage charges, giveaway costs, buying business cards and brochures, and laying out money on a long list of other sundry expenditures that add up to a tidy investment gamble. Here’s where Carolyn’s expertise gleaned during years of trial and error pays off: she reveals all the little tricks of the trade that can spell the difference between failure and loss or an ample return on your investment. As your mother might say, “Listen to her! She knows what she’s talking about!”

Carolyn’s massive set of revelations are divided into seven sections:

• Getting Started and Getting On With It: dealing with typical author angst.
• Plunging In: Publicity Basics Now: all about the business of promotions
• Do-It-Yourself and Partner Publicity: media releases, book reviews, media kits
• Promote Your Book by Doing What You Love: extra writing opps that can fan your flame
• You and the Media: how to handle interviews, and using the Internet
• Well Traveled, Oft Forgotten: wading into the world of retailing
• Onward and Upward: stoking the stove for even more success

In addition, the back matter contains a set of Appendices containing sample query letters, media releases, blog entries, trade show invitations, a phone pitch script, an autosignature for e-mails, and a tip sheet example.

For an experienced author who may be battle weary from years of tooting their own horn, Carolyn’s sage recommendations will enlighten him or her to hundreds of steps they may have missed that will prove more encouraging during their next tour through the trenches. For the beginning author who may feel baffled and intimidated by the mere thought of selling during a dreadful economy, Carolyn’s clever counsel should seem like a Godsend. “This book is for authors who want their books to soar and do not want their careers to languish,” she writes. “It is structured so authors can select chapters that address aspects of their marketing plan most needed at any given time.” Indeed, the book features an extensive Index that will make looking up topics a second time a snap. This is not a mere book to read; this is a guide to refer back to time and again—a battle plan for victory.

If you are an author, or if you know an author struggling over how to build buzz for their book, The Frugal Book Promoter outlays literally thousands of nitty-gritty how-tos for obtaining a foothold in a niche. As the old saying goes, “When you find your niche, scratch it!” With The Frugal Book Promoter, you can light a fire under your ambitions, pick and choose from ideas extensively developed and refined through endless campaigns, and match up your pocketbook and personality with hundreds of Carolyn’s angles for accomplishment.

~Reviewer David W. Menefee is the author of
Can't Help Falling in Love

Secret Soldier Master of Disguise
Sweet Memories
Sarah Bernhardt, Her Films, Her Recordings (Foreword by Kevin Brownlow)
Wally: The True Wallace Reid Story (Foreword by Robert Osborne)
The Rise and Fall of Lou-Tellegen
Richard Barthelmess: A Life in Pictures
The First Female Stars: Women of the Silent Era
The First Male Stars: Men of the Silent Era
Brothers of the Storm
"Otay!" The Billy "Buckwheat" Thomas Story (with William Thomas, Jr.)
Charlie O’Doone’s Second Chance
Margot Cranston The Voice in the Shadows
Margot Cranston The Secret of St. Laurent Lighthouse
Margot Cranston The Mystery at Loon Lake
Margot Cranston The Quest for the Jade Dragons
Falling Stars 10 Who Tried to be a Movie Star
George O'Brien: A Man's Man in Hollywood
A Craving for Travel II (with Jim Strong)
How to Write, Format, and Market a Kindlebook on a Shoestring Budget
His newly released book, Master of Disguise, is about secret soldier Isador Messing who  lives up to the title of the book. Terror strikes when Hitler's SS troops arrest  Messing's fiancé on the day they plan to escape Nazi occupied Berlin.  Alone and stoic in the face of utter malevolence, he launches a bold, daring, and desperate plan to liberate her. Can the remarkable Mr. Messing's one-man army triumph against all odds and win in a war-torn world gone mad?

This book is also available on Kindle.

 

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Book for Writers Does Online Tour

7 Easy Steps to Write Your Book
Subtitle: How to Get Your Book Out of Your Head and a Manuscript in Your Hands
By Ann McIndoo 

Synopsis:

7 Easy Steps to Write Your Book' teaches you how to write your book using examples and exercises. Totally interactive, the reader participates in learning how to prepare to write, creates a writer's Identity and their own powerful Writer's Power Tools. The book offers solutions for procrastination and strategies for dealing with "writer's block." The reader learns how to "Schedule Your Success" and get the book out of their head on to the paper.

Reviewed by Brenda Schinke, originally for Amazon

I recommend to all my clients who are wanting to write their book. Ann's makes writing your book fun and simple. If you think writing a book takes years, Ann's book is a must. Her easy process makes writing enjoyable. This is a must for every author to be and for those authors that took years to write their first book."

If you click the link to her book below, please "Like" Ann's book on Amazon. 7 Easy Steps to Write Your Book: How to Get Your Book Out of Your Head and a Manuscript In Your Hands! (Paperback)

 

Submitted by

Denise Cassino

"Make your book an Amazon #1 Bestseller"
Publicist & Book Marketing Specialist
303 838 3399
skype: denise.cassino
www.BestsellerServices.com
www.mybestsellerlaunch.com

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

New E-Book Helps Authors Shoot Their Books to Amazon Bestseller Lists

Amazon Categories Create Best Sellers: But That's Not All They Do by Aggie Villanueva
ISBN 13: 978-0-9825914-4-4

Genre: Non-fiction, How-to
Category: Writing, Publishing
Author's Web site
Purchase Link
Book Trailer
Press Page
E-Book

This book was an immediate bestseller in multiple categories and that status for the first seven  weeks of publication, which attests to the effectiveness of this book.

Synopsis:

This e-book is the most comprehensive help you'll find in using the simple techniques offered through Amazon's category choices, leading to your book to not only become a category bestseller but also make many of Amazon's other top-100 lists.

Further, this book discusses background Amazon strategies and controversy affecting authors while attempting to understand and utilize it on many levels. A fellow author's probe into the machinations of Amazon's mega-publicity engine. It attempts to understand Amazon Book Store's multi-leveled promotional core with no legal lingo, no geek speak."

Amazon created an ingenious marketing engine that drills through several layers of free and automated publicity, each layer completely unique, and each layer reaching millions of readers every minute of every day.

They have wisely structured their site for auto-promotion, promotion and more promotion applied to each book without bias. But few authors are aware of the tendrils of opportunity extending from your sales page to your target audience. And those lead to more and those lead to more and...

Even lesser known is that it all starts with categories.

Categories are the inverted pyramid point from which nearly every top-100 list is drawn. Mess up your categories and you'll never rank in most of Amazon's lists, including bestselling.

What people are saying:

"This book is a little jewel. Aggie Villanueva changes your perspective of Amazon from that of an online book store to that of an author publicity machine. Amazon.com like its namesake - is a large, unfathomable, murky river with many secrets and many treasures. This book shines a light on one such secret - using the categories function on Amazon to create best sellers. This little book is essential reading for authors ... even those who hate Amazon!"
Vikram Narayan, CEO BookBuzzr.com.

“I’ve been in the kindle ebook publishing game for a number of years now, have learned a lot, but after reading this Kindle book, it made me realize there is still tons of stuff I don’t know – and need to know. I also already had a basic understanding about Amazon categories – but Villanueva has obviously been combing through Amazons methods and policies – analyzing everything in critical detail, and what she has discovered is significant and important.”
Ken Korczak, Reviewer.

About the Author:

Aggie Villanueva  is a Bestselling, Award-winning Author & Marketing Specialist, and owner of Promotion a la Carte author marketing services. She also owns My Book Marketing Systems where authors get their mobile app affordably.

Aggie Villanueva 575.268.6095 aggie@promotionalacarte.com Skype: myaggie2
Promotion a la Carte, Promotional Menu of Choice: Promoting Authors & Celebrating Books

My Book Marketing Systems: Learn why you need your own author app
SUBSCRIBE TO LEARN ALL ABOUT BOOK PROMOTION & OUR PROMOTIONAL SERVICES

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

Marketing for Writers Book Gets 5-Star Review from Veteran Reviewer

The Frugal Book Promoter

Subtitle: How to get nearly free publicity on your own or by partnering with your publisher
By Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Author's Web site: www.howtodoitfrugally.com
Genre: Nonfiction/How-to/Business/Book Marketing/ Book Promotion/PR
Available paperback/Kindle www.budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo

Reviewed by Robert Medak

The Frugal Book Promoter is a book every author needs in their library for consultation when promoting their book without spending every dime in their piggy bank.

This copy of The Frugal Book Promoter is a revised and expanded work by Carolyn that tells it like it is as only she can.

This reviewer read and reviewed the original copy of The Frugal Book Promoter, but his copy holds even more information than the original with links to more information, people you might want to contact for help with book covers and marketing your book, which authors need to take on in today’s publishing environment.

It is a sad fact, that publishers are not what they used to be as far as publicity and marketing for your book. More responsibility rests on the shoulders of authors for getting out and making your book sell. The more you can do on your own will save you money, which most authors do not have for hiring a publicist or marketer. It is now up to the author to learn how to do this.

Yes, authors are no longer just authors. They are authors, salespersons, marketers, publicists, and anything else to get their book into the hands of readers.

In The Frugal Book Promoter, authors will find frugal ways to market and promote their books.

Authors need to add The Frugal Book Promoter to their required reference books in writer’s library.

This reviewer highly recommends The Frugal Book Promoter as a must read for anyone thinking of writing a book and getting it into the hands of readers.

The Frugal Book Promoter receives a five out of five star rating from this reviewer who is adding it to other reference books in his library.

~Robert Medak, Freelance Writer/Editor/Reviewer/Marketer

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

Great Marketing Advice: Zero Stress Selling

Title – Zero Stress Selling: 5 No-Fail Strategies to Get More Clients and Fill Your PracticeAuthor – Sue KassonAuthor's website link – http://www.zerostresssales.com Genre or category – Business, Sales, MarketingISBN – B006LQUAAM (Kindle)
Available on Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Sue-Kasson/e/B006MMJHRM/

Your journey towards your thriving, full and successful practice will be simple yet practical – 5 no-fail strategies to help you achieve your goal of filling your practice with your ideal clients. You will learn the no-fail strategies of building your list, selling your services, doing profitable teleseminars, creating products, marketing with articles and how to connect with joint venture partners.

Zero Stress Selling is written for:

·       Business owners

·       Female business people

·       Solopreneurs

·       Entrepreneurs

·       Salespeople

·       Other Business and Sales people

Some of the topics you will find in Zero Stress Selling include: 

·       Developing a Zero Stress sales system

·       Strategies to build an effective email list

·       Strategies to hold profitable teleseminars

·       Strategic article marketing

·       How to participate in joint ventures

·       How to find effective and appropriate joint venture opportunities

You may wonder why Sue Kasson is qualified to write about these topics. Here is some information about her background.

About Sue Kasson

Sue specializes in helping coaches, Soloprenuers and Professional Service Providers get more clients by having relaxed, authentic and confident client enrollment conversations. She is on a mission to help business owners fill their practices and learn to enjoy getting clients without stress or fear. Sue has a 20+ year sales and sales management background with several Fortune 500 companies and, in the last 11 years, has trained and coached hundreds of people to help them get more clients and sell more of their products and services.

What Are People Saying About Sue Kasson and Zero Stress Selling –

“Great Strategies… A Must Read….”

“Follow these strategies, and your business will be busier than you could have ever imagined.”  Emma Garcia

“Clear, Concise and Extremely Helpful….”

“I like that each strategy was broken down in a way that made it easy and realistic for me to do. Each chapter is worth it’s weight in gold…” Susan Woods

“A Gem of a Book”
“This book reads as a detailed, step by step guide on how to make your business thrive with clientele!” Tracy from Canada

“Advice to Live By”

“… what I found inspiring in this book is how the author uses her personal experience to distill the basics of marketing down to clear, easy to understand and practical lessons.” Jeff

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

How-To for Authors Reviewed by Novelist Sarah Pinneo

 

Review: The Frugal Book Promoter, 2nd Edtion
Subtitle: How to get nearly free publicity on your own or by partnering with your publisher
By Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Winner USA Book News Best Business Book in Publishing/Writers Category
Available for Kindle, http://budurl.com/FrugalBkProKindle
Paperback, http://budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo

Reviewed by Sarah Pinneo

I knew I was in strong hands even before I'd opened the mailer containing The Frugal Book Promoter by Carolyn Howard-Johnson. Affixed to the mailing envelope was a very large address label which contained tiny thumbnail images of several of Howard-Johnson's books. As the clever label showcase suggests, The Frugal Book Promoter's author is very thorough.

Weighing in at 416 pages, the book is meant to be a broad survey of twenty-first century book promotion opportunities, covering both fiction and non-fiction. The ideal reader is a motivated author who has already learned a bit about the subject, who could yet benefit from a good primer. For example, if you've read enough to know that you may need a "media release" and "media kit," this is the book which will tell you precisely how--and why--to write one. The tone of the book is that of a knowledgeable aunt who has been around the block frequently enough to have thought the journey through. Dozens of promotion ideas covered: retail opportunities, conferences, media interviews, awards.

The first part of The Frugal Book Promoter helps an author frame her thinking around what book promotion can and cannot accomplish. I particularly enjoyed the short chapter about whether or not to hire a publicist, and also the chapter on being interviewed, and how to be a good radio/TV guest. Because the book tackles so many subjects at once, however, every chapter is short. This book is the #101 survey course, and I sometimes found myself wanting to know more advanced details before I was swept on to the next topic.

If you'd like to peruse the universe of book promotion ideas, this book is for you.

Disclosure: I received a copy of The Frugal Book Promoter when I expressed the desire to review it. You can find more about Ms. Howard-Johnson at www.howtodoitfrugally.com. The book is $17.95 in paperback on Amazon or $9.95 as an e-book.

 

~Sarah Pinneo is the author of Julia's Child, a novel.  She blogs at Blurb is a Verb here on Blogspot.
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

Self-Publishing Secrets from Penny Sansevieri

Get Published Today

Subtitle: An Insider’s Guide to Publishing Success

By Penny C. Sansevieri

Publisher: Wheatmark 2011

ISBN: 9781604945591

Nonfiction/ (Writing/Publishing)

Contact Reviewer: hojonews@aol.com

               Let the Expert Make an Expert of You

Marketing Guru Shares Publishing Secrets

Reviewed by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, award-winning author of This Is the Place and Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered, Tracings, a chapbook of poetry and the How To Do It Frugally Series of books for writers and retailers.

Many of my consulting clients first come to me because they’ve self-published or used a partner publisher and run into some serious mistakes (and misunderstandings) along the way. When Dan Poynter endorsed the second edition of my Frugal Book Promoter (http://budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo) he noted that “The most expensive parts of book promotion are the mistakes.” That’s true of publishing a book, too.

In Get Published Today, Penny C. Sansevieri has written a definitive book on self-publishing. One glance at the Contents (a reliable resource for being reasonably sure a book will give us the information we need), tells us this book will do the job for any author who has chosen the self-publishing route because they don’t want to bide their time during the long and emotionally strenuous agent/traditional publishing route. Or they know that self-publishing is the best way to make more money for their particular title.

Sansevieri covers the basics in the first section, “Let’s Get Published.” In fact she even covers the different publishing models that will help a writer make the best choice. She doesn’t neglect the publishing process, discussions of where you can get help and what you’re likely to need help with.

The third section works at convincing authors that marketing is indeed part of publishing—an essential part. Thank heaven for that! After the thorough job she does of helping a writer bring their book to market, what would be the point of letting it languish!

I am a big proponent of learning by reading. Any author considering the self-publishing route should have a go at this book. The information in it will stand them in good stead no matter what publishing decisions they finally make. The more any writer knows about the publishing world, the less chance there is of having unrealistic expectations, the less chance of making those expensive mistakes.

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson’s first novel, This is the Place, has won eight awards. Her book of creative nonfiction Harkening, won three. A UCLA Writers' Program instructor, she also is the author of another book essential for writers, USA Book News' Best Professional Book , The Frugal Book Promoter: How to get nearly free publicity on your own or partnering with your publisher to get nearly free publicity on your own or by partnering with your publisher (http://budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo). The second in the HowToDoItFrugally series, The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success (also a multi award-winner) covers writing successful query letters and includes helpful hints from twenty of the nation's top agents. Purchase it at Amazon, http://budurl.com/TheFrugalEditor.  Learn more at her Web site http://HowToDoItFrugally.com.

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

Writers' Tricks of the Trade: Carolyn Howard-Johnson gives marketing advice

The Frugal Book Promoter: Second Edition
By Carolyn Howard-Johhnson
Author's Web Site: www.howtodoitfrugally.com
Author's Sharing with Writers Blog: www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com
ISBN: 97814637743291
Cover Design: Chaz DeSimone
Designer's Web Site: www.chazdesimone.com
Genre: Nonfiction: Writers/How-To/Marketing

Reviewed by Morgan St. James originally for the Las Vegas Examiner

A few years ago I met author, promoter and writing instructor Carolyn Howard-Johnson when she presented workshops at the Las Vegas Writers Conference. We’ve since become friends and follow milestones in each other’s careers.

Carolyn is the author of books that are tremendously helpful, particularly for the writer who must stay on a budget. One of her books, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won’t, is on my own bookshelf with lots of bright orange sticky notes marking passages that I go back to again and again. It is also listed in the bibliography at the back of my new book Writers’ Tricks of the Trade: 39 Things You Need to Know About the ABCs of Writing Fiction. As you can tell, I cherish her solid advice.

Her books that relate to the real world

In this tight economy and fierce competition for the readers’ dollars, we need every edge we can possibly find. In Carolyn's new book, The Frugal Book Promoter: How to Get Nearly Free Publicity On Your Own Or Partnering With Your Publisher, she relates to the dynamic changes that have occurred over the past few years in the way we do business. I was fortunate enough to receive an advance copy and delighted to see that one of the people she dedicates this book to is Trudy McMurrin, a very talented editor I had the pleasure of knowing. Trudy influenced the way many writers developed their skills, and her life was claimed by cancer much too soon in 2009 .

Here is why I suggest adding Carolyn’s books to your writers’ library.

She approaches her topics in plain language, something I really like, and fills them with real-world common sense. I do that, in my own books and columns because hyperbole and lofty writing are not the way to teach in my opinion.Give me plain talk any day!

She doesn’t advocate that the author “run willy-nilly” and break the rules of PR (public relations.) Instead, she says as a creative author you can take the rules and turn what might have been the tinkle of bells into the sound of timpani for everyone you want to reach. She further states that the idea that authors can’t promote is anything but the truth, and cites Mark Twain as one of the best at putting himself out there.

There are two big words the author needs to have at the front of their consciousness at all times: branding and networking. In simple language, figure out who you are—your strengths, who you want to reach, how you want them to perceive you which will give them a reason to believe they can’t go one more day without putting your book in their collection. Then network, network, network. The best branding in the world is no good if the message isn’t circulating.

It reminds me of the bit of advice I always spout.

No one is going to knock at your door and say, “I understand you just wrote a book. Please let me buy a copy.” Of course, it could be Aunt Sadie who lives close by because your mother just told her about the book, but that's not reaching your market.

Let the world know what you’re doing and enlist the help of others to spread the word.

The new edition of The Frugal Book Promoter is broken down into well organized sections:

• Section I Getting Started and Getting On with It
• Section II Plunging In: Publicity Basics Now
• Section III Do-It-Yourself and Partner Publicity
• Section IV Promote Your Book by Doing What You Love
• Section V You and the Media
• Section VI Well Traveled, Oft Forgotten
• Section VII Onward and Upward

This book is an absolute treasure trove and with two new books to promote myself, I can’t wait to start marking the pages and putting her sage advice to use.

The release of her new book will be announced in this column, on my blog and in the newsletter. Incidentally, Carolyn Howard-Johnson is a guest contributor for the October issue of the Writers’ Tricks of the Trade Newsletter. SUBSCRIBE to the Writers' Tricks of the Trade blog for posts and newsletters to be delivered to you automatically when published.

~For more information about Morgan St. James, visit www.morganstjames-author.com website or the Silver Sisters Mysteries website. Morgan frequently speaks and gives workshops for published and aspiring writers at conferences and events. Her next appearance will be at Partners in Crime, Sydney, Australia on September 11. Information on her website.

Because of the popularity of Writers' Tricks of the Trade, she has recently added a blog, newsletter and the just-released Writers’ Tricks of the Trade: 39 Things You Need to Know About the ABCs of Writing Fiction book., available in paperback, eBook and Kindle. The hilarious third Silver Sisters Mystery, Vanishing Act in Vegas, was also released in August.

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :