HAPPY CANADA DAY !!! HAPPY CANADIAN WRITERS!

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July 1 is Canada’s National Day, and today’s blog post is dedicated to everything Canadian. The Canadian government is supporting and fostering literature, writers and publishers, even ISBN’s are FREE in Canada!
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There is a huge list of government grants and support for writers and publishers. The Canada Council for the Arts offers a range of benefits for professional Canadian writers, collectives and publishers.  In addition to providing support for the creation, translation, publication and promotion of Canadian literature, the “Writing and Publishing Section” funds among others for example author residencies, literary readings and festivals, as well as new areas of activity such as rap poetry, storytelling and electronic literature.
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PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT BENEFITS
Just one of many provincial benefits for publishers is the Ontario Book Publishing Tax Credit, offering  generous tax deductions.
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WHERE and HOW TO OBTAIN A FREE ISBN IN CANADA
Good news for Canadian authors and publishers: the ISBN application process is simple and free of charge – but only if you are living in Canada and your publishing company is registered in Canada.
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COPYRIGHT CANADA
What Every Writer Needs to Know About Copyright. Register your manuscript or articles online to the Copyright Office, Canadian Intellectual Property Office Web site (fee Can $50).
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CANADA’s ONLINE BOOK RETAILERS
Mobile media and cloud computing emerged over the past years and enabled the e-book market to rapidly expand worldwide. These are just a few of the numerous possibilities to submit e-books in and to Canada:

Native – PowWow

http://www.Amazon.ca

http://www.Chapters.indigo.ca

http://itunes.apple.com/ca

http://www.kobobooks.com
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CANADIAN WRITERS DON’T NEED AGENTS
“You must get an agent!” is an advice that aspiring authors hear and read everywhere. Is it really true? Not for Canadian writers! Beacon Literary Services owner Julie Ferguson says: ”Publishing statistics in Canada demonstrate that it is simply a misconception caused by American influence. In Canada, only ten percent of books are agented. Aspiring and established authors here successfully submit the majority (10,000) of the titles published every year directly to editors.”  Julie Ferguson wrote a great blog post for Canadian authors, explaining in detail how publishing “north of 49th parallel” works, with a link to Publishers.ca, featuring listings and contact information for several important literary agents and agencies in Canada.

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CANADIAN SHORT STORY PRIZE 2013
Canada Writes, with partners CBC, Canada Council for the Arts, Air Canada’s enRoute magazine and “The Banff Centre”, are pleased to announce the Grand Prize winner will receive $6,000, courtesy of the Canada Council for the Arts, and will have his/her story published in Air Canada’s enRoute magazine and on the Canada Writes website. She or he will also be awarded a two-week residency at The Banff Centre’s Leighton Artists’ Colony, and will be interviewed on CBC Radio. The 4 runners-up will each receive $1,000, courtesy of the Canada Council for the Arts, and their stories will be published on the Canada Writes website.
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WRITE FOR AIR CANADA INFLIGHT MAGAZINE “ENROUTE”
Writing for airline magazines, such as enRoute represents a real opportunity for freelance writers. Travel pieces are a staple of in-flights, yet airline publications also offer articles on technology, business, sports, and food, as well as lifestyle trends. Find as much of the articles online. Or try to get hard copies. Since in-flights are not sold on newsstands, request a copy from the magazine’s publisher and ask traveling friends for their help.
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Canada Day in Ottawa

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HOW TO OPEN A PUBLISHING BUSINESS IN CANADA?
Authors are smart and able to start their own publishing business, REAL publishing, not POD and not Vanity Publishing: Finding and getting quotes or referrals for an editor, a book lay-out company or book designer, cover artist, e-book formatting company and a printer is not difficult.
Setting up their own company can be done online – in minutes.
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READING CANADIAN BOOKS and ARTICLES
English is English! – No! Not at all! Canada and America are two countries separated by a common language – this is how George Bernard Shaw’s statement could be converted. Many American (and other) readers are surprised to learn that there are huge differences in spelling between English-speaking countries. A book, written and published in Canada, needs almost to be “translated” into American English and vice versa.
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ACCESS Copyright
A study found that 80% of all copies made on copy machines are from books! As a Writer and first-time publisher, back in Europe in the early 1980′s, I was thrilled to receive a copy-royalty cheque for $180.00 from VG WORT.
Later I found out that the same system works well in Canada under the name ACCESS COPYRIGHT. One of the benefits of being a small publisher or trade-published writer in Canada! However you must have set up a small business in Canada, if you are not with an established (not Vanity) publisher ACCESS COPYRIGHT explains on their website.
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BERTON HOUSE Writers’ Retreat, Dawson City, Yukon Territory
Professional Canadian writers who have one published book and are established in any creative literary discipline(s) — fiction, non-fiction, poetry, play-writing, journalism — are all encouraged to apply for Canada’s most northern Writers’ Retreat.  The Writer’s Retreat offers writers time, and a remote location to pursue their professional projects. The writer will be housed in the Berton House at no cost in rent or utilities. Travel costs to and from Dawson will also be covered! The writer is responsible for a public reading in Whitehorse and Dawson City and a summary of their stay at Berton House.
Applications may be submitted by mail or email to: jdavies@writerstrust.com
Berton House Writers’ Retreat,  c/o The Writers’ Trust of Canada
200-90 Richmond St. East, Toronto, ON M5C 1P1
http://www.bertonhouse.ca/retreat.html

A monthly honorarium is provided to help cover food and other living expenses. The competition to be a writer-in-residency during the 2014-15 season is now open. An online application form is available.  The deadline for submissions is October 4, 2013.
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Canada Day celebrations July 1, in front of the Parliament in Ottawa, Ontario. Image courtesy NCC.
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HAIG BROWN RESIDENCY
Published authors are being invited to apply for the 2013-2014 Haig-Brown House Writer in Residence position. The residency entails spending the winter months (or a portion thereof) living in the Haig-Brown Heritage House, which is under the management of the Museum at Campbell River on Vancouver Island (BC).

The modest four bedroom house reflects the character of writer Roderick Haig-Brown and his wife Ann. Located in a peaceful setting on the banks of the Campbell River on Vancouver Island, it contains a Heritage library and is surrounded by two acres of garden and 17 acres of public parkland.

The writer’s time will be divided between pursuing personal writing projects and providing literary advice and support to the local community, and participate in Museum winter programming.  A stipend of up to $2000 per month, depending on available funding, will be provided.

Please include a resume (maximum two pages), a list of publications, a one-page proposal of anticipated community activities, and a sample of work in progress (20 pages); with reasons why the residency would further your work. Forward your application package to Sandra Parrish, Museum at Campbell River, Box 70 Stn A, Campbell River, BC V9W 4Z9. Deadline is January 31, 2014. For further information contact sandra.parrish@crmuseum.ca.
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CANADIAN WRITER ASSOCIATIONS

Writers Guild

Professional Writers Association of Canada

Canadian Writers Union

Canadian Authors Association and Branches

Crime Writers of Canada

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RCMP-officers-on-horse, courtesy NCC

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CANADA WRITER CONFERENCES

Surrey Intl. Writers Conference Oct 25-27, 2013 Surrey, BC

Guelph, Ontario Writers Conference

Writers Conference Orillia, Ontario

Ontario Writers Conference Ajax, Ontario

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WRITING CONTESTS in CANADA
compiled by Can Authors
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LIST OF CANADIAN WRITERS
Past and present writers, including poets, novelists, children’s writers, essayists, and scholars. compiled in a Wikipedia article.
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PUBLIC LENDING RIGHT PAYMENTS TO AUTHORS
Canadian authors receive approx. $10 Million per year/ in average $600, and up to $3,500 The Canada Council for the Arts distributes annual payments to Canadian authors through the Public Lending Right (PLR) Program as compensation for the free public access to their books in Canadian public libraries. Canada is one of 29 countries with an active public lending right payment program.  Well, not bad to be a writer in Canada! Happy Canada Day!

Read also:  35 things Canadians say that Americans don’t understand
http://www.businessinsider.com/canadian-slang-terms-2015-7?op=1#ixzz3ew8dB83F

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If you would like to get more support in all things publishing, have your book intensively promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only $179 for three months!  

Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars  Or visit http://www.e-book-pr.com/book-promo/  to advertise your new book, specials, your KDP Select Free Days or the new Kindle Countdown Deals.
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What Do You Have Friends For? Part 2

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Last year I wrote this article, and shortly after it was published, Amazon made one of their infamous “experiments”, removing the LIKE function on their website. It took only a couple of months, until they started to remove the TAGS from their websites, at least in North America. In the meantime these TAG function is gone on the UK sites as well… As Amazon stated this move as an experiment, I did not change the article, always hoping that they re-instate these great ranking and sales tools.
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But I guess it is safe to say, these features are gone forever, and therefore have now been deleted from the article. However there are more possibilities for your friends to help you to improve your Amazon ranking, and the article got two functions that can be used by your fans: Listmania and review-ratings.
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How friends and family can help to improve your Amazon Ranking will be a reminder how they indeed can help you so much – they even don’t need to buy your book (again), only signing up on Amazon is required. Amazon can give a great book a big boost to “be discovered”.
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These Amazon features will take only seconds, but they can make a huge difference in your books ranking – and for sure subsequently in the success of your work.   Ask all your acquaintances, fellow writers, friends and family to:
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• Write a REVIEW 
  Even if the book already has lots of reviews already. As more reviews as better for the author and as more potential buyers can see the popularity of the work. Amazon rules are against family members’ reviews.  So ask only the ones with a different name/address for a review. They need an Amazon account and at least made previously one purchase of a physical or digital item.
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• LISTMANIA:
  Amazon allows all account holders to create a “list” of their favorite things…such as books, and it is called, Listmania!  So if you have written a book, your friends and even you can create a Listmania! list, and certainly include your own book.
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• “Like” Button
  This popular feature was taken down by Amazon, first on Books in the States and Canada, then on Amazon books in Great Britain and Ireland – and now appears to be coming back, not on the books’ sites but on Authors Pages, along with Twitter and Facebook buttons.
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• “HIGHLIGHTS” in your book
  They are another item in Amazon’s algorithm list for book popularity: If you friends have a Kindle, let them highlight some wise or fun quotations from the book. Or any information they find useful in a non-fiction book for sample. If enough people share their highlights, they will show up in your e-book. Amazon will then display these so-called “Popular Highlights” by combining the highlights of all Kindle customers and identifying the passages with the most highlights. Which in turn ascents your Amazon ranking.
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• Good old-fashioned word of mouth
  Let your friends and family brag about your books, or mention it in their blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Google+ sites or in their emails with a link to your site or your Amazon page. To help them send regularly images and info about you or your books that they can copy/paste into their social media sites.
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• Help with “blurbs”
  Your friends or family members might have websites and blogs. Ask them to consider sending out a short note about your book, which can help you sell more books. If they allow you to use their words in your “praise” section on your author website.
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• Rate useful reviews:
  Amazon asks readers “Was this review helpful to you?” YES or NO?  Rating the existing reviews as “helpful” or “unhelpful” makes a significant impact. Reviews with the most “helpful” votes appear on the BUY page  “Most Helpful Customer Reviews”.
  By voting for the most informative and helpful reviews, your friends have the power to get them moved to the head of the line. Raising the position of the most descriptive reviews is especially helpful if the publisher missed to give the book an effective blurb.
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How many reviews did YOU write recently?
It’s a give and take…Compare two books with identical sales numbers: the one which has been promoted with these features is much higher in the (intern) ranks, which means it will be more featured on Amazon and subsequently will sell better in the future. If you write a review for another authors’s book, remember:  Anything less than 4-stars means: NOT recommended to the Amazon algorithms, and  2-star or 3-star reviews are going to hurt the author’s sales, no matter how much you rave in the text.  Also: a review is not an essay about your personal taste, e.g. if you liked the hero or not.  It is all about the book, not about you. Get tips how to write a review, and maybe let your friends know about it ….

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If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book heavily promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only a “token” of $1 / day for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/     Once you are on this website, click on Seminar to register.

Please feel free to check out all previous posts of this blog (there are 785 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Chime.in, Facebook, Tumblr and to StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing

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Got Already Your Amazon Website?

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Success

Many authors skip this powerful marketing tool – or don’t know about it. Once your book goes live on Amazon you are eligible for an Amazon Author Central Account – and your very own web page on Amazon.  Best of all: There is no advertising on your site, just a (great large) image of your book(s), your reviews and your book’s description.

Not only get your website a very high page rank, Author Central tools are very effective in marketing your books and promoting yourself as a published author. Use your Author Central page to provide more information for your readers: upcoming events, a complete listing of your books, more images and videos, your book trailer and even excerpts from your blog.

 

How to set up your Amazon Author Central Account
Amazon explains: once published, expect to receive an email from Kindle Direct Publishing announcing the news and inviting you to create your Amazon Author Central Account.  Note your book’s ASIN enclosed in the email. You will need this to locate your book later and associate it to you as the author.

You need a separate account, both for the UK and US versions of Amazon; you have to do everything twice, and be aware that the two versions vary slightly.

Amazon Author Central UK: http://authorcentral.amazon.co.uk

Amazon Author Central US: http://authorcentral.amazon.com
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Just sign up for free accounts on both sites, and follow the instructions to set up your page:

• Add a professional author photo (and additional photos)
• Add your books
• Add a biography (make sure to update this accordingly)
• Add a blog RSS feed (a great way to get your blog in front of new people and encourage them to follow you – currently only at the US version)
• List events, such as book readings or book launches
• Add videos (e.g. trailers for your books)
• Add your Twitter address so people can see your latest Tweet and easily follow you
• Set up the “Search Inside/Look Inside” feature
• Add your photo & biography. Be the ‘face’ of your book.
• Link your blog – Import your blog using the RSS or Twitter feed.
• View and edit the list of books you have written  – the Amazon system doesn’t always get it right. If you have written more than one book, it will link your titles together, and allow your readers to find all of your work.
• Edit your product description and about the author section, add any professional reviews you have had.
• Track Your Sales – Find out where your sales are happening using the geographic location function and find out your Amazon ranking.
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One of the biggest advantages as an Amazon Kindle published Author is your eligibility to create an Amazon Author Central Account. This means that you are offered your own web page, complete with a URL, on a powerful Amazon website just for you. Use all the space that is given to you. 

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If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book heavily promoted, and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only a “token” of $1 / day for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/  Once you are on this website, click on Seminar to register.
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Please feel free to check out all previous posts of this blog (there are 790+ of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Chime.in, Facebook, Tumblr and to StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing

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Why Authors Need Lots of Marketing Skills

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Social Media floods the market with content producers, e.g. writers. If you want to make it as a writer, you will have to separate yourself from the crowd so your work can be found and appreciated. Here are some tips for your writing success:
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# 1  is to know the industry
Even after they get a book deal, many authors are surprised to find the majority of the marketing depends on them. Get to know the publishing industry and what kind of writing sells and what can be marketed.  It will save yourself a lot of time and effort in the long run. Keep up with what’s hot by reading Writer’s Market, Goodreads or Script. Knowing the publishing field also means knowing what rights you have as an author.
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Make friends with Google+, Pinterest, Twitter and network
As a good writer, you already have the ability to write concise, interesting, and funny prose. It should be a breeze for you to build a following of people that includes literary agents and book editors that could assist you in getting the word out about your work, or even offer you a deal eventually. Don’t use this as a chance to hit them over the head with your book, yet demonstrate what a good writer you are and they will want to read it on their own. Content Marketing!
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Get to know the E-publishing route
For an unknown author, it might be the best way to get your work in front of people.  E-publishing is one way to get your material into a professional, digital format that can be downloaded. Learn how to converse your book – or hire an e-book formatting company to prepare your work for listing on the Kindle, iPad, Sony Reader etc. – but only after it is carefully edited!
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Create your own website & blog
It shows far more professionalism if you have your blog on your own website, or get a self-hostedWordPress.org page.  Consider making chapters of your writing available for free on your site, and don’t sell ads, it just looks plain cheap.  Learn how to operate a digital store.  Paypal is the industry standard for accepting payments, including the major credit cards. And to protect your customers, learn how to use save webpages and procedures (https).
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Maximize your web traffic and sell online
Maximize your visibility on search engines by using clear and accurate keywords in your site title, description, and body. To move up to the top of the search list, you need to have lots of links from other web sites to your page; submit your web pages to various sites that deal with your topic and encourage them to link their readers to you in return of the favor. Tips how to get more inbound-links.
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Create a media kit 
Microsoft Publisher is all you need to make a professional press kit to send out to newspaper- and magazine editors, radio and TV journalists, or agents. Include in your materials the market research you have done to show how many readers could profit from your new book, and include the best bits of material from your work.
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Create a book trailer*
Rent or buy an inexpensive camcorder or just use your laptop webcam. Shoot an introductory video of yourself for your site and your latest book project, or upload a highlight reel to YouTube of key points in your work. Keep it simple.  Read even more how to create a book trailer in my e-book:
111 Tips to Create Your Book Trailer, featuring valuable tips and links to video tutorials, free music downloads and free images, as well as tips how to market your book video.  Available at Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008Y15YYO
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Brand yourself as a writer.
Establishing yourself and your writing as a brand involves knowing what your core strength is. Create your “Elevator Pitch”  to convince readers why they should get your book.  Be available for: an interview for a blog or a neighborhood weekly, a “local authors” day at a small bookstore, or even speaking engagements across the country.  It may not be easy first, as being upbeat and on your game at all times requires work. Traditional media outlets like radio and TV are turning more and more towards the new wave of internet writers and bloggers.
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With the tools described here, and using social media, your book marketing doesn’t require any financial investment.  Depending on your level of involvement, it may demand  quite a bit of time commitment, at least in the beginning.  However, as more you use these marketing tools, as faster you can handle them and as more visitors and buyers you will get.
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More about Search Engine Optimization:

https://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2011/12/10/23-questions-google-is-asking-you/

https://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2011/08/12/thanks-joel/

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If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book heavily promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only a “token” of $1 / day for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com     Once you are on this website, click on Seminar to register.

Please feel free to check out all previous posts of this blog (there are 785 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Chime.in, Facebook, Tumblr and to StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing

http://on.fb.me/TvqDaK
http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

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Secret of Colors

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Psychologists have studied how people are affected by colors and found a strong correlation between colors and emotional responses. Choosing the right color is crucial in determining how your book cover, your logo or your author brand is viewed. Be also careful with the background of your portrait photo / avatar!
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Info-graphic by WebpageFX   Their advice: Nearly 85% of consumers name color as the primary reason that they purchase a particular product. 93% look at visual appearance when they buy a product and color improves comprehension, learning and readability.
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My comment:  When you choose/design a book cover, a website or a logo for your publishing business, it’s important to take into account the way people interpret color.  And be aware that colors often have different meanings in various cultures.  Read more about the psychology of color:

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/226791

http://www.colour-affects.co.uk/psychological-properties-of-colours

http://precisionintermedia.com/color

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If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book heavily promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only a “token” of $1 / day for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/
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Once you are on this website, click on Seminar to register.

Please feel free to check out all previous posts of this blog (there are 785 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Chime.in, Facebook, Tumblr and to StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing

http://on.fb.me/TvqDaK
http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

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Interview with Author Fiza Pathan

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Author Fiza Pathan

Today’s interview is with author Fiza Pathan from Mumbai, India. Fiza is a History and English teacher,  who just wrote her third book – beside many poems she has published and for which she has quite a following on her blog Insaneowl.
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Fiza, first of all thanks for talking with us!  What inspired you to start writing?
I started writing fiction stories way back in 2009, mainly to convey value based messages to young readers, stories of the Christian/Moral genre. Since college, I have always had this inclination to write and as I am an avid reader of books, I too had the desire to see my own book on my bookshelf, indicating to me that dreams do come true and ideas for the betterment of the creative soul is always appreciated.
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How did you get the idea for your latest book?
When I observe the present system of education in my country, I feel perplexed that quantity work is given more importance than quality work. Teachers are not really helping the students to think beyond the horizon. The latest book my third is a non-fiction genre, promoting the value of reading classics, unlike my earlier two fiction books. I wrote this book to spread the message of what classics have done for me, to other students.
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Does your book have any underlying theme, message, or moral?
The book is my humble attempt at trying to aid a student’s all round development by focusing everyone’s attention on the advantages of reading classic literature, which as my book states covers up a myriad of topics that can benefit any growing child towards achievement in all spheres of life.
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How would you describe your book to someone who has not yet read it?
My book is a helper or let us say, a facilitator for any educator, parent or student towards a deeper understanding of classics and how it can influence a readers life positively.
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Is there a message in your book that you want your readers to grasp?
My message to all readers is simply this, that reading classics can aid a person into a deeper understanding of him/herself, his/her potential and overall personality. Classics according to me can change lives for the better and my handbook simply tries to propagate this idea to everyone who reads the book.
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Are your characters based on real people?
All the students and teachers mentioned in my handbook are real people whom I have known personally. The students mentioned in my book are the ones whom I tutor and I enjoy every bit of time spent with such wonderful pupils.
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How much of your books are based on real life (either yours or someone you know)?
All the incidents that I have mentioned in my book are all true and based on the experiences shared by my students and by me. From their development to their love of reading, all the examples cited are true occurrences that have taken place in my tuition house over the past four years of my teaching experience.

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What would/could a reader or reviewer say about your latest book – CLASSICS Why We Should Encourage Children to Read Them – that shows they “get” you as an author?
If my reviewer/reader states that my handbook has aided them to know the importance of reading classics and has encouraged them to implement my suggestions of encourage the habit of reading classics in their children’s lives to enhance their overall potential, I think that’s when I as a writer and teacher will feel that they have understood me. Saying so in words will not mean as much to me as their acting on my advice.
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Thinking way back to the beginning, what’s the most important thing you have learned as a writer from then to now?
To be frank, I have realized that writing does not bring home a lot of money as I used to think before. It is not like the ‘paying job’ I used to think it was. However, it has its own aesthetic benefits which only a writer can understand and appreciate.
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Considering a book from the first word you write to the moment you see it on a bookstore shelf, what’s your favorite part of the process? What’s your least favorite?
My favorite part of the process would be when I am writing the book during the wee hours of the night with no one to disturb me as I fill the pages with all my feelings and experiences. My least favorite part is when I see the book on the shelf and see people checking it out. It makes me nervous and highly self-conscious…in fact, it freaks me out. I guess I have such a peculiar feeling as I am quite a recluse and a hard core introvert. People taking notice of me through my books boosts my self-esteem but also at times embarrasses me. It’s my dual self (selves?) working up, that is all, nothing serious!
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What scene or bit of dialogue in the book are you most proud of, and why?
I think the best part of my handbook which I cherish a lot is when I was penning down my thoughts about the first classic I read, which was Bram Stoker’s Dracula. That book has cultivated the habit of reading classics in me that no other book can match up to. It was through and from Dracula that I entered the beautiful and enchanting world of books that have always kept me company through the ups and downs of my life.
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If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything about your book?
No, I would not need to change anything because, I have been meticulous to note down everything that I have wanted to convey to my readers. I want to proclaim to the world the debt I owe to classic books. This world still consists of a number of bright sparks who are ready to change our future and our corrupt society for the better and I wish to inspire them.
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What genre has you not yet written but really want to try?
I want to try writing a fiction piece of the romantic genre. I have written a number of poems based on the passion and obsession in love, but I would love to pen a romantic story based on the characters I observe everyday in my life.
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How did you get published? Please share your own personal journey.
I have been fortunate as an Author thanks to the platform offered to Authors to self-publish their books. I will always be grateful to Amazon and CreateSpace (a division of Amazon) who first helped me realize my dream of being an Author. I did not have to go through the grind like other Authors have. My first book ‘S.O.S Animals And Other Stories’ was ready and published in August 2012 followed by ‘Treasury Of Bizarre Christmas Stories’ in November 2012.
I have had fruitful time writing at my own pace and earn my own living as a Teacher without anyone breathing down my neck. I was fortunate to meet the right people on the internet at the right time to aid me in my dream of seeing my book published and on the shelf. I am grateful to everyone who has made my journey as a writer, a happy and coveted one.
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What general advice do you have for other writers?
I would sincerely beseech my fellow authors that they should not devote all their resources to only writing but, try and take up a regular job as well so that the expenses of the material world can be looked after while we can still write what we wish and choose to. I have been a tutor for many years and therefore I am able to gamble with my creative writing without any tension. It is not a romantic idea to be a ‘pauper writer’ or ‘destitute author’. Times have changed and although we are artists , we need to also live in accordance with the needs of our time.
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What do you find is the best part of being an author?
Being an author has brought me a lot of recognition among my peers as someone who means business. I used to be taken for granted earlier but not anymore. People in society today are in awe of my achievements as a young author and now know that I am not just a book worm or a laid back individual, but an author with a lot of matter to contribute to society.

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What is one thing that your readers would be surprised to know about you?
My readers would definitely be surprised if they knew that I I am a multi-tasker. I can study, write, teach, read, blog and do some creative thinking all throughout the day without wasting a single minute uselessly. Yes, I am quite obsessed about not wasting time and I try to do as much concrete work as possible to allow me to go to bed peacefully at night with my workaholic conscience quite clear. I rarely enjoy myself and that’s a fact, but I like my life just the way it is.
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Where can readers learn more about your writing?  

Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Fiza-Pathan/e/B0091BCNTU

CreateSpace
https://www.createspace.com/3976262
https://www.createspace.com/4069794

Barnes & Noble
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/fiza-pathan

Bookadda
http://www.bookadda.com/author/fiza-pathan

eBooks on all major platforms:

Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Fiza-Pathan/e/B0091BCNTU

Apple Itunes
https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/fiza-pathan/id572336271?mt=11

Kobo
http://www.kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=fiza+pathan

 

Diesel
http://www.diesel-ebooks.com/index.php?page=seek&id%5Bm%5D=&id%5Bc%5D=scope%253Dinventory&id%5Bq%5D=fiza+pathan

Barnes & Noble
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/fiza-pathan

Goodreads
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16176752-treasury-of-bizarre-christmas-stories
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16113028-s-o-s-animals-and-other-stories

Sony
https://ebookstore.sony.com/search?keyword=fiza+pathan

Also available in Mumbai, India at Kitab Khana, Fort, Mumbai
Phone No: 022-22888043/022-22888041
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If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book heavily promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only a “token” of $1 / day for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/
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Once you are on this website, click on Seminar to register.

Please feel free to check out all previous posts of this blog (there are 785 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Chime.in, Facebook, Tumblr and to StumpleUpon.

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Do You Know These Writing / Publishing Resources?

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Are you sometimes scrambling for phrase ideas or marketing tips, not sure, if your query is proper written or do you want to find out where the next writing contest takes place?  All these useful information and more can be found in the following blogs and websites:
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http://www.phrases.org.uk/
The Phrase Thesaurus is a writers’ resource that stimulates ideas for headlines, copy, song lyrics, fiction writing etc. Journalists, advertising copywriters, songwriters, or anyone interested in creative writing in English, can benefit from this ideas generator. Also very interesting: Famous last words of famous people.

http://www.abookinside.blogspot.com
Amazing helpful blog where author Carol Denbow shares excellent writing, publishing and marketing tips. She gives lots of valuable info in each post – tips and expert advice, plus interviews with bestseller authors.

http://www.bookwritinghelp.com/
Chock-full of tips for aspiring writers and their publishing path.
Earma Brown is the author of 12 books including “eBook It! How to Profit from Your Passion with Ebooks & More” and “Article Marketing Speedway”: “How to put your article marketing in the fast lane to sales” as well as other inspirational non-fiction titles.

http://www.booksandtales.com/pod/index.php
This comparison chart of print-on-demand provider shows you the basics about each company. Clea Saal who runs the website also wrote a book about the process of finding a reputable POD company, the title: “The Clearly Confusing World of Self-publishing & POD.”

http://www.carolkluz.homestead.com/index1.html
Lots and lots of writers resources at the click of a button. No explanations – go directly to the companies or associations. Another site for great links is: http://resourcehelp.com/qserwrit.htm

http://www.easywaytowrite.com/articles.htm
“Becoming a Better Writer: A 10-Step Guide” is a perfect place to start browsing. The author has been helping writers and artists improve and further their careers for ten years. Fiction – What to Leave Out!, I Can’t Put It Down – How to Write Compelling Fiction, Don’t Think, Write! are some of the best blogs. Do sign up for the newsletter.

http://www.cbaybooks.blogspot.com/
Professional, valuable tips how to create a winning query. The author describes herself as: Editor/Publisher, Location Texas, United States and overworked, underpaid, with a teething tantrum-throwing toddler. What I Do: Talk about writing, submitting, publishing, and marketing children’s books and teen books.

http://www.newpagesblog.blogspot.com
Find the latest writing contests for all genres.This invaluable free blog provides news, information and guides to literary magazines, alternative media and more. Also: The best online guide to independent & university book publishers.
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Enjoy browsing through these websites and blogs. But don’t get yourself lost in it… Your book waits to be finished!  And bookmark https://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com to get even more news and info for the writers and publishers, plus tons of book marketing tips.
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If you would like to get more support in all things publishing, have your book intensively promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites – or to learn how you can make yourself a name as an author through content writing: We offer all this and more for only $159 for three months! Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars

Or visit http://www.e-book-pr.com/book-promo/  to advertise your new book, specials, your KDP Select Free Days or the new Kindle Countdown Deals.
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Please feel free to check out all previous posts of this blog (there are 970 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Chime.in, Facebook, Tumblr and to StumpleUpon.

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Kickstarter – a Way to Finance Your Book?

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Photo Petr Kratochvil
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When I discovered KickStarter on the Internet and I became one of the people who funded a community garden / small park to transform an ugly, abandoned parcel of land in a hideous downtown area into a blooming paradise, I was hooked by the idea.

Other projects that I funded followed. Then I saw that a couple of writers use KickStarter to fund their book publishing projects.  Maybe you read about the fantastic success of “The Order of the Stick” and its Reprint Drive, a comics project by Rich Burlew. He managed to raise $1,254,120 (his initial goal was only $57,750).

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Paul Jackson Art

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Or a current projects such as the coffee table book “The Wandering Watercolorist“, by Paul and Marla Jackson from Columbia, MO. which is short of its $25,000 goal – they need to raise another $4,400 till the end of the week…  Kickstarter kicks only in when 100% of the amount is raised.  Otherwise card payments from the funders will not be processed.

However, the famous KickStarter is not the only “Crowd-funding Community” on the Internet, many other have been founded in the last years – is it an answer on a small scale to Wall Street? 

http://rockethub.org

http://www.indiegogo.com

https://www.buzzbnk.org/

http://www.causevox.com/

http://www.firstgiving.com/
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Crowd-funding became popular in other countries too:
Germanys answer to Kickstarter and IndieGoGo is STARTNEXT, a non-for-profit organization. Their Crowd-funding turns people into fans and supporters. Because their joy and their help allows the creation of projects that do not yet exist – but should be! Read more about STARTNEXT on our Publishing blog in German language.
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Crowd-funding pulls together a community over the Internet to fund a project, business or cause. Rules differ from site to site. Generally an idea is pitched, a fundraising goal and a deadline are set for raising funds. Potential patrons can review the pitches and decide if there are any they would like to support. They might be rewarded if the project comes to fruition, but will not own any part of the business or project.

Start with a pitch to launch your own project, describe your project, specify what rewards patrons will receive if the fundraising is successful, and create a funding goal and a timeline.  Pledges are made with a credit card, however, the patron’s credit card won’t be charged until the project is successfully funded. If you don’t reach your funding goal by the deadline, no money changes hands.
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Here are just some of many tips to help you secure funding:

• choose the right crowdfunding site
• know your target audience & leverage your social networks
• plan ahead and prepare email blasts
• create a compelling name, description, image and video to stand out
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“The Order of the Stick” success has shown that crowd-funding can provide funding for authors at a level, equal to or higher than traditional publishers’ advances. Right now is an exciting time to be an entrepreneurial author.  Authors who went through this crowd-funding process have almost a build-in readership / book customers due to the heavy promoting for the campaign. People who funded a book, will buy it for sure!
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If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book heavily promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only a “token” of $1 / day for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/    Once you are on this website, click on Seminar to register.
Please feel free to check out all previous posts of this blog (there are 785 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Chime.in, Facebook, Tumblr and to StumpleUpon.

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Top 10 List of Advice For Aspiring Writers

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Rebellious Heart by Jody Hedlund

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Author Jody Hedlund wrote a fantastic article for aspiring writers: “Beginning novelists often struggle to know how to start a writing career and end up feeling overwhelmed.  There are some basic steps that can make the process more successful.”
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Here’s Jody’s top advice to beginners:

1. With the first book, let your creativity have free reign.
2. Finish a book.
3. Study basic fiction-writing techniques.
4. Then write a couple more books.
5. Find a critique partner/group.
6. Enter a writing contest.
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Read her full article on Writespassage.blogspot.ca where she explains the reasons behind her advice and her own experiences.
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Jody Hedlund’s conclusion: “We never “make it.” We’re never finished learning and growing. We should never stop with one book, while we wait to hear from agents and publishers. We need to write the next and challenge ourselves to make it better than the last.”

Have a close look at her blog and her website JodyHedlund.com, one of the best author websites out there.  Very professionally created and an example for writers how to present themselves (and their books) to readers and the Media.

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If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book heavily promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only a “token” of $1 / day for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/
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Once you are on this website, click on Seminar to register.

Please feel free to check out all previous posts of this blog (there are 785 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Chime.in, Facebook, Tumblr and to StumpleUpon.

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17 Smart Ways to Market Your Blog

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No matter if you are blogging just for fun or if you use it as a content-marketing tool for your books: Your achievement and success will be measured by the amount of readers and blog followers.  A mistake that many people make, is that they write new blog posts and expect that it will be magically promoted on social media right away or gain thousands of visitors on its own. This may be true for established web sites with a huge readership but for smaller web sites or new blogs it is important to spread the word.
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Use some or all of these possibilities to promote your blog – and at the same time your books:

Make it easy for readers to subscribe to your blog.
They can either use the “follow” icon if you have a WordPress blog – or if your blog is included in your website you can install an opt-in window to encourage your readers to subscribe to your email newsletter. Every time you write a new article, send them an email with an excerpt that requires them to click on the link to read the rest. Some professional email providers, such as MailChimp allow you to do this for free if you have less than 2,000 subscribers.
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Post your article on social media at the most effective time
Use tools (e.g. Hootsuite, Tweroid, Sprout Social and Buffer) to select the time when most users are online at every social media site you want to share your article on. Also tweet or post at these times about your new blog post.
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Optimize your blog article for search engines
Keywords, lots of (inbound) links, and most of all, valuable content are important for Search Engine Optimization promotion to get a better ranking.
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Submit your blog post to PDF submitting sites
With your newest article, create a pdf version of it and submit it to free top PDF-submitting websites, such as Scribd, Yudu or Calameo. Here is a list of these PDF sharing sites:
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Embrace Social Media
Add as many relevant users to your friend’s / followers list so that they can add you back. Engage on at least these social media sites, your followers will help to spread the word or re-tweet your blogs – and you can connect these social media sites to minimize “work”:

• Twitter
• Google+
• Goodreads
• Pinterest
• StumbleUpon
• Facebook
• Scoop.It
• Tumblr
• LinkedIn

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Offer guest posting
One of the best promotion methods you can do, is to guest post. Write your best article and contribute to a top blog within or close to your readers interest.
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Use as many images as possible on Pinterest
Create a large number of boards on your Pinterest profile and pin the best images from your blog post, that will contain the links to your published articles. Connect with others on Pinterest, share their content, and you will be invited to join a group board where you can post your links to new articles on the blog.
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Don’t under-estimate Flickr
Transfer several photos that relate to your blog post to Flickr and add up to 75 tags / keywords to each of them, certainly including your blog posts title.
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Signatures
Promote your newest article in the signature of every post you create on forums or communities, at least 5 times a day for effective promotion.
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SlideShare
Create a well-designed slideshow based on the topic of you newest, published article and link to it in the description and in the slideshow.
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Submit your post to RSS directories
Submit your Blog’s RSS feed to the top RSS directories and see your published article published on other blogs, automatically. TopRankBlog.com has a list of 60-80 RSS Blog Directories to list your blog for free.
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Try “Long-Tail Keywords”
Search Engine ranking has become tougher but ranking for long-tail keywords or tags (sentences that would be used to find (your) article, which is a little easier due to less competition.
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Top news sites
In certain niches, find “news-submitting” sites within the niche and submit your newest link to them.
Mashable.com, Google.com, Bing.com for example.
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Email signatures
Create an email signature, using your blogs address, and for every email you send, there will be a link back to your newest published article.
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Comment on YouTube videos
Choose videos that talk about the same topic as your newest article does, and comment, including a link back to your blog post.
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Host a contest
Create a contest where your participants have to share your article to their social networks or in any other way that helps promote it.
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Create Squidoo lenses
Many people like to read Squidoo.com lenses or Hubpages.com, which is a perfect opportunity for you to promote your article to them in a lens that links back to the latest article on your blog.

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Every time you publish new blog content, is a great opportunity to reach out and inform your existing audience but also to gain new readers, followers and customers. What about you? How are you promoting your blog? 

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If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book heavily promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only a “token” of $1 / day for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/
Once you are on this website, click on Seminar to register.

Please feel free to check out all previous posts of this blog (there are 785 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Chime.in, Facebook, Tumblr and to StumpleUpon.

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Are You Sure You Know Your Rights As Author?

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Smart Racoon

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If you are serious about being a writer, you need to know a bit about the business. Let’s start with your rights as an author and how to read a publishing contract, in case you are not an author-publisher, keeping ALL your rights.

Anne Rooney summed it nicely up: “Publishing is a business and no matter how friendly and reassuring your editor, they want to make as much money out of the deal as they can. If “it’s just the standard contract” you say that’s fine as a starting point, but now you are going to make it suitable to you and your book. If they say “no one has ever objected before” that means either they are lying or no one ever has read the contract properly and taken a professional approach.”
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As an author you own the copyright, and you own all the rights to your work. You can sell – or give away these rights or use in several ways:
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First Serial Rights
They can be print or electronic and mean you are selling a publisher the right to publish your article once for the first time. In the case of print rights you are free to immediately sell the piece to an e-magazine or e-zine before print publication and, after the print magazine containing your article hits the newsstand, you are free to sell it again as a reprint to other print markets.

First Serial Rights Electronic
However, first serial electronic rights are different – for sample e-magazines or e-zines buy first rights for an exclusive time period, usually one year (often for the laughable amount of $5 or $10), and at the same time, ask for non-exclusive rights after that. While you can immediately sell the same piece to a print market as a “first print right,” you cannot even post the article on your own website until the year is up. After that you are free to sell the article to other electronic markets as a reprint and post it yourself online everywhere you want.

North American first serial rights
Most Canadian and US freelance authors sell North American first serial rights, reserving the right to sell in other world markets  (e.g. Great Britain, Australia, Asia). Specify what type of rights you are selling: First North American Electronic Rights Only.

Second Serial Rights
These are reprint rights and apply to print and electronic markets. Never sell reprint rights, keep them at all costs. Even you will earn less money for each reprint, you can sell your work over and over again.

Subsidiary Rights
Other rights that authors and freelancers hold are subsidiary rights, including, but not limited to movie rights, dramatic, TV and radio rights, audio and other media rights.

Digital Rights
However, don’t give up or sell your electronic rights to a traditional book publisher without receiving a large lump sum or at least 50% royalty from the retail price. Most publishing houses are not really experts in e-publishing and often don’t use the electronic rights to your book. But it would prevent you from e-publishing your own work or selling it to a high-royalty-paying e-publisher.

All Rights
In this case the author gives up all future income from the article or book and only retains the copyright. Giving up all your rights should be only considered if a tremendous sum is paid for.

Copyright Protection in the USA and Canada
Copyright protection in Canada is automatic upon the creation of a given work, regardless of the medium of its creation, and it lasts until fifty years after the creator’s death – in the USA seventy years.

Before You Sign Any Contracts:
Always first contact your national authors’ or writers’ associations for further information and get legal advice from a lawyer who is specialized in copyright. This can save you ten thousands of dollars.

Sources:

http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/
http://publications.gc.ca/site/eng/ccl/aboutCopyright.html
http://www.stroppyauthor.com/2010/07/how-to-read-publishing-contract-part-15.html
https://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2013/04/28/how-to-sell-foreign-book-rights/
https://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2012/03/16/part-2-great-opportunity-for-authors-foreign-right-sales/
http://www.sfwa.org/for-authors/writer-beware/
http://www.writing-world.com/links/rights.html
http://www.cipo.gc.ca
http://www.writersunion.ca

 

If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book heavily promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only a “token” of $1 / day for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com

Please feel free to check out all previous posts of this blog (there are 785 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Chime.in, Facebook, Tumblr and to StumpleUpon.

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6 Things to Avoid When Pitching to Book Reviewers

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First of all: Let’s keep in mind that almost all reviewers are volunteers. They gladly write reviews because they enjoy providing a service to fellow consumers, and to support good writers. They love to read good books and are passionate about evaluating books. They spend their valuable time to write a review for YOU. Some are published authors themselves, working on their own writing projects – often on top of working full-time jobs, being parents, pet-owners and on top of it all are running a household – which means they are very busy!
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Here are some tips that will help you not to waste the reviewers (and your) time and hopefully get a review of your book:
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Read the submission guidelines!
Follow their directions carefully. Don’t give reviewers a reason to disqualify your book right off the bat. Not everyone reads e-books. Often reviewers prefer hard copies of the book. Having print copies is not only important for reviewers, but also for your book launch or book signings and to sell them to people who prefer print instead of e-books.
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Don’t put time pressure on reviewers.
See the introduction above! Book reviewers love to read and if they have a bit of time, they will grab the next book and indulge in it. Please don’t try to push them to read your book ahead of the pile of those who wait much longer in sequence.  They are doing you, a total stranger an (unpaid) favor and don’t want to be pressured and annoyed.  The sheer volume of review requests that reviewers receive can be staggering.
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Research the reviewer’s interests.
Don’t pitch romance to a children’s book reviewer. Don’t pitch a self-help book to a mystery reviewer. Investigate at least 20-30 books reviewed on Amazon or the reviewer’s blog to find their preferred genres and read the reviewer’s biography, in order to learn about the kind of books he/she likes and reviews.
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No mass mailings please!
Don’t pitch via a DM (direct message) or tweet or mass email that reads “Hello, I’m looking for someone to review my book. You can read about it on my website at …. Thanks!”  When the reviewer checks the writer’s Twitter timeline, they will find out that you just pitched dozens of reviewers…. Not only is it unprofessional but it will not get you into a reputable reviewer’s book list. Pitch professional via customized email, just like you would pitch an agent, editor or publisher.
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Don’t address your query “Dear Reviewer”.
Would you write to an editor or publisher “Dear Publisher”? Be polite an use the reviewer’s name…and please: spell it right! Nothing ticks off more than to receive a letter with your name wrongly spelled.
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Don’t make reviewers buy your book.
They “work” for free for you, read and then write about your work. Most important: reviewers help you to sell more of your books and climb up the rankings on Amazon, the least they can expect, is that you provide them with your manuscript. If a reviewer states in their guidelines, to read print books only, don’t offer the digital version and suggest that they print it out for reading.  There are digital printers (e.g. Espresso Book Machines) who will do this job for you and even ship it to the reviewer – in case you have only an e-book version of your novel.
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No attachments please.
Don’t send an attachment of your book with your introductory email. Most reviewers won’t open any  attachments from people they don’t know.

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Read more tips on how to get book reviews:

• Most sites publishing reviews have a procedure for receiving requests. Abide by the blogger’s requirements and show respect for the reviewers time.
• Find a way to convert the book into the format, most convenient for the reviewer.
• Send an email with a query first. You are competing with other books so be professional. Don’t be pushy as reviewers are doing you a favor, reading your book.
• Send customized requests to your prospective reviewers: A reviewer receiving a request that looks like mass mailing has no incentive to review your book.
• You certainly have to offer a free copy of the book, reviewers will not fork out the money to buy your book, and then invest time in reading and reviewing it.
• Not all books are for all people. The reviewers opinion is required and that includes the risk that the review will be scathing, if that is the reviewer’s opinion.

Be courteous, professional, thank them for their review and reciprocate the favor, making sure you credit the reviewer and provide them with publicity in return for their book review. Write more reviews and you will get more reviews of your own book!  So, when did you write your last book review?
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Read more about how to get book reviews:

Million Dollar Question: How to Get Book Reviews?

Tips to Get National Media Book Reviews

How to Get Book Reviews – Lots of the

Bestsellers with More Than 150 1-Star Reviews

Need Book Reviews?! Part 2

Are Book Reviews really THAT important?

Review Tip: Send a Query to Los Angeles Literary Reviews

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If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book heavily promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only a “token” of $1 / day for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/seminar

Please feel free to check out all previous posts of this blog (there are 780+ of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Chime.in, Facebook, Tumblr and to StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

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http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

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6 Essential Steps for Self-Publishers

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You worked very hard – maybe for years – to write this magnificent book and now you want to publish it, always in the hope to become a bestseller author. Take your time now and do it the professional way, like a traditional publisher. There are several important steps to go, no matter if you create an e-book or a traditional print book.
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1. Let it edit, edit and edit some more – by professionals.
2. Find a superb title for your book.
3. Create a brilliant cover image.
4. Write a splendid description for your back cover including blurbs.
5. Hire a professional book designer (or formating service for your e-book)
6. Get lots of reviewers
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1. Editing
If you ignore all other advice’s, don’t overlook this one: Hire professional copy AND content editors. Bad editing immediately mark you as an amateur and your book will not be taken seriously.
What you can do yourself before handing them your manuscript, is letting it run through a spell check and through a grammar program, such as Grammarly.com.  But then leave it to professionals to correct your spelling, grammar and punctuation, to make the writing consistent, which is critical to readers (and reviewers). A content editor will give you feedback beyond writing mechanics that will help you bring the best out of your story.
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2. Title
Find a title that matches the content of your book. Titles create expectations. Be sure your readers won’t be disappointed when they start reading your book. Have a look at this funny blog/book with it’s amazing new titles for books: Better Book Titles.
But seriously, this is the one you should use to find a good title:
Read also these tips on Joel Friedlander’s blog:
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3. Cover Design
Visit bookstores, your library, or go to the internet and research as many book cover designs as possible. You learn as much from badly designed books as from beautifully designed books.

Avoid centering all the text on your cover or title page, this looks pretty unprofessional. Right or left aligning creates much cleaner lines. Never use more than three different fonts on your cover, to not confuse your reader – this includes bold, italic or underline variations.

View your cover always in stamp-size image – this is the size it will appear on website catalogs. Use bold or complementary colors, but NEVER use a white or a very light background as background colors on online retail sites are almost always white. And white on white… you get it. Use light font on dark background for dramatic effects (novels, spiritual, etc.) and dark on light for easy readability (self-help, how-to, business books).
And don’t forget to design spine (also called dust rag) while you’re at it.  On bookstore shelves your potential customers only see this half-inch of your book before they pull it out to have a closer look at your book.
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4. Book Description and Blurbs
Potential readers shopping for books follow an age-old browsing routine. They check out the title, then flip the book over and look at the top of the back cover for a description of what’s inside and also for blurbs (pre-publishing reviews). That’s why it is important to write a crisp, enticing summary for your back cover and to have blurbs from professionals in your field or other writers in your genre. But what to do if you don’t know any?
These days, most authors have websites and contact forms so you can get in touch. If you enjoyed their work, consider sending them a short note to let them know. It does not only make their day, but it can help them sell more books, if you allow them to use your words in their “praise” section. When your manuscript is finished ask them to return your favor. Or if you have another author mentioned in your book, ask him or her to write a short blurb for your work.

Hopefully you have been smart and started marketing and networking long before you finished your book. Now you have enough contacts made who can be helpful with blurbs and reviews.
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5. Book Design
Reading e-books is sometimes very irritating. There have often formatting problems and line breaks, or odd symbols appear instead of letters, which interrupt the pure pleasure of reading seamlessly. It is sometimes so annoying for readers that they ask Amazon to refund them – and they will get their money back, which means you as an author loose out as well.
The same is true for print book publishers. As a self-publishing author, you need a layout artist who creates a beautiful and properly designed interior for your book. See what’s involved in book layout:
And the worst 5 mistakes in interior book lay-out here:
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6. Reviews
A book review is both a description and an evaluation of a book. Try to get as many blurbs and reviews before your book is even published. You don’t need only 5-star reviews, book reviews are very subjective. But you need lots of reviews. Try to get some of professional reviewers at newspapers and magazines too, to have some literary criticism in which your book is analyzed based on content, style, and merit.(hopefully) rather than on the basis of personal taste…
Never trust family and friends to give accurate feedback about your book. Family and friends don’t want to hurt your feelings; readers and reviewers generally are not as kind.
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Using these 6 essential steps in self-publishing will help you to present a professional book to your readers. A book that will command respect and shows you not only as a brilliant author but also as a professional publisher.
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If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book heavily promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only a “token” of $1 / day for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/seminar

Please feel free to check out all previous posts of this blog (there are 780+ of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Chime.in, Facebook, Tumblr and to StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing

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http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

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100 Years of Change

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An interesting look at life as it was back in 1913 compared to life today.

Maybe some ideas if you write historical novels?

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100 Years of Change infographic

An interesting look at life as it was back in 1913 compared to life today

 

What Every Writer Needs to Know About Copyright

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Justitia Copyright

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It is not required for an author to register your work or even provide a notice. But… there are reasons to protect yourself and what you created.  Copyright means the sole right to produce or reproduce a work in any form. And in most countries, a work – such as literature, music or software – is automatically protected as soon as it is created. Excluded are ideas, titles, names, facts and short phrases.
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On the other side: proving your claim can be a very difficult matter without proper evidence. Often it boils down to a case of “their word against yours”. Without proper protection, work that you have created, could end up making money for someone else.
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Whenever you write something on paper or typed on a computer, it is copyrighted and protected under U.S. copyright law.  If someone steals your work and presents it as his own, the burden of proof falls on you to show that you created it first and that you own the copyright – which can be difficult.  For better protection, consider to officially register your work for approx. $45 per manuscript with the US Copyright Office.  So, if anyone steals your manuscript, you will not only have proof of copyright ownership, but  you are also able to sue for Statutory Damages and attorney fees.
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Claims in US Courts:

• If you have registered your work before infringement, you can collect Statutory Damages plus attorney fees.
• If you registered after infringement, but before filing suit, you can only sue for Actual Damages – which you have to demonstrate.
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Necessary Content of Copyright Notices in Your Book:

• The symbol © or the word “Copyright”
• The year of first publication of the work
• The name of the owner or creator
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Where to  Register?

Canada:
online to the Copyright Office, Canadian Intellectual Property Office Web site
http://www.cipo.ic.gc.ca (fee Can $50)

USA:
online to the U.S. Copyright Office, via the Library of Congress
http://www.copyright.gov (fee US $ 35)

United Kingdom:
online UK Copyright Service
http://www.copyrightservice.co.uk (online registration are £39.00 for 5 years or £64.00 for 10 years per work.)
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An attorney is not necessary at all, to register your manuscript. You can register on-line (which is cheaper) or by snail mail. Copyright registrations become effective the day on which application and payment are received at the office, but it may take months until you receive the certificate. 

Being on the Copyright Register also helps with finding you as the owner when permission to use a work is sought.  This can be very lucrative for the owner of registered copyright because they can easily be found to license their work and can charge fees/royalties for its use.  Even for succession planning it is very important to have copyright registered, as it provides the owner with an easily transferable and valuable asset.
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Check out this blog post, which gives lots of tips what to do in case copyright infringements happen.  The blogger talks about a photograph, that was unlawfully used, but for your blogs or books, the steps are the same:
http://www.jeremynicholl.com/blog/2011/06/13/the-10-rules-of-us-copyright-infringement/

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More regulatory sources for USA, Canada and the UK:
Copyright Portal
Canadian Guide to Copyright
UK Copyright Law

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If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book heavily promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only a “token” of $1 / day for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/seminar

Please feel free to check out all previous posts of this blog (there are 780+ of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Chime.in, Facebook, Tumblr and to StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing

http://on.fb.me/TvqDaK
http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

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