How to Create Your Author Platform

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Platform, a buzz word these days… “What’s Your Author’ Platform”?  THE famous question you will be asked by agents and publishers before they even consider to read your query or manuscript. As they spend almost all of their marketing dollars for bestseller authors, publishing houses nowadays expect authors to do their own book marketing. To ensure, the author brings his or her own audience and lots of potential readers and book buyers, agents and publishers want to see lots of followers and friends on Social Media sites and how an author appears on these sites. They want to see a solid number of blog subscribers/web visitors and the authors ability to present themselves to an audience.
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So, What Are the Essentials of a Platform?
In short:, platform is the visibility, the authority of the author, a proven reach, as well as a far reaching audience.

• A Quality Blog / Website with a Large Readership
• Guest blogging to successful websites, blog, magazines, and other media
• Public speaking – the bigger the better, however at least at your local library
• Smart connected social media presences (Google+, Twitter, FB, LinkedIn etc.)
• Forum memberships, starting with Goodreads, Bibliophil, Wattpad …
• Media appearances/interviews online and in print, TV, radio
• and …. more than one book!

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Building an Author Platform
is not something you can do overnight, or in a month. The best time to start working on your platform is long before you start writing your book. Even if your book is excellent, has received great reviews, a marvelous cover – if readers don’t know about it, you are stuck. And if you go with a major publisher and they would receive – within three months from your books’ launch – lots of unsold copies returned by the bookstores, they would never publish anything from you again. That’s why they ask, “how will you market your book” or “what’s your platform.”

You might think, this is the publishers job – and you might be right. But not even for famous authors they will do all the blogging or social media part, they only advertise celebrities way more than unknown writers and pay for exposed space in bookstores, or send these authors on book signing tours.
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That’s all Publishers will Do:

• editing, transforming a good manuscript to a great one
• design the book (layout) and its cover
• organize the printing process / e-book formatting
• distribute your book in stores, speciality retailers and online
• carry out all the necessary book keeping with retailers and your royalty payments

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Publishing houses laid off a huge amount of their staff within the last years. Remaining, over-worked publicists are not able to give your book’s marketing the attention it needs.
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“When is it Time to Start Building your Author Platform?”
Alan Rinzler, former editor for some of the “Big Five” explains in detail the Do’s and Don’ts “What writers need to know” and gives detailed examples – a must-read for every author.  He reminds authors: “A cardinal rule of the new author platform is never to actually ask people to buy your book (and my advise: never to motion people to like / follow you on FB or Twitter). Rather promulgate your work by making an enduring connection. Establish an authentic online personality, offer valuable information, analysis, opinion, and inspiring entertainment.”

Jane Friedman, e-media professor and former publisher of Writer’s Digest brought it to the point: “Getting a book published does not equate to readership. You must cultivate a readership every day – and start today. Audience development doesn’t happen overnight, or in six months or a year. It continues for as long as you want to have people read your books.” Read also Kristen Lamb’s blog article “When is it Time to Start Building your Author Platform?” Read the blog post about bestseller author Trey Ratcliff, mentioned in a former article.
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Without having a clear idea of which methods of promoting yourself and your work are really worth the investment of time, you might be tempted to avoid the subject entirely. But in today’s publishing world, neglecting your platform, even before you have a book deal, can be a precarious mistake. The most successful authors are those who have created ways of finding lasting fans – and of reaching out to new ones every day.
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If you would like to get help 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 $ 159 for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars
Or visit http://www.international-ebooks.com/book-promo to advertise your new book, specials or KDP Select Free Days.

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 900 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, Facebook, Tumblr and to StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing
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The Latest Numbers – For Your Books Success

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Savvybookwriters.wordpress.com ranked #102,462 in the world and in the USA #45,649  according to Alexa website ranking. “Savvybookwriters.wordpress.com receives 9,588 page views per day and has website back links from #339 websites.” They are only talking about one of our websites / blogs! We promote our clients’s books on several websites, plus on our numerous Social Media sites.
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Extensive Outreach to Book Lovers
Most important for promoting your book campaigns is a well-known partner with an extensive outreach to book lovers and readers / reviewers communities.  There are four more websites, notably http://www.e-book-PR.com, http://www.international-ebooks.com, http://www.111Publishing.com/blog   and this blog https://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com with well over 500,000 readers so far – plus all our Social Media sites, such as 3 Twitter Accounts with over 40,000 followers, 4 Google accounts with over 7,000 followers and 3 Pinterest book pages, where we post on a daily basis.
We are members in several dozens of reader / book communities on Google+ with ca. 60,000 friends and Goodreads – where we have over 3,200 friends. We also contribute daily to websites such as Tumblr and StumpleUpon. All these pages are connected with each other, it is a whole showcase network, which means your book and it’s cover will show up on many different places on the internet.
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Three Ways Authors Can Benefit
More than 30 years of publishing experience and our great connections are valuable ingredients in consulting and coaching:

1. Online Seminar / Marketing Package
2. Weekend Seminars
3. Promo / Advertising / Email Newsletter / Websites
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1. Online Seminar: Consulting & Book Marketing Help:
This comprehensive package consists of two main parts:

Online Seminar / Consulting

• Unlimited book marketing consultations by email for up to three months
• Unlimited social media help for up to three months
• Article to introduce your book to readers
• Three hours of one-on-one Book Marketing Online Seminar phone-consultations
• Instructions / checklist / links for you to use for your book promotions
• Author interview on our blog website – this article stays there forever!
• Free e-book for you: “Book Marketing on a Shoestring” launch Spring 2013
• Plus one surprise gift we will reveal once you signed up!

Marketing of your book(s)

• Introduction of your books on dozens of reader communities with a 60,000+ audience
• Advertising of your book on free days /promotions with Amazon KDP to over 500.000+ readers
• Blog posts including cover image/author bio/books description on both, blog & our websites
• “Book of the Month” individual email recommendation to more than 3,200 readers on Goodreads etc.
• Book posts/tweets/ads several times/week for 3 months on all sites to more than 500.000+ readers

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As one client recently commented on our blog: “I fully agree that the Book Marketing package offered is not only economical, but with value added services. She guides me on a day-to-day basis, always helpful, always approachable. Thank you. Highly recommend Doris.”

To sign up for the Online Seminar go to:  http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars

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2. Writers Seminars on Weekends
Find out how to navigate the modern publishing world, get hundreds of valuable marketing tips during this seminar while in the relaxed atmosphere of a group of writers. Learn how to promote your book without even spending money for it. Get practical hands-on tips to market your book.

These are the WRITER’S SEMINAR main topics:

• Learn about the pre-publishing & publishing process
• Identify your target readers and their demographic
• Find out how to reach these readers online and off-line
• Create your own brand and your platform
• Choose the type of publishing that is right for you
• Market and publicize your book successfully on a budget
• Leverage the content of your book into other markets
• Prepare your next bestseller & find free book publishing funding sources
• Learn about Government Grants and funding for your print book
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3. NEW: Advertising & Social Media Promotion:
Three months for only $79. Just in time for NaNoWriMo to give you writing time while we promote your book. Are you planning any of these book promotions:

• Introduction / launch of a new book?
• Have a Goodreads Giveaway?
• A reduced book price campaign?
• Amazon KDP Select FREE days?

To take advantage of this inexpensive book advertising and to sign up at an extremely low price go to http://www.international-ebooks.com/book-promo  or http://www.e-book-PR.com/book/promo

 

Let us help you to learn the publishing ropes, become a successful writer and save time – time to write!  For any questions you might have, send us an email, using the forms you can find on each of our websites. Contact us, no matter if you are a single writer or a writers group to schedule a seminar / workshop in your area. Winter and Spring 2014 w’ll have several on the East Coast and Eastern Canada.

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How To Use These 7 Writing/Publishing Resources

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Are you sometimes scrambling for phrase ideas, 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 this information and more can be found in the following blogs and websites:

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 E-books & 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.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 and useful blog where author Carol Denbow shares excellent writing, publishing and valuable marketing tips. She gives lots of useful info in each post – tips and expert advice, plus interviews with bestseller authors.

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.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!  Sign up to  https://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com to get the daily news from the writers and publishers world, plus tons of book marketing tips.

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If you would like to get help 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 $ 159 for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars
Or visit http://www.international-ebooks.com/book-promo to advertise your new book, specials or KDP Select Free Days.

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 900 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, 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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Halloween Read: The Girl With The Scar

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Just in time: William Stadler’s new series THE GIRL WITH THE SCAR.  Book one is the perfect start into the Dark Connection Saga Series, and a great read on 263 pages. If you liked his first three books of the Pioneer Series:  EXTRACTED, INFUSED and REFINED, you will love THE GIRL WITH THE SCAR too.
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“Burned by fate…inflamed with destiny.”
Genevieve Solace, a sheltered 15 year-old girl, lives with her wearied mother, Maria, and her cavalier brother, Edward. All her life she’s been plagued by inexplicable seizures that only seem to be getting worse, seizures so violent that she’s left unconscious for days at a time. 

The king’s Raiders have been hunting her for as long as she can remember. So, in search for safety, she and her family have found refuge in a modest cottage on the outskirts of Kalarn in a small village known as Green Planes.

News of the raids across the kingdom trickle down to Genevieve, however, telling stories of vicious murders where women are slain, children are orphaned, and entire towns have been leveled to ashes. Along with the slaughters, a mysterious apparition has been rumored to haunt the land with tales of dozens of men being massacred before they can even draw their swords.

Terrified of the reports, Genevieve is forced to believe that the king seeks for her due to the scar on the nape of her neck, a circular burn that has marked her for life – though how it came to be she doesn’t know, and her mother refuses to speak of it.

As autumn ends and the cold of winter sets in, Genevieve fears that the raids are growing near. She can only pray to the gods that the Raiders will never find her.
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THE GIRL WITH THE SCAR is available on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00G6KPHHY
You can also Enter to Win THE GIRL WITH THE SCAR as a Goodreads Giveaway https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/70538-the-girl-with-the-scar
Giveaway dates: October 30 – December 01, 2013  – 10 copies available

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If you would like to get help 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 $ 159 for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars
Or visit http://www.international-ebooks.com/book-promo to advertise your new book, specials or KDP Select Free Days.

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 900 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, 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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3 Top Rules to Follow on Social Media

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Are you promoting your book like crazy on Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, Facebook or Goodreads … but nothing seems to happen, no book sales? Are you competing with other writers in “buy my book, buy my book, buy my book… Are you choosing to follow other writers, hoping they will buy your book?
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1. Choose your following very carefully:
You want to interact mainly with READERS, NOT writers. The question is: How to find readers?
All Social Media sites have a search function on top of the page. Type in: book bloggers, read, reading, book lovers, book club, love reading, book worm, love to read, mystery book reader, science fiction reader, YA readers, YA book blogger, readers, word nerd, non-fiction book blogger, reading books, reviewing book… and even librarian. Click on “people” or scroll down a lot, as the first names that appear are often publishers and other commercial accounts. How to get more (reader) followers on Social Media sites is also explained in a blog post from January.

Another method is to type in the name of a very successful book in your genre and find readers there, talking about this book. Follow those readers that you feel belong to your book genre, based on what they say in their tweets. Re-tweet their posts, engage in meaningful conversation, be funny or refer to blog posts you wrote, but don’t mention your book. They will find out about it soon enough.
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2. Understand the meaning of Social Media
Being SOCIAL and NOT constantly talking about your book!
I noticed one writer on Twitter who writes 100% only and only about his book. He seems to use automatic tweets, as he never, ever engaged in any conversation with others. Kind of autistic … For sure, I was not the only one who un-followed him.

• Write about interesting things that are happening,
• Give valuable advice
• Engage in a humerous way with your readers

No one joins Twitter, FB, Google+ or Pinterest to constantly read about your book. That’s not very entertaining or interesting at all. Many writers don’t buy books from other writers, they want to sell their own. If ALL writers are doing on Twitter, Google+ or FB is self-promoting they are not only NOT attracting readers, but turning potential book buyers away.
Yes, famous writers may attract attention for what they have to say – not normally related to their books – but rather to their writer’s life or ideas – and they are often interesting or funny. It’s called social networks not selling pages… Authors should rather focus their promotional efforts on trying to get people to talk about their books (review them, read and recommend them, give them awards, take them to their book groups, write articles or blog posts about them) instead of constantly trying to get people to buy their books. A much better place to do this is on some of the hundreds (if not thousands of reader forums for each type of literature can be found, such as Goodreads, Shelfari, Bibliophil, Biblio Connection, BookTalk and the like.
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3. Be professional
Set-up your bio with a studio portrait, the same you use in your book(s) and create an inviting avatar. Use key words that will attract the type of people that you want to connect with. This bio (or an avatar, or “about me”) can be used for all your presences, for your Amazon website, your blog etc. Same as with your photograph: once established you can use it everywhere, even if you have to shorten it on some places, such as on Twitter. Use lots of keywords and add abbreviated links to your web site or Amazon page. And choose your username wisely!  More tips how to act like a professional are explained in a former article.
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So, following these three basic rules: Finding the right followers “readers”, be “social” and have a professional appearance on Social Media is the key to successful promoting your books.

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To get more book marketing help, see what we can do for you in individual sessions. 
If you would like to get help 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 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars
Or visit http://www.international-ebooks.com/book-promo to advertise your new book, specials or KDP Select Free Days.

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 1,100 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, 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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Social Media and YOU

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It is no secret that we use Social Media a lot – and all this social media usage can be hard to curtail. Resisting Twitter, Google+, Pinterest and other Social Media sites is harder than other urges, such as smoking, drinking, spending money, sleeping and even sex.  Posting about yourself on Social Media sites rewards the brain the same way food and sex do. Talking about ourselves or books we wrote became a tough habit to kick… Read and see more on this info graphic, created by OnlineCollegeCourses.com

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More about Social Media:

Social Media in 30 Minutes a Day
Well, maybe add a couple more minutes to these 30 minutes Social Media time, and learn about helpful programs, such as Hootsuite, Tweetadder, JustUnfollow, Manageflitter, Tweetdeck etc. to save time in order to win more time for interactions with your followers.
Read the Help Section
To take full advantage of the Social Media sites, study them well, read the “handbook”, helpful info and hints, set up to help users. Just from staring at the site and trying to figure out how it works, or trial and error actions, you will be only frustrated. Ask a fellow writer or your marketing coach to get even more user tips.
How to get more followers
The importance of having more followers (and following more) and how to find those precious friends has been …. Get lots of tips for your Social Media presence here:
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The Secret of Success with Social Media
Word-of-Mouth Content Marketing
If you’re in the midst of developing one of the more than one million books that are published every year, it’s time to start thinking about how you are going to market your book … because in today’s publishing environment, it’s up to you to build momentum for your work.  However, if all you do on Twitter, Google+ or Facebook is to hawk your book or try to interest agents and editors in your manuscript you are probably not going to get anywhere. This is not to say you can not ever talk about the interesting things you’re doing, this just can’t be all that you’re doing. People on Social Media want content, and sharing content has become one important aspect of it.
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Acting Like a Professional Author on Social Media?
Do you agree that selling books online or in stores is a business? You are getting money for writing and delivering your work, no matter how many books you have written, and no matter if you go with one of the big publishers or if you self-publish. And don’t forget: Many publishers and literary agents have a Social Media presence too. They are using Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Facebook, Goodreads or LinkedIn and mingle on these sites with authors famous and unknown. Read more about professional Social Media use.
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How Social Media can Kill Students Success
Yet while social media has been lauded for its ability to connect people from all over the world, build friendships, support political causes, and even help people find work, it has also been blamed for a whole host of social problems. Some of this blame, subsequent research has shown, has been placed unfairly, but that doesn’t mean that social media doesn’t pose some real problems for its users.

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If you would like to get help 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 $ 159 for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars
Or visit http://www.international-ebooks.com/book-promo to advertise your new book, specials or KDP Select Free Days.

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are almost 900 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, 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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6 Bullets on How an Author and Book Find a Community

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Experiences of a Writer in Print and eBook Publishing

Margaret Kell-Virany, one of the authors you can meet at the Ottawa, Canada, Book Fair this coming weekend (October 26 and 27 at the RA Center, free admission) writes about her path to becoming a self-publisher, both in print and digital. 

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cozybookbasics

Writing books is all about community so beware of self publishing.
http://gilesbenaway.wordpress.com/2013/10/17/self-publishing-
wannabe-writers-beware/

Having read the above blog, I’m more excited than ever about being at the upcoming OIW Book Fair on Oct. 27 with fellow authors and readers. As for debates over whether to self-publish or with a traditional publisher, or as an e-book, I’d like to add these bullets from my 15 years of trying. As you will see, I come down on both sides of the fence, depending on where I’ve been able to find ‘community’:

• Good, practical advice came in the otherwise-depressing rejection letters I got from traditional publishing companies. I had a maximum of a thousand dollars to put into my book and this advice was free. Structure, length and target audience were some of the trouble spots. I was angry and wanted to prove them wrong in rejecting me but, at the same time, I had to…

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The 15 World Top Websites in Alexa Ranking

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Alexa.com, the web information and measure company, let you know the traffic relation between your website / blog and the rest of the almost one billion sites worldwide. At www.Alexa.om you can search by country, by category and global. As lower your ranking is as better. Check out your own site: Just go to Alexa.com and type in your blog or website.
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Why is the Alexa Ranking so Relevant? 
Website ranking, as a concept, is stressed as an important component of search engines, particularly by Google themselves. Sites with higher Alexa Ranks become more likely to attract potential advertisers and/or marketing offers. And if you are looking for promotion of your books, compare the companies’ Alexa Ranking, among other variables, before you make a decision!
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The Examiner.com Wrote:
“The first thing you need to know about Alexa, that like a golf score, a lower number is better. What Alexa does is rank your website based on traffic.  Data collected provides a 3-month view of how many people visited your site, how long they stayed, how many pages were read and search queries used to find your site.  Most sites never go under 1 million, simply because they don’t rank well on search engines, others get really good scores (less than 100,000) because they are viewed so often.
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Tips to increase your Alexa Ranking:

• The better the content of your blog or website, the stronger the readership. It would also attract good traffic and your Alexa ratings would soar. If you are a novice blogger, you need to regularly post at least a blog/day to keep your blog alive and breathing. Promote your blog on social networking sites and it will no longer clog.
• A great way to increase the Alexa rank, is to write guest posts. The numbers of your Alexa rank will scale to a much higher level if you build the back links and your own readership will soar to great heights.
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Our latest numbers on Alexa.com out of 1 Billion websites:
Global rank 105,556 for SavvyBookWriters @111Publishing
USA Rank 48,970

We welcome guest blogs from writers that fit into our topics. If you are interested, read the more about guest blogging.  Got some ideas? Drop us a line, including your own website / blog link at 111Publishing gmail com

Top 15 Websites as of October 22, 2013

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  google.com

  Enables users to search the world’s information, including webpages, images, and videos. Offers… More
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  facebook.com

  A social utility that connects people, to keep up with friends, upload photos, share links and … More
• 3

  youtube.com

  YouTube is a way to get your videos to the people who matter to you. Upload, tag and share your… More
• 4

  yahoo.com

  A major internet portal and service provider offering search results, customizable content, cha… More
• 5

  baidu.com

  The leading Chinese language search engine, provides “simple and reliable” search exp… More
• 6

  wikipedia.org

  A free encyclopedia built collaboratively using wiki software. (Creative Commons Attribution-Sh… More
• 7

  qq.com

  China’s largest and most used Internet service portal owned by Tencent, Inc founded in Nov… More
• 8

  linkedin.com

  A networking tool to find connections to recommended job candidates, industry experts and busin… More
• 9

  live.com

  Search engine from Microsoft.
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  twitter.com

  Social networking and microblogging service utilising instant messaging, SMS or a web interface.
• 11

  amazon.com

  Amazon.com seeks to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and disc…More
• 12

  taobao.com

  Launched in 2003, Taobao Marketplace (www.taobao.com) is a popular consumer-to-consumer (C2C) o…More
• 13

  blogspot.com
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  google.co.in

  Indian version of this popular search engine. Search the whole web or only webpages from India…. More
• 15

  wordpress.com

  Free blogs managed by the developers of the WordPress software. Includes custom design template…More

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If you would like to get help 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 $ 159 for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars
Or visit http://www.international-ebooks.com/book-promo to advertise your new book, specials or KDP Select Free Days.

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are almost 900 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, 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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How to Overcome Anxiety as a Writer

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If you really want to succeed as a writer, your have to overcome many fears, from handling criticism, getting rejection letters from publishers, negative comments from bullies to the fear of public speaking at book launches or writer conferences. So what can you do to overcome these fears or apprehensions?

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How to Deal With Publisher’s Rejections
The path to writing success is littered with rejection letters. No matter if it was your first or your thirtieth rejection letter, don’t give up. Read these articles about famous authors who received dozens and dozens of these letters:
Just to show you how wrong publishers can be, see the original snarky rejection letter that Gertrude Stein received in 1912 from a jerk publisher.  Or check out an extensive collection of the some of the biggest errors of judgement in publishing history.
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And even there are barely any reasons given in these rejection letters, it can be:

• that the publisher just worked on a somewhat similar book,
• that they don’t have the money to take on new projects,
• that the topic is not to the editors taste,
• that the book would not fit into their line
• that the publishing house is in the process of merging with another publisher
• that your book is not written in the personal style of the editor
• …. or any other reason

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Writing is an art, publishing is a business
In other businesses people don’t have the time to delve …. over rejections of business contracts, they just write the next query. So should you. Just keep going. Work on your next query letter and synopsis, perfect them and check out other publishing houses. Remember that only about one per cent of manuscripts are accepted and that you always have the possibility to publish the book yourself, making way more money than using a commercial publisher. How it works is described in a series …..
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Negative People
Don’t expect positive comments all the time. Negative comments should be taken as a compliment. Why? Because it means that what your writing sparked enough emotion to compel people to leave a comment. Don’t feel bad when you get negative comments, be upset when you don’t get any comments at all. Every person is entitled to their opinions. Most of the time, the reason people post negative reviews or comments has very little to do with the actual issue at hand. You never know what’s going on in a negative commentators personal life: Maybe he/she had a bad day/got fired or is bitter in general. Some commentators will leave negative comments in an attempt to draw your attention. One thing is for sure: They are poor, unhappy people and not able to be constructive. See also: “Got a 1-Star Review?“
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Should you dignify their comments with a response, always be calm and respectful. Never respond with defensiveness or emotion. Instead, state the facts and be cool. And do thank the person for taking the time to comment. Handling negative comments can increase your professionalism. Sometimes you can even impress those people so much that they become your biggest fans.

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Writing Critiques / Editings
The most important step is: don’t take critiques personally, especially not when it comes from an accomplished writer or a seasoned editor. Even bestseller authors find lots of “red ink” in their manuscripts when they are returned from the editor. Everything in life is a learning process, and you don’t pay an editor to praise you, you pay to have your writing criticized, to improve your style, develop attention to detail and most of all, to help you polishing your writing to the very best it can be.

See it as improvement and growth.
Thank the editor or beta reader and revise your work. If you don’t agree with the way they edited your manuscript, open up a constructive discussing and you might get very helpful insights.
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Shy Writers
Reaching success is possible for a loner, so get out there and start networking. Reaching out to other people or speaking publicly may be out of your comfort zone, but it’s absolutely necessary for you as a writer. It is something that you must do again and again throughout your career because it’s the only way to find new readers / customers. Help others, give them positive affirmation and it will come back to you one day when you need it. Growing your contact list is essential especially when you’re looking to promote your work or to collaborate with others. Again: “Writing is an art, publishing is a business.” And every new business owner needs a while to adapt to their new role.

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Who can help you with that level of anxiety?

Writers groups
Breaking through writer’s block is a good reason to belong to at least one (better several) writing groups. Chances are you’ll hear something that will help. You can also tell the group your problem and get lots of suggestions. You will discover that many other writers struggle with the same fears.
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Counseling
Writer’s block or anxiety can, if it goes on and on for weeks and months, can be a sign of deeper problems. Working with a professional counselor may be in order. A good counselor can be a miracle worker.
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Don’t miss these great articles:

20 Ways to Overcome Shyness

Shyness and Social Anxiety

Best tips of all: Remove the use of avoidance and safety behaviors and gradually confront your fears.

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If you would like to get help 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 $ 159 for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars
Or visit http://www.international-ebooks.com/book-promo to advertise your new book, specials or KDP Select Free Days.

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are almost 900 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, Facebook, Tumblr and to StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing
http://on.fb.me/TvqDaK
http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+
http://pinterest.com/111publishing/
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Thoughts on Halloween: A Perspective on Time

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A compelling journey to follow … for the right audience.

Humans are good at a lot of things, but putting time in perspective is not one of them. It’s not our fault – the span of time in human history, and even more so in natural history, are so vast compared to the span of our life and recent history that it’s almost impossible to get a handle on it.

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by mayra.artes.
Explore more infographics like this one on the web’s largest information design community – Visually.

 

Published by Wait but why

Designed bymayra.artes

 

Interview with Author Bart Stewart

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Author Bart Stewart

A pleasure to talk today with Bart Stewart, author of several books and short stories, notably his latest novel Painter of the Heavens. 

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Bart, what inspired you to start writing?

I started writing as a kid, mainly as an escape from some hard times my family was going through. I was inspired by the old Twilight Zone TV show, and wrote surreal fantasy pieces like that.I never stopped loving that sub-genre, which is much smaller than some other fantasy categories, like sword-and-sorcery. Richard Matheson, who passed away this year, was the great modern practitioner of it. He wrote some Twilight Zone episodes, too. H.G. Wells may have been the real pioneer. He said to take a realistic setting and inject one fantastic element. My first book, Tales of Real and Dream Worlds, is in this style.Apart from Matheson/Serling fantasy, I read the classics. Tolstoy, Twain, Dickens, Poe, and from the 20^th century Truman Capote. I always said In Cold Blood was the best description of personalities I have ever read. But now I have to mention Elizabeth Strout’s 2009 Pulitzer Prize winner, Olive Kitteridge.
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How would you describe your latest book to someone who has not yet read it?

I’m hoping the subtitle, “A Novel of Crime and the Heart,” will tell the world that this is fiction that goes into the personalities and psyches of its two main characters as they become caught up in a criminal scheme. It might better be called “A Novel of the Heart, and Crime.” Painter of the Heavens is a very character-driven novel about a woman who becomes romantically involved with a potentially dangerous con artist. We don’t know his thoughts, only hers, so he could very well love her as much as he claims to. His behavior and statements tell us that he has a conflicted and compartmentalized mind. Ultimately, he becomes quite scary.

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Is there a message in your book that you want your readers to grasp?

I enjoy painting pictures with words, describing scenes and personalities. I’m told by objective readers that I am very good at it. In this novel I am showing two people, Penny Sturdevant and Lyle Chilton, whose lives go off the rails due to the obsession for money that one of them has. If there is a message it would be to resist such attitudes, but also that it is something we are all subject to in this rat-racing society.
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How did you get the idea for the novel?

That is always the toughest question! Where did you get this idea, or where do these characters come from? It is very mysterious. The stories just start rolling like a movie in my head. I edit them, but the origins are unknowable to me. I get lots of story ideas, all the time. A tougher question might be why choose one story idea over others?  In the case of this novel, the interplay of the two personalities appealed to me, and I thought the fraud case itself was intriguing.
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Are your characters based on real people?

No character in my novel comes from any single source. I generally cobble my characters together like Frankenstein’s monster, from parts and traits of many different people. There is usually a bit of me in there somewhere. Otherwise, they are made up of pieces of people I have known, sometimes even briefly.

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Who is your favorite character and why?

Penny and Lyle, are predominately who the book deals with. Several supporting characters turn up, especially Penny’s best friend and sounding board, Chloe. But Penny with her healthy, heartfelt desire to have a fulfilling life, and Lyle with his conflicted, mirror-maze mind are characters that equally stayed in my thoughts.

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If Oprah invited you onto her show to talk about your book, what would the theme of the show be?

The theme would be – Me being on the Oprah show. No, I’m kidding. The theme would be Honesty. Or maybe Authenticity. Painter of the Heavens deals with issues of authenticity in life.

How much of the book is based on real life (either yours or someone you know)?

Penny’s struggle to have a fulfilling life is real enough, and it is going on all around us, on the street, every day. Likewise the reality of wishful thinking, or “wanting to believe,” which the con artists prey on. The changeable personality type, the Jekyll-and-Hyde type, is no fantasy, either.
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What would/could a reader or reviewer say about this book that shows they “get” you as an author?

They would have feelings of empathy for Penny, who only wants “to be part of something.” She wants to be part of something healthy and long-lasting, not just a love affair but a larger life around it. She ends up with Lyle Chilton, and a criminal scheme. But I don’t write heroes and villains that are 100% good and evil. Lyle is a conflicted person, and while we aren’t privy to his thoughts, he seems to have found some genuine connection with Penny, which is another interesting aspect of the novel.

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Thinking way back to the beginning, what’s the most important thing you’ve learned as a writer from then to now?

The most striking thing I have learned is that I can’t stop doing it. I keep on writing in the face of impossible odds. The traditional publishing route is like a lottery. There is a certain bar of quality that must be met, but beyond that it is luck of the slush-pile draw. We like to think that the most successful writers got that way because they wrote the best books. Instead they are like lottery winners, surrounded by a sea of talents of higher, lower, and similar worth. W.C. Fields once said it was easy for him to quit drinking, that he had done it a thousand times. That’s how I am with writing, in the absence of any commercial success I have quit a thousand times. But the stories keep coming to me, and objective readers keep telling me how much they love my work.
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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?

I love reading the finished product. That’s the best part. All the rest of it is pretty grueling mental work. After all, every sentence can be worded a dozen different ways, or more. You have to deliver the best wording, every time. It is just a lot of hard mental work, for no guarantee of pay, or even of being considered, or seen at all.
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What scene or bit of dialogue in the book are you most proud of, and why?

There are so many great “small” scenes in Painter of the Heavens, little vignettes along the way. Those are what makes a novel in my view. But if I had to pin down a favorite scene in my book it would be where Lyle convinces Penny to be his accomplice in the forgery fraud. He will actually convince you that this madness of his is a good idea! He talks a very, very good game. Always.

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If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything about your book?

This is going to sound really conceited, but no. I work-shopped this novel extensively at some top writing centers, and had it professionally edited. For a book about the psychology of characters like these two, it is as good as I can make it.

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If your book would be made into a movie, who should play the main characters?

Unfortunately, Susan Hayward and Robert Mitchum are dead.

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What general advice do you have for other writers?

Understand that this may be the toughest game in the world in terms of finding success. There’s no heavy lifting involved, but the odds of achieving success are remote. There must be a billion writers in the world, and while most of them are not competitive, they all take up time and oxygen. With e-books the odds have shifted slightly in the author’s favor, but the same old situation of the vast slush-pile of manuscripts still exists. It has only been shifted directly to the readers, who must now choose between the endless thousands of titles pouring onto the market every week. If you view this as a lifelong calling, you may be able to build a core following that will lead to some sales. You have to deliver extremely well-polished manuscripts, of course. A good writing center is helpful for that. Remember too that creative works are subjective. Every book ever written was hated by somebody.

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What is the best part of being a writer for you?

The self-expressive aspect of this is probably unparalleled. No other art form can communicate with both the specificity and the atmospherics of literature. With writing you can talk to the logic center as well as the emotions. I have written a blog post that goes in depth on the value of literary fiction:  http://bartstewart.com/2013/09/new-literary-society-due/

What’s the most challenging part of being a writer?

The challenges are endless, just in producing the fiction. The work has to be your best. Revisions go on forever; it seems that it’s never finished. Then comes the marketing part, with all the expense and all the computer platforms you have to learn to do that. I am not a computer engineer nor am I wealthy.
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Where’s the one place in the world you’d like to visit?

The Great Barrier Reef

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What is your favorite book?

Important books are not always pleasant books, understand. I said above that Capote’s In Cold Blood had the best descriptions of human personalities that I know of. If you have not read it, I do recommend it, and I can tell you that it is not overly graphic in describing the murders.
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How would a close friend describe you?

“The triumph of style over bile! The droll soul with the heart of gold! The mellow jello fellow! Ladies and gentlemen – Party Barty!!!”

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Where can people learn more about your writing?

http://www.BartStewart.com

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Painter of the Heavens

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F849FMM.

Tales of Real and Dream Worlds

http://goo.gl/5KXw4c
Don’t miss the Goodreads Giveaway: TALES OF REAL & DREAM WORLDS by Bart Stewart
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/67941-tales-of-real-and-dream-worlds

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The Statuary Cats

http://goo.gl/NHNW9M

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Are You Ready for NaNoWriMo?

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National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)  is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to creative writing. On November 1, thousands of participants begin working towards the goal of writing a 50,000-word novel from scratch by 11:59 p.m. on November 30, which means you have to write 1,667 words a day, every day, for thirty days straight. Valuing enthusiasm, determination, and a deadline, NaNoWriMo is for anyone who has ever thought about writing a novel.

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NaNoWriMo by the Numbers:

• 341,375 participants start on November 1 as electricians, out-of-work clerks, or middle school teachers. They will walk away as novelists.
• 648 volunteer Municipal Liaisons guided 586 regions on six continents.
• 82,554 students and educators created worlds with the Young Writers Program.
• 615 libraries opened their doors to novelists through the Come Write In program.
• See the long list of authors that published their novel, written during NaNoWriMo, from 2006 – 2013:  http://nanowrimo.org/published-wrimos

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NaNoWriMo, provides support, encouragement, and good old-fashioned kick in the pants (which some writers  need) to write the rough draft of their novel in November.  How it all works, explained on NaNoWriMo s website:

• Sign up at the http://nanowrimo.org website
• Choose a home region for in-person events near you – for even more encouragement.
• NaNoWriMo’s user dashboard will usher you through the rest of your account set-up.
• You will be able to add information about your upcoming novel to your profile. Giving your work a title or brief synopsis gets you 225% more pumped for November.
• Use October to read past author pep talks, meet other writers in the forums
• Editing is essential.  However, November isn’t for editing. November is for writing. You can edit in December. your NaNoWriMo novel. Realize that you are just writing the first of many drafts in November. Your novel will have to be polished later on.
• At midnight on November 1, start writing, using your word count.
• Update your word count whenever you can. Some like every day; others prefer a few times a week.
• Stay motivated with pep talks and in-person events in your region.
• There’s a big world of NaNoWriMo out there in social media: Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, YouTube, and Pinterest.  Participating in this NaNoWriMo will help you to focus, help you to prioritize writing, and help you to say no to distractions, such as TV, phone calls, shopping or parties.
• Starting on November 25, you can validate your novel to “win” – even though there is no real prize, the only reward for winning is the finished novel itself and the satisfaction of having written it. Every year, there are many “winners”. There are no “Best Novel” or “Quickest-Written Novel” awards given out.

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NaNoWriMo is all about using the magical power of DEADLINES to tell your story.
Give someone a goal and a goal-minded community and miracles are bound to happen… 50.000 words is certainly a short novel, but it is a doable goal, even for people with full-time jobs and children. Researchers tell us that it takes 21-28 days to create a new habit, sometimes as many as 66 days. So NaNoWriMo is a good start to establish your writing habit.
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When you create an account with NaNoWriMo.org, you will be able to:

• Write a novel in a month!
• Track your progress.
• Get pep talks and support.
• Meet fellow writers online and in person.
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Let Us Help You
While you write for a whole month, you certainly have no time to promote your other books in blogs and social media, or to work on your author platform and your brand.  Get help from professionals to do the promotional work for you in the meantime – and at the same time get lots of publicity tips for your work from us.  Check out our Special Offer that ends on October 31, and which gives you a lot of bang for your bucks, as they say.  http://www.international-ebooks.com/book-promo or take advantage of our extensive online publishing seminar to help you establishing an author platform and your brand – exactly what publishers and literary agents are looking for in authors – not to speak about your own author-publishing career.

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If you would like to get help 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 $ 159 for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars
Or visit http://www.international-ebooks.com/book-promo to advertise your new book, specials or KDP Select Free Days.

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are almost 900 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, 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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How Smart Writers Write to Market their Books

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Social Media has become part of our culture, and it helps to connect with your readers. However when scrawling through tweets and other posts on Social Media sites one gets the impression that 90% of all posts by writers are “buy my book, buy my book, buy my book ….”  Few links are pointing to interesting, entertaining or helpful content – despite the fact that there are so many talented writers out there who could write great articles or show snippets of their books. This would make their Social Media presence more valuable and would connect readers with their writing craft.

Question: Whom Would you Believe More:

a) advertisements
b) newspaper / magazine articles
c) samples to try out a product

Most consumers / readers are not excited by pure advertising, they prefer authentic content and like to read writing samples.

Why are authors trying to market their books only with a) when b) and c) are more authentic in the eyes of consumers – or at least a mixture of a, b and c?  I am not telling you a secret here: b and c are free … and sometimes authors can even make money with writing newspaper and magazine articles.
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It is Called CONTENT MARKETING
And it is nothing new, if you work in marketing. From Coca Cola to Volkswagen to IKEA, content marketing is getting more and more foot hold. Read an article “Why Content Marketing Works”
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All these companies have to employ and pay a lot of money to “story tellers”. However, you as an author, you have done the “content” part already in writing your book, you just need to use your content and “market” it, in order to give your readers samples of your writing or make them curious about your new book. Study after study have shown that this marketing method can be hugely effective for turning your audience into paying customers. When it’s done well, a content marketing strategy entertains your readers and shows them how good you are at writing.

Coca-Cola Journey, asks a series of questions about each story.  Here are three of them:

1. Does it pass the water cooler test?
2. Does it surprise you?
3. Does it have universal appeal?

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Learn from these Writers
In previous blogs we explained how: “Smart Authors Get Paid for Marketing Their Books!” and “FREE, Brilliant Book Marketing to a Million Audience“.
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Write Something of Value for Readers
– which is “by chance” part of your book, such as travel tips to the location of your books plot, museums, festivals or public transportation that are mentioned in your book. You have to do your research for your books anyway, why not use the material you gather and write several articles that you can offer – always mentioning your book. One more way of content writing: Try to write as many guest blogs as possible for top bloggers that are high on Google and Alexa rankings. It will give you and your books more exposure and new readers.
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Why Asking for (media) Book Reviews?
When you could get both: book promotion and at the same time (often) being paid? I know, it is a new concept to many writers, but when you think about it – it makes really sense: why use your time and effort to chase reviewers, when you can use your energy to leverage your books content and your research content – to create articles that you can pitch to both, print and online newspapers and magazines?” Read the examples of two writers who have just done that.
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Perfect for Shy Writers
Content book marketing is also perfect for shy writers who might cringe at stepping outside their comfort zone. They can promote their books at the end of each article they write and even add links to their website or book sales page. Use sentences from your articles to build interesting posts and tweets.
BTW: Traditional media is more and more outsourcing, barely any full-time writing staff is left, which means they are open to pitches from freelance contributors…
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Josh Pigford, a Social Media Marketing Guru Wrote Recently:
“The bottom line is that people trust editorial content more than they trust advertisements (only). Do the right mix. Whether your business is as big as Colgate or whether you are a one-person start up, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to utilize this simple fact in order to engage your audience and build your customer base.” And Joe Chernov brought it to the point: “Creating content that is so valuable that people would pay for it, yet you give it away for free, is a reliable way to earn the public’s trust.”
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Do’s and Don’ts in Content Writing / Blogging

• Headline attention – encourage readers to read the next line
• Use keywords that resonate with your audience
• Simple and direct works well
• Exciting, interesting, controversial, sensational all work well
• Numbers / lists / real data works well
• Just don’t be boring
• Don’t forget to install an opt-in email list to be able to contact your fans!

Writing content will not transform your book into an overnight success, but it is a wonderful option for a long-term strategy, to build an authors platform and it gives your readers a sample of your writing. In our online seminars (and also weekend seminars in Eastern Canada and in the New England States) we help you to get ideas how to use your books’ content to write, promote and how you can even make money with your articles.

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If you would like to get help 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 $ 159 for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars
Or visit http://www.international-ebooks.com/book-promo to advertise your new book, specials or KDP Select Free Days.

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are almost 900 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, 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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Reading Classics Can Change Humanity

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Guest Blog by Fiza Pathan
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In the wake of the present war in Syria one tends to wonder how can humans be so cruel & merciless? Is it possible that humanity has degenerated just the way old vegetables get soiled with fungus in a Tupperware can? Is there any remedy to war, terrorism, rape, homicide, genocide, suicide, murder, abuse etc., According to me there is one unique & yet unusual way of putting an end to all the evils of our world…….the reading of good classic literature!

At first on hearing my suggestion one would wonder if I was making a joke as, how can a book change humanity? Well, for most of us who are well aware of history, we have in its annals certain places where books however harmless they seemed from the outside….were heralds of change sometimes for the better & sometimes for the worse. Adolf Hitler’s ‘Mein Kampf’ was one such book during the early phase of the 20^th century that sparked hate among the hearts of so many people against their own human brethren.

On the other hand Thomas Paine’s ‘The Rights of Man’
influenced a whole nation including America towards the overall emancipation of man & democracy. Yet another book ‘On The Origin Of Species’ by Charles Darwin changed the way we looked upon ourselves as human beings. Many such books can be quoted written by many authors who have by their efforts, molded our present. It would therefore be incorrect to state that books cannot change people…..in fact, books can change the past, present & future in ways unimaginable.

In this context, where does classic literature stand? According to me from all types of literature, classic literature should be given prime importance in every manner possible, if we have to save our future from being destroyed by our very ignorance.
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Could the reading of good classics avert many man-made disasters?
Yes, where classics are concerned, everything is possible. For if we do agree that books have acted as milestones in history ‘good & bad’……and if we do not want our children to make the same mistakes we made or their ancestors made, then I believe that the reading of classic literature must be taken up on a grand scale immediately by all parents, teachers, counselors & other educationists.

For those of you who do not comprehend what I mean by ‘classic literature’ I refer to those books that have been written so well in the past that they have been cherished by generations as wholesome books of literature, art & ethics. I’m talking about ‘Oliver Twist’, ‘The Phantom Of The Opera’, ‘David Copperfield’, ‘The Red Badge Of Courage’, ‘The Jungle Book’, ‘The Railway Children’, ‘The Odyssey’, ‘The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes’, ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’, ‘Little Women’, ‘The Invisible Man’……I’m talking about literature with morals as well as a rich story……I’m talking about ‘the classics’.

All classics written by revered authors of the past that have lasted from generation to generation according to me should be made mandatory in our modern day education system. I don’t want to sound like a Judgement Day preacher but, the gruesome happenings of the world around me does not make me quite optimistic either unless certain action is taken on the positive front at once. By making our children & students read good classics which project & promote morals like peace, tolerance, dignity of labour, honesty, justice etc., we will be cultivating the fertile ground for a much better society than what we have got now.
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How is this possible? Why by just reading, reading & READING.
In my latest book ‘Classics: Why we should encourage children to read them’ in one chapter, I’ve even analysed how my students have become better people by just molding themselves on the values they have gained by reading classics. I have seen this work & with a group effort. I know that the love for classic literature can spread not only within our own society or school…but throughout nations & cultures.

With the help of novelists like Charles Dickens, Charlotte Bronte, Alexander Dumas, Anna Sewell, Jane Austen, Jonathan Swift, J.M.Barrie, Herman Melville, Robert Louis Stevenson, Lew Wallace, Bernard Shaw, E.Nesbit, Jack London etc., we can promote a healthier society for the future generations to come. It is said a pepper seed cannot produce a mango fruit, thus  by allowing our children to only indulge in materialistic pleasures will only lead to negative forces plaguing our planet……as it is doing right now.

Through my experiments with classic literature I’ve only seen it benefitting my students. Infact, the 7^th graders the other day were feeling troubled with the affairs in Syria & one of them innocently stated that:  “Fiza miss, I’m already against anymore wars & so are my children even before they are born.” To which his twin sister added: “My grandchildren are seconding his children.”

For is it not true, that only ‘war begets war’…..if we sow the good seeds of enriching classics, won’t we be helping our own people to prosper?
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If anyone yet presumes that classics are old, ancient & decadent & they cannot be connected with our present…..then what does one have to say about:

1)    The terrible destruction in ‘War Of The Worlds’

2)    The racial discrimination in ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’

3)    The child labour in ‘David Copperfield’

4)    The fear in ‘The Diary Of A Young Girl’

5)    The treachery in ‘Treasure Island’

6)    The corruption in ‘The Pickwick Papers’

These may be old texts but their themes are running on ‘full house’ mode even till this day. If we allow our children to read classics, we will not only be enlightening them intellectually but, also morally. It does not take a doctor in literature to see:

1)    The love in ‘Little Dorrit’

2)    The sacrifice in ‘A Tale Of Two Cities’

3)    The charity in ‘David Copperfield’

4)    The faithfulness in ‘Greyfriars Bobby’

5)    The friendship in ‘Peter Pan’

6)    The love for animals in ‘The Call Of The Wild’

7)    The bravery in ‘The Red Badge Of Courage’

8)    The kindness in ‘The Prince & The Pauper’

One only need name a classic & one will realize that from it pours out all the good qualities that one would want to observe in all our children. In the end, all classics do not end happily but I know that our future can, so also the civil strife in Syria. May our education change to a moral humanity based one …let’s read a classic a week!

A link to my book on Amazon:
http://amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=CLASSICS+children%2CB0091BCNTU

Blog:  http://insaneowl.com

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7 Top Reasons for Writers to Be on Goodreads

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How Can Goodreads Help Your Book Take-Off?
Goodreads is a kind of Facebook / Google+ for people who love to read books. A free website for book lovers. Bookshelves, reviews, ratings, reader communities, author pages, book giveaways  … all this is Goodreads. There is more offered on their website: join a discussion group, or start a book club, contact an author, and even post your own writing. More tips about the benefits of joining Goodreads and how you can use Goodreads to promote your blog.
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1. Goodreads Author Program
Use it to promote yourself and your books. What is the Goodreads Author Program? It is a
completely free feature designed to help authors reach their target audience — passionate
readers. This is the perfect place for new and established authors, to promote their books. What
Can You Do as a Goodreads Author?

a) Show Your Author Profile

• Add a picture and bio.
• Share your list of favorite books and recent reads with your fans!
• Write a blog and generate a band of followers.
• Publicize upcoming events, such as book signings and speaking engagements.
• Share book excerpts and other writing.
• Write a quiz about your book or a related topic.
• Post videos. Add the Goodreads Author widget to to your personal website or blog to show off reviews of your books.

b) Promote Your Books

• Sign up to advertise your book to up to the Goodreads Community—16,000,000 readers!
• List a book giveaway to generate pre-launch buzz.
• Lead a Q&A discussion group for readers.
• Participate in discussions on your profile, in groups and in the discussion forums for your books.

How do I join and who can join is explained in detail in one of our former blog posts about Goodreads.
The Author Program is designed for people with published books, or who are just in the process of
publishing a book. It’s best if your work is on a bookseller’s website, such as Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble, but Goodreads will accept any author who has published a book. This includes authors from
other countries as well as authors who are self-published. If your book is self-published and is not yet in the Goodreads database, you may manually add it.

How To Use the Author Program
Learn more about how to promote your books with special tools on Goodreads. Each slideshow
demonstrates a different aspect of our Author Program.
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2. Reader and Writer Forums
Did you realize how many writer forums and groups are on Goodreads? Just go to the top of each page and click on Groups. A new page opens and shows “Recently Active Groups”, “Featured Groups”, “Goodreads Author Groups” etc. and one the right hand site of the page “Browse by Tag”. This is were all the groups are listed by over 1,000 keywords. For sample:

• Book Club
• Historical Fictionistas
• Non-Fiction
• Young Adult Book Groups
• Suspense
• Super-Natural
• The Perks Of Being A Book Addict
• Womankind Worldwide Book Group

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As you can see, when you scroll down on the right hand site, there are ten-thousands of groups!!!
Books & Literature (26598) Business (1393) Entertainment & Arts (2222) Friends & Common
Interest (6914) Geography (490) Goodreads Authors (2535) Just for Fun (22709) Organizations
(3365) Student Groups (6129)
There is even a group that encourages Author-Publishers (Indies) to promote their books – a rarity
at Goodreads, were obvious self-promotion is not well received otherwise. These groups are a hidden gem to meet readers and reviewers. Almost all are public groups. Anyone can join and invite others to join. However, it’s not a place to blatantly tout your books, with the exception I just mentioned. ”Authors are welcomed and Goodreads supports authors in many ways, but the groups are primarily geared towards readers. Authors should join and participate in the group as a reader first.” Once you are known in these forums, your author site and your books will automatically be read – and often reviewed.

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3. Get and Give Reviews
When I was talking recently with an author, who desperately wanted more reviews. When I asked him how many reviews he has written in the last year, he stumbled … and said: “well, NONE so far”. Shall I say more? Don’t forget: To be a Goodreads member and to benefit, especially from reviews, requires that you are a bit more active on this site, for sample in shelving books of other writers, in participating from time to time in forums, read books and review them. How could someone expect to receive reviews if they are not writing some for others? Be a good pal in this book community!
From a Goodreads statement: “Books with no written reviews are added, on average, by 7 people, while books with just five written reviews are added by more than 40 people.”

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4. Friends Can Recommend Your Book
And you can recommend books from your writer friends? To send out a book recommendation, go to the book’s page and click on the “recommend it” link at the top right side of the page. A new site appears with three possibilities: “friends” “manual” “facebook“.

Under the icon “friends” your Goodreads friends are listed and you click next to the name to whom
you want to send your book recommendation. Enter under “manual” single email addresses of readers that are not yet on Goodreads. The “Facebook” icon lists your FB friends, who are not yet members of Goodreads to recommend the book to.
Click on “My Books” in the top navigation menu and add away! You can add books into read, currently reading, to read categories or edit your bookshelf to add your own categories. Once you read them, write a review!  Many authors who’s books you recommended will return this favor to you.

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5. Share This Book
Another hidden gem on your Goodreads page, that your visitors, readers and friends can use in order to promote your books: “Share This Book“.  Did you realize that everyone of your Goodreads book’s pages has share buttons to submit your book to Google+, Pinterest, Twitter and to their Facebook page, even “like” it on Facebook?  Go to the right hand side of your books page and scroll down, until you see the button: “Share This Book”
There is another possibility to spread the word about your book:  Next to these Social Media icons are two unassuming words: Your Website. When you click on it, a window appears with some code that one can be easily copy and paste onto their blog or website and will show an image of your book and a link.  Another way to spread the work about your book! Let your friends ping to Google+ and FB
On the left lower corner of Goodreads are icons to these two websites to which your friends can send your image, books name and a link for your book – as well as a comment, such as “must read”, “great book” or “you will love it”.
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6. Advertise Your Events for FREE
Goodreads encourages you to publicize upcoming events, such as book signings and speaking engagements. This is a feature, similar to the one which is offered on Google+  –  see our blog
https://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2012/11/14/announce-your-book-signing-on-google-for-free/. Start about 3 weeks before your book launch with your event announcement. Use Goodreads’ event listing form to start the process. It has an RVSP feature and people can state if they are “coming”.
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7. Give Away Copies of Your Print Book.
It makes sense to give away books – if your goal is to get reviews. More than 50% of giveaway winners review the books they win, so the more books you offer, the more reviews you are likely to get. Run your giveaway for two weeks to a month. Goodreads says, “Giveaways less than two weeks run the risk of not getting enough entries, while a four-week giveaway will generate more entries.

Goodreads recommends even two giveaways: one about three months before publication to build pre-release buzz and reviews, and a second to increase awareness when your book hits the stores. Both will result in a lot of people adding your book to their to-read shelves – visible for all their friends.” Read more about Goodreads Giveaway rules in a former blog post.

 

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If you would like to get help 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 $ 159 for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars
Or visit http://www.international-ebooks.com/book-promo to advertise your new book, specials or KDP Select Free Days.

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are almost 900 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, 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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