THANKS on December 31, 2013

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A big THANK YOU to all our readers for following us in 2013
All the very best for you for the next 365 days!
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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.

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 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, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.
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Your Big Vision for 2014

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Questions You Might Think About at the End of the Year:

What is your vision for you and your books?
What will be your next activity, how will you publish and promote it?
What steps are you taking immediately to implement it?
What is holding you back from going that next step?
What will happen if you would start today – bringing your vision to life?
Does procrastination make anyone happy?

I stopped ten years ago to watch TV – and it saves me at least 10-15 hours every week.
Would it be a big loss for you to miss those dump sit-coms on TV (which consist to 50% of advertising) and instead write blogs and articles in order to improve your career as an author?

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Jonathan Gunson wrote: “Success is based on patience and the willingness to devote decades of your life to building an audience as a writer. Something a lot of new self-publishers don’t (want to) seem to understand. One of the most common questions I get is: “I published a book, but can’t figure out how to get it in front of people.” That’s because it takes time. Time that includes daily attention to promotion  … for years.”
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“But if you are wanting an income from books, then give it the time it deserves. Every other profession requires an internship, a journeyman level, then eventually a master of expertise. Same with writing/publishing!”
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Richard Branson, the founder of the Virgin Group, a worldwide brand, …. said in an interview:
“Most of us have barriers that can pull us off track – and in some cases, stop us flat. When your vision is in play, they become mere detours – something that you will figure out, how to quickly redirect and keep on going.”

The mega success that Richard Branson has enjoyed had plenty of hiccups, you can count on it! But Branson had this big picture – now what is YOUR big picture?  May we help you to achieve your goals?

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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.

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 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, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.
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Book Fairs: The Do’s and Don’ts

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During these last days of the old year, equipped with brand new calendars, you might be sitting down to plan the marketing for your book(s) in 2014. Which Book Fairs or other Literary Events will you attend in the coming months to present your work?
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Carefully Check Out the Fair Organizer
Before you sign up and spend any money, let the organizers show you how they promote this book fair in detail. Don’t settle for general statements, such as: “We advertise everywhere in the area” or “Our clients post it all over the Internet and on Social Media”. Rather inquire and ask detailed questions:

• How many shows did they previously organize and how was the outcome?
• Which advertisements did they purchase for this upcoming book fair?
• To which audience (in follower numbers) and how often do they announce it on Social Media?
• Which articles did they prepare and where will it be published, and to how many readers?
• What is the percentage of recurring exhibitors?
• Can they give you names of exhibitors / authors you might contact about their experience?
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Make sure that organizing a book fair is not an attempt for this company to make a fast buck, but rather to promote authors and their books, considering that you have the cost of buying a table, transportation / parking costs, promoting, maybe accommodation and restaurant bills or even expenses to have a helper at your booth.
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These tips might help you to evaluate if it is worth to attend the book fair.  I visited lots of great organized and promoted exhibitions – but here is an example how the event organizers and even authors can spoil the experience for visitors:
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Can it Get Any Worse?
Last Fall I attended a Book Fair, organized by a large group of author-publishers. My expectations were pretty low, as I feared, it was not sufficiently advertised, such as in their earlier book events.  And it was in fact even worse…
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Barely Advertised:
Instead of writing articles about the show, listing the authors that were present and rave about their books – and distribute these articles at least through all the local papers for free – there was nothing publicized…. Not even on Google+ nor on Goodreads’ free event sites was this book fair advertised, which would have cost them not a dime.
Only one promotional article about one of the fair’s organizers was published, also not directly about the show, but rather about his achievements in writing a huge number of books (which averaged exactly 72 copies sold per title…).
The book fair was neither advertised at local online magazines nor in print (for a very low fee) in newspaper event pages. Even their own website did not show a proper invitation for the public – instead an announcement for members to purchase a table at the show.  Members were encouraged to send out tweets to the public to purchase a table!  Did they mean instead of visiting a book fair to rent their tables? A promotional disaster!
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Inconvenient Layout:
The book fair was set up on the second floor of a recreational facility. The room itself was very long and narrow, a wheel chair could barely roll through between the tables, without touching books and throwing them to the floor. I watched as visitors were polite and stepped back or sidewards to let wheel chairs pass. When looking at the books or purchase something, the people in wheelchairs felt embarrassed as they blocked inadvertenly the whole aisle.

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Self-Published-Looking Book Covers
Only two of about 150 books showed a professional cover – all others screamed: “self-published”. OK, some of the covers could work for a print book, potential customers in bookstores could read all the details on the front and back cover, but they were mostly available as e-books too, and I imagined them on Internet retailer sites, among many other books with professional covers displayed … where they would be difficult to read due to the small print.

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Lack of Displays
Most of the books were laid out flat on the tables and visitors had to lean over in order to read the title. There are so many inexpensive Acryl presentations available to show books upright!  Just visit a trade book fair, such as Book Expo NY, Frankfurt Book Fair and see how professional publishing houses present their books. Or get a video from these fairs on YouTube to see how a book presentation should look like.

Only one of the authors at the show had a background display – a real attention-grabber – showcasing the cover of one of his titles. It was one of these roll-out display posters that one can carry very easily, being not much bigger than a golf umbrella when dissembled Roll Up Banner Stand.
Other book exhibitors did not invest a single dollar in display and had in the best case a copy of their book cover or a 8×11′ black & white computer print-out “poster” with the book title on it, pinned to the wall behind them.

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No Credit Cards
Everybody knows how easy it is to spend money when you don’t have to pay with cash. I overheard several times that patrons said: “I have to leave it with this one book, as I don’t have enough cash with me”. Another said: “I just found out by chance about this book exhibition, but I don’t have any money with me”.
So, why not making it easy for customers and accept credit cards or any of the new ways of paying digitally? Nothing easier than this: use one of these “Square Cards” or bring your smart phone of iPad with you and let people pay, using their PayPal account – or even better, sending you the money by email / online banking (available at Canadian bank accounts, not sure if available in other countries) – right at your exhibition booth! Make it as easy as possible for people to buy your books!

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Approachable or Unfriendly?
For a couple of hours I watched authors how they approached potential patrons, at their book tables. I asked everyone of the authors, why they wrote this book (lots of memoirs there!), what’s the background of their novel, or how long it took them to write it, how they were promoting it. It was a mixed bag: Some where cheerful talking about their writing process, the background story etc., while others only asked which one of their books I wanted to buy, and when I was not taking out my purse right away, they turned around and talked with their neighbors. Wow, I was pretty astonished – and guess who’s books I bought?

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One Book Seller Stood Out
Her book, Kathleen’s Cariole Ride was available in print and digital form. She bundled both, similar to the book bundles that Amazon offers now.  And almost everyone of her print book customers bought a digital version too, which she offered for only $1 at a promotional price, either for themselves or as a gift. How she did it?  She brought two tools to the fair:  an iPad and a small poster. As soon as someone declared to buy the paperback, she pointed to her poster and showed them her Amazon page on her iPad.  When readers saw the official book price on Amazon and compared it to her offer at the book show, they could not resist to get the e-book too.
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Conclusion:
Why make all the effort to write and spend the money to publish a book?  I know that some of these authors at the book show had paid thousands of dollars to a Vanity book company to get their book(s) “published”.  Why then not invest a couple of dollars in presenting their work properly?
Again: Writing is an art – Publishing is a business! I hope these examples give you food for thought and encourage you to present your books professional at this year’s book shows. And a word to book show organizers: Don’t just fleece authors and sell tables, but offer them value in promoting the book event professionally. You can do it even for free, using all these new media possibilities out there!

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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 $179 for three months – or less than $2 per day! Learn more about this customized Online Seminar / Consulting for writers: http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars

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 StumpleUpon.
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How to Cultivate Professional Publishing ?

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Authors are now often forced to hire their own editors – before even submitting their manuscripts for publication. Toronto literary agent Anne McDermid saw the landscape changing two years ago, when a publisher told her: “I cannot purchase a book (manuscript) for which I need to spend 40 hours editing. We are now advising our authors that the material they present has got to be closer to the final draft than it ever used to be.”
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Sometimes the agents themselves act as pre-editors. The biggest-growing sector in Canadian publishing (and in other countries as well) is the freelance editor. With more than 1,600 members, the freelance-dominated Editors Association of Canada is “the largest membership organization in the Canadian arts community.
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Along with booming self-publishing services that offer various levels of editing as value-added options, a cottage industry of independent contractors is quickly replacing the fabled tastemakers who once shaped literary destiny …
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Read the whole article from Globe&Mail:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/where-have-all-the-book-editors-gone/article565446/

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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.

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 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, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.
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Goodreads Giveaway: Thriller by Peter Standish Evans

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OMINOUS: BORDERS: COFFEE:   
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Set in PARIS, this thriller surges ominously through the psyche of modern Europe. …transport yourself to the mean streets… set in the vibrant suburbs of PARIS, this thriller surges ominously through the psyche of modern Europe… conflict is rife; danger is everywhere. Be warned, watch your back …

Tension ramps as borders, emotional, sexual & psychotic are stormed, and these threats weave danger for the fanatic lovers of coffee and the creative arts.

An obsessive and beautiful classical violinist is pitted against a malevolent killer; it’s summer in modern Europe & the cafés and bistros hum with robust and colorful activity. Inspector Vasseur sits at his favorite table on a battered sidewalk. Alone he drinks on hot summer nights, his instincts grappling with the mysterious case of innocent deaths along the River Seine.
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OMINOUS: BORDERS: COFFEE:   (The Paris Thriller) will be a dog-eared and red wine stained addition to your book collection.

Paperback, 280 pages, $8.99
e-book $4.99
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About the Author:
Peter Standish Evans lives with a deep love of both creative writing and vibrant reading. He spends significant time exploring the works of new writers, buying first editions where able.

Writing his novel ‘Ominous: Borders: Coffee’ (The Paris Thriller) was an exploration into the borders of ‘characterisation’, and an occasion to fuse ominous fiction with a touch of dangerous poetry, so lending depth to a troubled character. In this novel, the author explores the emotional, sexual and psychotic traits of those pitted for and against evil.

He is currently writing the second novel in the series, with the working title ‘the circle of dark squares’… once again featuring the Parisian Inspector, Jean-Luc Vasseur.

He has a published poetry collection ‘Red Winds Howl’, which has been described as “a blend of 303 bullets and tequila”. A second poetry compilation is being readied for release, featuring his poems from the 21st century. This collection titled ‘Deep Red Lands’ will be published in 2014.
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ENTER to WIN the GOODREADS GIVEAWAY:
Peter Standish Evans’ Thriller “Ominous: Borders: Coffee”
Giveaway dates: December 20 – January 05, 2014
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18158959-ominous?ac=1

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Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 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, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.
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Did You Know? e-Book Giveaways

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e-Book Givaways !!!
If you’re an independently published author, then book giveaways are a powerful way to get a lot of exposure – and your book in the hands of new readers, who might even write reviews.  We wrote several times about Goodreads Giveaways, here is one example of a Giveaway … Peter Standish Evans thriller OMINOUS: BORDERS: COFFEE: 
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On the other hand: Goodreads only allows print books as Giveaways. If you offer only e-books: there are ways to print a handful of books, once you have an ISBN. However, there are some competitors to Goodreads, who offer e-Book Giveaways for members, such as:

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BookLikes
In terms of features and functionality, BookLikes is similar to GoodReads. Of course, they don’t have nearly the traffic that Goodreads does, so you should not expect similar results if you have done a book giveaway there in the past. If GoodReads allowed e-Book giveaways, they would be almost perfect in my mind. But since they don’t, sites such as BookLikes are another alternative for authors who don’t publish print books.
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To list your book giveaway on BookLikes, sign up for a free account and click on the giveaways link when you are logged in. On the next page, there should be a tab at the top of the page in the main navigation that says “Create Your Giveaway.”
You will be asked for the same info as the other sites in the form on the following page.  Their rules seem to have been almost copied directly from Goodreads, as they appear to be identical.
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The only real (and great!) difference is, that you can choose to pick the winners of the giveaway yourself and BookLikes allows e-books!

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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.

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 960 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 StumpleUpon.
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How to Let Publicity Work For You

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Have you (and your book) been mentioned in a national newspaper, such as USA Today, Chicago Tribune or the NY Times? Or your hometown newspaper? Have you been interviewed by a local radio station? Endorsements of traditional media, even if it’s simply mentioning your name, is marketing gold if you are trying to get a book into more readers hands. Don’t miss to let everyone know about it:

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Post it on Your Author Pages
Authors barely ever use all the space they get on their Amazon or Goodreads author pages. Scan the article or parts of it and add it as a photo to your page. If it was a video interview, get a copy to place it on YouTube and all free video sharing sites and certainly on all your author pages at online retailers.
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Let People on Social Media Know
No matter if it was an article or a taped interview, post it on all the forums you are a member with, including a link, an image or a quote.
This can be done more frequently on Google+, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn – and with images on Pinterest. You can even mention and promote upcoming shows on your site – and on theirs. And certainly post after the show how awesome it was.
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Add it to Your e-Book
Why not adding snippets of the article (quote or image of the article, or a link to the video) as endorsement into your e-book, either in the first introduction pages or at the end of the book?
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Post it on Your Website and Blog
The endorsements implied by recognition from the media make you appear more trustworthy and credible – and thus more appealing – than your competition.
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Use it as Reference for Speaking Engagements
When applying you will greatly boost your chances of getting the gig if the people, hiring speakers know that you have received media attention. Make sure it’s on your speaker profile and in your marketing material.

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Whether you have paid someone to help you get media exposure or you have done the work yourself, you have made an investment in Public Relation. Get a great return on that investment and leverage the rewards for a long time, provided, you put it to work for you!

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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.

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 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, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.
Thanks a lot for following:

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Audio-Book: Rabbit in the Jungle

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MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OUR READERS – ENJOY THE HOLIDAYS

Rabbit in the Jungle tells a classically American story of second chances, hard work and hope. Sometimes raw and gritty, the book traces Anthony Alegrete’s rise from the streets of Los Angeles, through the penal system, to the halls of academia and the competitive business world of Las Vegas.  Along the way he had a lot of fun, a little trouble and learned some lessons.  This book shares his story in a way meant to be cautionary and inspiring.

With more tricks than Bugs Bunny and more charm than Roger Rabbit he navigated the street culture of Los Angeles during the heyday of West Coast hip hop; navigated safely through prison politics; built a reputation for himself at University of Nevada – Las Vegas and partnered up with local fitness experts to bring a trendy gym to the downtown area of Vegas.

Price:  $14.95, or FREE with Audible.com 30-day free trial membership
Listen while you drive: “Rabbit in the Jungle”, now as an AUDIO-BOOK too!

http://www.audible.com/pd?asin=B00EDRW1OE

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From a Book Review:
“Alegrete describes in his book the rough neighborhoods of Los Angeles, interactions with gang violence, police chases, prison riots, drug dealing and repercussions of street snitches. He met rap artists, criminals, celebrities, CEO’s, academics, people dedicated to good causes in non-profit organizations and everyone in between. His book describes a life, no thriller author could have come up with. Most important of all, he shows that there is always a way out, how he learned to make better decisions, into a life with a cause and how important family and friends are. His book is meant to be motivation and encouragement.

He tells them that struggles are never excuses to be complacent and not to do anything about circumstances, not to sit idle, hoping for change. And that’s exactly what he did, he survived and in this book he gives a kind of road map how someone can turn negatives into a positive way of life.”  Price:  $14.95, or FREE with Audible.com 30-day free trial membership

Get a Sample of “Rabbit in the Jungle” audio-book here:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EEAVS4E

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Short excerpt from the audio-book:

“The first time I went to prison was in 2004. They charged me with conspiracy to commit access device fraud. I wasn’t creating the documents or using them for criminal purposes myself. My job was distribution. In the eyes of the law this is viewed as conspiracy because of the set-up required to produce and distribute the IDs and other items, which are then further used. Another participant in the scam got caught, and to protect himself he wore a wire and set me up.

My personal sense of honor prevented me from accepting a similar offer. I did it, I was caught, no point in taking anybody else down with me. Besides, I ain’t a snitch. Never have been, and never will be. It’s not worth it. Where I come from, a snitch is the lowest kind of maggot.

Guests of the federal prison system frequently get shuffled around, and I made stops in California, Oklahoma, and Texas. The constant moving sharpened my powers of observation and forced me to adapt. Boredom and loneliness were also constant challenges. The established routines for each day only fill so much time. The rest of the day feels very empty.

One of the main things I did was reading.
I remember reading is The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Green. Like Machiavelli and Sun-tsu before him, Green adopts a very ruthless, martial view of leadership and power. Over the course of 452 pages, he not only made history real he gave me the outline of a plan for my future. Prisons are essentially military systems. Just as Green used moments in history to illustrate the ways power is gained and manipulated, I used his work to negotiate my way through the minefield I had landed in.  Green’s confrontational, militant, almost malicious style seemed tailor made for my surroundings. I couldn’t soak it in fast enough.

Up to that point my reading experience consisted of thumbing through magazines and completing school assignments. The idea that I could read something in a book and immediately apply it to improve my own position revolutionized my thinking. My encounter with that book was a defining moment.

It’s kind of a no-brainer that a majority of the gentlemen in the pen are not too fond of the government. As a result, conspiracy-theory books are fairly popular. The one I picked up was called Behold the Pale Horse by Bill Cooper. I decided that type of reading wasn’t really my thing. People connected with the anger and suspicion that goes into that kind of literature. I guess if you have trust issues it kind of plays into your mindset to read about things like the Roswell cover-up, secret societies and the new world order. If you travel too far down that road it’s hard to find your way back to a place in the real world. It’s not that I didn’t believe some of what was in those books, but that’s not a healthy, helpful way to think considering my circumstances at the time.

I looked at reading as a way to build myself up so I only read enough of that dark stuff to see what it was about and then moved on to things that helped me to move forward. I read nonfiction to fuel my ambition and shape my world view, but fiction had a place in my plan, too. Novels were a great way to escape and distract myself, but beyond that I could have vicarious experiences and get important insights into human nature. James Patterson, who wrote the Alex Cross series, and David Baldacci, who authored The Winner, tell compelling stories that held my interest. In prison you should read every single piece of writing that you can get your hands on. Beyond that though, you have to learn what to do with what you read.

Reading kept my mind occupied, it kept me out of trouble, and it provided peace in the midst of chaos. Everyone in prison reads, but not everyone is reading the right stuff and not everyone is taking the knowledge and using it.”

TV-Interview: Anthony Alegrete, author of “Rabbit in the Jungle” talks about his book – From Bars to Books – http://youtu.be/sypbPoE7lRs

Rabbit in the Jungle by Anthony Alegrete is certainly available as paperback and as an e-book

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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.

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 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, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.
Thanks a lot for following:

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http://www.e-Book-PR.com/

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Merry Christmas

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Merry Christmas to All Our Readers

and Online Seminar Students

… and Happy Holidays to you.

Enjoy this time of the year with family and friends!

your 111Publishing – Crew

Holiday Cheers, Doris

 

 

Mixed Stocking of Publishing News

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MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL MY READERS – ENJOY THE HOLIDAYS

 

Inspire!: Toronto Launches New Book Fair in 2014
Inspire!, a four-day Toronto International Book Fair, will make its debut next November at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. News of the fair’s launch comes just three months after the release of a feasibility study, funded by the Ontario Media Development Corp., which raised the tantalizing prospect of a reimagined Toronto book fair after six years without one.”

Steven Levy, a “master of big consumer trade shows, has partnered in the venture with Rita Davies, former executive director of culture for the city of Toronto, and publisher John Calabro of Quattro Books, according to the Star. Levy noted that while the show partially fills a gap left by the demise of BookExpo Canada, Inspire! will be 80% public and about 20% for publishing industry insiders.

“In Toronto we have a large audience with a serious interest in both print and digital subjects,” he said. “And we have a highly diversified society, with many different languages and cultures. Our challenge is to create a number of unique events that will be entertaining and educational, and engage this audience.”
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PAINTER OF THE HEAVENS Amazon Kindle Countdown Deal

“A Novel of Crime and the Heart” by Bart Stewart   http://bit.ly/18YaHqY
Starts Dec ember 26, at 08:00 am, @ 99cents

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Kobo to Raise Revenues for Authors
e-Book retailer Kobo is raising the minimum price for an e-book to qualify for 70% royalties from $1.99 to $2.99 and has dropped the upper range limit of $9.99, this way DOUBLING the revenue offered by Amazon’s Kindle on higher-priced e-books. The change represents a 50% increase as, previously, to qualify for 70% payments, an e-book on Kobo Writing Life had to be priced between $1.99-$12.99, with the royalty dropping to 45% for e-books outside that range.  In comparison: Amazon pays 70% royalties on e-books priced between $2.99 and $9.99 and 35% outside that range.  It looks like a move that could attract a new wave of authors to Kobo, especially those with high-end e-books, such as text books and “coffee-table” books or those with lots of images.

The minimum prices internationally to qualify for 70% e-book royalties from Kobo are:

• £2.99 in the UK (previously £1.99-£7.99)
• $2.99 CAD in Canada (previously $1.99-$12.99)
• $2.99 AUD in Australia (previously $1.99-$11.99)
• €2.99 in the European Union (previously €1.99-€12.99)
• $2.99 NZD in New Zealand (previously $1.99-$12.99)

Certain conditions apply: See the Kobo website
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From Kobo’s News Release:
Kobo expanded its distribution channel in France with the addition of top France retailers Pixmania, Cora, Casino, Auchan, and Boulanger.

Kobo takes e-Reading to a New Continent
World-Class Platform Now Available to South African Consumers :
Kobo brings eReading to South Africa through its partnership with Pick n Pay, one of the largest and most successful retailers in the country. Not even a month after partnering with the New Zealand Booksellers Association and Paper Plus, Kobo brings its world-class e-Reading experience to people in South Africa, with the award-winning Kobo Touch e-Reader and a localized online customer experience.  Local content is also available in both English and Afrikaans, including works from authors such as Deon Meyer, Leon van Nierop and Tess Gerritsen.

More Languages
Kobo’s self-publishing platform is now available in German, French, Italian, Spanish and Dutch, in addition to English.

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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.

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 960 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 StumpleUpon.
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Why Books Need Editing and Proofreading

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Recently I read a fantastic book, that really hooked me, wanting to read more from this author. It had not a single typo or grammar error. However, the protagonist, a young girl, was using an ipod, later in the story she was getting tickets to a concert that actually happened in the late 60’s and when she got missing, her mother gave the girls birth date as in 1948 to the police. This really great book lacked a good editor to point out these errors.

Before you hire an editor, you need to know what kind of help you’re looking for. Some editors work only on the structural and line level. Others also copy edit, or specialize in copy editing alone.

Editors Will Perform Services Such As:

• suggesting cutting out characters
• changing or omitting dialogue
• changing the narrative arc of the novel
• moving chapters around
• give various other suggestions that will improve the book
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Developmental Edit
“Big-picture” feedback about structure, style, pacing and voice? A developmental edit for a work of nonfiction may include feedback about the book’s organizational structure, as well as both stylistic and informational strengths and weaknesses. For fiction manuscripts, developmental editing also includes notes on plot, point of view and characterization. Often, a developmental edit is given in the form of a detailed report or letter rather than as notes made directly on the manuscript.

Line Edit
In a line edit, your editor will point out specific things such as certain lines of dialogue that don’t sound convincing, or pacing problems in a given section.
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Copy Editing and Proofreading
These are about fixing errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, word choice and sentence structure, as well as catching continuity issues.
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Hiring a freelance editor is a significant financial investment—one that can range from several hundred dollars to several thousand, depending upon the kinds of editing you require, the editor’s rate (which may be either an hourly rate or a flat fee, usually charged per page), and the number of revisions/rounds of editing.
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Before you Hire an Editor or Proofreader:
Avoid the temptation to hire someone to edit your first draft. Put it away for a while and then re-read, making notes on its strengths and weaknesses, asking yourself what’s missing, and flagging places where you find yourself skimming. Then rewrite the manuscript at least once, twice is even better. Don’t bring in a professional until you have made the book the best you possibly can on your own.
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Prepared for Feedback?
You need to prepare yourself for feedback, criticism and direction. Ideally, the feedback you receive won’t hurt your feelings. After all, your editor only wants to help you see your manuscript with new eyes by providing suggestions for how to capitalize on its strengths and address its weaknesses.
This kind of feedback can be hard to hear, so try to go into the process willing to consider changes. You might, for instance, agree with the editor about a problem in the manuscript, yet disagree with his suggestions about how to fix it. By talking this through with him, rather than just dismissing it, you can brainstorm a different solution.
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Revision Takes Time
After investing significant time writing a book, it’s easy to start feeling desperate to finally have it “done”—so much so that you risk shortchanging the editing process. But the truth is you cannot respond to a round of thorough developmental editing in a week. It’s a waste of time and money to hire someone to copy edit your book before you’ve addressed all developmental and line edits.
Consider paying to have your first chapter copy edited to serve as an example. Otherwise, hold off until the manuscript needs nothing but that final polish.
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What Do You Want?
Tell your editor what you want your book to accomplish. Do you want to publish this book or do you want to learn how to write better? Is it a once-in-a-lifetime project, such as a memoir? If want to write additional books, aim for an editor who will explain her rationale for the edits, so you can learn from the process and truly make the most of your investment in services.
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The Best it Can Be
It means making it something you feel truly represents what you wanted to do and say. Achieving this for you is important, your editor has to tell you things about your manuscript that your friends, relatives or even critique group members might be afraid to say.

The editors or proofreaders job is to partner with you on a journey to make your vision of your book working – with the way your prospective readers will see it.
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Proofreading
This should take place as the final stage before your work is ready for publication. All editing and all the rewrites should be done before proofreading. The only stages that come after proofreading are e-book formatting or book layout for print, and cover design.
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Proofreaders Correct Your Manuscript and Will:

• Find spelling errors & typos,
• Catch punctuation errors
• They will correct grammatical errors
• Dedect missing or duplicated words
• Point out mis-applied or inconsistent tenses
• Catch wrongly-assigned dependent clauses

Proofreader Julia answers Frequent Asked Questions in her blog:

“How about authors proofreading their own work?
If you’ve written a word that is spelled correctly, spell check will let it get through, even if you have written ‘alone’ when you meant to write ‘along’. Even prolific and very well educated writers don’t find these errors, no matter how often they have read their book …

My friend will proofread my novel for me, she has a degree in English, and it won’t cost me anything.
I would say, by all means ask a friend or two to look through your work for typos. They will probably spot quite a few. But your friend has a different mind-set to me; I don’t know you, I don’t know anything about your work, it’s all completely new to me. I don’t know what to expect – but I will find those pesky typos, it’s a whole different ball game when proofreading is your job!

Readers don’t mind a few typos, it’s the story that counts. They can see that I’m a good writer.
A few typos may look like a little matter – but they can cost you big business.”

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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.

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 960 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 StumpleUpon.
Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing
http://www.111publishing.com
http://www.e-Book-PR.com/
http://www.international-ebooks.com/
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Book Cover: You Never Get a Second Chance …

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… for a first good impression!  Always remember : 
Your books’ title and its appearance is the first, and perhaps only impression you make on a prospective reader.  A great image on your book cover will undoubtedly catch your reader’s imagination, wondering what lies beyond it. A fantastic opportunity to draw readers in.

Not that an appealing cover means automatically a great book, but a book that is accurately and even interestingly represented by its cover, is more likely to catch the eye of someone who is going to enjoy reading it.  Interesting covers are going to get more time on shelf-displays, online and off-line.  We are a visual culture; naturally that is going to influence our book-buying habits.
A stunning book cover is one of the best marketing tools for any writer!
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Bali Rai wrote in one of his blogs:  ”In 2002, as one of the judges on the Guardian’s Teenage prize, I remember a book called Thursday’s Child by Sonya Hartnett.  It’s a simple yet wonderful story of 1930′s Depression-era Australia, and it went on to win the award. However, it was not my choice for winner, simply because I thought the cover illustration would deter people from reading it. It was drab and old-fashioned in my opinion and had I not been reading and judging the book, it would have put me off completely.”
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Here are some points you should discuss with your designer.

• Use bold or complementary colors
• Use light on dark for dramatic effects (if it fits to your book content)
• Test the cover in thumbnail size to make sure it looks good at Amazon’s website
• Use not more than different two fonts in total
• Use not too wide vertical spaces between lines of text
• Use few shadow, bevel, gradient or glow – keep it subtle
• Align the cover text – centre, left or right
• Place text on plain background to stand out
• Use the same fonts for all your books and readers will be able to identify them easily
• People read left to right, top to bottom. Position your elements in appropriate levels of importance.
• Never, ever, use a white background for your book! White on white is barely visible and on websites your book will not stick out, as the sites’ background are almost always white.

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E-books are bought online, usually displayed on a page with many other books. Therefore clarity, simplicity, brightness and information must jump off the screen.  A simple and arresting graphic element and bold clear text for the title and the authors’ name must be easy to read on the tiny online image.
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A book that is brilliantly written, but lacks a good quality cover design will remain unnoticed and undiscovered.  It is absolutely crucial to have a book cover that grabs the attention of readers and book buyers and shows the heart and the soul of the book in one single image

Read more:

Lousy Book Covers
http://lousybookcovers.tumblr.com/

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“23 Creative Book Cover Designs and their Story” is a showcase of creative book cover designs, indicating the typefaces used for the title or text:
http://www.1stwebdesigner.com/inspiration/creative-book-cover-story
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Joel Friedlander wrote a great blog about brilliant book titles in one of his blogs:
http://www.thebookdesigner.com/2010/06/how-to-write-book-titles-for-people-robotsJoel
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“40 Extraordinary Photoshop Text Effects” shows detailed tutorials, how to create amazing book title effects, step by step and using lots of screen shots.
http://www.problogdesign.com/resources/40-extraordinary-photoshop-text-effects

Fonts for book titles:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typeface
http://www.dafont.com/themes.php
http://www.1001freefonts.com
http://www.identifont.com

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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.

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 960 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 StumpleUpon.
Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing
http://www.111publishing.com
http://www.e-Book-PR.com/
http://www.international-ebooks.com/
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Enter to Win a Goodreads Giveaway: TILT

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A practical parenting guide brims with real life suggestions, tips, and advice for career mothers. It encourages them, as they help their children reach for their goals and dreams, to continue to reach for their own. It is filled with over 70 quotes from the author’s children, over 100 practical guilt-free tips and the wisdom of over 80 other amazing mothers.
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ENTER TO WIN! Goodreads Book Giveaway “TILT-7 Solutions To Be A Guilt-free
Working Mom” by Marci Fair, who is a very successful business women.  http://bit.ly/1cHsMtW

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Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 960 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 StumpleUpon.
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http://www.111publishing.com
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Like to Get FREE Samples?

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Almost everyone likes to get free samples.  I love to try out new foods at grocery promotions, and most of the time, I buy the products after sampling. Same with books: Readers do “search inside” to find out if they like the story or the tips given in a non-fiction guidebook, before they hit the “Buy” button. Even more alluring is it, when they find an article from you on your blog, on your website or a magazine, online or print, such as Salon.com, Huffington Post, Squidoo.com, Hubpages.com, or The Atlantic, who have millions of readers.
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Give Readers a Sample of Your Craft
Your novel or your non-fiction book is full of keywords and ideas for blogs, guest blogs and newspaper or magazines. While it takes a long time until you can make money with your books, while you might be paid for your writing within a few weeks or months , and it might turn into a long-term business relation with the editors. Not all of the newspapers or magazines pay for guest bloggers, yet only the exposure you get through these publications is priceless – and it also improves your author brand and your recognition as a writer.  An author, who can write a whole book, or several for that matter, can also write short articles!  Just learn how to write for the Internet.
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Benefits of Article Writing 

• Clever Marketing and reaching millions of people can be done totally free (other than your time). Just use your creativity and imagination!
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• Be self-assured and don’t hesitate to pitch international newspapers / blogs. It takes as much time as to pitch your local neighborhood paper.
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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.
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• You have to do your research anyway, why not use the material you gather and write several articles that you can offer – always mentioning your book.
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• As a writer you know how to write, just learn how to write online content by reading lots of online articles and how they are set-up
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2014 Will Likely See Many More Books Published!
And more competition …  On the other hand, author-publishers will have more opportunities to engage more deeply with their audiences, expanding efforts to build online communities of interest for their readers. More authors, meanwhile, will hopefully recognize the value of true fans, and the importance of forging meaningful connections with the right people to rise above the competition.
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Readers want to know more and interact with the author who’s book they are buying – not only see ads with the message: Buy my book, buy my book, buy my book … Readers rather want to see samples of your writing. 

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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.

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 960 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 StumpleUpon.
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Don’t Give Up! It Just Takes Time!

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Bestseller authors often need years and years to build up their audience, so it is surprising, that authors dream of their first book as a potential bestseller, and don’t realize that it takes a long time and hard work to get an audience, one reader at a time – especially if they did not do the ground work to build a huge following at Social Media, in reader forums or in real-life before they start publishing.
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Author-Publishing is Like a New Profession
And professions need to be learned! It takes years to become an excellent writer and it also takes years to become an excellent publisher. It involves lots of skills and knowledge business-wise, marketing skills, not to mention, learning constantly new internet techniques and get to know the latest changes in publishing. Many authors have unrealistic expectations when it comes to the time required for effective book promotion and to make meaningful connections with readers. They expect wonders from a single sales campaign.
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Take Advantage of their Knowledge
A book marketing professional has to learn years and years.  Why, as an author, not take advantage of their knowledge to keep your head free for writing and interacting with readers?  No one would start an accounting business without learning the ropes, and knowing how to create a revenue / expenses sheet or fill out income tax forms. Writing a book does not make for a publisher, no matter how clever businesses want you to imagine. Take the time to build your author platform and establish a brand, it will eventually give you an advantage in the market.
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Who are Your Readers?
Authors often do very little research to really understand their audience. Asking: “Who is your audience and who is your competition?” one might receive only vague answers … Topics, that are not only very important for self-publishers, but also for authors who want to go with a traditional publisher. They need to proof to the agent or publisher that they have done their homework.
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How Can You Research Your Competition?
First of all make a long list with possible keywords that readers might use to find a similar book.
Check out the complete categories / genres at Amazon, Barnes&Noble, Kobo, Apple, Sony, Google Books, Waterstones etc. and study all the books, that could be akin to your future work.  Visit several public libraries to learn about your competition.  Borrow the most interesting ones, not only to read them, but also to study the book layout and design. Read the online reviews of their books carefully!

• How many books of this topic / with the same keywords have been published already?
• Where are these books sold and for which price?
• In which format are they offered: e-book, print, audio-book?
• Who are the customers of these competing books?
• How are these books received and which ones are bestselling?
• Which categories did they choose, and which keywords?
• In which categories / genres are these competitive books listed?
• What cover designs have been chosen for these books?
• Which author represent him/herself and their book the best – via their Amazon and Goodreads author page, and on their website or blog?

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According to a new report from Bowker, the number of self-published titles in 2012 jumped to more than 391,000, up 59 percent over 2011. The 2012 numbers will be published soon, but they might be even much higher – which means: more and more competition for authors.

Bowker explains: “The most successful self-publishers don’t view themselves as writers only, but as business owners. They invest in their businesses, hiring experts to fill skill gaps and to gain more time for writing.”  

Conclusion:
Becoming an author-publisher is a long-term commitment and requires hundreds of small steps on the path to success!  Before you start writing, create yourself a road map. Take your time, see your writing & publishing as a long-term project and don’t have unrealistic expectations. First create a professional looking book, do the ground work to build up your author platform, and then have fun, winning one reader at a time. Becoming an author-publisher is a marathon, not a sprint, and it will require hundreds of small steps on the path to success!  Before you start writing, create yourself a road map. 

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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.

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 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, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.
Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing
http://www.111publishing.com
http://www.e-Book-PR.com/

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