How Your Blog Helps Your Books Taking Off

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A blog is one of the most valuable tools to show you and your work to readers. Your blog is part of your platform and your author brand. Your blog has endless benefits, such as higher “Search Engine Ranking” on Google, better visibility, and to separate you from mainstream writers. Blog reader surveys found that blogs are building trust, and are influencing buying decisions. Let’s have a look at the benefits of your blog and best practices:
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Write Regularly
Static websites don’t attract many new clients or customers. However, a regularly updated blog can
produce a constant stream of new readers from all around the world. Blogs have so much
influence on purchase decisions. When readers sign up they expect to be able to read new
content from you at least once or (even better) twice a week.
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What Shall I Blog You Ask?
Start with what you have already written: tiny snippets of your book, added by research findings you
found before writing. For example: you wrote a scene in your novel. Explain your readers more
about the place, the time, weather, landscape or history that are involved in the story. You can even
write about restaurants that the protagonist used to patronize:  FREE, Brilliant Book Marketing
You can also re-write or spin a short chapter of your book or elaborate on the people you thanked
in your acknowledgements.
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Prequels
Use your blog to write about your next book, write one or several prequels.
A prequel can be one story or a dozen. However, it should be an irresistible preview of the book itself,
short, but with a revealing scene from the draft manuscript of the novel, and a great teaser for the
upcoming work. The author’s goal should be: to make the reader want more… It is never too early
to write a prequel. You might write it even before starting to write your book, and your blog is a great
place to do just that. However, keep it to 1,500 words max. and don’t reveal too much. It should be
only a teaser for your next book.
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Create Web Content Without Writing
No time to write? No problem! There are so many ways to create content for your blog:

• Photos
• Videos
• Podcast
• Re-blogging
• Slide-Shares
• Guest posts
• Info-Graphics
• Lists
• Snippets from your book
• Polls / Surveys
• Curating other blog articles

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Your Blog is Your Inventory
Use it! When it comes to updating your blog, the more frequently you do so the better. Set a schedule for blogging, every Monday and Thursday, for example. Read other related blogs, comments on posts, forums or books to get ideas. And writing down your own experiences in writing or publishing and answers you found when looking for solutions.
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How to Promote Your Blog
Number one to spread the word about your blog are directories, here just a few:

http://blogs.botw.org/Arts/Literature/Publishing/
http://www.bloggeries.com/Writing_Publishing/
http://technorati.com/blogs/directory/entertainment/books/

See all 20 Blog Directories to submit your blog. Get a very rough estimate of a site’s traffic by checking their Alexa rank before you sign up (the lower the number, the better).

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Document Sharing Sites
Scribd, a social publishing site, where millions of people share original writings and documents.
Convert your original article to a PDF file and upload it to Scribd. Unlike article directories Scribd
allows you to incorporate links within your content. You can upload anything onto Scribd as a way to
grow your audience, just like on your personal blogs. Choose copyright settings, among many
other options, making your documents most searchable. Authors are uploading e-books for sale
on Scribd, and keep 80% of the profits.
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Social Media Sites
On Google+ you can easily post your article, if it is under 500 words – if it is longer, just add a link to
the rest of the article. There are certainly more social media sites (Google+ can be conected with
Twitter, saving you time and your post is automatically tweeted). On most Social Media sites you
can add images and a link back to your website or blog. Here is an article about Social SEO
Strategies for Start-Ups.  Read also why Google+ authorship is so important.
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Learn to Write for the Web
Web visitors are not reading, they are scanning text. Learn how to write for the web: lots of bullets,
headlines, sub headings, images and using the “inverted pyramid”, explained in this blog article.
Write interesting page titles that grab the attention, structure your text and write summaries at the end
of each chapter. Readers spend more time on pages with valuable information, structured and
easy to read content – and lots of links.
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Let Your Content Go Viral
There is so much you can do to let your articles and blogs go viral on the Internet. It takes a little bit of effort, but the results in a couple of months will be rewarding. And as longer and more often you are blogging, as easier it gets. As Robert Kiyosaki (author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad) said: “The richest people in the world build networks. Everyone else looks for work.”
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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 1,070 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/
http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

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2 Great Tools to Get More Readers

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Submit Your Articles to Blog Directories and e-Zines

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Blog Directories
Blog Success Journal writes:  A blog directory will help you link your site to other websites, and it also organizes your website by categorizing those link.  Don’t confuse it for a search engine. A directory will list websites by both a category and a subcategory. Unlike a search engine, it is categorized by the content which is contained on the entire website.  Gaining exposure for your blog is critical to building a following. 

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Why Submit Your Blog to a Directory?

• You can increase traffic to your blog/website.
• It helps raise your all-important page ranking, which makes it easier for people to find you.
• It generates links, which also helps your page ranking.
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The Difference Between e-Zine and Blog Directory: Submissions to e-Zines are single articles, while submitting to a directory means that your whole blog is listed there.
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All About e-Zines
If you’re Internet savvy, you’re probably familiar with a number of websites that promote e-Zines. However, many writers haven’t yet explored the potential of e-Zines and Blog Directories, or have even heard about the great opportunities to get more exposures to their writing, their books and get their names out.  Now you are probably asking yourself, “What is an e-Zine?” An e-Zine is an online blog or newsletter about a specific topic, with a targeted group of subscribers.
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Tips for e-Zine Submissions
If you’re submitting to e-Zines for the first time, read carefully through the following tips:

• Compare the Alexa.com rating of each e-Zine you want to submit to, in order to find the ones with the largest readership and online exposure
• You can submit to several e-Zines, but change your text for each one of them, as well as accompanying the images
• When using an online submission form, read the directions carefully before you fill out the form so you know what files and information they want.
• Don’t rely on fancy layout or unnatural words to tell your story if it’s headed for a podcast. Indents, italics, and symbols will not translate easily into the audio medium.
• Many online forms have anti-virus security programs that won’t allow certain file types. Don’t hit the “send” button too soon or accidentally cancel when working in an online form.
• Pay close attention to the e-Zine’s intended audience.
• Put links on your own webpage to every story you publish in an e-Zine. This is a great way to share your work with your fans without having to self-publish the story on your own site.
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Important: Learn to Write for the Web 
Writing for blogs is totally differently from writing a novel. Learn how to write the “inverted pyramide” from most important on top to less further on. Is your text easy to read? Eye-tracking studies have shown that readers SCAN text (in an F-shaped pattern), rather than to READ it. And: website visitors read more slowly on the screen than in print. So, how to you use this knowledge for your writing?
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Use bullet lists, such as this one:

• Create lots of short paragraphs, and give them all a headline
• Keep sentences short, they should never be longer than one line
• Use spell check and a beta reader / software
• Readers like to interact on the Web, so give them lots of links
• Illustrate your text, use lots of images
• Don’t let your readers scroll on the screen, keep it to one page
• Except prepositions and the words “and” and “the”, all major words in a headline should be capitalized

Online content is not just about words. When you write for the Internet think “presentation”. Print content is formally written and a passively read. Online content is informally written, interactive and dynamic.
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Most e-Zines are free. Many e-Zine publishers will permit a copy writer to submit a small article on topics that pertain to the publisher’s e-Zine. The writer gives the publisher permission to publish their article, free of charge, in exchange for the publisher including the author’s bylines. Normally, this small 3-line blurb directs traffic to the writer’s website, which in turn, creates more business for the writer. 

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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 1,070 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/
http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

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Blogger versus WordPress Blogs – Pro and Con’s

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Many traditional websites only have 5-6 pages, so the maximum number of times they will ever get indexed by search engines is 5 or 6 times, if they are static pages and not constantly updated.
However, when you create a blog, every single post you publish has its own URL. Suddenly you can go from 5-6 pages to 20, 50, 100 or over 1,000 at http://SavvyBookWriters.wordpress.com.

If you would like to use a free blog, you have the choice of WordPress or Blogger. Both of them are great blogging systems, but you might be wondering which one to choose. Both WordPress.com and Blogger are great free sites, but which is the right one for you?

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BLOGGER (Blogspot.com)
Blogger is a Google service, and just like YouTube, requires a Google account. It is very easy to use and maintain. With Blogger you get only Google+, Tweet and Like buttons on each post. There is luckily one workaround through the use of the excellent IFTTT web service.  Embedding a video from YouTube is free. A domain name with blogger account is always like “yourblogname.blogspot.com” by default (depending upon your country ‘.com’ will be changed). Blogger let’s you choose your own domain name for $10 per year and to connect your blogger account with your personalized domain name.
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Blogger is the platform to choose if you are looking for a free product that might allow you to make a bit of money. WordPress is there for those who are in love with its huge variety of themes and the user-friendly approach. You can choose to enable Google AdSense on your blog which will show targeted adverts based on your content. You need to get some content up first, before choosing the option from the earnings menu entry.  Blogger sites are hosted on Google’s servers so you’ll rarely experience down times and your site should run smoothly most of the time. Unless your Google account password is stolen, it’s virtually hacker-proof. At the bottom of every post Blogger embeds a row of social networking icons, including Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Gmail and other Blogger blogs. Google’s AdSense Integration is easy with blogger because both are owned by the same company. Those who want to start blogging to earn some money they can opt for blogger as it gives you by default the option of AdSense to start with. Or you can choose Amazon affiliate for example, program blogger itself allows to generate affiliate revenue.

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WORDPRESS.com
WordPress is greatly customizable, earning much of its good name for the huge number of themes and plugins available in the standalone open-source release. It allows you to connect to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Tumblr, StumbleUpon, Pinterest and Reddit for automatic sharing.

On their Stats site you can see how many visitors and views your blog received,

• from which country they came,
• your top posts and pages,
• who or what referred to your blog’s site.
• You will receive information how many total followers
• how many shares your site receives,
• what are the most popular tags (keywords)
• who commented the most on your WordPress blog

WordPress offers only 3 GB of space and if your blog is the success that you hope it will be, 3 GB will eventually fill up – after 3000 blogs maybe, depending on how large your images are.
However, there is another solution available that gives you the possibility to have your own custom URL, but with all the benefits and statistics of a WordPress.com website: “Upgrade” for ca. $25 and buy your own URL (without the WordPress in it), sign up with a hosting company for approx. $6 / month.  This way you get all the useful statistics and features from WordPress without having to use their name in your URL.  Your blog will appear more professional to visitors!

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WORDPRESS.org
Don’t be confused with WordPress.org and WordPress.com.
WordPress.org is absolutely free. All you need is hosting plan from a hosting company and a domain name that you purchase. And also a knowledgeable person to customize your site for your needs… WordPress.org is made for those who like to have total control over their websites. It is open source and therefor offers you fully customization. Both are owned by same owner but WordPress.com is something like blogger – it offers you free hosting and a free domain name that contains “wordpress” in it: yourwebsitename.wordpress.com.  While using WordPress.org you are the sole owner of the website, and you can choose if you use a free or paid theme (design) for you blog. 

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But why is blogging important for writers? Blogging is telling a story, blogging is sharing your opinion, blogging is reporting news and more. But at the core, blogging is writing! It’s an internet stage upon which you hope readers will drop in to see what you have to say – and get an impression of your writing skills.
Where are you blogging:  On WordPress or Blogger – and why?
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More sources:
http://www.epreneur.tv/blogger-v-wordpress-the-best-blog-platform/
http://learn.wordpress.com/
http://www.techlila.com/articles/how-to-create-free-website-free-blog/
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/blogger-vs-wordpress-comparision/
http://www.epreneur.tv/blogger-v-wordpress-the-best-blog-platform/
http://www.inkthemes.com/blogger-or-wordpress-which-is-better/02/

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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 1,060 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/
http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

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Secret of Social Selling Your Book

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It’s all about CONTENT MARKETING…

Authors can do either of the following:

• Spend ten thousands, even hundred thousands of dollars to buy their way into bestseller lists
• Create their platform – do your own marketing, write articles or short stories – or hire publicists

REMEMBER:  Even Celebrity Authors are required to have a platform and a web presence!
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Social Media has become part of our culture, and 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…”.  Instead of posting links to useful or entertaining articles, reader only land at sales pages.  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 online. This would make their Social Media presence more valuable and would connect readers with their writing craft.
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by mohitlakhmani.
Explore more infographics like this one on the web’s largest information design community – Visually.

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QUESTION: No matter what you purchase: Whom Would you Believe More:

• a) advertisements
• b) newspaper / magazine articles
• c) writing samples

I am not telling you a secret here:  b) and c) are free … and sometimes authors can even make more money with writing newspaper and magazine articles.  So, why not doing what you like best:  WRITING – and at the same time market your books with writing?
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Content Writing Resolutions:

•         Split chapters of your book into several blog articles
•         Use your research notes to create web content or guest blogs
•         Write 2 blogs / week for 2-3 months
•         Write 1 email newsletter / month for your customers
•         Write 2 guest blogs / month
•         Write 2 articles for e-Zines / month
•         Write 2 posts for Google+ community sites
•         Upload blogs to Sharing Sites after each post (Google+, Twitter FB, Pinterest, StumpleUpon, Tumblr etc.)

Remember:  Blog/web content or articles does not have to be always written text:  Graphics, images, curated text, re-blogs, videos, guest blogs or info graphics for example are fine too!  And if you have not already, read this story how an author cleverly used places in his book to write a magazine article and show off his latest novel.  What about you?  Are you using the content you have already researched or the books you have written to show your writing skills and get more exposure as an author?

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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 1,050 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/
http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

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How Much Do Self-Publishing Authors Earn?

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So you think you want to write a book? Ever wondered exactly how much self-published authors earn? According to a new study by Digital Book World, the median income range for self-published authors is less than $5,000, and nearly 20% of self-published authors report deriving no income to speak of from their writing.
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Dana Beth Weinberg wrote a blog about it: “For amateur Argentine dancers, the possibility of making a living out of their tango practice tends to be perceived as a chance to improve their fates. Unlike tango artists, writers may dream of quitting their day jobs, but very few are able to afford to do so, and that’s why for many writers, publishing is not even a promising option for supplementing income.
In publishing, the diminished role of gatekeepers has meant more opportunity for would-be authors but also more competition to sell books, thereby making it harder for growing numbers of writers to earn their livelihood from their writing.”  Read her full blog: Artists and Money.
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Ms. Weinberg was analyzing the responses from the nearly 5,000 authors who volunteerly responded to a 2013 Digital Book World and Writer’s Digest Author Survey in relation to whether an author is aspiring (not yet published), self-published only, traditionally published only, or hybrid (both self-published and traditionally published). She compared the top priorities of these 4 types of authors, and in Part 2, she examined the differences in their stock of published and unpublished manuscripts.

Comparing authors with the same number of manuscripts, there is a strong similarity in income between hybrid and traditional authors, but hybrid authors outperformed their self-published counterparts on earnings. No wonder, as trade-published authors already have a platform and are already a brand!
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Yes, some authors do break through… 1.8% of self published authors made over $100,000 from their writing last year, compared with 8.8% of traditionally published authors and 13.2% of hybrid authors. The study was conducted online in October and November 2013.
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Conclusions? Don’t quit your day job yet!  Is your self-publishing:

• an amateurish endeavor,
• a means of sharing stories,
• a strategic move in a writing career,
• or an entrepreneurial activity?

Authors who have a greater focus on earning income from their writing, have produced more manuscripts than either their self-published or traditionally published counterparts, and are earning higher incomes on average.
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Learn everything about the publishing and book marketing process. Focus not only on publishing books, branch out and sell more of your written content, such as short stories or magazine articles.
You have lots of material in your manuscripts you can write about! And do write more books! With only one or two books you are not really considered an author, from the third book on, it becomes much easier and every book promotes the others you have written.
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More Resources:

https://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2012/06/23/writing-freelance-for-magazines/

https://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2012/02/28/freelance-writing-for-childrens-magazines/

https://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2013/08/13/smart-authors-get-paid-for-marketing-their-books/

https://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2013/11/14/checklist-how-to-organize-your-book-
marketing/

http://authorearnings.com/the-report/

http://www.theresaragan.com/2013/06/sales-ranking-chart.html

http://kdpcalculator.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 $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 1,030 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/
http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

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How to Pitch a Story Idea to Magazines, Part 2

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Study Potential Contract Givers’ Websites
This is an important point! The biggest pet peeve for freelance employers or media is, when they receive pitches from people who haven’t read their magazine or researched their company – or when they get a query for a topic that has just been published. Know the magazine inside out!
Before submitting anything to a major publication, make sure you read its guidelines!  Plenty of good writing is rejected because the writer was too lazy to meet the guidelines. It goes without saying, but you should strive to avoid grammatical or spelling errors when contacting editors

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Update your Writer Portfolio / Resume
If you’ve never freelanced before, your resume will be built from whatever past writing you have done. Pull out the writing-specific duties you ever have accomplished and describe them. Add your best blog posts or guest blogs or articles you have written for newspapers and magazines of all sizes – as more as better! Include sections that outline your education, professional affiliations and contact information. Check if you can use any of these points to add to your portfolio / resume:

• what’s your credibility?
• what are your credentials?
• what other articles or books, blogs or articles for newspapers or magazines have you
• written previously?
• the size of your e-mail newsletter list
• your website traffic and your Alexa.com ranking
• number of blog comments
• high-profile reviews,
• testimonials or references for your writing from bestseller authors
• what communities are you a part of?
• who knows you as a writer and who is aware of your work?
• where does your work regularly appear?
• how many people see it?
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Being visible to the right audience for the work you are trying to sell. A website or a blog is an absolute necessity these days. You have to be able to present your work online and to establish SEO (Search Engine Optimization).

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Do Offer Several Images
Take images yourself with a good camera or buy high-quality photos in TIFF for print and in JPEG for online magazines to accompany your articles. You might send them with your first pitch if they are really appealing. Even if your article is not taken, your images might be purchased. Magazines and newspapers always scramble for high resolution photographs.
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Learn to Write for the Web
If you offer magazine articles to online publications, get tips how to write for the web. Write with the “punch line” first, starting with the conclusion, rather than building up. One way to learn to write this way is to write the section first with all the details, and then go back and start it with a lead sentence or two. There is a huge difference between writing a book and writing short pieces for a magazine:
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More Details How to Pitch

Jaclyn Law gave in an article via Mastheadonline more details:

• check the masthead or website for editors’ names and contact info. Most publications accept pitches by email. Put your idea in the subject line.
• pitch short pieces in the beginning. Check out the masthead (often on the first pages or last pages of the magazine/newspaper) to find out which types of stories are open to freelancers.
• plan ahead! Magazines that publish monthly, have four- to six-month lead times; research and pitch ideas well in advance.
• tell the editor how you will approach the story: first person, interviews with experts
• how many words: one magazine page = approx. 750 words single space
• why the article is timely: news hook, season, awareness week, anniversary and what fresh angle can you bring to the topic?
• why you are the right writer: background details or credentials that support your case
• mention if you’ve been published elsewhere
• Editors like to see packaging ideas, e.g., boxes or sidebars (see writing for the web!)
• polish and edit your query: spelling, grammar, punctuation – it must be perfect!
• if you haven’t heard back after two to three weeks, follow up with a friendly email
• proofread your writing several times and meet your deadline
• provide fact-checking info; be open to feedback; make revisions promptly and you will have a chance to get a bigger story next time.
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Here are Some Examples of Magazines to Pitch
https://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2012/06/23/writing-freelance-for-magazines/
https://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2012/02/28/freelance-writing-for-childrens-magazines/
https://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2013/08/13/smart-authors-get-paid-for-marketing-their-books/
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If you want to expand your magazine writing: Have a look at
11 Websites to Find Freelance Writing Jobs
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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. 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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Your articles are creating content people love to share, because it is either funny / witty or useful advice or otherwise interesting for readers. Content is used to draw in your ideal readers / reviewers and to build a platform. The result: you will increase your exposure, show your writing skills, grow a loyal following and attract reviewers – in one sentence: Achieve success with your books – and in many cases, even get paid for it. Once you break the “glass-ceiling” – the sky will be the limit!

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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   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 1,030 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/
http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

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Why and How to Pitch Story Ideas to Magazines

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Part 1 of 2
The odds of winning the Lottery and becoming a millionaire are approximately 1 in 14 million. For
authors to find a publisher, the odds are somewhat better. Maybe 1 out of 500 or 1,000 queries,
depending on the agent / publisher, might lead to a contract. These publishing professionals
receive 150 – 500 unsolicited book pitches per day! from writers.
No matter if you send a query to the editor of Amazon Kindle Singles  – if it is a short story – or to trade publishers, you have to compete with several dozen or even several hundred other writers.
Competition for writers when pitching at magazines and newspapers is less fierce.

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How to Calculate a Book Page
Have you ever calculated how much time and money you invested in your book(s)? Added up the
hours you were sitting on your computer, typing away … and then the time you spend editing?
Multiplied by $30 or whatever you think is your writing-hour is worth? Divided the amount of your
editing invoice by the pages of your book?

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Higher Compensation for Articles?
You will be surprised how much (or better said often how few) you earn net per page within a year
or two – after subtracting your costs. Compare this to earnings you can make with a couple of pages
for a magazine or a newspaper article. The average page has 450 words double-space and most
magazines pay between 50cents and $1.25 per word, airline magazines even more. Lets just take
a short article, containing 1,000 words (a bit over two pages): You will earn a couple hundred
dollars! Compared with your books content of several hundred pages you are better off, writing
more magazine articles.

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You Don’t Need to Write Completely New Articles
As an author you did a lot of research already for your book, and you wrote a manuscript. What is
easier than to “re-work” this content? Tips how to do this can be found here in our former blog
posts:
https://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2013/07/07/free-brilliant-book-marketing-to-a-million-
audience/
https://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2013/08/13/smart-authors-get-paid-for-marketing-their-
books/
https://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2014/01/03/a-new-way-of-book-marketing/
https://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2013/11/14/checklist-how-to-organize-your-book-
marketing/
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Selling Argument: Author Platform/Brand
When you pitch your story to a magazine or newspaper editor you can show them your following on
Google+, Twitter, Facebook etc. and offer to post and tweet the article to your Social Media
presence. However, there is less time necessary to market an article, than to do the same with a
book. The story will be available in print only for a day, a week or latest a month, but it will be on the
internet for years to come.
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Get Links to Your Website or Author Page
No matter if you get published paid (or unpaid at Huffington Post for example): Your website or
author page link is garantied, included in the short bio about you as an author at the end of the
article. It will be a longterm boost and a reference piece for your future publishing career.

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To Sum it Up:
What is the benefit for you as an author to pitch to magazine editors?

• Higher compensation / per page or word
• No completely new content necessary
• Build your platform and brand
• Earn more money – and faster!
• Less competition with other writers
• Less time necessary to market an article
• Articles will link to your site and market your book

Use your writing to earn more, to spend less time “marketing” and do what you like to do most:
WRITING!  Read more in our next blog, how to pitch to magazines.

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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  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 1,030 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/
http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

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3 Simple Changes to Improve Your Articles

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Not really happy with the response to your blogs?  Try these three changes for your blog posts, website or article writing. It will make a huge difference between articles being read or going viral.  Implementing these tips only half-heartily – starting with better headlines – I already gained almost 300,000 blog visitors in the last year.
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# 1 The Secret to Writing Great Headlines
Studies have shown that you can increase your conversion rate on a blog article, tweet or link by 73% if you use a great headline. People read blog posts because the title catches their attention. Create headlines that will captivate readers. Posts don’t go viral, but headlines do. It’s the headline that people share on Social Media.

• Use Promises
  Readers will click on headlines that promise a reward, such as a solution to their problem or a sure path way to success. The most popular headlines are starting with numbers, such as “How to” or “Tips for”. You have seen lots of titles like: “99 Top Websites to Show Your Book“……… “77 Reasons Why Your Book Was Rejected” ….. or “The Benefit on Using Google+” ……
• Use Celebrity Names
  All the top tweets feature celebrities, such as Obama or Oprah. For example: “Oprah uses this visualization technique. Should you?”
• Use “New”
  Your headline should promise something new. “How a New App is Changing the Way we Edit Books.” or “5 Social Media Trends You Need to Know.”
• Use Best and Worst
  Jeff Bullas, writing at the same topic, not only suggests to use new, celebrity, promises or numbers, but also best and worst: “Top 10 Google+ Posts or 2013.” or “Biggest Social Media Mistakes of 2013.”

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# 2 Quote an Expert – or Several
If you read the most popular blogs on the Internet, you will notice that they have quite a few outbound links. People take you seriously when they know your information comes from an insider or a specialist in a certain field.
Theoretically, one can compile blog posts together on subjects she or he knows absolutely nothing about. As long as one knows how to quote and cite the right people, one will be taken seriously. Gather expert knowledge. This is how journalists make money with their articles (after thoroughly researching the topics).

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# 3 Tell Stories or Write About Your Learning Experiences
Point to your own mistakes / experiences or to stories of companies or individuals that had done what you recommended, and how it worked for them. Readers like to listen to real stories. Which are much more likely to go viral than just blank information.
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If you change only one thing about your blog content, this one should be it: Sprinkle a few stories and examples into your blog posts to justify what you are saying.
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Last but not least: don’t get discouraged. Many bloggers write a couple of posts, don’t see much traffic, and give up. Building a readership takes time and experience. It takes effort to find ways to get your particular audience to visit, comment on your posts, and recommend you to others – but it’s worth it.!  Read More Blog Posting Tips:

http://writetodone.com/3-secrets-to-writing-blog-posts-that-go-viral/

http://www.startupbros.com/32-ways-to-make-your-blog-post-go-viral/

http://mycrazygoodlife.com/5-ways-im-making-my-blog-content-go-viral/

http://blog.crazyegg.com/2013/06/24/get-more-retweets/

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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/
http://www.international-ebooks.com/
http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

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Checklist: How to Organize Your Book Marketing

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Checklist for future success authors
Until you become a celebrity author, there are only TWO ways to market your book …

1. You can invest lots of money and pay “bestseller buyers”, buy ads / go on book signing tours / attend all national book fairs – or
2. You can invest time into building a platform and an authors brand through the use of social marketing and content marketing, plus you learn some fast and free tricks to spread the word about your book.

And then there is
a. the promotional, social part (content marketing, Social Media, book readings)
b. the “hard-selling” part for your book (bookstores, online retailers, book fairs)
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“Hard-Selling” will barely work if you have not laid out the foundation under a). Ask yourself:
Would you likely buy something from an unknown person, no matter if on- or off-line? Remember that your competition in published books is fierce and there are millions published every year. Readers have to be convinced to buy an unfamiliar book from a totally unknown author.
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First Things First – Prepare Your Books Success:

– Plan your publishing business – create a business plan/checklist
– Get your own ISBN number and register your copyright
– Register with Bowker to have your book worldwide listed (free)
– Choose the right genre (category) and keywords for your book (on/off-line retailers)
– Gather as many reviews as possible and write a compelling blurb
– Research media contacts and prepare Press Releases
– Write your “elevator pitch” and practice it for quick pitch
– Start spread sheets / lists with email addresses of potential readers / reviewers / media
– Create an email signature & use it for every email you send out
– Print business cards / book marks
– Start and write regularly (once or twice a week) blog posts
– Create your own – not a free! site – hosting is cheap now – author website
– Spruce up your website and blog for your book launch
– Write a compelling press release
– Invite more reviewers for your book
– Submit photos of your book cover image to Pinterest, Flickr…
– Create a slide show and/or video book trailer
– Send copies to book reviewers in various publications and to book bloggers
– Send review copies to book clubs with large distribution
– Have a professional! photographer taken a portrait to use for your avatar
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Offline Book Promotion:

– Book Signings (bookstores / Malls / Airports before X-Mas)
– Readings at libraries & book clubs or Meetup
– Writing newspaper / magazine articles (content marketing)
– Plan and create an email campaign to potential readers
– Get customer orders for special (price) pre-launch sale
– Join HARO (Help a Reporter out) to make yourself a name as an expert in your field
– Participate in Writing Contests
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Online Book Promotion:
For both, fiction or non-fiction: The foundation for your books’ success is in building a community, a social environment and a platform to introduce yourself and your work to readers. How can you accomplish this, even before your book is finished? It takes at least ONE year to make yourself known in the book community, so start early in order to have a successful book launch.

IMPORTANT:
Choose the “right” followers and post ONLY things that are interesting and useful for your readers, such as publishing news, humor / quotes, valuable tips etc.  Don’t use Social Media as a bill board for your book!
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What you can do before your book is ready to go to the beta-reader, copy-editor and final editor:

– Create a list of tweets / posts for your Social Media sites
– Sign up with free scheduling services (Hootsuite, Futuretweets etc.)
– Choose the “right” followers: READERS / REVIEWERS / BOOK BLOGGERS
– Get to know and introduce yourself to potential readers, sign up at Google+
(good for SEO), Goodreads, Twitter, FB, Pinterest, Flickr
– Join forums in your field, especially if you write non-fiction
– Send blog articles to newspapers / magazines and even to e-Zines
– Write guest blogs for other bloggers to get your name out
– Comment on other bloggers posts (esp. book bloggers and reviewers)
– Invite several thousand! people as followers and friends on your social media sites
– Join book communities at #1 Goodreads (has 20,000+ communities) #2 Wattpad, #3 KindleBoards, BookTalk, Scribd…
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Once your book is edited, has an appealing cover, is professionally converted (e-book), or got a perfect layout (print) and is ready to launch:

IMPORTANT:
Automate submissions between your blog/website and all your Social Networks – and among all your social media sites. This saves you lots of time!  For example: Every blog post you write is automatically transferred to your Amazon author page and to your Goodreads page. When you schedule your tweets on Hootsuite, they are automatically posted on all your Twitter accounts, on Facebook and Google+.  Your post on Pinterest shows up on Twitter. This way, everything you post on Google+ appears on Facebook, Twitter and all your Google+ communities.

– Place your book into the right category / genre and sub-genre (important for its success!)
– Create a second, separate BOOK PAGE on Amazon, Goodreads, Google+ and FB
– Set up a media press kit on your website with a link to your book trailer
– Start a Goodreads Giveaway a month before book launch (print book only)
– Write a blog post about the upcoming launch
– Ask friends to list your book under “Listmania” on Amazon & to LIKE your author page
– Exchange books for book shelves with your friends on Goodreads
– Participate in “Carnival of the Indies” blog carnival to promote your blog URL
– Send your books’ cover to cover contests (e.g. http://www.thebookdesigner.com)
– Submit your blogs including a bio and URL link to even more e-Zines

– Offer interviews at Radio (www.blogtalkradio.com) / local or national TV stations
– Make arrangements for interviews in newspapers or on book blogger’s sites

– Try to set you up to become a desirable guest expert on a talk or morning show
– Befriend influential book bloggers for even more reviews and articles
– Gather writing friends for cross-promotions and blog tours
– Add press clippings and articles, already published, to your website
– Get a new business card with images of all your books and sales links
– Place the books’ cover image & description daily on your Google+ stream
– Announce your book launch or book signing on Google+ for FREE
– Get even more friends, followers and people in your circles on social media sites
as you need lots of audience to spread the word about your new book!
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What else can you do to increase your books’ success:
Write your next book! Readers want to get more of your writing. Only authors with several books will be top sellers. The first book is always the hardest – to write and to sell.

– Become a guest speaker at writers conferences or business seminars
– Sell your book to libraries (find out how the library orders)
– Let your book translate in other languages or sell foreign rights
– Split your (non-fiction) book in pieces and sell single articles to magazines
– Participate in writing contests and book awards
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Hope this list keeps you busy : ) and if you have more tips, please send us a comment! You will find many blog posts here to each of these topics. Just type the keyword into to search function above and get all relevant articles and further information.
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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 $ 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 StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

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

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Has No One Told You This?

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There are lots of possibilities to let everyone know about your book, without even incurring any costs.  Browsing through our more than 1,500 blog posts, you will find an abundance of book marketing tips!  

However, most important is, to have a solid amount of friends and followers on Goodreads, Twitter, Google+ and Facebook  – at least 2,000 on every Social Media site, and a long list of opt-in email addresses to send out invitations for your book launch or any other news-worthy events – or for your readers to download single chapters or short stories as a teaser.
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Check out the genres that are popular and announce your books on these book reader’s blogs and websites:

http://www.Wattpad.com

http://www.ebooksjustpublished.com/about

http://jcphelps.blogspot.com/p/submit-content.html

http://www.manicreaders.com/index.cfm?disp=authors

http://www.Goodreads.com

http://books.google.com/googlebooks/tour/

Google writes:  “Once you send Google your titles (or upload them as PDF files), we’ll add them to our index for free. By matching the content in your books with user searches, Google Books connects your books with the users who are most interested in buying them. Each Google Books result will display the book’s title and author, a short excerpt containing the highlighted search terms, and other public data about the book.”
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Get as Many Book Reviews as Possible:
Finding reviewers is so much easier if you are well-established in Goodreads communities and other writer / book forums. Start a book giveaway on Goodreads at least a month before your book will be printed (create “dummies” with the help of a digital copy/print company or through “espresso book machines”. When giving out these early copies, try to solicit as many reviews as possible. Use the best reviews for blurbs on your final book cover.
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http://bookreviewclub.blogspot.ca/

http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=47

http://www.amazon.com/tag/kindle/forum

http://www.GoodReads.com

http://www.Wattpad.com

If you have an Amazon account, you could visit the Amazon Kindle forum, where Kindle users share their experiences with the Kindle reader, and also talk about books available for the Kindle. Many authors also post about their new books and join the conversations. When you introduce yourself, consider telling folks there about your book.  Be polite and conversational in tone, and be sure to provide direct hyperlinks to your book page.
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Benefits of Content Marketing
Why asking for (media) 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?  And as an added benefit: You get valuable back-links to your website/blog or book sales page!
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Make use of your assets!
The three main assets you have as an author:

• your writing skills
• the content you already wrote
• the research you have done for your book(s)

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Again: Start Early!
If you’re waiting until the book is finished to start marketing, you’re already behind the curve. As an author, you should devote a portion of every day to get your name out there and to build relationships with prospective readers, partners and friends.  And with relationships I don’t mean advertising your book (tweeting: buy my book, buy my book, buy ….) this is not relationship-building!
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All books live or die, based on word of mouth!
If you try to build your network after you release your book, you’ll face a more difficult challenge. If you build a large social network BEFORE you release your book, your marketing efforts will be much more successful.
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Help is on the Way:
If you have a full-time job and / or other commitments and not at least an hour per day left to build your platform and network with potential readers, let us do a good part of your book PR, and at the same time we will coach you over the phone and teach you how book marketing can be done on a very low budget – all for less than two dollars / day.  Read more about this valuable and extensive package we offer to authors.

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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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