Open Horizons - John Kremer's Promoting Books Blog

Just as I believe John Kremer' s book is a Must have book marketing guide, you need to logon to his blog, Open Horizons — Promoting books to a worldwide and someday galactic audience :)), to read and reread for all your affordable book marketing and publicity ideas.

John is starting his free Promote Your Books, The Top 10 Things teleseminars this Monday, March 28, 2005 8:00 pm EST.

While I'm very eager to listen in on Monday, these are just two things I'm very curious about:

* The method by which 80% of all books are sold ... and how to tap into it.

* The most crucial thing that should be on the front page of your website.

I can't wait to hear if I'm on the right track so far.

By the way, did I tell you that I received my Page Proofs for
Empowering Women to Power Network ~ How-to save time, earn more money and live a life of success by building quality relationships everywhere you go? I have 15 days to review and make final edits.

It's so exciting! I have the ISBN and pages formated in the order the book will be printed.

I just finished my edits yesterday, so I will be spending the weekend formating the changes per PublishAmerica guidelines.

I found a bunch of other great book publicity ideas, nice leads, ever-growing partnerships, but unfortunately my health is taking precedence right now...so I have an ever-growing "To Do" list as well.

FREE book publicity through press releases

You do NOT have to wait until you have an ISBN or book cover copy to start your press release campaign for your book publicity and marketing: FREE book publicity and marketing tips for book author on a shoestring budget.

The goal of your press release campaign now will be to position yourself as an Expert/Authority on your book title. Therefore, when the book is finally released, there will be a huge fan club waiting for their autographed copy.

Click here to go to my personal Press Release page.

Check out this one press release that received immediate response and coverage: The Toledo Home-Business Moms Expo Gains National Attention and Moving to the SeaGate Convention Centre.

Yes the above press release it's not on my website's Press Release page.

Given my time crunch, I post all my press releases on my Blog becuase it has an RSS feed for journalists to download, and has search engines crawling that site more regularly.

Also due to my time crunch, I have not posted all the FREE publicity I received from my regular and consistent press release campaign.

I actually have to cut, scan and post all my clippings on a later date, but here's a list of my coverage so far:

- One-half page article in Toledo's Business Advantage, (Toledo's free montly business magazine) in January 2005.

- One-quarter page article in Sylvania Advantage (Sylvania is the Toledo suburb where I live, bi-monthly free newspaper).

- Two-paragraph blurb with my bylines (name, title and contact email address) in Toledo's Business Advantage in March 2005, the Women's History Month edition

- Michigan's Forum Online

Copywriting at its best:

I sent this press release last Friday: The Toledo Home-Business Moms Expo Gains National Attention and Moving to the SeaGate Convention Centre,

- I had an one-hour interview with Toledo Free Press today.

- Business Advantage replied the day they received my press release.

- The publisher of Toledo City Paper and Toledo Area Parent News replied today and is setting up a personal meeting with me.

Honesty, it takes time. I've been working very hard with my press releases.

It actually took me 3 weeks of daily coaching to write my first "book" press release: Let Me Show You How Women Can Save Time, Earn Money and Live a Life of Success Now, and I didn't get a single contact.

But with practice and time, I got better. And, the better I get, the more coverage I get. The more coverage, the more reputable and larger the coverrage.

So start small and local and grow. Practice small and local and develop your interviewing skills.

At the very least...do NOT wait. Start now!

Regular and consistent press release campaigning pays off:

Please note the dates of my first press release: December 18, 2004.

Actually, I started in late October becuase my first Expo was November 6, 2004...my very first public book publicity appearance.

Being regular and consistent, I've been able to develop a nice rapport and relationship with the local media. I know one Editor has a "Women's Empowerment = Ponn" folder...pretty sweet, huh?


Book Authors:

Here's the catch: I did not sign my contract until December 28, 2004 becuase I was in negotiations since September 2004. So, way before I was even in the book production phase I started my press release campaign for my book
Empowering Women to Power Network ~ How-to save time, earn more money and live a life of success by building quality relationships everywhere you go.

Where to send your press releases:

Newspapers, radio, news stations (TV)

1. Become a local expert. Start collecting all your free newspapers in the groceries and start creating a local mailing list.

2. FREE press release websites. These are the ones I use:

http://prweb.com/ Given the time crunch...always list here first!
http://prfree.com/index.php
http://free-press-release.com/
http://pressmethod.com/release.htm
http://click2newsites.com/

3. Become your book title's expert online. I have a mailing list just for Women's Empowerment websites, talk radio shows, etc.

Good luck. Please post your success stories here!

Technorati Tags: Book publicity, Book marketing, Press release campaign, Shoestring Budget

FREE Artist First Worldwide Online Radio Station

My fellow PublishAmerica Author and dear friend, Jackie Wellman Author of Spiritual Clarity shared this fabulous resource: Artist First ~ Worldwide Online Radio Station.

I listened to parts of my very first show last night and it was incredible! It's real-time live talk radio show in which listeners can send their questions directly to the host via email so the guest can answer.

They host an Author's First show 5 nights a week for one-full hour. Yes, you read that correctly...One Full Hour!

What's incredible is it's a No Fee service And

"Your show will be recorded by the station engineer while the show is airing live. A few days following, your show a link will appear on the "Past Shows" section of our website, where you or anyone can hear the show again and download a copy of it free. It will remain there for 2 months".

Guests are encouraged to donate to ArtistFirst.com based on their own budget and interest.

Interested authors are not encouraged to send review copies unless a show is scheduled. If you are a book author interested in becoming a guest, you should ask for the next available time and date slots by emailing request@artistfirst.com

Of course, I sent my email. Now, send yours!

Dont't forget to post your success and experiences here!

Technorati Tags: Book Publicity, Book Marketing, Talk Radio Show

FREE Virtual Book Tour at APennyFor...

In my Online Book Publicity and Marketing Tours post, Todd and I have chatted and it's a FREE service.

The virtual book tour at A Penny For... are for business topics. Todd states that "I need to see the book before I commit to anything on the tour. I only have 7 or 8 slots a year, so I need to pick the right books. I look for good books that need love and an audience".

I forwarded his a review copy and will keep you posted.

Any unique business book titles, contact Todd at A Penny For... today. Good luck!

Technorati Tags: Book Publicity, Book Marketing, Virtual Book Tour

FREE Book Publicity Articles Website

Another quick penniless find I made today:

A fellow Platnium Member at EzineArticles.com

Judy Cullins showcases wonderful FREE articles at this link: How to Write, Publish, Promote Your Books and Business--Articles --the Entire List

Great stuff! So hop over there now.

Technorati Tags: Book Publicity, Articles

Online Book Publicity and Marketing Tours

What a neat concept! A Virtual (Online) Book Publicity and Marketing Tour on Blogs and Websites. Check these two links out:

1.) The Virtual Book Tour seems incredible. A quick look at their Rates, and it looks like an economically feasible given the traffic stats listed as the benefits and forums you'd be touring. Hey, if I had the money you could count on me there. The convenience of being home. We're already working online, why not write directly to captured audiences.

I love this! Here's a new topic to put on my Sponsorship List.

I found out through A Penny For... by experiencing my very first book tour guest at my colleague, Kristen Oslind's RE:invention Inc. Blog, today's post RE: More With Robin Wolaner, Author of "Naked In The Boardroom"

2.) It's interactive, very targeted marketing, and incredible book publicity given the price.
I don't know the rates for A Penny For... as you must email publisher Todd Sattersten directly.

I'll keep you posted, as you can expect I'll send him a quick email right now.

Technorati Tags: Book Publicity, Book Marketing, Virtual Book Tour

Author Link Page Up & Quick SEO Lesson

Link exchanges are important, but applying proper search engine optimization techniques to our link exchanges will increase traffic to both of our sites.

Click here for the PublishAmerica Authors Link Partners Page.

Click here for instructions for the EmpowerWomenNow.com link partner exchange.

Link exchanges are critical for better positioning in search engine rankings. But, you must pick and choose the links, update them quarterly and don't just put any-one and everyone's website who requests an exchange.

They should have equal or better Goggle Page Rank and be of the same topic as your site.

Now, as a new PublishAmerica Author, I'm offering this as a service to keep the community of PublishAmerica Authors together, as we are all marketing and publicizing our books on a shoestring budget. We all are a community to authors trying to help each other anyway we can.

But, if we're trying methods that do not work, we are wasting all our time.

Certain exception must apply, but you need to maintain order and criteria. Ultimately we are all in the business of selling our books and profiting from them.

Another note to aspiring authors is that it's more important to have links back to your page. The more links to your site from other sites, tell the search engines that others think your website it important, so we better visit that site and rank it.

This is why we create exchanges = to give to get.

When your book and content-rich website gets noticed more...more people will be linking to you becuase they recommend what you have to offer. This is the ultimate goal.

Higher ranking on the search engines drives more traffic to your site, but you need to generate traffic to get high ranking.

It's a vicious cycle...but this is how online marketing works.

Remember, people are not looking for Ponn Sabra or Empowering Women To Power Network. If they are...great. But people start at the search engines to find things they are looking for, such as solutions to their problems and answers to their questions. I'll follow with a detailed post regarding this topic later.

So, back to link exchanges:

Links just the URL will NOT cut it.
http://www.EmpowerWomenNow.com will not get more traffic to my site.

Fortunately, I picked an action-driven domain name that expresses some intriguing interest, so women may click on my URL from your site. But it's the "Why should your traffic want to visit me or my site?"

Please refer back to MarketAbility--Book Publicity and Promotion with a Twist and start putting content-rich descriptions so people know why they should be visiting my site from yours.

What would You click:

http://www.empowerwomennow.com OR

Empowering Enlightened Women Entrepreneurs to Save Time, Earn More Money & Find Success Now

The search engines crawl over the links and associates the title-tag with the link. If there isn't one, it's just another URL, and the link is not important.

Let's take the 2 examples of Link Exchanges I have right now:

PJ Lawton's Writing Pages - Author Links

And


James T. Stumpo The Ambassadors Agenda - Author's Links

If you go to PJ's Author Links page, I'm just another author...do people really go down the list and say, hey "Ponn Sabra" that's a cool author, let me click on the URL below?

While, I hope so...the chances are slim. If you also look at his page, I have a better chance that they'd click on my site becuase of the domain name. Even if you're using a free website builder, you can register a cheap domain at godaddy.com

Now, at James's page, my click is "Author Ponn Sabra" At least the search engine with associate "Author" and "Ponn Sabra" with my link here, get it?

What's better is when the search engines crawl and find Empowering Enlightened Women Entrepreneurs to Save Time, Earn More Money & Find Success Now when they see my URL. The more there's a description (AKA "title tag") the more reason the search engine you are for real and here to stay.

URLs come & go, as in PJ's example. James' example is alittle better. But my example is how the search engine works = proper search engine optimization techniques (SEO) with our link exchange.

I hope PJ and James' appreciates the extra publicity in letting me use their sites as examples. I'm here to educate and empower us all to increase traffic online to our websites so we can all ultimately sell more books.

PJ & James, I also optimized your site here on this blog & my website correctly. I know my visitors are clicking on your site and your getting 'hits' with the proper title-tag, therefore the search engines should find you soon ;-)


Technorati Tags: Author, Link Exchange, SEO, Shoestring Budget, Book, Marketing, Publicity

Book publicity business cards the cheap way

Don't waste Valuable Book-Publicity Business Card advertising space ~ every millimeter counts!

This post will reiterate my tone of Valuable email real estate wasted in that you have to start thinking creatively in order to get the best-bang for your buck with every single book publicity effort you make.

So, here's my cheap, yet highly professional lay-out that I used to make my book publicity business card to be distributed at the event I hosted, Toledo Home-Business Moms Expo:

Business Card front side has my picture and professional logo of my website, EmpowerWomenNow.com. m and contact information. (Just the "Empower Women Now" logo, becuase I do not have a book cover designed yet). Like this:


[Picture][Logo]
PONN M. SABRA, MPH
Author, Empowering Women to Power Network ~ How-to Save Time, Earn More Money & Live a Life of Success By Building Quality Relationships Everywhere You Go
4615 Holland-Sylvania #6, Toledo, Ohio, USA 43623
Phone; 419-882-2338, Fax: 413-643-8594
Email: ponnsabra@gmail.com

For FREE Tips & Tools for Women Entrepreneurs,
Sign-up at http://www.EmpowerWomenNow.com

Business card back side says (part of my back-cover copy & my best testimonial):

Are you an empowered woman getting everything you want out of life? If not, read and learn how!

A horrible car accident in July 2004 empowered this work-at-home-mom to write a one-of-a-kind inspirational, multi-cultural and spiritual resource-guide in 3-days while in bed. Ponn offers tips, tools and steps to empower women to create a power network so they will live a life of success every single day. This is one of the first networking books that challenge women to start building a power network from the beginning to the end, and Ponn motivates you every step of the way.
…This is the best thing to come along since “Chicken Soup for the Woman’s Soul”…I look forward to offering this book to all of my Team Woman members. ~ Karyn Fagan, Founding President of Team Women, world’s first “women-only” network marketing organization

I have the nice business-card stock paper which was about $12. I sent it to CopyMax

(I personally and professionally prefer them over Kinkos). The color-copy side was $0.89 a page (10 business cards per page) and $0.08 black & white copy for the back, with a fee for lamenate it (they recommended).

Fees are cheaper for more copies, but I ran out of printer cartridge the night before and was forced to print outside. By the way, I didn't lamanate my business cards, and they still looked great.

Here's the good news: when they were printing it out 2 words, about 2 letters on top of 2 other letters, so the job was free. Becuase I was on a time-schedule, I couldn't wait for them to print more correctly. It was on the back-side and not too noticeable, and the front color with the lamenate looked great. None that's cheap ;-)

The back side is not to waste valuable marketing space, so a tiny mistake like that is fine. I already posted these business cards on the library bullentin board, and will be leaving it on the MD waiting area tables and just placing it out as much as possible.

Slip them in with your bills. Give them at socials.

By placing an excerpt of your book on the back-side, it serves as a great conversational piece, as well.

Post ways or places you leave your business card in the comment section below.

Technorati Tags: Book, Publicity, Marketing,Business cards, Cheap

My Publicity Campaign in working

Review copies requested by the Producer of WomensRadio.com, and the Associate Publisher of REAL magazine.