WritersOnTheMove Author Carefully Considers Time Management

I often channel the woman I used to read avidly because I edited her columns to fit into available space for the Salt Lake Tribune where I used to be a staff writer.  The woman is Ann Landers, doyenne of the "Ask" columns. And most of my "Q and As a la Ann Landers" go into my SharingwithWriters newsletter. On occasion I share them in this blog, too.  This questions is a simple one--oft repeated by writers who are trying desperately to balance their writing time against online networking and marketing:

Question:

 Shirley Corder, an author friend in one of my Yahoogroups asked me, “Would someone please tell me why I should add Google Plus to my long list of social networks?”

 Answer:

 I get it that there needs to be a real reason to join another group.  I think one of the reasons most people are talking about Google Plus are the groups (hangouts) it offers--but What I like is that Google makes it really easy to post notices about our blog posts when/if we use Blogger (and maybe a few others) for our blogs. It also automatically includes images from the blog with the message you send.

 I also like that it lets you categorize your friends there so you don’t send messages to people who couldn’t care less. As an example, resources that may interest readers of my retail books, may not want links to a Web site that will help writers with craft. So, I am very careful to add people to an appropriate circle (or group).

 To make it less time consuming, I don’t actively search out new connections. When they contact me, I put them in a "circle" where I can best reach them with posts (or other things) I think they might be able to use. 

 My address is: https://plus.google.com/u/0/  And, yes, I'd love to hear from you if you are there.

By the way, I still read Q andA columns avidly, some of them written by people who learned the skill at Landers' knee. One learns a lot about life in them. (-:  If you want to read all of mine as they come out, you can subscribe to my SharingwithWriters newsletter by sending me an e-mail at HoJoNews@aol.com  and I'll do it for you. Please put SUBSCRIBE in the subject line.

Do you know of any other reasons why Google Plus is is plus? Or not? Please share with a comment on this blog if you do.  

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including the award-winning second edition of, The Frugal Book Promoter: How to get nearly free publicity on your own or by partnering with your publisher; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor . 

Where is Publishing Headed

With Amazon removing buy buttons from the Big Six publishers, where does the author go to have their manuscript published?

Amazon has also removed numerous reviews because of the hint of purchased reviews, which authors have admitted to so they could rank higher and sell more books.

With thousands of books written per year, and Amazon flexing its muscle, are authors suspected to publish according to whatever terms Amazon dictates, or find company to create the book and let the author sell and market their book themselves?

Traditional publishers currently ask authors about followers and request a marketing plan. Authors have two options:

1. Hire a publicist to market their book
2. Learn how to publicize and market their book on their own

As authors, forced into marketing mode, when are they going to find time to write their next book? Will there be fewer books written? Will there be fewer people wanting to write or even have a desire to be creative?

There are new indie publishers springing up almost daily. What do these indie publishers offer the author? Are they willing to help the author publicize, promote, and market books for authors, doubtful at best?

What this boils down to is the fact that authors are out in the cold even more than they were before. 

More than ever, authors had better learn about contracts, publicity, promotion, social media, scheduling book tours, book signings, media kits, designing a marketing plan, where to sell their books, or save for hiring a professional to do it for them.

Hiring professionals for publicity and promotion can be very expensive. Acquiring an agent is difficult and expensive; an agent is not the end all that authors believe it is.

Robert Medak

Freelance Writer/Blogger/Editor/Proofreader/Reviewer/Marketer

http://www.authorsden.com/robertmedak

http://rjmedak.wordpress.com

http://www.linkedin.com/in/bobmedak

http://twitter.com/freelancewrtr

Clever Ways to Promote Your Ecommerce Website

GUEST POST: Clever Ways to Promote Your Ecommerce Website

By Margaret Jules

Until yesterday selling your product was all about maintaining your local customer base and today it’s all about marketing your ecommerce website for a successful business model. However there are no shortcuts to success. You can only apply some smart techniques to get more hits. Website promotion is actually integral to virtual sales. Try multiple ways at a time to drive traffic towards your website. There are a variety of free and paid promotional methods that you can adapt to hit the bull’s eye. Here are some clever ways you can experiment with to increase your customer database gradually.

1. Apply Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

SEO tops the charts when we talk about ways and techniques to get more hits. This is fast becoming one of the essentials for attracting prospective clients to your webpage. Develop internal WebPages focused on each of your target keywords. Your page title should be keyword rich. Try to do away with the filler words to the extent possible and focus on keyword prominence. SEO makes it easier for the search engines like Bing or Google to locate your website and place it in front of your prospective buyers.

2. Create and follow your blog

Blogging is not all about writing; it is also about staying connected. Your blog should have interesting content that can lure your potential visitors and help them learn about your service or product offerings. You can also ask some relevant bloggers to write for your product or proved service reviews. Who knows…you might get lucky. Try to invite guest authors to your blog. Offer links to relevant content on your webpage in your blog. Link your webpage and blog together. Respond to queries and fan comments on your blog. This will help in creating some brand image about your company.

3. Use social networking sites

Social networking is the latest buzz. Social networking platforms like Twitter and Facebook can help spread the word. Create your company page on Twitter and Tweet as often as you think is desirable in the interest of business. Tweet about your latest promotions, discounts or any new service offering. Create a dedicated Facebook page and encourage your current customers to become fans and leave comments.

4. Other simple techniques like Pay Per Click

Pay Per Click (PPC) can help you in topping the charts of the search engine results. Every time a person clicks on your sponsored advertisement you pay a small predetermined charge. This can serve as a tool of viral marketing. This will also help you create immediate traffic for your ecommerce website.

Conclusion
Ecommerce website promotion is all about real time marketing and creating brand awareness. Google+ pages can also help you promote your product and brand, apart from other various simple and easy methods. Letting your targeted audience know about your existence is the key to a successful virtual business.

About the author:  Margaret Jules lives in Finland and has been doing internet marketing for last 5 years. She loves travelling, meeting new people and works at SEO Morpheus.

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Other Online Marketing Reading

Headlines That Increase Website Traffic and Website Conversion Rates
Beyond Book Sales Income: Book Marketing and Diversification
Facebook Timeline Banner
Engage in Social Networking the Twitter Way

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To keep up with writing and marketing information, along with Free webinars - signup for The Writing World newsletter on the right top sidebar!

Karen Cioffi
Multi-award Winning Author, Freelance/Ghostwriter, Editor, Marketer
Writer’s Digest Website of the Week, June 25, 2012

Find Karen’s eBooks on writing and marketing at:
http://karencioffifreelancewriter.com (check the sidebar for titles)

Karen Cioffi Professional Writing Services

http://karencioffifreelancewriter.com/karen-cioffi-writing-services/

Engage in Social Networking the Twitter Way by Donna McDine

Engage in Social Networking the Twitter Way

By Donna McDine

To be an effective social networker/marketer setting up your profile is the first step, but it goes far beyond the setup. The saying from the Field of Dreams movie… “Build it and they will come” will not work in this instance. You must continually develop online relationships and share relevant information from your expertise. Like your website and blog, social networking is a constant work-in-progress. Don’t let your shoulders sag, engagement does not need to take you endless hours every day.

Today I will focus on….

How to strengthen your Twitter participation:

To be an effective member of the Twitter community you need to tweet on a consistent basis. Note tweets are limited to 140 characters including spaces and the URL you are directing the reader to. Your tweets can be just about anything. Such as, your latest book, your newsletter, book reviews, author interviews, and information you find interesting to the freelance writing career, etc. My rule of thumb is to tweet at least 4-5 times per day, Monday thru Friday. I give myself off the weekends for good behavior.

Use www.tinyurl.com to shorten the length of the URL you are providing in your tweet, so you save valuable characters for your message.

Don’t just tweet about yourself. Avoid the “it’s all about me attitude”, become a master communicator with tweeting a combination of your own tweets with those of colleagues.

Take out ten to fifteen minutes per day and visit Twitter and retweet (RT) posts of interest for those you are following. You’ll be amazed how appreciative tweeters are for RT. It is a terrific way to broaden the contact base for all those participating.

Scheduling Your Tweets Ahead of Time: Save valuable time and plan your tweets ahead of time (at least weekly). Create your tweets in Word and double check the character length by highlighting your tweet, clicking Review in the toolbar and to the right of Translate on the far left click the ABC/123 symbol. A pop-up screen will appear providing full statistics and make note of the Characters (with spaces) number. To set-up and schedule your tweets, I recommend www.dynamictweets.com. Once you register an account you will be able to schedule a one-time tweet or tweets you’d like to repeat throughout a specific timeframe. The template/site is simple to use. 

Tweeting Lingo and What It Means for Your Tweeting Experience:

# - hashtag – by searching for a keyword with the # (hashtag) before it will pull you up a list of the latest tweets regarding the topic. This is a great way to get in specific conversations and tweeter parties.

@ - symbol before username – by searching for a particular username the results provides their tweets and mentions by fellow tweeters.

Direct Messages – by clicking on the “head” image the pull down menu will appear. Click on direct messages, here you will find a listing of all messages sent to you by fellow tweeters.

For more lingo details visit: https://support.twitter.com/articles/166337-the-twitter-glossary

Remember, tackle your social networking campaign with baby steps every day for each step will develop into a quantum leap.

If you require further guidance or have additional questions, please free to contact me at donna@donnamcdine.com. As a PR Publicist I offer an array of services and FREE articles to help you FREE up your valuable writing time, visit www.authorprservices.com for details.

Thank you for joining me today, it’s been a pleasure.

Bio: I am an award-winning children's author, Honorable Mention in the 77th and two Honorable Mentions in the 78^th Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competitions,  Literary Classics Silver Award & Seal of Approval Recipient Picture Book Early Reader, Global eBook Awards Finalist Children’s Picture Book Fiction, and Preditors & Editors Readers Poll 2010 Top Ten Children’s Books ~ The Golden Pathway.

I have three more books under contract with Guardian Angel Publishing, Hockey Agony, Powder Monkey, and A Sandy Grave. I write, moms and am the Editor-in-Chief for Guardian Angel Kids, Publicist for the Working Writer’s Club, and owner of Author PR Services from my home in the historical hamlet Tappan, NY. 

Five Essential Tips to Make the Most Out of Twitter by Donna McDine

As many of us know social networking can be quite time consuming and overwhelming if you do not harness it from the get go. Twitter has become a great marketing tool to get the word out about your business and/or product. Whether you have a service to offer or product (book) to promote, if used correctly Twitter can be an effective way to network:


1. Setting up your Twitter Account: When setting up your Twitter account create a username and profile bio that provides a clear understanding to your visitor what your expertise is. For example my profile bio reads: “Multiple award-winning children's author and Social Media maven who can free up your valuable time so you can concentrate on your freelance writing career.” Not only does it state that I’m a children’s author it clearly shows that you can hire me for social networking tasks.


2. Who to Follow: Research who to follow by clicking the “Who to Follow” link in the top bar once signed in. Twitter will provide you with suggestions and you can also search by category by typing in a title such as, librarian, teacher, parents, grandparents. The list is endless depending on what your specific needs and market are.


3. Be an active Twitter participant: It’s important to be an active Twitter participant by retweeting other tweets. Not only can you retweet within Twitter, many bloggers and website owners have a share button that you can click to retweet their topic. By doing so, the Twitter sign-in page pops-up, you sign-in and the retweet automatically transfers to Twitter and hit click. It’s that simple.


4. What to Tweet about: Create your tweets at the beginning of each week when you are reviewing your marketing plan (i.e., I will be conducting a school visit today and will be sharing what was effective tomorrow at my blog). This provides your follower a call to action by inviting them to visit your blog. Most important, your tweets should NOT only be about your business and/or product. It’s important that you share information that you feel your followers will find important to them.


5. Scheduling Your Tweets Ahead of Time: The ability to schedule your tweets ahead of time so that your networking becomes automated can easily be done through Dynamic Tweets, which can be found at www.dynamictweets.com. They are currently a FREE service and it includes scheduling recurring tweets, which comes in handy so that when you have a tweet you want to send out at different times and dates you don’t have to keep setting it up each time.

About Donna:

My experience in researching and securing book reviewers, writing effective media releases, media kit creation (both online and hard copy), creation of opt-in subscriber boxes, and implementing your social networking campaign will certainly ease your mind for your book promotional needs.

Happy Tweeting! If you have any questions or I may be of assistance please feel free to contact me at donna@donnamcdine.com or visit me at http://www.authorprservices.com/ for additional FREE marketing articles.

Optimising Social Networking for Authors

I know that all of you are social media mavens. I know that you've all got Facebook, LinkedIn, a range of Ning accounts, use Shelfari, Library Thing and Goodreads, and are Twittering regularly. But is it enough? Are you maximising the value of these tools in order to draw in more readers and create a permanent network of fans, colleagues and associates who will be part of your 'clan' for the long run? If you're like most people you probably worry about it, so here are a few tips for optimising your social networking.

• Quality outweighs quantity. I know there are people out there, like Ashton Kutcher, who not only disagree with me, but have proven me wrong. But we don't all have the Kutcher's genes or the luxury of a full time publicist. For the rest of us mortals, we need to draw in friends who can help us grow, who can draw us into wider and relevant networks - link with the socially adept, the successful, and seek them out in your networks. That doesn't mean you have to be choosy or refuse friend requests, but you can at least focus your targeting efforts on those who you want to emulate and whose networks fit your messages, your books, your focus.

• Don't spread yourself too thinly. Yes, I'm guilty of this and you probably are too. It's better to pick a few highly visible networks and post on them regularly networking strongly there than do tiny, sporatic bits and pieces all over the place. There are so many networks, and new ones are springing up all the time - touting to be the new facebook for writers, asking you to post regularly, to blog there, to participate. If you try and keep up with it all you won't get any writing done. So pick a few and give them a little extra love. I tend to focus my energy these days on Facebook (especially my author page - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Magdalena-Ball-Author/154205247984373), Twitter (http://twitter.com/magdalenaball), LinkedIn: http://au.linkedin.com/in/magdalenaball, and Good Reads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/700078.Magdalena_Ball.  That's plenty for me!

• Give at least as much as you get. Answer other people's questions. Congratulate other people's successes. Support your fellow writers by retweeting their information, commenting on their blogs, and sharing their links. it isn't all about sales - it's also about creating global community and when the time comes for you to gather in the support you'll find that what you've given out comes back to you in spades.

When social networking works well, it's a global village where we all work together for the sake of meaning making. In the words of Sarah Blasko, the burden's not just your own. If you're authentic and really, truly connect, then you'll find that your promotional, and indeed even your writing task, is made easier. You'll be stimulated and supported by people who have become more than just tenuously linked strangers.

About the author: Magdalena Ball is the author of Sleep Before Evening, Repulsion Thrust, Quark Soup, and a number of collaborations and anthologies. Find out more about Magdalena and grab a free copy of her book The Literary Lunch at www.magdalenaball.com.

Marketing Strategies - Old or New?

 Old or New?

 

I want you to know that I am getting older, but over the years I have learned some things.  Take for instance; you have to pay your dues.  What do I mean by that?  I know many young professionals that frankly, haven’t paid their dues.  They depend solely on social networking to market their products.  They haven’t taken the time or put in the hours to volunteer, sit on panels, go door to door and meet face-to-face people in the community, Directors of non-profit agencies, members of the media, etc.  I can’t tell you how many events over the years I have attended; how many talks I have given; how many hours I have volunteered. Yet, it is the people behind these activities that have given me my biggest breaks.  Even today, I have a company looking at my books because I spent some time with a volunteer at a local hospital.  That volunteer has a PhD from Harvard and has contacts I would never know except through her.  Don’t get me wrong; I tweet, I have a Facebook account, I have an iPad, a laptop and an iPhone…..I am socially connected.  But, I haven’t forgotten the old fashioned warmth that comes from looking into someone’s eyes (not on Skype) and sharing a cup of tea.  If I can join the new generation’s e-world, I challenge you to reach out to mine.  A balance between the old and the new promises the best of both worlds.  Until later…..

Anita Tieman

www.WholeChildPublishing.com