Book Marketing Tip of the Week
January 6, 2009: Four Freedoms Day, Dorm Room Refrigerator Birthday, Feast of the Magi, Made in USA Day, National Shortbread Day, Take a Poet to Lunch DayDetails on these days — and 18,500 others! — can be found in
John Kremer's Celebrate Today Special Events Data Files.Note: Celebrate New Year's Day every month of the year. Check out:
http://www.manyhappynewyears.comIn this issue . . .
-- John Kremer's birthday gift to you
-- John Kremer's 60th Birthday Bash Q&A teleseminar
-- USA Today story comments
-- Speechable talk bubbles
-- Internet Advancement scam
-- Specialty retailers
-- Book Marketing Tips ebook
-- Words to Inspire WritersJohn Kremer's birthday gift to you
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Well, as I usually do on my birthday, I'm offering several special gifts. For the past ten years, I've been selling the following two programs as databases: Catalog Sales Data Files and the Specialty Retailers Data Files. Both of these programs formerly sold for $30.00 each. You can now download these data files for absolutely no cost in Excel format by going here: http://www.bookmarket.com/birthday.htm.Since these data files normally sell for $30.00 each, that makes my 60th birthday special worth $60.00. 60 for 60! My gift to you!
John Kremer's 60th Birthday Bash Q&A teleseminar
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In addition, I'll be hosting a free Q&A teleseminar on my birthday. Come to listen in and ask all your book marketing questions.Date: Friday, January 16th, at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, 5:00 p.m. Pacific
Phone Number to Dial: 218-486-3695
Use Conference ID: 2092800#You can listen in by phone or via the Internet (no phone charges!). To listen in via the Internet and to ask questions ahead of time (if you can't attend the birthday bash), go to the following URL:
http://www.instantteleseminar.com/?eventid=5553039That's also the URL you would go to if you want to listen to the Q&A
teleseminar after the event.USA Today story comments
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Did you know that visitors to USA Today's website can comment on news stories and features? Since they began offering this capability, visitors to the website has increased by 13%.What does this mean to you? Simply this: You can begin to create relationships with individual editors and reporters by commenting intelligently on their stories and features. Check out the stories in your area of interest on http://www.usatoday.com on a regular basis, and then comment on those stories where you can make a useful contribution or offer an incredible insight.
Not only will you be noticed by the editors and reporters who write those stories, but you will also be noticed by the readers who visit the site and comment on those stories. Be sure to mention your book to establish your credibility. You can also mention websites, but don't be commercial in doing so; be helpful.
Here is a comment I made on a story about comedienne Sarah Silverman getting $2.5 million for a book:
Publishers always overpay celebrities, but the big book publishers now rely heavily on celebrities. Alas, for newbies. But new authors do get published. Check out the list of successful debut novelists at http://www.bookmarket.com/debutnovels.htm.
The link was not an active link in the comment at USAToday.com, but I shared a page on my website that readers could well be interested in reading, given the nature of the article.
Note: Readers can rate each others' comments. You have to register at USAToday.com to leave comments and rate other commenters.
Speechable talk bubbles
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If you go to http://www.speechable.com, you can upload any photo from your computer or from any website and add a speech bubble to the photo. Here's an example that I created:
Note that they add a Speechable logo to the photo. Of course, you can do something like this as easily in a good photo editing program, but this is easy and fun.
Here's another one I did where I had my book do the talking:
I don't like it as well because I couldn't move the speech bubble so it wouldn't hide the title.
Internet Advancement scam
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Reader Feedback: I would like to report a company that is targeting independent publishers. Internet Advancement promises to promote one's website. The fee is $800 with a guaranteed refund of $400 if the client is not satisfied. I paid $800 for absolutely no work and was unable to reclaim $400 in spite of much wasted time on calls and further complaints to the Better Business Bureau. I would advise anyone to beware of this fraudulent company. Business is hard enough without these Internet scams.John's Response: Internet Advancement is under a court order in Washington State to pay refunds and penalties. But, then again, they apparently were under investigation in 2004, 2007, and 2008. So I'm not sure how they continued all that time.
My advice: Always check references when paying for any sort of service business: marketing consultant, PR agent, literary agent, book cover designer, printer, etc. I've seen too many unhappy customers over the 30+ years I've been in this business. And, quite honestly, the publishing business is better than most other businesses.
Nautilus Book Awards
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Attn: Publishers & Authors - Enter Your Life- and World-Changing
Books (& Audio Books) in the 2009 Nautilus Book Awards.
28 categories including 5 for children and teens. For information, entry
forms, and guidelines, go to http://www.nautilusbookawards.com.
Enter by January 15th and SAVE. Enter Here. Questions? Email
marilyn@nautilusbookawards.com.Specialty retailers
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Here are a few more specialty retailers not listed in the Specialty Retailers data files you can now download free as noted above.Amarillo Botanical Gardens Gift Shop, 1400 Streit Drive, Amarillo TX 79106; 806-352-6513; Fax: 806-352-6227. Web: http://amarillobotanicalgardens.org. Garden and nature gifts.
Bellingham Railway Museum Gift Shop, John Harter, Store Manager, 1320 Commercial Street, Bellingham WA 98225; 360-393-7540. Email:
brm@clearwire.net. Web: http://www.bellinghamrailwaymuseum.org.
Features railroad related books and gifts.Inside Passage Gifts, 355 Harris Avenue #103, Bellingham WA 98225; 360-734-1790. Quality gifts from the Pacific Northwest and Alaska.
Pacific Chef, Vicki Rogers and Ray Dunn, Owners, 1211 11th Street, Bellingham WA 98225; 360-676-1911. Email: info@pacificchef.com. Web: http://www.pacificchef.com. Features kitchenware, dining decor, cookbooks, and related gifts.
Book Marketing Tips ebook
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Dana Lynn Smith of the Book Marketing Maven blog is offering a special New Year's gift: a collection of tips from her blog. You can download the ebook here: http://bookmarketingmaven.typepad.com/book_marketing_maven/ 2009/01/a-new-years-gift-for-you.html.An email request will pop up but you can close it and still download the
ebook for free. Provide your email if you'd like to get her monthly ezine.Words to Inspire Writers
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Gregory Victor Babic, author of Words to Inspire Writers, is offering the
book free under a creative commons license. Check out the book here:
http://fcsachandsonspublishers.files.wordpress.com/2007/12/babic-
words-to-inspire-writers-cc-version.pdf
Quotable Books
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The more you notice the love, the miracles and the beauty around you,
the more love comes into your life. — Betty Eadie, author
Click on the above book cover to order this great collection as a Word ebook for only $7.00.
More great quotes and quotable books at http://www.quotablebooks.com
Index: http://www.bookmarket.com/tipsindex.htm
Copyright © 2009 by book marketing expert John Kremer
Email: JohnKremer@bookmarket.com
Open Horizons, P O Box 2887, Taos NM 87571
