Fw: [Book Marketing Expert] Getting into Libraries

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE BOOK MARKETING EXPERT NEWSLETTER! A newsletter all about SUCCESSFUL publishing and POWERFUL promotion. November 12, 2009 Issue #207 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ in this issue -- Note From The Editor -- Our New Author's Edge Book Marketing Program -- Featured Article - Getting into Libraries -- Blog Facts -- AME-University: Book Marketing, Publishing, and Internet Marketing classes -- How Google Ranks Your Site -- Book Bits and Bites -- How to Listen -- The Ever Changing Magazine Landscape -- Penny in the News -- 20th Annual Midwest Book Awards - CALL for ENTRIES -- The Publishing Insiders Show -- The Power of YouTube -- Time to Promote Your Book Now -- Reader Tip: Skybox -- Achieve Success With AME's Products -- Twitter Tip: Twitter Hawk -- Twitter Tip: TweetAways -- Reader Tip! -- WHO ARE WE -- ------------------------------------------------------------ Penny C. Sansevieri, Editor penny@amarketingexpert.com Welcome to a new issue of THE BOOK MARKETING EXPERT NEWSLETTER. You are receiving this newsletter compliments of Author Marketing Experts, Inc. To opt out, please scroll down to the bottom of this newsletter. Note From The Editor ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Welcome to another issue of the Book Marketing Expert Newsletter! Dear Author, Thanks for tuning into another issue of the Book Marketing Expert newsletter, we're glad to have you back! I just finished the first ever self-publishing conference in New York and it was a great event! If you weren't there you missed a great day and a very full program. In my travels this week I also had the opportunity stop by the New York Public Library and it reminded me how important libraries are to book marketing, hence this week's article. Enjoy! We hope you enjoy another packed issue of our newsletter. I ran into a few readers this weekend who said how much they love reading The Book Marketing Expert. We love your feedback! Wishing you continued publishing success, Penny, Paula, Susan, Alex, Nancy and everyone at Author Marketing Experts, Inc. Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Bookgal. P.P.S. Check out our blog! We offer great tips and insights, such as: 'Sidewiki: the must know new tool from Google:' http://amarketingexpert.com/ameblog/uncategorized/sidewiki-the-must-know-new-tool-from-google/ Our New Author's Edge Book Marketing Program ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Recently, a number of our clients launched Amazon bestseller email blast campaigns. But the results have been awful. According to Wall Street Journal online, "Email's reign is over." Spam filters block a very high percentage of emails. In addition, many readers receive over 300 emails every day and click delete regularly. More and more people use Google to find the information they want. In addition, social networking sites including Twitter and Facebook are further reducing email's power. Based on the decline of email marketing and the excellent results our Virtual Author Tour generates, we developed the Author's Edge program. This system doesn't use email marketing at all. Author's Edge feeds your book and content into the Internet and draws organic traffic to your website. Namely, readers that love your content and your book. This proven system combines blogging, SEO, backlinks and social marketing in an exceptional way that sends interested book buyers directly to your web page. We will use keywords to drive targeted traffic to your website for the long-term so you continue to sell books and generate passive income long after the official program ends. Since you control your webpage, so as long as you keep it live, you can sell more books. With this program, we will design your own custom Amazon webpage that's attached to your website and linked to Amazon. Our team will drive traffic to your website via a very aggressive blog campaign. Our copywriters will craft a new sales letter to drive your book sales. We will help you select a package of gift bonuses or you can use bonuses from our library - often buyer behavior is driven by bonus gifts. Book buyers can click over to Amazon and buy your book. And of course, they get the bonuses too. In addition, we will create your own Amazon affiliate program account so you can track your sales. We expect that this program will drive boatloads of book sales for you. In addition, as a special to Book Marketing Expert members, when you invest in this program within the next 11 days, you will receive a one-on-one 30-minute coaching session with Penny Sansevieri, author of Red Hot Internet Publicity and creator of the Virtual Author Tour. For more information, email info@amarketingexpert.com. Featured Article - Getting into Libraries ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Despite all the book buzz online, it's still nice to get your book onto a library shelf. For most of us, this seems like an exclusive right devoted to an exclusive group of best-selling authors. While some piece of this is true, the reality is that if you have a good book, you can get into the library system. Here's how. First, why would you care about hitting the library market? Because in a slow book sales season, as we've seen in the past few months, libraries are a great way to get to your reader. What they buy: Each library gets a budget and they can spend it any way they want. Unlike Barnes and Noble, where their book purchases are often dictated by publishers or a sales order from their corporate office, libraries operate independently of each other. Libraries will generally buy hardback and trade books and tend to shy away from mass market paperbacks, but if you're in the latter category, don't let this deter you. There's still a lot of wiggle room when it comes to library orders and a few creative ways to get into their system. Getting to know your local library: if you want to get into your local library it's important to get to know them, so dust off your library card, stop by and introduce yourself. Get to know who you're selling to. Library websites: if your local library has a website, see if there's a place to make book recommendations. If you have local fans, encourage them to do the same on their library websites. Library events: if you've been trying to get into your local bookstore to do an event but haven't gotten much traction, why not consider doing a library event (or two)? It's a great way to get "into" your local library, become acquainted with them, meet your local readers, and well, you know - get more exposure for your book. Many libraries also have reading groups that you might be able to participate in. Reviews: most libraries look to review sources for their selections as well. Consider submitting your book to the following publications for review: Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, Kirkus Reviews, and Forecast. These publications are largely ready by libraries and often librarians will buy based on a good review in one of these publications. You don't need to get reviews in all of them (though wouldn't that be great?) - getting a review in one of them should be more than sufficient to catch the eye of a ready-to-buy librarian. Popularity: librarians like to stock what's popular, even locally. So if you're doing a lot of local events, talks, or speaking gigs, make sure and let your local libraries know. Also, if you're going to do TV or radio be sure and alert your library, thus giving them sufficient time to order the book. Libraries might not seem as "glamorous" as the store window of Barnes and Noble, but libraries have considerably more staying power. Once your book is in their system it's in there for as long as your book is in print and the library sees there are readers for it. Also, consider the reorders as your local library will (hopefully) bring in more than one copy. Libraries are a not-to-be-overlooked part of your marketing campaign, and if you missed the review window, don't fret. You might still be able to gain some interest via events and local popularity! Blog Facts ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Still not impressed by blogs? Consider this: In 1998 there were only 23 known blogs, the term blog or weblog wasn't born until April, 1999. Since 2002, Technorati has indexed 133 million blogs. Blogs have become a very mainstream form of communication; according to BlogHer, 36.2 million women participate in the blogosphere weekly. Out of this amount, 15.1 million are publishing at least one post weekly. Also according to BlogHer, 32% of blog publishers and 28% of blog readers have decided not to purchase a product as a result of a recommendation or bad experience shared on a blog. AME-University: Book Marketing, Publishing, and Internet Marketing classes ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ These free teleclasses from AME-University may be just the thing to get your book marketing savvy ramped up! A new class list is coming soon so be sure to check it out! Creating a Stunning Press Kit and Media Room on Your Website (so the media will notice you!) When: Thursday, November 19, 4:00 pm - 4:30 pm Description: If creating a press kit has baffled you, then don't miss this class! We'll talk about everything from crafting the perfect press release, to creating your bio, questions and tip sheets. We'll also talk about the things no good press kit should be without and what you should never include in a kit! If you've struggled with your own kit or just aren't sure what they should look like, then this class is for you! BONUS: We'll also learn about electronic press kits and online press rooms. The Building Blocks of Book Marketing! w/ Penny Sansevieri When: Thursday, December 10, 4:00 pm - 4:30 pm Description: When it comes to book marketing there's a lot you can do, but what's really the most effective way to promote? The Building Blocks of Book Marketing will show you "can't fail" strategies along with shortcuts and insider secrets to getting your book noticed! We'll also look at the things you must do to market your book. BONUS: We'll share tips to getting free publicity! How to join in: To sign up or learn more about these classes send an email to author@amarketingexpert.com. The AME website has a complete class listing for handy reference: http://www.amarketingexpert.com/iclasses.html. Missed a class? Here's an easy way to catch up on past classes, just visit the AME-University All Access Pass. How Google Ranks Your Site ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Backlinks! What is a Backlink? Clickable words or images that take a user from one web page to another. The more backlinks pointing to a site, the higher the receiving site tends to rank in all search engines. Why Backlinks? Think of it as a 'Vote of Confidence.' The more votes a site has, the higher your search engine ranking. Not any backlink will do, though. Google Webmaster Guidelines provides these basics for linking: * Link should originate from a relevant site/topic * Link is text based * Anchor text of link is relevant (Anchor text are the words that when clicked on are linked to the site that is receiving the backlink.) Social bookmarking, blog commenting, social media sites and article submissions are all great ways for achieving these backlinks. Tip offered by Susan Gilbert, AME's Search Engine Marketing Expert and Web 2.0 company owner, http://www.JoomlaJump.com, which provides Social Networking websites and services. Book Bits and Bites ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Kindle Killer? Barnes & Noble experiences delays shipping out orders of the new Nook e-reader due to heavy demand. Like Amazon and its Kindle, B&N is mum about sales figures, but says demand has surpassed expectations. Books 'Going Green:' Tuesday, Nov. 10 was the Green Books Campaign, consisting of 100 book reviews of books published using environmentally responsible practices. Participating bloggers blogged, tweeted and used other social media to spread the word. Youth Market Goes Digital: The demand for digital kids' books show robust growth, beginning with the recent launch of Disney Digital Books, as well as by Barnes & Noble and others. MarketingVOX takes a look at the players of this expanding book market. A Brave New Chick Lit World: There's a change afoot in 'chick lit;' no longer do the heroines need to be willowy or dieting - these books feature fully-rounded women who are closer to their readers, and who don't use their weight as an excuse for not achieving their goals. The Guardian UK has the scoop. How to Listen ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Online reputation management is important, here are some listening tools you might want to consider so you can stay on top of the conversation: * Google Alerts * Bloglines.com * Technorati.com * Boardreader.com * Blogpulse.com The Ever Changing Magazine Landscape ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2009 has been a tough year for magazines. Many large circulation magazines have ceased publication, including Country Home, Hallmark Magazine, Travel & Leisure Golf, and Best Life. Meanwhile, magazine closings are outpacing magazine launches in the US and Canada. There have been 383 closings compared to 259 launches. Marketing Charts takes a closer look at the phenomenon, including where the growth and opportunities can be found. Penny in the News ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You can catch Penny on Blog Talk Radio, where she discussed Internet Publicity with literary publicist Sabrina Sumsion on a recent show. In addition, Penny has joined the recently-launched Books section on The Huffington Post. Keep up with the latest by subscribing to her blog posts: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/penny-c-sansevieri. 20th Annual Midwest Book Awards - CALL for ENTRIES ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Presented by the Midwest Independent Publishers Association (MIPA) Publishers and authors are invited to enter the 20th Annual Midwest Book Awards competition for excellence in books published in 2009. The awards recognize creativity in content and execution, overall book quality, and the book's unique contribution to its subject area. ELIGIBILITY All entries MUST carry a 2009 copyright and an ISBN. New editions of previously published books are eligible. Reprints do not qualify. Entries must be PUBLISHED within the 12-state region: IL, IN, IA, KS, MI, MN, MO, NE, ND, OH, SD, & WI. Deadline for receipt of books and entry fees is January 29, 2010. Absolutely no exceptions. Judges' decisions are final. AWARDS and BENEFITS Three (3) finalists are selected in each category. From those, one (1) winner is chosen. Finalists and award-winning authors and publishers receive certificates and may purchase foil seals for use in their marketing efforts. Winners will also receive a bronze medallion and be featured in the MIPA catalog and MIPA News, on the MIPA website, and at MIPA displays throughout the year, including the Midwest Booksellers Association (MBA) trade show. Judges' individual book evaluation sheets will be provided to the entrants after the awards are announced. ENTRY FORMS and additional information can be downloaded from the MIPA website http://www.mipa.org/Awards.html. The Publishing Insiders Show ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Be in the know and hear what the publishing insiders: Penny Sansevieri, CEO of Author Marketing Experts, Inc. - and her guests - have to offer in terms of tips and insights into the industry! Listen here. Be sure to listen to the latest show, Book Bloggers and the new FTC guidelines. Publishing Insiders is also available on iTunes, so you can keep up with the show wherever you go! The Power of YouTube ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Think YouTube is a valuable tool because the site receives millions of hits a day? Make that billions, making YouTube 20 times more powerful than its nearest rival (Microsoft). The New York Times' Bits Blogs reports the news. Time to Promote Your Book Now ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Looking for inexpensive ways to promote your book? We've developed an exciting series of budget-friendly programs that still pack a powerful punch! Think you can't market your book in a tough economy? Think again - we've got the answer! Email us for more details: info@amarketingexpert.com. Reader Tip: Skybox ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Skybox is a term used by journalists for the box found on the front page of a newspaper, typically above the masthead (you probably know that's the name and logo of the newspaper that runs across the top of the front page). The skybox contains titles and teasers and sometimes small pictures illustrating stories from the interior of the newspaper that the editors want to highlight. This concept can be used by writers in the formatting of their self-published books, their blogs, their newsletters, etc. Freelance writers might use a skybox in the presentation of their piece; it would feature a little known or intriguing fact from their story. In other words a skybox is a marketing device for ideas and the printed word. Tip submitted by: Carolyn Howard-Johnson, who started her writing career as a staff writer for The Salt Lake Tribune. Since then she has worked in many capacities in journalism, marketing and publicity. She is now the author of the award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of book for writers. www.howtodoitfrugally.com. Achieve Success With AME's Products ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We've designed our products with your success in mind! Regardless of where you are in your publishing journey, we've got a product that will suit your needs. Check out our books, special reports, and our audio programs, all designed to help you reach publishing success! http://amarketingexpert.com/store/ Twitter Tip: Twitter Hawk ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Twitter Hawk: http://www.twitterhawk.com This is another neat little keyword site. If you're into tracking keywords on Twitter, you might like this. Twitter Tip: TweetAways ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TweetAways: http://www.tweetgiveaway.com Got something you want to give away on Twitter? Then tweet it to @twitaway. You can also see and follow other giveaways. A great way to promote! Reader Tip! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you've got a Reader Tip you'd like to share, please send it to penny@amarketingexpert.com with the subject line "reader tip." Submissions should be 75 words or less. WHO ARE WE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Author Marketing Experts, Inc. is a full-service book marketing, promotion, and publicity company. We serve authors at all stages of marketing and promotion. We offer a full range of packages and services to choose from. To see a price list or schedule a free consultation, send your e-mail to penny@amarketingexpert.com with the subject line "Author Services Info." You can also visit our Web site at www.amarketingexpert.com. Reprint permission ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ You are welcome to reprint any items from "The Book Marketing Expert Newsletter." However, please credit us as a source with the following paragraph: Reprinted from "The Book Marketing Expert newsletter," a free ezine offering book promotion and publicity tips and techniques. http://www.amarketingexpert.com ------------------------------------------------------------ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Like this newsletter? Pass it on! We never rent or sell subscriber lists to any third party. Your privacy is very important to us. Always. 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