Many of our authors might not be aware that
Infinity Publishing has partnered with
Eco-Libris to launch the “100 Tree Project.” With this project, Infinity’s authors have the option to make a $50.00 donation to plant 100 trees for each book they publish. In return, Eco-Libris will authorize Infinity to include an official Eco-Libris logo that reads “100 trees planted for this book” on the book cover. This will serve as a reminder of their commitment to improving the environment.
Eco-Libris, founded in 2007, is a green company working with publishers, authors, and bookstores across the world to “green up” the book industry by promoting green practices, endorsing green books, and planting a tree for every book published.
Eco-libris has agreed to highlight each Infinity book that has taken advantage of the “100 Trees Project” in their blog. This blog will also be linked in Infinity’s Publishing blog which means more publicity for the author!
Ecolibris is currently highlighting Play on Words by Elmer Gentry
Click Here for the full article by Eco-libris!
By: Penny C. Sansevieri
When it comes to book promotion, the title of this blog post is truer now than it ever was. When you put something online, it can almost live forever. That means that we have to be careful what we share, what we say, and the footprints we leave online. A bad first impression is tough to recover from and in some cases it might not just mean a lost sale but a lost media opportunity. Here are a few guidelines to consider when forging your success online!
1) Article Syndication: edit, edit, edit. I can't say this enough. We do a lot of article syndication and I can't tell you how much editing we do for some of our authors. But when you're syndicating yourself, who do you turn to? Well, get an editor to do project work for you. I really recommend it. Once an article is "out there" it's almost impossible to get it back.
2) Blog posts: edit, edit, edit. Never put up a single blog post without running spell check (thankfully most blog software comes with this now), but be cautious about this. Remember, its public domain and blog posts that go up generally stay up unless you pull them down. They'll get spidered, you might even get folks linking to them.
3) Twitter tweets: this is a big one, especially as many of us are hopping on Twitter these days. All of your tweets can be searched and in the case of Twitter, it's pretty easy to shoot off a quickie, short, and thoughtless tweet. Remember that in the case of Twitter, the world is watching. My rule of thumb? Don't tweet anything you wouldn't want your Grandmother to read.
4) Facebook updates: this is another cautionary tale, and not always just from your updates. As with anything online, be cautious about the type and amount of personal information you give away. Remember, like we've been saying everything is your resume. If you need a personal page then get one, but keep the business/book stuff to a fan page that's isolated to the message. You don't necessarily want all of your readers to know you and the hubby just went out for Chinese food or that you found fleas on Fido.
5) Online reviews: while you can't control the content of reviews online, you can control your reaction to them. If you get a bad review, don't attack the reviewer. Listen, I had a bad review on the first edition of Red Hot Internet Publicity, and while it was the only negative comment, I wanted so badly to write to the reviewer and begin engaging him in a debate over my book. Instead what I did was write him, first thanking him for the time he took to read the book and then I offered insight on the negative points he mentioned. I also thanked him for his feedback which, once I stepped back from the harshness of his words, was actually really helpful. Don't battle an online reviewer. You put your book out there and not everyone is going to like it. You have to either accept this or stop promoting it.
6) Blog comments: Commenting on other peoples blogs is a great idea, but like anything else, be careful about this because like a blog post, comments are searchable.
7) Podcasts and Blogtalk radio: there are a lot of opportunities to do radio online these days and while it might not seem as glamorous as, say, NPR, it can get you a lot of traction for your message. Don't underestimate the power of online radio and podcasts, they can have a far reach. Be as prepared as you would be to go on a big show. Some of these podcasts (and especially through BlogTalk radio) get thousands upon thousands of listeners.
8) YouTube: a colleague of mine was commenting last week on a book/author video that was posted to YouTube. He said that while it was interesting, the author wasn't a great interview and the video was sort of flat. Many authors put up video and forget the worldwide reach that this has. They also forget that if the video can be found, a media person might land on it and if you're video is subpar, it might nix any chances for an interview. Don't just assume because you put it out there that it's good. Yes, sketchy, off-color videos get circulated by the media but if you look at the number of videos that get loaded onto YouTube, it's really a small slice of the pie.
9) Hiring someone: with the proliferation of Internet marketing firms offering Virtual Book Tours you want to proceed with caution. We've been offering Internet tours for a long time and we are extremely careful how we represent our authors online. If you're thinking of hiring a company get a sense of who they've promoted and how they've promoted them. If you hire a company that uses "black hat" marketing techniques, you could get dinged for something that isn't even your fault. Black hat refers to a certain type of Internet marketing that uses faulty link-building and spam techniques to get an author or book exposure. Often the exposure is short-lived and very harmful but black hat techniques can show up *very* successfully early on, that's the way these tricksters are poised. Show early success only to have it drop off. In some cases I've known authors to even get their sites yanked. It's not pretty.
There are numerous "easy" ways to get your name out there and that means you just have to make sure the information you put out there is good, solid, yes edited, and representative of your work. When it comes to marketing online, the Internet is one big networking event. Consider this: would you ever go to a networking event dressed in shorts, flipflops and a tank top? Doubtful. You show up dressed up, business cards in hand ready to rock and roll. The same rules apply online. Everything is your resume. If you make that your motto, the world will beat a path to your virtual door.
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Penny C. Sansevieri, CEO and founder of Author Marketing Experts, Inc., is a best-selling author and internationally recognized book marketing and media relations expert. Her company is one of the leaders in the publishing industry and has developed some of the most cutting-edge book marketing campaigns. She is the author of five books, including Red Hot Internet Publicity. Penny is also an instructor at NYU. AME is the first marketing and publicity firm to use Internet promotion to its full impact through The Virtual Author Tour™, which strategically works with social networking sites, blogs, Twitter, ezines, video sites, and relevant sites to push an authors message into the virtual community and connect with sites related to the book's topic, positioning the author in his or her market. In the past 15 months their creative marketing strategies have helped land 10 books on the New York Times Bestseller list. To learn more about Penny’s books or her promotional services, you can visit her web site at http://www.amarketingexpert.com. Copyright ã 2009 Penny C. Sansevieri
By: Penny C. Sansevieri
In an economically challenged climate, guess what starts to soar? Libraries. The library market is strong and getting stronger. If you haven't made libraries part of your target market, you should. And 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.
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. Distribution: It's important to know how libraries get the titles they stock. First off, you'll need to get the right distributor for your book. Both Quality Books and Unique Books have programs that can help you access the library market.
Quality Books Inc. http://www.quality-books.com/
Unique Books Inc. http://www.uniquebooksinc.com/
Baker & Taylor: http://www.baker-taylor.com/ (technically they are a wholesaler but they can also help you access the library market)
There's also a nifty little site that will help you locate libraries in your neighborhood and around the world: http://www.libdex.com (libraries worldwide)
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!
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Penny C. Sansevieri, CEO and founder of Author Marketing Experts, Inc., is a best-selling author and internationally recognized book marketing and media relations expert and an Adjunct Instructor with NYU. Her company is one of the leaders in the publishing industry and has developed some of the most cutting-edge book marketing campaigns. She is the author of five books, including Book to Bestseller which has been called the "road map to publishing success." AME is the first marketing and publicity firm to use Internet promotion to its full impact through The Virtual Author Tour™, which strategically works with social networking sites, blogs, micro-blogs, ezines, video sites, and relevant sites to push an authors message into the virtual community and connect with sites related to the book's topic, positioning the author in his or her market. To learn more about Penny’s books or her promotional services, you can visit her web site at http://www.amarketingexpert.com. To subscribe to her free ezine, send a blank email to: mailto:subscribe@amarketingexpert.com Copyright ã 2010 Penny C. Sansevieri
Review written by: Gilbert E. O'Alonzo, Jr, DO; Editor in Chief, American Osteopathic Association, Chicago, Illinois
From Death's Door to Disney World-Traumatic Brain Injury When You're NOT Rich and Famous: An Advocate's Story. By Mike Pollock.
I used to call him friend. Big Dave and I hung out with tvlike from time to time in our childhood neighborhood in Philadelplna, Pennsylvania. Mike's dad owned a hardware store in U,e neighborhood. The 3 of us always had a good time together. Dave was Mike's best friend,
but Dave was also my best friend, so maybe there was a bit of competition between Mike and me. The competition didn't last long, because Mike went into the Marine Corps, and Dave and I went to college, where we played basketball together.
The Vietnam War was going on, and I was proud that Mike was serving his country---our country. Mike was small in stature but gigantic in character. We were tough kids, but Mike had grit-that something extra that you wanted by your side when things got
rough. He would never back down. He was always there for his buddies.
So after reading From Death's Door to Disney World- Traumatic Brain Injury When You're NOT Rich and Famous: An Advocate's Story-an amazing book written by Mike-I was not surprised. Mike has not changed. He still has grit! Moreover, Mike and his wife Kathy have true grit. Kathy is the heroine of Mike's book, which is his personal account of her struggle with a
malignant brain tumor and its horrible consequences, including 2 massive strokes that left her paralyzed and dependent on others. The book is also an account of Mike's role as advocate for Kathy as they navigated the complexities of the US healthcare system.
Mike's book is a testament of his love for his wife, as well as an excellent representation of what is wonderful about humankind. We love, pray, cry, and rejoice with each other, especially with those we love. And when necessary, we will sacrifice, work hard, and
fight for them.
Mike's book describes his ongoing journey with his wife as one that is filled
with every possible human emotion. As a reader, T was riveted. Perhaps T could
not put the book down because I know Mike. Maybe I felt somewhat guilty because I was not there to help them. However, the truth is that thestory is powerful and very well told, especially from the perspective of an individual with no medical training. The following example from the book describes Mike's reaction when told that Kathy would need to take Coumadin (warfarin):
"During a presurgery appointment with a ca rdiologist, I heard Coumadin mentioned far the first
time ... I knew what Coumadin was because in our hardware store we sell rat poison which contains Coumadin. The rats eat it and bleed to death. I asked the cardiologist if it was safe for Kalhy to take Coumadin while she was taking Temedar, her chemo drug . ... I realize now the most important question was never asked: Should someone whose brain had been
exposed to radiation therapy,and whose brain tissue may have been compromised,
take Coumadin?"
This book is about survival. It's about unconditional love. It's about the body's ability to heal itself with a little help from many dedicated healthcare providers. And it reminds us, as healers, that we are there to help not only patients but also their families.
Kathy's health problems began with a visual disorder of some concern. The
problems then exploded into a series of severe neurologic disabilities. Mike describes his reaction to Kathy's second stroke:
"This stroke, compounded by the damage from lhe first one, was more devastating. Kathy had to be put on a respirator. She could not speak or move. She couldn't swallow. Kathy's
condition was grave. She was in and out of partial consciousness .... She
was hooked up to a respirator, with a feeding tube in her stomach .... I knew she was aware of my presence. I held her hand and asked her to squeeze mine. After a few moments, not immediately, I could feel a slight squeeze .... I knew that if she survived the initial trauma of this episode, she would come back to me."
The book- in 91 pages, including several family photos- carefully recounts Kathy's successful struggle to survive. Her powerful will to live was matched by undying support from her dedicated and driven husband, who refused to give up. It makes for a genuinely unique love story. The couple's trip to Disney World represents their eventual success:
"It was Kathy's wish and my dream, so on Feb. 16, 2008, our family ... and I took Kathy to Disney World for eight amazing days. Despite the negative early prognosis and the insurance companie's [sic] denials. Despite the so-called friends who were convinced I was a bad guy because I wouldn't let my wife die. We were like any complete family on a Disney World vacation."
The book is a quick but amazing and insightful read. I believe it should be mandatory reading for every healthcare provider and student. Furthermore, it would be an important read for anyone who has an ounce of kindness in his or her heart. I am SO glad that I came across this
book. I agreed to do the present review because Dave's older brother, Fred (Frederick J. Goldstein, PhD, the book review section editor for JAOA),sent the book to me- though he never gave me a heads-up about what the book contained.
Most importantly, I am now reconnected with Mike, after nearly 50 years. I have to tell you, his story does not surprise me. He was always the best guy to have around. Kathy is lucky to have him, but I'm sure Mike would say he is
the lucky one to have Kathy by his side.
Many of our authors might not be aware that
Infinity Publishing has partnered with
Eco-Libris to launch the “100 Tree Project.” With this project, Infinity’s authors have the option to make a $50.00 donation to plant 100 trees for each book they publish. In return, Eco-Libris will authorize Infinity to include an official Eco-Libris logo that reads “100 trees planted for this book” on the book cover. This will serve as a reminder of their commitment to improving the environment.
Eco-Libris, founded in 2007, is a green company working with publishers, authors, and bookstores across the world to “green up” the book industry by promoting green practices, endorsing green books, and planting a tree for every book published.
Eco-libris has agreed to highlight each Infinity book that has taken advantage of the “100 Trees Project” in their blog. This blog will also be linked in Infinity’s Publishing blog which means more publicity for the author!
Ecolibris is currently highlighting X-Posed: The Painful Truth Behind Yoga & Pilates by Kevin Khalili
Click Here for the full article by Eco-libris!
