Book Marketing Blogs

Twitter is a great way to meet people, develop relationships, and promote yourself and your book or business. But it’s important to avoid being seen as someone who just self promotes.

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Most of your tweets should be about helping others, but you also need to inject some personality, to put the “social” into social networking and help people get to know you. Here are 50 ideas for tweeting or promoting:

1. Teach stuff – teach a little mini-lesson on Twitter. Delve into your area of expertise or just talk about book publishing and how to get published.

2. Share sites or blogs that your followers would be interested in. Be their “filter” to new and exciting information.

3. Use Socialoomph.com to post tweets to your account for later posting so you don’t have to be sitting on top of Twitter every minute of the day.

4. Use Twitter as a news source: you can easily announce news both from your world (as long as it relates to your topic) and from the world of your expertise. For example, I’ve done tweets on book industry stuff, breaking news, etc.

5. Widen your network – follow other Twitter folk, this will not only give you some ideas for your own “tweets” but it’s a great way to network with other writers or professionals.

6. Offer advice: use Tweetdeck.com or Twitter Search (search.twitter.com) to see who’s asking for info on your area of expertise

Image by Bunker's iphone via Flickr

and then offer them some help/insight. This is a great way to build relationships.

7. It’s ok to market yourself but be careful about pimping your stuff too much.

8. Be original, useful and helpful.

9. If you’re on tour with your book or doing an event, tweet on that and invite your local followers to attend.

10. Tweet any good reviews your book gets, it’s always fun to share the good stuff!

11. Every Tweet counts (don’t tell people you’re washing your cat); don’t just tweet on useless stuff or you’ll lose followers.

12. It’s not all about you (again, back to the cat) people want to know useful stuff, I know, it’s getting repetitive but there’s a reason: it’s important.

13. Promote your Twitter account in your email signature line and on your blog

14. Network: don’t expect your followers to grow if you’re not following other people. Network, search for others in your area and follow them.

15. Personal is ok. Even though I said not to post useless information it’s still not a bad idea to (from time to time) post a personal Tweet or two. Provide value and twitter-followers will beat a path to your door.

16. Follow everyone who follows you. You can use sites like Socialtoo.com and Socialoomph to autofollow everyone who follows you. These services can also send a nice welcome message to your new followers.

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17. There is a lot of noise on Twitter, and the sooner you get comfortable with that the better. It’s like being at one massive cocktail party; you have to find ways to filter out the noise. Sites like SocialOomph can help you do that.

18. Embed a link or some other sign-up in your welcome message; this is another great way to capture emails for your newsletter (assuming you have one).

19. Use sites like SocialOomph or Twitter Search to see who’s talking about you and then follow them, too, or comment on their tweet.

20. It’s ok to repeat your tweets. With the volume of messages people get your followers will often miss some of your posts.

21. Feed your blog through Twitter using Twitterfeed.com.

22. Join Help a Reporter out: @petershankman for tweets on media leads (it’s a great service!).

23. Don’t feel like you have to respond to every tweet, but I generally try to respond to all tweets that are replies to mine (you can find these under @replies on your Twitter home page).

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24. Want to stay on top of your market and find stuff to Tweet about? Then go to Alltop.com and search for your category. There are thousands of them up there. Here are a few to consider: socialmedia.alltop.com, twitter.alltop.com and publishing.alltop.com.

25. Review a product or book on Twitter

26. Follow big names in your market on Twitter: this will often bring in their followers too, and you want to see what the “big guys” are up to.

27. Get a good picture: don’t leave your avatar blank. Personalize your page if you can, but a good Twitter picture is a must.

28. Tweetbeep.com is a lot like Google alerts. You can plug in your keywords and you’re pinged each time they are used

29. Are you ready to add pictures to your Tweets? Then head on over to Twitpic.com, this site will let you upload pictures and tweet to them.

30. Use YouTube to share helpful videos you think your followers will love.

31. Music on Twitter is also possible thanks to TwittyTunes (http://www.foxytunes.com/twittytunes/). This site is great for sharing music and it has a simple Firefox add-on that lets you Twitter on music you’re currently listening to!

32. Invite people to subscribe to your ezine and offer an incentive.

33. Introduce other authors or experts to each other or to your Twitter followers (they should also be on Twitter)

34. Participate in Follow Fridays #FF and Writer Wednesdays #WW. Recommend your favorite tweeters by using the #followfriday or #FF hashtag along with their user names.

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35. Link to your own articles and blog posts. Shorten the URL using bit.ly so you can track the number of clicks you get.

36. Link to great videos.

37. Ask for advice or ask questions that encourage responses.

38. Comment on someone’s interesting Twitter background or clever bio.

39. Offer a free downloadable ebook or sample chapter, with no strings attached.

40. Thank others for mentioning you on Twitter.

41. Link to an interesting Wikipedia entry on your topic or specialty

42. Link to a transcript from an interesting Twitter chat

43. Post an inspirational quote or message

44. Link to other blogs, helpful articles

45. Reply to someone else’s Twitter post

46. Run a contest

47. Promote a special offer exclusively to your Twitter tribe

48. Retweet (RT) someone else’s posts, it’s a great way to network!

49. Thank someone for RTing your post; it’s always great to acknowledge someone for doing that!

50. Talk about the latest trends in your industry

The holidays are over and it’s time to take action. To guide you, we’ve highlighted a final batch of our most popular blog posts from the past year. Topics include what your website needs to attract reviewers, how to maintain a successful blog and the elements of a winning marketing plan – and more. Happy marketing!

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6 Things Your Website Should Tell Book Reviewers About You (and Your Book)

Getting your book reviewed is not as simple as sending out a pitch; in fact, that pitch is often the first step in the potential reviewer checking you out. So we have to ask: are you and your website ready for scrutiny? We’ve already covered 7 Simple Steps to Getting Your Book Reviewed, http://blog.marketingtipsforauthors.com/2010/10/7-simple-steps-to-getting-your-book.html. Now we’ll move on to the next phase:

http://ame.wpengine.com/6-things-your-website-should-tell-book-reviewers-about-you-and-your-book/

4 Tips on What NOT to Say (or Pitch or Do) to Get Your Book Reviewed

If you want guarantees, you won’t find them in book reviews. Death and taxes, yes – but the book review process is a sea of unknowns, from how many review requests you’ll get to who’ll actually post a review to whether they’ll even like your book at all. What to keep in mind during the review process:

Image by katsommers via Flickr

http://ame.wpengine.com/4-tips-on-what-not-to-say-or-pitch-or-do-to-get-your-book-reviewed/

9 Ways to Create and Maintain a Successful Blog

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You took the advice and started a blog, and there you are – staring at the screen of the newly opened post, cursor blinking and your mind blank… what on earth are you going to do now? Some ideas:

http://ame.wpengine.com/9-ways-to-create-and-maintain-a-successful-blog/

Elements of a Successful Marketing Plan

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Most of us wouldn’t cook an entree for the first time without following a recipe, and having a marketing plan for your book can make the difference between success and falling flat. The plan establishes how you will find and reach your audience and sets a budget timetable so you can achieve your goals, step by step:

http://ame.wpengine.com/elements-of-a-successful-marketing-plan/

Related articles

• ‘Best of the AME Blog’ Marketing Tips of 2010, Part 4 (amarketingexpert.com)
• ‘Best of the AME Blog’ Marketing Tips 2010, Part 5 (amarketingexpert.com)
• ‘Best of the AME Blog’ Marketing Tips 2010 – New Year Kickoff (amarketingexpert.com)
• ‘Best of the AME Blog’ Marketing Tips of 2010 (amarketingexpert.com)
• More From ‘Best of the AME Blog’ Marketing Tips of 2010 (amarketingexpert.com)

To get 2011 off on the right foot, we’ve pulled together some of our best and most useful tips from last year, such as growing your following on social networks, maximizing media leads and ensuring your PR campaign doesn’t fail. Here’s to your marketing success!

Social Networks

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People join social networks for a variety of reasons: to socialize, share and/or self-promote. The one caveat to this is that social networks are not receptive to marketing messages or sales hype, but those sitting on these sites are looking for answers and advice. In fact, your presence on a social networking site should be 80 percent education and 20 percent sales. Users on social networking sites want friends, mentors, experts and guidance. If you can offer this to a social networking site or sites, you can certainly grow your list:

http://ame.wpengine.com/social-networks/

Ten Ways to Know if Your (Internet) Marketing is Paying Off

In social media you need to keep a close eye on what’s working and what’s not. If you’ve spent *any* kind of time online you know that you can be in front of your computer for what seems like 20 minutes and yet three hours have gone by. If the three hours of marketing is paying off, then it’s fine to spend the time. But you need to know the difference. Here are a few things you can review to measure the effectiveness (or ineffectiveness) of your marketing:

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http://ame.wpengine.com/ten-ways-to-know-if-your-internet-marketing-is-paying-off-2/

Fatal PR – Mistakes Authors Make on Their Campaigns

Any author who is driving their own PR campaign knows that often times marketing and media can be an uphill battle. Many times authors are pitching and promoting themselves with minimal results. It can be tedious and frustrating and sometimes lead them to make fatal PR mistakes that can cost them their campaign:

http://ame.wpengine.com/fatal-pr-mistakes-authors-make-on-their-campaigns/

Maximizing Media Leads

How can you get better exposure for your pitches? Here is a quick guide to pitching these media leads services that will provide you with insight and guidance for better placement and better stickiness to the stories you pitch:

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http://ame.wpengine.com/maximizing-media-leads/

Related articles

• Social Networking Sites – 9 Tips To Better Social Marketing (profitonknowledge.com)
• 2011 Tech Priorities: Embrace Social Media (pcworld.com)
• Social Media Influencer 5 W’s (ferreemoney.com)
• Social Networking Etiquette (thinkup.waldenu.edu)

For inspiration and to guide your planning for next year, we’ve compiled some of our best and most timely tips from the past year, including the ideal book marketing timeline, how to successfully market fiction, book promotion ideas and methods to get your book into bookstores.

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Have a wonderful New Year’s, and here’s to marketing success in 2011!

How Long is Too Long to Market a Book?

For many of us, deciding what to do and when to do it can be confusing, but if you’ve only got one book to promote, here are a few tips that might help extend the life of a campaign and give you more ways to market:

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http://ame.wpengine.com/how-long-is-too-long-to-market-a-book/

Secrets to Successfully Marketing Fiction

When my first book (The Cliffhanger) was published several years ago, I had high hopes of its success. I mean I am, after all, a PR person – so how hard could it be to market fiction? When The Cliffhanger hit the #1 spot on Amazon it was no accident, it was a creative push that got it to #1 and ironically, the pitch that prompted this Amazon soar had nothing to do with the book. Curious? Then read on:

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http://ame.wpengine.com/secrets-to-successfully-marketing-fiction/

The Business of Publishing

Congratulations, you’re published! But what exactly does it mean to be “published”? Besides the fact that your work is finally in print and your college alumni has asked to interview you for their newsletter it also means fame and fortune, right? The truth about publishing is really stranger than fiction and the truth is: getting published is only half the battle. The other half is to keep your reality check in balance so it doesn’t bounce:

http://ame.wpengine.com/the-business-of-publishing/

The Write and Wrong Way to Promote Your Book

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Did you know that if you’re marketing your book to sell books, you may be marketing for all the wrong reasons? Why? Well frankly, marketing a book to make sales will rarely ring the cash register; in fact, most of the time it amounts to what I call the “anti-sale,” the sale that always seems to elude you:

http://ame.wpengine.com/the-write-and-wrong-way-to-promote-your-book/

8 Secrets for Getting into Bookstores

Let’s face it, regardless of the odds we authors still want to get into bookstores. But if you’ve been having a hard time with this, take heart. It’s getting harder and harder to get into stores but not impossible. We’re going to look at some of the possibilities here:

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

http://ame.wpengine.com/8-secrets-for-getting-into-bookstores/

To guide you on your marketing journey in 2011, we’ve been rounding up some of our best and most timely tips from the past year. Topics include tips on pitching the media, how to sell more books, website know-how and advice for self-published authors.

Why You Should Never Pitch the Media

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Here’s the truth: the Internet has changed the way we market in more ways than you could have ever imagined. So much so that marketing to media might not be the best way to get the word out about your book. Now I’m not saying to *never* market to the media, just switch your focus to your real target: the consumer:

http://ame.wpengine.com/why-you-should-never-pitch-the-media-2/

Branding: The Secret to Selling More Books

If you’ve ever wondered what motivates people to buy a book, consider this: consumers don’t buy a book, they buy a brand or, as a friend of mine says, consumers crave a brand. Why? Because people want consistency (think McDonald’s), they want value, and they want to be entertained, enlightened, or educated. A brand, when done properly, can really pull in readers to your site, your message, and your book. Here’s how to do it:

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http://ame.wpengine.com/branding-the-secret-to-selling-more-books/

Your 10-Point Website Check Up

So you have a website, congratulations! Now let’s make sure it’s doing what it is supposed to be doing for you. Read: selling your book or product. While websites will differ in color, layout, and target audience, there are a few things that need to remain consistent. Let’s take a look at them:

http://ame.wpengine.com/your-10-point-website-check-up/

Guest Post: Some Timely Advice for Self-Published Authors

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Reprinted with permission from the Midwest Book Review. I want to make a few observations and comments about why it is so difficult for self-published authors to successfully attract the attention of book reviewers, distributors, wholesalers, and retail booksellers. And then offer some suggestions on what to do about it:

http://ame.wpengine.com/guest-post-some-timely-advice-for-self-published-authors/

Seven Powerful Ways to Find New Readers for Your Blog

It can be a lonely journey to start a blog, but once you do, you’ll find that blogging can bring great value to whatever you’re promoting. Your book, message or product can be greatly enhanced by the platform you create online. Now, it’s just a question of finding readers and (of course) keeping them. Here are a few tips to get you started:

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http://ame.wpengine.com/seven-powerful-ways-to-find-new-readers-for-your-blog/

As we count down 2010, we’re highlighting some of our best and most timely tips from the past year, covering Twitter, finding a publisher, breaking news, marketing and so much more!

How to Maximize the Value of Twitter as a Marketer

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For many of us, Twitter is a good news/bad news social networking site. The good news is it’s super popular and it seems like everyone is using it. The bad news is that for the newbie Twitter person (and even if you’ve been on this site for a while) it can be confusing to know what is working, what isn’t, and what’s actually making a difference:

http://ame.wpengine.com/how-to-maximize-the-value-twitter-as-a-marketer/

Is Anyone Listening? Eight Tips to Help You Market in the Age of New Media

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The digital age has brought with it a tsunami of information. Let’s face it, with so much data, news, and emails coming at us most of us feel like we’re trying to drink from a water hose. I’ve seen a lot of change in the ten (plus) years we’ve been marketing books but nothing like what’s transpired in the last 18 months. The old marketing rule of 7 is now 70 and your 15 minutes of fame has shrunk to 15 seconds:

http://ame.wpengine.com/is-anyone-listening-eight-tips-to-help-you-market-in-the-age-of-new-media/

New Ways to Find a Publisher

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What should a budding author do to get noticed? Or, perhaps you have self-published a book and want to get a mainstream house to pick it up. The key here is to first identify your goals, then find ways to go after them both online and off:

http://ame.wpengine.com/new-ways-to-find-a-publisher-2/

Seven Ways to Jump on Breaking News and Get You (and Your Book) into the Conversation

What happens if there’s breaking news that you can comment on? Do you just sit by and hope someone will call you? No way! You take action:

http://ame.wpengine.com/seven-ways-to-jump-on-breaking-news-and-get-you-and-your-book-into-the-conversation-2/

10 Mistakes Authors Make That Can Cost Them a Fortune (and How to Avoid Them)

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There are a number of areas that are keenly tied to a book’s success (or lack thereof). Here are ten for you to consider:

http://ame.wpengine.com/10-mistakes-authors-make-that-can-cost-them-a-fortune-and-how-to-avoid-them/

Now that 2010 is closing out, we’re sharing some of our best and most timely insights of the past year, covering social networking, online marketing, book selling, promotion and so much more!

Eight Steps for Successfully Marketing Yourself Online

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Regardless of where you go or how you pitch, you must know your market and understand how to effectively reach them and abide by the rules of the online road. Here are a few to consider:

http://ame.wpengine.com/eight-steps-for-successfully-marketing-yourself-online/

Marketing 101: Never (Ever) Sell Your Book

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One of the biggest mistakes authors make is selling their book. Remember it’s not about the book; it’s about what the book can do for the reader:

http://ame.wpengine.com/marketing-101-never-ever-sell-your-book/

Social Networking on Blogs

We all know that it’s great to pitch bloggers for your book or product, right? But there’s more to it. Really, it’s about online networking or cyber-schmoozing. Before you even target a blog for your pitch, you should get to know them first. Here’s how:

http://ame.wpengine.com/social-networking-on-blogs/

Nobody is Born Famous

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Publishing isn’t the Field of Dreams, just because you wrote it doesn’t mean people will beat a path to your door. You work tirelessly accepting every opportunity that comes your way and making the most out of each interview. You say “thank you” for even the smallest opportunity because the savvy author knows that today’s “nobody” could be tomorrow’s Carson Daly:

http://ame.wpengine.com/nobody-is-born-famous/

Marketing Secrets of a Bookstore

For the savvy author, a bookstore is a great way to not only get to know your market, but to research your competition and get a better understanding of the sales space. This is one of the best and least expensive ways to do your market research. Making your bookstore your research laboratory is a fantastic way to position yourself for success, regardless of how you are published:

Image by gochie* via Flickr

http://ame.wpengine.com/marketing-secrets-of-a-bookstore/

As 2010 winds down, we’ll spend the last few days of this year sharing some of our best and most timely insights of the past year, covering social media, blogging, book events, pitching and so much more!

How’s Your Online Reputation?

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For years Google alerts has been great for watching what’s being said about you online. But now there are a few other players, check out these online reputation management tools. They’re a great way to keep track of what’s being said about you, your book and/or product online:

http://ame.wpengine.com/how’s-your-online-reputation

The Top 30 US Media Markets

A lot of people refer to the “Top 30 US Media Markets.” Some of them are pretty easy, like New York and Los Angeles; the others might surprise you. Why is this important? Because publishing houses typically focus on the top 10-30 markets when they are pushing an author to the media. If you’re in one of those markets and having a hard time finding someone to cover your story, that might be why. Consider alternative towns/cities nearby that don’t fall within this list:

http://ame.wpengine.com/the-top-30-us-media-markets/

Everything Is Your Resume

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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!

http://ame.wpengine.com/everything-is-your-resume/

Fifty Things Under $50 to Promote Your Book

These days it seems like everyone’s book marketing budget is a little tighter. If you’re feeling the pinch, or if you’re just looking for some great free stuff to do on your own, here are some tips that can help keep you on track:

http://ame.wpengine.com/fifty-things-under-50-bucks-to-promote-your-book-2/

10 Ways to Rock on Social Media and Still Have a Life

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It’s true: social media is here – and there goes your life! Well, maybe not entirely but it sure seems that way sometimes, doesn’t it? If you’ve held off joining the social media party because you were worried about what a time suck it would be, take heart! There are a lot of authors who feel the same way. If you are worried about the time commitment, let’s take a look at how you can do this without dumping too much of your time into this effort. An author’s still gotta write, right?

http://ame.wpengine.com/10-ways-to-rock-on-social-media-and-still-have-a-life/

We enjoy providing you with publishing and marketing tips and inspiration all year long, and we hope you enjoy reading our posts as much as we enjoy writing them!

As dedicated readers of the Author Marketing Experts, Inc. blog, we have a request:

Every year Writer’s Digest magazine publishes a list of the “101 Best Websites for Writers.”

If you enjoy the AME blog, we’d be honored if you’d vote for us to be included on this list. To vote:

1. Email writersdig@fwpubs.com with “101 Best Websites” in the subject line.

2. In the body of the email, list our blog, http://ame.wpengine.com/blog/. You can also explain why you find our blog useful (although it’s not required).

Thank you for your support, and here’s to successful publishing and marketing in 2011!

~ The AME team

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to help our clients, the authors of The Kennedy Detail, host a book signing here in San Diego. We had it at Warwick’s books, and it was fantastic. Authors Jerry Blaine and Lisa McCubbin were accompanied by Clint Hill. He’s the guy you see jumping on the back of Kennedy’s car after the President was shot. He threw himself over JFK and Jackie as they sped to the hospital. Every time he retold that story, I felt like I was there. Hearing the gunshot, and reliving the moment that none of us will ever forget.

Clint Hill was, understandably, affected by this incident in such a way that for years, he never even spoke about it. In fact, after that infamous “60 Minutes” interview, in which he broke down, he wasn’t seen much again for 35 years – until The Kennedy Detail was released. Throughout the promotion, I wondered how this would affect him. Talking about “that day” over and over again, I couldn’t imagine how he was dealing with it.

Our San Diego event was towards the end of a fairly extensive book tour and I asked his co-author, “How’s Clint holding up…?” Clint later answered that question himself when he told the crowd, “Talking about this day over and over again has healed me in ways that time and years never could.”

Every once in a while, we are blessed to work on campaigns that remind us why we do what we do. Yes, the book was very successful and that’s great. But moreover, it touched people and it told a story. In the end, that’s what this is all about. At the Warwick’s event, a young girl walked up to Clint to tell him that she was writing a paper on the Kennedy assassination and wanted to know if she could quote him. She was 11 years old. She’d never know what the country went through on that fateful day in November, some 30-odd years before she was born. But through the stories, the book, and these brave Secret Service men, that snapshot in history can be shared again and again. In a way, they reminded us of a time when Camelot reigned and the country was still innocent. They reminded us of easier times and simpler days.

Was it ever that easy again? It’s hard to know. Maybe hindsight is 20/20, or maybe when that shot rang out, it really was the shot heard around the world. Nothing was ever the same. After a few years of a sliding economy, high unemployment, and a collapsing housing market, the country is yearning for the days of Camelot; and for a brief evening, these men told stories of working for the Kennedys. Playing touch football with John, Jr, watching out for Caroline, and revealing what a closet chain smoker Jackie was. The audience laughed, cried, and a few conspiracy theorists even shared their thoughts on “who really killed Kennedy.”

As I drove home after Warwick’s, I was reminded again why we’re in this industry: to tell stories. At the end of the day, that’s really all we can do. Help people tell stories. That’s really our job. Often we get wound up in success. What is success? Book sales? A bestseller? An interview on “Oprah?” Well, yes, it’s all those things. But in the absence of those trappings that we hope will accompany our book launches we must remember this: in the end, we are here to tell stories. And hopefully we can enlighten, entertain, help or, in Clint’s case, heal 47 years of pain. Because if we are lucky enough to touch a soul and share a smile, that’s bigger than any number a royalty check can offer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdTOHVJWDz8