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THE BOOK MARKETING EXPERT NEWSLETTER!

A newsletter all about SUCCESSFUL publishing and POWERFUL promotion.

December 25, 2008 Issue #185

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in this issue

— Note From The Editor

— Expand Your Social Circle!

— Media Coaching Tip – Do Your Homework

— The Basics of Web Copy Writing

— AME-University: Book Marketing, Publishing, and Internet Marketing classes

— How to Make Your Book Trailer Shine

— Need to Shorten Long URL’S?

— Google Alerts Marketing Tip

— Get Famous, Get Quoted, Help a Reporter

— It’s all About Twitter!

— Learn How to Make News

— The Best Promotional Tool on Amazon is Free (well, almost)

— Hits From the Red Hot Blog Tour

— NOW is the Time to Promote Your Book

— BME Reader Success Story

— Learn to Buzz Your Book!

— Red Hot Web 2.0 Advanced Class

— Virtual Author Tour Successes

— Reader Tip!

— WHO ARE WE

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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

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Welcome to another issue of the Book Marketing Expert Newsletter!

Dear Author,

I can’t believe it’s our last issue of the year. They say time flies when you’re having fun, and we certainly have had a great year, thanks to the amazing authors we’ve worked with and our ever-growing list of newsletter readers who never hesitate to let us know how much they appreciate this newsletter.

We thought we’d send you a little end-of-the-year gift with our holiday issue packed with our best tips and tidbits from 2008. A little something for your stocking and a few marketing ideas to help kick-start your 2009 marketing efforts!

From our family to yours, we wish you a safe and happy holiday and hope that you have many wonderful things to celebrate in the New Year!

Penny, Paula, Susan, Lauren, Alex and everyone at Author Marketing Experts, Inc.

Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/bookgal

P.S. Have you been wanting to dip your toe in Internet marketing but aren’t sure where to get started? We have just launched a series of effective, innovative, and super-affordable marketing programs. Send an email to: bookmarketingonabudget@getresponse.com to find out more!

P.P.S. Check out our blog!

We offer great tips and insights, such as: ‘Interview with Bob Miller of HarperStudio:’

http://amarketingexpert.com/ameblog/?p=393

Expand Your Social Circle!

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If you’re ready to expand your social networking beyond Facebook, MySpace, and Squidoo, then here are even more social networking sites. Networking Sites for Authors:

* http://www.jacketflap.com/

* http://www.redroom.com/

* http://www.authornation.com

* http://www.authorsden.com

Media Coaching Tip – Do Your Homework

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If you will be a guest on a television talk show or news program watch that show in ADVANCE. If that is impossible, peruse the website and make yourself more comfortable with that particular station. Check out the host’s questioning style and body language, what color is the set, is the lighting flattering or harsh, is the show live or taped, how long are the segments, can you use props, etc. You don’t want to be wearing a blue and red polka-dot shirt if the set is orange plaid! Viewers will be too busy wondering “What was she thinking wearing that shirt” and not paying attention to what you are saying or promoting.

The better prepared and relaxed you are, the more successful, interesting and entertaining the interview will be for everyone.

The Basics of Web Copy Writing

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While many of us are professional authors, we have no idea how to write for the web. It’s an art in itself, and it could make or break the success of your website. Here’s some food for thought:

1. Write in narrow columns of text – they are easier to read and less likely to fatigue your reader.

2. Use bullet points and Read More buttons – research shows that people will scan a page for interesting tidbits of information before they read it. If you have a lot to say, try summarizing it into a succinct paragraph and then link it to the rest of the article on a landing page deeper in your site.

3. Stay on Point – you should distill your web copy down to the most important points and eliminate everything else. You have less than a second to grab someone’s attention, don’t risk overwhelming your reader.

4. Use captivating headlines – Be sure to make your message obvious, use headlines, lists and bold text to convey your message.

5. Use links – an obvious benefit of web writing is that you have an opportunity to link to other important areas on your site. Here you can reference resources, news sources, audio clips, other relevant websites and your own call-to-action.

AME-University: Book Marketing, Publishing, and Internet Marketing classes

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These free teleclasses from AME-University may be just the thing to get your book marketing savvy ramped up!

The Building Blocks of Book Marketing!

When: Thursday, January 8, 2009, 4 p.m. – 5 p.m.

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!

Book Signing Gold!

When: Thursday, January 22, 2009, 4 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Description: Bookstores got you down? Take heart! There are lots of things you can do to promote your book even if your book isn’t in the bookstores! This class will cover the top 10 super savvy ways you can promote yourself without setting foot in a bookstore.

Did you know that only 35% of Americans get their books in bookstores? We’ll talk about all of the other places you can sell your book AND we’ll also look at creative ways to do non-bookstore signings and events! Got a book signing coming up? Want to know how to strike book signing gold, drive crowds of people to your event, sell more books AND get invited back? Then this class is for you! We’ll teach you how to plan an exceptional book signing from start to finish! PLUS! 10 Super Savvy Ways to Promote Your Book without setting foot in a bookstore!

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://amarketingexpert.com/iclasses.html.

Missed a class? Here’s an easy way to catch up on past classes, go to: http://bookmkr.audioacrobat.com/download/49713933- a2ef-a9f6-4f98-376f0809e90b.mp3.

How to Make Your Book Trailer Shine

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1. Keep it short – 30 seconds is about perfect. Most people do not have the attention span to sit through anything longer. You want to make sure that the viewer lasts to the credits – the place where you should tell them how to buy your book!!

2. Flash is the program I recommend to stream your video – a short video should load immediately. Other videos or players will take much longer to load and will usually be pretty big files. Example, a Flash video we created for the book Accidentally Engaged is 225k – as a Windows Media video it would have been much bigger, and therefore taken much longer to load and view. Plus, the market penetration is much larger with Flash. You want to reach as many people as possible.

3. Avoid using poorly produced video and bad acting. Still shots can be just as engaging and paint a vivid picture – leave something to the imagination of your viewer! For me, there is nothing worse than having the characters on the cover of the book, because frankly the characters in my head never look like the ones on the cover; you could be deterring interest in your book if you’re not careful.

4. Make sure that your music is Rights Free, or that you own the rights. You can always try to buy the rights too, the choice is yours.

5. Make sure to include the cover of your book and a website where your viewers can buy it.

Need to Shorten Long URL’S?

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Head on over to SnipURL.com, http://www.snipurl.com. Just create an account on their site and then copy and paste your URL into the long URL box. Hit the Snip It button and there you go! A shortened URL, making it easier for your visitors to find a web site, and they won’t be so deterred by a long URL.

Google Alerts Marketing Tip

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If you’ve used Google Alerts to keep track of your appearances on the web, there’s another great to use them: By identifying and using key words or phrases that your readers/audience uses you can start getting news alerts every time something is featured on your topic. Then you can see who’s being featured, who’s doing stories on your industry, and what blog posts are being generated on your topic.

For the news appearances you’ll want to contact the reporter or interviewer and comment on the story, perhaps even offer additional insight and suggest that the next time they do a story on this topic that they consider you as well. If you find blogs that are featuring your topic, target them for an interview, book review, or perhaps see if they’ll let you offer content for their site. Google Alerts is a great way to not only stay on top of your own media, but to expand your reach as well.

Get Famous, Get Quoted, Help a Reporter

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HelpAReporter.com is a free service offered by Peter Shankman. You sign up as a Provider of information and/or a Seeker of information. Three times a day, Peter sends out an email to the providers containing queries from the seekers. IF you feel qualified to comment you merely reply directly to the Seeker’s email included in the query listing.

It’s all About Twitter!

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You’ve no doubt seen our articles on Twitter (aka micro blogging), well now I’d like to share some fun Twitter stuff with you. Here are a few sites I just love, along with a couple of new ones I haven’t tried yet:

The Yellow Pages for Twitter: If you’re trying to find something or someone on Twitter, you’ll be glad to know that there is now a search engine dedicated to all things Twitter. Twellow: http://www.twellow.com.

If you’re wondering who’s Twittering about you, wonder no longer, TweetBeep: http://tweetbeep.com, is a service that will alert you anytime your name, book title, product, or company is mentioned or Tweeted about!

Ever wondered who else is using Twitter? If you think you’re the only one tweeting think again, many major companies (including JetBlue and Amazon.com) use Twitter to keep in touch with their customers. Find out who’s who on Twitter by heading here: http://blog.fluentsimplicity.com/twitter-brand-index/.

Learn How to Make News

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A new service in the beta (testing) stage allows you to test the newsworthiness of your pitches. Newsvetter allows you to run your pitches by people in the media, that way you’ll know that what you send out is suitable, pertinent and more likely to get noticed. The goal is to prevent poorly written and badly targeted PR from being sent in the first place. See what it’s all about.

The Best Promotional Tool on Amazon is Free (well, almost)

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If you’ve ever bought a book on Amazon (and who hasn’t) you know that aside from the paid for promotion on the site, much of the sales are driven by reviews. So here’s how you can use this system to gain attention for your own book. First, find a high-ranking book in your market. Next, make sure you’re a registered reviewer on Amazon. This means that you have a profile, as long as you have a profile you can review the book. Third, buy the book and read it. No, I’m not kidding. Don’t just write a review on a book you haven’t read.

Once you’ve read it (and assuming you like it) then pop on over and write a review. When you do keep this in mind: either in your email signature line or somewhere in the review you’ll want to reference your book title and always, always write the review not from the reader’s perspective but as an authority on the subject. Often you’ll find that readers of a particular topic will buy everything they can find on that topic, so if they see your book referenced and your “take” on this title, you could make a sale too!

Hits From the Red Hot Blog Tour

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Seven bestsellers can’t be wrong! In the past six months seven of the books we’ve put into our Internet campaigns have hit the New York Times bestseller lists. Will your book be next? Our Red Hot Blog Tour will get you the kind of action you never thought possible. We’ll tour your book on high-traffic blogs with links back to your site. If you’re ready to promote your book on the ‘Net, try our Red Hot Blog Tour today! For more information send us an email at info@amarketingexpert.com

NOW is the Time to Promote Your Book

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Looking for inexpensive ways to promote your book? We’ve just developed and launched 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.

BME Reader Success Story

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From Diane Saarinen: Last October, I participated in a unique political fundraiser called “Tarot for Obama.” It took place in the art gallery of Kris Waldherr in Brooklyn, NY. I knew the story was unusual, and filed it as a CNN iReport. I had recently discovered iReports a few weeks before that, and noted that some pictures I filed seemed to get hundreds of views when I did that.

What I didn’t expect was that a CNN associate producer would contact me the next day, and my iReport became one of the only 1% that are vetted by CNN and make it onto their home page! That was very exciting for me, not to mention it brought more traffic to my site. An unexpected benefit is that Kris Waldherr immediately made me the publicist of her gallery when I got her featured on CNN.com!

A little side note is that a few weeks later I photographed a local children’s Halloween parade in my neighborhood and uploaded the photos to iReport. Voila! An associate producer called again and it was featured on the home page of CNN.com. What a thrill! Links to these stories can be found here http://www.nycgalleryhelp.com/blog/?p=12 and here http://www.nycgalleryhelp.com/blog/?p=17.

Learn to Buzz Your Book!

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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/

Red Hot Web 2.0 Advanced Class

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Penny recently did a Red Hot Web 2.0 Tricks to Sell More Books Class for BrightTalk and now you can listen in. Signing up for BrightTalk is free, and once you join you can listen to their webcasts on a range of topics.

Penny’s webcast covered Using Web 2.0 to sell more books:

* Creating Feeder Sites to increase your traffic

* Using book videos to sell more books

* Marketing yourself with Wikipedia

* Why linking to other sites is a BAD idea

* How to get more web traffic TODAY

* The one thing you should never do with your blog and much, much more

The webcast can be found at: http://www.brighttalk.com/webcasts/1681/play.

Virtual Author Tour Successes

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If you’re still not convinced that the Virtual Author Tour (TM) pays off, consider these examples: A social networking page we built on Squidoo for one title we worked with, Rules for Renegades, became so successful it actually outranked her books page on Amazon. And for another book, our video tour gave Alex Webster and the Gods 3,500 new incoming links to his website; at the start of the tour he had practically no visitors to his site.

If you haven’t considered touring yourself virtually, you might want to. For more information on how we conduct our Virtual Author Tour (TM), send a quick email to: virtualauthortours@getresponse.com

Reader Tip!

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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

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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

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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://amarketingexpert.com/

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————————————————— ——— Copyright 2008 Author Marketing Experts, Inc. ————————————————— ———

Contact Information

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email: penny@amarketingexpert.com

web: http://amarketingexpert.com/

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