Write Nonfiction NOW!

Building Author’s Platform in a Variety of Places

Sometimes building platform involves more subtle activities than those normally discussed. Typically, I tell my clients to blog, speak, find opportunities to guest blog, write articles for publications, e-zines and directories, and get involved with social networking. However, in your “spare time” you can get involved in a host of other activities that will help you build platform. Indeed, you may actually find these activities enjoyable and fulfilling—and you might already be doing some of them.

First of all, since you probably enjoy writing and spending time with other writers, you consider joining and getting involved in a writer’s club or group. The bigger the club the better. For example, I am a member of the South Bay Writers, the largest branch of the California Writer’s Club. I recently even ran for an office. This may not seem like platform building, but it is.

Because of my affiliation with this club, I managed to get my first speaking gig with the California Writer’s Club (my branch) and have since landed two more gigs with other branches, an opportunity to teach a workshop at the East of Eden Writer’s Conference and to teach one for my branch as well. Plus, I taught a small session at the Northern California Writer’s Club spring retreat and that has landed me the chance to teach a longer session in the fall. My speech was written up in the club’s newsletter, as was my run for office. All of this gets me known within the club and in other branches. Getting known might later get me readers, which means book buyers.

Think about what other clubs or organizations you can join. Maybe you already are a member of these clubs. You might consider getting more involved so more people will know who you are. For instance, if you are writing a book about parenting, are you a member of the local school’s parent teacher association? Have you volunteered for anything or run for an office? Get more involved and let people know who you are. Do you belong to any other parenting-related organizations, like Mother’s Against Drunk Driving? Our high school has a Home and School Club, which organizes many of the special programs and speakers for parents. You could become a member of a similar group at your school. These are great places to get your name out into the community.

Another way to build platform is through the chamber of commerce, professional groups and other organizations related to what you write. I belong to a Jewish renewal association—actually two, one local and one national. Get active on committees or on their list serves or yahoo groups. Many of these organizations have conferences; you can attend these or ask to become a presenter. I have attended and presented at the Jewish renewal conferences as a way to build platform for my Jewish spiritual books, and I have attended, volunteered and, most recently, also presented at the San Francisco Writer’s Conference as a way to build platform for my writing-related books.

So, look around. Get involved. You’ll have fun, meet people and build platform as you do.

Promote Your Book with a Facebook Fan Page

I've been using Facebook for quite some time.  However, I only have a Profile. I know I need a Fan Page. Do you know the difference between the two or why you would need one, the other or both? Do you know how to create a Fan Page?

I asked Dana Lynn Smith, a book marketing coach and author of The Savvy Book Marketer Guides, to explain these things to me and to the readers of Write Nonfiction NOW! Drawing on her 15 years of publishing experience and degree in marketing, she specialize in developing marketing plans for nonfiction books and helping authors learn how to promote their books online. Whether or not you have a book to promote on Facebook right now, you'll want to listen to what she has to say. Creating a large following on Facebook constitutes a huge step towards building your platform, and without a platform you'll find it difficult to land a publishing contract or many readers for an independently published book.

Promote Your Book With a Facebook Fan Page
by Dana Lynn Smith

Many Facebook users are confused by the role of Profiles and Pages. On Facebook, Profiles are strictly for people. Facebook's rules require that you register your Profile in your own name and you can have only one Profile. If you set up your Profile in the name of your business or book, you risk having your account cancelled.

A Facebook Fan Page (or Page) is designed for business use and it's a great way to promote your book. You can set up a Fan Page for your business, book, or even a character in your book, and you can create multiple Pages. Here are some advantages that Pages have over personal Profiles.

• By using Facebook applications like "Static FBML," you can create customized tabs on your Facebook Fan Page containing graphics, text and videos to promote your book, and even include opt-in forms to grow your mailing list.

• You can specify which tab of the Page that you want new visitors to land on and create a welcome message for new visitors. See my welcome message for an example and also notice the "FREE ebook" tab on the Page.

• Facebook users join a Page by clicking on the "Like" button at the top of the Page and there's no limit to the number of fans who can join. With your Profile, you are limited to 5,000 friends.
  • You can send messages to your all of your fans, which show up in their newsfeed.

• Pages get indexed by search engines and each tab on the Page has its own URL that you can link directly to.

Click here to create your own Fan Page. When you've got your Page in place, here are some ways to promote your book by building traffic to your Fan Page:

• Once your Page has at least 25 fans, create a personalized URL for your Page.

• Beneath the photo or image on your Page, click "Suggest to Friends" to send invitations to your Facebook friends to join your page. The invitation will appear in the In Box of your friends.

• Write an article for your blog and ezine inviting people to join your Page.

• Invite people to join your page by posting updates on Twitter, your Facebook personal Profile, and on other social networks. It's best to offer a benefit, rather than just asking people to join.

To encourage Facebook users to join your Page, be active in posting on the page, maintain lively discussions, and offer some benefits and incentive for becoming a fan. Even though promotion is allowed, you still need to be somewhat subtle and provide value to your fans rather than just a sales pitch.

Excerpted from The Savvy Book Marketer's Guide to Successful Social Marketing by Dana Lynn Smith. To learn more about using social networking to promote yourself and your book, join Dana for her Social Networking Success for Authors teleseminar on June 22. You can find more book marketing tips at www.TheSavvyBookMarketer.com.

About the Author

Dana Lynn Smith is a book marketing coach and author of The Savvy Book Marketer Guides. Drawing on her 15 years of publishing experience and degree in marketing, she specialize in developing marketing plans for nonfiction books and helping authors learn how to promote their books online.

www.thesavvybookmarketer.com

Publishing Mentor Tip:Try on a Different Hat

All writers wear a writer’s hat. Most feel pretty comfortable with this hat. They may even balk at the idea of wearing any other hat. In fact, many writers  refuse to put on different hats. Yet, to become successful writers they must not only try on different hats but also must wear them on a regular basis.

Writers must be more than just writers. They must serve as publicists, marketers, speakers, social networkers, bloggers, and businesspeople.

I suggest all writers–all aspiring authors (or those that aspire to become successful authors)–go out and purchase a few different hats, ascribe to them a “job,” and then practice trying them on–literally. You also can visualize the different hats, such as your publicist’s hat, and yourself wearing it. Get used to them. Feel comfortable int them. Then start performing the role designated to that hat. For example, when you put on your social networking hat, spend an hour doing social networking tasks.

Here’s the the point: You must wear different hats and actually do the jobs designated to those hats. You cannot expect to simply wear a writer’s hat and succeed as a writer–not in today’s publishing climate. That goes for writers planning to become independent publishers as well as those writers seeking traditional publishing contracts.

So, try on some hats. Wear them. Use them well.

9 Book Design Tips for Authors

Most writers don’t think about book design until it comes time to independently publish their books. They approach a print-on-demand publishing company and discover they need to hire a designer. Suddenly they are thrown into the world of book design.  They need a cover. They need an interior design for their book. They never thought about whether or not they should be writing with design in mind or considering design in some way, shape or form as they wrote their book.

So, I asked veteran book designer Joel Friedlander to offer some book design tips for authors and aspiring authors so we might become better prepared for this aspect of the publishing process. Joel is a book designer, a self-published author, and blogs about publishing, book design and the indie publishing life at TheBookDesigner.com. Here’s what he had to say:

9 Book Design Tips for Authors

by Joel Friedlander

Design plays more or less of a role in the conception of books depending on the genre. Manuals, travel books, workbooks that accompany another text or a seminar are all examples of books where design will be part of the concept for the books.

General nonfiction is less likely to involve designers at the beginning but could probably gain the most. I think it’s fair to say that authors who are truly concerned about communicating their message effectively to their readers will pay attention to the design of their books.

Consistency is Important

Many design issues can wait until the manuscript is complete. The principle thing for authors to think about while writing their book is consistency. Books, by their nature, need to be consistent. Cues are sent to readers, often below their level of awareness, about how the book is organized and what to expect as they proceed through the book.

Here are some points to think about as you put your manuscript together. With all these suggestions, keep the reader uppermost in your mind. You're writing to be read. Every other consideration ought to be secondary to getting the reader your information in the best possible way for them to consume it.

9 Book Design Tips for Authors

1. Book division. Decide whether you'll divide your book into chapters. Decide if you'll use parts to organize the chapters into coherent sections, and if there's a good reason to do this. For instance, if your book covers a wide range of time, it might make sense to impose a structure by dividing the main sections of the book into different parts, then, below those, to divide content into individual chapters.
2. Non-text elements. Be consistent in how you number chapters, parts, tables, figures, charts, and so on. A good method for numbering graphics is to use both the chapter number and sequential item number. For instance, in chapter 1, the graphics (or tables or figures) might be numbered Figure 1-1, Figure 1-2, and so on. In chapter 2, start the numbering over again, like this: Figure 2-1, Figure 2-2 and so on. This will make it immediately obvious to everyone working on the book which graphics go where. It also keeps your references simpler and easier to track.
3. Epigraphs. (Not epitaphs which appear on tombstones!) These are the quotations authors like to put on the chapter opening page. If you put these on one or two chapters, readers will expect to find them on every chapter. And if the first six epigraphs are one liners, do you really need that half-page quote you stuck into chapter 10? No, you don't.
4. Bold type. Don't use bold within the text of your book. It won't look good, it's non-standard and it devalues the text around it. If you need to emphasize something, use italics or re-write so it has a natural emphasis from the structure of your prose. Bold is fine in heads and subheads.
5. Formatting. Don't kill yourself formatting. Most of the formatting authors do in their manuscripts ends up on the layout designer’s floor, discarded as useless to the book construction process.
6. Styles. Learn to use styles instead of local formatting. Are you using Microsoft Word? Have you ever looked at the style menu or style palette? Putting in 20 minutes to learn to use styles (and it won't take longer, I promise) will save you many hours of tedium in your writing life. And you want to spend your time writing, not formatting, don't you?
7. Tabs. Eliminate the use of tabs within the text of your document. Tabs are unnecessary unless you're creating tables or other non-text graphics. Your designer will only have to strip them out, and any tabs inadvertently left in the file could be problematic later in the design process.
8. Spacing. Don't double space between sentences.
9. Backups. Make a backup. Make another one, and email it to yourself. This is the fastest and safest off-site backup you can get. And it won't cost you anything. The file, as an attachment to your email will sit on your email server until you decide to delete it (check your email client settings to see if messages are automatically deleted after some specific amount of time has elapsed.)

A lot of these suggestions are aimed at manuscripts you are preparing to send to a book designer or layout artist. While you're working on your book you probably will do lots of formatting because it simply makes the document easier to understand and more enjoyable visually to work on. Work on a copy of your file instead. Designate it as a backup because you will delete it when you change the master file, then create another copy to work on. You don't want to end up with more than one version of your file, if both have unsynchronized changes.

About the Author

Joel Friedlander is the proprietor of Marin Bookworks, a publishing services company in San Rafael, California that has launched many self-publishers. Joel is a book designer, a self-published author, and blogs about publishing, book design and the indie publishing life at TheBookDesigner.com.

7 More Reasons Nonfiction Writers Need A Blog

When I consult with clients on nonfiction book proposals, more often than not I must advise them on how to build up the platform and promotion sections of this all-important document. Many aspiring authors have great book ideas but no platform at all. My first piece of advice to them involves just one word: blog.

In today’s publishing world a blog serves multiple purposes for aspiring authors. However, it has become an essential platform element. Additionally, it works tremendously well as a publicity and promotional tool. Every writer needs to have one. I’ve written tons about blogging both at Write Nonfiction in November and at How To Blog a Book. (Here’s a post on why to actually blog a book.) Today, though, I’ve asked fellow blogger — and a very successful blogger at that — Joanna Penn of The Creative Penn to tell you why you should be blogging. I figure it’s a bit like me telling my children over and over again why they need to study; sometimes they need to hear the same words but not from their parent. If you haven’t started blogging because I told you to do so, maybe you’ll begin when you hear Joanna’s reasons. So, listen up….

7 More Reasons Non Fiction Writers Need A Blog

Earlier this year, mega-publishers Simon & Schuster posted on their website that authors need to blog, social network, use video sites and book sites in order to build their online presence. It’s not a new idea that non-fiction writers need a blog, but some people are not convinced yet. So here are 7 more reasons you should have a blog as a non-fiction writer.

1. Build the central hub of your online platform and brand. A blog is the simplest technology to use as the hub of your online platform. It is free (or cheap) and easy to maintain. You can customise it with your brand and publish your ideas to it whenever you like. Some people suggest your online hub can be a Facebook page or other generic site, but this is not uniquely yours. A professional, emerging writer has a blog these days – what do you consider yourself to be?
2. Introduce your ideas to people. Book buyers need to know, like and trust you in order to buy your book. If people develop a relationship with you through your blog then they are more likely to feel this. You can share your ideas even more effectively through using text, video and audio, a complete multi-modal presence.
3. Be the leader of your tribe. People want to follow leaders. They want to be in communities. You can either follow others, or you can be a leader of your own tribe. Your blog can be the hub of a community built around your ideas and your books, but only if you want it to be and you are willing to put in the effort.
4. Keep yourself writing. This site challenges you to write and publish all year round and writing blog posts is a great way to keep your writing fresh and flowing. Your blog keeps your ideas current and enables you to practice writing and communication. You will only get better, the more you write.
5. Make more money. Your blog can be a sales hub for your products, books and services. It only costs $5 a month to use a digital product sales tool like E-Junkie. You don’t need more complicated shopping carts to get started with the basics. If people are interested in what you blog about, then some of them are likely to want more detail and buy your ebooks/online courses.
6. Own your Google presence. Here’s a quick exercise: Google yourself right now. Just type your name into Google.com and see what comes up. Are these sites within your control? If you blog regularly under your name, it will rank as the no.1 site under a search for your name. You will control what people see this way. Publishers, agents, media, speaker’s bureaus and readers will Google your name. Are you happy with what is there?
7. Being a blogger can be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life. I didn’t understand this when I started blogging. I thought it was all about the marketing and book sales. But the friends I have made blogging, the things I have learned, the words I have written and the impact I have had on other people through my blog make it all worthwhile even without the sales. You don’t know whose life you can change until you put your words out there on a blog. So do it now.

About the Author

Joanna Penn is an author, speaker and international consultant. Her blog http://www.TheCreativePenn.com provides articles, audio and video on Writing, Publishing, Internet Sales and Promotion…For Your Book. Visit the site for your free Author 2.0 Blueprint: Using Web 2.0 tools to write, publish, sell and promote your book. You can also read more about Joanna’s “Blogging for Authors and Writers” online course. You can also find Joanna on Twitter @thecreativepenn

Deliver What Your Audience Expects

When you are asked to speak before an audience, to deliver an article, to produce a guest blog post, or to write a book, be sure you deliver what your audience — and the person or group who hires you or requests your services — expects. This requires knowing your audience.

I attended a writer’s group meeting tonight where the speaker, who, among other things, is an expert on writing books quickly, spent the whole time speaking about non-verbal communication. While this is an interesting topic — even useful for speakers (and all aspiring writers must also become speakers), it wasn’t what most of the audience came to hear. His speech wasn’t what they expected. Several of us got up and left part way through, sitting in the lobby and griping about the waste of time the meeting ended up being for us.

This speaker made a major error: He forgot to whom he was speaking. In other words, he didn’t pay attention to his audience and their interests.  We were writers. We wanted to know about writing.

Mark Victor Hansen, one of the co-creators of the world-wide publishing phenomenon, the Chicken Soup for the Soul™ series and many other best-selling titles, says one of his top three tips for anyone writing a book includes knowing your target audience. “Knowing your target customer is crucial to the success of your book as a business.  If you don’t know to whom you are writing, you will not know what to write, or how to market your book,” he says. (His other two tips are to find a mentor and to have a goal.)

When you know your target audience, you can deliver what they expect. Well…you can accomplish that goal if you keep their needs, interests and desires in mind rather than you own. Accomplishing this means achieving success as a speaker or an author.

In the case of the speaker at the writer’s club meeting, he didn’t do that; he had his own agenda.Be sure whenever you speak or write that your agenda isn’t different from the agenda of your audience. If it is, you’ll lose them…like the speaker lost me. That means readers who don’t finish reading your book or, worse yet, never purchase it.

How to Write a Bestselling Nonfiction Book

Everyone wants to know how to write a bestselling book — nonfiction or fiction. I came across an article not long ago and bookmarked it to read. Today I finally got around to reading it…and I’m so glad I did that I’m going to share the information here and the link. Make time to read it if you have a book or plan to write a nonfiction book and want it to sell more than the average (300 or so) copies.

The article has a few grammatical and linguistic errors. (He could use an editor!) Get past them. Grant Cardone didn’t start out as a publishing pro or writer. He was a simple businessman trying to make a go of it in a bad economy. He decided to write about it. He wrote two books. His first book sold way more than the average nonfiction book; he self-published Sell to Survive and sold over 20,000 copies in two years. That’s pretty amazing in and of itself. He then got a contract with Wiley for If You Aren’t First, You’re Last.

When Cardone wrote the article the book had hit #1 on both the Barnes & Noble and Amazon lists; he was hoping for the same on the New York Times list, but I don’t know if that happened.

Here are some pieces of advice and words of wisdom he offered that I found most memorable:

Here is what I have learned:

1. Don’t believe anyone when they tell you it can not be done.
2. Remember it is best selling book, not best written.
3. It will require a lot of energy, effort and creativity.

I don’t pretend to know the exact formula for getting your book to #1 but no one else seems to know the formula either. I can tell you, the most important thing is you have to get people to know about you and your book. Quality of content is critical but getting people to know about the book is senior! This is where a lot of writers seem to err, spending too much time on content and too little time on selling and promotion. In the real world, the quality of the product is meaningless if no one knows the product exist.

Today you must utilize social media, blogging and then inspire existing clients, friends and those that could benefit from getting your book sold.

This book was successful because of the efforts of my company selling directly to our clients and at my seminars and then catching on by word of mouth.

Here are some things I learned that may help you get your book to be a best seller:

1. Go where bloggers go and write as many articles as you can about the topic of your book.
2. Survey other authors about what they have done successfully in hopes that you can get them to review, comment or involved with your book’s release.
3. Consider joint ventures where others promoting your book may benefit them
4. Build your platform that you are going to sell the book to. Publishing companies want to see that you have a way of selling this book.
5. Build your social media and start talking about the books and then hammer it to levels others would consider unreasonable!

You can read his whole article here. To read more about Cardone, check out Grant Cardone, Author and International Sales Expert.

When it’s all said and done — and after reading Cardone’s words, remember this: Creating a bestselling book involves wearing both a writer’s hat and a businessperson’s hat. Yes. Cardone is a businessman, but that’s not what made him successful. Any writer can be a businessperson as well. What made Cardone and his book successful was his willingess to apply business principles to selling his book. He got out there and promoted the heck out of his book. He looked for joint ventures. He built his platform. He used social networking to the max. Are you willing to do that? If so, you, too, can create a bestselling nonfiction book.

How to Turn Your Author Negatives Into Author Positives

Is there something about yourself that you consider a “negative,” something you think of as a detriment to your career as a writer or that you don’t want in your author’s bio? Maybe you didn’t graduate from college, you’re not an “scholarly” expert in your area or you have failed in your attempts to succeed in your business area.

Today, figure out how to turn that so-called negative into a positive. Make it an attribute. That’s right. Find some way t0 make that aspect of yourself , your life or your career work for you in such a way that it enhances your career or resume. Show people how it makes you better at your job, more able to help others, an expert in your field, or the best one to write your book.

Then hold your head up and feel proud of who you are and your life experiences.

Think about Oprah Winfrey and her weight issues. She’s struggled with her weight in the public eye for years. Her failure to lose weight could be seen as a detriment; instead it makes her an expert at why diets don’t work, weight loss issues, what diets work and which ones don’t, what stops women from losing weight, and the issues that go with the inability to achieve perfect weight. She’s an “Everywoman” to a lot of women all over the world. She’d be a perfect woman to write a book about weight issues or women who can’t seem to lose weight and how to approach this issue.

Of course, you also can choose to take the path of personal growth and human potential. You can choose to change things about yourself or about your life–if this is possible. If it’s not, then turn your negatives into positives. Do it now. Don’t wait another day to feel better about yourself and to start seeing the difference this will make in your life and in your career or business.

Definitely do not wait another day to feel good enough about your self to start writing your book or your book proposal. Use the “About the Author” section of the proposal as a chance to create a new perspective on yourself. Then go ahead and start writing that book and peddling it — and yourself — to agents and publishers.

Using Online Press Kits to Increase Book Sales

I have mentioned the need for a media kit in passing during Write Nonfiction in November. In January 2009, I even had media expert Annie Jennings of Annie Jennings PR write a guest post about composing a media bio. However, I've never gone into any depth about exactly why aspiring authors and authors need an online media kit and what goes into one.

For this reason, I asked a true expert on the subject to provide me with a guest post that would outline these points for all my readers. L. Drew Gerber is CEO of www.PublicityResults.com and creator www.PitchRate.com. Drew's companies handle international PR campaigns, and his staff develops online press kits for authors, speakers and companies with Online PressKit 24/7.  After reading his post, I asked him to provide some links that would provide examples of online media kits. Wow! Did I learn something. (I learned that I need to redo my online media kits!) Read, look, learn...And then go create an online media kit!

Using Online Press Kits to Increase Book Sales

By L. Drew Gerber

If you’re an author, media coverage is the best and most cost-effective way to increase your book’s sales. What media coverage does, that no ad can do, is build your credibility among your target audience. When they hear an interview with you on a local radio program, read a newspaper article where you’ve been used as an expert source or watch a television segment featuring you, your book and your expertise, the audience is engaged. And an engaged audience is who will purchase your book. Most people skim right over ads in magazines or newspapers, not paying any attention to them. But interviews and stories — people read them because they want to; because they trust the source; and because they want to broaden their horizons. And that’s where you come in, but first you need to get media coverage.

Whether you’re dealing with Good Morning America, Dr. Phil, Oprah or your hometown TV station and newspaper, having an online press kit is the key to getting media coverage. Why? Because the media is, and always will be, busy!

From the smallest to the largest outlets, the media is hammered daily with experts, authors and business owners vying to be sources in their broadcasts, blogs and in the pages of their newspapers and magazines. Having an online press kit gives you an edge by making the media’s job easier. Journalists don’t want attachments; they want everything organized and at their fingertips. When you link to your online press kit you can easily — with a click of a button — show the media just how newsworthy you are, while making their job easier.

Here’s how an online press kit will make the media’s job easier and help you increase your book’s sales:

Organization— When journalists visit your online press kit, your “Home” page tells them why you are important and why they should be interested in you. Your “About” page provides three different biographies for three different media purposes.  Your “News and Story Ideas” and “Questions to Ask” pages give them interesting angles they can cover on you and your book. An online press kit organizes everything the media may need to use you as an expert source and makes the media’s job easier.

Professional presence— You’re an expert and you have to present yourself as one in every way. Journalists don’t work with sources they think aren’t professional no matter what they have to offer. Do you wear flip-flops and cut-off shorts to an interview? Of course not. An online press kit shows the media that you’re the go-to person when they need information on a topic, whether it’s breaking news, product or academic reviews and analysis, or a source for human-interest features.

Story ideas— The media serves their audience, so you have to show them how you differ from the competition and how your story fits in with trending topics. Story ideas help the media see how you and your book fit into the latest trends, conversations and breaking news.

When you’re building relationships with the media you need to use everything at your disposal to give yourself an edge. With the advent of the Internet, it’s become much easier to put yourself and your ideas out there for the media and public to see. But if you want to shape your image in such a way that can boost exposure for you and your book, you have to position yourself as an expert with a unique perspective with something different to offer. An online press kit allows you to do this in a way that’s professional and easy for the media.

Want to see an online press kit so you know what you need to create? You can visit www.PressKit247.com, or check out these links:
http://www.denachurchill.presskit247.com/
http://www.stlocarina.presskit247.com/
http://www.matthewbjames.presskit247.com/
http://www.orayeadkins.presskit247.com/

About the Author

L. Drew Gerber is CEO of www.PublicityResults.com and creator of www.PitchRate.com, a free media tool that connects journalists and the highest rated experts. Gerber's business practices and staffing innovations have been revered by PR Week, Good Morning America and the Christian Science Monitor. His companies handle international PR campaigns and his staff develops online press kits for authors, speakers and companies with Online PressKit 24/7, a technology he developed (www.PressKit247.com). Contact L. Drew Gerber at: AskDrew@PublicityResults.com or call him at 828-749-3548.

How to Organize a Successful Virtual Author Book Tour

Over and over again I’ve heard industry experts use the term “virtual book tour.” I’ve even used it myself. It’s time to offer up some really hard core information on how to set up a virtual book tour, so all authors can create one for themselves.

I’ve asked Sue Collier, co-author with industry guru Marilyn Ross of The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing, 5th Edition, to provide this guest blog post. She has written for Write Nonfiction in November, and she’s a great resource not only on how to self-publish a book but how to do so successfully–and that means promoting that book, too.

Yes, readers, that means you can’t just write. You must put on your business hat and promote your book. When it comes to a virtual book tour, you might get to do some writing in the form of guest blog posts, but you also might have to put on your speaker’s hat and do some webinars, podcasts or Internet radio shows. Prior to that, however, you have to actually set up the tour.

Ready to do so? Have those hats ready? Want to know more? If you want your book to succeed, you better say, “Yes!”

How to Organize a Successful Virtual Author Book Tour

By Sue Collier

Let’s face it: Unless you are a celebrity, traveling the country and hitting up bookstore after bookstore for signings is probably not going to sell many books. You’ll more than likely spend way more for travel than you’ll make in book sales.Enter the virtual age. From the comfort of your own home or office, you can set up a virtual author book tour and reap real rewards from this effective—and inexpensive!—marketing tool.

So what is a virtual author book tour? Basically it involves visiting—virtually, of course—a group of websites for a period of time. The visits can take several different forms: interviews, guest posts, book reviews, book excerpts, and so on. (You can read more here in an interview I did with Penny Sansevieri, CEO and founder of Author Marketing Experts, Inc., and author of Red Hot Internet Publicity.) The sites usually range from blogs, websites, online radio stations, and social networking sites. The purpose is to increase an author’s online exposure, drive additional traffic to his or her website, increase search engine rankings, and hopefully sell more books.

It’s not difficult to set up a virtual tour, but it will take some research, planning, and followup. You can do it yourself–or you can hire a company to do it for you.We’ve been setting up tours for authors for the past year or so, and we’ve learned a lot as far as what is needed to make a book tour successful.

I consider the first two items on the listto be essential; we have found it is much more difficult to set up a successful tour with authors who are not active online and who do not wish to blog regularly. I believe it is far less beneficial to the hosts as well, to host these types of authors, and they are less apt to agree to an appearance. And frankly, I don’t blame them!)

• Be an active blogger who not only blogs regularly but who comments on others’ blogs. Make yourself known in the “blogosphere.”
• Be active in social media sites (we recommend Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter). You don’t necessarily have to have 10,000 Twitter followers, but you should be networking on these sites, providing valuable content where appropriate, and building your following.
• Have a capture system on your website (and I’m assuming you have one that highlights your book or that has a page about your book) so you can collect email addresses and build your list. Provide those who sign up with something of value—such as a free report or subscription to your newsletter.
• Have a call to action on your website instructing visitors to purchase your book, such as “Buy your copy today!”
• Develop a list of potential hosts based on sites your target market hangs out on. If you’re an active blogger in your genre already, chances are you’ve got a list of sites you check regularly. Find others. Concentrate on those who get a fair amount of traffic.
• Be familiar with the sites you plan to approach so you can avoid those that would not be appropriate. Send a personal inquiry, letting them know you’ve been following their site and emphasizing why your appearance there would benefit their readers/listeners. Include a link to your website where they can read more details about your book, your author bio, and other pertinent links. Indicate the date ranges of your tour; plan ahead as some sites are booked well in advance. You probably won’t want to book more than one or two appearances per day.
• Respond immediately to replies, sending a review copy of the book promptly when it is requested. Confirm the details—date, type of appearance, and topic desired.
• Keep track of where you will be appearing and when. (We use an Excel spreadsheet.) Follow up with your host a couple weeks before your appearance. Make sure they have everything they need from you, including a photo of you and your book as well as your bio.
• Once you start getting appearances scheduled for your virtual tour, start letting your friends and fans on Twitter and Facebook know about it. Be sure to include details—including links—on your website, blog, and newsletter.
• The day of your appearance, make sure to visit the website or blog regularly, answering questions and responding to comments. If your appearance involves a live podcast, be ready for questions.
• Follow up with all your hosts afterward and be sure to thank them.

We love virtual author book tours. It’s a great way for authors to increase exposure, gain new fans, and sell more books. Hosts too benefit by gathering additional visitors to their sites. And there is no chance for jetlag!

About the Author

Sue Collier brings together a multitude of talents in the publishing industry, including several years in the trade side. She heads up Self-Publishing Resources, a writing, marketing, and publishing consulting firm that assists authors in surpassing their personal and professional publishing goals. She is also co-author with industry guru Marilyn Ross of The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing, 5th Edition.

www.SelfPublishingResources.
www.Facebook.com/TheCompleteGuidetoSelfPublishing.com