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March 2004
Authors & Experts Online the newsletter
***** Secrets Every Writer Should Know: What You Should Know Before You Write a Book *****
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Welcome to Authors and Experts Online
A FREE newsletter brought to you by Net Connect Publicity
Online Content Management and Placement Services
March 17, 2004
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Welcome to our newsletter for authors and experts who are interested in promoting their work through the powerful medium of the Internet. Given today's technology, an online campaign can make all the difference between books that go unnoticed and ones that create an impact.
An Internet presence offers some valuable features you can't get in any other form of publicity and that's why it works! We hope you enjoy this newsletter and find it valuable enough to pass on to your colleagues and friends.
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Sign up with us today as an expert! We have requests from prominent websites looking for experts and contributors. You might be just what they are looking for! Contact us at anne@netconnectpublicity.com to discuss your marketing needs and how an Internet campaign might work well for you.
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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Guest Columnist Joni Hamilton, VP of Marketing for Ink Tree Ltd. offers this article for authors who are planning to write a book.
Secrets of Successful Authors
Know Why You Are Writing a Book
Before writing a book, you must have a clear understanding of why you are writing. What is your long-term goal? Perhaps something has happened to you in your life that can help other people. Perhaps you have knowledge and wisdom that can help many people. Maybe you can expand and add credibility to your speaking career. Each reason will place your book into a different genre and category.
Know Your Topic Well
Write about a subject that is very familiar to you. Other than researching facts and information that you are quoting, you should be able to write comfortably and knowledgably about your chosen topic. As an author, you must prove your credibility to the reader. When someone is reading your book, his or her main goal is to gain something from you, whether it is to feel better (emotionally or physically) or to find the solution to a problem. Focus on the reader's needs when you are writing, because that reader's first thought will be: "What's in it for me?" and "Why should I devote time from my life reading this author's work?"
Know Your Audience
Always make sure that you are writing for your buyers. People are not interested in hearing your rants or the airing of your personal grievances: neither one answer their primary question, "What's in it for me?" Imagine yourself as the reader, and appeal to what will capture the interest of that reader. Write to inform or entertain that reader, not yourself - if you want to sell your books.
Write Well
Poor writing sticks out like the proverbial "sore thumb". Book reviewers will read the first sentence or two and immediately know that there is no point in proceeding further if your writing is not professional. Your writing must attract the reader immediately and hold the reader's interest throughout your book. The main criterion for selection by the Oprah Winfrey book club was this: the opening sentence of a book had to "grab" her attention. If that didn't happen, the book was rejected.
Make it Different
Know this - there is nothing new under the sun. Rest assured that your subject matter has been written about before. However, you can demonstrate a unique slant on a subject or you can impart new information in your area of expertise. Talk is what increases sales - if you are providing something useful and personal for the reader. There is no better type of advertising than "word-of-mouth": the more people talk about your book, the more people will search it out - and buy it! However, you must be credible. You can be controversial, but you must be prepared to justify your data and information.
Establish Your Voice
Whatever you write must be genuine and your writing must sound like you. Your writing must sound like something that you as a person would actually say. Do not try to sound overly intellectual, or overly funny, or overly "chatty" if that is not a true portrayal of your personality. You must develop your own consistent style - and stick with it! Established and famous authors such as Mark Twain, John Grisham and Margaret Atwood have a particular writing style that their fans immediately recognize.
Hire an Editor
Poor sentence structure can destroy your brilliant thoughts and your credibility. Reviewers can deduce in the first paragraph, or even the first sentence, if your writing is of professional caliber.
A professional editor will not only ensure that your writing is clear, that the grammar and punctuation are correct, but that your voice is retained.
Ink Tree Ltd. helps authors publish, market and sell books. If there is a book inside you - profit from it. Learn everything you need to guide you from Idea to Book... to Success - the fast, easy, simple way. Publish your own book with one-on-one expert help from publishing professionals who have created numerous bestsellers and sold hundreds of thousands of books. Visit http://www.moneyinpublishing.com or http://www.inktreemarketing.com for details.
Q & A with Joni Hamilton
Q. I have 10,000 books sitting in my garage. What should I do with them?
A. Don't laugh. This is the question we hear the most often and what we'd really like to say is: you should have thought of that before you printed them! Your marketing planning really should start before you even put pen to paper. You should know exactly what you're going to do to reach your target market well before publication. If that's not an option and you do have a garage full of "new furniture", there are things you can do. Start by creating a marketing plan immediately. Focus on availability. Make sure your book is available to the public before you create the demand. You can do this through distributors, wholesalers, websites, etc. Next, focus on awareness. Drive the demand. Set up a publicity campaign. Research alternative markets for selling books. Work hard every day to implement your marketing plan.
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SPOTLIGHT ON SUCCESS
Congratulations to Rallie McAllister and her upcoming chat for Web MD's Supervise Your Life series. Click here for details. Great job Rallie! http://my.webmd.com/content/chat_schedules/4/72170.htm
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WHAT THE INTERNET CAN DO FOR YOU
**Repeated exposure - Due to the ongoing content changes on prominent websites, there is a tremendous opportunity for repeat postings by an author, thereby getting their name out on a consistent basis. This is a crucial key to success.
**Articles and content are sought after - People go to the Net specifically to read and research topics of interest. By placing content on the proper sites, authors and experts have a much higher "contact rate" with their audience. Television and radio audiences are often not involved with the shows they have on.
**Expert status - The opportunity to become an expert is high with the Internet due to the vast numbers of sites available. This can help increase your credibility, exposure and provide content for further projects.
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Read past editions of Authors and Experts Online
http://www.netconnectpublicity.com/pages/bookpromotion.html
Review our "Before and After" presentation at http://www.netconnectpublicity.com/pages/before_after.html to review the changes that can occur in a website created to highlight content and professionalism.
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TIPS TO REMEMBER
** Give your content a continuous theme. Your articles, tips, quizzes and press releases should all be created to promote your theme in a unique and clever way. You want people to remember you, not just your information.
** Tie all of your free content into your book sales. Reference your book in every possible way, offering this as the ultimate resource to obtain the information the reader is seeking. This can be done through links when the content itself can't contain direct references about your book.
** Network with other authors as much as possible. Linking with other authors is a great way to increase visibility and often, credibility.
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WHAT WE OFFER
Our Internet services are a crucial component of any publicity campaign. We offer a wide variety of services allowing you to gain the results you need in one stop. We offer a complete package including:
*** Web design and consultation
*** Article outreach campaigns
*** Linking campaigns
*** Book reviews on Amazon and B&N
*** General marketing support for external marketing campaigns.
These services can be provided as a complete package or they can be provided individually.
Our goal is to work with you on a long-term ongoing campaign, introducing and supplying your content on a consistent basis to strategic sites on your customized “wish list” we create with your input. Review our success stories at http://www.netconnectpublicity.com/pages/bookpublicityclients.html.
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"After working with several publicists, Anne Leedom has been the only one who has followed through with results. This is the key factor in any client/publicist relationship for accomplishing success. She has opened doors for me that have led to wonderful endeavors."
~Jodie Lynn, syndicated columnist of Parent to Parent, author of Mommy-CEO, revised edition, and CEO of www.ParentToParent.com
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PARTNER WEBSITES
Here is a partial list of sites we supply content to on an ongoing basis:
Family Resource.com
iVillage.com
BeliefNet.com
WebMD
iParenting.com
Crosswalk.com
Child.com
Parents-Talk.com
Womenof.com
BabyCenter.com
CandianParents.com
Sheknows.com
SmartPros.com
BlueSuitMom.com
Entrepreneur.com
Meredith Corporation
ModernMom.com
MommaSaid.net
StorkNet.com
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To add new people to the subscriber list or provide any other feedback please go to http://www.netconnectpublicity.com or send an email to: anne@netconnectpublicity.com
Copyright 2004 by Anne Leedom
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Anne Leedom, editor, Authors and Experts Online newsletter
Founder, Net Connect Publicity and Parentingbookmark.com
916.939.8246
anne@netconnectpublicity.com
http://www.netconnectpublicity.com
http://www.parentingbookmark.com
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