The Author Resource Vol. 5 Issue 2
What’s Inside …
February 2014
Early Bird Pricing ends for the Extravaganza this Month!
How to Speak and Sell Books eBook Distribution Top 5 Reasons to Use Pinterest Creating a Virtual Book Blog Tour Book Blurb BooBoos Key Components of a Great Page Layout Self-Publishing: What You Should Expect to Pay 4 Ways to Generate Income Quickly to Keep Your Message Alive!
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Mark Your 2014 Calendars ... Save the Dates! Visit our online Calendar on Author U - go to: http://tinyurl.com/AUdates February Every Monday
Author Mentoring Mondays Call 10 a.m. Mountain, noon Eastern: 605-475-5920; access code … 3252604 #
1 8 18 24 Every Thursday
Author YOU Circles from 9 to noon Brunch & Learn - Author and Book Findability with Heather Lutze -10 a.m. Tech Toolbox Monday Evening Salon … Controlling Your Social Media … using Hootsuite and other Platforms along with Twitter Power Author U Your Guide to Book Publishing radio
March Every Monday
Author Mentoring Mondays Call 10 a.m. Mountain, noon Eastern: 605-475-5920; access code … 3252604 #
1 15 18 24 Every Thursday
Author YOU Circles from 9 to noon Brunch & Learn - Author U 101 Hot Tips Panel 10 a.m. Tech Toolbox - Audioboo Monday Evening Salon … Creating Your Marketing Platform with Key Messages Author U Your Guide to Book Publishing radio
Every Monday
Author Mentoring Mondays
April
Call 10 a.m. Mountain, noon Eastern: 605-475-5920; access code … 3252604 #
1 15 21 Every Thursday
Author YOU Circles from 9 to noon Tech Toolbox - Demos of Cool Tools - Which Are for You? Monday Evening Salon … Author U Your Guide to Book Publishing radio
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Mark Your 2014 Calendars ... Save the Dates! Visit our online Calendar on Author U - go to: http://tinyurl.com/AUdates May Every Monday
Author Mentoring Mondays Call 10 a.m. Mountain, noon Eastern: 605-475-5920; access code … 3252604 #
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Extravaganza, Hyatt Hotel-Denver Tech Center – Colorado … Free Parking and Wi-Fi in all guest hotel rooms. Book your room now at the rate of $119 (regualr rate is $169) Author YOU Circles from 9 to noon Dinner & a Program - Post the Extravaganza … a Hands on Recap of the Highlights
Every Thursday
Author U Your Guide to Book Publishing radio
Every Monday
Author Mentoring Mondays
June Call 10 a.m. Mountain, noon Eastern: 605-475-5920; access code … 3252604 #
14 19 Every Thursday
Author YOU Circles from 9 to noon Dinner & a Program Author U Your Guide to Book Publishing radio
July 26 Member BBQ, 4 p.m. August 1-2 Judith Briles Unplugged December 6 Holiday Party, 6.30 p.m.
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February Brunch & Learn AU is All About ... Author and Book Findability
8 Tech Toolbox Google + and Authorship
9 Monday Evening Salon Controlling Your Social Media
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What’s a Virtual Tour?
22 4 Ways to Generate Income
5 Reasons to Use Pinterest
27 Book Blurb Booboos
Extravaganza Pull-Out Speakers, Topics, Agenda
11 Here’s What’s Happening Register now!
Premium Partner Color House Graphics
How to Sell More Books
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29 Great Page Layout
31 5 Tips for Growing YouTube
33 Your Own eBook Distribution
35 USPS Has Done it Again
37 Book Signing an eBook
38 Courting Catalog Sales
44 Member News
44 New Member
47 TIPS
48 Member Perks
49 Code of Ethics
50 Contact Author U
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Savvy Authors Who Want Their Books to Soar Think ...
Author U stretches members to a higher level. Some will be publishers, some will not, but ALL will learn and grow. Author U shows YOU, the author, how to be the best you think you can be . . . and then how to to be even more than you thought you could be. Learn the ropes to become a publisher yourself. Heading to NY? Receive strategies that will hook both publisher and agent.
Visit us online at http://AuthorU.org
Continue to learn and meet terrific people and achieve success. Author U is waiting for you. Success comes from hard work, careful planning, learning your craft, and being in the right place at the right time ... Author U shows
www.AuthorU.org
FOUNDER: Judith Briles
Contact Author U Phone: Judith Briles’ CEO, Skype: Twitter: Facebook: Google+ : LinkedIn: Pinterest: Office address:
(303) 885-2207 Judith.Briles @AuthorU http://Facebook.com/AuthorU Join the Community, Author U Join the Author U group http://pinterest.com/authoru Author U (niversity) PO Box 460880, Aurora, CO 80046
ADVISORY BOARD: Dan Poynter / Greg Godek Rick Frishman / Brian Jud John Kremer / Penny Sansevieri / Marcella Smith / Susan RoAne Peggy McColl BOARD: Amy Collins / Bruce Hellerstein John Maling / AJ White Mara Purl / Steve Replin Georgia McCabe / Daniel Hall
NEWSLETTER: Nick Zelinger, Cover www.NZGraphics.com Linda Lane, Editor www.denvereditor.com Shannon Parish, Layout, www.IllustratingYou.com
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Author U Is All about Connecting, Community, Creativity … and Schmoozing Judith Briles, Author U Founder
I’ve just come off the PublishingAtSea.com Conference where 24 authors gathered on the high seas with stops in Cozumel and Grand Cayman. With 16 hours of high content information over five days and now the creation of a Private Community on Google+, the group is staying in contact and sharing information that will move each forward. They are also posting info that will be beneficial to a Platform, Speech, Media Pitch—you name it—we all know what each other’s books are about and have our eyes peeled for goodies that might be passed on that the author might not know about or see. The seas were fairly calm, ship comfortable, and weather agreeable (oh, we all felt a tad giddy when we heard that the East Coast was being hammered with snow, and we were in our bathing suits between classes—soaking up a few rays of the warm sun). New friends were made within the group and with other passengers, and lots of content delivered. All of us came back with our To Do Lists. Mine included starting the Google+ group—why, because it has a higher SEO presence (after all, it is Google) … DONE. Mine included—OK, Judith, get off the dime and start the online group coaching that you have been noodling for two years …and gulp … DONE. Debuting in March, it’s called Judith’s Ark ... Surviving and Thriving in the Flood of Authoring and Publishing. What’s Judith’s Ark? ... A gathering of a limited number of authors at multiple stages in their author journey who not only want to survive ... they want to go forth and thrive and multiply what they do. It’s a combination of Webinars, group coaching, and individual one-on-one laser coaching. You can find information about what I’m up to and how to join Judith’s Ark via my personal website at www.TheBookShepherd.com. Next up on my list is growing the Author U Community on Google+ as we did the Author U Group on LinkedIn (did you know that there are over 3,000 members there?) Why? It’s Google, and that’s where I’ve determined the action for recognition will be after attending one of the Publishing at Sea workshops. And I’m going to be deep diving into Pinterest, an area that I have a few Boards on but basically have ignored. No longer—some of the stats caught my attention in another one of the workshops that Georgia McCabe submerged all of us as to why we can’t ignore either Google+ or Pinterest. Then there was the gaggle of short cut ideas (you do love short cuts and time savers, yes?) that I got from Joan Stewart with her breadth of how-tos and where to snag things from that I’ll be using. Amy Collins delivered a series of insider tips she brought from her years of experience as a book buyer—none of us will ever let another cover get created without doing the floor test! You get to keep your land legs at the upcoming Extravaganza in May. The ahas, must haves, and oh-my … how cool is that! … are coming your way. Amy, Joan, and Georgia are all bringing their A-Game to the Extravaganza along with a dozen other A-Game presenters. Continued on page 6 ...
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Expect to see old faces and plenty of new ones. Expect to hear what’s new and what’s morphed and what to stop doing now, especially if it’s not working for you. Expect to come away with a clear passage through the Author Matrix. Inside, you will have the Agenda. Prices go up this month. Get your hotel reservation at the Hyatt Regency-Denver Tech Center. Special room rate for Author U Extravaganza attendees is $119 (rate includes FREE guest room Internet and parking)—all information is on the website, under the Events tab. I’ll be there for a ringside seat … my books and yours truly want more that these gifted publishing pros deliver. The question is, will you?
Judith Are you in Colorado? Did you know about the special "Author YOU Circle" held once a month for authors with inquiring minds—be it about publishing, writing, social media, you name it—that Judith Briles hosts in her living room and kitchen? They’re always held on a Saturday morning from 9 to noon—the coffee and tea are hot when you arrive. The cost is FREE ... what you need to bring is a healthy snack to share and yourself, along with enthusiasm, questions, and the willingness to share info if you can provide it when a topic is in the Circle. Created in a loose-structure format, it has no set agenda ... the topics are created via posts on a flip chart as people arrive: what you want or need help in. It's simple, it's fun, it's highly informative, and it's FREE. As Author YOU Circle member Gene Morton says, "It's like a personalized MasterMind group—I always walk away with information that I can immediately use."
The next one is slated for Saturday, March 1, 2014. You need to join Author YOU Circles via www.Meetup.com, sign up to come. Here's where to register: http://www.meetup.com/AuthorYOU/
“Author U is the premier authoring resource in the country, creating community, education, guidance, vision, and success for the serious author.”
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Author and Book Findability February 8, 2014 Do you feel lost at times with all the social media options? Would you like to get found by book buyers globally? Your take away: vital and actionable information to propel both you and your book to the top of the crowd? Your take away: learn what critical things you need to do right now to make a difference in 2014 for you and your book? Your take away: get the inside strategies from the person who wrote the best-selling book on Internet Marketing? Your take away: all delivered in a non-GeekSpeak format. You can by attending February’s Brunch and Learn at Author U on Saturday the 8th. Your take-aways also include strategies for Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube, LinkedIn … think social media … and you will know that Heather Lutze is fast, funny and fabulous. Heather Lutze Heather is the widely acclaimed speaker, trainer, and consultant who literally wrote the book on search engine marketing. Two books, in fact— The Findability Formula: The Easy, Non-Technical Approach to Search Engine Marketing and Thumbonomics: The Essential Business Roadmap for Social Media & Mobile Marketing Her writing and in-demand keynotes and workshops are delivered with the same witty, “no-geek-speak” style that has managed to demystify Internet Marketing for countless business owners. Breaking free of corporate “cubicle” jobs well over ten years ago with nothing more than a dream of entrepreneurship and a basement computer, Heather has built her business into a multimillion dollar Denver SEM company—the Findability Group. Heather founded Findability Group in 2000 in response to all the frustrated website owners who had paid good money for beautiful, high-tech sites that weren’t bringing in business. Get ready for an amazing, in-depth Brunch and Learn workshop… you do not want to miss this! Date: Time: Location: Cost:
Saturday, February 8th 10 – 2 Doubletree Southeast Hotel, Aurora (225 / Iliff) $30 Members $45 Non-Members* (Non-Members who join Author U onsite will get an immediate $15 credit toward membership) Register: http://authoru.org/calendar.html
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All Tech Tool Boxes are for Author U paid-up members only and limited to 8 participants to allow for in-depth work with each. They are led by Kelly Johnson and Judith Briles.
Google+ Authorship February 18th
Attention all authors - you need to set up a Google + Authorship account. Why? Authorship is establishing you (to Google) as the confirmed author of an item of content that gets published on a website. Very important aspect to your online presence! In this Tech Toolbox workshop, we will walk through the steps in setting up your Google + Authorship. You will need to have a Google + account and Google + profile. You will also need to bring • the log-in to your WordPress website dashboard or • the FTP log-in to your server for your website files if you do not have a WordPress website. * WordPress website dashboard log-in consists of a username and password. * FTP log-in includes host name, user name, and password (this is only if you do NOT have a WordPress website).
March 18: Audioboo Audioboo is a tool to record, upload, and share audio. A boo consists of any clip of audio, a picture, a location, a title and a description. The free account has a 3 minute limit, but you can upgrade for more. Your audios can be shared on Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms; you can embed playlists on your sites; and use the mobile apps and widgets as “listen again” players. You can also submit your audios to iTunes as a podcast. Join us for this Tech ToolBox workshop and start recording today!
April 15: Demos of Cool Tools…Which Are for You? This workshop will take you through demos of programs that will teach you simple-to-use business tools, such as ShortKeys, Wufoo, and others – you’ll be clicking away and using new tech tools in no time! Believe us … new tools are added; old tools morph often. The ones that were your old standbys may have undergone a total makeover as well. Time: 3 to 6 pm Cost: $60
Register Online: http://authoru.org/calendar.html
Location: Judith Briles’ Office in Aurora (you will get directions the day before and what to bring for each session)
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Controlling Your Social Media … using Hootsuite and other Platforms along with Twitter Power February 24th Twitter Gets Traction for You and Your Book … if that’s what you want! You don’t have to be a nerd to Tweet. You can engage, make a statement, share a book launch, gather a crowd in just minutes a day. Monday Evening Salons have limited space and include dinner. Twitter is one of the powerhouses for social media presence and marketing. Tweets can carry your words to mega thousands… they will after this Salon. Feburary 24th is the date to either get you going, kickstart a limp performance, or move into high gear. Judith Briles will be your guide. Get organized Identify who is in your niche Musts and Must Nots Get followers Start a Tweet Chat Using Hashtags and claiming your own How to manage your postings without losing your life and sanity 20 Hot Take-Away Tips Discover the magic key to marketing with Twitter Make your marketing soar And LOTS more ... Bring your laptops – this is a highly interactive session. Limited space, dinner included. Suggest that you bring your computer. Time: 6-9 p.m. Location: Judith Briles’ offices in Aurora, CO. Cost: $27 Register Online: http://authoru.org/calendar.html
Did you know that Author U posts TWO Blogs a week?! Every Sunday and Thursday you will find something new. On Sunday, you get a general information/how-to/what to do. On Thursday, you get the Top Ten Twitter Tweets. (Did you know that Author U posts over 200 Tweets a week?) Subscribe TODAY and get your FREE info-pak of the Top 5 Things You Need to Know to Publish on the AuthorU.org website.
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Join Us for Author U’s Extravaganza May 1-3, 2014, at the Hyatt Regency, Denver Tech Center
Special Pull-out Section
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Here’s What’s Happening at the Extravaganza
Thursday Pre Eagle & Eaglet sessions Strategic Visioning Plans that EVERY Author Needs to Begin the Publishing Journey –Judith Briles & Georgia McCabe
Eagle Essentials (Advanced) • • • •
Stage Right, it’s the Virtual Assistant … Add Time to Your Day for Doing the Work You Love and Deal with the Overwhelm Factor –Kelly Johnson Fast & Free Easy Ways to Research Journalists & Bloggers BEFORE You Pitch You and Your Book –Joan Stewart Available Wherever Books Are Sold?! –Amy Collins Beyond the Book – Taking Your Publishing Success to the Next Level –Bret Ridgway
Eaglets (Newbies) • This Little Book Went to Market: How to Get Your Book into the Book Trade –Randy Kuckuck • The Wide World of Legalese: Stay Out of the Frying Pan and the Fire! –Steve Replin • Nuggets for Newbies: 10 Time- & Money-Saving Tips for Authors Just Starting Out –Nick Zelinger • How to Turn Your Blog into Bucks! –Tammy Bleck • Does Your Cover Need a Makeover Before It’s Even Printed? –Kathi Dunn
Deep Dive Dinner Workshop: How to Sell More Books … Now! –Penny Sansevieri
Friday • • • • • • •
10 Trends Driving the Future of Publishing –Mark Coker Make Your Website Do the Work: The 6 Site MUST-Haves to Sell More Books, Improve Your Credibility, and Grow Your Following –Amber Ludwig The Secret to Marketing on the Internet in Less Than an Hour a Day –John Kremer Your 30-Second Elevator Pitch –Mary Jo Fay Audiobook Cashflow Fast & Easy: Step By Step Blueprint –Daniel Hall Selling Your Books at Amazon and Other Online Retailers. Today’s Facts, Not Yesterday’s Myths. –Amy Collins Rounds with the Pros –3 table rounds with the Pros
AFTER DINNER: Change Your Author Game –Tim Guard, a very funny man!
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Saturday • • • • • • •
Are You Fiddling with Social Media while Rome Burns? –Georgia McCabe Virtual Book Blog Tours –Stephanie Barko Targeting Potential Customers … Send announcements on your book only to people who care –Dan Poynter Quick and Dirty Blog Posts When You Don’t Have Time to Write –Joan Stewart Ka-ching! –Joel Comm YouTube from Soup to Nuts … Getting Started with YouTube Marketing –Susan Gilbert What’s in Your Brand Wallet? Creating Your Author One-Sheet –Patrice Rhoades-Baum
CLOSING TALK: Create a $1,000,000 Speech from Your Book Starting Now! –Judith Briles
Author U - Your Guide to Book Publishing with Judith Briles ... Everything You Want to Know, But Didn’t Know What to Ask launched live last year and now has over 18,000 downloads each month. Every Thursday, Judith hosts an hour radio show with guests and features. Live with call-ins. For the beginner and intermediate author—all episodes will be available for downloads and podcasting. Listen live or click on the podcast from the website. Recent programs focused on how to maximize social media, how to create book publicity, how to market globally, beyond Amazon, how to market fiction, and so much more. If you want to write and publish a book ... if you want to be successful as an author, Your Guide to Book Publishing ... Everything You Want to Know, But Didn’t Know What to Ask is for you. You will hear about statistics, scenarios, and strategies on what to do now! As The Book Shepherd, Dr. Judith Briles is in, and each week she will include publishing professionals who will reveal tips and secrets to the author’s journey. If there is a book in you, you want to listen, learn ... and, yes, call-in with your questions each week. http://togi.us/authoru
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Join Us for Author U's Extravaganza! For 3 jammed-packed days, you will be working with amazing book marketing strategists, publicists, Internet gurus … all done in an intense workshop environment … Deep Dive Workshop starts at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 1st, with Penny Sansevieri and reveals How to Sell More Books … Now! Penny is one of the top Internet Book Marketing Strategists, book columnist with the Huffington Post, and author of Red Hot Internet Publicity. Mark Coker, President of Smashwords, John Kremer, author of 1001 Ways to Market Your Books and a dozen-plus other publishing and book pros will share their expertise Friday and Saturday. Eagles (advanced) and Eaglet (newbies) workshops will be Thursday noon and end with the Trade Show with Exhibitors opening, Dinner, then Penny’s Deep Dive Session. Friday starts at 8 a.m. Georgia McCabe and Judith Briles will jointly kick off a pre Eagle/Eaglet session on Strategic Visionary Publishing Strategy ... for the Not Stupid ... Just Ignorant to What’s Really Needed to be a Successful Author and Publisher. This is a must-be-at session—FREE to anyone who has signed up for either Eagle or Eaglet session. Bonus: You may register additional friends, colleagues, or family members who are not already Author U members for a reduced fee. Most meals are included. Deep Dive Session is included in registration until February 28th.* •
Mark Coker kicks off all general sessions Friday a.m. The CEO of Smashwords (all attendees at the Extravaganza 2013 were given a flash drive with three of his books for e-book marketing on it) reveals the latest and greatest in e-book land.
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Penny Sansevieri will do the Deep Dive Dinner Workshop on How to Sell More Books … Now! You get Penny’s 2014 strategies (trust us, it changes constantly).
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Tim Gard will headline our after-dinner humor event on Friday night—get ready for a fun evening.
Guy Kawasaki kicked off the 2013 Extravaganza to rave evals—everyone got his book, APE!
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John Kremer will unscramble the layers of book marketing on Friday.
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Stephanie Barko will reveal the inside tips and tricks to creating a Virtual Book Blog tour on Saturday.
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Joel Comm will take you into the stratosphere of partnering and social media on Saturday.
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Amy Collins knows how to get your book into B&N, Costco, Amazon, and key spots ... do you? You will after her presentations for the Eagles Thursday and on Friday. Her insights on covers is not to be missed.
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John Kremer will dive into the latest and greatest in book marketing Friday.
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Joan Stewart will weave you through the matrix of how to get the attention of every blogger in the country in the Eagle session and on Saturday with another twist.
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Susan Gilbert is going to turn you into a YouTube celeb Friday.
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Bret Ridgway will reveal the web of repurposing in the Eagle session.
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Nick Zelinger designs books—over the years, he's compiled his Nuggets for Newbies and will reveal the musts and must-nots in the Eaglet session.
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Georgia McCabe will show you how to stop fiddling with social media and survive the social media matrix that entangles so many.
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Mary Jo Fay will reveal the tricks and tips to pitch your book to anyone anytime.
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Dan Poynter knows author Klout and his techniques for today's author will change your "presence" everywhere—learn deep down methods to target your market.
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Amber Ludwig knows exactly what works and what doesn't in creating an Author's Website and what to do to fix yours.
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Tammy Bleck is a word master. Her Witty Woman Writing blog has led to ongoing columns in the HuffPost and ghosting writing for the Who's Who in her Eaglet session.
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Judith Briles will show you how to create a $1,000,000 speech from your book.
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Kelly Johnson is an author's best friend—get all the how-tos about the virtual assistant world and how it can bring sanity to your publishing life in her Eagle session.
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Steve Replin dives into legal stuff: all things copyright and more in the Eaglet session.
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Kathi Dunn knows covers, and in the Eaglet session, you will get the insider's POV and how-tos.
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Randy Kuckuck will roll out all the publishing basics in his eaglet session.
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Georgia McCabe and Judith Briles will kick off Thursday prior to the first Eagle and Eaglet sessions with Strategic Visioning Plans that EVERY Author Needs to Succeed on the Publishing Journey.
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Patrice Rhoades-Baum is all about branding, and you will be too on Friday.
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Daniel Hall is a master of many things that will move you and your book. Learn all about audio books— how to create them for peanuts in cost and monetize them for your bank account on Saturday.
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Rounds with the Pros is a speed round with a dozen experts where you shift tables three times prior to dinner on Friday.
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Author Shark Tank ... is back. Just a few authors get to dive in ... will you be one of them?
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Pick Their Brains ... our speakers will have a series of one-on-one 15 minute spots where they will laser coach you—answer questions—advise ... are you ready?
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What to do NOW: 1. Clear your calendar from May 1 – 3. 2. Get registered immediately. The Early Early Bird has passed—prices increased. The Early Bird has passed—prices increased. You are now in regular pricing with rates scheduled to jump again in another month. Don’t wait! Register on the website today under the Events tab: http://AuthorU.org 3. Stay at the official Extravaganza hotel: Hyatt Regency-Denver Tech Center. Even if you live in Denver, don’t commute—Thursday and Friday are l-o-n-g days—immerse yourself in the Extravaganza—some of the best take-aways happen when you allow yourself to hang out and schmooze. Rate is $119 which includes free parking and free Internet in your guest room: https://resweb.passkey.com/go/AuthorU2014 and enter the rate code: G-5AUTOr call 1-888-421-1442 and ask for the AuthorU rate 4. If you are flying in—make your reservations now – arrive either Wednesday night, April 30th, or make sure you land at Denver International airport by 10 a.m. mountain time. Information about how to get to the hotel—Shuttle, taxi, car rental—will be sent to registrants in April.
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For 3 jammed-packed days, you will be working with amazing book marketing strategists, publicists, Internet gurus … all done in an intense workshop environment … Bonus Session on Thursday, May 1st, with Penny Sansevieri will reveal How to Sell More Books … Now! Penny is one of the top Internet Book Marketing Strategists, book columnist with the Huffington Post, and author of Red Hot Internet Publicity. Mark Coker, President of Smashwords, John Kremer, author of 1001 Ways to Market Your Books and a dozen other publishing and book pros will share their expertise Friday and Saturday. Eagles (advanced) and Eaglet (newbies) workshops will be Thursday noon and end with the Trade Show with Exhibitors opening, Dinner, then Penny’s Deep Dive Session. Friday starts at 8 a.m. Bonus: You may register additional friends, colleagues or family members for a reduced fee who are not already Author U members. Most meals are included. Deep Dive Session is included in registration until February 28th.*
Count me in for the Author U Extravaganza 2014! January 12, 2014-April 15, 2014 Fri-Sat. Registration Additional Registration Deep Dive Dinner Workshop* Eagle Session (Advanced) Eaglet Session (Newbies) Friday Only Saturday Only
After April 16, 1204
AU Member Non-Member** AU Member $ 445 _____ $ 545 _____ $ 495 _____ $ 275 _____ $ 325 _____ $ 300_____ $ 85 _____ $ 105 _____ $ 95 _____ $ 85 _____ $ 85 _____ $ 95 _____ $ 85 _____ $ 105 _____ $ 95 _____ $ 275 _____ $ 375 _____ $ 295 _____ $ 225 _____ $ 325 _____ $ 250 _____ **Join Author U and receive AU Member price.
Non-Member** $ 595 _____ $ 350 ____ $ 125 _____ $ 125 _____ $ 125 _____ $ 395 _____ $ 350 _____
Total Extavaganza 2014 Registration: $ _______ *Please add me as a new member for $99 _______ Total Extravaganza 2014 Registrations: _____ Please add me as a new member for $99 _____ Name(s)__________________________________________________________________________________ Address _______________________________________________________Zip _______________________ eMail ___________________________________________________________________________________ Cell Phone _____________________________________Day Phone _______________________________ Credit Card # _______________________________________________ Exp ____________ CVV _________ How to Register for Extravaganza 2014 – online http://ow.ly/kWLjJ; phone (303-885-2207); fax (303-627-9184); or mail (Author U c/o Judith Briles ~ 14160 E Bellewood Dr. ~ Aurora CO 80015 As Dr Lynn Hellerstein says: See It. Say It. Do It! … put it on your calendar now.
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Join Us for Author U’s Extravaganza May 1-3, 2014 at the Hyatt Regency, Denver Tech Center
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Are you ready … to dive … into the Author U Matrix?
May 1st • 6 to 9 p.m.
How to Sell More Books … Now! with Penny Sansevieri At the end of the day, for all the marketing we do, for all the Tweeting, Facebooking, and blogging, we really just want to know if it’s paying off. Does any of this sell books? Have you ever asked yourself • • •
How do I know if they are the right things to market my book? I don’t want to spend my life marketing, so how can I get the most out of my efforts? Will any of this help me sell more books?
You’ll learn... This session will teach you not only how to identify your exact right market, but how to effectively and efficiently go after it. We’ll also look at how to find reader groups, book groups, and reviewers online. • • •
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How do you find more readers for your book? Is your website selling effectively? Here’s how you’ll know. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest: which social site is right for me? Have you ever wondered, “Do I have to be on all of these sites?” The answer is no. We’ll show you which ones are perfect for your book. Should you have an e-book? How can you effectively market an e-book? We’ll explore marketing offline: pitching yourself to radio, TV, and print How do you get more reviews for your book?
Continued on page 19 ....
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How to Sell More Books ... Continued from page 18 ....
It’s a Deep Dive Dinner workshop you won’t want to miss! $??? for Members; $??? for Non-Members
Penny C. Sansevieri is the Founder and CEO of Author Marketing Experts, Inc., a best-selling author, and internationally recognized book marketing and media relations expert. She is an Adjunct Professor, teaching Self-Publishing for NYU. Her company, one of the leaders in the publishing industry, has developed some of the most innovative Social Media/Internet book marketing campaigns. She is the author of twelve books, including How to Sell Your Books by the Truckload on Amazon and Red Hot Internet Publicity, which has been called the "leading guide to everything Internet." AME was the first book-marketing and publicity firm to use Internet promotion to its full impact through The Virtual Author Tour™, which strategically harnesses social networking sites, Twitter, blogs, book videos, and relevant sites to push an author’s message into the online community. AME has had eleven recent books top bestseller lists, including those of the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal. To learn more about Penny’s books or her promotional services, you can visit her web site at www.AMarketingExpert.com.
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What is a Virtual Tour? By Stephanie Barko, Literary Publicist
Note: Stephhanie will be speaking at the Extravanza on Creating a Virtual Blog Tour. A virtual tour takes a book through online sites that feature content about the author and title during a short length of time. Virtual tours gained popularity when the value of book blogger followings became evident by the exposure, promotion, and sales they produce. By comparison, ground tours seem like a poor return on investment for the level of money, time, and risk expended, especially when readers do not show up for signings and author events. An author can do a virtual tour for half the cost of a ground tour with the same number of stops. What happens during a Tour? Depending on the topic, the book is toured on blogs, forums, social networking pages, frequently updated websites, and video sites. Sometimes the content submitted by the Provider is passive, meaning no action is necessary by the author after it posts, and sometimes the content is active. With active content, the author has the opportunity to interact with the host site’s followers, for example, in a chat room or on a site with comments enabled. Content during a tour may include interviews, excerpts, author videos, book trailers, podcasts, reviews, endorsements, cover art, headshots, candids, author essays, articles, book giveaways, and guest essays. How long does a Tour last? Density of content over time is important in a tour, so stops are usually completed within a 30-45 day time frame. Where does the Tour go? Tours go to both genre-specific and general book blogs & websites. In tours that I book, for instance, only sites and blogs that get 300 or more hits a day are selected to host stops. This guarantees a minimum exposure per tour to 4,500 new readers for a 15-stop tour. While some tour providers put up their own websites and blogs as tour stops, my tours go to both niche and general high-hit sites whose hosts I know to have proven reputations among their own following. What does an author need to do to prepare for a Tour? The author must e-mail any interview responses or files that are requested by the Tour Provider and check in online when active content is running. Content requests can include synopsis, bio, Q&A, images, and custom articles for the tour stop host. What are the benefits of a Virtual Tour? First of all, the author is going directly to potential new readers. Secondly, everything on the net leaves a Continued on page 21 ....
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footprint, so unlike print media that is here today and gone tomorrow, your blog, podcast, or book review will stay on the Net forever — or as long as the site archives exist — which means new visitors to a site will still be exposed to your message months down the road. As for documented results, I can report that one historical fiction client completely dominated the first 13 pages of Google for her title and pen name after her tour. She was then signed on by a traditional publisher. Several nonfiction authors I did tours for noted that 600-700 potential readers added their title to their “to-read” list. Halfway through his tour, another client’s Amazon sales rank dropped so low that his title made Amazon’s “Top 100 Best Selling Westerns” for the first time. Another novelist said that during the v-tour of his noir historical, the novel four times hit # 5 in its Amazon Kindle category. In summary, the primary benefits of a virtual tour are • • •
Increased Google page rank (makes it easier to find author & title) Exposure (the tour borrows other sites’ followings for free) Decreased Amazon sales rank (so the title has a shot at becoming a subcategory bestseller)
Over 79% of the media now find their experts online, and virtual tours have the power to attract the media, especially for nonfiction authors. With a virtual tour, the media and new readers follow a bread trail to the author’s website and buy link through tour stops. Stephanie Barko, Literary Publicist, was voted Best Book Promotion Service in Preditors & Editors’ Readers Poll. In addition to her blog, she currently writes a book marketing column for San Francisco Book Review.
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Award winning clients include both traditional and independent nonfiction and historical fiction publishers and authors. For more information on custom Virtual Tours, visit www.stephaniebarko.com or follow Stephanie’s Tweets.
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4 Ways to Generate Income Quickly to Keep Your Message Alive! By Amber Ludwig Note: Amber will be speaking on what makes a great author website and how to fix yours. Do you ever get that 3 a.m. wake-up call, where you’re experiencing anxiety about when your next client will come into your life and what to do in the meantime? Are you absolutely dreading the idea of getting a “normal job” and wishing there was a way you could generate some fast cash to help tide you over during this storm? You’re not alone and there are solutions! Whether you’ve hit a bump in your otherwise pretty steady income, or you’re just starting out online and really wanting to make it work, these suggestions below HAVE worked for others in your shoes. The key is to apply yourself—way more than you do now. Don’t take offense to that (please!), but just know it’s true. I’d say the first step is to go ALL IN on your business. Make the decision to commit. Instead of dipping that toe in, jump in with both feet and fully embrace your business with every cell in your body. It’s time to take action and make a difference! Once you’ve committed fully, you’re ready for the 4 Ways to Generate Income Quickly listed below: 1. Connect with already-established companies. I’m talking about short-term contract jobs. You may be thinking, “Ugh, I don’t want another job!” But if you skip past this one, you are skipping past tens of thousands of dollars in yearly revenue! I know because this is how I got started online. I knew that if I could get little jobs with other companies, they would feed me regular work, taking most, if not ALL, the pressure off me to sell and find clients. They do the marketing, they do the selling, and I do the work. The second company I did this with, I still work with today (7 years later), and they are responsible for about $50-75,000 in yearly revenue for us. And that’s just ONE strategic partner (what I call them). I have about 7 companies I do this with. They feed me work at varying levels, but combined, it takes all the pressure off to find individual clients or rank well on Google or rock at social media. I still do all those things, which is how I was able to generate a multi-six-figure business. It’s all these pieces working together! 2. Find some affiliate products to sell. An affiliate program is where you sign up for free to sell other people’s products and make a commission on them. Just in ONE event I promoted last year for a close friend, I generated more than $10,000 by making 10 sales. I spent maybe a total of 3-5 hours promoting it too. This isn’t hard, and you don’t even have to have a following to sell products like this (though it does help of course). Continued on page 23 ....
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The first key is to research who in your industry you trust and like. Who has rockin’ products that you would feel passionate about aligning with. When you have passion for something, it becomes MUCH easier to sell. Once you have your targeted experts in mind, see if they have an affiliate program (check their website footer for a link titled “affiliates”). Sign up for free and start spreading the word about their products and services. Once someone buys, you get paid! And usually 10-80% of the product sale price too! By the way, affiliate programs are such common practice that most top experts in your industry should definitely have affiliate programs. Also bear in mind, if you are always suggesting people go to “x” company for something (even domain names or Hootsuite or whatever!), to see if they have an affiliate program. Last, have a conversation with service providers to see if they have a referral program. I give people $250 for website referrals that turn into a working project. Sell a few of those a month and you’re on your way! So definitely ask service providers what they can do as well. 3. Run a teleseminar or TeleSummit series and go get some sponsors. If you host a free call or call series like this, you can absolutely go to bigger companies and see if they would like to pay you $501500+ as a one-time fee to become a sponsor for the event. This is instant cash! In return, you would place their logo on the sales page, recognize your sponsor on the live call, etc. You can Google “sponsorship opportunity telesummit” for example to see other existing programs for ideas. Don’t underestimate the value of sponsorships! Any product you have you can get sponsors for. You can really go wild with this program. Wild with creativity! 4. Create a product to sell online. Yes, I said it. The obvious. You may be thinking, “I’ve been working on a product for 3 months! This isn’t a quick solution at all!” Oh really? Were you 100% fully applying yourself? One of our website clients just created a multi-module home study course with workbooks and audios in two weeks. I have created complex products in the same time. I’ve created simple products in an afternoon. You can build buzz for your product as you near completion of it. Tease your audience that you’re developing this awesome product and it’s coming soon! Give yourself a launch deadline and stick to that NO MATTER WHAT! Once you have your product created, it’s time to sell it! •
Add a sales page on your website (see my Products and Free tabs on the top navigation for examples of sales letters!); then start telling the world about it.
•
Promote this for 3 weeks hard and fast. Send e-mails to any friends, family, colleagues that will listen and see if they can send an e-mail to the people they know about your product to help you out. People are always willing to help if you ASK. Continued on page 24 ....
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•
Spend $50 and run a Facebook Ad. Those are very effective and almost always generate better results than you expected.
•
Send emails out to your email subscriber list about the product and WHY it’s so beneficial and HOW it will help people. Really get inside your customer’s mind to figure out how to position the sales pitch to get you better results. (Clueless? Listen to my “Master the Persuasive Sales Writing Sequence!” teleseminar replay for sales writing training)
•
Contact other industry experts, tell them about your product, and see if they would be interested in helping you sell it to their audience.
You CAN turn your finances around. You CAN do the above work. But it’s work. At some points it will feel like frustrating, hard work! But if you want to keep your message and business alive, and you’re ALL IN, you need to jump in with both feet and just get ’er done. Amber Ludwig is a business development expert who supports authors/speakers/coaches to establish a powerful, integrated, online presence and empowers them to make a difference in their industry. She works one-on-one with clients to build a strong website and social media presence and then coaches them toward achieving their goals. Connect at www.InsightfulDevelopment.com.
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Top 5 Reasons Authors Should Use Pinterest By Georgia McCabe
Note: Georgia is a frequent speaker and trainer for Author U. She will be speaking at the Extravaganza with a focus on creating The Strategic Plan that EVERY Author Needs to Begin the Publishing Journey. Pinterest started just a few years ago—in March 2010. Today, over 70 million users grace its platform. The average Pinterest user who visits the site spends an average of 98 minutes per month. What makes Pinterest different? Start with “the look” … think of it as a virtual corkboard. You create “Boards” of interest, and then you’ll be able to organize your Boards into topic-specific scrapbooks. For authors, Pinterest provides a way to pin a variety of topics that may resonate with your readers, onto organized online boards. Here are five benefits to consider if you want to use Pinterest to help promote your book or you as an author. 1. Pinterest will help drive more traffic back to your author website. In fact, pinterest drives more traffic to a website than Google+, YouTube, and LinkedIn combined. Whenever you decide to pin something to a board you have created, you can actually link that to your site or blog. 2. Pinterest users love to shop. The average amount of money people spend per order is between $140 and $180. Pinterest users typically buy more products and services than any of the other top social media sites. A recent study by Nielson indicated many people actually purchase a product or service after seeing it on Pinterest. This doesn’t mean that every person on Pinterest will purchase something, but it does indicate this site, compared to Twitter and Facebook, increases your chances. 3. You have the option of also setting up a business account on Pinterest. With a business account, you’ll be able to verify your company’s official website, which promotes trust and credibility to consumers. Pinterest has an excellent help section, educational tutorial, and materials that can help you. Some of these tutorials go beyond the “how” to set up and dive deep into showing you how to create a story and increase your exposure or they show you how to build a Pinterest community. 4. Just like some other social sites, Pinterest also is a platform for you to run a contest. Contests are terrific for incentivizing people to spread the word about you or your book. As an author you could create a contest that offers a free signed book for whoever gets the most repins or likes. This will not only help your followers get more exposure, but it will allow your pins to be seen by their followers as well. 5. As an author, you can have as many boards as you want. For example, quotes for readers, things that inspire you as a writer, even things you enjoy perhaps, i.e., cooking, decorating, travel. Readers love to know more about authors and their lives. Pinterest also offers a simple way to organize the information on each board with a few simple clicks. Keep in mind that although Pinterest is an effective tool to get exposure for your book and services, you can also use boards for promoting your book reviews, author spotlights, and book signing events. Continued on page 26 ...
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If you want to see an example of an AuthorU member who has used Pinterest effectively, check out Gail Mencini’s Boards at http://www.pinterest.com/gailmencini/. Georgia McCabe is a digital photography pioneer and social media expert with an expertise in working with the author’s platform and book. You can follow her on Google+. As an author, speaker, trainer, and social media and author evangelist, her perspectives on social media appear in print in her newest book, SocialMorphosis – Transforming Your Business through Social Media. Georgia is also a co-author of The Relationship Age with social media guru Mari Smith.
How Author U communicates with you—Besides the two weekly blog posts, on Mondays we send a general e-blast to your e-mail called “It’s Monday at Author U.” On Thursdays, we send “Thursday at Author U.” You must subscribe to get them. Also, we send out The Author Resource nine times a year. Get over to the website and subscribe twice: once for the Blog and once for the general e-mails, notices, and The Author Resource e-zine.
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Book Blurb Booboos Or Seven Ways To Avoid the No-Sales Book Blues By Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Subscribers to my Sharing with Writers newsletter sometimes ask me questions for the “Q&A a la Ann Landers” section. One of my favorites was on blurbs (also called endorsements). They are so important to the health of our books that I got excited anew! THE AUTHOR ASKED: Do you accumulate quotes as people mention your book? How do you use them? AND I SAID, OR PRACTICALLY BLURTED: Oh, how I love this topic. Until recently I didn’t ask for quotes from really famous authors, so I’m eager to keep new or emerging authors from making that same mistake. Also—even with a background in journalism and publicity—I didn’t have any blurbs put on the back of my first novel because I thought my traditional publisher would do that for me. They didn’t! Those were my two biggest blurb booboos! And I made them because the book business is very different from industries that seem similar, industries that I have experience in like PR, journalism, and marketing. Other than those two biggies here are some tips I’ve gleaned since my booboo days. Keep positive comments (from any source). They can be about our expertise or about our books. In The Frugal Book Promoter (http://budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo), I suggest that authors keep folders that will eventually make up the innards of their media kits very early on. I tell how to do it in detail, but for the purpose of blurbs, you just need a folder titled BLURBS or PRAISE—and then remember to pop the quotes into it as they occur. That’s actually the hard part. It’s hard to remember to pay attention so we can identify positive comments that can be converted to blurbs. Hard to get up the courage to ask permission to use them. Here’s how we can use blurbs: 1. Vary the blurb you use in your e-mail signature or the credit line of your freelance articles. (There is more on the importance of using e-mail signature and articles to promote in The Frugal Book Promoter too!) 2. Put your blurbs on a special page in your media kit titled something like “Praise for The Frugal Book Promoter.” Actually, I sometimes use a page that says, “Unsolicited Praise for The Frugal Book Promoter” because the word “unsolicited” carries so much more clout. Continued on page 28 ...
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3. Blurbs may sometimes be used in a query letter. 4. Use blurbs on your postcards, bookmarks, even business cards. (You do use postcards for special events, don’t you?) 5. Put blurbs on the poster you take with you to book signings. 6. Use a blurb as a footer on your stationery. 7. Use one or more blurbs on handouts you give when you speak or appear at book fairs or signings. 8. One author who writes books for business people has a blurb printed on her checks. 9. When you publish your book in another format or in another edition, put a page of your favorite blurbs either at the very front of the book or in the backmatter. This may sound brassy to you, but it’s often done by the most prestigious publishers. I think you get the idea. Blurbs, even if they aren’t from the most famous people, help sell books. But please don’t avoid asking for famous blurbs. I asked Dan Poynter to endorse the new edition of The Frugal Book Promoter, and he was back with a blurb within the day. That is the kind of a validation that no one should hesitate to stick their necks out for. Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. The Frugal Book Promoter is the winner of the USA Book News award and the coveted Irwin Award. Learn more about Carolyn, including her fiction and poetry, at www.howtodoitfrugally.com. And don’t forget to check out the Writers Resources pages on that Web site, too. Author U folks will like the lists of accessible contests, media release disseminators, Masters of Fine Arts programs, and tons more under Author Resources.
“Author U is the premier authoring resource in the country, creating community, education, guidance, vision, and success for the serious author.”
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What Makes a Great Page Layout? By Michele DeFilippo
Note: Michele and her company 1106 Design will sponsor the Eaglet track on Thursday, May 1st, at this year’s Extravaganza.
If your page layout is “off,” readers won’t be able to describe the problem in technical terms, but they might show their displeasure by not purchasing your book. Instead of a welcoming page layout, they may perceive your book as difficult to read or “cheap.” If you are thinking of doing your own layout, consider this: Only beginning self-publishers use a word processor for page layout—not established publishers. However, buying expensive design software is not the answer. The learning curve to use such software is steep, and the software will not teach you the nuances of page design, nor will it design the page for you. Instead, take the money you would spend on software and hire a professional book designer. So what makes a page layout say “read me”? • Applies to your publication. Novels, nonfiction, directories, and manuals all use different page layouts; the layout for one will not work for another. •
Invites the reader in and subtly leads the eye from one section to the next. The right fonts, careful spacing, and a pleasing arrangement work together to make reading a pleasure instead of a chore. Your text should have an even “color” that’s easy on the eyes and increases reading comprehension.
•
Unusual page size. Standard page sizes are easier for printers, but you are not obligated to choose these page sizes.
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Exceptional paper. With hundreds of colors, finishes, weights, and textures available, your designer can obtain paper samples and help you choose one that enhances the perceived value of your book.
Many book design conventions, while not perceptible to the reader, give your book a polished appearance. These include •
Eliminating spaces between words that create distracting “rivers” in your text.
•
Fixing paragraphs where the last line consists only of a word with less than five characters or a word fragment.
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•
Banishing “ladders”—too many hyphens at the end of sentences create a ladder effect.
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Eliminating word stacks—when the same word falls one above the other on several consecutive lines of text.
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Manually adjusting overly tight or loose lines of text.
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Making sure the text ends at the same baseline on every page.
Good page layout is not only about knowing the rules; it’s knowing how and when to bend or break them on a case-by-case basis that makes the difference between an amateur layout and a professional one. Michele DeFilippo owns 1106 Design, a Phoenix-based company that offers cover design, interior design and layout, manuscript editing, and more with expert self-publishing advice and hand-holding every step of the way. Please visit http://1106design.com to download her free e-book, Publish Like the Pros: A Brief Guide to Quality Self-Publishing. Special offer for Author U members: AU members will receive a 5% discount with 1106 Design. Enter code “AU-FivePercentDiscount” in the “Additional Notes” section on our order form.
Why Join Author U? A good question. Here’s your answer: If you want the latest in marketing strategies and how-tos for Authors … join. If you want high content information to make your Authoring life successful … join. If you want to work with Publishing Professionals who will make your book and you shine—many who offer special rates and discounts to Author U members … join. If you want to be within a Community of Authors … join. If your goal is to be successful … join.
If you don’t want any of that, if you want to gaze and just think about writing and publishing, if you aren’t committed … don’t. (Scroll to the end of this newsletter to view AU benefits)
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The Technology and Tips Toolbox
5 Tips for Growing Your YouTube Following By Kelly Johnson
Note: Kelly will present a session on Working with Virtual Assistants to Excel Your Success at this year’s Extravaganza. Almost half of all social media users (47%) have shared a YouTube video within the last month. (http://socialhabit.com/secure/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/The-SocialHabit-2012-by-Edison-Research.pdf) You Tube is the second most used search engine behind Google (and Google owns YouTube). Many people have shared with me that they want to use video more for promoting their programs, products, and services, but they still struggle with how best to market their videos through YouTube. Here are 5 tips for increasing your YouTube following: Tip #1: Try to keep domain URLs and channel names short. Capitalize the first letter in each word in your links to help differentiate between individual words (“www. MyBookBusiness.com” is easier to read and understand at a glance than “www.mybookbusiness.com”). Remember that the longer your URL (whether it is clickable or not), the longer time you should allow for your URL to be displayed at the end of your video, so that people have an opportunity to make note of it before the video ends or the frame fades out. Tip #2: Create powerful titles for your videos. How can you create a powerful title? What should you include in a title? • • • •
Make sure it includes the word “video.” Video is one common keyword that people use when searching for topics they want to see on video. Include a keyword or keyword phrase. Indicate the type of video, such as tutorial, How To, Intro To, Review, etc.
Tip #3: Record your Google+ Hangouts. You can share them on YouTube, but please be sure any participants in the hangouts you record give their permission!
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Tip #4: Include a “Call to Action” in your videos. You can have an image with a call to action message in your video, spotlight the call to action text, or use speech balloons. Tip #5: Make sure that any music clip you use for your video is either instrumental or not distracting to the content of your video. You want viewers to focus on the content of your video message, not on the words being played in a music clip. Instrumental music clips are a great way to add interest and mood to your video without having the words of a song be distracting. Stay tuned for more tips!
To your success,
Kelly
Kelly Johnson works with authors to manage technical, creative, and administrative projects for their businesses and books. She’s an article-writing coach, does blog and website maintenance, knows how to implement an online shopping cart strategy, and is the principal of Cornerstone Virtual Assistance. She can be reached at kjohnson@cornerstoneva.com. Her site is www.cornerstoneva.com. The Next, Next Thing in Publishing The Book Shepherding concept is simple: The publishing world is changing … and so must you. You need an experienced Shepherd and Guide to partner with you as you create, strategize, develop, publish, and achieve your publishing goals. You can’t do it alone without paying the price … you can spend your money creating a book that turns out to be soso; or you can create a book that looks and feels classy, builds your brand, and is a financial success. A best-seller. It’s your choice – you choose.
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How To Do Your Own eBook Distribution By Amy Collins
Kindle, Kobo, iBooks, Nook, Sony, Blio…. Here are some questions that keep authors up nights: 1. What is the best way to get my e-book up on all the major platforms? 2. How do I get set up? 3. What files do I use? 4. Do I use Smashwords? BookBaby? 5. Do I need to pay someone a cut or a fee to do my e-book distribution? AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH! Here are the answers: 1. The best way to get your e-book out up on all major platforms is to spend an hour setting up accounts with Kindle, Nook, Kobo, Googlebooks, and iTunes. The rest can wait. Seriously. Kindle alone is over 90% of e-book sales; so with Nook, Kobo, Googlebooks and iTunes included, you are ALL SET. 2. How do I get set up? EASY! Here are the links you need to set up your own accounts: KINDLE https://kdp.amazon.com/self-publishing/signin NOOK http://pubit.barnesandnoble.com/ KOBO https://secure.kobobooks.com/auth/Kobo/login iBOOKS https://itunesconnect.apple.com/ (make sure you have a MAC for this one… they do not let PC’s upload files) GOOGLEBOOKS https://books.google.com/partner/add-books-form Continued on page 34 ...
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3. The files you will need are .epub and .prc. Most ebook platforms use .epub, but Kindle needs a .prc (or .mobi) file to look really good. If you don’t know anyone who can turn your word document or pdf into a .epub or .prc file, e-mail me at info@newshelves.com, and I will get you hooked up. DO NOT pay more than $1 a page for this service. Too many authors are paying WAY too much! 4. You CAN use Bookbaby and Smashwords to do your book. They are both great companies, but they take a cut of your sales and very often the look of your e-book is not as professional or as top line as it should be. If you don’t mind giving up a percentage of your sales, they are a good option. 5. For about an hour of your time as an investment, however, you can EASILY set up your own accounts. (At this point, I want to remind you all of something we here at New Shelves OFFER E-BOOK DISTRIBUTION. We do it every day. I am telling you, you DO NOT NEED US to do your e-book distribution…. You can do it yourselves and save yourself the 50 cents a unit we charge or the hefty percentage that our competition charges. You can do it.) 6. As for the AAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH portion of the process? Here is an e-book account setup worksheet that will allow you to pull all the information you need into one place before you start, and that way you can move easily through the set up process on each platform. Download from: (http://bit.ly/1hEOUJI) Amy Collins has over 25 years’ experience selling and marketing books. In 2006 Amy created a book sales company which quickly turned into New Shelves Distribution, the fastest-growing book distribution company in North America. New Shelves offers book sales, warehousing, distribution and marketing services as well as consulting and marketing for publishers and authors. www.newshelves.com. Amy and her team are committed to being of service and sharing their book and sales experience. She can be reached at amy@newshelves.com
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The USPS Has Done It Again … Postage Rates Take a Hike! By Judith Briles
What do postage rates and Social Security taxes have in common? They increase … not necessarily yearly, but guaranteed, they will increase. At the end of January, the USPS rolled out the latest rates. That snail mail letter will now cost you three cents more and the trusty post card, another penny. There are several mail classes, including First Class Package Service, Priority Mail® and Priority Mail Express® along with many special services where rate changes were implemented, beginning on January 26, 2014. Here’s a summary of the 2014 USPS postage rate increase, effective immediately: • First Class Letters (1 oz.) will increase by three cents to $0.49 from $0.46. Each additional ounce will cost an extra $0.21 (up one cent from 2013). • NEW - The USPS has introduced a new First Class letter rate for the “Metered Mail” category, which includes online postage providers and postage meters. This new rate would be $0.48, one cent below the retail rate of $0.49 for First Class Letters. • First Class Flats (1 oz.) will increase by six cents to $0.98 from $0.92. Each additional ounce will cost an extra $0.21 (up one cent from 2013). • Postcard rates will increase by one cent to $0.34 from $0.33. • Priority Mail Express products include - Retail Flat Rate, Padded Flat Rate, and Legal Flat Rate envelopes — $19.99 - Flat Rate Boxes — $44.95 - Domestic Priority Mail Flat Rate products retail prices start at $5.60. • Priority Mail Commercial Base (online postage) rates will continue to start at $5.05 and in some weight ranges and zones, the prices will be reduced compared to 2013. • Priority Mail Express Commercial Base (online postage) rates will increase by an average of 3% and will start at $16.95 (previously at $13.09). • First Class Package Service will see an average increase of 5% in 2014. • NEW - A new morning delivery service option will become available for Priority Mail Express.
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For an extra $5.00 fee, Priority Mail Express packages can be delivered to their destinations by 10:30 a.m. • NEW - Priority Mail International: The maximum weight for Rate Group 2 (Mexico) has been increased to 70 lbs. from 44 lbs. • NEW - Commercial Plus Pricing: The minimum annual package volume threshold for cubic pricing and other Commercial Plus offerings will be lowered to 50,000 packages. • NEW - The following countries are now also eligible for USPS Tracking™: Estonia, Finland, Gibraltar, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Portugal, and Singapore. So, what’s an author to do if you don’t do all your bill paying, thank yous, and communications online? Buy a roll (or several) of Freedom Forever stamps. Sold at the current rate per stamp of first class mail … they are good even after the rates pop up. Also, it’s smart to have a few sheets of one cent stamps (for post cards) and three cent stamps (for regular mail) stamps in your desk.
Judith Briles is known as The Book Shepherd, the Author and Publishing expert and the Founder and Chief Visionary Officer of Author U, and will deliver a talk not to be missed at this year’s Extravaganza: How to Create a $1,000,000 Speech Out of Your Book. Follow @AuthorU and @MyBookShepherd on Twitter, and do a “Like” at AuthorU and The Book Shepherd, Judith Briles on Facebook. Join the Author U LinkedIn Group and the Author U Google+ Community. If you want to create a book that has no regrets, contact her at Judith@Briles.com.
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How Do You Have a Book Signging with an eBook? By Dan Poynter
How does an author sign an e-book? That depends. What is the purpose of a book signing? For you: To bring attention to a book. For the venue: To attract people to the store.
Terri Lonier says “Never do an autographing; always offer a mini seminar. Attract buyers to your book performance.”
An autograph party says, “Come and appreciate me (and buy a book)”; a seminar says, “Come on down, and I will give you something free (information) that will improve your life.” Always think of the benefit to the potential customer. How can you lure them out of the house, away from the TV, and down to the store? Autographings are not a party in your honor—you and your book are not even known yet. Your appearance is a promotional opportunity, and you, the author, are the draw. Where is the best venue for a book signing? Until bookstores find a way to sell e-books, they will not be interested in hosting you. On the other hand, there are more-focused venues to get together with your readers. If you have a book on cats, a pet store would be a matching venue. The store wants more cat lovers to come through their doors. If you offer a mini seminar, they should not mind if you hand out brochures with directions on how to download your e-book. These mini seminars may lead to longer presentations to other groups at other locations—for money. When your parents taught you not to write in books, they did not know they were raising an author who would autograph them.
Dan Poynter is the author of 130 books and will speak at the Extravaganza on Targeting Potential Customers, something every author needs. His website is http://ParaPub.com
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Courting Catalogs and Bulk Sales By Penny C. Sansevieri
Note: Penny will deliver the Deep Dive Dinner Workshop at the Extravaganza on May 1st: How to Sell More Books … Now!
Have you ever dreamed of selling your book to a catalog or large corporation? A sale like that would register several thousand copies of non-returnable product on the book sale meter. The trick is knowing who to pitch and when. Before you embark on this type of a project, it's important to understand the possibilities: these include incentives, gift basket inserts, sales to catalog companies, corporate buys. All these can be fantastic ways to gain some extra momentum for your book. The first step with this is to identify your market. Where does your book fit into this market and where could they use it? For example, a number of years ago I stumbled onto an event company that was planning a lot of corporate retreats to golf courses. The company would organize gift baskets for the executive sleeping rooms so when they arrived, they had a lovely "welcome to the retreat" basket. This sparked an idea. At the time we were working on a golf book that would have been a perfect gift for them. When I offered it to them, they got in touch with the author and purchased several thousand copies of this book. The key here is to start being aware of incentive items you might see and understand how they are used. Many are offered as consumer gifts or incentives while others are used as training tools or morale boosters for employees. You may have to do some research because, if you're going after a corporate target, you want to find one that aligns with your book in some way. Thirteen years ago when I was first in business, it was pretty easy to place books with companies and even airlines. I once coordinated a purchase for Southwest Airlines that took less than a week to close. Things have changed. Companies are more selective about what they buy, some no longer buy, and others have limited any incentive buys to once a year. Some examples of bulk sales might be •
Books offered at yearly company sales meetings
•
Books offered to consumers at a discount (consumers are usually asked to send in product UPC's to qualify for these specials)
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Books offered to new customers at financial institutions
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Books offered to new home buyers
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Catalog sales
Corporate Buys Once you analyze your book and the appropriate market, you're going to want to put together a sales pitch. The pitch needs to be sharp and educational. Most of the folks you are going to be pitching may have never Continued on page 39 ...
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Catalog and Bulk Sales: Continued from page 38....
dealt with bulk buys before. They won't know the benefits of offering a book; they won't see the immediate tie-in with their audience or the benefit of buying your books in bulk, so you'll have to spend some time telling them why. The why, however, should be pretty easy. First, books have a higher perceived value. If you've ever been given a swag bag, you know that much of it gets forgotten or discarded, but people are less inclined to toss a book. It has more value to the person receiving it. Second, you may want to share with your potential buyer some of the successes you've had with the book, such as reviews, blurbs, etc. All these things are positive. You might even note other sales you've made (unless it's a competing company!). Also, if you are doing a short print run, remind them that the books can be customized with their company logo and perhaps even a letter from the president of their organization. If you're going after a particular market and are trying to locate companies within that industry, try doing a search in Google. Your search should look like this: "your industry and companies". Next, don't overlook companies in your own backyard. Think about industries, companies, and organizations in your area that might work well for your book, and begin going after them. Many times, local companies will welcome the opportunity to support hometown authors. Once you've put your list together, you'll want to create a pitch packet. While most of the pitching we do now is via e-mail, when it comes to bulk sales to companies, we'll generally do a pitch packet that includes a book, endorsements, blurbs, and a cost breakdown of the book. Keep in mind that you'll likely have to offer a significant discount to get them to buy. For example, you could offer 45% all the way up to 80% if the buy is big enough. When you start to get into big numbers like 5,000 -10,000, etc., I recommend doing an offset print run to drop the cost of the book. Short print runs are always more expensive. Corporate buys can take a bit of time, so start early. Most companies decide on gift or incentive items months in advance of the event. You'll need to follow up, and that's really important. Most of the companies will not just call you when they get your packet. You'll need to call, follow up, and if you're lucky to get a call or a meeting, be ready to lead with the benefits. Catalogs & Stores This is another area where your book can shine, but be cautious; unlike in the corporate arena, there's a lot of competition here. First and foremost, you'll want to identify the right catalog(s) to pitch. You can find a listing here: http://www.catalogs.com/. Once you locate the catalog, you'll need to search the site for submission information. If it's not there (and it may not be), you'll have to call them. Be warned: you may get the runaround. This isn't intentional. Most of the phone reps you'll come in contact with are there to handle customer issues and know very little about sales. You'll have to be persistent and, if necessary, ask for a manager. The same is true for stores like Bed, Bath, and Beyond; Home Goods Store; Home Depot; Macy's; etc. If you're lucky, you'll be able to find the submission information on their website, but in most cases you'll need to call. You will get bounced around a bit; but if you persist (just like the catalogs), you'll eventually succeed. As with corporate pitching, you'll need a package (though in some cases, you'll submit your information online); but unlike corporate pitching, you won't have to convince them to buy. They know you're submitting to make a sale, but I do recommend that you send them pricing for various purchase points. Use 0-1,000, 1,001-5,000, Continued on page 40 ...
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and so on. You may not have this pricing handy, but a quick call to a printer should get you estimates on printing your book in these quantities. Gift Shops & Specialty Stores This is another area that's often overlooked. We were working with a cancer book recently that we sold into a few hospital gift shops with big or well-known cancer wards. Gift shops, whether in a hospital, amusement park, museum, or some other tourist location, can be a great way to push copies of your book into the exact perfect market. I was in Vegas recently and saw a self-published book on Vegas mob history in several of their gift shops. Perfect fit, right? I asked the shop owners how they found these books, and they said, "Often the authors pitch us; if it's a good fit, we'll make a buy." I find this is true for most stores. Consider any store that might be appropriate to your market, regardless of the size. We've sold books to church bookstores who continue to order copies year after year. I have one title I placed in a church store 7 years ago, and they continue to reorder it. Imagine those sales numbers! Be open and creative with your pursuit of bulk sales! There are a lot of possibilities out there to sell lots of copies of your book, and the more niche you can get, the better. How long does this process take? As mentioned above, I've seen bulk sales turn around in a week, while others take a year or more to complete. Oh, and the most important part... how many books can you plan to sell? Anywhere from one thousand to several thousand, depending on the deal and the company. With the right book and the right targets, sales like this are not only a great way to gain exposure of your book, in the end, they make great "cents."
Penny C. Sansevieri, CEO and founder of Author Marketing Experts, Inc., is a best-selling author and internationally recognized book marketing and media relations expert. Her company is one of the leaders in the publishing industry and has developed some of the most cutting-edge book marketing campaigns. She is the author of five books, including Book to Bestseller, which has been called the “road map to publishing success.” AME is the first marketing and publicity firm to use Internet promotion to its full impact through The Virtual Author Tour™, which strategically works with social networking sites, blogs, Twitter, Pinterest, Linkedin, YouTube, and relevant sites to push an author’s message into the virtual community and connect with sites related to the book’s topic, positioning the author in his or her market. In the past 24 months, their creative marketing strategies have helped land 11 books on the New York Times Bestseller list. Her website is www.amarketingexpert.com.
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Lick your lips. Whet your appetite. Start salivating. It’s time for …
The Authors Cookbook Author U is gathering up recipes. An author cookbook is in the works. The Authors Cookbook is the working title, most likely waiting for the magic morph to it. The goal is to create a cookbook of favorite Author U member recipes that may have inspired you, created the comfort food needed when a chapter just isn’t coming together, or a favorite dish that creates the happy dance when celebrations are in order. The proceeds of the cookbook will fund the Authors Hall of Fame, our 501c3 organization that rolls out “officially” next year at Extravaganza. Your contribution could be a beverage, appetizer, dessert, side dish, main dish—seafood, poultry, meat, soups, sauce, salad, sandwich, casserole, different cultures/nations/seasons, vegetarian, breads, menus, something for kids, special celebrations, entertaining tips … you name it—we are game for anything. Not sure what the category is? Just call it Miscellaneous … we will figure it out.
We need recipes, tips, and goodies to include—the more, the better. Here’s what we need to have: • How about a brief tidbit on where it came from or how you created it?—of course a short bio as well (as in very short bio of no more than 75 words about you and your book). • Your magic recipe(s). • Nifty name/title for your recipe. • Both prep and cooking time. • If you just happen to have a pic of the finished masterpiece, include the jpg. Submit soon and submit many. You will be acknowledged on both the recipe page and in a special section in the book—that makes you a contributor. Alert … you will not be paid for your participation. You will be able to get a teaspoon of a discount when the books are available for sale. We have to select the final title and get it assembled. This will be an author and publishing community project with all proceeds in sales going to the Authors Hall of Fame. Would you like to be in it? Start sending in your recipes. A J White (author of The Bloomers), Judi Monsour (ghostwriter For the Love of Paprika), and Judith Briles (author of Author YOU) will gather them—they are cooks. They create their own recipes, and they read cookbooks; they will edit, work closely with the interior designer, and get it printed and on the reader’s plate. Send all your recipes to AJ White at: mailto:AJ@Bloomerwise.com Put in subject line: AU cookbook
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BookSmarts How to Work a Room The Ultimate Guide to Making Lasting Connections—in Person and Online by Susan RoAne Most authors would rather keep writing than even think about “working a room” … get over it. In that room, be it real or cyber, are the buyers of your words, your book. Authors must know how to connect. You want Susan RoAne’s hot off the press, new, updated, and revised Silver Anniversary Edition of How to Work a Room. First birthed 25 years ago, it’s had the initial birthday party, a “book mitzvah” at 13 when the author flew in chopped liver from New York, and a champagne reception at 21. This book has steady legs with over 1,000,000 copies sold since it took its first breath. This edition now adds the rooms of how to work Pinterest, Google+, and Instagram. Woven with Susan’s keen sense of humor and savvy insight into all things human, you will find that you smile, laugh out loud, and nod your head with a “that will work for me” as you read through her stories and tips. Think of your next book promotion, the neighborhood gathering, the conclave you are headed to … wouldn’t you like to maximize your time, find and connect with someone who just might be your next cheerleader? Of course you would. When Susan RoAne wrote the first—and what she thought was the only—edition of How to Work a Room back in 1988, she never imagined the tsunami of gizmos and gadgets that technology would bring … and she lived in the outskirts of Silicon Valley … the living, breathing world that those techies who live in San Francisco today have, along with their own exclusive, “white,” unmarked bus that picks up and deposits them at their tech workplaces—who would have thought?! Covering a variety of areas … included (but definitely not limited to): • • • • • •
Practical tips for starting conversations with anyone, anywhere, anytime How to use social media in networking How to work the techno-toy room How to work a conference, convention, and trade show How to get through the five roadblocks that stop most from connecting How to embrace your inner shy person
There are chunks of tips everywhere you read. At the back of the book are “Room”-in-ations that consists of a slew of action steps to take before, during, and after going to any group gathering. What I like is that they are very short, very direct, and very doable. The “Ten Commandments of Connecting: The Gospel According to RoAne” and her “Frequently Asked Questions” at the back of the book are ones that you will want to either download to your smartphone or tablet or do the copy, cut, and carry in the wallet scenario. They are that good. How to Work a Room is highly recommended to any author who wants to be seriously successful—rich with strategies and techniques to get you out there and connected—the Extravaganza is coming in just a few months—a perfect read before you arrive at the Hyatt Regency Hotel-Denver Tech Center … it gets a huge shout out.
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If you are looking for a book manufacturer that can provide both efficient short run digital and offset manufacturing, meet Color House Graphics. CHG offers saddle-stitch, perfect, lay-flat, adhesive/Smythsewn case, and mechanical bindings. Color House Graphics provides flexible production schedules and competitive pricing for short to medium run book projects. These include print quantities from 25-1,000 (digital) and 1000 and up for offset. Color House Graphics is a full-service book manufacturer. No other book manufacturer offers this much versatility combined with our level of personalized service. What really makes us different is our broad state-of-the-art capabilities and our passion for providing great service. Color House Graphics is a custom manufacturer of books and printed media, serving both traditional and non-traditional publishing as well as corporate markets. You can rely on CHG to deliver exceptional products and services, including • Offset: Complete book manufacturing that utilizes traditional offset printing equipment. • Digital: Short run including variable data and digital asset archiving. • Design: Consulting and design services to bring your ideas to print. • Web2Print: Coming Soon! Since 1987, our clients have relied on us for exceptional customer service, flexible scheduling, and quality finished products. We have almost 20 years of experience doing one thing right—helping our customers enjoy the experience of getting what they want. To learn more about Color House Graphics, Inc., you can speak with one of our knowledgeable sales representatives at 800-454-1916. Phil Knight will be at the Extravaganza in May—make sure you talk with him about your next book printing. Phil Knight is the Director of Sales PKnight@ColorHouseGraphics.com Phone 800-454-1916, ext. 240 Fax 616-245-5494 Cell 616-291-7696 Color House Graphics, Inc. 3505 Eastern Avenue Grand Rapids, MI 49508
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Member News
Members, if you have news to share about your writing, your book, and events you are involved in, share it with the Author U community here.
Gail Mencini is HOT, HOT and has created an impressive rollout with the launch of her debut novel this January, To Tuscany with Love. After a hugely successful book party with over 290 books sold, landing at #1 on the Fiction/paper list for Colorado, B&N picking it up, having a review in the Italian America Magazine, and now … Drum roll … The Sons of Italy National Book Club has selected it for its WINTER 2014 title. The Sons of Italy's National Book Club is dedicated to works on Italy and on Italian American issues, themes, and history. Five fiction and non-fiction books largely from mainstream publishing houses are selected each quarter for a total of 20 titles per year. She is the winner of the IBPA University Scholarship as the author U representative.
New Members Andrew Planck grew up in Colorado and, after three years in the Marine Corps following high school, went on to receive two B.A. degrees: one in English Lit. from Colorado State and one in French from the University of Colorado. He is a retired middle school French teacher with a passion for astronomy and music (he plays piano, Highland bagpipes, autoharp, didgeridoo, musical spoons, and sings karaoke). Andrew is a volunteer astronomer at the Little Thompson Observatory in Berthoud, Colorado. His interest in astronomy has resulted in his first book, A Field Guide to the Moon, which he plans to get published this year with the help of Author U resources. He is married and has two grown daughters, both married.
Have You Met Author U’s Premier Partners and Associates? Have you checked out Author U’s Premier Partners and Associate Services pages on the website? Recommended providers from shepherding to illustrating to editing to shipping and everything in between. http://ow.ly/dflYi
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New Members Dale Foote and his wife of 34 years, Debbie, made Colorado home in October of 2012 after growing up in the Seattle area and after living in Boise for nine years. With ties to both Superbowl contenders, Dale looks to the big game as a “can’t lose” experience. Dale and Debbie have two grown sons living in Salt Lake and Nashville. He is entering his third career—after having been a police officer/detective for 15 years and a pastor for twelve, he is now venturing into the field writing. He enjoys reading an eclectic assortment of subjects, hiking, and traveling – Ireland, Wales, England, Africa, Brazil. Debbie is a registered Nurse working in the field of cardiology.
Disa Van Orman is a 6th generation Coloradan. Her businesses range from renovating houses, a dog service, and creating life castings of people and animals and turning them into cold cast bronze sculpture. She also offers holistic health care from aromatherapy to advise on creating a sacred space in hospices to intuitive grief coaching. Due to a recent tragedy, she states, “I am now honored to have been chosen to receive a spiritual gifted book, and I am working on getting it published. This has been as surprising to me as it is to others. Since it came to me in such an amazing way, I feel it is my duty to get the words of my grandson out to the people.” Lori Bachman helps businesses positively change the face of their mentoring strategies. As Founder and Managing Principal of The MentorShift Group, Lori consults and speaks widely about her four-step mentoring system. Her MentorShift® process guides both businesses and individuals toward a lasting way to transfer skills, keep key talent from walking out the door, and favorably impacts the bottom line. Lori invested over twenty-five years in the aerospace industry, where she held key positions in financial planning, merger and acquisition strategy, and leadership development. Her impressive combination of both executive and entrepreneurial experience positions her as a respected thought leader on the topic of mentoring. MentorShift – A Four-Step Process to Improve Leadership Development, Engagement and Knowledge Transfer is due out in March 2014. Barbara J. Dzikowski’s debut novel is Searching for Lincoln’s Ghost, a young adult/ historical novel about coming of age during the turbulent 1960s. Dzikowski earned an undergraduate degree in philosophy and a graduate degree in counseling from Indiana University. These areas of study fueled her desire to create fiction that closely examines the human heart and its complex search for love and meaning. Fascinated by the passion, idealism, and lost hope of the ’60s, she is putting the finishing touches on her second novel, Losing Is Still Ours, which examines the nature of love through the story of two families struggling with the changes and uncertainties of that decade, with a particular focus on the cataclysmic year of 1968.
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New Members Pamela Bryson-Weaver is married and has three children, two with special needs. She has been in the dental field for over thirty years and is co-owner of a dental practice in Canada. Her youngest son, John, has Autism. Author (Living autism day. by.day), speaker, and activist, she is uniquely qualified to speak on Autism and is a past president of the Autism Society in her Province. She met with government members of parliament and worked hard, along with other parents, to raise 1.8 million in funding for therapy. Bryson-Weaver also produced and promoted through Canada’s largest women’s league a resolution on autism that was presented locally, provincially, and nationally and was passed nationally in Canada in 2004. Pamela’s vision is to build a large "community hub" website (www.Livingautismnow.com), which will eventually have an international online presence. The site will be full of information and resources for parents, caregivers, and professionals and offer world-wide workshops, online courses, searchable resources for professionals, therapies, treatments, research, educational and learning facilities, all rated by the website users. The website will empower parents, caregivers, and professionals.
“Author U is the premier authoring resource in the country, creating community, education, guidance, vision, and success for the serious author.”
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Tips Aha #TweeterTip: Are you Tweeting? If you want all your followers to see your tweet in their stream, you MUST start a tweet with a character and not an @username. ie: @AuthorU will send it to Author U (Judith Briles) ... with a character “.” .@authoru sends it to all your followers—just put the period mark in front of the user name. Instead of going to one person, it can go to many thousands.
Great way to Nudge and Remind Yourself: If you want to e-mailing notes to yourself on-the-go in just two clicks (less time than sending yourself an e-mail). Download it from iTunes: http://bit.ly/1drAgjp
Are you into Mind-Mapping? check out Bubble.us for PCs, a free web application for brainstorming online and MindMeister.com. If you are a Mac/iPad/ iOS user, try Simple Mind at http://www.simpleapps.eu/simplemind/.
3 Key Tips for Authors 1. Create an opt-in offer on your website. Offer a special report, a Cheat Sheet that ties into your book or expertise; special coupon discount… be creative! 2. Social media and websites are about building relationships. It’s not “build it and they will come” … you have to go to others, connect-follow-comment as well. 3. Give content, plenty of it. Become the “go-to” resource … whether it’s for humor, entertainment, or easing pain.
If you use DropBox and need more storage … Get the all new Box for iPhone and iPad + 50GB free for iPhone and iPad app from the DropBox competitor. You’ve got until February 14th to get yours! Here’s the link: http://bit.ly/1jCCCEb
How does your website measure up? Visit www.MarketingGrader.com – Thanks to Heather Lutze, our February Brunch and Learn speaker, for this tip: Run the tool and see which components you are missing. It will give you a number between 0 – 100. Remember Google is looking for thought leaders in their niches. Authorship for Google is one of the single biggest update in their algorithm since the search engine was launched. Your number matters, as it shows your “professorship” in your space. A true experts does blog, has a site, has a social presence, has the right mobile settings, etc. The Marketing Grader will give you an idea if you are getting credit for all your activities online. This is a very good thing!
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What does your Author U membership bring? A lot! For only $99 … here’s why you should be a member:
Member
• The Author Resource magazine, published online 9 times a year • All programs designed for the committed and serious author - rates are $15 less for members meetings; $50 for BookCamps … over $100 for the Extravaganza • Reduced attendance costs for monthly programs, BookCamps, and Extravaganza in May • Webinars and Teleseminars (free) exclusive to Author U members • Archive access to all past webinars, radio shows, Google Hangout Air, Author Mentoring Mondays (free) exclusive to Author U members • Attendance at Member-only events: Holiday, Annual BBQ, Tech Toolboxes, and Salons • Book Award discounts: USA Book News, Global eBook Awards • Book Blog Campaign discount: The Cadence Group • Book and Publishing Coaching discounts: The Book Shepherd, Get Published Coach • Book Cover design discounts: NZ Graphics, F+P Design • Book Display discounts: BookDisplays.com • Book Fulfillment and Distribution discounts: Author Fulfillment Services, Pathway Book Service, New Shelves Distribution • Book Interior Designs discounts: WESType Publishing, NZ Graphics, F+P Design, 1106 Design • Book Printing discounts and perks: Sheridan Books, Four Colour Print Group, Thomson-Shore, Color House Graphics, King Printing, MiniBuk, Lightning Source • Book Publicity discounts: Stephanie Barko, New Shelves, Smith PR • Book Review discounts: BlueInk Reviews, Foreword magazine • Book and Audio Cataloging-In-Publication discounts: Donohue Group • e-Books, Audio book discounts: NZ Graphics, Book Baby, Author Fulfillment Services • Credit Card Merchant Service discounts: The Free Terminal • Editing and Indexing services discounts: Editing by John Maling, Patti Thorn, Denver Editor (Linda Lane) • Graphics and Illustrations discounts: NZ Graphics, F+P Design, IllustratingYou • Legal assistance for authors and publishers: Replin, Rhodes, LLC; Legal Shield • National Book Distribution discounts: Pathway Book Service, New Shelves • Online Book Industry Optimization Discount: New Shelves Distribution • Shipping discount: FedEx • Virtual office assistance discounts: Cornerstone Virtual Assistant, 123Employee • Website design and implementation discounts: IllustratingYou, NGNG • Bowker discounts • Bookscan discounts
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It’s always a good idea to review some of Author U’s original fabric. If you are a member, please take a few minutes to read over part of our core guidelines about how the business and the behavior of the authoring/publishing community should treat others.
Code of Ethics The Board of Directors of Author U(niversity) states that establishing and maintaining public confidence in the integrity of authoring and publishing by and through the organization are fundamental to the success and viability of the organization and its membership. In furtherance of its mission to create and sustain the highest levels of public and private integrity of Author U(niversity), the Board of Directors adopts this Code of Ethics. Accepting this Code of Ethics shall be a condition of membership, and fulfilling the terms and conditions and spirit of this Code of Ethics shall be a condition for maintaining membership in Author U(niversity). Actions deemed contrary to any article of this Code by any Author U(niversity) member shall be judged by the Board of Directors in accordance with the policies and procedures stated in the Bylaws of Author U(niversity). Any action deemed a violation of this Code of Ethics may result in disciplinary action, including terminating membership. Such disciplinary action shall be instituted by the Board of Directors. The findings and decisions of the Board of Directors shall be final and binding upon such member or members. No member shall have recourse against Author U(niversity), its directors, officers, members, or employees. The results of any disciplinary action will be formally announced to Author U(niversity) members in The Resource, Author U(niversity)’s e-Magazine. The Board of Directors has the right to decline membership in Author U(niversity) to any applicant if it has knowledge, direct or indirect, of behavior, including speech, of such applicant which would constitute a violation of any provision of the Code of Ethics. By applying for membership to Author U(niversity) and by signing this Code of Ethics, applicant agrees to the following: Article 1: Author U(niversity) members shall treat other members with courtesy, dignity, and respect. Members will respect the personal and business confidentiality of other members. Article 2: Author U(niversity) members shall conduct their business on the highest professional level and not bring discredit to Author U(niversity), its members, or to the publishing profession. Article 3: Author U(niversity) members shall avoid using materials, titles, or thematic creations originated by others, either orally, graphically, or otherwise, unless the use has been approved by the originator. Article 4: Author U(niversity) members shall protect the public and other members against fraud and unfair practices, and shall use his/her best efforts to eliminate any practice that may bring discredit to the publishing profession, to Author U(niversity), or to its members. Article 5: Author U(niversity) members will not engage in any action or practice or agreement that will or will likely unfairly limit or restrain access to the marketplace by any other Author U(niversity) member based upon economic factors, race, creed, color, sex, age, disability, or country of national origin. Article 6: Author U(niversity) members will not engage in any action or practice that takes advantage of or exploits the comparative lack of knowledge or lack of expertise or the financial status of any Author U(niversity) member or member of the public.
Your joining Author U(niversity) and acceptance of membership signifies that you agree to the above.
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Everyone communicates differently. Judith is available and at your service and via whatever channel you prefer to use the most: If you’re a Phone person, here’s the office: 303-885-2207 If you’re a Skype person, here’s Judith Briles’ handle, our CEO: Judith.Briles If you’re a Twitter person, here is the handle: @AuthorU If you’re a Facebook person, here is the page: Facebook.com/AuthorU If you’re a Google+ person, here is the page: Join the Community, Author U If you’re a LinkedIn person, join the Author U group If you’re a Pinterest person, here is the page:
pinterest.com/authoru
If you’re a Snail Mail person, here’s the office address: PO Box 460880, Aurora, CO 80046 If you’re an Impatient person, type an e-mail message to Judith below right now: http://authoru.org/contact-author-u.html