February 2005 Welcome to "The Book Coach Says..." Writing/Publishing/Promoting Your Books and Web Sites Judy Cullins www.bookcoaching.com [EMAIL PROTECTED]
===FEATURE: SHOULD AUTHORS HAVE A BLOG?=== Judy CullinsÂ2005 All Rights Reserved. Do you wonder if you should have a blog (web log) such as we saw during the presidential conventions and on individual sites? These bloggers went to press before the major media, which again proves the power of the Internet. As authors, you can get wide exposure by creating your own blog. You have already bypassed traditional publishing, you have opened your mind to marketing your book on the Internet, so now is the time to see if your book fits the blog craze. For me, who wants to share ongoing questions and answers in a more interactive way other than my Q and A links, it is a perfect way to stay in touch with those who need help in their book journey. What is Blogging? Think of blogging as publishing. Itâs a mini site in a way, where your visitors can come and interact with you, and get answers for their questions. Even if you donât know anything about HTML or building a web site, you can set up your own blog under one hour. What good is your book or business if no one knows about it? Like me, you want more people to know you, your writing talent, and find out more about your topic. Some of you are experts in your topic, and blogs are another way to stay in touch with your targeted market. Itâs free advertising to huge numbers online. Search enginesâ spiders exploring for updated content will see yours. The World Wide Web will see you too. Blogs help to promote yourself, your service or your book, let your visitor see your personal side, and get your unique message out in an interactive forum. Fact: Buying email lists and putting ads out donât do the job well. People won ât open your email if they suspect an ad. And spam filters make this game difficult. More Benefits -When you do what you do best, which is to write, you can promote the best way -Unlike your ezine you send out, blogs bypass spam filters for email. -The RSS (real simple syndication) feeds are like a giant octopus with long tentacles that reach out to your targeted audience. Blogs have unlimited reach and you can create as many as you wish. -Blogs attract not people looking for freebies so much, but your ready buyers-who want solutions for their problem. -Search engines love blogs and RSS feeds -Blogs connect like-minded, passionate people and form a loose community -Blogs give the author feedback that helps the promotion direction What will your blog do for your visitors? Like your web site, people will only read a blog they find interesting, entertaining, and useful. What benefit will your blog bring your visitor? They want content just like your ezine readers do. Decide what your topic is. It probably relates to the book you want people to read and buy. Where to share your blog URL Include your blog URL address in every signature file you send out with each email. Include it on your business cards, and include it in your web bio you use at the bottom of each article you write to send to opt-in ezines and top web sites. How to Get Started While this concept is new, and like me, you are a non-techie, do a little research on other web sites and how other people write their blogs and the comments visitors leave. One I recently visited looked good for me: http://www.marketingforsuccess.com/blog/ Helpful Sites: FactoSystem Weblog (ASP based) http://sourceforge.net/projects/facto/ InstaBlog http://instablog.hit.bg/ OpenJournal http://www.grohol.com/downloads/oj/ GeekLog - The Ultimate Weblog System http://sourceforge.net/projects/geeklog Blogger http://www.blogger.com Authors, small business people, and professionals who want little work and a lot of web traffic and sales will want to try out blogs. ===TELECLASS OPPORTUNITY=== Q & A Online Marketing Seminar for Business and Books $25 on March 30 at 5pm PT / 8pm ET Click www.bookcoaching.com/teleclasses.shtml for more information and to register. Added Value: Early birds who register by March 12 will get new special report: "How Can I use Blogs to Increase my Contacts and Sales?" (Value $10.95) ===COACH'S CORNER==== SPECIFIC INTENTIONS AND SPECIFIC ACTIONS BEAT NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS ANY DAY By now, that weight loss resolution is dead. In fact, I gained four pounds AFTER the holidays. The best laid resolutions go by the way side. If you want people to read your unique ideas to help them to a better life, and to make a lifelong income from your book, you want to go straight to INTENTION. Write your intention down on a 3 by 5 card and post it near your workstation. "I intend to write one chapter, the book's introduction, or ask a few readers for testimonials." Name your finish date or dates. Just choose something small and specific to start. Apply this idea to marketing and promotion too. The specific actions? See the rest on Judy's Web site. ===WHY VISIT JUDY'S SITE?=== 1. Remember to visit my brand new Book and Business Marketing Blog for short answers to common book writing, publishing, and marketing questions. I will answer at least one each week. View them at: http://bookcoaching.com/blog/index.shtml. 2. Check out new posted articles each week to help you finish your book or business project. http://bookcoaching.com/freearticles.shtml ====ABOUT THE AUTHOR==== Judy Cullins, M.A., helps emerging and published authors get their unique, useful message out, become well known in their field, and make consistent monthly income higher than they imagine. She is the author of 15 personal growth and health books and 10 book writing / publishing / promotion books and special reports including "Write Your eBook or Other Short Book - Fast," "Ten Non-Techie Ways to Market Your Book Online," and "How to Create a Web Site with Marketing Pizzazz." A book and Internet marketing coach for 20 years, Judy presents over 70 book/marketing seminars and teleclasses a year. Fifty of her clients have published since 1999. =============== Judy Cullins, 20-year Book and Internet Marketing Coach works with small business people who want to make a difference in people's lives, build their credibility and clients, and make a consistent life-long income. Author of 10 eBooks including "Write your eBook Fast," "The Fast and Cheap Way to Explode Your Targeted Web Traffic," and "Create your Web Site With Marketing Pizzazz," she offers free help through her 2 monthly ezines, "The BookCoach Says...," "Business Tip of the Month," and blog Q & A at http://www.bookcoaching.com/opt-in.shtml and over 165 free articles. Email her at [EMAIL PROTECTED] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND WHILE USING ARTICLES POSTED ON THE GROUP: 1. Print the article in its entirety. Don't make any changes in the article . 2. Print the resource box with all articles in their entirety. 3. Send the Author a copy of the reprinted article or the URL where the articles was posted. Anything short of following these three rules is a violation of the Authors Copyright. Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ReprintArticles-Paradise/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
