Biz Tips Blog: Internet Marketing Tips

Books, Blogs and Renewal

This afternoon I'm leaving for Santa Barbara, a two hour drive up the coast, for a weekend retreat for the Society of Childrens Book Writers and Illustrators.  The Blog Squad are featured speakers about how to use a blog to promote your book.  The theme of the conference is cyber promotion for authors.

The ironic thing is that the conference location is the Old Santa Barbara Mission Renewal Center, where there is no Internet connection.  So what's a girl to do when you're presenting about an Internet application?

Why use screen cast videos of course. And of course Patsi and I will just have to use our charming personalities to convey the positive impact a blog can have on an author's marketing efforts.

This will be an intimate gathering of about 25 authors so I expect it will be not only a good opportunity to spread the blogging gospel, but a relaxing weekend as well in a beautiful, peaceful place.

Lifehacker: 88 Tech Tricks

I got the coolest book yesterday.  It's a book, based on blog posts from the popular Lifehacker blog (what a great idea...a book from a blog!).  The book, Lifehacker: 88 tech tricks to turbocharge your day is filled with great tips about how to be more productive using technology.

Hacks for reducing disruptions, automating tasks and controlling email got my attention.  It's all about productivity, from your computer to your work space and using tools to help you rather than distract you.

Wake Up...Live the Life Your Love Co-Author Opportunity

In a bit of a departure for Conversations with Experts, our 53rd Conversation featured Steven E and Lee Beard of Team Publishing, with us to talk about a specific publishing opportunity.

For their popular series Wake Up...Live the Life You Love, Steven and Lee are looking for authors to contribute to their 17th book along with Anthony Robbins and Wayne Dyer, on the subject of "finding your purpose."

Team Publishing already has 10 bestsellers to their credit and their program includes a comprehensive marketing training and support to help authors learn how to sell and leverage the book to build professional credibility and build their business.

Normal turnaround with a traditional publisher (if you can get a deal with an established publisher) is 12 to 18 months. Each book in the Wake Up series is published in 6 to 8 months.

You don't have to be a great writer. Simply write your story, from your heart, in about 1200 words. Their professional editors massage your words to best effect and to blend with with the rest of the contributions. You benefit by being a co-author with big, established celebrities and have a real, physical book to your credit.

Having a published book has been proven to open doors for professionals, writers, speakers, coaches and others.

You can get more details about their program here: http://www.wakeuplive.com/19/

Audio program is 55 minutes.

Conversation with Experts is hosted by The Blog Squad, Denise Wakeman and Patsi Krakoff.

Bestselling Book Creates Credibility

Conversations with Experts presents...

How to Get Instant Credibilty with a Bestselling Book
Wednesday, July 19, 2006, 8:30 p.m. ET (no charge, registration required)
Guest Expert: Steven E, Wake Up...Live the Life You Love

You too can be a best selling author with the Wake Up...Live the Life You Love series. We give you Instant Credibility... and take you to the best seller list. We have 3 programs in 1. First, we take you through the publishing process starting with your story submission. Next, we teach you how to build your business with a book through our exclusive Millionaire Book Marketing Method. As a bonus, we produce a book and take you to the best seller list. You will be able to say that you are a best selling author for the rest of your life. We currently have 12 million stories in print around the world.

NOTE:  This Conversation is a bit of departure for The Blog Squad.  We have had a lot of requests for information about how to get published fast and easy so we are bringing you the experts from TEAM Publishing so you can learn about this powerful program for getting into print fast.

Steven E is an author, speaker and creator of the highly regarded Wake Up...Live the Life Your Love series. These books include Steven E's thoughts on living a life full of wonder and excitement. Steven E has spent his adult life as an entrepreneur, building financially successful businesses. He is known around the world as an inspirational speaker helping people awaken to their full potential.

Register:  www.ConversationsWithExperts.com

If you cannot attend the live event, you may pre-order the audio program and save 50%.  Pre-order now for only $4.95.

Conversations with Experts: How to Build Your Business On and Off-line
Hosted by Denise Wakeman and Patsi Krakoff.

Conversations with Experts is sponsored by Build a Better Blog System.

Penny Sansevieri Shares Her Secrets on Savvy Book Promotion

Penny Sansevieri, CEO of Author Marketing Experts, was the 52nd guest on Conversations with Experts.

The first, and most important point that Penny stressed for creating a successful book marketing campaign, was to complete a Reader Profile BEFORE anything else.

You need to do your Internet research, "cast the net wide" and then refine the list of websites and blogs to whom you will pitch your book. Go for the "big fish" only: post frequently, they stay on point, and their audience matches your reader profile demographics. Research can take anywhere from 48 hours to 10 days.

Stats:

• A study from Columbia University found that 79% of traditional media find experts online.
• 81% of Americans want to write and publish a book.
• Over 500 books are published EVERY DAY.

Most authors give up on promoting their book after 90 days. A study by the Publishers Marketing Associations shows that it can take an author an average of 2 years to recoup their expenses. Think about what else you can sell besides your book that will complement your book.

There was so much more. To get the lowdown and learn the bonus secret about getting on Oprah, get the audio here.  Audio program is 52 minutes.

Conversations with Experts is hosted by The Blog Squad: Denise Wakeman and Patsi Krakoff.

Super Savvy Self Promotion for Your Book

Conversations with Experts presents...

Super Savvy Self Promotion for Your Book
Wednesday, July 12, 2006, 8:30 p.m. ET (free, registration required)
Guest Expert: Penny Sansevieri, Author Marketing Experts

Marketing a book doesn't have to be an overwhelming task. All it takes is some time, careful planning and a dash of creative thinking. This program combines savvy ideas with effective and cost-effective trategies to get your book the attention it deserves. We'll even discuss free marketing opportunities available to all authors! You'll learn what marketing options offer the biggest payoffs in sales and what traditional methods are best to avoid. Bonus: You'll also learn how to get free publicity for your book!

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". To learn more about her books or her promotional services, you can visit her web site at www.amarketingexpert.com.

Register:  www.ConversationsWithExperts.com

If you cannot attend the Conversation, you can pre-order the audio program for only $4.95.  The audio will be $9.95 after the Conversation.  Save 50% and pre-order now.

Conversations with Experts: How to Build Your Business On and Off-line
Hosted by Denise Wakeman and Patsi Krakoff.

Conversations with Experts is sponsored by Build a Better Blog System.

New Books on the Shelf

A few new books have landed on my shelf recently.

Of course I'm browsing through Andy Wibbels' Blogwild! and I will be looking over Blogging for Business by Shel Holtz and Ted Demopoulos soon as well.

I'm currently sitting in on a class about Growing your Business with Google with Dave Taylor (who wrote the book by the same name and which is excellent) and Steven Van Yoder so I picked up Steve's book, Get Slightly Famous.  Finally in keeping with getting famous, I also am going through Robert Bly's book Become a Recognized Authority in Your Field in 60 Days or Less.

Really, what these books all have in common is that they are guides to building your business and leveraging your expertise.  Now I just have to get through them all and apply what I learn!

Tom Evslin, Dot Com Pioneer Talks about Blooks

Blooks - More choice for readers; more opportunity for authors
Wednesday, November 30, 2005, 8:30 p.m. ET - FREE
Guest Expert: Tom Evslin, Hackoff.com

Book publishing is undergoing the same Internet-induced disruptive change in  marketing, promotion and distribution that has confounded the traditional music industry.  Readers benefit from increased choice and online access to content including fiction; authors will benefit from reduced barriers to publication.

Blogs are both a new distribution platform for fiction and a new marketing and promotional channel.  Although some readers will always prefer a book they can hold in their hands, online books can have interactive features which traditional books don’t including reader interaction, subscription by email or RSS feed, and linked online support material.

hackoff.com: an historic murder mystery set in the Internet bubble and rubble is written by Tom Evslin, the exCEO of an Internet company who is a well-known blogger.  The blook (book on a blog) includes a faux company website, an online store, a wiki, and a user forum. Although the book will have a hard-cover edition, the Internet is its first distribution platform and the basis for its publicity campaign.

Tom Evslin was founder Chairman and CEO of ITXC Corp. The NASDAQ-listed company grew from startup in 1997 to the world’s leading provider of wholesale VoIP. Evslin conceived, launched, and ran AT&T’s first ISP, AT&T WorldNet Service. WorldNet popularized all-you-can-eat flatrate monthly pricing for Internet access. Evslin has been blamed and praised for this ever since. He is unrepentant. At Microsoft, Evslin was responsible for Microsoft Exchange and for overcoming the lead Lotus then had with cc:mail and Notes.

Evslin’s software company, Solutions, developed the first commercial EFT software.  Solutions was the first developer of commercial communications software for the Macintosh and developed Glue (a predecessor of Adobe Acrobat). blog.tomevslin.com is a popular read.

Register:  www.ConversationswithExperts.com

Conversations with Experts: How to Build Your Business On and Off-line
Hosted by Denise Wakeman and Patsi Krakoff.

Conversations with Experts is sponsored by Build a Better Blog System.

More on Dave Taylor

Quick follow up to my post about Dave Taylor being our guest this coming week on Conversations with Experts.  Dave is the author of recently published book Growing Your Business with Google, one of the main factors in inviting him to speak with our audience.  Dave has a companion blog for the book.  There's a lot of interest in this topic so we figured we would go straight to the expert!  Join us on Wednesday.

Build a Better Blog: 2nd Edition is Published

You may still be on the fence about blogging...and waiting to sort out what’s real from all the hype. I guess you could say blogs are the latest "fad" for businesses.

AND, you don’t want to miss this opportunity! Blogs are truly great for driving business, getting more clients, and getting known as a professional with credibility and expertise in your field.  Blog are here to stay, precisely because they are easy to manage, control and get high rankings on the search engines.

But how do you start? What do you do, when there is so much information out there about blogs?

Our advice is to start with a clear and simple ebook, designed for independent professionals, coaches, consultants, speakers and small business owners.

The Blog Squad, aka Denise Wakeman and Patsi Krakoff, have just finished the second edition of their ebook, Build a Better Blog: The Ultimate Guide to Boosting Your Business with a Professional Blog.

You can get it now and for the next two days for $10 off.