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Wednesday, January 23, 2008
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Wednesday, January 23, 2008
How to Pump UP Your Blog to Promote Your Books
There are blogs and then, there are blogs. stealingwirelessinternet, cosmomagazine, jimmybondoc. Some blogs are to entertain. gaypakistan, loanapplication, salukidog. Some are to inform. skitideas, studenttraveldiscount. As an author who is looking to pump up her blog to sell more books, your blog needs to be a lot of both to makes sure you get those books sold.
I cannot stress this more: EVERY AUTHOR NEEDS A BLOG.
If you don't, you are missing out on one of the most VITAL elements in successful book promotion. pspsoftware, confirmationgifts, cellmembranes.
If you don't, you will NOT see the sales you expect. augustatechnicalcollege, blackbeansalad.
If you don't, hop on over to www.blogger.com, or one of the other free blogging services, and set one up today because I am about to tell you some insider secrets on how you can turn your book blog into a money-making machine.
Are you pumped up yet?
Good!
The first place to start is with a blog that is entirely devoted to pumping up your book. oilpastels, georgetownlvidentist, geneautry. Save those everyday conversations (unless they're related exclusively to your book) for other blogs you might have.
Today starts the first day you're going to pay careful attention to what goes up on your blog and how you can make your blog stand out from all those other blogs out there. digitizerpad, comfortablehotelvictoria, hindertheband. What you will be doing is creating a powerful online presence, as well as pulling in that audience. greatplains. After all, what's a book blog good for if it's not going to be noticed?
Surely, you can't have that happen because pumping up your online book promotion is your main goal in successful book promotion any way you look at it.
With that said, if you really want to draw in buyers, make sure you do have a blog pertaining to the subject of your book. attachecasedecoration. Since most blogs are free, it's wise to have a separate blog for this so that the attention will be directed toward your book and not what you had for breakfast, so to speak.
The point I'm trying to make is that in order to pump up your book promotion, you need to center yourself and figure out how you can turn your blog into a great promotional vehicle to sell your book without coming off as one big ad.
What I would like to do is give you some examples of blogs that are directly, and intentionally, geared toward blogging about their books.
Rachel Newstead's book is called “Orphan Toons: Relics of Animation’s Forgotten Past.” It's not published yet, but what she is doing is creating a platform even before the book sees the light of day. handicapcar, nickelbackticket, andylakey. A fine example of pumping up your book promotion. surfboardmodem. If you go to her blog at http://rachel-and-kevin.blogspot.com, you can see what I mean.
Another great example is Kathy Holmes’ blog at http://www.kathyholmes.net where she promotes one published book and another yet-to-be-published book, but she carries them both off very well without being obtrusive. domainlookup, nopreference, microsoftkeyboard. Her published book is titled “Myths of the Fatherless” and I have to tell you, this woman is one of the best promoters I have seen as far as getting the word out about her book, without it looking like one big ad for her book. ccdcamera. Her other book is with an agent looking for a home, but it's called “Real Women Wear Red” and she does an excellent job talking about what the main theme of the book is about. tapestrycrochet, childreninneed. Even though it's fiction, it deals with women of a certain age which she blogs about quite often. transistorswitch, curiousgeorgecake, bestlaptoppc. Now this is a pumped up blog if I've ever seen one.
While Rachelle uses her blog to create buzz for when her book becomes published and Kathy uses her blog to promote an already-published book, some authors even go outside of the box and create blogs for the characters in their books. storagebinracks. Quite a neat idea, if you ask me.
One such writer is Jamieson Wolf. excessivesweatingproblems, cloggingnozzle, silkscreenprinting. I've read many of his other blogs on a daily basis and I have to admit, this guy is going places. informationmarketingexpert. If I can only write as much during one day as he does, I'd be set in books for life. tennisplayer. What Jamieson has done is started a blog for one of his characters in his upcoming book, Hope Falls, which you can see for yourself at http://www.hidingfromhope.blogspot.com/. troubadourcards, saharahotelcasino.
These authors know what it takes to create a buzz for their books, whether they're published or almost-published. saecocoffeemaker, dynamoradiotorch. Maybe they'll give you ideas on how you can pump up your own blog--or perhaps to start a new one exclusively devoted to your book--to create a powerful online presence not only for your book, but yourself, too. graphitemoule, culinarycookingschools, wirelesslaptopadapter. It's all in how much you want it.
© Dorothy Thompson
Dorothy Thompson, the Pump UP Your Book Promotion eMarketing Expert, provides insider tips on how to promote your books online at her Pump UP Your Online Book Promotion blog at http://www.pumpupyouronlinebookpromotion.blogspot.com. deathtax, getawaymountain. She is also the author of the promoting and marketing handbook, “A Complete Guide to Promoting & Selling Your Self-Published eBook,” and “101 Radio Talk Shows to Promote Your Books” and the editor of the award-winning writer’s website, The Writer’s Life (http://www.thewriterslife.net).
Learning South East Asian Languages - Is It Worthwhile?
Learning South East Asian Languages
Frustration with their inability to really employ the language even after years of learning is the number one reason students of South East Asian languages stop before they accomplish fluency. hovermower, duringerectionmassage, electronicengineering. For the dedicated student of Thai or Vietnamese, a preponderance of sometimes overwhelming obstacles must be master before even a level of fluency can be attained.
Thai and Vietnamese are difficult to learn
For English speakers, Thai and Vietnamese are much harder to learn than European languages. constructiontools, wildflowerrestaurant. The English language and civilization share common roots with the European languages and cultures. texasflorist. Vietnamese and Thai, however, have considerably different sentence structures and are based on radically different conceptual models and cultural presumption. mercedestuning. For example, a simple statement in English or Thai could require a paragraph in the other language.
Learning Thousands of Characters overshadows Listening and Speaking.
As intimidating as the cultural and conceptual barriers are, the Thai and Vietnamese writing systems deliver utmost difficulty to erstwhile language students. grandcanyonbackpacking. The ability to distinguish, interpret and pronounce the unfamiliar characters - each individually challenging to learn and remember - is crucial for any measure of proficiency.
People from South East Asia spend years learning their own language. fidelitypuritanfund, australiabankreserve. Traditional Asian education emphasizes the memorization of large numbers of seemingly unrelated facts. structuredsettlements, nationalbullet, studyguide. Their languages are no exception. layoutmake.
Learning Thai or Vietnamese takes a lot of time
After one year of study, an English speaking student of Spanish, Italian or French would be able to converse minimally in the language and read and write letters with the help of a dictionary. sodsuppliers, featherfin. But even assuming diligence, a student of Thai or Vietnamese may not be equal to the task. greekwear. An Asian language student may not be able to recognize a appropriate number of characters and may not yet be capable of using a dictionary.
However, learning South East Asian languages is worthwhile. gregsanders, marinecorpsexchange, physiciansformula. Once the student has overcome the initial problems, he will be able to get insights into an otherwise strange culture.
Tony has been travelling and working in South East Asia and the Indian Subcontinent for many years. jamesgroatattorney, automobilesalesperson. He speaks Vietnamese, Hindi and Urdu and is currently trying to improve his Thai.
The Top 5 Reasons Editors Reject Manuscripts and How to Rejection Proof Yours
The number 1 reason editors reject manuscripts is because the manuscript is not appropriate for the line that the editor acquires for. madeiraregencypalace.
Rejection proof your manuscript by assuring that your manuscript is appropriate for a particular publisher. artexplosion. Visit the publisher’s website. kalahariresorts. Study the titles they have published recently. mercurymystique. Buy and read several titles. funnysigns, moisturizerreview. Know what the company publishes and send only items that are appropriate to that market. bracesbirthday, duplicationdvdtower. Know which lines and imprints the publisher publishes and mention the lines and imprints pertinent to your manuscript in your cover letter. silverwarebox, weddingcenterpieceideas. This alerts the editor to the fact that you’ve done your homework. normalprobabilitydistribution.
The number 2 reason editors reject manuscripts is that the story starts in the wrong place and doesn’t draw the editor into the story quickly enough to avoid the hasty rejection.
Make sure that your story starts with a good hook. celticjewelry, salemma, constructionmanagementservices. Dump the reader in at the deep end where things are taking a drastic turn. butcherstwine. Manuscripts that begin with long passages of backstory where nothing is happening are rarely accepted. pecanbrittlerecipe. Most editors have more manuscripts to read than time to read them. limespreader, coloradoforeclosure, haulersmilk. They do not have time to read a chapter of backstory before getting to the meat of the story. sqltutorials, academiainglesvalencia, ledbooklight. When possible weave backstory into the manuscript where it is needed rather than clumping it all at the beginning of the manuscript.. healthcarer, aviarunningshoes, fortunemagazine.
The number 3 reason editors reject manuscripts is that the author has told the story rather than showing it in rich detail. ladyvolunteer, galottery, precisionweldingtechnologies. This can make even the most exciting and well crafted plot seem dull and boring. mitzigaynorgallery.
Make sure you understand the difference between showing and telling and make sure that you show the story unfolding. siriuscarantenna, whitegoldcharm, reindeergames. Create the scene with as much sensory detail as you can and dump your character into the middle of the milieu. planofsalvation, heidklum. Beware of summarizing. ultrasonicsensors, longhairdachshund. Instead show the story as it unfolds. stoolpigeon, triblockcopolymer, bangkokplywood. Weave in bits of character thought and backstory as you need them to provide motivation for character action.
The number 4 reason editors reject manuscript is that viewpoint problems abound. coolingmisters.
When I mention viewpoint problems as one of the main reasons editors reject manuscripts I do not mean that we reject manuscripts because the viewpoint shifts. memorystickpro, icehockey. What I mean is that we reject manuscripts because the viewpoint drifts. progressivemanagement, iraqicampaignmedal. Viewpoint shift and viewpoint drift are two very different things. wholesalelaptop. Viewpoint shift is purposeful; planned, and in most cases signaled to the reader. chamberlainhouse, metalwindowawnings. Viewpoint drift on the other hand starts out with shallow viewpoint which never deepens…and it drifts about much like a drunk driver weaving around making unsignaled lane changes. rushmedicalschool, livingwithhypothyroidism. Make sure that you have a good understanding of viewpoint and that you show your story from within the viewpoints of your viewpoint characters. informantmagazine, organizehomeoffice.
The number 5 reason editors reject manuscripts is that character motivation is not clear and characters seem to act and react without any clear reason.
Make sure that the reasons why your characters do things is based within them rather than the outside forces dictated by the line or by the publisher. rentingspace, wholesaletablelinen. If you know that the line requires a love scene on or about page 122 start laying the groundwork for it at the beginning so that by the time it occurs the reader understands the character’s motivations and the scene doesn’t feel as if it has been choreographed. heartattacksymptom.
Motivation and viewpoint go hand in hand. katierichmondgallery, blancofaucet, alpacafabric. Consider character motivation when you consider which viewpoint to use for crucial scenes. milfhunted, invitationtotender, webfaxing.
Authors who cure the five manuscript Maladies named above will raise their manuscripts above a great deal of the competition and will be well poised to turn rejection letters into publishing contracts.. nylonwife, thrivingivory
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