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If you’re like most publicity seekers, you probably think about one project at a time. You’ve got a new book coming out in July, so you send out a release in June. For hard-core publicity insiders, though, there’s a rhythm to generating coverage, based on the natural ebb and flow of the seasons. Such an approach can help you score publicity throughout the year.

Essentially, it embodies two strategies:

• timing your existing stories (new product introductions, oddball promotions, business page features, etc.) to fit the needs of the media during particular times of the year
• crafting new stories to take advantage of events, holidays, and seasonal activities

Before we run through my four seasons of publicity plan, a few words about lead time. In this age of immediacy (when a Matt Drudge or a CNN can write a story and put it before millions in only a few seconds), it’s easy to forget that lead time for many print publications and TV shows can be weeks–and sometimes months. For example, you’d probably have to send a story about a Christmas book to an entertainment magazine by September 15 at the latest, so that the editor can review and change the piece, the issue can be typeset and printed, and distributors can place it on newsstands before December. Lead time can range from a day (for hard-news pieces in newspapers) to a few days (for newspaper features), a few weeks (for weekly magazines), or many months.

The longest leads are for the domain of "women’s books" like Good Housekeeping and Better Homes & Gardens and other monthlies. Since these publications often have a lead time of up to six months, they need information for their Christmas issues as early as May.

To discover the lead time of a publication you’re targeting: call the advertising department and request a media kit. Make sure to request a current editorial calendar and two recent samples of the publication. Editorial calendars are schedules of what topics a publication plans to cover for a particular month. Many editorial calendars list the closing date for accepting advertising and editorial copy. For publicity purposes, you only need to focus on the copy deadlines.

If you feel that you can contribute to a particular topic, call or email the publication’s editorial department–try to reach the managing editor–and find out which reporter has been assigned to write the story. Email or call the reporter and explain how you can contribute.
Factor lead times into your planning as you look over the following sections. If you have a great story idea for Rolling Stone’s fall issue, you need to be on the ball well before the Fourth of July.

The Four Seasons of Publicity

First Quarter: January—March
What the media are covering: Early in the year, the media are looking ahead. It’s a great time to pitch trend stories, marketplace predictions, previews of things to expect in the year ahead, and so forth. If a new president is being inaugurated, you’ll see lots of "Will the new administration be good for the [textile/film/cattle/ranching/ Internet/ . . . or any other] industry?" pieces. This is a good time to come up with something provocative, or even controversial, to say about your industry that you can tie in with a book or books.
The media also like to run "get your personal house in order" sorts of pieces during this time of year–tax planning, home organizing, weight loss, and so on. Anything that’s geared toward helping people keep their New Year’s resolutions can work.
Key dates and events: Can you come up with a story angle that ties into an event that typically generates lots of coverage? Put on your thinking cap–I bet you can! Here are some key events during the first quarter: Super Bowl, NCAA Tournament, Easter, the Academy Awards.

Second Quarter: April—June
What the media are covering: This is an "anything goes" time of year. With no major holidays or huge events, April is a good time to try some of your general stories (business features, new product stuff, etc.). Light, fun stories work here, as a sense of spring fever takes hold of newsrooms (journalists are human, you know; they’re just as happy to think about winter being over as you are, and it’s often reflected in the kind of stories they choose to run). As May rolls around, they’ll be doing summer vacation pieces, articles about outdoor toys and gadgets, stories on safety (whether automotive or recreational), leisure activities, things to do for kids, and the like.
Key dates and events: Baseball opening day, tax day (April 15), spring gardening season, Memorial Day, end of school, summer vacation.

Third Quarter: July—September
What the media are covering: The dog days of summer are when smart publicity seekers really make hay. Folks at PR firms are on vacation; marketing budgets are being conserved for the holidays; and reporters are suddenly accessible and open to all sorts of things. Get to work on short lead-time media with angles that are creative and fun. Entertainment-themed pieces do well in the summer; anything with celebrities works. Ditto lighter business stories, new product and trend pieces, technology news, back-to-school articles, you name it. Reporters are about to get deluged once again come September, so use this window of opportunity wisely.
Key dates and events: July 4th, summer movies, summer travel, Labor Day, back to school.

Fourth Quarter: October—December
What the media are covering: The busiest time on the media calendar, the fourth quarter is when business media turn serious and lifestyle media think Holidays, Holidays, Holidays. Business angles need to be hard news. Fluffy trend pieces won’t cut it, as business editors begin to take stock of the state of the economy and the market. For the nonbusiness media, think Christmas–Christmas travel, Christmas gifts, Christmas cooking, whatever. If you have a book that can be given as a holiday gift, get on the stick early.

Nail down lead times for the publications you’re targeting; call to find out who’s handling the holiday gift review article, and get your product in the right person’s hands in plenty of time–along with a pitch letter or release that makes a strong case about what a novel, unusual, or essential gift your book makes. After Christmas, you have a brief window for "Best of the Year," "Worst of the Year" and "Year in Review" pieces. Find ways to make the format work for you–the media love these things.

Key dates and events: World Series, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, New Year’s Eve.

Bill Stoller is the publisher of Free Publicity, The Newsletter for PR-Hungry Businesses and a publicist with more than two decades of experience.

Reprinted from Independent Book Publishers Association

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Let’s face it, the children’s book market is one of the most competitive spaces in the retail book trade. A children’s book is not only measured against the huge number of children’s books being created every day; it is also competing against all the mainstays like Richard Scarry, Dr. Seuss, and Eric Carle, who are so beloved that they don’t have to fight for shelf space.

Competition is so fierce that even when every piece of a children’s book project is perfectly executed, it’s still a small miracle to convince, cajole, and charm retailers into carrying the title where it can keep company with Little Bear or Sheep in a Jeep.

To have its chance, the book does have to be perfectly executed. That is the first step toward success, or, all too often, the first step toward failure.

Three Musts

Incredible illustrations. The importance of high-quality, professionally executed illustrations cannot be overemphasized. Characters and storyboards must be conceived and carried out by experienced children’s book illustrators.

In this arena “cute” isn’t good enough—illustrations have to be dazzlingly perfect, and creative to boot. A traditional style of illustration can give a book a classic look, while a more quirky style can help differentiate a title.

I recommend getting a professional opinion of sample illustrations before committing to an artist. Asking library buyers, literary agents, book publicists, and/or book distributors for feedback is a good start.

And it’s always wise to compare the quality of your book’s design and illustrations to the quality of design and illustrations in comparable titles that have sold well in bookstores.

A story that hasn’t been told. Because of all those kids’ books published every year, you have to have a new message—or a least a new spin on an old message—for children and the people who buy books for children.

A book about a popular topic like friendship, bullying, or nightmares must approach it in a new way. You can innovate with an unexpected story, funky characters, an inventive rhyme scheme, or unusual illustrations.

Sometimes choosing an unaddressed topic and picking a specific niche can give you a built-in fan base. For example, topics like vegetarianism, knitting, or debt might fill holes in the marketplace.

High-quality production. Like illustrations, all production values for kids’ books must be of exceedingly high quality.

To ensure printing quality, do research on printers you’re thinking of using. Ask each printer to send you a sample with specifications similar to your book’s specs so that you can physically assess paper, ink, and binding quality.

For retail outlets, it’s best to print books by offset, as opposed to using print-on-demand technology. The quality is significantly higher with an offset press.

Three Mistakes

Reprinted from Independent Book Publishers Association.

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5 P’s for getting on talk shows:

• Pitch
• Package
• Preparation
• Performance
• Perseverance

Pitch

The hook is the most important part of the pitch. You need to get the producer’s attention. Credentials don’t matter as must as the reasons why a producer might book you. Producers are looking for timely topics, personal stories and fresh angles. Your hook should be an attention-grabbing sentence that you can explain easily, as TV producers can have a short attention span.

Who do you pitch? You have to find the right people. Don’t send your book directly to the host, as they don’t read every book that they get. Send it to the producer and associate producers. It is the producer that books the show and they are the only people looking for guests. First, mail your book and then call and ask if they received your book (if you have limited resources, email the producer and then follow up with a phone call). Start locally—the smaller shows are great practice, easier to get booked and give you sound bites and credentials to put on your website.

Package

You need a website. You will be “Googled”. On your website you need a biography, links to articles and blogs you have written, TV & radio appearances, other books that you wrote, etc.

You also need a photo that not only shows a producer what you look like, but also shows your personality. You need to smile. Producers make judgments on how you look. They have rejected people before because they look boring in their photo.

Preparation

Every phone call is an audition. You need to have energy! Treat the producer like they are the host. Practice sound bites. Work on being concise, direct, to the point and memorable. Learn how to talk succinctly and get to the point. Boil down your answers. Make it easy for the producer to say “yes” to booking you.

Performance

Every contact that you make is a performance. You audition every time you have a phone conversation, send an email or meet face-to-face. Have fun and show your personality. When talking with the producers, don’t plug your book every-other sentence. They will do that for you on the show (by showing your book cover, asking you about it, etc.) and if you spend too much time plugging your book, it will turn off the producer as they will be afraid you will do that on the show. Remember, you are selling you. If they like you, then they will like your book and the audience will buy your book!

Perseverance

Don’t give up. It can be a long road. Keep pursuing. Change your approach and angle with each contact. Pitch more than one producer (they might cover different topics on one show). Use every method available (email, phone call, connections). Just keep going. It will be worth it!

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Today working with the media often includes leaving voice mail messages for your contacts. The following are 10 tips to help make your messages more effective.

Tip #1: Always go for the close!

Tip #2: Never ramble. Make your pitch in 30 seconds or less!

Tip #3: Practice leaving yourself a voicemail. Cut out all of the "ummms" as you practice. If you get bored listening to yourself then you know you're in trouble. Practice your 30-second pitch until you can say it naturally and conversationally with enthusiasm and joy in your voice.

Tip #4: Always leave your phone number twice--once at the beginning and again at the end of the voicemail. Speak at a fast pace when leaving your message but slow down and speak clearly when leaving the contact information.

Tip #5: Lead with your strengths and focus on the benefits to the contact's audience. Pick one or two benefits that listeners would be able to use immediately to make their lives better. This will not be your only chance to pitch to that media contact. Believe me, more voicemails will follow.

Tip #6: With the first voice mail, always say you will email information related to your subject matter. That way, the media contact will have something in their hands with your phone number on it, which makes it easier for them to contact you.

Tip #7: Never leave more than one voicemail per day. I usually like to keep the follow-up process to once every two to three days for radio, four to five days for TV and weekly for print.

Tip #8: Keep calling to try to actually speak to the person. Ask the receptionist when the contact person will be available. Email the contact to say that you would like to call at a specified time. Then set your clock and call. And be ready with your 30-second pitch.

Tip #9: When following up on your email, never simply ask, "Did you get my email?" Always say, "I'm just following up on my email about... and go into a few exciting points about your topic. This refreshes their memory plus allows you to get another pitch in.

Tip #10: Never leave the same voicemail twice. Always change your "message" to include another great point about why they would want you.

Your voicemail is an audition for the interview

You must capture the attention of the producer within the first 10 seconds or else your message will be deleted. Voice and tonality are key factors. If you sound monotone and boring, you will not be heard no matter what you're saying. Be excited and raise and lower the tonality of your voice, essentially mesmerizing the listener. If your voicemail is filled with enthusiasm, credentials and knowledge, the media contact will like it--and you.

Reprinted from Independent Book Publishers Association

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Let me ask you a question: When was the last time you attended a book signing for an author you had never heard of? Last month? Last year? Last . . . oh, forget about it; it’s not important.

Except, it is. Whenever someone decides to book a string of bookstore signings, and the “signing” part of the event is truly all that they plan, I die a little bit inside. Why? Because it’s boring. Let’s face it: what’s exciting about watching another person—a stranger—write their own name, over and over again, inside countless covers?

When a publisher, an author, or a publicist arranges a bookstore signing, we publicists can secure tour media, but we can’t guarantee potential buyers will attend. So how about thinking outside the bookstore for your events? What if you viewed each signing as a full-fledged party? Don’t you get a little bit excited to hear about a party?

Here are some ideas for hosting events that can turn a book into a cause for celebration.

A Few (Tiny) Caveats

As you’ve probably guessed, this is definitely a quality-versus-quantity strategy. Planning just one party takes more time and effort than scheduling a handful of book signings, so, bottom line, you’re looking at fewer events.

Also, holding an event at a non-bookstore location might require a little more legwork on your part, and that of the venue, to get books on hand for buyers, whereas regular bookstores are accustomed to stocking their shelves with a title right before its event.

And finally, planning a book party is a little like planning a mini-wedding: It’s easy to get carried away and start sweating the details. What if my helpers are late? What if my guests don’t like these hors d’oeuvres? What if disaster strikes?

But don’t worry—these concerns are manageable, and the measurable upsides compensate for any additional stress they entail. You’ll have fewer events, but each will be magical. You’ll work a little harder on book-order logistics the first time, but then you’ll have the new knowledge forever in your mental files.

The Setting

When selecting a non-bookstore venue for your party, first take a look at your book. One of our authors wrote a guidebook about shopping at a regional, chic antique fair, so she held her event at an upscale home furnishings store. A memoirist who wrote a book about a year she spent in Italy threw her book-launch party at a mom-and-pop Italian restaurant in her hometown.

Here are some other examples of book types paired with party locations:

• cookbook: a farmer’s market
• historical fiction: the site where the story takes place (if possible) or a
theme-appropriate museum
• faith: a Church
• alternative health: a private room inside a Whole Foods Market or other
natural foods store

As you can see, the key here is honing in on the main theme of a book—or even one of its distinctive plot points or subsidiary themes, and imagining where the people inside the story would hang out. If that doesn’t work, think about your readership: Is it mostly males or females? What age bracket? Where do these folks go for fun? Deductive reasoning like this will help you land on a productive spot.

The Entertainment

Like the setting, the entertainment for your book party will largely be dictated by the book’s subject matter. But it doesn’t have to be limited by that. Here are the entertainment elements that the most successful book parties seem to have in common:

• free-flowing foot traffic (set out just a few chairs to create a cocktail party feel, or
lose them entirely)
• unusual hors d’oeuvres or some other offbeat food item (more on that in a minute).

The two examples may be worrying you a little bit. Drinks? Food? How do I pay for that? You don’t, if you play your cards right. The key is finding local sponsors. If you or you and your publicist are working hard to get recognition for this event, you may attract hundreds—even potentially thousands—of people who will see your sponsors in the press and/or on various social media channels. That’s free publicity for those businesses.

Here’s what we do to find them:

• Research all our local restaurants and/or bakeries.
• Find out who is the marketing director at each.
• Send the marketing director a note at least a month and a half before the party, explaining the event and how we’d love to help them get some exposure from it.
• Finally, we ask: “How can we work together?”

The goal in these situations is always to have the business trade product for the free publicity you’re offering.

Let me give you an example: A wonderful Austin author, Jennifer Ross, recently published a novel called The Icing on the Cupcake. She and her publicists contacted a local distillery, which offered to serve a “cupcake-themed” cocktail at the party. Not only did that unique detail help secure abundant media for the event, it also drew lots of attendees—and had people talking about how delicious the drinks were.

Parties like these are a win-win for everybody: Your guests get free drinks; you get more attendees at your event; those people leave talking about how fantastic the drinks and/or the food was. Isn’t it a beautiful formula?

Extra Goodies

Small, special touches can make a big difference. Remember that cupcake party I was telling you about? The author/publicity team invited everybody to bring homemade sweets to the event to enter in a cupcake contest, held at the party site and judged by both restaurateurs and regular guests. Ingenious.

Here are some other clever ideas:

Goody bags. Encourage early arrivals by putting together goody bags for the first 10—50 people who show up. What to put inside the bags? Research local businesses, find out who the marketing directors are, and ask if they’d be up for donating products for free publicity. Then distribute all your donations among the bags.

Prizes. You can hold a contest like the one for cupcakes, or simply offer door prizes. One author who wrote a book about gardening got local businesses to donate seed packets, gardening kits, and potted plants to her event. She then gave away tickets at the door, and winners walked away with plantable fun.

On-site activities. An amazing local business here in Austin called The WonderCraft is made up of four arts and crafts teachers and an Airstream trailer. Inside the trailer (named “Stella”), the teachers conduct craft classes and sell craft kits. An author here in town who wrote a colorful guide on knitting/stitching projects booked The WonderCraft for her party, and had the proprietors design a simple stitching project guests could sit down and make right there.

As you can see, there is no end to how special and one-of-a-kind your book party can be. True, it does require an adventurous spirit, but these parties can make people happy, and happy people are book-buying people.

Tolly Moseley is a publicist with PR By the Book, LLC. She reports that she has worked in media and publicity for more than 10 years, that a version of this article appeared in the San Francisco Book Review, and that she enjoys helping authors and publishers plan events, no matter how wacky.

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"Do your darndest in an ostentatious manner all the time," advised General George S. Patton. It's advice that can be applied to the business of selling books. Maybe the word "ostentatious" is a little strong; but if we want to be successful as booksellers, we must have our books (and ourselves) stand out from the rest of the pack. The use of color is an inexpensive way to help ourselves achieve that goal. Here are three "colorful" suggestions:

1. Order some self-stick labels in bright colors

to be used in a variety of ways. When my first mystery book was published, I ordered bright-colored address labels to put on the envelopes of my correspondence. The first two lines read as follows: Gail E. Farrelly; Author of BEANED IN BOSTON. My address was on the last two lines. It really helped to create a buzz. Friends, relatives, neighbors-even the mailman-wanted to know all the details about Beaned. These address labels can also be used on envelopes to the bill collectors. Why not let the people from the phone company know about your books?

2. Handouts on colored paper, rather than white, may be quite effective

. Whenever I make presentations at libraries, bookstores, or conventions, I always provide at least one handout for the audience. I do this for two reasons: (1) To be helpful and provide the audience with some information; and (2) To ensure that everyone has my name, the name of my book, and author contact information-should this be needed (and I hope it will be) in the future.

For example, I recently gave a talk at the Bronxville, New York Library and provided four handouts. Two of them gave some general information for people interested in the mystery genre: names, addresses, and phone numbers for mystery bookstores in New York City as well as for the Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime; names of two mystery magazines; and some information about Bouchercon, an international mystery conference to be held in Philadelphia in October of 1998. The other two handouts were copies of op-ed pieces that I had recently published. Each handout was a different pastel color. The variety of colors helped to brighten up the "presentation" table and also made it easier for the attendees to check whether they had all four handouts.

3. Order full color flyers, postcards and business cards.

Brand recognition is a very successful marketing tactic. You can apply the same principal to your book. Put your book cover on everything. The more people see your book, the more they remember it and the more likely they are to recognize it when they see it for sale. They might not remember how the flyer or postcard told them that this book was exactly what they needed, but they will remember what it looks like and hopefully be compelled to purchase it.

When I was a kid, coloring was one of my favorite activities. Now I'm doing a different kind of "coloring." But as you can see, I still love to color!

Gail E. Farrelly is an associate professor of accounting at Rutgers University in Newark and the author of the mystery novel, "Beaned in Boston," named to the 1997 Washington Irving Book Selection List. The sequel, "Duped by Derivatives," was published in 2000.

Reprinted from Independent Book Publishers Association

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If you want to sell 10,000 copies of a book through a bookstore, you must get roughly 10,000 people to go there and buy it. If you want to sell 10,000 copies in non-bookstore markets, you can find one person to buy them.

The first step in making large-quantity sales is identifying prospects—companies that may want to buy your books and people in the companies who are the right contacts.

Miners searching for gold prospect where the gold is most likely to be found. Follow their example by narrowing down your likely buyers as much as possible. Define your target readers and list the benefits your content provides to them. Divide targeted readers into groups with similar needs, and then search for the names of potential customers in each segment.

Prospecting Tools

You can prospect in person or indirectly, since there are techniques to fit any personality. Here are some of the most widely used ways to find the names of potential customers.

Networking. Linking from people you know to people they know expands your base of prospects. Network online using linkedin.com to identify people who can connect you to target companies and key individuals.

Trade shows. You can find a list of conventions for your target markets at biztradeshows.com. You do not have to exhibit at them, but attend as many as possible to learn about the industry and to talk with the exhibitors and attendees who may be potential customers.

Advertising. Ads can generate leads, and the cost can be zero if, for example, you arrange for a relevant association to use an excerpt from your book in its newsletter in exchange for free advertising space.

When considering paid advertising, evaluate each medium on its cost-per-thousand (CPM) and its ability to reach the readers who will be most responsive to your book.

Associations. To find other prospecting opportunities that associations offer, search their Web sites and contact membership chairs (executive directors usually redirect you to the proper chairperson) about using your book as a fundraiser or a premium to increase membership.

Explore weddles.com/associations/index.cfm for associations related to your topic, and look for the bookstore manager, program director, or meeting planner who might hire you to speak to the association or become its spokesperson.

A database of more than 85,000 nonprofit organizations is accessible at guidestar.org.

“Expert pull.” Get prospects to come to you by increasing your visibility and reputation as the expert in your field. Stimulate word-of-mouth communication through personal presentations, by publishing articles, and by blogging on your subject.

The publicity you get from winning awards or getting positive reviews can stimulate attention among potential buyers too. These honors also give you credibility when you make your telephone pitches (see below).

Businesses. The many sources of leads for corporate prospects include annual reports and Web sites. You can search using the NAICS (formerly SIC) database (census.gov/epcd/www/naics.html), which classifies companies by the type of products or services they offer.

Access to the Thomas Register of American Manufacturers is free at thomasregister.com. And you can also discover information about corporations at hoovers.com.

Remember that people read both fiction and nonfiction while traveling and vacationing. And search for potential buyers at hotels; cruise ship, passenger train, and bus tour companies; as well as travel agencies, airlines, limousine services, restaurants, bed-and-breakfasts, and the like, as appropriate for your title. Suggest your book as a premium or gift to be given to people for doing business with one of these companies.

Newspapers. Explore usnpl.com, a free directory of newspapers worldwide with links to many newspapers’ Web pages. Read articles for names of companies and individuals who could be prospects.

The Web. For a free device that searches all search engines and eliminates duplicate sites, go to copernic.com. Also join forums and discussion groups to increase your visibility and extend your reputation as the expert in your field.

Postcards, letters, and email. List brokers such as USAData (usadata.com) sell lists of consumers, , businesses, new homeowners, physicians, accountants, boat owners, churches, insurance agents, new parents, voters, and many more. All these lists may be segmented in a variety of ways.

Customer referrals. Ask your customers for the names of potential buyers who could use your book as a promotional tool.

Trade magazines. Become more familiar with your target industry or industries by reading the articles in trade magazines and studying the ads for names of companies that could be prospects. Write for the magazine(s) to boost expert pull.

Links to major magazines in the United States are available at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_magazines.

Webinars and seminars. The key to a success here is an inexpensive way to offer a solution to a problem that your target market really wants to solve. Costs for in-person seminars include room rental, refreshments, audiovisual equipment, and promotion. Teleseminars are less expensive, the only costs being conference phone line rental and promotion. Your Webinars can be successful prospecting tools if you attract people who will be prospects for big special sales.

Your Web site content. Build a prospecting element into your Web site. Along with benefit-laden descriptions of your titles and a catalog that is easy to download, you need a Contact link that appears on every page. Gather names of visitors by offering something free. Add links so people can call or email you, and reply to them quickly.

Next Steps

At this point you have lists of names, but some people on your lists will be more interested in your content than others. And no matter how interested they are, some will not be able to purchase your books in large quantities because, for example, they are already using competitive titles, they have no budget to buy items as premiums or for similar purposes, or they recently concluded a promotional campaign and another one won’t interest them for a while.

Go through your lists to disqualify those who cannot buy, and then rate the remaining prospects according to their ability to purchase your books, ranking them in descending order.

Once you have ranked your prospects, the telephone may be your most productive prospecting tool. Write a script to guide you through your calls. The script should not be something you read word for word. It should be a list of points for you to bring up, arranged in chronological order, with questions you can ask to get and keep the prospect involved in the call and lead the conversation toward its logical conclusion.

Start by identifying yourself and explaining quickly why you are calling, and always check to make sure you have called at a convenient time.

In most cases your telephone calls will be answered by voicemail. The likelihood of you getting a return call is directly proportional to the quality of the message you leave. Create a 20-second voicemail message

that includes your name, a brief attention-getting statement about why you are calling, the reason it will benefit the recipient to return your call, your contact information, and the best time to call you.

Prospecting for new business is like exercising. It is good for you, and it will produce positive results if you do it routinely, preferably every day. It takes time, but a sales pipeline always filled with potential customers can mean positive revenue flow for the foreseeable future.

Of course, finding prospects is only the beginning. Now you must convert your leads into customers. The remaining articles in this series will show you how to do that.

Written by Brian Jud. Used with permission from IBPA.

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If you’re crafting a press release to fax or email to the media—stop! This is a colossal waste of your time. Why? Because the old way of handling press releases no longer works. Press releases, the old way, are useless.

Several studies indicate that more than 70 percent of Americans get their news content online. So not only are reporters online, but media-hungry consumers are, too. This has made online press releases attractive to media professionals.

A few years ago you could almost guarantee that a media person would call you if you posted a well-crafted release in an online newsroom like PRWeb.com. It was simple and free, and posting generally took no longer than five to ten minutes—time well spent. But as a flood of press releases hit these online newsrooms, the ratio of posting to media attention changed.

The solution is simple: press release optimization. Let me explain.

How to Optimize Your Release

When your press release resides online, whether it’s available through a service like PRWeb or in your site’s media room, you need to treat it the same way you treat a Web site—by optimizing the chances that the right people will find it. Our resident SEO guru has helped us develop a system for optimizing releases.

Here are some tips based on what we’ve discovered.

Know your keywords. As discussed in “The Lowdown on Finding—and Using—Keywords” (August), well-chosen keywords are essential for getting noticed. You need to know what your consumers are searching for and to incorporate the search terms they use in your release (and all your other marketing materials).

Use the keywords in the headline of your release and in its first 50 words. Also consider using them in the release’s last paragraph. Why? Because when Google crawls a release posted online, it tends to focus on the title and the first and last paragraphs.

Keep your release to 600 words. This is now the standard length.

Provide one or two links back to your site in the release. You want to give media people easy access to the rich content there.

Use keywords for hyperlinking. Your links to related sites can generate valuable links from them to you, and search engines love incoming links. Any pickup of your release by a Web site—especially a news Web site—creates an inbound link that helps boost your site’s rank.

Blogs Make It Better

Blogs can be an effective distribution mechanism for releases. Here’s why: Overall, blogs do better in rankings, and if they’re on a suitable platform (such as WordPress), they’re much more searchable than any online release can be. In other words, blogs are generally more visible.

Even if you’re not inclined to use your blog as a tool for distributing a press release, you should still announce news in the blog. Since blogs are interactive, consumers and vendors plus media people can comment on the news there, and this gives you great immediate feedback.

By contrast, a release posted online may seem to get lost in cyberspace so that you never know how it resonates with your audience.

Support from Social Media

As you’re going after media, don’t forget to use your Twitter profile to share any posted press releases, and always list or link to them from your Facebook Fan Page. Also, be sure to social-bookmark your press release and/or your blog post if you posted the release to your blog.

I recommend social bookmarking for all blog postings too. It’s a great way to get additional link “juice” to places you’d like to draw attention to.

Penny C. Sansevieri, CEO and founder of Author Marketing Experts, Inc., is an adjunct instructor teaching publishing and social media at NYU.

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With prominent book-review media shrinking and dying, this is a good time to focus on the hundreds of other free review opportunities that exist for books in all genres and topics. Here’s how to take advantage of them.

Locate appropriate publications

. Authors are likely to have periodicals relevant to their work on their own bookshelves. Start there.

Then scan magazines at your local library and bookstores. Study Writer’s Market and the Encyclopedia of Associations to find additional periodicals related to a book’s content and theme. Use your favorite search engine to locate even more magazines and newsletters—yes, newsletters. Just about every topic and genre is represented in numerous newsletters, each of them reaching dozens or hundreds of people. Start your search with these directories:

newsletteraccess.com
mediafinder.com
oxbridge.comODNCluster/the ODN.asp

Identify editors who review books.

Not every magazine runs book reviews, but editors at literary magazines often publish reviews, and so do editors at magazines that publish fiction and some genre fiction magazines, including those that specialize in science fiction, romance, horror, and material for young adults and children. Likewise, editors at hundreds of consumer and association/trade magazines run reviews of books that they believe will appeal to their readers.

Seek and you will find names of book-review editors at magazines and newsletters in every category imaginable—business, child-rearing, pets and animals, public speaking, finance, fitness and health, education, sports, hobby and craft, and on and on and on.

Keep in mind that the more topics your author has skillfully worked into a novel or nonfiction book, the more potential you have for getting that book reviewed in a wide variety of publications.

Contact the appropriate editors at selected publications with a review package

. I suggest beginning with a query/introduction letter or email asking the reviewer or editor if you can send your book. Provide some quality promo material related to the book, including a color image of the cover and an overview. Check to see whether each periodical on your list has a Web site with book-review submission guidelines. If it does, adhere to them.

When you are invited to send a book, package it carefully along with promotional materials, a business card, and a cover letter. Start the letter by reminding the recipient that s/he requested the book for review. Be sure your contact information is included with every review copy.

Be smart about online book-review sites

. While I believe in exposure, exposure, exposure, and think that just about any publicity is good publicity, I am not a fan of most online book-review sites. Why? They are so cluttered with a mishmash of books on all topics that your book may not get the exposure you desire or deserve. Most are backlogged with books. And many online review sites charge for reviewing a book.

I make an exception for sites that might feature a book on their Home page for a week or so. When that sort of thing happens, follow up with a widespread publicity campaign sending readers to the site.

Another exception: genre sites. Readers of science fiction, for example, will seek good reads at science fiction review sites. Those who love good mysteries will visit mystery review sites to see what’s new and recommended.

Check out other sites related to a book’s genre and/or topic as well. Although they may not be review sites, they are often places where site owners will review, feature, or recommend books in their field/genre/category.

You can locate reviewers in a particular book’s genre and/or subject area by using search terms such as “book review” + “science fiction” or “book review site” + “YA fantasy,” for example.


Patricia Fry, the executive director of SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network; spawn.org), is the author of 29 books.

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How to finish a book?

That age old question that every writer has had to solve. How many books are started but never completed?

But the more important question is "How to ensure you finish your book?" This article will help you to answer that question.

"There's nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein." Walter Wellesley Smith

Sarcasm aside, Walter Wellesley Smith reflected the angst of generations of writers in his statement. Writing can be hard. But it can also be easy. And rewarding. But if you never finish your book you'll never know for sure.

So how to finish a book?

The easy answer is to start.

"I write when I'm inspired, and I see to it that I'm inspired at 9 am every morning." - Peter DeVries

There are two requirements to being able to finish your book. The first is discipline. Don't wait for inspiration. Start at 9 and write. Write until finished. Then quit.

The second requirement is to have a system. A disciplined method of writing that will be both efficient and effective.

Start, write, quit is an easy answer to both. But along the way there are some hints to being disciplined.

The first is to give yourself time to write. Most people can finish a chapter in about an hour to an hour and a half. So allow two hours minimum for your writing. There's no point in scheduling fifteen minutes here and fifteen minutes there. You'll just waste the time.

But this time must be truly used for writing. So start the two hours by editing the previous day's writing. That will get you back into the flow of your writing. It also removes the desire to correct as you go. Allow only one half hour to edit. Then begin to write. Your goal is to write one chapter of about 2500 words. Don't stop until it's finished. Then get up and stretch. But not until. Get yourself into the zone and write.

After you've written for a while check back on your timing. Was it enough? Was it too much? How many words have you been able to write? Then adjust your time budget accordingly.

The second side is that just allowing two hours to write isn't enough. You need to schedule that time. Set aside a block of time. Determine where you will write. Go there at that time. Don't miss. Don't vary. Don't allow others to steal that time from you. That's your child's time. Your book will never be born without it.

Start immediately. Don't delay. Don't answer email or play with paper. Sit. Edit. Write. But most of all -- begin immediately.

Don't allow yourself to be distracted. Eliminate interruptions and potential distractions.

But all the discipline in the world won't help you if you don't have a system. A system will guide you through the stages of writing. It will help you be efficient. It will ensure you don't waste time writing disorganized nonsense. It ensures you edit your work when it's time, not before and not after. It will help you with the content. And it will help you organize that content so that it makes sense and is useful. If you are just starting out the best system is someone else's. Buy or borrow. Then adjust it to fit you.

A writing system and discipline. That's how to finish a book. Start. Follow your system. Quit when done. But it all begins with starting.

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Congratulations! Your book is in your hands; it is now easily seen on the Internet through our website, Amazon.com, Google Book Preview and hopefully, if you followed-through with our last article, YouTube.com.

Now your attention should shift to how to direct people to your book. How do you, without sounding like an obnoxious sales person, let all your family, friends, acquaintances and strangers know about your book? The two easiest, and free ways, are through the use of simple emails and social media.

Most people have at least 100 people in their email contact list. This is the perfect place to start. Take your time and construct a well-written email outlining what you have been working on, why you have written a book, your qualifications (if applicable) in the subject matter, brief book description with a strong hook, links to purchase your book, social media links and links to your video clips on YouTube. All your links can be in your signature as to not make your email too long. You have to be conscious that people have short attention spans.

The last thing, and possibly the most important request, to include in your email is an appeal for your contacts to forward your email along to their contacts. Let’s just say 50 of your contacts send it to their 100 contacts. Now instead of only reaching 100 people, you have reached 5,100! Now think of if just 100 of those 5,100 sent your email to their 100 contacts! Your total is now 15,100! As you can see, if your email is compelling enough, your exposure could explode with just a few emails!

This exponential growth found in the forwarding of your email can also be easily duplicated with social media. If you do not already have one, set up an author Facebook profile (separate from your personal Facebook profile) and Facebook book page. (See Facebook’s FAQs if you need assistance with this). Ask all your friends and contacts to find you on Facebook and “Friend” your profile as well as “Like” your book page. There are several other social media outlets that you would benefit from being a member; however, Facebook is currently the most important.

When creating or editing your author profile and book page, make sure you have an intriguing author bio, book description and links to all the places they can find your book. In your photos section, have a professional author photo as well as your front and back book covers.

Use the email you have already created as a Facebook “note” that all your “Friends” can read and comment on. The reason this is important is because when they comment on it, all of their “Friends” (that are not necessarily already your “Friends”) will be able to see it. So once again, you see the potential for an explosion of growth with just doing one thing.

It is very easy to keep the flow of communication going with your “Friends” on Facebook. You can post little quotes from your book, ask questions, discuss future books, go in depth (in short posts) about different subjects in your book, discuss some of the characters in your book, and so on.

As you can see, there are endless possibilities to promote your book that actually do not take a lot of time. I want to stress that these ideas can be used to begin the marketing of your book anytime from the writing process through having a published book in hand years later! It’s never too late to start!

Feel free to ask any questions on NewBookPublishing’s Facebook page about this topic or any others you may have. http://www.facebook.com/pages/NewBookPublishingcom/91876898637

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It's a simple equation: media exposure equals more money for you as a writer. Give an interview on a local radio station and watch your book sales increase. Get quoted in a magazine article and find yourself negotiating more pay for your next freelance article because you're a "recognized expert" on a topic.

And while you can dream up many creative ways to get the attention of the media, the fact is 99% of all media exposure begins with a simple, well-written press release.

Writing a great press release -- one that grabs the attention of an editor and results in media coverage -- is easy once you understand the basic elements involved and how they fit together.

Format Correctly.

News is a time-sensitive, bottom-line oriented business. Give editors and reporters the basic information first: who you are, how they can reach you, and when they can run your story. Start by placing the release date in the upper left-hand corner.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 22, 2002

Most of the time, this is the release date you'll use, but if you're issuing a release well in advance of an event, you can give a specific date. For instance, if you're publicizing a book signing four weeks ahead of time, you might want to put "FOR RELEASE (date)." Choose a date that's closer to the actual event.

Next, drop down two lines and tell the editor whom to contact and how to do it. You would be surprised how many people make it difficult for the media to contact them about a story! Format the information like this:

CONTACT:
Elizabeth Hanes
555-555-0021 (office)
555-555-0034 (cell)
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Hook 'em With an Irresistible Headline. Drop down two more lines and type your headline in bold caps. Write your headline in the form of a question, provocative statement or outrageous claim to pique the editor's interest. "Do 400-year-old Horses Roam New Mexico?" works better than "Local Author Writes Book About Bloodlines of Local Horses."

Show You're a Pro by Giving a Dateline. Two lines below your headline, the story begins in earnest. However, before you dazzle the editor with your sparkling prose, provide dateline information. The dateline shows where the press release originated and gives the date it was written. This allows the editor to categorize the release in a variety of ways, while also letting her know your news is fresh. Here's how to format the dateline:

LOS LUNAS, NM (5/16/02) --

Immediately after the "em" dash, begin your story. Double space and use 12-point Times New Roman or Courier.

Reel 'em in With a Compelling Lead. Editors read dozens of press releases every day. It's crucial you provide a one or two-sentence lead that grabs and holds their attention. Playing off the headline above, here's an example:

"When Spain sent conquistadors, missionaries and horses to New Mexico 400 years ago, they expected their legacy to last. Now, surprising new DNA evidence shows that the blood of the original Spanish Barb horses -- long thought to be extinct -- may still flow strongly through the veins of local mustang herds."

Use the Inverted Pyramid Style. Chances are, you learned this technique when you worked on the high school newspaper, but it bears repeating. Editors are busy folks working on tight deadlines. Don't waste their time by making them wade through eight paragraphs before discovering your point. Instead, put the basic information in the first paragraph of your release. If applicable,use the "Five W's": who, what, when, where, why, and how. In the subsequent paragraphs expand on the Five W's. Focus on the newsworthy item or event you're publicizing, but also include information about yourself, your credentials and education. Be brief. A press release should run between 300-500 words or no more than two pages.

Tell Them When the Show is Over. If your press release runs to two pages, number the second page. Two lines below your last sentence, type either "-30-" or "###" to indicate the story's end. This tells the editor she received your entire release.If you don't mark the end of the story, the editor might wonder if there's a page missing.

A Few Do's and Don'ts

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Do you want to impress editors? Do you want to attract more readers and sell more books? Do you want readers and editors to know that you are an expert in your field? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, you've answered the title question as well: Yes, you need a Web site.

For the first time in history, writers have access to something they've craved since the first cuneiform was chiseled: worldwide publicity at almost no cost. The Internet offers writers an opportunity to promote their books, become more accessible to their readership, establish their expertise, and enhance their professional standing with editors (and other writers) -- all for the cost of your ISP connection and a little time spent learning HTML.

Before you rush out to post a home page, however, stop and take a deep breath. The Internet is flooded with sloppy, unimpressive, cutesy, and trivial "writer" home pages. As a professional, you want something that says more than, "Hi, my name is Bob, click here to read my stories, click here to see a picture of my dog!" Before you launch, you need to make some important decisions about your site.

Five Great Reasons for a Web Site

A professional Web site requires a professional purpose: It should, in some way, advance your career (or your dreams). Your first step, therefore, is to determine what writing goal is most important to you at this time. Is it to sell more articles to magazines? To sell more copies of your nonfiction book? To attract more readers to your novels? To interact with your readership? To educate and inform your readers? To become more involved in the writing community?

Keep in mind as well that visitors aren't impressed by sites that are little more than electronic ads for your books. Purpose must be supported by content, just as content must be guided by purpose. Choose both with care, and you'll be able to give readers a reason to stop by, to stay and browse, to come back -- and to tell their friends.

Following are five of the more common purposes for writers' Web sites and the types of content that can help support those purposes:

Reason #1: To Post Clips

One of the downsides of electronic queries is the impossibility of attaching clips. The easiest solution is to post a selection of appropriate articles on a Web site and provide the URL in your e-query. A clip site should include:

• An introductory home page that indicates the type of articles that will be found on the site. It's a good idea, if possible, to organize a clip site around a particular theme (e.g., science fiction), rather than "shotgunning" your site with copies of clips on a host of unrelated topics. Another option is to cluster clips around two or three separate categories (e.g., pets, travel, writing). Your home page should also list your name and provide an overview of your credentials.
• Selected clips of your best work. Before posting clips of previously published work, be sure you own the necessary rights. If you've sold all rights, produced the material as work-for-hire, or do not own electronic rights, you won't have the right to put the material on your personal Web site. Nor should you simply scan clips and post them as image files, for two reasons: First, image files are cumbersome to download, and second, a magazine clipping may contain copyrighted elements that don't belong to you (such as artwork, advertising, etc.). If you prefer to scan your clips before posting them, translate them into text files first.
• Copyright information on every page. Since the point of clips is to let editors know where and when you were published, be sure to include complete copyright information with each article. In your copyright notice, list the title of the material, the copyright date, your name, the name of the publication in which it appeared, and the date of publication. (This information will also be useful to anyone using your material for research.) Your copyright notice might look something like this:
  
  "Ten Ways to Get the Most from the Internet"
  © 1997 by Ima Good Author
  Originally published in Write Write Write, October 1997
  All rights reserved. For reprint information, contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Reason #2: To Establish Your Expertise and/or Educate Readers

Some writers focus upon a particular area of interest, expertise, or passion. Others pursue writing as a secondary interest, in support of or in the context of a special interest, hobby, career, area of study, or similar area of expertise. In such situations, your goal may not be to convince editors that you are a brilliant writer, but that you are an expert on a particular subject. Similarly, you may be as interested in promoting a general understanding of your field as you are in promoting your own writings in that field. In this case, an expert Web site may work better for you than a purely writing-focused site and would be likely to include the following elements:

• A home page that describes the subject area itself. Title this page in such a way that anyone interested in your topic or area of expertise is likely to find it. Choose keywords that would be chosen by a searcher, and put those words at the top of your page, so that they will be properly indexed by search engines. Make sure your home page clearly describes the subject area of the site, the types of materials that will be found there, and how to access those materials.
• An array of information resources. The best way to establish your expertise is to provide expert information. This could include articles that you've published on your topic, a set of FAQs developed specifically for the site (e.g., "Ten Ways To . . ." or "Questions People Ask About . . ."), or full-length articles written for the site. You might also consider posting a regular column, such as a news column that keeps visitors up to date on developments in your field or a Q and A column in which you answer questions posed by visitors to your site. Archive back issues of your column elsewhere on your site. Whatever materials you choose, your goal is to ensure that anyone who comes to your site with a question is going to leave with a worthwhile answer.
• A selection of top-quality links. To position yourself as a vital resource site in your field, you'll need to surf the Web for the best links to other sites in that same field. This accomplishes two purposes: It adds to the value of your site and encourages other sites in the field to link back to you (thereby increasing your traffic). Remember that your visitors rely on you to screen sites -- don't add any link that you haven't personally checked.
• A bookstore. If your goal is to establish expertise, consider offering a bookstore of titles related to your subject or field. While such a bookstore may compete with your own title, it will also give readers the added benefit of your expert recommendations -- and show editors that you have done your homework and are familiar with the top titles in your field. If you set up an "associates" program with an online bookstore, this portion of your site can also earn money -- see chapter 10 for more details.
• Your credentials. Keep your bio short, sweet, and professional. Focus on anything that supports your standing as an expert: education, credentials, job history, personal experience, and so on. Let visitors (and editors) know that they can trust you as a source.
  

Reason #3: To Promote Your Novel(s)

Novelists are finding the Web an excellent place to highlight past, current, and forthcoming novels of all types and genres. A novelist's Web site will often contain many of the following elements:

• An introductory home page that clearly lists your name (e.g., "Welcome to the Joan Q. Novelist Web Site"). Keep in mind that most fans will search for your work by author name, not by title, so your name should be prominently listed toward the top of your home page. Otherwise, it may not be indexed properly by search engines (see chapter 9 for more details). This page may also include your table of contents (TOC), perhaps a list of your novels (with click-throughs to pages with more information), and perhaps some images of your covers. It should also include your copyright statement (see "Five Things Every Web Site Needs," below).
• An author bio. Fans will want to know more about you, so satisfy their curiosity with a brief, professional biographical sketch (and a photo, if you wish). This is a good place to discuss how you began writing, why you write the types of books you do, your expertise relating to those books, your future writing plans -- and, of course, how many cats you have.
• A bibliography. Many authors provide a list of all their writings, including short stories, awards, and any other credits.
• Descriptions of your books. This is your chance to give readers a better summary (and teaser) than they will find on the backs of your books. Try to include images of your book covers as well. If you can't obtain image files from your publisher, you can scan in your covers yourself, or take them to a commercial printer for scanning. If you are providing lengthy descriptions of more than one novel, consider using a separate page for each, with a second-level TOC listing all the titles you've included.
• Excerpts. Selections from current or forthcoming novels are often a major attraction on novelists' sites -- and an excellent sales tool as well. Such excerpts give readers something free to take away, but also leave them hungry for more. Choose an excerpt that a reader can understand without having read the rest of the book -- but ends with a cliff-hanger that will make the reader want to read the rest of the book. (You'll probably need your publisher's permission to post such an excerpt.)
• Background information. Is your novel set in a particular historical period, locale, or cultural milieu that readers might want to learn more about? Your Web site is an excellent place to answer questions, post background history or details, explain unfamiliar terms and concepts, and provide links to other sources of information on the Web.
• Writing tips. Many of your fans undoubtedly dream of writing the types of books you write. Give them a hand by offering some advice on writing in your field or genre. Such a section will also improve your chances of receiving links from other writers and organizations in your field, because other writers and organizations will regard it as a useful site for writers as well as readers.
• A news page. Let readers know when your latest book is coming out, what awards you've won, when you'll be appearing on television or radio talk shows, when and where you're giving talks or book signings, and anything else of a newsworthy nature. Some authors also provide links to fan sites, book reviews, and online interviews.
• Links. No site is complete without a few links. Choose those that relate to the general purpose and content of your site -- other sources of background information or other sites for writers in your genre. You might also seek reciprocal links with other authors in your field.
• Other works. Some authors use their Web sites to archive previously published stories. This works well if the stories are relevant to the novel you're trying to promote. Be careful, however, about posting material that is likely to shatter the image your fans have of you as an author; this could have a negative effect on the works you're currently trying to promote.
• Ordering information. Make sure that visitors can find out where and how to get your books. One easy way to prompt sales is to link your book title(s) to an online bookstore, such as Amazon.com (see chapter 10 for more details).

Reason #4: To Promote Your Nonfiction Book(s)

The key difference between a fiction and a nonfiction author site is that while fiction readers tend to be author-focused, nonfiction readers tend to be subject-focused. A Web site designed to promote a nonfiction book, therefore, should usually focus on the subject of the book, and include:

• An introductory home page that will attract visitors searching for information on your subject area. Your name may be less important than keywords that describe the subject. To be indexed properly in search engines, those subject keywords should be close to the top of the page.
• Information of value to readers. Perhaps the best way to promote a nonfiction book is to offer useful free information. Turn your site into a resource on the topic of your book. Offer FAQs, articles, and other forms of information that will help the reader immediately. Avoid, at all costs, the appearance that the information is just a plug for your book or that you're manufacturing some sort of hype or crisis that your book will solve. Make sure that visitors can benefit from your site itself, whether they buy the book or not; this will also encourage referrals.
• Links. One way to make your site a genuine resource is to include a list of links to other sites covering similar topics. This will help convince visitors that you are genuinely interested in sharing information, rather than simply trying to peddle a product.
• Your credentials. Before accepting your advice or information, readers will want to know why they should trust you. Readers won't want personal details here, but information about your education, experience, background, and anything else that will demonstrate your qualifications.
• A summary of your book. On a nonfiction site, it helps to keep book promos low-key. Offer a summary of the book, along with a cover image, on a separate page that also includes ordering information (such as a link to an online bookstore).

Reason #5: To Educate and Inform Writers

Initially, one of the most common features of any author site was a selection of writing tips. Now, sites for writers have proliferated beyond count (the resource appendix at the end of this book just scratches the surface). There's still room on the Web, however, for high-quality writing advice.

The best approach to a writing tips site today is to move beyond general "how to write" (or "how to format your manuscript") topics and focus on your area of specialty. What can you offer writers that isn't easily found elsewhere? Focus your site on writing for a specific genre, category, or field.

For example, if you're a mystery writer, share tips on how to become a mystery writer -- or how to become a better mystery writer. Be creative: Don't just talk about writing techniques, but tell your readers where to find helpful research information, such as sites that cover forensics or police procedures. Offer links to publishers of mystery books or short fiction. Seek reciprocal links with other mystery sites. Offer a "contest" page that lists writing contests for amateur mystery authors. Offer links to mystery e-zines. Offer a bookstore of how-to books for mystery writers.

A writing site will need much the same type of content as an expert site, including:

• An informative home page that describes the types of writing tips that will be offered. If your name is well known in the field, make sure it is prominently displayed on the page. If readers are more likely to locate your page through an information search than an author search, however, move your name and biographical information to a lower position on the page and keep the topical information toward the top.
• An array of top-quality information. Again, consider posting previously published articles, FAQs, a column, and anything else that will help writers (and would-be writers) improve their skill. An important consideration to keep in mind is the quality of your own writing: Be sure that your information not only discusses good writing, but models it as well! Nothing will detract from a writing page as quickly as fiawed grammar, spelling and punctuation errors, or errors in content.
• Links. If you're offering a general writing site, you can go crazy with links. If you're specializing in some field, however, limit your links to the area that your site addresses. For the mystery writing example, one might include links to mystery writers' organizations, sites of other mystery writers, sites that address the how-tos of mystery writing, and sites that provide useful research or reference information for mystery writers. A good selection of links helps establish you as a resource site and will encourage related sites (such as other mystery authors and organizations) to link back to you.
• A bookstore. Rare is the writing site that doesn't offer a selection of the best writing books on the topic. If you've published (and are promoting) your own writing book, consider listing it both on your bookstore page and also on a separate page of its own, where you can offer an expanded summary and a cover image.
• Writing samples. If you're a novelist, you may wish to incorporate a "tips for writers" section into a site designed primarily to promote your novels. If you write short fiction, consider posting samples of some of your previously published works. These can serve several purposes: to attract readers, to serve as clips for future editors, and to stand as examples of the techniques you discuss in your "tips" section. Again, be sure that you own the relevant rights to the material you post.
• Your credentials. If you're a fiction writer, describe your writing background and feel free to add some personal information. Consider including a bibliography page of published works, along with cover images of your books. If you're discussing nonfiction writing, keep your bio professional, listing credentials and credits but leaving out such personal details as how you started writing. (However, it's perfectly OK to mention that you have a spouse and twenty cats!)

Needless to say, these aren't the only reasons writers launch Web sites -- and in many cases, these reasons may overlap. You're certainly free to mix and match the items listed above, as well as to add items of your own. Be cautious, however, about attempting to develop a Web site that serves too many purposes at once (e.g., to promote your novel, showcase nonfiction clips, help writers, and establish your expertise in a completely unrelated area). Many writers have several separate career tracks. If you're one of them, consider creating a separate, stand-alone Web site (with its own home page) that supports each of your career goals.

Five Things Every Writer's Web Site Needs

No matter what the purpose of your site, certain elements are essential, including:

A useful table of contents.
Whether you think of it as a table of contents, a menu, or a site index, your site needs one (or several). A typical approach is to offer a general, first-level TOC on your home page that provides an overview of the contents -- e.g., Articles, Bibliography, Resources, etc. A second-level TOC can then be developed for each section -- for example, under "Articles," you should list all the articles posted on your site. However, beware of building in too many layers of menus (e.g., Articles È Articles for Writers È Fiction Articles È Short Fiction È Finally, The Actual Article List). Remember that each layer of menus adds an extra barrier between your visitors and your content -- and another opportunity for that visitor to grow impatient and move on to a more accessible site.

In addition to your main TOC, be sure to include a version of the top-level TOC on each page of your site. This enables visitors to navigate within your site without having to return to the home page.

Annotated links.
Every site needs links -- and one of the best ways to please visitors is to annotate those links with a brief description. Let visitors know, in a line or two, what to expect when they visit the recommended site. In addition, it's a good idea to include not only the title of the site, but the actual URL. Then, if visitors print off your material to read later, the links will still be useful. (I learned this the hard way when I distributed copies of my own articles at a conference -- and realized that a list of underlined sites with no URLs wasn't terribly helpful!)

Check your links regularly to make sure they are still active. If you're daunted by the thought of doing this manually, don't despair: There's an easier way. Simply submit your URL to a diagnostic site such as Site Inspector, and you'll receive a list of inactive or inaccurate links within minutes. If you have more than twenty-five links on your site, you'll need to repeat the process until all the links have been checked.

A copyright notice.
Actually, you may need not just one, but several copyright notices on your site. The first should be a blanket copyright notice that covers your entire site. This should be posted prominently on your home page and might read something like this:

Keep in mind, however, that many visitors may arrive at your site indirectly, either through a link or a search engine that takes them to one of the subordinate pages on your site rather than the home page. If you post articles, columns, or clips on your site, therefore, you may also wish to include a separate copyright notice with each article. (See "Reason #1," above, for an example of a single-page copyright notice.)

A hit counter.
The best way to find out whether your site is serving its purpose is to track the number of visitors it receives. To do this, you'll need a counter not only on your home page, but on each separate "content" page. This will enable you to determine which aspects of your site are attracting attention and which are being ignored. For example, if your home page registers two hundred visitors in a single month and your article on "The Importance of Flossing" registers only two, you know that only 1 percent of your visitors are interested in this article -- a good clue that you might want to swap it for something more enticing.

Your hit counter should provide some indication of the longevity of your site. For example, you might want to incorporate it into a phrase such as, "You are visitor number (XXXXX) since January 1, 1999." This is also a good place to include a "last updated" date, to let visitors know how fresh your material is. On the other hand, if you don't update your pages, leave this information off, or visitors will get the impression that your material might be old news, no matter how timeless it is. (You may also wish to use web-tracking software for more detailed information about what pages are visited, etc.)

Contact information.
Unless you prefer to toil in seclusion, include an e-mail address so that your visitors (and fans) can contact you. On your bookstore or links pages, you may want to invite visitors to suggest additional references or links. (It's wise to have a policy about the types of links you will accept -- for example, no commercial links -- so that you can explain, if necessary, why you are choosing not to add a particular link.) Another way to solicit feedback from your visitors is to incorporate a guestbook into your site.

Three Things Your Web Site Can Do Without . . .

In developing a Web site, as in writing itself, it's as important to know what to leave out as what to leave in. Certain elements can significantly detract from the professionalism of your site, including:

Unpublished writings.
Many would-be writers view the Internet as the ideal place to self-publish material that they have been unable to market. Unfortunately, the only result has been to convince savvy surfers that self-published stories, poems, or novels on a Web site are an indication, not of professionalism, but of desperation. Even if your unpublished materials are of the highest quality, posting them online is likely to tarnish your professional image. (Note that this does not apply to materials written specifically for the site itself.) Another issue to consider when posting unpublished materials is the question of rights. Increasingly, publishers are regarding material posted on a Web site as previously published -- which means that once you post something online, you may no longer be able to sell first rights to that material (if you can sell it at all). The best rule when it comes to rights, therefore, is to sell the piece first and post it later.

Too much personal information. If your goal in developing a Web site is to advance your writing career, be sure to keep it as professional as possible -- which means making sure that it won't be confused with a holiday newsletter to friends and family. This is not the place for news about your grandchildren or photos of the family pets. That doesn't mean that you can't develop a personal site, but you'd be wise to keep it separate from your writing site. At most, add a discreet link that points readers to "Joan Q. Novelist's personal home page."

Links to everything. Resist the temptation of offering links to every site on the Web that interests you, no matter what its subject. No matter whether you are a veteran rock-climber, an armchair archaeologist, or a connoisseur of filksinging groups, leave those personal-interest links off your professional page, unless they somehow relate to its focus.

And Finally, the Greatest Danger of All . . .

The greatest danger of a writer's Web site is not what you put on or leave off. It is the speed with which such a site can consume your writing time. The temptation to tinker with a Web site is hard to resist. There's always the urge to redesign your pages, add new elements, rewrite your menus, add better graphics, or simply to surf for new links or new ways to promote your site. Moreover, it's easy to justify such tinkering as "working to promote my novel" or "gathering important information."

Before you quite know what has happened, however, you'll have spent the entire day tinkering -- without adding a single word to that article or story you're trying to complete by deadline. (Trust me. I know.) Designing and maintaining a site can be an excellent way to promote your writing and advance your career, but it should not be allowed to replace writing. High-tech procrastination is still procrastination. If necessary, ration yourself to only so many hours of site development per week or month. Otherwise, you may end up with the perfect writer's Web site -- and nothing for it to promote!
See Writing-World.com's links to Website Development and Promotion Tools.

Excerpted from Writing.com: Creative Internet Strategies to Advance Your Writing Career.

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E-mail newsletters consisting of material based on your book are an inexpensive way to create pre-publication buzz and post-publication publicity, as well as to generate useful feedback. However, you must be careful with distribution and avoid several technical traps.
About a year before the publication of my book FusionBranding: How to Forge Your Brand for the Future, I started sending out excerpts, first to friends and family, and then to industry and other professionals. Sending excerpts of 700 to 800 words every two weeks taught me several lessons–some painful–and boosted initial sales substantially.

Don’t Get Seen as Spam

Many ISPs have installed automatic spam-blocking software such as SpamAssassin. These programs "grade" e-mail based on such common spam characteristics as using capital letters or such words as FREE! For a free test to see whether these programs will snare your e-mail, send the e-mail to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Be sure to put the word "TEST" in the subject field.

Of course, every e-mail you send should have easy-to-follow "unsubscribe" directions and you should immediately honor all requests to "unsubscribe."

Every message that goes out should also include two or three sentences about how you will protect subscribers’ privacy. Never sell or "lend" your list or information about subscribers to anyone.

Getting Started

The hardest task is building a subscriber list. Who’s next after friends and family? Begin by encouraging people to forward your messages. Ideally, this will result in more subscriptions to your newsletter. Check your files for business cards. Review Web sites or other sources for the e-mail addresses of members of your target audience.

Then send an introductory e-mail explaining that you are looking for feedback and insights for a book in progress. Include a sample newsletter. Because of the e-mail overload we’re all suffering from, you’ll get a lot of "no, thanks" messages back but enough people will sign up to make the effort worthwhile. Other subscribers can come from registering your e-mail offering at various sites that offer specialized newsletters, such as eZINEsearch, NewsletterAccess, or Marketing-Seek.com.

Sending

When your list is small, you can send out the newsletter yourself with your current e-mail program. Virus-check each transmission, and keep your anti-virus program up to date to reduce the risk that a virus will hijack your list and send out infected messages. Put recipients in the BCC: field, not the TO: field. That way, they won’t have to wade through a list of e-mail addresses before reading your message and you’ll ensure each recipient’s privacy.

There are other pitfalls. Due to a problem in either my software or my ISP, about one-third of my list received four or more copies of my newsletter over the course of a day. About half of those hard-won subscribers unsubscribed. I immediately signed up with a professional e-mail distribution service.

Distribution services include Topica, Lyris, and SparkList, and fees generally depend on the number of subscribers. Some companies also offer e-mail personalization and click-through tracking, and some offer free distribution in exchange for ad space in your newsletter, which, in my opinion, dilutes the integrity of your information.

More Tips

• Subject lines are critical. Recipients decide whether to open e-mails based on the sender name and title. Use a provocative, contrarian, or "how to" headline.

• All newsletter copy should be relevant and valuable from the reader’s viewpoint. Don’t discuss writer’s block, why you like your font, or the terrors of staring at a blank screen each day. Save those topics for online publishing or writing forums or start a blog. Instead, provide specific tips and techniques that readers can apply in their personal or professional lives.

• Establish bonds with readers. When I sent out an excerpt arguing that "positioning" was a mass-economy strategy that often backfires in the customer economy, numerous readers responded with vigorous defenses of positioning. After getting permission, I incorporated their responses in the next e-mailing. When I heard a speaker offer an innovative customer service strategy, I invited him to submit a "guest column." I also gave subscribers a significant "early adopter" discount on book purchases.

• Remember that subscribers can provide valuable feedback during production. I solicited comments on three potential cover designs. The response was quite impassioned, and I wound up going with the most popular alternative–even though it wasn’t my favorite!

• Watch frequency and length. As a general rule, don’t send mailings more than once a week. Once every two weeks or even once a month is better. Keep the length down to three screenloads; some experts advise a maximum of 350 words. Use "bullet points" to speed the read. Once you set a schedule, keep to it; unexpected mailings may be perceived as spam.

Nick Wreden’s FusionBranding: How to Forge Your Brand for the Future was selected as a "Best New Business Book" by The Business Reader Review.

Reprinted from Independent Book Publishers Association

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Selecting a publisher for your book is one of the most important decisions you will make as an author. There are so many things to consider,

• Keeping the rights and creative control of your book.
• Choosing your book selling price and keeping the royalties.
• Receiving a professional looking book that will sell—not one that looks home-made.

The big publishing houses don’t let you keep your rights. Other online publishers don’t let you set your book price and they keep most of the royalties. Some online publishers make you format your book--cover and all.

At NewBookPublishing.com you don’t have to worry about any of that. You keep your rights. We work for you, so you get to have creative control and decide how your book should look. You pick the selling price and keep the royalties. You will get a book that looks like it belongs in any bookstore delivered when we say we will deliver it!

When choosing a publisher, make sure you keep all of your rights and that you have a non-exclusive contract. Make sure that the publisher you choose gives you the flexibility of setting the retail price of your book and lets you keep a majority of the royalties. Make sure that included in the contract that you sign, is professional interior pages and cover design. Make sure you don’t have to figure out how to design the page layout of your book yourself. You are the author, you write the book and the publisher should worry about the rest.

Becoming a publisher should be a fun and adventurous process, not a mysterious, confusing one. To begin the process of turning your written words into a published work of art, visit our website at www.NewBookPublishing.com and give our friendly publishing experts a call today!

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Did you ever play with blocks when you were a kid? You always used the same set, but you mixed and matched the pieces differently every time you built something. Constructing a publicity campaign directed to consumers is similar.
There are four major types of general consumer publicity campaigns: national, regional, local, and grassroots. Let’s take a look at the core building blocks for each one, bearing in mind that they can be mixed and matched in infinite variations.

National consumer campaigns. A national campaign means publicity that reaches the entire country. It can consist of three building blocks:

• Print coverage via national newspapers, magazines, syndicated columnists, and wire services
• Broadcast coverage via network, syndicated, and national cable television talk shows, and network and syndicated radio outlets
• A media tour, in which an author does local print and broadcast interviews coast to coast, visiting a city per day

Regional consumer campaigns. A regional campaign targets a specific part of the country, such as the Midwest, deep South, or northeastern seaboard. Regional campaigns have two building blocks:

• Print outlets, such as daily and community newspapers, newsletters, and magazines
• Broadcast media, like local network affiliate and regional cable television shows, and regional radio shows

Local consumer campaigns. A local publicity campaign, which is sometimes called a market-specific campaign, targets one city. Local campaigns can use two building blocks:

• Print coverage in local daily newspapers, weekly community papers, newsletters, and city journals and magazines
• Broadcast placements with network affiliate, regional cable, local independent television shows, and local radio programs

Grassroots consumer campaigns. Grassroots campaigns are similar to local campaigns, except they target much smaller markets, such as rural towns and little villages scattered across the map. These campaigns can be made up of two blocks:

• Print
• Broadcast

Tailored to Fit

How do you know which types of campaigns are best for a particular book? Carefully examine such variables as:

• Initial print run
• Budget
• Author expertise and interview ability
• Target demographic
• Distribution details
• Newsworthiness
• Time lines
• Logistical concerns (such as author availability)

Then use logic. With a book that’s highly publicizable, the rule of thumb is to start out with national media, then segue into a tour or local press. On the other hand, if you’re promoting a book that’s more obscure or targets a narrower demographic, you may want to start out small with grassroots and local media before pitching national print and broadcast. Some books are best served by an aggressive regional campaign. Think about how publicity, public relations, and promotions can be tailored to enhance the strengths and compensate for the weaknesses of each specific book.

I’d like to share a final secret with you about campaign choices. Be resourceful. For example, if you’re publicizing a book that could benefit greatly from a media tour, but there’s no budget for it, you can generate similar excitement by doing radio and newspaper phoners in 10 or 20 markets, plus national television. No matter what obstacle is placed in front of you, stop for a moment, analyze all the elements, ponder each of the building blocks we’ve discussed, then unleash your creative acumen and engineer a campaign.

Occasionally you may have to go on a limb in support of a daring idea. Take the risk! Publicity is about courage and imagination.

Jodee Blanco has publicized dozens of books that became regional and national bestsellers. The author of the New York Times bestselling memoir Please Stop Laughing at Me, she was a founding partner and former president of the PR firm Blanco & Peace. This article is excerpted from the new edition of her book The Complete Guide to Book Publicity.

Reprinted from Independent Book Publishers Association

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Easy steps to begin the writing process.

Create a brief outline, in chronological order, of the storyline of your book.

Using index cards and a pencil, write a chapter number at the top of each card. Then lay the cards out on a table or on the floor around you. Using your outline, break your book down into chapters. This means writing just a sentence or two on each card about what you think will happen in each chapter.

When you have broken your outline into book chapters, go back over the cards to see if you want to move any items from one card to another. Or you might want to re-number the chapters (that's why you are using a pencil).

Next, put the index cards beside your computer and start writing your book by typing in the events you have noted on the cards, keeping them in the correct order. Almost immediately, you will find yourself adding to, subtracting from and/or totally changing many things. You will even begin to hear your characters speak.

In order NOT to interrupt the creative flow, just keep typing. If you stop to check spelling, punctuation, grammar, etc., you could lose something valuable that you may never recover. The ONLY thing that matters here is the creative process. You can always go back later and move or change anything you want to--that's the beauty of using a computer!

Don't fight changes. For example, your characters will take on lives of their own. You may not always agree, but at this point, you are no longer totally in control. Deal with it.

Obviously, you will have to stop at some point in time. When you start writing again, just go back a chapter or so and read what you have already written, in order to kick-start the flow. It's an old trick, used by most writers, and it works. Please resist the urge to "clean up" any errors that you see! And be sure to keep your work backed up as you go along.

When you have finished the first draft of your book, you have two choices: read it on the screen or print it out. This will depend on the method with which you are most comfortable. I prefer to edit hard copy, and I use a pencil, so I never permanently delete something I might later wish I hadn't.

Editing in pencil also allows me to erase corrections about which I might later change my mind. This makes the hard copy a lot less cluttered and much easier to follow when I return to my computer to input the changes I decide to keep. And that's it.

See? It's all quite simple. So get started on your book today!

Derry Sampey is the senior editor for NewBookPublishing.com

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Conducting a regional library tour is one of the least appreciated ways to sell books and gain crucial exposure at the same time. If you live in a small state, the tour might include most of its libraries. If your state is too large for that, confine your visits to a manageable geographical area. The idea is to arrive at each library, make your presentation, have the book signing, and be back home within two or three hours.

The Library Tour Nitty-Gritty

Obtain a list of all the libraries in your state or region. Any major one of them can help you with this. Make sure it contains the vital information about each library, such as address, phone numbers, names of staff, and operating budget, if available. It’s also helpful to know whether a library has meeting rooms. It’s most important of all to know whether it has a Friends of the Library organization or its equivalent. Library Friends groups are proud of their work and usually put more time into rounding up attendees than the library staffers, who have other responsibilities.

Take all these factors into consideration when choosing which libraries to contact. Be selective.

Make your own phone calls. Ask for the director, program director, or reference librarian. Explain what you have to offer and that you charge no fee as long as you may bring books along for signing and purchase. Some libraries provide an honorarium; either accept it or offer to donate it back. Others might indicate they don’t allow the transfer of money in the library, but that you’re welcome to put on your program. Do honor the invitation and do show up (it’s good PR, and word gets around).

Stress that you’ll bring your own supply of books and mention that you’ll arrange for a press kit to be mailed to them along with a complimentary copy of the book. My kit is a colored folder containing a press release, a bio, a glossy of me, and several reviews and newspaper articles.

I’ve found that the ideal times for library programs are weeknights or, occasionally, Sundays, but you also have to be guided by the preferences of the library.

Call the library a few days before your scheduled appearance to confirm. Ask for a podium if you need one. Inquire about any interest in the program to date so you can get an idea of the attendance. Some libraries have sign-up sheets, others don’t.

Arrive about a half-hour early to set up. My only props were an aluminum collapsible easel and a poster blowup of the book cover. I also brought along a bottle of water, an extra pen for purchasers, and business cards, which I spread on a table. These help in obtaining other talk invitations and media interviews and also assist attendees with the spelling of your name.

Arrange for a proper introduction. Check to be sure the introducer will not wing it and will read either from the bio you previously sent or from the one in your book or dust jacket.

Then leave the room and perhaps browse through the library or read a newspaper.

Return just before start time and sit unobtrusively in the back of the room. After the introduction, walk to the front from that location (a theatrical touch!).

If it’s convenient for you, stand, don’t sit, during your talk. I always requested a podium, even though I never spoke from notes. It provided something to drape my arm over from time to time. If the library anticipates a large turnout or the room is large, check on whether a microphone will be needed and available.

Even if the room is small, stand–unless the turnout is also small (like four or five people). In that case, don’t run home. Often, the individuals in the audience are more embarrassed then you are, so you must put them at ease. Here’s how I handled it. Pulling up a chair, I would say something like: "Last week, I was in Hartford and 200 people showed up. The next night, Stratford, and only a handful was there. Last night, New Haven, and 80 or 90 came. And tonight? A handful. So one can never tell. But do you know what? It makes no difference to me. I give it the same energy either way. So if you’re comfortable, I am too. Let’s proceed, then, and who knows? Maybe others will eventually join us."

Several recommendations for the book signing: Write a brief inscription over your signature. Keep all receipts unless an agreement has been made to donate a portion to the library (I give 20 percent). Take only cash or checks. Collect the money yourself. Bring along some small bills to make change, and handle transactions from the table, not from your purse or wallet.

If a person arrives with your book in hand, that’s okay. Sign it with a smile. It still represents a sale, and now it also represents enduring interest.

Send the library a thank-you note during the following week. State that you look forward to a similar presentation with another book someday down the road. This helps establish a network you can count on in the future.

Finally, keep brief notes. I have a card for each library. Somewhere on it, I have a notation like "80/24." That means 80 people showed up and bought 24 books. I’ll contact that library again for my next book. If the notation reads "7/2," I might not.

Summary of Helpful Hints
· Do your own scheduling by phone.
· Weeknights and Sundays work best.
· Try not to include libraries that may be too small.
· Favor those that have Friends of the Library or its equivalent.
· In advance, send a press kit and a complimentary copy of your book.
· Call a few days before to confirm.
· Bring your own supply of books.
· Arrange for a proper introduction.
· Allow for questions and answers.
· Send a thank-you note the following week.

After his first exposure to forensic medicine while serving in the U.S. Navy, Jerry Labriola practiced medicine in his Connecticut hometown for more than 30 years. An assistant professor at the University of Connecticut Medical School, he was formerly chief of staff at Waterbury (CT) Hospital. He is the author of four mystery novels as well as the co-author of the nonfiction book Famous Crimes Revisited.

Reprinted from Independent Book Publishers Association

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To make your characters interesting to your readers, you have to make them human. To make them human, you have to give them traits with which your readers can identify. But how do you fully flesh out your characters without over-writing and boring your readers to tears?

Begin by writing a detailed, one-sentence summary of your story. Then ask yourself to whom the action will happen and from whose perspective the story will mainly be told. That person will be your main character. Next, begin building your characters to suit your message and your storyline.

As a writer, you are a natural observer of people and activities around you, and probably have a file of details gathered from people-watching. Using these physical descriptions and behavioral traits, you should be able create characters that fit your storyline. Choose carefully, making sure that your characters fit the needs of your plot. Include what they like to eat and wear, how they laugh, how they feel about dogs and children and anything else that will make your readers connect with them.

As with human beings, your characters’ everyday actions and reactions should generally fit their personalities. It is all right, however (and will add spice to the plot!) to allow your characters occasionally to behave in unexpected ways. Also remember to include moral strengths and weaknesses in the makeup of your characters. No human is ever all good or all bad, so your characters should not be, either. Also remember to vary your characters’ speech patterns and to describe their accents and the tonal qualities of their voices.

Having your plot thoroughly worked out is, of course, very important. But the characters you develop will make or break your storyline. If your readers don’t see your characters as human and cannot identify with them, the best plot in the world will not save your book!

Derry Sampey is the senior editor for NewBookPublishing.com

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Stylebooks help you write clearly and correctly.

Whether you are writing a non-fiction or a fiction book, there are guidelines you must follow, both in creating your text and formatting your manuscript. Help is available in the form of stylebooks that give writers such information as when to capitalize certain words, how to cite sources in text, where to use italics, and so forth.

If you have written and sold newspaper or magazine articles, you are no doubt familiar with the Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual, the mainstay of reporters everywhere. Although AP style is acceptable for book-length publications, the Chicago Manual of Style, published by the University of Chicago Press was recently updated for users who also work with electronic publications.

As does the AP stylebook, the 956-page Chicago manual covers subject matter from word usage to parts of speech; from quoting without permission to how to read an editor's proof marks on your hard copy; and from punctuation to common terminology. Both books are well designed for quick and easy reference and certainly worth purchasing.

In addition to following the style and usage advice found in these books, you will be required by a publisher to set up your manuscript in a certain way, called "formatting" in the trade. Formatting requirements for NewBookPublishing.com can be found at NewBookPublishing.com, and must be followed by anyone who intends to submit a book-length manuscript.

Following style and formatting guidelines will quickly become second nature to new writers. And, if you have any questions regarding either one, we always have someone available to answer them for you.

Derry Sampey is the senior editor for NewBookPublishing.com