What can you  do to get better results from your book marketing efforts?  Of course inherent in this question is how to get better results but still not break the bank doing so. Here are some out-of-the-box ideas I have seen have worked and some I have initiated that have worked that might help you.

Let’s start with the author who took to the streets in New York selling his book like some kids sell lemonade at lemonade stands during hot Summer days. According to this author he was able to sell more than thirty books each time he trekked out to sell on one or another street corner. Of course you can riff off of this idea and hold an event using a tool like Eventbrite or Meetup to create a buzz around the topic of your book. You could sell your book at a clothing store like I did with the book I helped three young women co-author, “Shy-Town Girls.” Here we held a fun event at a young women’s clothing store in Chicago and ended up with 50 or so book buyers. The store was also happy  as they were able to get in new people who might become long-term customers. This strategy for us also led to our book being picked up to sell in their store.

Second, try hosting a radio show on a site like Blog Talk Radio. I have been using this strategy for years and it has brought up our numbers (see the Blog Talk Radio link to the right of this page) to more than 10,000 listeners on some shows. Most people are actually getting tired from lots of reading and opt to listen to podcasts-radio shows like this as a nice break from the continual eye strain from reading.

Third, consider groups on LinkedIn that match your area of expertise and locate people there who might be interested in doing a book review of your book. For example, if you have a book on leadership, check out a group that focuses on leadership discussions. Look at the people most active in the group to approach to consider doing a book review. Of course you can also write reviews of other authors’ books that complement yours and then request a review. I have also had great results asking people who ask to link with me if they would like to receive a free review copy of my latest book, “Networking is Dead” and if they like it I ask if they would be so kind as to write a review. So far I have had over 50 people offer to review the book in the last few months.

What other strategies have you used that have worked? Want to learn more? Join us for a free tele-chat Tuesday, May 7th at 11 Central.

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Journey of a New Author

April 15, 2013

Dana Klosner entered my life eight years ago. She took me up on my offer to write a book that, I believe, is very needed in the world–a book for moms who want to re-enter the workplace. I have chosen to publish this book as I do with book ideas that are focused on making a huge impact in the world.

Join me as I work with Dana who I asked, in addition to me publishing this book, offer her insights on her journey. I think I picked a good person for this task as Dana is a seasoned writer with experience in this space. This will be the first of a number of blog posts about her journey. I hope it will help those of you looking to write your own book.

Dana

I met Melissa Giovagnoli (G) Wilson eight years ago when my husband was considering changing jobs. While he was in the midst of his job search I realized he must not be the only one mid-career considering making the jump. So, I did what I always do. As a freelance journalist I got to the job of researching the subject of how to make the switch without losing salary, benefits or vacation. It became a one thousand word article in the Working Section of The Baltimore Sun. Through that research I came across Melissa’s book, “Networlding; Building Relationships and Opportunities for Success” and she became one of my sources for the article. She was dynamic. She was a ball of energy. And she really believed in her motto of positioning yourself in mutually beneficial relationships. She believes in paying it forward and sharing her knowledge.

At that time, Melissa said to me, “You must be drowning in information. Much more than you need for a thousand word article. You should write a book!”

Me, write a book? Where would I start was all I could think. And with my two kids ages five and nine needing my attention and my writing career just beginning to take off it just didn’t seem possible. It never came to fruition.

Well, eight years and countless magazine and newspaper articles to later and my kids, now teenagers 13 and 17, not needing mom so much anymore I decided it was time. I wondered if Melissa was still out there? Did I miss a golden opportunity?

About three years ago I wrote an article for Long Island Parent On-Line about stay-at-home moms returning to work. I realized that was my calling. That was my book.

I found Melissa on Linked-In. I took the risk and contacted her. She got right back to me and wanted to hear more. We set up a time to talk on the phone.

I hit the jackpot. Over the years Melissa has expanded her business and has become a coach to CEOs and other professionals who want to write and market their books. I couldn’t believe my luck! She’s the book whisperer. We discussed my idea and Melissa thought it was great. She gave me my first assignment. Go to Amazon and look at all the other books on the market that are similar to my own. Look at the reviews. Of course take in what the favorable ones have to say, but maybe more importantly, look at the negative reviews and see what their books are missing. We should be sure my book includes what those are missing. I got to work. Those books reviewed said they were geared towards women with MBAs, Law Degrees and Doctorates and didn’t help the average woman. I will be sure to reach out to the average woman, who perhaps didn’t leave a high-level, high-paying job to stay home to raise her kids but left a more everyday job and now needs to start over.

Melissa was also a wealth of information as far as the marketing end of the business goes. This is more great news for me, because as a journalist the only person I had to sell my ideas to were editors. She mentioned people like Seth Goden a guru of marketers. She said she was one of only seventy people to be part of his Domino Project which is a sure fire way of getting the word out about your book.

She also mentioned she knows another marketing guru, Chris Brogan. I ran out and got Seth and Chris’s books and I am in the process of digging in to them.

I know that with Melissa’s help “From Mommy Track to Career Track” will be a success.

I’m looking forward to my journey with Melissa.

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10 Ways to Better Business Networking for Authors and Thought Leaders Building Content

April 11, 2013

1. Become a Networlder. A Networlder, unlike a networker, has 10 or fewer key people they consider partners. These partners are participants in regular exchanges of emotional support, information, knowledge, promotional support, as well as leads and referrals for new business or career opportunities. The focus of Networlding is on mutually beneficial exchanges with like-minded [...]

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Are You Humble Enough to Learn? Try This

March 26, 2013

  I just joined a course created by Chris Brogan. It is much more interactive than any course I have taken and it is all online. Leave it to Chris to come up with a successful way to create both community and learning. Everyone is sharing so much good information. It will be a highly [...]

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Leaping Ahead: Three Steps to a Great Blog

March 23, 2013

1. Start with a great title. My suggestion is to use numbers, such as “Three Ways to (eg Write a Great Headline or Write a Winning Proposal or Strike Up An Engaging Conversation.) 2. Write from your personal experience. There is nothing better than a great story that is personal and filled with passion. For [...]

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Can Children in Poverty Become Computer Stars?

March 20, 2013

There are few things that WOW me. I even capitalized the word to emphasize the impact of something that is beyond everyday, beyond even something special. This is in the category of a sustainable WOW. Sugata Mitra is Professor of Educational Technology at the School of Education, Communication and Language Sciences at Newcastle University, England. [...]

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20 Things I Won’t Do This Weekend

March 15, 2013

  It’s the weekend! How many of you feel, first, great, but then . . . hit a low? Here are 20 things I promise I am not going to do this weekend so I really let go: I won’t think about the work I have piling up. I won’t spend more than twice a [...]

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Networking is Dead and Flowers, Oh My

March 9, 2013

It’s 9:30 on a beautiful Saturday morning in Palm Springs. I just stopped by the hospital around the corner to visit my sister who is gravely ill. I take a break after an hour visiting where all the connection I can get is a small hi and she falls back asleep. I’ll come back later [...]

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Where Small Becomes a Big Idea for Sales

March 8, 2013

Small. It’s not a word we think about when we think of sales. We want lots of business and lots of money. But what if we flipped our paradigm upside down and tried the idea of small when it comes to sales. Seth Godin’s blog post today was focused on this exact subject. I would [...]

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The Great Exchange and the Judgment of Crowds

March 5, 2013

It’s not easy getting the mastery of what I call “The Great Exchange.” It’s mutually beneficial instead of one-sided. It’s opportunity expansive instead of opportunity limiting. It’s “we” focused instead of “me” focused. But this these definitions just scratch the surface. Take a look at the amazing TED Talk, below, of Amanda Palmer. Amanda started [...]

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