I know from the emails and blog comments I get that many of you have taken the jump into social networking. Today I’d like to share some thoughts about how social media can help with your brick-and-morter events, like a book launch or book signing. Often times we revert to traditional channels to advertise these events and miss some of the advantages social networking can give us. Don’t give up the traditional avenues, but add some of these ideas to increase your next event’s visibility. One of the benefits to social media is that you can identify people with similar interests. You can do this several ways. Hashtags on Twitter. A hashtag is a number sign (#) in front of a word or groups of letters. This makes the tweet searchable throughout the Twitter universe. For example, if I want […]
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Spring into Action, Part Two: Water the Seeds Regularly
Last week we talked about the first step to springing into action: Planting Seeds Now that those seeds are in the ground, let’s talk about the second step: Watering Those Seeds. Back in the old days, farmers planted when they had the best chance of getting the rain to water the seeds. They depended totally on nature and had no control over it whatsoever. Fortunately for them, today they have extensive irrigation systems. During the dry season when no rain is in the forecast, they can still turn out the most beautiful sod or green vegetables. So it is with your own life. You have at your disposal massive irrigation techniques to make sure those seeds of success you just planted get the proper nourishment. Things like: 1) The pipe. A good irrigation system begins with […]
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One Thing Marketing … Writer’s Mission Statement
Welcome to this week’s One Thing Marketing your “One Thing” you can do this week to buildyour platform, connect with readers/reviewers, and garner some exposure for you and your latest book or WIP. Last week I talked about Finding Your Why. How did you do with the evaluation questions? This week we’ll be using those answers to craft your mission statement. The definition of a Mission Statement (as defined by Wikipedia) is a statement of the purpose of a company or organization. The mission statement should guide the actions of the organization, spell out its overall goal, provide a path, and guide decision-making. It provides the framework or context within which the company’s strategies are formulated. This is what every author should start with before they decide on writing projects, accept assignments, or begin marketing […]
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What Comes Before Editing: Planning the Work & Working the Plan
With the nickname of The Evil Editor (TEE) – said with affection, remember! –I bet you think I’m all about editing. Not true. I’m also a writer. Which means I’m also about writing. But even before the writing, which comes before the editing, I’m about planning. I can see all you seat-of-the-pantsers (SOTPs) out there in the blog-o-sphere rolling your eyes. Thinking: Not another writer who chains herself to scripting out every last word of her novel, detail by infinitesimal detail. You think there’s nothing better than letting your story run away with you, surprising you with unexpected twists and turns as a character kisses someone unexpected – or maybe kills them. But even a SOTP has to plot something. Beginning, middle, end. The Disappointments (Ds). Maybe resist putting hands to keyboard and […]
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