In reality, Twitter really is quite simple. This fun video shows you how easy it is to get started and how it works.

Click here to view the embedded video.

We also found this one that explains twitter keywords and hashtags, which are important for targeting your reader.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Now that you have a basic understanding of how to utilize twitter, it’s time to focus on what you should actually say or “tweet” about. Like with anything you do to build your author platform, you need to be answering the reader’s question—“What’s in it for me?” Even at 140 characters, readers are still looking for value. You can provide it through:

News: What’s hot and trending in your topic right now.

Links: What resources are available to educate, inform, and entertain your reader.

Tips: Quick tips and insights to help your reader improve or enhance their lives.

Throughout your posts full of news, links, and tips you also want to sprinkle in some self-promotion and engagement with your readers. A good rule of thumb is to keep promotion to about 20% of your content and focus the rest on providing value to and engaging with the reader.

A few quick tips:

• To add links and still keep your posts to 140 characters, use Tiny links or Bity links
• Add keywords designated with hashtags (mentioned in the video above). This will allow you to get your post in front of people outside of your network. If your tweets are interesting and informational, they’ll start following you.
• Don’t worry about mass. It’s not about how many followers you have, it’s about having the right followers who are interested in your topic and view you as a great resource/expert.
• Social media is a two way street. Engage with readers, answer their questions, and share other people’s informative posts.

Here are some popular hashtags related to writing and publishing:

#dearauthor: Notes and tips from industry professionals to authors.

#dearpublisher: Notes and questions from authors to publishers.

#publishing: News, trends, and information on publishing.

#pubtips: Tips on getting your manuscript picked up by an agent or publisher.

#writing: Information on the craft of writing.

#amwriting: Updates on what you are writing now.

#WIP: Work in progress.

#writegoal: Share your daily writing goal.

#womeninpublishing an #meninpublishing: Focus on the men and women in the industry.

#books: All things related to books.

But to get there, the book does have to be perfectly executed, which is the first step (or impediment) to success. Based on the submissions we see, I’d like to share my top three considerations for creating a successful children’s book:

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, like this, can give a book a classic look, while a more quirky style, like this, can help differentiate your title. I recommend getting a third-party, professional opinion of sample illustrations before committing to an artist. Asking library buyers, literary agents, book publicists, or book distributors for feedback is a good start. It’s always wise to compare the quality of your book to comparable titles that have sold well in bookstores.

A Unique Story

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 parents. If you’re thinking about writing a book about a popular topic like friendship, bullying, or nightmares, figure out how to approach it in a new way. You could do this with an unexpected story, funky characters, an innovative 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, meditation, or debt might be places where the market has holes that could be filled.

High-Quality Production

Similar to illustrations, the production of kids’ books has to be exceedingly high quality. To ensure the printing quality, make sure to do your background research on printers you’re thinking of using. Ask printers to send you a sample with specifications similar to your book’s so that you can physically assess paper, ink, and binding quality. Adding interactive parts to a book, like sound, mirrors, pop-ups or puppets, can also help it stand out, though beware of expense when considering these types of technology. If you want your book in retail outlets, it’s best to print your book with an offset printer, as opposed to print on demand—the quality is significantly higher with an offset press, and bookstores require their books to be returnable.

Common Mistakes

On the flipside, here are a few common mistakes we see on a regular basis:

Too Much Text per Page

We see a lot of kids’ submissions that have far too much text per page. For a children’s picture book, which are usually targeted at ages 4–8, text can be as minimal as you want it to be, but it’s generally a bad idea to exceed more than 70–80 words per two-page spread. Shooting for 0–30 words per page is ideal—when it comes to the amount of text per page, less is always more.

Unclear Age Group

It is sometimes unclear what age group an author is aiming for, and as a result, the book doesn’t really fit in any category. Oftentimes, books take an approach to their topic that is too complex for 4–8 year-olds, hurting its chances for retail. Similarly, we also see picture books with between 60 and 70 pages, which is too long for younger children. A 32-page picture book is generally meant for ages 4–8, so it’s important that your topic and diction are age-appropriate.

Too-High Price

As we’ve mentioned before on the Big Bad Book Blog, the retail price range for a book is very limited and determined by the retail buyers. Charging $1 more for your book than other authors are charging could have a severely negative impact on sales. Most hardcover children’s books are between $9.95 and $16.95, with $14.95 being ideal in most situations. Board books are typically $4.95 to $6.95.

A note about money: it is important to consider profit margins before starting production on a children’s book since the printing price per unit is significantly higher than other books because of the color interior, and the price point is very low due to the competitive landscape. You want to make sure you’ve considered all costs before getting started so that you have a plan to recoup them.

1. Complete your profile. Fill in your work history, your experience, any awards and recognition related to your book or expertise, and a short bio. Include as much information as possible about who you are as an author, and make sure the information you include will interest the target audience for your book. Also make sure you a have a current, professionally taken photo.
2. Update your status. LinkedIn is all about professional updates, so only share links, events, or media coverage that pertain to your message an author and expert. Keep info about your cat or your last meal for private conversations.
3. Make your profile public. This way people can easily find you, both within LinkedIn and on the web.
4. Add links. You can add up to three links to your profile, including links to your blog and website. Be sure to add at least one link with information about your book (which is usually your website).
5. Make connections. Go through your Outlook address book, Rolodex, or BlackBerry to find potential connections from your existing contacts. LinkedIn’s quick connect feature lets you connect with people already in your Yahoo or Gmail email accounts.
6. Join groups. Find groups that cater to your audience. Make individual connections with members in the group and participate in events and discussions.
7. Get recommendations. Have people who have read your book or whom you have worked with in some way write recommendations for you. Be willing to do the same in return should the occasion call for it.
8. Set up your company profile. If you have a company or your own small press associated with your book or expertise, set up a company profile. If you have employees, you can invite them to update their profiles with their company affiliation.

The above will help you get your profile page up to a par, but LinkedIn has some other fantastic features that you will also want to use to boost your presence.

1. LinkedIn Answers:  Demonstrate your expertise and connect with your audience by answering questions on LinkedIn Answers. You can search open questions by category or date posted to quickly find which questions you have the authority to answer. The key is to be precise and to leave the self-promotion out of your response.
2. Document sharing. Share your articles and presentations with one of the many document-sharing plugins available. Some of the most commonly used include SlideShare, Scribbd, and Box.net. All three allow users to download your materials, are available from LinkedIn free of charge, and help you boost your SEO.
3. Social media plugins. You can add your tweets, blog posts, and Facebook posts to your LinkedIn profile. Just be careful—each platform caters to a different audience, who each want different information. If you are cross-pollinating with repetitive posts, people will turn off.

LinkedIn is always adding more plugins and features. Just check out the application directory on the LinkedIn toolbar for more information. You can also check out LinkedIntelligence, a blog focused on LinkedIn best practices.

Social media is an important facet of your overall marketing strategy. Just as with any social media effort, the key for LinkedIn success is to be consistent and provide value. LinkedIn is more manageable than most platforms, in that the status updates you write should be limited to only those items related directly to your book or profession, so you only need to update once a week or when you add new events, articles, and media coverage. You can set up email alerts to keep you updated on group discussions and LinkedIn Answers as they occur, so you don’t have to constantly check back.

Above all, don’t let LinkedIn or any social media platform consume you. Keep it simple, focused, and constrained to what is realistic for your goals and schedule.

Here are a few things to consider:

1. Don’t be afraid to go for the golden egg. Ask a variety of people who are well regarded in your genre—not just authors, but also entrepreneurs, speakers, personalities, and other big names. You’ll be surprised at how many will say yes.
2. Leverage your existing network. There aren’t that many degrees of separation between you and the golden-egg contacts. Speak to people already in your network. Ask whom they know and get recommendations for others you might not have considered.
3. Make it easy for them to say yes. When you send your endorsement letter (sample below), go ahead and include a few sample endorsements that they can choose from should they want to. You can ask your editor or publicist to help you draft a few.
4. Keep them short. Endorsements are generally 1–3 sentences long. To be effective, they must be specific. They can’t simply say, “It’s a great book.”
5. Be professional. If you are requesting an endorsement from someone in your existing network, then an e-mail request is fine. For those whom you’ve never met, a formal letter sent via snail mail is a more professional way to go. Send an Advance Reader’s Copy (ARC) with any mailed requests, but for an e-mail solicitation, it is enough to offer an ARC and then follow up.

In addition to blurbs, you can also solicit someone to write a Foreword for your book. The process for securing these is the same as with endorsements, but instead of 1–3 sentences, the endorser writes a recommendation letter to the reader. It can be as short as a paragraph or as long as a few pages and gives, in greater detail, the reasons why the industry guru recommends your book. Forewords give the endorser more white space to demonstrate their skills and knowledge and an opportunity to connect with your platform in a deeper way—a great selling point to consider when requesting this service.

Now it’s time to get down to the nitty-gritty of the actual endorsement letter. One thing to remember here is that you are not selling your prospect on your book—you need to sell them on their own value as a potential endorser. In other words, don’t start off by saying how great your book is, start by saying why you admire their opinion and why it’s important to you to have it. Also share your reasons for writing the book, the topic, and who the market is so they can readily see that you are marketing to the same audience they serve (this way they can see the advantage in having their name visible to your network).

Here is an example:

Dear Sir or Madam (Use your prospect’s real name—no mass letters here):

I attended your lecture last year and was inspired by your point of view on leadership. Reading your work, it became evident that we are offering new ideas and advice to a similar segment of the business audience. I admire your ideas, so when I knew it was time to start requesting endorsements for my forthcoming book [Title], you were at the top of my list.

Like yours, my book is geared toward upper-level management, but instead of leadership I discuss ways for managers to find a balance between work and life. After spending many years in upper-level management doing things the wrong way, I learned how to find success in my career while still having time for family, friends, and fun. With a weak economy adding more stress to corporate life, it is becoming increasingly important for managers to find that balance. My book includes proven tips and strategies as well as real-life anecdotes to help other managers find that happy balance.

To help with your decision, I have enclosed an Advance Reader’s Copy and sample endorsements for you to review. I thank you very much for your time and look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

Author

To develop a database of articles, start by making a list of topics you can speak on, such as “10 Things Every Leader Should Know” or “5 Ways to Improve Your Health While on the Road.” Don’t worry if you can only think of a few. This list will grow as your career continues and as you research more outlets for your ideas.

Next, identify publications that cater to your audience and that submit freelance articles. Look on the publication’s website for the submission guidelines; it is important that you follow these to the letter. Ignoring guidelines is usually grounds for an automatic rejection and does not present you in a professional light.

Here are a few more tips for developing and submitting articles:

1. Make your articles concise and actionable.
2. Use startling statistics or third-party facts to support your ideas.
3. Tailor your article to the publication’s tone and audience. This may mean switching out certain terms. For example, you can substitute the term “customer” with “patient” if you are submitting an article on marketing to a medical publication.
4. Leave out the self-promotion—that’s what your bio is for.

Above all, provide value. If your articles don’t have substance, not only will no one want to read them, but media professionals will not want to print them either.

If you’re a nonfiction or business author, it’s easy to repurpose some your book content into an article. Simply pull out a page or a few paragraphs that focus on a central topic or concept and add an appropriate introduction or summary.

There are also many options for submitting articles for content syndication on the Internet. Content syndication can benefit your website’s search-engine ranking and enhance your web presence. Here are a few syndication resources:

Free Resources:

http://e-articles.info/ This free article directory provides useful free articles, tutorials, and information resources about various life issues. Subjects include Arts & Entertainment, Finance, Dating & Relationships, Business, Technology, Health & Fitness, Home & Garden, News & Society, Sports, and more.

http://www.articlealley.com/ This site helps authors promote and syndicate their content on a large scale. Web content managers from thousands of partner sites use Article Alley to source free content they can include on their own websites.

http://www.articlesbase.com/submit-articles.php Similar to e-articles.info and Article Alley, Articles Base allows authors to submit articles to a comprehensive database. Articles Base is unique in that it includes an author bio box where you can promote your own webpage and personal brand.

Paid Resources:

http://www.isnare.com A $2-per-article submission charge makes syndication available to 1000+ websites.

http://www.rcplinks.com/Article_Submission.htm $25 for 100 links to your article.

Rules when submitting articles to content syndication services:

#1: No links allowed within the body of the article.

#2: No promotion of your company or book within the article itself.

#3: Links promoting your Amazon page or book website should live in the bio or “about the author” section.  Use links sparingly in this section as an article will often be rejected if there are more than three.

]]> http://www.bigbadbookblog.com/2010/08/10/how-to-write-and-pitch-articles/feed/ 0 http://www.bigbadbookblog.com/2010/08/05/put-your-best-face-forward-how-to-take-a-great-headshot/ http://www.bigbadbookblog.com/2010/08/05/put-your-best-face-forward-how-to-take-a-great-headshot/#comments Thu, 05 Aug 2010 15:06:08 +0000 Natalie Navar http://www.bigbadbookblog.com/?p=2314 The author headshot is an imperative part of your career as an author. Not only will it be featured onyour book jacket, but your publicist will also want to make use of the photo for press releases and other marketing events.  You’ve spent months (or years!) on the content in the book; now it’s time to package it up.

There is a plethora of different headshot styles floating around the shelves at Barnes & Noble. From seriously bohemian black and white shots to overly made-up portraits, it can definitely be daunting to decide which direction to go with your own headshots. That being said, the easiest rule to follow is: keep it simple.

No matter your genre, a clean, professionally done headshot is the perfect addition to your book cover or marketing package. Look up local photographers online, browse their portfolios, and pick one with obvious experience in headshot photography. Even if you are unsure of how to approach the session, an experienced photographer will be able to steer you in the right direction as far as posing and expressions go. The photographer will also be able to recommend a makeup artist who can ensure that your makeup looks natural and perfectly applied on camera. I’m talking to you, too, men; a shiny forehead or age-spotted nose can be easily fixed with some expertly applied concealer and powder. That being said, remember again to keep it simple. You want to look like you in your photo (you on your best day, of course). Bright lipstick can photograph as garish, and even a slight over-application of eye shadow will come across as raccoon eyes. Err on the side of “less is more”; if you need any touch-ups, the photographer can easily do that to your final prints.

As far as clothing goes, plain colors (rather than prints) in a business casual style are the way to go, but beware of anything too bright. If you’re thinking hot pink, choose a cool raspberry instead; you want your face, not your blouse, to be the center of attention. Take at least three changes of clothing; you’ll be surprised how different a color can look in a photograph. Women, feel free to add a little jewelry, just stick with smaller pieces that won’t look dated in five years. Also, make sure that you are against a plain, neutral background. Grays and taupes make for soothing, unobtrusive backdrops that go easily with any color (including black) that you may be wearing, and that’s why they remain the most commonly used backdrops by photographers.

The most important thing to remember is that this photograph is about you. Not your makeup, clothes, or accessories. Relax and be yourself at the session, and don’t be afraid to ask the photographer for advice! There will be hundreds of photos to choose from, so you are guaranteed to find a few that you love. Feel free to send over your favorites to your publicist for help in making the final decision, too, as he or she can give you an informed decision as to which photo is best suited to your needs.

So there you have it! Be yourself, keep it simple, and don’t be afraid to ask the professionals for advice. Investing in your headshot is an investment in your career as an author, and having a photo that reflects you and your professionalism speaks volumes for your credibility.

Part One: To Blog or Not to Blog (why you should blog)

Part Two: A Blog Without a Cause (what to blog about)

Part Three: Taming the Blog Monster (managing your blog)

Part Four: The Blog Without a Name (promoting your blog)

Part Five: Blog Vital Signs (tracking your progress)

Now that you’ve set up your blog, developed your content, and shared your posts, you’re probably wondering why you’re doing this in the first place? Does it really help you sell books?

Short answer: Yes.

Long answer: Blogs are one of the best ways to create a community of followers. Still, you want to know your time is worth it and that your efforts are working, so it’s best to track your blog statistics. Luckily, there are a couple of free tools out there that make it easy to do so.

Google Analytics:

This free tool from Google lets you track how many visitors come to your site, how they are finding you, and what content they are viewing most. This is a great way to see what’s working, what’s not, and how well you are doing.

Spredfast:

Spredfast is a social media dashboard that lets you post and manage multiple media channels from one portal. There are several packages available, but you will need to contact them directly for pricing as it varies on a case by case basis. The depth of reporting changes with each package, but even the basic package lets you see which users are sharing your posts, how many people are viewing them, and what your total engagement with your audience is like.

How do you use these stats?

1. Share impressive numbers with your publicist or publisher to show demand.
2. Identify which content people are interested in—or not interested in—so you can adjust new information to meet those needs.
3. Track how offline trends affect online trends.
4. Work with your publicist to improve your overall marketing strategy.

Check the stats frequently so you can easily see the correlation between trends and content and adjust accordingly. Above all, don’t get so caught up in numbers that you ignore what people are actually telling you. Comments, also, are a great way to track your progress and get ideas for new content and books.

Part One: To Blog or Not to Blog (why you should blog)

Part Two: A Blog Without a Cause (what to blog about)

Part Three: Taming the Blog Monster (managing your blog)

Part Four: The Blog Without a Name (promoting your blog)

Part Five: Blog Vital Signs (tracking your progress)

In part four of our series, we will focus on ways to promote your blog. It’s not enough to just create a blog and upload content. All of your hard work means nothing if no one knows about it.

The best way to promote your blog is through social media. Every time you publish a new post, create aquick lead line,attach a link back to your blog,and then share it on your social media accounts, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and others. Post them on message boards and in discussions that will interest your target audience, and use relevant hashtags on Twitter to get your post in front of people who will be interested in the topic of your blog. Do this every single time you post. You may even want to post the link 2–3 times in the same media stream in order to capture different people as they view their news feed. Just don’t get too obnoxious with posting links—even it out with plenty of valuable content and personal interaction.

Here are a few more tips to get your blog out there and in front of readers:

1. Comment on other blogs that cover your topic. When you post the comment,  share a link back to your own blog along with your comment.
2. Offer up your posts for syndication to aggregators and other outlets in your genre. Just be sure to prequalify outlets and their practices so you can keep your brand intact.
3. Promote social bookmarking through such outlets as Digg, Delicious, StumbleUpon, Social Poster, and more. Most blog services have a widget that will display a bookmarking toolbar for each post. If not, have your web designer embed this type of widget on your blog.

In our next and final post, we cover ways to track your blog’s progress and statistics.

Part One: To Blog or Not to Blog (why you should blog)

Part Two: A Blog Without a Cause (what to blog about)

Part Three: Taming the Blog Monster (managing your blog)

Part Four: The Blog Without a Name (promoting your blog)

Part Five: Blog Vital Signs (tracking your progress)

In part three of our series, we show you ways to manage your blog so it doesn’t manage you. If you read our original post on how to develop content for your blog, then you should already have a stockpile of posts to draw on. Next, you want to get them up into the blogosphere.

Some people enjoy blogging on a daily basis, but for most it’s too time consuming and can interfere with other important tasks. Luckily, most blog services such as Wordpress and Blogspot have the option to set a publish date and time, so you can load several posts in one sitting and have them publish automatically in the future. This way you are generating content on the recommended daily basis without the trouble of logging in and posting every day.

As I just mentioned, it is recommended that you blog daily, primarily on weekdays; regular posts positively impact search rankings in search engines such as Google and Yahoo. Still, posting a couple times a week is a good way to generate traffic on a frequent basis. The key word here is consistency. Don’t post five one week and then nothing for the next two weeks. People won’t be interested in what you have to say if they have no idea when you are going to say it. Develop a schedule and stick to it.

Another option to help you manage your blog is to either host guest bloggers or have a co-blogger. This way, the workload is divided among more than one person. Guest blogs are a great way to pull another blogger’s followers into your site (new potential readers) and to provide fresh content. Co-bloggers help take some of the burden off you, and also bring another perspective and new information to the blog. Just remember to choose cohorts who are in line with your author brand so you can keep your message on target and keep your audience engaged.

In our next post we discuss ways to draw readers into your blog.

Would you rather:

1. Not spend your own money and get paid up front
2. Pay just to print in exchange for a moderate return
3. Make a reasonable up-front investment for a higher return

Would you prefer to:

1. Let someone else handle the entire process
2. Manage the process yourself
3. Retain creative control while working with an experienced team

In terms of marketing and sales, are you more comfortable:

1. Handling your marketing, but knowing the publisher’s credibility will carry you through the distribution chain
2. Handling all of your marketing and forgoing retail distribution
3. Coordinating your marketing efforts with an organized and strategic campaign through retail and specialty distribution channels while having the option to sell directly

In terms of creating content, are you more comfortable:

1. Writing it yourself, but working with an editor to finalize it
2. Writing and editing it all yourself—I’ll hire an editor if I need one
3. Writing it yourself, but using the help of a ghost writer or an editor to organize your thoughts and save time

When it comes to design, would you rather:

1. Leave it to the pros
2. Do it yourself
3. Have creative control, but work with a skilled designer

When it comes to distribution, do you want:

1. Access to a traditional distribution chain
2. To sell them all yourself
3. A combination of traditional distribution and the ability to sell books on your own in return for the full cover price

Answer Key:

Mostly 1’s: Traditional publishing is probably the best option for you.

Mostly 2’s: Vanity, new technology, or self-publishing may be best for you.

Mostly 3’s: An independent/hybrid publisher is likely the best fit.

Regardless of which option you choose to pursue, it is vital that you protect yourself by doing your homework, taking the time to weigh the pros and cons, and analyzing  the option’s ability to help you meet your short and long-term goals. Publishing a book is a smart and crucial step toward building your brand. Take the time to do it right.