CHARLIE’S CHOICE

Weekly Tips to Help You

Write, Publish & Promote Your Books

BUILD TRAFFIC ON YOUR SITE WITH `ARTICLES

You're a writer. What could be easier than crafting short articles on topics you've already researched for your book or eBook? It certainly isn't terribly hard to then send them off to an article directory for distribution throughout the Web. Believe it or not, amazing numbers of visitors will suddenly arrive on your web site thanks to just these two simple efforts.

It's easy and best of all, it's free. Certainly a task worthy of three or four hours of effort a week.

You've Already Done Your Research

The beauty of this program is that you can head right for the computer. You've already done the research necessary to write these articles. Because they deal with the same topic as your web site and your book, they become invitations that bring surfers to your site.

A high percentage of those visitors may either enroll in your eZine program or even buy the products you're trying to sell. If they don't on the first visit, adding fresh info to your site will bring them back again and again. Sales require exposure. People want  to view your product before they buy. Promoting through article distribution provides that exposure.

You may wonder why a reader of one of your articles might become a visitor to your site. The answer is very simple. Web surfers lust for information. A well written article lends a great deal of credibility to you, the author, and invites the reader to find more information by clicking on your web site.

Don't "blow your own horn" in the article or you will lose your reader who at that moment isn't interested in you, just in the knowledge he/she is seeking and you are offering. Once convinced by reading your informative piece that you are a worthy source of knowledge, the reader is eager to obtain more from you.

A short biographical paragraph at the end of the article is all he/she needs to follow you to your web site. The paragraph highlights your credentials in the field you are writing about, gives the URL of your web site, as well as any other contact information you are willing to publicize.

Building Your Piece

Short, direct and packed with info are the essentials for a powerful e-Article. Your readers seek answers, and it's up to you to make them succinct and enlightening. Many of the topics you cover won't need much more than 400 to 500 words. Hold yourself to a maximum of 1200. These surfers aren't looking for lengthy literary masterpieces. They just want answers...the facts, man, just the facts.

Just as you worked to select appropriate keywords for your web site, so you must sprinkle them throughout your article, particularly in your very earliest paragraphs and at the end of your piece. Conduct an updated search to find whether new key terms have grown in popularity for people searching for your specific topic. Use sites like http://www.wordtracker.com/ and http://www.inventory.overture.com/ to help you find them,

Spreading the Word

The article does you no good sitting on your computer. When it's done, check the search engines for companies that will distribute it throughout the Web. Some of these companies list the articles they make available by subject, and invite webmasters throughout the Internet to select and use any of them. Others actually target specific sites and send out the articles.

In almost every case, however, article users pay no fee. "What!" you shout. "I don't get paid for my writing and my wisdom?" Of course you do. But not in dollars. Your payment comes in the form of widespread publicity that attracts targeted traffic to your site, and then generates sales of your products. That's the real payoff.

You can find sites for article distributor by clicking on "Article Distributors on the Web."  You'll discover lots of them. Here are a few to consider: http://www.ezinearticles.com/, http://www.articlecity.com/,

http://www.freesticky.com/, http://www.articledistributors.com/ and http://www.contentdesk.com/. Check them out, and select the ones that highlight the topic you are writing about.

Still More Benefits

You can count on at least two additional bonuses when you use this remarkable promotional tool. The search engine spiders will begin to respond, for they love fresh content, and follow it throughout the Internet. In addition, you will probable attract links from many sites that cover topics that relate to yours. And that too will boost your rankings on the search engines.

So take advantage of the opportunities article writing can produce and see the activity on your web site soar far beyond what you ever imagined. Don't hesitate to contact us at charles@retirement-writing.com or surf our web site at http://www.retirement-writing.com/.

CHARLIE’S CHOICE

Weekly Tips to Help You

Write, Publish & Promote Your Books

You’ve written, rewritten, proofed and edited. The book is done. But your job is far from done.

In today’s profit-minded publishing world, marketing and promoting are YOUR responsibility if you care about selling what you write. That’s true whether you use a traditional publisher, try POD or self-publish your work. Forget those glorious dreams of nation-wide signing tours, full page ads, radio and TV appearances…all sponsored by your publisher. It just ain’t so any more, unless you are a celebrity or big time author.

Future “Charlie’s Choice” columns will guide you through specific aspects of promoting and selling your magnum, opus. For today, let’s take a quick look at the options you can pursue...tackling the job yourself or hiring a professional.

The Choices
I’m sure you are aware of the difference between an advertising agency and a public relations firm. The former prepares and places paid ads on broadcast and in print. You pay for the ad, and in most cases the agency is compensated by a rebate from the medium in which it appears. Conversely, the PR consultant’s challenge is to find you exposure at no cost…that is, other than the fee the firm charges for its services.

Whether you choose to deal with an agency or a firm, be absolutely certain your choice has had solid experience promoting a book. That requires very special skills and contacts that the average consultant doesn’t have. I’ll repeat that caution time and again throughout this article because it is so very critical.

Our industry has an exacting timeline of activities both pre and post publication that must be followed to harvest the most from you promotional efforts. The PR consultant you choose must be familiar with every action that is required. For example, there are specific types of book reviewers, and each has its own timetable for submission. Coordination of your PR activities with your distributor and wholesaler is absolutely essential. Although we’ll discuss topics like these in future columns, don’t spend your dollars on a high priced consultant unless you are sure he/she knows every step of this process.

The Big Boys
Talent is available at a variety of skill levels. Hiring the larger, more sophisticated firms will take a hefty slice of your budget. High powered pros demand high powered budgets, but in return they offer extensive media contacts, as well as skilled copywriters and a talented graphics staff. It’s certainly a boon to know you have that capability backing you up. If you can afford it, that’s the way to go.

Small, But Helpful
At the other end of the scale, you can find one-person firms operating in your region that will work with you either on a per-task basis or on retainer. Many of these folks have both knowledge and experience, but usually not in the publishing industry. And that is so important. They can certainly be helpful. For example, they can probably craft a quality press release based on the information you feed them. But it will be up to you to determine the media that should receive the release, as well as the timing (very important) of each release.

Interview the potential hires carefully to determine the extent of their experience. Don’t overlook the fact that a bright, eager solo operator may bring some new insight and an effective fresh approach. But you will have to learn all you can about book promotion, and guide the one you choose constantly. Many excellent books and web sites are available to help you. I’ll be happy to send you a list of a dozen or more that I consider first rate. Send me a note, and I’ll be happy to share the list I have prepared for the Appendix of my forthcoming book, The Writer Within You.
E-mail your request to charles@retirement-writing.com.
The Middle Ground
A mid-sized firm may be your best choice if you feel you need professional help. But once again, the majority has had little or no experience promoting books. If you are going to rely heavily on the firm’s expertise, be sure you pick one with an adequate background in publishing.

Firms of this size usually have a small staff of qualified personnel in copywriting and graphics. They also should have a solid list of media contacts. But be sure that the list includes specialties like book reviewers and book editors for newspapers and periodicals. 

Charlie”s Choice
When I looked for PR support for my forthcoming book The Writer Within You, I found firm after firm that promised me the moon if I gave it a large wad of my cash. They would then sit down and develop a proposal and once we agreed on the parameters they outlined, execute it. I hate those high-powered approaches with lots of promises and few specifics.

After interviewing several small firms, I decided I would hire a part-time assistant to help me with the scut work and go it alone. Then all by chance, following a gathering of the Florida Publishers Association, I looked at the web site of RES Marketing Alliance, a firm that was mentioned at the conference. 

I expected very little. Just another pompous PR firm with a fancy moniker. How wrong I was. This was a company that specified each of the tasks it would perform, and placed a cost (very reasonable fees) on each of them. It seemed too good to be true, and so I met personally with Reina Santana, the gracious, low key and talented owner. We signed contracts that very first day, and I have never regretted it. Take a look at Reina’s web site http://www.resmarketingalliance.com. You’ll appreciate the tip.

We’re Here to Help
The intent of the “Charlie’s Choice” column is to provide guidance for writers. We have no clients and will never accept payments or other gratuities to mention or promote a source.  Our purpose is purely educational.

At a reader’s request, we will happily supply lists of resources that we feel comfortable recommending. On occasion, we’ll single out a specific company, pertinent to the subject we are talking about, that we feel is outstanding. That company will always be one with which we have had adequate experience before we recommend it. Today’s recommendation, RES Marketing Alliance, is an example.

You’ll find contact information on some of the best resources available in the Appendix to my forthcoming book The Writer Within You, which will be available in September. If you need the list sooner, drop me an e-mail at charles@retirement-writing.com, and I’ll be happy to send you several excellent sources.

It certainly helps to develop a sense of the publishing industry now that you're retired and starting your new career as an author. Writers' conferences are held in many different locales throughout the year.

Checking industry publications like Poets and Writers or Writer's Digest can keep you abreast of the schedules. Try the Internet. Enter "Writers Conferences." Wonderful sites like http://writing.shawguides.net will pop up with all the information you need to choose the conferences best suited to your needs.

Trade Shows

Trade shows and festivals abound. There are national shows like the Book Expo America, which will run from June 1-3 at the Javits Center in New York City. Many state and regional groups also sponsor book shows and festivals that are well worth attending.

Annual conferences or book festivals are sponsored by the larger groups, statewide or regional. They are smaller and more intimate than the national shows and well worth attending.

Lists of writer organizations can be found on the Internet by searching "Writers Organizations." Several sites that are helpful are Pegasus Writers Stable for nonfiction  groups, www.artslynxs.org,  www.canauthors.org for Canadian organizations and even Wikepedia.

The writing community is for the most part warm and inviting and willing to assist newcomers. It's a great way to improve your skills as an author and to socialize now that retirement gives you the luxury of time to enjoy those activities.

Reach out, and the contacts you make and the information you garner will pay you back generously.