Fw: [Book Marketing Expert] How to Double Your Book Sales on Your Website

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE BOOK MARKETING EXPERT NEWSLETTER! A newsletter all about SUCCESSFUL publishing and POWERFUL promotion. September 3, 2009 Issue #203 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ in this issue -- Note From The Editor -- Who's Yacking about You? -- Featured Article - How to Double Your Book Sales on Your Website -- PitchRate.com -- AME-University: Book Marketing, Publishing, and Internet Marketing classes -- Your Website Must be Convincing -- Book Bits and Bites -- How to Land Book Reviews -- Know Your Hot Topics -- Twitter Rules for the Road -- Three Quick Ways to Get More Sales on Your Website -- Tune in to The Publishing Insiders -- A Great Way to Use Google Alerts -- Promote Your Book Now -- Penny to Speak at Self-Publishing Expo -- Find Publishing Success With Our Products -- Twitter Tip: Twitturls -- Twitter Tip: Twitt(url)y -- Reader Tip! -- WHO ARE WE -- ------------------------------------------------------------ Penny C. Sansevieri, Editor penny@amarketingexpert.com Welcome to a new issue of THE BOOK MARKETING EXPERT NEWSLETTER. You are receiving this newsletter compliments of Author Marketing Experts, Inc. To opt out, please scroll down to the bottom of this newsletter. Note From The Editor ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Welcome to another issue of the Book Marketing Expert Newsletter! Dear Author, Welcome to another issue! Can you believe it's the end of summer? How did that happen? Well, we hope you had a great one. We're ready for September and a lot of exciting new projects. Not to mention the recent launch of my book, Red Hot Internet Publicity. It's been an exciting launch and I wanted to thank everyone who emailed to review the book, thank you so much for getting in touch! A few weeks back we ran a bundle promo and the response was amazing. If you're wondering how we did it, we'll explain in this issue. I think you'll love these tips! Just when you thought book sales were down, it's a great way to ring the cash register! (We actually ran out of books, no kidding!) We may not have hit Dan Brown sales numbers (ok, we weren't even close) but the sales were still great. We hope you'll give this bundle idea a shot, if you do, let me know how it works for you! We're jammed packed yet again, and we hope you enjoy it. I get emails all the time from readers who love our ezine, and it's our pleasure to provide you with this information. We love your feedback, so never hesitate to contact me. Wishing you continued publishing success, Penny, Paula, Susan, Alex, Nancy and everyone at Author Marketing Experts, Inc. Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Bookgal. PS - If you're a reviewer reading this, and you'd like to review Red Hot Internet Publicity, send me an email and a link to your blog and we'll get you a copy! P.P.S. Check out our blog! We offer great tips and insights, such as: 'Twitter Rules for the Road:' http://amarketingexpert.com/ameblog/uncategorized/twitter-rules-for-the-road/ Who's Yacking about You? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Check out YackTrack: http://www.yacktrack.com/chatter. It's a great way to keep track of who's yacking about you and what they're saying! Featured Article - How to Double Your Book Sales on Your Website ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Face it, times are tough! The economy - blah, blah, blah. Tell me something new. The key is: Everyone loves a bargain, especially today. And, bargains drive sales. Here's a great way you can explode your sales: Call a bargain what you want: a discount, coupon, sale, bonus package, gift with purchase, etc. Several weeks ago, our resident copywriter and marketing guru, Eric Gelb said to me "Penny, let's do a book bundle." I was intrigued, but not sold on the idea. A book bundle? Isn't that the same as just selling two books? Not quite. Eric created a bonus package and * Quadrupled * our sales. I was stunned. Here's how we did it. We bundled together my new book Red Hot Internet Publicity with Eric Gelb's Book Promotion Made Easy. Total value: $30.95. Red Hot is $18.95 and Book Promotion Made Easy is $12.00. Book Marketing Experts offered the bundle - both books for $20. That's a 35% savings or $10.95. Plus, I personally autographed each copy. No kidding, I had writer's cramp and our assistants were busy launching packages all day. Now that's a high quality problem to have. In fact, we got lucky and were able to special order just 27 more copies of Book Promotion Made Easy. So, if you missed this great book marketing and promotion opportunity, you can still jump in. Only while supplies last. Just click here: http://www.amarketingexpert.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=104 Want to know how we did it? I'll tell you, and here's how you can create your own special website promotions to ring your cash register: - Analyze your book and its cost. - Look to raise the price of the bundle "a bit" to cover the cost of the add-on or bonus item. - Offer great value to your customer. - Look for bonuses you can add in. Successful examples include a booklet, book, eBook, checklist, article or special report, an MP3 audio program or CD. The key to success is to offer a bonus or package that is valuable to your customers. That [value] drives sales. - If you're going to partner with someone to do this (and what a great idea!) then contact the author/seller. Most vendors, inside and outside publishing, love to make bulk sales at a steep discount. Often 70-80% off retail. - Don't want to spend money or pair up? No worries. As an author or publisher you can write your own special report, booklet, eBook, etc. - Assign a value to your new publication. Some eBooks have a price of $9.97, $17, $17.95, $19.95, $24.50 and in some cases even higher. Set the price based on your market's perceived value of the product. - Round up the price. Make it easy to make a purchase and the dollars and cents clear. We rounded up the price of Red Hot Internet Publicity from $18.95 to $20 and gave away Book Promotion Made Easy for $0.00. Important: Explain the savings clearly so the customer sees the great value you're offering. - Add a special landing page to your website that promotes your special offer. For an example, here's ours: http://www.amarketingexpert.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=104 - Link the landing page (offer) to your shopping cart, PayPal, etc. - Fill the orders asap. Buyers are a very impatient group these days. - Promote your package to your mailing list. Book bundling is a fun and easy way to ring the cash register with extra sales. I have found that when I pair up Eric's book with mine at speaking events, I quadruple the sales there as well. Two books for $20? You bet that's a great offer, and not only that, it moves books and moves them quickly. The key is to feed into the bargain mentality that seems to permeate society. You can play the bargain game and win, and the best part? As you're selling all these books you're also growing your mailing list, yes? As a bonus, we offered a free Twitter class to everyone who bought the bundle. We didn't advertise it though, we told them after their purchase. It adds that special "thank you" to our message and builds customer loyalty. PitchRate.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PitchRate.com is a service that connects journalists with the experts - at no cost to either party. For journalists: Find the highest rated experts to interview just by making a request and viewing the pitches that arrive in your Inbox. Each pitch contains contact info for the expert, their background information, and a rating from other journalists who have worked with the expert. For an expert or publicist: Pitch yourself (or clients) to journalists by viewing incoming requests. Requests can be sorted according to category or keywords. When you make a pitch, your profile is automatically attached so journalists have all of your information on hand. PitchRate also provides information on topics like free publicity, book marketing, book promotion, increasing sales, getting booked on Oprah or personal branding. PitchRate.com http://pitchrate.presskit247.com/index.asp info@pitchrate.com AME-University: Book Marketing, Publishing, and Internet Marketing classes ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ These free teleclasses from AME-University may be just the thing to get your book marketing savvy ramped up! A new class list is coming soon so be sure to check it out! Red Hot Web 2.0 Tricks to Sell More Books! When: Thursday, September 10, 4:00 pm - 4:30 pm Description: You've heard the term "Web 2.0" but can it really help you sell more books? You bet it can, and this class will show you how. Packed with tons of information and super simple things anyone can to do get themselves into the Web 2.0 marketing world, you'll walk away with fun ideas, simple tricks, and tons of helpful advice. Here's what we'll cover: · Creating "feeder" sites that feed traffic into your web site! · Using book videos to sell more books · Using Wikipedia to market yourself · Why linking to other web sites is a bad idea · How to get more web site traffic right away! · Got blog? The one thing you should NEVER do with your blog! All your Internet questions answered: · What the heck is RSS and why you should use it · Blog, blog, blog - the best and fastest way to get a blog · Podcasting simplified: if you think audio is no big deal think again, podcasting is inexpensive and a fast way to build an audience Come with ALL of your Internet questions, this class will get them answered! Getting Book Reviews! w/ Penny Sansevieri When: Thursday, October 22, 4:00 pm - 4:30 pm Description: If you're having a hard time getting your book reviewed, you won't want to miss this class! We'll teach you simple but effective ways to get your book into the hands of reviewers who will actually review it (as opposed to just saying they will). We'll look at what a book review package should look like, what you must include and what no good kit should ever be without! How to join in: To sign up or learn more about these classes send an email to author@amarketingexpert.com. The AME website has a complete class listing for handy reference: http://www.amarketingexpert.com/iclasses.html. Missed a class? Here's an easy way to catch up on past classes, just visit the AME-University All Access Pass. Your Website Must be Convincing ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It's not enough to be listed on the first search engine result page. Your website must also be convincing. It should give the customer what he is looking for, it should have a professional design and it should make it as easy as possible to buy. That is why it is so important to work on improving the conversion rate of your web pages. By improving your conversion rate, you can generate more money "out of thin air" from your existing rankings. A trustworthy and professional website with a good conversion rate also has positive side-effects. Your customers probably will stay longer with your company and people are more likely to link to your website. Tip offered by Susan Gilbert, AME's Search Engine Marketing Expert and Web 2.0 company owner, http://www.JoomlaJump.com, which provides Social Networking websites and services. Book Bits and Bites ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A Presidential Push: It's pretty common for the media to ask the President what he's reading - it's a great little piece for slow news days. However, there's more to the story - at least this year. After President Obama provided his vacation reading list, all of the books shot up the sales rankings at Amazon.com, with one book rocketing up 30,000 spots. Check it out! The Suit is On: BookLocker.com's lawsuit against Amazon.com will proceed, a district court ruled. The case was filed over Amazon's decision to make POD publishers use its BookSurge subsidiary to manufacture POD titles if they want to sell their titles on Amazon directly. Amazon sought to have the anti-trust case dropped, but its motion to dismiss was denied, PW reported. How a Book Gets Published: For an inside look at the mainstream publishing process, literary agent Nathan Bransford broke it down in a recent blog post. The piece also contains links to additional blog posts on finding a literary agent, submitting proposals, etc., making the piece a must-read. Just in Time for the Holidays: Kindle competition continues to increase, with Sony entering the fray with a wireless e-reader that will be available by Christmas. The 7-inch device will cost $399 and obtain wireless access through AT&T at no extra cost to the customer, according to PW. How to Land Book Reviews ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Go local, then national. As an author and book marketer, you know that book reviews sell books. Remember, in your local region, the fact that you are a published author makes you a celebrity! Contact your local newspapers and magazines - both book review and human interest editors. Pitch your story. With a review, article or mention, now your story has the stamp of approval from an independent journalist and you gain more credibility. Add a line or two from the review to your press kit and build from there. It's easier to get more reviews when someone already reviewed your book. Tip submitted by Eric Gelb, who is a copywriter specializing in back cover and jacket copy, press releases and author websites. Visit him at: www.PublishingGold.com for 6 tips about creating an author website that sells. Know Your Hot Topics ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You've written this great novel about sex in politics but you are having trouble selling your "Fiction" idea to morning shows or news producers. What better way than to tie your topic into a steamy political sex scandal in the news, or to a current misuse of political power at the top or to a local legislative story that corresponds to a theme in your book? The best situation is if you actually have a background in politics because who better to talk dirty politics than an insider! Everybody likes secrets and behind the scenes stories, so use it if you've got it! Some of the buzz words and topics that interest producers today are anything "Green," "Empowerment," "Politics," "Re-inventing yourself," "Unusual jobs," "Money," "Health," "Anti-Aging," "Famous People," "Relationships." Remember think current. Think outside the box. Think about the majority and what interests them. Think drama and reality television. Think like a producer. Enjoy! For more information or to schedule a coaching session go to www.myhattricktv.com or call (602) 509-6468. ~Tip offered by Media Veteran Laura Holka, who is the producer of the Pat McMahon Show & a Media Consultant. She can be reached at www.myhattricktv.com. Twitter Rules for the Road ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When it comes to tweeting effectively, remember the 60/30/10 rule. Here's how this breaks down: * 60% helpful content * 30% engagement with followers sharing insights, feedback, opinions * 10% personal posts Three Quick Ways to Get More Sales on Your Website ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1. People like what other people like: we often forget this but reviews do sell books. Make sure and list reviews, blurbs, and/or testimonials on your site and in your store. 2. How tough is it to get to your shopping cart? Now, more than ever you want to make the experience of getting to your shopping cart quick and easy. Add a buy-now button to your home page if you don't already have one. Don't hide your stuff, especially now. 3. People are really bargain hunting these days so give them a reason to shop on your site, offer specials, incentives, added value. This is especially good if you're trying to lure folks from buying on Amazon and giving Jeff Bezos a big cut of your sales. Tune in to The Publishing Insiders ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Be in the know and hear what the publishing insiders: Penny Sansevieri, CEO of Author Marketing Experts, Inc. - and her guests - have to offer in terms of tips and insights into the industry! Listen here. Join us Tuesday, Sept. 8, 4 p.m. Pacific for a new episode! Publishing Insiders is also available on iTunes, so you can keep up with the show wherever you go! A Great Way to Use Google Alerts ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Google Alerts Tip: Did someone write something good about your book, message, or service? Don't forget to bookmark it through sites like Digg, Delicious, and Stumbled Upon, this will help drive more interest to your review and promote the site that reviewed you! Promote Your Book Now ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Looking for inexpensive ways to promote your book? We've just developed and launched an exciting series of budget-friendly programs that still pack a powerful punch! Think you can't market your book in a tough economy? Think again - we've got the answer! Email us for more details: info@amarketingexpert.com. Penny to Speak at Self-Publishing Expo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Penny will be speaking at the Self-Publishing Book Expo on Saturday, November 7. The first annual Self-Publishing Book Expo, at the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers, will bring national focus and attention to the fastest-growing segment of today's publishing industry. Unlike any other book exhibit, the Self-Publishing Book Expo will be the only event of its kind to highlight the books of self-publishing companies and their authors, and give them the prominence and prestige they deserve. For more information, visit the website: http://www.selfpubbookexpo.com, or contact conference organizers at: info@selfpubbookexpo.com or (212) 353-3478. Find Publishing Success With Our Products ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We've designed our products with your success in mind! Regardless of where you are in your publishing journey, we've got a product that will suit your needs. Check out our books, special reports, and our audio programs, all designed to help you reach publishing success! http://amarketingexpert.com/store/ Twitter Tip: Twitturls ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Twitturls: http://www.twitturls.com. What's the most tweeted link? This site searches for links people post in their Twitter feeds, counts them and features the most tweeted links each day. Twitter Tip: Twitt(url)y ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Twitt(url)y: http://www.twitturly.com. What URL's are people linking to? This site will show you the hottest web sites being mentioned on Twitter. Reader Tip! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you've got a Reader Tip you'd like to share, please send it to penny@amarketingexpert.com with the subject line "reader tip." Submissions should be 75 words or less. WHO ARE WE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Author Marketing Experts, Inc. is a full-service book marketing, promotion, and publicity company. We serve authors at all stages of marketing and promotion. We offer a full range of packages and services to choose from. To see a price list or schedule a free consultation, send your e-mail to penny@amarketingexpert.com with the subject line "Author Services Info." You can also visit our Web site at www.amarketingexpert.com. Reprint permission ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ You are welcome to reprint any items from "The Book Marketing Expert Newsletter." However, please credit us as a source with the following paragraph: Reprinted from "The Book Marketing Expert newsletter," a free ezine offering book promotion and publicity tips and techniques. http://www.amarketingexpert.com ------------------------------------------------------------ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Like this newsletter? Pass it on! We never rent or sell subscriber lists to any third party. Your privacy is very important to us. Always. 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