[Book Marketing Expert] How to Make Money on Twitter (no, Really)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE BOOK MARKETING EXPERT NEWSLETTER! A newsletter all about SUCCESSFUL publishing and POWERFUL promotion. March 18, 2010 Issue #216 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ in this issue -- Note From The Editor -- Expand Your Marketing Library - Get 2 books for $20 during our special promo! -- Feature Article: How to Make Money on Twitter (No, Really) -- Make Your Mark Online -- AME-University: Book Marketing, Publishing, and Internet Marketing classes -- How to Become an Active Google News Partner -- Book Bits and Bites -- Six Steps to Finding a Literary Agent -- Too Much to Read Online? -- How Many Writers Tweet? -- Keeping Up with Penny Online -- Hear What The Publishing Insiders Have to Say -- Is Video Really Worth It? -- New Spiritual Bestseller -- See What Your Web Visitors See -- Facebook Social Networking - Supercharged! -- Twitter Tip: My Tweet Space -- Twitter Tip - CelebWitter -- 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, I had my first session at NYU and it was amazing, I'm so thrilled to be teaching there! The students are all fantastic and have some amazing stories to tell, how lucky am I to be a part of this great group of people? Hey, did you hear my recent interview with JA Konrath about how many ebooks he's selling on Amazon? Really, the guy is selling like 30,000 copies of his book in Kindle format. Unreal. Check out The Publishing Insiders to hear the interview. So now I have to ask, is Twitter making you crazy? If it is I hope this week's article sheds some light on this new social media tool. Twitter is great, monetizing it is better. We hope you enjoy this newsletter as much as we enjoy putting it together. We're really fortunate to work with many amazing authors and have such a great readership. Drop us a line and let us know how you like our newsletter! Enjoy! Wishing you publishing success, Penny, Paula, Susan, Lauren, Michelle, Nancy and everyone at Author Marketing Experts, Inc. P.S. - Join our AME fan page on Facebook, where you'll find tips from Penny and notices about upcoming classes, shows, reviews for AME authors, and more: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Author-Marketing-Experts-Inc-AME/43882181670?ref=sgm Expand Your Marketing Library - Get 2 books for $20 during our special promo! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As a loyal Book Marketing Expert newsletter member, you are invited to receive a personally autographed copy of Penny Sansevieri's completely revised Red Hot Internet Publicity: An Insider's Guide to Marketing Your Book on the Internet. Perfect for a gift, or to keep for yourself! The sure-fire way that will help you establish your brand and promote your books online, with over 964 of the latest and most powerful ways and places to promote you and your books online. You'll benefit from some of the most little-known blogs, social media sites and chat rooms. Penny will share her decade-plus of online book marketing and promotion expertise. Her successes include 10 bestsellers, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today. Will yours be next? This guide will show you the way. When you reserve your advance copy within eight (8) days, your complete Internet Book Promotion Package will include: * Your personally autographed copy of Red Hot Internet Publicity, an $18.95 value, * the internationally recognized "Book Promotion Made Easy" by back cover copy expert Eric Gelb, a $12.00 value, and * The Twitter Handbook - all about how you can use this amazing medium to establish your brand and promote your books online, a $14.95 value. In all, a $45.90 value, yours now for just a $20 investment, plus $2.50 to defray postage. http://tinyurl.com/lgh8r8 This special book marketing and promotion package is available only for a limited time. So please reply now so we can speed your Internet Book Promotion Package to you today. I look forward to personally autographing your copy of Red Hot Internet Publicity. Penny http://tinyurl.com/lgh8r8 Feature Article: How to Make Money on Twitter (No, Really) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ For many of us, Twitter is a good news/bad news social networking site. The good news: it's super popular and it seems like everyone is using it. The bad news is that for the newbie Twitter person (and even if you've been on this site for a while) it can be confusing to know what is working, what isn't and what's actually making a difference. After almost two years on Twitter, I've learned a lot of lessons - both in using Twitter to maximize your marketing goals as well as learning how to turn your Twitter tribe into engaged Twitter buyers. The list I've culled here isn't new information, but I tried to present it in such a way that it will show you how to monetize Twitter and maximize it towards your Twitter efforts. 1) Be helpful first: believe it or not, the first piece of selling isn't to sell, it's to be helpful. As a guide for your market, you should be a "voice," an opinion maker, and also - offer helpful insight, tips, guidance. By being helpful, you will build trust and people buy from someone they trust. Be helpful first, and a salesperson second. 2) Ask for what you want: when followers are inundated with messages, you need to ask for what you want. If you want a sale, offer them a special buy-in, offer them something they can't get anywhere else, then offer this in a shorter period of time. Meaning, only make the offer for a day, an hour, or a few days - depending on the sale. This dials into #3 but bears repeating anyway. 3) Offer exclusives: this is possibly one of the biggest keys to Twitter. If you don't offer your followers something they can't get anywhere else, they may not take your sales pitch very seriously. Offer specials and select offers exclusively to your followers. Not only will they be getting something unique, but you will make them feel special. 4) Follow your customers: be sure and follow the people who are your customers or those you'd like to engage in your product or services. This is key: to know who they are and what their needs are. You'll gain this insight by following them. 5) Ask for help: if you need help, insight, whatever - ask for it. The best way to engage on Twitter and to build your following and enhance the trust factor is to converse, which leads me to point #6: 6) Create Community! Don't broadcast, communicate. If you want to turn a follower into a buyer, they'll need to feel like more than just a number on your Twitter-counter. Communicate with your Twitter-peeps and make them feel a part of your community. When someone feels a part of your community, they will be more likely to buy from you. People buy from people they trust. You build that trust factor by not just being a megaphone for information, but by conversing with your community. 7) Become a filter. People buy from people they trust, that's point #1. The second piece to this is that people buy from people who seem to be the experts. When you become a filter, i.e. the go-to place for all things related to your topic, you'll build strong, engaged followers who will be inclined to buy from you. Being a filter can take a lot of forms. You might comment on news topics, share interesting blog posts, or tweet on a new book or product review. Again, become the expert in your field and people will view you as such. The key to selling on Twitter is not to sell per se, but to build trust and community with your followers. It's really not that different from your corner store. Maybe you go there because it's close, but more than likely you go there because you trust them. You know they'll have everything you need and you trust what they have is good, quality product. The same is true online, in fact, even more so. Your followers don't have the luxury of meandering into your "store," so you have to build that trust another way. You build that through engagement, interaction and the quality of information. Build the pathways, build the trust and the sales will follow. But, if you try to capture the dollars before you build your foundation you'll find that your followers will leave you and sales will fall short. Make Your Mark Online ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ready to make your own *big* impression online? We've had a recent *huge* success story I'm dying to share with you. A recent campaign we did got the author on PAGE 1 of Google out of 115 million competing web pages, and the best part? He wasn't even on Google when we started. If you're ready to get found online, consider one of our Red Hot Internet Marketing campaigns. Email us today for more information: info@amarketingexpert.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! Getting on Radio and TV w/ Penny Sansevieri When: Thursday, March 18, 4:00 - 4:30 p.m. Description: Are you ready for the big time? Then this class is for you! During our session we'll unveil the secrets of getting on radio and TV, today! We'll teach you how to create a "book hook," how to position yourself onto an ongoing story and how you can get your pitch noticed for immediate results! 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. How to Become an Active Google News Partner ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Becoming an accepted Google news authority is not an easy thing to accomplish - and - it is a very worthwhile effort when successful. In order to become a Google News Partner the site has to pass a review with Google, and this is done by a real person. There are currently about 25,000 websites approved for Google News Syndication Partner. The rewards for making the cut are extreme. You can expect to have your article indexed in Google News in under 10 minutes. You can also expect your site to get traffic from the primary news sites that draw from Google News. You can also expect inbound links from all of the sites that pull from Google news within your topic or theme. How to Qualify for Google News Partner 1. Provide news and updated news-worthy industry information. 2. Provide news-worthy material in at least TWO TOPICS OR CATEGORIES on the same site. 3. Have a site layout that seems like a magazine style or news-tone site. Google does not like a normal blog layout. 4. Your site cannot be overly "pitchy" or have a sales agenda that outshines the news-worthy information. 5. Your site must have a high quality standard of writing. 6. Content needs to be original, high-quality articles. 7. You will need to use a special site map and mark-up language that is specialized for Google News. This is a pain. 8. You need to have more than one editor and/or author that is actively on your staff or working on the site. Again, keep in mind that Google will personally review the site to make sure it matches the standards expected. This quality control is important to Google because so many networks and sites draw upon Google news in order to provide content for various topics and themes. Tip offered by Susan Gilbert, AME's Search Engine Marketing Expert and Web 2.0 company owner, http://www.susangilbert.com/, which provides Social Networking websites and services. Book Bits and Bites ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gotta Keep Reading - now that Oprah and Target will redo your library. Inspired by the Black-Eyed Peas, the song, with lyrics re-written to promote reading, will ensure the Ocoee Middle School library gets a complete makeover, including new furniture, computers, and 2,000 books. Enjoy! Harlequin, Nintendo Version: "Traditional" e-books are old news to this publisher. Thirty three of its titles will soon be available on Nintendo, enhanced by offering some interactive features. Check it out. Indie Stores Turn to Tweets: Smart booksellers are using social media, and independent bookstores have made great inroads with Twitter. Who are the top indie tweeters? See the list. Grisham Goes Digital: He held out for some time, but the bestselling print author is now available in e-formats. 'The Firm' and 22 other titles are available for download. Six Steps to Finding a Literary Agent ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1) Almost all literary agents are listed in The Publishers Market Place or LMP, a huge, expensive, 1,229 page volume which you should be able to find in a public library. It contains their actual and email addresses, and a brief description of the kinds of book they represent as well as titles recently placed. 2) Approach an agent with both an email and letter that cogently describes your book - the description should not take more than a paragraph or two - followed by a brief bio that makes clear why you have the authority (called a platform) to write the book if it is nonfiction. Or a brief description of your novel in which the premise shouts, "Yes, I would like to read that manuscript." Whatever you do, skip the hype. Big turnoff. 3) You need to able to send the agent a proposal that includes an overview, a table of contents in which you include a paragraph or two describing the contents of each chapter and two sample chapters if the work is nonfiction, or at least one hundred or more pages if a work of fiction. 4) Conduct a thorough search and list and describe the competition for your book, especially nonfiction, and spell out how your book is different. For fiction, name works similar or genres that were and are successful. 5) A way to find a potential agent appropriate for your work: cruise a book store, select a volume similar to yours and check out the acknowledgment page that often lists the name of the agent for that work. Then in your email and letter write that the recipient represented such and such work which you enjoyed reading and that your work is of the same genre and might be of particular interest to the agent. 6) Provide an estimate of the number of words of the work and length of time it would take to complete it. Tip submitted by Hillel Black, free lance editor of over 20 NY Times best sellers and member of the Consulting Editors Alliance. Visit http://www.hillelblack.com/. Too Much to Read Online? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Save your Internet articles for later with Instapaper, http://www.instapaper.com. It's a simple tool for saving web pages and articles. If you're like me, you often get a ton of content to read online, which can be very distracting. In order to stay focused on your work just click the "read later" button on Instapaper's toolbar and it'll save your articles for later reading in whatever format you want. How Many Writers Tweet? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ According to TweepSearch queries, there are 1,790 novelists, 9,139 poets, 19,490 journalists 28,529 authors, and a staggering 99,082 writers on Twitter. See MediaBistro for the full article: http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/twitter/literary_twitter_census_147251.asp. Keeping Up with Penny Online ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Now you can find Penny on Yahoo Answers with marketing advice, such as 20 Simple Ways to Get Massive Traffic to Your Web Site. And don't forget to find the latest Huffington Post blog by Penny: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/penny-c-sansevieri. Hear What The Publishing Insiders Have to Say ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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. Publishing Insiders is now available on iTunes, so you can keep up with the show wherever you go! Now available to download E-books: the savior of publishing or the foe? http://www.blogtalkradio.com/thepublishinginsiders/2010/03/10/e-books-the-savior-of-publishing-or-the-foe. Other great shows that are now available for download include: Special Guest Mari Smith, queen of Facebook and dubbed "the Pied Piper of the Online World" by Fastcompany.com, on the hottest new Facebook apps to what's hot and what's not in the world of social media. Special Guest Seth Godin, marketing guru and author of the upcoming book, Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? All Things Twitter! with Warren Whitlock, author of the first book on Twitter Revolution: How Social Media and Mobile Marketing is Changing the Way We Do Business & Market Online. What Successful Authors Do with special Guests authors Carol White and Janine Bolon, who share their unique perspectives on what activities authors can do to increase their marketing exposure, manage their expenditures, and take control of their career as authors. Is Video Really Worth It? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The latest research indicates that there are over 137 million unique online viewers in the US alone. See http://bit.ly/4OdLKm for a detailed look at this piece. New Spiritual Bestseller ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ There is an Amazon campaign underway for When God Spoke to Me: The Inspiring Stories Of Ordinary People Who Have Received Divine Guidance and Wisdom. This book is getting endorsements from ministers, professors, and readers from all walks of life. Mariel Hemingway says: "This book is delightful because it confirms that all of us can speak with the Divine. In these stories we hear regular people and how their lives shift because of their connection to God. It is very inspiring!" Learn more at http://www.whengodspoketome.com. See What Your Web Visitors See ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Want to know what your website visitors see on your site? Take a look at Google's new tool, the "Above the Fold" look at your site. Go to http://browsersize.googlelabs.com/ and enter your URL. You will see your site overlaid with areas that represent 99%, 98% and so on of the browser sizes used on the Web (based on Google tracking). You might be surprised to find that half of what you think your visitors see goes completely off the page! Facebook Social Networking - Supercharged! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ These 24 videos will take you by the hand and show you everything you need to know (step-by-step) about setting up and mastering Facebook marketing so you can start generating traffic and selling your books and products. It's really that simple! Don't be intimidated by the phrase "Social Networking." It really isn't as hard as it sounds. In fact, these videos make setting up, building, and profiting from Facebook as simple as tying your shoes! It is not hard to build your own Facebook empire, as long as you know what you are doing. This video series was created specifically to help people learn the right way to practice Facebook marketing. Bonus: We'll even include the two (2) ebooks: Facebook Secrets and Twitter Handbook Only $499.00 will get you started today! Visit http://www.amarketingexpert.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=105&osCsid1=c0b733defd96acc5b30e502a0b926f69. Twitter Tip: My Tweet Space ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My Tweet Space: http://www.mytweetspace.com A free service that allows you to customize your Twitter page. Twitter Tip - CelebWitter ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CelebWitter: http://www.celebwitter.com Track posts of all celebs that tweet! 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!