Home › Newsletter

October 1, 2006 Volume 4: Issue 2

Sun, 10/01/2006 - 12:00pm — DanS42

"Self Published Authors" Bi-Monthly Newsletter
Helping self-published authors promote and market their books and share information and resources.

October 1, 2006 Volume 4: Issue 2
Dan Shaurette
editor@selfpublishedauthors.com
http://www.selfpublishedauthors.com

By Subscription Only! You are receiving this newsletter because you requested a subscription. Unsubscribe instructions are at the end of this newsletter.

------------------------------------------------------------
IN THIS ISSUE
------------------------------------------------------------

1. Editor's Notebook
2. Newsletter Submission Guidelines
3. Feature Article By Judy Cullins
4. Resource Links
5. Publicity Article By Dan Shaurette
6. Free Products, Services, Downloads
7. Marketing Article By Gerri D Smith
8. In Other News
9. Writing Article By Steve Gillman
10. Events, Classes & Workshops
11. Reciprocal Links
12. Subscribe/Unsubscribe Information

------------------------------------------------------------
1: EDITOR'S NOTEBOOK
------------------------------------------------------------

Welcome to the October 2006 newsletter for SelfPublishedAuthors.com. For those of you who are new to the website and newsletter, I hope you will enjoy this issue. Thank you for visiting the website and subscribing to the list. To the regulars out there, I'm glad to see you back for another issue.

This month we have four articles and more resource links for you to take advantage of. Please keep sending in articles for consideration. We all want to hear from you!

A quick reminder that NaNoWriMo is only one month away. November is National Novel Writing Month, and NaNoWriMo.org is a website that encourages everyone to write a new novel of at least 50,000 words this November. For those of you who plan to participate in this event, I'd like to wish you good luck. Send me an email as I'd love to track your progress on our website.

If you have questions, comments, suggestions, or if you’d like to contribute, be interviewed, add an event or have a request, please reply to this email, or drop a line to me at: editor@selfpublishedauthors.com

Thanks for reading and enjoy the issue!

Dan Shaurette
editor@selfpublishedauthors.com
http://www.DanShaurette.com

------------------------------------------------------------
2: NEWSLETTER SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
------------------------------------------------------------

The newsletter for SelfPublishedAuthors.com is here to provide a resource for all authors. Obviously, I want to help you succeed in your writing, self-publishing efforts, and self-promotion. I have received a few requests from fellow authors asking what they can do to promote their books in the newsletter.

I am always happy to help promote an author and their works in the newsletter. That's what we're here for. That being said, the best I can do is one of the following.

If you are interested in writing an article about your experiences as a self-published author, I would be more than happy to consider it for publication. If I publish the article, I will give you space for a signature box that you could use to promote yourself and your book.

If you would like to send me an ARC copy of your book, eBook format preferred, I would be happy to review it and interview you. The interview would most likely be what gets published in the newsletter, but reviews of recommended books may also be published. Please note, I have already been presented with some works to read, so please query me first before sending your books. I'd rather return a book than form a slush pile.

If you have a book signing coming up, we do try to list those when they are timely. Remember our newsletter is published in February, April, June, August, October, and December. If you host a class or workshop, or have a website that promotes a writer's resource, please let us know about it. All links about such events are provided free of charge. Your name, location, dates, and contact info. will be presented.

If instead you are just interested in placing an advertisement in the newsletter for your book or website, I'll ask for some patience. I am re-evaluating various plans for advertising in both the newsletter and the website.

Currently there are places for you to list your books, websites, and even join our banner ad exchange. You can also feel free to post in our forums and tell us about yourself and your books. As soon as I figure out a new model for classified ads in the newsletter, I will let you all know. Thank you for your patience.

------------------------------------------------------------
3: FEATURE ARTICLE by Judy Cullins
Top Seven Questions Answered to Get Much More Visibility
for your Book and Business
------------------------------------------------------------

Is your present marketing working? Working well enough you have enough profits to vacation two months a year, buy a nice car, or pay your child's tuition?

After you hear the choices today for the seven ways you can get more visibility for your book or business, you may change your mind about the way your market your business. We know one thing, besides speaking the word, there's a new way to promote -- and that's the internet. These promotions are mostly free or at a small cost of time and money. These 7 tips show you how to market through the written word -- how to write powerful copy to get more books sold and potential clients to call you.

Top 7 Questions Answered to Attract New Clients and Customers

1. How can I update my signature file to attract more clients and customers?

Remember, include your sig file (web bio) at the bottom of each email. If you don't, you're missing soft advertising that your audience will respond to. Include your web bio, 2-5 lines, with every article you submit to top web sites and ezine directories.

Yes, include your name, email, phone numbers, but also include your business concept statement of who you work with, plus a benefit of your service.

Include your book title, but most important, include a free offer with live link (URL) to attract your article reader to your web site. At your site, you can capture your visitor's email and add it to your growing data base. This data base you can send new promotion to every three or four weeks. Submitting articles grows this list exponentially.

2. Should I brand my business with a short book?

Yes! Since you can write a print and eBook at the same time, write two books for the time and price of one. Your book is your business card, and many pros write one under 100 pages.Today's audience is internet savvy and they will buy your books. Books are the #1 thing bought online. Your audience is out these awaiting your wisdom.

My first book, now on Amazon, " How to Write your eBook or Other Book Fast!" shows you how to put your chapter together with the "Fast Forward Writing Technique" that organizes your thoughts and makes it easy to read. It's not about research or how much you know, but how you share it. You need to engage your readers so they will finish the book and recommend it to others.

3. Why is knowing my preferred (first) audience so important to know before I start a project?

In the chapter on "The Essential Hot Selling Points" for your book, you learn what these points are. You need to know them before you write a book, a sales letter, give a seminar, teleclass, or present a talk. If your copy is trying to include all, it gets like watery pudding that no one wants.

The biggest mistake professionals make is to not check out the nine pre-marketing points before they show the world.

A Quick Writing Exercise:

One. So, right now, write your title of your book, program or service.

Two. Write your thesis. What is the number one question your book or program answers for the reader?

Three. Who is your one preferred audience--write them a short letter on why you are doing this project and what it will do for them.

4. How Do I Write Short Articles from 300-800 Words?

Know that you can recycle your articles-- for your web site (new content), for your own ezine, for top web sites in your field and article directories.

Your targeted audience visits web sites because it wants free information, so give it freely. When they notice your free offer in your web bio, they will visit your web site and leave you their email. Now, you can build your data base and promote to this list over and over.

Writing articles is pretty easy because you already have some of the copy from your talks, your books or your programs. For more ideas read a short book on the many ways you can build your article arsenal from just a few.

Another benefit is it's free. You give your articles with your important signature file so people who read it can subscribe to your ezine or visit your site for free articles and more. Like your coach, you'll keep rising in the search engine status too.

5. What are the benefits of submitting my articles to web sites and article directories?

Benefit: When your coach submitted around 20, new sales reached $800a month, but after submitting regularly with the help of an assistant, sales surpassed this number over five times. That translates to several calls a day about book or internet marketing coaching. When you submit 50 articles, your data base grows like your business--exponentially. More people to promote to. More people to relate to. This friendly marketing surpasses all others. When you practice this easy way, you'll be seen as the expert and will attract many new clients.

6. How can I Submit Articles to top web sites in my field?

You need to organize your articles and have the top matter that includes a web bio, description, key words, category and article number ready. Submit multiple articles at a time ( 3-5) to ten sites at a time. Then, send the same articles to the next 10 or so sites at a time. To make this easy check out a book "How to Submit Articles to Web Directories-Step-by-Step with the 100URLs." This will save you 60 plus hours researching these.

7. How can my web site support my online marketing?

To up your sales substantially, first, you may need a web site face lift. Professionals know their first web site missed the mark. It didn't have enough sales copy to seal the deal when visitors came. They didn't market enough to get high traffic to their sites. Usually, a professional puts up at least three improved web sites that are visitor friendly. They include content and make specific pages for different offers. Ask an associate to critique your site. Make sure it's arranged so it's easy to buy from you.

Before you put up your next site, make a plan. To start, write down the three top sellers on your site. Make sure your home page addresses those with a strong headline each that leads to the sales letter. Now, you can covert more web sales.

Put at least one testimonial on your home page, and sprinkle them throughout your sales letters. Remember you need a sales letter for each teleclass, seminar, book and program/consulting. If you don't have a sales letter, get one going as soon as possible.

Now that you know the top seven business visibility keys, check with a coach who knows how to do these tasks that help you multiply your money to more than pay for the mentoring.
___

Copyright © 2006 Judy Cullins. Reprinted with permission.
Judy Cullins: 20-year author, speaker, book coach helps entrepreneurs manifest their book and web dreams.
eBk: "Ten Non-techie Ways to Market Your Book Online"
http://www.bookcoaching.com
To receive FREE "The Book Coach Says..." or Business Tip of the Month go to
http://www.bookcoaching.com/opt-in.shtml
Judy@bookcoaching.com
Ph:619/466/0622

------------------------------------------------------------
4: RESOURCE LINKS
------------------------------------------------------------

New EBOOK: "A COMPLETE GUIDE TO PROMOTING & SELLING YOUR SELF-PUBLISHED EBOOK"
"A Complete Guide to Promoting & Selling Your Self-Published eBook" is a 120-page interactive PDF-formatted eBook that will show you how to promote and sell your self-published eBook without costing you a dime. Endorsed by "Mr. Self-Published" Dan Poynter, this eBook explains why self-publishing eBooks is one of the most viable, not to mention profitable, ways of earning income with little or no overhead. From creating a personalized killer guerilla marketing plan to ways to turn your website into a viral marketing machine, this eBook revolutionizes our old way of thinking about publishing and carves a new way to provide authors with an alternative that will provide them with instant results which leads to more profits and self-satisfaction.

If you would like to learn more about "A Complete Guide to Promoting & Selling Your Self-Published eBook," or download the FREE 18-page excerpt, visit http://www.thewriterslife.net/promoteebook.html

Dorothy Thompson
Editor, The Writer's Life
http://www.thewriterslife.net
http://www.dorothythompson.net

THE ALL NEW SELFPUBLISHEDAUTHORS.COM
* Community forum for discussing writing projects, marketing strategies, and sharing tips with your fellow authors.
* Post your articles for review and potential publication in the newsletter.
* Calendar of events, where you can list your books signings, local book fairs, interviews, and more.
* Create an Author's Profile with links to your website.
* List your books in our categorized database.
* List your service website in our Resource database.
* Join our banner ad exchange to help promote your book and/or website.
* Finally, subscribe to our bi-monthly newsletter as either a mailing list or an RSS feed, or read it online in our archives.
* All of this is here for you, absolutely free.
http://www.SelfPublishedAuthors.com

------------------------------------------------------------
5: PUBLICITY ARTICLE by Dan Shaurette
Podcasting for Authors - Part 3: Recording Interviews
------------------------------------------------------------

In this continuing series of articles about podcasting, my goal is to help my fellow authors get familiar with getting the most out of your web presence. As an author, a blog is a great vehicle for sharing your thoughts with your readers, and since it is the written word, it shows off your talent as a writer. Even still, verbal communication is valuable and a podcast allows your fans to hear your wit as well.

On my podcast, I talk about everything and anything. I do talk about my writing and web projects, but it's more about sharing my interests than promotion. Yet, it is promotion, and that cannot be denied. It's one more medium where you have a chance to connect to a reader.

In the last article, I wrote about the technical side of podcasts and explained how you can create a podcast of your own. I covered a lot of ground detailing various hardware and software requirements and best practices.

In this article, I will focus on some ways to record yourself and others for a podcast. Not only will this help you if you plan to conduct phone interviews of other authors, for example, but if you simply want to be able to do a podcast with a co-host without expensive audio equipment.

As I mentioned in the last article, you will need software for recording and editing your audio. I highly recommend Audacity, which you can download for free from: http://audacity.sourceforge.net

Audacity is a fully featured, multi-track recording and editing program, which is offered for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. Since it works on most computers and is free, it really is all you need for recording, saving and editing most of your audio.

If you are going to be the only person ever speaking on your podcast, then you just need a computer, a microphone, and Audacity. However, most podcats that I enjoy listening to either have co-hosts, "in-studio guests", or recorded interviews. Audacity can still make this possible.

What you need is a way to get everyone's voices onto one computer that will record them. One of the technologies which has come along in the last couple of years and has greatly contributed to podcasting is voice chat and Voice-over-IP (or VoIP) telephone services.

These programs have made it possible to not only speak with many people at once online, but also provide a bridge to standard landline telephone services. The ability to call out or receive incoming phone calls usually cost some money, but at decent per minute fees.

Many services exist to provide the software and channels to do this. The heaviest hitters are Yahoo, Google, AIM, MSN, Skype and Gizmo. All of these programs are free to download and use, and allow free calling between users of their respective networks.

Voice chat is done by using a chat or instant messaging program on two or more computers connected over the internet. This works very well if you and the people you want to chat with all have computers running the same chat program and have a microphone and headphones to hear. Headset microphones work the best. If you or the other people only have speakers instead of headphones, then the microphone will pick up what comes from the speakers and you'll have an echo.

However, if the people you want to talk with do not have their own computer with this minimum setup, there is still the option of VoIP incoming or outgoing PC-to-Phone service. With one of these services, your guests can either use their phone to call your computer, or you could call their phone from your computer. Once the call is made, you are hearing and speaking with your computer and you can begin recording.

Here is a list of the details of the more popular voice chat programs, most of which also have VoIP phone features.
Gizmo: http://www.gizmoproject.com/
- Windows XP/2000 - Mac OSX - Linux - Nokia 770 Tablet
- Built-in recorder
- Phone out - $0.01/minute within US. Other rates Intl.
- Phone in - $12.00/3 months
Skype: http://www.skype.com/
- Windows XP - Mac OSX - Linux - even mobile devices
- Phone out - Free Long-distance outgoing within the US! Other rates Intl.
- Phone in - 10 Euros/3 months
Yahoo: http://messenger.yahoo.com/
- Windows XP - Mac OSX
- Phone out - $0.02/minute within US. Other rates Intl.
- Phone in - $2.49/month
AIM Triton+Phoneline: http://www.aimphoneline.com/
- Windows XP/2000
- Phone in - FREE
- Phone out - $9.95/mo to anywhere.
MSN/Live Messenger: http://get.live.com/messenger/overview
- Windows XP only
- Phone out - $0.019 within US. Other rates Intl.
- Phone in - Not available
AIM 5.9: http://www.aim.com/get_aim/win/other_win.adp
- Windows 98/ME, WinNT4/2000/XP
- Voice Chat only - no phone service
Google Talk: http://www.google.com/talk/
- Windows XP/2000 - Jabber/XMPP clients on Max OSX/Linux
- Voice Chat only - no phone service

Note that I put Gizmo right at the top of the list. It runs on most computers, has a built-in call recorder, and also has competitive phone rates. Gizmo saves recorded phone calls in regular .WAV audio files that you can use Audacity to convert into MP3 for you.

Even if you chose to use another program to have the conversation, you can still record the audio. You might choose to use Skype since SkypeOut calls to telphones within the USA and Canada are free until 2007. This is a great deal and the service works very well. So how do you record that call?

Well, you have two ways. The method I used once upon a time was to connect the line-out from my sound card into the line-in with an audio patch cable. These are relatively inexpensive and can be bought at most Radio Shack and similar electronics stores. You must then set Audacity to record from the "Stereo Mix" or "What U Hear" channel. This routes all incoming and outgoing audio into the Mix for Audacity to record.

This option is doomed to fail for most people because their sound cards do not have a line-in and line-out. Moreover, not all sound cards have the "Stereo Mix" channel, and therefore you could try "Line-In" since you've directed all output back in to that source. Again, this only works if you have a Line-in jack. (Trying to route speaker out into the mic jack is just a recipe for audio disaster.)

There are software solutions that make this more feasible, but they are not free. Many are fairly inexpensive. One option called Virtual Audio Cable (VAC), enables you to record any audio much like the audio patch cables do. http://software.muzychenko.net/eng/vac.html

VAC allows you to do the same patching of audio output to the input for the purposes of recording them with a program like Audacity. VAC is only for Windows XP/2000 and sells for $30.00. It's a nice program that can have uses outside of recording audio. You can, for example, use it to pipe audio into a voice chat so that you have a live teleconference.

Beware that when you are using the methods above to mix various audio channels, you need to pay very close attention to the volume of the channels. You will most likely not be able to separate the voices after the fact.

Beyond this lies probably the best choice for recording voice chat calls, a program called HotRecorder: http://hotrecorder.com/
HotRecorder can record conversations using Skype, Google Talk, Yahoo Messenger 7, AIM, Net2Phone, and FireFly. It costs $14.95 and does the job perfectly.

Moreover, calls recorded with HotRecorder have your local audio on one channel and the audio from your guest on the other channel. This makes post-production editing of the chat very easy.

Most people I know use Skype, so recording chats with them is made easy with HotRecorder. However, I have used Gizmo and I personally favor that over the Skype/HotRecorder solution. The audio tends to be a little cleaner and I don't need to use HotRecorder with it.

Just remember, that no matter which software you use to record your conversations, there are laws in many countries that forbid the recording people without their permission. If you are interviewing someone, be sure to let them know you are going to record them and all should be well.

If you have any specific questions, I'm happy to answer them. Send them either to podcast@Shaurette.net, or to editor@selfpublishedauthors.com.
___

Copyright © 2006 Dan Shaurette. Reprinted with permission.
Besides being the editor of this newsletter, Dan is the author of LILITH'S LOVE, a modern vampire romance novel, which you can learn more about at http://www.Liliths-Love.com. He also hosts "Is This Thing On?", an eclectic podcast featuring chat, interviews, and independent music at http://is-this-thing-on.net

------------------------------------------------------------
6: FREE Products, Services, Downloads
------------------------------------------------------------

FREE MP3 OF JUDY CULLINS' TELECLASS
Judy Cullins, 23 yr. book coach gave her Advanced Article Teleclass with Annie Jennings. Get your free MP3 recording that shares both the nine mistakes marketers make and Judy's many solutions. Replicate Judy's success. 3500+ targeted visitors a day to her site.

Based on Judy's three books: The Fast and Cheap Way to Explode Targeted Web Traffic, How to Submit to Top Web Sites and Article Directions with 100 URLs (save 60 hrs research) and Advanced Article Marketing. No fluff, all useful information.

Reward for listening? Free report and Annie's specials when you email Judy@bookcoaching.com
http://www.anniejenningspr.com/publicity-judycullins.htm

Have you used these services? Tell us about them, or recommend
another! Send an email to editor@selfpublishedauthors.com and
let us know.

------------------------------------------------------------
7: MARKETING ARTICLE by Gerri D Smith
How Do You Rate Your Professional Image?
------------------------------------------------------------

Every minute of every day you must live with yourself. Some of those moments are spent interacting with others. Many of those moments are spent with yourself. Which is your better image? The one you display to others, or the one you reserve when you are alone? Do your family, relatives, friends, and co-workers have nice things to say about you?

Whenever you are not a pleasant person to be around, your image may need a little adjusting. There is no escape and no other alternative. This being an unavoidable fact, it stands to reason that you must find a way to correct any negative opinions others may hold against you --and even those negative opinions you may hold against yourself. Doing so makes for a more peaceful, enjoyable and fulfilling life.

With human nature being the way it is, there is a persistent need to be dissatisfied with the choices you make in life. This too, cannot be avoided.Yet, it is up to each of us to find the
balance and simply learn to know yourself and your personality by making an honest and thorough self-analysis. Not only is it important to make a good first impression, it is also wise to make the other person feel important.

You can program yourself be the best you can be. Do you need to gain more knowledge in certain areas of your business? Do you know were to go to get the help you need? Can you make wise choices when you have to make to make a decision? The more you tell yourself exactly what results you wish to see happen, the more often those mind suggestions can come true.

Try building your own dream page. Jot down every wish or desire you want to come true. Your page may go something like this:

Today, next week, next month, next year, or two years from now I will reach my prosperity goal. Prosperity exists first in your mind. Act as if you have already reached your prosperity goal and take actions to make it a part of your reality. It is not in anyones nature to settle for lack. That goes for anything that is worth having: good health, a comfortable home, a nice automobile, a prosperous business, a fulfilling career, and the list goes on. The more you think about your goals, the quicker they become real. They become anchored deeply in your subconscious, waiting for you see it, feel it, taste it, touch it and make it a part of your life. Involve all of your senses.

I will cheerfully give more so that more will be returned to me. This is the law of circulation and attraction. Never hoard your time, money, support, energy, or possessions. Learn to freely release them so that they can freely come back to you. You attract more of whatever it is that you freely share with others. So, learn to give only good, and only good will come back to you.

I will learn to forgive. This challenge has a positive effect on your health, your well-being, and your perception of life. When you continue to let grudges, resentment, jealousy, and negative encounters affect your daily feelings, you tend to block positive energy, prosperity and harmony from coming into your life. You must also learn to forgive yourself. Your professional image is tarnished when you cant forgive someone who has wronged you in the past. The same is true when you cant forgive yourself for a past mistake. Your life will continue to experience lack, disharmony and prosperity.

Today is a new beginning. I will change any negative behaviors and work on my professional image to become successful and prosperous. Success and prosperity is your natural state. Everyone is given the opportunity to be healthy, joyful, and wealthy. All things are possible. Ideas are everywhere. Focus your attention on your health, your happiness, your intelligence and talent, and your freedom from financial problems. Use your faith and expand your awareness for prosperous outcomes.

My image depends on displaying a professional manner at all times. How careful are you with your appearance? For women, your hair must be neatly styled, and your make-up in good taste and suitable for the occasion. The same etiquette applies to men. Neatly trimmed hair and a clean shave is a sign of good grooming. Add to that a positive attitude, a smile, and a sincere desire to help others will keep you calm and able to handle most challenging situations. Then by consistently expressing the best parts of yourself, you will not help but like what you discover and others will rate you a winner!
___

Copyright © 2006 Gerri D Smith. Reprinted with permission.
Gerri D Smith publishes and hosts an inspirational newsletter for women business owners, individuals eager to improve, and entrepreneurs willing to learn more. And its Free! Subscribers to her newsletter receive many of her well-written articles, special reports, books, offers, and resources that are filled with motivational support, business and personal image improvement, and supportive ideas to help you reach your goals. To sign up, go now to:
http://www.distinctivebusinesswomen.com

------------------------------------------------------------
8: IN OTHER NEWS
DigitalPulp Publishing Sponsors the World eBook Fair
------------------------------------------------------------

DigitalPulp Publishing and the DPPstore join in the second month-long World eBook Fair celebration taking place through all of October, 2006.

Palm Springs, CA (PRWEB) September 29, 2006 -- DigitalPulp Publishing (www.digitalpulppublishing.com, DPP), a Southern California-based ePublishing and eBook distribution company is happy to be a sponsor of the World eBook Fair for the second time this year.

The World eBook Fair (http://worldebookfair.com/) is brought to you by the oldest and largest free eBook source on the Internet, Project Gutenberg, with the assistance of the World eBook Library, the providers of the largest collection, and a number of other eBook efforts around the world.

The second month-long celebration this year marks the 35th anniversary of the first steps taken toward eBooks – when the United States’ Declaration of Independence was placed online as the first file available for downloading by Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg.

Through the month of October everyone is invited to download an estimated 1/2 of a million eBooks – for FREE! This is a collection of over a dozen times the number of books the average public library contains in even the richest countries.

In addition to requests for more contemporary eBooks, efforts in this year’s Second World eBook Fair have been made to insure users won’t have the delays caused by such long virtual lines as they had in July. Currently the highest size and grade of bandwidth is now in place at http://worldebookfair.com/.

"Kudos to Michael Hart [Project Gutenberg] and John Guagliardo [Executive Director of the World eLibrary Book Consortia] for putting this Second Fair together. We are proud to be included with them in spreading the word about eBooks," says Genene Miller Coté, CEO of DigitalPulp Publishing.

"The addition of nearly 100,000 more eBooks since August is incredible" she adds. "The inclusion of 5,000 eBooks formatted specifically for cell phones and the updated technology on the World eBook Fair site will certainly add to the success of this second go-around."

DigitalPulp Publishing publishes, promotes, and distributes eBooks. First-time authors can find a voice through DPPpub (www.dpppub.com). Through DPPpress (www.dpppress.com), self-publishers and independent presses who already have books in traditional print can utilize DPP’s services to create eBooks, and those who already have eBooks can gain a new channel for distribution in the DPPstore (www.dppstore.com ).

DPP is thrilled to sponsor the World eBook Fair and provides easy access to the DPPstore through a portal on the World eBook Fair site -www.WorldeBookFair.com/DPP.htm.

The DPPstore...Independent authors and presses for independent readers and thinkers.

------------------------------------------------------------
9: WRITING ARTICLE by Steve Gillman
About The Author - What To Say
------------------------------------------------------------

That little "about the author" or author's resource box at the bottom of your article, is the most important part. Write a great article, get lots of people to read it, and you still might get nothing out of it. Those readers have to come to your website for the article to be of value to you. That resource box is where the link to your site is, and also where the "sales pitch" is that gets the reader to click on it.

What To Say About The Author

What about what you shouldn't say? The 'about the author' box is not a place to brag about yourself. I once saw a resource box that listed eight different degrees and awards the author had received. I didn't click on the link to his website. All those degrees, awards and personal virtues just weren't good reasons for me to visit his website.

What should you say? Start with your name and something about yourself, to let readers know you're a real human. Keep it to one or two sentences, and try to make what you say "about the author" relevant to the topic of the article. This gives you more credibility.

Now let the readers know why they should visit your website. Getting them to click on that link and come to your website is the real purpose of the author's resource box and of the whole article. Exactly how do you do that? Try the following:

1. Let readers know what they'll find on your website.

2. Give them a reason(s) to visit.

3. Make sure the link works.

The Resource Box Tease

Try to arouse the reader's curiosity. My real estate articles with the best click-through rates are the ones that mention the photo of our $17,500 house. Are you curious about what kind of house we could buy for that? A lot of other readers are too! This is a "tease."

After your name and a sentence or two "about the author," include a tease like the example above. Isn't there something they would like to see on your site? It is even better if the tease directly relates to the topic of the article. For example, if your article was on "Six Ways To Make Money With Your Phone," you might say something like, "For more information, including another four ways to make money with your phone, visit ..."

There are other ways to get the reader to click on that link, and you should experiment. Whatever you try, though, once you have written it, try to objectively look at your about-the-author box and ask yourself, "If I had just read this article and this blurb about the author and his website, would I feel compelled to click on that link and visit the site?"
___

Copyright © 2006 Steve Gillman. Reprinted with permission.
Steve Gillman lost money on his websites until he discovered the power of articles. Six months later he was making a good living online. To learn how you can do the same, and to learn more ways to use that resource box, go now and get your free online writing course at: http://www.999articles.com

------------------------------------------------------------
10: EVENTS, CLASSES & WORKSHOPS
------------------------------------------------------------

GOOD LIFE AUTHOR'S BOOK FAIR
October 19, 2006, 10 A.M. to 6 P.M. - Phoenix, AZ
AzGoodlife.com, dedicated to supporting Writers & Authors, is proud to present the Good Life Author's Book Fair.
This unique Authors Book Fair will be held at the Hilton Phoenix Airport Hotel, 2435 S. 47th St., Phoenix, AZ.
http://www.AzGoodLife.com

LA BAL MASQUÉ NOCTURNE - Looking for Authors and Vendors
October 28, 2006, 8 P.M. to Midnight - Phoenix, AZ
The First Annual La Bal Masqué Nocturne will be an event like none other. This is will be a Gothic & Vampire-themed Masquerade Ball, with a portion of the proceeds to benefit the American Cancer Society. Currently, we are looking for authors of gothic, horror, and vampire genre novels and non-fictional works, to be vendors at this unique event. Registration fees for tables will include an event ticket for the author and discounted tickets for additional guests. We are also taking donations of books to give as door prizes. Contact vendors@masquenocturne.com by Oct. 15, 2006 to register or for more information.
http://www.MasqueNocturne.com

------------------------------------------------------------
11: RECIPROCAL LINKS
------------------------------------------------------------

WRITE, SELF-PUBLISH, AND PROMOTE YOUR PRINT OR EBOOK
Judy Cullins shares up-to-the-minute information on book writing, publishing and marketing the easiest and cheapest ways--the Internet. Tips, Recommendations, and great resources to help grow your book.
To receive this monthly no charge "The Book Coach Says..." or "Business Tip of the Month" ezine by Judy Cullins, 20-year book and internet marketing coach, go to http://www.bookcoaching.com/opt-in.shtml or put "subscribe" into an email to judy@bookcoaching.com. Dan Poynter says, "It's totally worth your time."
http://www.bookcoaching.com

SOULENGRAVINGS.COM - Horror Fiction and Poetry Ezine
A Tangled Script of Intangible Soul Engravings
This Ezine is constantly evolving and is seeking submissions of horror or dark fantasy fiction and poetry (preferably 3,000 words or less). Multiple poetry submissions are accepted. They pay $20 USD for fiction and $10 USD for poetry via PayPal.
Send your submission to masterengraver@soulengravings.com with the subject of "submission". Visit the website for more details.
http://www.soulengravings.com

SHAURETTE.NET - The Home Page of Dan Shaurette
- His Novel, LILITH'S LOVE - http://www.Liliths-Love.com
- The Lurkers' Domain (creative writing forum) - http://lurk.us
- Is This Thing On? Podcast - http://is-this-thing-on.net
All of this and more at: http://www.Shaurette.net

YOUR LINK COULD BE HERE!
Contact Dan Shaurette for more information at editor@selfpublishedauthors.com

------------------------------------------------------------
12: Subscriber Management / Contact Information
------------------------------------------------------------

© 2002-2006 Self Published Authors All Rights Reserved
http://www.selfpublishedauthors.com

Archived issues of this newsletter can be found at
http://www.selfpublishedauthors.com/newsletter.html

To subscribe, also visit:
http://www.selfpublishedauthors.com/newsletter.html

To unsubscribe from the newsletter mailing list, send an email to: unsubscribe@selfpublishedauthors.com with 'Unsubscribe Newsletter' as the subject line. Or you can follow the link at the very bottom of this email.

To contact us offline, send your correspondence to:
Dan Shaurette
Self-Published Authors
P.O. Box 3426
Scottsdale, AZ
USA 85271-3426

‹ December 1, 2006 Volume 4: Issue 3 August 1, 2006 Volume 4: Issue 1 ›