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Carolyn Howard-Johnson's Amazing
Promotion
Collection of Resources
Here you'll find
an ongoing source of information
plus the wisdom Carolyn gleaned from her careers in
marketing, publicity, and journalism.
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Self-Help
Books
Inspiration and
Practical Books for Writers |
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Books for Writers -
Carolyn's personal
list of self-help books for writers--one of the
most frugal ways to learn what you need to know
about writing, promotion and publishing. |
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Publicity and Promotion
Services
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You'll find
direction in the Frugal Book Promoter for building your own media
kit and you may download my
general media kit
as a template of sorts for yours (though every kit must be tailored
to the individual book or product); if you choose not to build your own, the information there will
make you a better partner for a publicist you might hire to help you.
3D image courtesy of iFOGO |
Recommendation
The Frugal Book Promoter - will help you
partner with a publicist or teach you to go it
yourself frugally. The important thing to know
is that authors--even those published by New
York's most prestigious publishers--must
contribute to their own success. In fact, many
of those large publishers tend to prefer authors
who have shown that they they have some chops
for marketing. So start building your promotion
platform now. It's never too early or too late.
Bookbaby.com calls it a "classic."
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How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and
Ethically - is the culmination of nearly two
decades Carolyn Howard-Johnson spent helping
writers avoide pitfalls, misconceptions and
out-and-out scams perpetrated on unsuspecting
authors . . . and helping them reach their
dreams of great reviews, great book tours, and
great launches. It turns out that Get Great Book
Reviews is the essence for a successful
marketing campaign that includes all those
things and--more importantly--for building the
readership necessary for a prosperous writing
career. Highly recommended by
CompulsiveReader.com, the review site for the
literate. |
Recommendation
I have a motto: "Reading one book on book promotion is never
enough." Thus, I recommend Michelle Dunn's Mosquito
Marketing, a book full of book-marketing essentials.
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Author-Friendly Radio and TV |
Here is a link where you'll find a
list
of other shows:
http://betsie.tripod.com/literary/id82.html.
Do
be careful though. Some of them are interview shows that
authors must pay for. You probably already know that, in
the
Frugal Book Promoter
I advise against doing that, generally speaking. There
are, of course exceptions to every rule.
Sylvia
Hubbard founded the
Michigan Literary
Network. It has been live on blogtalkradio.com since early fall of
2009 where it has accumulated nearly 5,000 downloads. Our hour-long,
weekly show airs live Wednesdays from 5-6 p.m. with a focus on
everything related to the literary world, from the writing process, to
author highlights, to the nuts and bolts of publishing. Although our
show can be heard by listeners all over the world, and our guests come
from all over the country, our target audience is readers and writers in
Michigan with an interest in the Michigan literary community.
I
loved the kinds of tips Karen Leland gives for making Pinterest work for
writers. Find it at
http://bit.ly/Amazonbook.
Reverend Cherise Thorne
is host of an inspirational program called
Knowing Spirit.
Think of an angle, even if your book isn't specifically
inspirational. She is very accessible. Phone: 815-483-1141.
Her web address and podcast is at
www.knowingspirit.org/Site/Podcast/Podcast.html.
Connie
Martinson Talks Books is a syndicated TV interview show filmed
in LA. Here is a host who actually reads the books of the authors she
interview. (My This Is the Place and Harkening were tagged
and labeled and book marked like crazy.
A few of my
favorites of more than a hundred of
my guest spots over the years. Streaming radio shows come and go,
but these are perennials.
These, of course, are both
resources for your own promotion
and learning opportunities:
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Book Fairs & Tradeshows |
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Book
Fairs & Tradeshows
- plan ahead for Book Fairs, Tradeshows,
Conferences and Conventions from Carolyn's
working list. |
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Writers Conferences |
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Writers
Conferences
- where you learn to shop your book, better your
craft and generally kick-start your writing
career.
I
cofounded the Free Muse Online Conference
with Lea Schizas.
Be sure
to check out the free Catholic Writers Conference, too.
Soon to be reinstated.
And the
free PromoDay conference founded by Jo Linsdell.
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Reviewers |
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Reviewers -
See a full listing
of major review journals and review-friendly sites, plus tips for your
query process.
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Contests
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Contests
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Spotlighting the contests
Carolyn recommends and has entered herself. |
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Author and
Review-Friendly Websites |
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Alternative-Read accepts review
requests from publishers, publicists and individual authors.
Web sites that posts free
interviews:
 Submit your query to this Brenda Weeaks at
MyShelf. Your review will be
considered by a whole catalog of expert reviews who write for the site.
You may also find the
Have You Heard page edited by Suzie Housley useful for promotion.
Book Pleasures.
Author
interviews and reviews in Writer
Advice.
E-mail.
 The Compulsive Reader
reviews books. Find interviews, literary
news, criticism, a no-cost e-zine, and more. Editor Magdalena Ball also
accepts applications for new reviewers.
Women on Writing is an
exceptionally author-friendly and useful site. You'll also find a lovely
page
they did for me that features one of my first-person essays.
Book Connector is a great site for helping writers find other sites
that are review friendly! Thanks to Janet Elaine Smith for contributing
this.
Children's authors should absolutely
try The Reading Tub for
reviews of their children's books.
Yvonne Perry is known for her promotion services, especially
for authors.
But she is also an author and occasionally reviews books as
well.
See why she loved
Frugal and Focused Tweeting
for her books
and for her business.
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Media Release Disseminators |
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Media
Release Disseminators, content providers, and sites that accept book and author
information at no cost. |
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Donate Your Book
Charitable Ways to Donate Books,
Support Reading and Literacy, and Benefit Your Career |
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Donating
your book is not only charitable, it's good book business. Donate for book
baskets, for literacy programs, for education, to foster good will among
influencers and more.
The Reading Tub
supports children's literacy groups through their
children's book review program. Contact Terry Doherty,
terry@thereadingtub.com .
Bibliophile Action Network: Unleash Your Captive Books Today!
www.2SWAP.com.
Mindy
Lawrence of MPL Creative
Resources offers this way to buy books and contribute to global literacy
and recycling efforts at the same time. Go to:
BetterWorld.Com.
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Newsletters
Your Writing, Tech, and Promotion Aids |
Sharing with
Writers is a community where writers brag a bit, share tips with
one another, learn about opportunities for writers.
Keep your finger on the pulse of the lucrative commercial freelancing
business with the free
Wellfed
Writer edited by Peter Bowerman.
Sassy-Brit writes a sassy letter and offers lots of opportunities
for promotion to her subscribers.
Freelance Writing's Newsletter
Read author interviews, market information, and
more in Writer Advice.
Subscribe or to submit material for consideration.
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Sites and Blogs
Serve, Educate and Publish |
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Are you looking for someone to host your
tour or looking for help putting yours together? Stop by Gillian Felix’s
Plain Talk blog
http://plaintalkbm.com/.She
does author interviews, and than avidly markets Facebook, Twitter,
Google+, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Plurk, Fark, Tumblr, Stumble Upon, and
Diaspora. She’d love to hear from you. Drop by to see just one of the
many things she’s done for me (my first person essay on surmounting
obstacles) at
http://www.plaintalkbm.com/life-begins-at-60/.
And keep in mind that one way to connect
with bloggers is to subscribe to the blog, comment frequently, and then
pitch your story/interview idea.
Dee Rimbaud's site features
free database details over
2,000 literary and genre magazines and publishers.
Freelance Writing Organization - Int'l:
Thousands of
free
writing resources.
Writers Advice is for expert
and up-to-date advice for writers
from writers go to
www.writeradvice.com
You'll find author interviews,
reviews, contests and markets and more. The site, edited by B. Lynn
Goodwin is open to submissions.
Writer to Writer features
tips on writing, marketing, submitting, selling and more. Regular no-fee
contests.
Here is a
resource built by librarians. It cites Web sites that are useful for
research and more, but not purely commercial. You can suggest
a site that might be useful to librarians (perhaps your own) at:
http://www.lii.org/cs/lii/create/todo
Freelance Job Board
and Writer's Tips from E. Lucas-Taylor
provides publisher lists, freelance, how-to get started, book fairs,
conferences, a wealth of links for writing and promoting YOU.
Kim Wilson
edits Write From Home for
the benefit of those making a career from any corner in their house.
Published. com has hundreds of links to book clubs for you
to select from and then utilize in your promotion campaign.
Carrie Lynn Lyons, author
of Dream Pictures, also edits
Writers and
Readers Network.
Learn
more about Carolyn
Howard-Johnson's blogs, including one that lets authors extend
the life of their favorite reviews at no cost.
SubtleTea
is an
online art journal focusing on--not exclusively--the written word, including artist interviews,
fiction, poetry, essays, book/CD/film reviews,
visual art, links, and resources. Founded by editor
David Herrle.
Open
submissions from serious artists are welcome
year-round. SubtleTea encourages exposure of
diverse creators, and a new edition goes online
every 2 months
Carolyn's
blog, The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor
(www.thefrugaledtior.blogspot.com)
is an interactive blog on all things publishing.
Author Laura Hinds writes reviews
and promotes them, too!
Here's her pre-promotion for her
review of
Frugal and Focused Tweeting.
Notice how she benefited from
reading books that target
related industries. Also notice the
Amazon carousel
in the right column. That's a great
way to make buying easy
for readers and to reap some of
monetary reward for your efforts.
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Articles
Ta Da! E-books As Great Tools for Promotion |
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The Anatomy of a Free (Read that Promotional!)
E-Book:
http://www.bookbuzzr.com/blog/book-marketing/the-anatomy-of-a-free-read-that-promotional-e-book/ |
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Buy Links for
Carolyn's Books |
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Subscribe to
Carolyn Howard-Johnson's Sharing with Writers Newsletter
and get a FREE copy of
Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips for Writers
"I have been a professional writer 40 years, and am also a
tenured full professor of journalism. Carolyn's Sharing with
Writers newsletter is most useful for me--and for my
students. I emphasize to them that while research is 90% of
writing, and the actual writing is about 10%, there's another
100% out there called promotion. Carolyn shows numerous ways to
get the message to the mass media."
~Walter Brasch, author
and educator
"A decade of bettering writers' careers
with how-tos, tips, and publishing news."
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Carolyn's Blogs |
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Sharing with Writers
All things publishing with
an emphasis on book
promotion. Named to
Writer's Digest
101 Best Website list.
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The New Book Review
Great way for readers, authors, reviewers and publicists to get more
mileage out of
a great review.
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The Frugal Editor Blog
This is the Frugal, Smart
and Tuned-In Editor blog.
Covers editing, grammar, formatting and more.
Get the answers you need.
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Carolyn's Awards |
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Awards for Carolyn's Books, Blogs and More The New Book Review
Named to
Master's in English.org Online Universities'
101 Essential Sites for Voracious
Readers
Writer's Digest 101 Best Websites
for Sharing with Writers blog.
Best Book Award for The Frugal Book Promoter (2004) and The Frugal Editor (2008)
and the Second Edition of The Frugal Book Promoter
(2011).
Reader Views Literary Award for The Frugal Editor
New Generation Award for Marketing and Finalist for The Frugal Editor
Book Publicists of Southern California's Irwin Award
Military Writers Award of Excellence for
Tracings, A Chapbook of Poetry.
A Retailer's Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotion wins author Military
Writers Society of America's Author of the Month award for March, 2010
Gold Medal
Award from Military Writers Society of America, 2010.
MWSA also gave a nod to
She Wore Emerald Then,
a chapbook of poetry honoring mothers.
The Frugal
Editor
Named #! on Top Ten
Editing Books list.
Finalist
New Generation Book Awards 2012,
The Frugal Book
Promoter; Finalist 2010
The Frugal Editor;
Winner 2010 Marketing Campaign for the Frugal Editor
The Oxford Award
recognizes
the
alumna who exemplifies the Delta Gamma precept of
service to her community and who, through the years,
devotes her talents to improve the quality of life
around her.
The Frugal
Book Promoter is runner-up in the how-to category for
the
Los Angeles Book Festival 2012
awards.
Winner Diamond Award
for Achievement in the Arts
Glendale
California's Arts and Culture Commission and the City of
Glendale Library,
2013
And more than a dozen other awards for Carolyn's novel, short story collection and poetry.
See the awards page on this site.
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Publishing Tip |
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One
way for self-publishers to make it easy for librarians
and bookstore personnel to shelve their books correctly
is to publish a BISAC number on their copyright
page. Find the right one for your book
here.
Find at least one tip on writing, promotion or
tech on every page of this Web site. |
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Selling Books |
Authors are often surprised
to find that they are also retailers: They are selling a
product. They're also often surprised that some of their
most fruitful partners for book sales are retailers. My
series of books for
retailers will help them understand retail marketing better
and this
blog post from master marketer Dana Lynn Smith will be
useful, too.
Find tips on writing, promotion or
tech on every page of this Web site.
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Free
Content |
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Carolyn's
Reviews for Riters
(tm)--include reviews
of her recommended books for authors. These reviews
are available for reprint at no cost. See a
partial list of the articles at the
free content page of
this site. For more information
e-mail Carolyn. |
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Site
Sponsors |
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Proud
Member |
 www.wrwa.net
Honorary Member
ABWA is a group of highly
skilled networkering women in business.
Military Writers' Society of America
Also, honorary member of
Publishers and
Writers of San Diego, Greater Los Angeles Writers Society
(GLAWS), IWOSC, and Publishers Association of Los Angeles (PALA)
Book Publicists of
Southern California
(BPSC) Pix: Proud Irwin Award Winners
Carolyn and Janet
Goliger.
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Promotion Tip |
In The Frugal Book Promoter
I advise authors to
beware of paying for services that traditionally have have
been offered at no cost to authors. There are times when you
will want to make exceptions, but in general you will not
need to pay to be on the radio, to get your book reviewed,
to be the host of a radio or TV program or to get an agent
to read your manuscript.
Find at least one tip on writing, promotion or
tech on every page of this Web site.
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Carolyn's Calendar |
Please click
on my Google Calendar button to learn more about my
upcoming UCLA Extension Writers' Program classes, my
writers' conference and book fair appearances, and
more.
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