Recipes for PublicityElizabeth Yarnell

 

Get Radio Interviews: RadioGuestList.com

February 8, 2010 – 2:05 pm

Looking to expand your exposure? Radio can help.

Whether it’s NPR, satellite radio, your local airwaves, or someone’s podcast, having your voice out there spreading your message doesn’t hurt. At best, you’ll make some sales and fortify your brand. At worst, you’ll have an audio file that you can offer to visitors on your website and will likely live on for eternity in some form on the internet, continuing to build your fanbase.

The best part is that you can usually do a radio interview from home, in your pajamas!

Now, there’s a free service that publishes guest requests for all kinds of radio shows: RadioGuestList.com.

Check it out, sign up, and start seeing requests for radio guests fill your inbox.

I’ll be listening for you!

By Elizabeth Yarnell •• Posted in Publicity Ideas, social media •• Comments (0)

10 Things That Have Changed In Publishing Since 2000

January 28, 2010 – 10:42 am

When WritersMarket.com started in 2000, the writing industry was different. You’d search the web (on dial-up connections) for new results about your favorite publishers or agencies. The term social media didn’t exist – Facebook didn’t even start until 2003.

Here are a few other things that have changed in the world of publishing in the past 10 years:

  1. Many publications and publishers now accept electronic submissions, whether via e-mail or online submission forms.
  2. More than ever, writers have to brand themselves.
  3. Writers must do the work of marketing and promoting themselves to agents, editors, publishers, and–ultimately–readers. (Wondering how? Check out Get Known Before the Book Deal.)
  4. Personal sites and blogs have made it easier than ever for writers to develop an audience.
  5. Ad-based print resources (i.e., Magazines and Newspapers) have struggled to adjust to the Internet with new content strategies and pricing models.
  6. Due to the tough economic times, publications are relying more and more on freelancers.
  7. The proliferation of online content has opened up more opportunities than ever for writers from all backgrounds.
  8. There are more online tools than ever to help writers research and write more efficiently and knowledgeably.
  9. Social media offers easy and ground-breaking ways to network with publishing professionals, other writers, and potential interviewees.
  10. Businesses and organizations now rely on great content to attract new customers, sell products, and spread important messages–the trend of content marketing. (Wonder how much you should charge for your content? Here are some freelance fee guidelines.)

One thing hasn’t changed: Great writing is always in demand!

By Elizabeth Yarnell •• Posted in social media •• Comments (0)

Eric Hoffer Book Awards for Small and Independently Published Authors

January 7, 2010 – 4:13 pm

FINAL CALL: THE 2010 ERIC HOFFER BOOK AWARD

SMALL PRESSES * ACADEMIC PRESSES * MICRO PRESSES * SELF-PUBLISHERS — $1,500 GRAND PRIZE — LOW ENTRANCE FEE — DEADLINE: January 21st, 2010

New or old, we want to read your book. … Each year, independent publishers release extraordinary books to little or no recognition. The Eric Hoffer Book Award recognizes excellence in publishing. A SINGLE REGISTRATION gives you FIVE WAYS TO WIN by genre, press, the Montaigne Medal, the da Vince Eye, and the Hoffer grand prize. The least expensive way to promote your book is with point-of-sale award recognition and international press coverage. There is a category for every book. (See submission guidelines below or check our listing in Writer’s Market or visit www.HofferAward.com.)

* $1,500 GRAND PRIZE * Low Entrance Fee of $45 * Many Categories *

AWARDS/BENEFITS:
* $1,500 GRAND PRIZE (the Eric Hoffer Award for Books)
* Winner of the Montaigne Medal for most thought-provoking books
* Winner of the da Vinci Eye for best cover
* Winner and First Runner-Up awarded for every category
* Honorable Mentions for every category
* Individual Awards for Micro, Small, and Academic Presses, as well as Self-Published Books
* Coverage in The US Review of Books, in the annual anthology Best New Writing, and on www.HofferAward.com.
* Gold Seal Certificates
* Worldwide Exposure

CATEGORIES: Art, Poetry, General Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Children, Young Adult, Culture, Memoir, Business, Reference, Home, Health, Self-Help/Spiritual, Legacy Fiction, and Legacy Nonfiction.

WHY IS THE ERIC HOFFER AWARD UNIQUE?
* Low entrance fee ($45)
* Montaigne Medal (for most thought-provoking book)
* da Vinci Eye (for superior cover art)
* Categories all book genres
* Legacy categories for any book older than two years
* Coverage in the US Review of Books
* Coverage in Best New Writing
* Recognition with one of America’s premier philosophers (Eric Hoffer)

In this tough economic time, your book is always a great value, and the Eric Hoffer Book Award is the most economical way to achieve publicity and recognition. Read previous contest coverage in the US Review of Books and view past winners and press releases at www.HofferAward.com.

By Elizabeth Yarnell •• Posted in Awards •• Comments (0)

Online Website to Feature Independently Published Authors

June 29, 2009 – 9:26 pm

Here’s an opportunity for self-published (aka indie) authors to contribute and/or be featured on a recently launched Web site for independent publishing.

There are two opportunities to be included. The first is as a contributor for The Indie Reader, the IR zine section.

The second is as a contributor to IndieJourney, which will be part of the community section. Authors interested in IndieJourney will need to submit a book (which can be returned if you send a SASE) so they can review and decide who to feature. There are no fees to participate in either section.

Interested? Contact: Amy Edelman, ahedelman at comcast.net

Good luck!!

By Elizabeth Yarnell •• Posted in Publicity Ideas •• Comments (0)

Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards 2009

June 4, 2009 – 3:18 pm

The Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards are well under way and quickly approaching the end of our early bird savings entry deadline on June 20th.

The third annual Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards honor the year’s best children’s books, authors and illustrators. The program is accepting entries until August 8th, 2009 for books with 2008 or 2009 copyrights or that were released in 2008 or 2009.  They are open to authors, illustrators, and publishers of children’s books written in English or Spanish and intended for the North American market.

Presented by Jenkins Group and Independent Publisher Online, the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards bring increased recognition to exemplary children’s books and their creators, and support childhood literacy and life-long reading. Awards are given in 36 categories covering the full range of subjects, styles and age groups that children’s books are written and published in today.

The 2008 contest attracted 1,085 entries, and 138 Moonbeam medals were awarded to authors and publishers from 30 U.S. states, four Canadian provinces, and four countries overseas.

Early-bird entry fee deadline is June 20th ($85 fee); the final deadline is August 8, 2009 ($95 fee). **Note that this cut-off date is two weeks earlier than originally announced.**

Judging is based on content, originality, design, and production quality, with emphasis on social relevance and age appropriateness. Our judging panels include experts from the fields of editing, design, teaching, bookselling and library, and many categories are judged by teachers and their students. Results will be announced on September 15th, 2009 and presented during the West Virginia Book Festival in Charleston, WV on October 10, 2009.

By Elizabeth Yarnell •• Posted in Awards •• Comments (0)

Twitter Terminology

May 27, 2009 – 11:59 am

Twitter, the 140-character microblog social media network, spawned a whole lexicon of terminology specifically dedicated to Twittering. I was asked recently to explain some of them, so I thought I’d share the information with everyone. This list is by no means definitive, but for Twitter newbies, it should give you someplace to start.

Tweet: A 140-character post.

Follow/Following: Choosing to receive someone’s Tweets.

Followers: Those who choose to receive your Tweets.

Twitterstream: The flow of Tweets from people you are following.

Twitterverse/Twittersphere: The world of Tweets, including online and mobile.

Twitter Handle: The 16- or fewer- character name you go by on Twitter. The Twitter Handle becomes your Twitter profile page URL (i.e., www.twitter.com/ElizabethYarnel), and is how people will identify you. The Twitter Handle is always preceded by @, as in @ElizabethYarnel.

ReTweeting: Forwarding a Tweet to the followers in your Twitterstream. Best ettiquette says to credit the original Tweeter by identifying it as a “Retweet” or simply “RT @ElizabethYarnel”.

@Replies: You’ll see this link in the right-hand column of your Twitter page. Clicking it will show you all the Tweets that include your @Handle. In other words, messages for you or about you.

Direct Messages: Use Direct Messages to carry on a private conversation with someone. Direct Messages can only be sent if both Tweeters are following each other.

Favorites: Star the Tweets you’d like to come back to for their useful links or other valued information. Clicking on the Favorites link will show you all the Tweets you’ve selected.

Hashtags (#): Twitter uses hashtags (#) to group Tweets on the same topic. Once a group establishes a hashtag, it is tracked at hashtag.org. Twitterers can search by hashtag to find Tweets about that topic. Hashtags are often used for conferences and meetings as Tweets fly around the room.

Twitter Skin: The customizable design behind the standard fields on your Twitter home page. You might want to use a good design company to carry your brand onto your Twitter skin.

Twitter Apps: Little widgets and other applications that enable you to maximize your use of Twitter across the web and mobile networks.

Tweeple: People who Tweet.

See the Twitter Fan Wiki for lots more info on Twitter!

By Elizabeth Yarnell •• Posted in Publicity Ideas •• Comments (3)

How to Monitor Your Social Media Presence in 10 Minutes

April 10, 2009 – 1:30 pm

Two weeks ago I spoke to the attendees of the Colorado Independent Publishers Association’s annual College about how authors and publishers can use social media to get free publicity. Elizabeth Yarnell speaks at CIPA College 2009.As happens every time I speak about using social media to expand your business, I was deluged with questions afterward, many along the lines of: Where do you find the time to do all this?

Yes, being active in social media does take a time commitment, I respond, but the exposure and influence you gain can be critical in seeing your book sales grow. One of the secrets to effective time management is to automate some of the tasks by using online tools like RSS feeds, apps, widgets, and syndication sites.

Check out this Hubspot post for ways to monitor your social media presence in 10 minutes.

By Elizabeth Yarnell •• Posted in Events, Publicity Ideas, social media •• Comments (0)

Social Media vs. Advertising: Which is more effective

April 9, 2009 – 2:00 pm

Simon Clift, Chief Marketing Officer for Unilever, spoke at the Advertising Age for Digital Conference recently about how large companies like Unilever need to adjust their thinking and marketing efforts to reach the digital consumer through interactions.

My favorite part of this article comes in the first comment, posted by Paul Ashby, author of Television Killed Advertising:

“One thing they NEVER taught you whilst working in an advertising agency…or a marketing department for that matter… the human desire for interaction. If this had been taught and the lesson put into everyday practise then billions of pounds and dollars would never have been poured down the black hole of television advertising!”

Now if that’s not a case for why every author, every business owner, every person with a product, should be active in social media, I don’t know what is.

By Elizabeth Yarnell •• Posted in Publicity Ideas, social media •• Comments (2)

Green Book Festival Awards

April 8, 2009 – 6:31 am

The 2009 Green Book Festival’s late registration period is underway for its annual competition honoring books that contribute to greater understanding, respect and positive action on the changing worldwide environment. Final competition deadline is April 15.

The 2009 Green Book Festival will consider published, self-published and independent publisher works in the following categories: non-fiction, fiction, children’s books, teenage, how-to, audio/spoken word, comics/graphic novels, poetry, science fiction/horror, biography/autobiography, gardening, cookbooks, animals, photography/art, e-books, wild card (anything goes!), scientific, white paper, legal, business, mystery and spiritual.

Entries can be in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese or Italian. Our grand prize for the 2009 Green Book Festival Author of the Year is $1500 and transportation to our April 22, 2009 Earth Day celebration in Los Angeles OR an equivalent amount donated in your name to the environmental charity of your choice.

A panel of judges will determine the winners based on the following criteria:

1) The overall writing style and presentation of the work;
2) The potential of the work to enhance understanding of the environment and its
issues;

TO ENTER: Entry forms are available online or may be faxed/e-mailed to you by calling 323-665-8080.

The Green Book Festival is produced by JM Northern Media LLC, producers of the Hollywood Book Festival, New York Book Festival and DIY Convention: Do It Yourself in Film, Music & Books and is sponsored by eDivvy, Larimar St. Croix Writers Colony, Westside Websites and Shopanista.

By Elizabeth Yarnell •• Posted in Awards •• Comments (2)

Colorado Romance Writers’ Conference May, 2009

April 7, 2009 – 11:34 am

Writers conferences are a great place to network with other writers and connect with people in the industry. Join the Colorado Romance Writers for their 14th BIENNIAL WRITERS’ CONFERENCE on Friday May 1st & Saturday, May 2nd, 2009.

SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKERS: Sherrilyn Kenyon, Dianna Love, Mary O’Gara, Sue Grimshaw

MORE THAN 27 FEATURED PROGRAMS INCLUDING:
. “Social Networks & New Media for Writers”
. “Free Range Characters”
. “Everything You Need To Know About E-Publishing”
. “The Multiple Personalities of Psychic Characters”
. “Writing Erotic Novellas”
. “Urban Fantasy vs. Paranormal Panel”
. “Writing for the YA Market”
. “Historical Research for the Fiction Writer”
. “Legal Issues for Writers”

EDITOR & AGENT PANELS/APPOINTMENTS ARE AVAILABLE ON A FIRST-COME/FIRST-SERVE BASIS. Sue Grimshaw will also be taking private appointments!

EDITORS. RENEE LYNN, Wild Rose Press; LINDSEY McGURK, Samhain Publishing; KATHRYN LYE, Harlequin; CHRIS KEESLAR, Dorchester Publishing.

AGENTS.ELAINE SPENCER, The Knight Agency; ALEXANDRA MACHINIST, Chester Literary Agency; KATE McKEAN, Howard Morhaim Literary Agency.

WHERE: Radisson Graystone Castle, 83 E. 120th Ave., Denver, CO 80233
FEE: $189 CRW members/$199 non-members (includes Keynote Dinner, Continental Breakfast, Luncheon) [They're keeping the Early Bird rate for the entire month of April!]
For questions: e-mail RTRCoordinator1@ColoradoRomanceWriters.org

By Elizabeth Yarnell •• Posted in Publicity Ideas •• Comments (0)