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.

©2010 Recipes for Publicity. All Rights Reserved.

It’s great to write articles for free and post them online when you’re looking to drive traffic to a website, but you may also appreciate the financial rewards, not to mention the status and credibility, you get from seeing your byline in print.

The American Society of Journalists and Authors’ Annual Writer’s Conference, April 24-26, 2009 in New York City, can offer you the opportunities to meet and learn from top newspaper and magazine editors as well as publishers and agents, giving you a better shot at getting your work published. The theme this year is: The Writer’s GPS: On Track for Success.

Sally Stich, former president of Colorado Authors League and the Denver Woman’s Press Club (and my own first writing professor and mentor!), is the co-chair of this year’s American Society of Journalists and Authors’ Annual Writer’s Conference, to be held at the historic Roosevelt Hotel.

Now in its 38th year, this is THE writers’ conference to attend if you are serious about nonfiction writing in today’s world. Here is where you will learn from experts, mingle with professionals and take your career to a new level. This remarkable event brings together hundreds of authors, journalists, agents and others for serious networking and information exchange. Panelists from major magazines, publishing houses, Web sites,and agencies will give you the inside scoop on what gets their attention. And experts in today’s media will give insights into the nuts and bolts of navigating cyberspace as a nonfiction writer, using tools and techniques that will give you the advantage. If you’re serious about your freelance writing career, you can’t miss this conference. (This year, special college student discount for Saturday’s sessions.)

I attended the ASJA conference 7 years ago and found it to be a valuable and enjoyable experience.

©2010 Recipes for Publicity. All Rights Reserved.

Don’t overlook libraries as great vehicles for getting your book in front of more eyes. I am constantly surprised by the number of fans who tell me they checked my cookbook out of the library before deciding to purchase it. I never would have thought that people checked out cookbooks from the library and then went on to buy their own copy.

In case you haven’t been following the news, library usage is up in this country, a direct reflection of the dour economy. More people in libraries = more opportunities for your book to be picked up and your message to spread.

You can take advantage of organizations offering a spot in their ALA booth for your book at bargain prices vs the thousands it would cost to secure your own booth.

Members of the Colorado Independent Publishers Association can secure a spot in the CIPA ALA booth — if there are any still available.

The Jenkins Group offers a combined book exhibit booth at ALA and is offering spots for $120.

©2010 Recipes for Publicity. All Rights Reserved.

The conference is structured around three tracks: Blogging, Audio, and Video. Lots of new media superstars will be presenting seminars.

The limited seating of up to 100 is sure to provide a comfortable and intimate setting for attendees to ask questions and engage in discussions on any number of topics. The opportunities to interact with presenters and fellow attendees are endless.

Be sure to sign up as yours truly will join a panel discussion on SEO on Saturday afternoon around 3:30pm. Hope to see you there!

©2010 Recipes for Publicity. All Rights Reserved.

*** The 2008 DIY Book Festival will have a special focus on unpublished stories, poetry and comics at its seventh annual program celebrating the success of independent authors and publishers.

*** The 2008 London Book Festival honors books worthy of further attention from the international publishing community. )

*** The 2008 New England Book Festival honors the best books of the holiday season.

Grand prizes for each competition include $1500 cash and a flight to the awards ceremony.

The 2008 DIY, New England and London book festivals are part of the JM Northern Media family of festivals, which include the DIY Convention: Do It Yourself in Film, Music & Books. The festivals are sponsored by the Larimar St. Croix Writer’s Retreat, The Hollywood Creative Directory; eDivvy, Shopanista, Westside Websites and The DIY Reporter.com.

©2010 Recipes for Publicity. All Rights Reserved.

Here is the booth for the Colorado Independent Publishers Association – the largest independent publishers association in the country. This was my home base.

DK Simoneau shows off her award-winning children’s book on surviving joint custody for children of divorce: We’re Having A Tuesday.

The authors of the upcoming Random House novel The Necklace about 13 women and the experiment that changed their lives, brought a diamond necklace to BEA and draped it around fans for photographs. I thought this was a smart publicity move (can you see it around my neck?). Was it real diamonds? I have no idea! The book is due out in September.

Claudine Wolk was signing her new title, It Gets Easier! And Other Lies We Tell New Mothers. We bonded over stories of the “dark years” of infancy and new motherhood.

The authors of A Pirate’s Quest For His Family Heirloom Peg Leg are actually wildlife documentary filmmakers. The book is illustrated by a wildlife artist and tells the story of a pirate’s search for his peg leg. Not only were they in costume to draw attention to themselves, but I was serenaded with a pirate’s ballad accompanied by the guitar. It’s hard to see, but there is an iron hook on the end of his raised hand. They were also handing out pirate cookies — always a great way to get attention!

Terence Mix shows off his newly-released book, The Price of Ovulation, an expository look at the fertility industry and what fertility drugs are doing to women and their babies. Terry is a lawyer who has worked on behalf of women and babies who have suffered the side effects of fertility treatments.

13-year old twins, Brittany and Brianna Winner, announce the release of their award-winning novel, The Strand Prophecy. Besides penning a science-fiction adventure novel in the genre of Harry Potter, the girls also sing and dance and have their own music video. Their accomplishment is even more impressive knowing they were born 10 weeks premature and have faced health and learning issues as a result. They wear their beaded head-dresses to brand themselves.

©2010 Recipes for Publicity. All Rights Reserved.

At BooK Expo, you can meet with foreign rights agents, chat with the presidents of publishing houses, get a book signed by a celebrity, or set your book up for catalog distribution. But don’t overlook the bounty of free books!

From advance reading copies of upcoming releases to reprints of classics from deceased authors, many publishers offer stacks of books free for the taking. It almost feels like stealing. And, of course, there are imprinted canvas book bags to haul away your loot.

Aside from working the booth for a half day and representing the 30 authors participating in the Colorado Independent Publishers Association (CIPA) effort, I have goals of publicizing my own activities, namely this blog and the upcoming teleseminar (Wed., June 4, 2pm EST — click the teleseminar link to the left to learn more!) as well as the January release of my cookbook from Broadway Books.

Here are some of the highlights of my first day at BEA in Los Angeles:

- I stood in line to get a book signed by Barbara Walters (her new memoir). When it was my turn, I told her she looked lovely (very true) and gave her one of my cards with a recipe from my upcoming cookbook on the back. It’s a long shot, but how great would it be if she actually looked at it and was interested in my cookbook when it comes out in January?

- I distributed more than 100 cards to authors interested in learning more about publicity and told them about the teleseminar on Wednesday. I printed the cards with the recipe on one side and the publicity information on the other in hopes that people would hold on to the recipe, if nothing else. Having something extra that people want to keep on your materials decreases the probability that your piece will get jettisoned before it ever gets home from L.A.

- I spoke with a guy who works on the big L.A. food and wine festival in April. I will keep in touch with him and see if I can get on the stage there to do a cooking demonstration.

- I picked up about 20 books to carry me through the year and be passed around my circle of book-loving friends and relatives. I’m sure I’ll get more today.

Even though I alternated between 3 pair of shoes, I still managed to come out with a massive blister by the end of the day! Do men have this problem?

The first day was so exciting and overwhelming that I never took a single photo! I will try to today. Wish me luck!

©2010 Recipes for Publicity. All Rights Reserved.