How Digital Are Your Books?
Babette Pepaj, Julie Spira, Brian Felson, and Kevin Winston
It was an honor and pleasure to be a panelist at the Digital LA Books Go Digital Panel held at The Churchill in West Hollywood.
Moderated by Digital LA’s founder Kevin Winston, I was joined by Babette Pepaj of Bake Space and creator of CookBook Cafe and Brian Felson, CEO and founder of BookBaby.
A lively discussion included how to build your platform through social media, advances and royalties, Amazon’s Singles, and ways to self-publish your book. As an author of a book whose sales on Kindle are at a 3:1 ratio compared to the paperback edition, I was happy to share Kindle’s 70% royalty rate to authors who sign up directly with Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing service.
Whether you self-publish or have your book traditionally published, you must have a digital online strategy. For my first book, I offered two free chapters on my website and wrote daily on my blog to create buzz for the book. For my second book, The Rules of Netiquette, I created two websites and am offering a free chapter to download with 200 Acronyms.
Babette gave demos of CookBook Cafe, their new free iPad app which will allow you to publish your cookbook on their digital bookshelf. Anyone can download the app for free. You can charge for your book or provide your favorite recipes for free.
Brian explained BookBaby’s revenue model costs $99 upfront which will give you an .epub and .mobi version of your content. After the first year, with an annual fee of $16.95 after the first year. BookBaby gives 100% of the royalties they receive to the authors. This is a terrific way to distribute your books if you own the rights and appear on multiple platforms including Barnes and Noble’s Nook, Amazon’s Kindle, iBooks, Sony Reader store, and more.
At the end of the digital day, you must have an electronic strategy as an author, publisher, and content provider.
Julie Spira is a social media strategist and CEO of Social Media and More. She’s a bestselling author and works with writers and authors on how to create a social media marketing plan to become successful with their books. Visit SocialMediaMore.com and like us at Facebook.com/SocialMediaAndMore
Book Savvy Conference for Writers – Social Media and Promotion
BOOK SAVVY 2012 Sunday,March 4th
On Sunday, March 4, 2012, join me at Book Savvy 2012, a full day of book promotion, social media marketing, publishing and publicity options in Los Angeles.
This annual event, produced by the Los Angeles chapter of the Women’s National Book Association will help aspiring writers and published authors learn everything they need to know to be successful in the digital age of publishing.
It’s an honor to be the moderator at the first session in the morning program, Book Promotion and Publicity, where you’ll learn how to become a professional speaker; the art of social media for authors including Twitter, Facebook, blogging, Google+ and Pinterest; how to promote your book and brand; and learn about using video for book promotions and trailers.
The panelists include:
- Liora Mendeloff, founder of Women’s Speakers Association
- Erin Reel, writers coach and editorial consultant
- Lon Levin, an expert on book trailers and promotional graphics.
Our panel will be held at 9:15am – 10:15 am.
Other sessions include:
- Pre-Program Pitch Prep Session, 7:30am – 8:30am (*$25 extra)
- Learning to Self-Publish, 10:45am – 11:45am
- Lunch, 12:00pm – 1:30pm
- Pitch Your Book to Agents & Producers, 12:30pm – 1:30pm
- Literary Agent Panel, 1:30pm – 2:30pm
- eBooks and Apps: Where Technology and Publishing Intersect, 2:45pm – 3:45pm
The event will be held at the Marina del Rey Hotel, 13534 Bali Way, Marina del Rey, CA 90292. Parking is free at the event and includes a light breakfast, coffee, snacks, and Italian buffet lunch, and dessert.
Register now at wnba-books.org/la
Follow Julie on Twitter @JulieSpira and at Facebook.com/SocialMediaandMore
How Authors Can Use Social Media to Save Time and Money
It was such an honor to speak at the Women’s National Book Association’s BookWoman Day in Los Angeles.
I was so inspired by the panelists who shared their information to help authors become successful in the ever-changing publishing marketplace.
If you missed the day, I have good news for you. I shared some of my best secrets with the group that I usually cover in a full day bootcamp which costs thousands of dollars. Now you’ll have the opportunity to learn these tips while saving $200!
Many of the authors expressed concern about how much time social media would take up and wanted to know what the next steps were. How could they use social media to become a bestselling author? How can they gain media attention through social media?
I know how very precious time is, especially for writers. We need to focus on making sure our manuscripts and book proposals are nothing short of perfect. We have the one moment to capture the attention of an editor or agent. Having the stress of tweeting, using Facebook, creating custom pages just wasn’t viable for many of the attendees.
As a result, I have offered registrants a $200 discount off of my Social Media 101 private coaching sessions. This will not only give you precious time but it will save you money that you can put towards creating a great book cover, going out to dinner, or just putting it in the bank. I’m extending this special offer through March 4th to those writers who didn’t have the opportunity to come to Los Angeles.
More time for you equals more time for writing.
More tips and social media secrets from me equals building a bigger platform faster and becoming a social media superstar.
At the recent Social Media Week in Los Angeles, the introduction of social media was compared to the introduction of black and white TV. It’s powerful and it’s here to stay. I know what it’s like to be an author who needs to build a platform. I was able to successfully use social media to extend the shelf life of my book as a bestseller and I can help do the same for you.
To take advantage of this offer, click here and we’ll schedule your session. But hurry. This offer expires on Friday, March 4th at 6pm/PST.
Social Media for Authors at LA BookWoman Day
There’s an amazing day scheduled for Los Angeles authors on Saturday, February 26, 2011 and you’re invited to attend.
LA BookWoman day is hosted by the Los Angeles chapter of the Women’s National Book Association. You’ll have the opportunity to meet agents, producers, and learn how to get published.
I’ll be there as a panelist to teach authors on how I used social media to not only help my first book, The Perils of Cyber-Dating become a bestseller on it’s launch date, but to extend it’s shelf life as a best-seller continuously for two years! My book helped catapult my career as a well-respected expert in my field, where I have now reached millions through media and speaking opportunities. I’m excited to share my tips with other authors on this fact-filled day.
I’ll be joined by Michelle Gilstrap, Ruth Klein, Teresa Moore, Jovita Jenkins, Julia Drake, and Joan Jackson in an all-day workshop. We’ll be talking about Facebook, Twitter, web interviews, TV interviews, how to pitch an agent, e books and more.
Amazon Wants You to Like Them
In an attempt to be more social media friendly to authors, Amazon has just added their own “like” button, very much similar to the Facebook like button.
As a published author and one who teaches social media marketing for authors, I’m trained to refresh my Amazon page daily to see if there are new reviews or the current status of my rank.
Today I was greeted with the like button close to the title of my book, The Perils of Cyber-Dating. Naturally, I decided to like myself. In addition to video reviews, author blogs, and the ability to post your own book trailer on your author page, Amazon does a great job keeping the social in social media.
In time we’ll see if would-be reviewers and book lovers decide to click the like button instead of taking the time to review your book. As this is a new feature, don’t worry if the amount of likes fits on one hand only.
Naturally if you’re reading this post, I hope you take the time to like it as well.
Happy National Author’s Day
Happy Author's Day
Today, November 1, 2010 is National Author’s Day. Unlike 60-years ago where most authors didn’t have the tools to promote their books, today, every author needs a social media marketing plan.
National Author’s Day was originally adopted by the General Federation of Women’s Clubs in 1929. Twenty years later, the U.S. Department of Commerce added it to their calendar. If authors had the ability to use social media back then, they would have been more successful.
As an author of a bestselling book, I’d like to both celebrate this holiday with my fellow authors and more importantly talk about the benefits of social media marketing for authors.
1. Social Media can make your book a bestseller. It happened to me and it can happen to you.
2. Social Media can help build momentum prior to your book’s launch.
3. Social Media will help you create new relationships with like-minded authors who will help promote your book.
4. Social Networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Linkedin and others give you free access to promote your book.
5. Book sites such as Amazon allow you to post your video, blog, and provide information about yourself and your upcoming book signing events and appearances.
6. There are many blogs dedicated to writers and authors who are happy to do book reviews of your title or a blog book tour.
7. Internet radio show geared towards your topic or niche will be happy to have you as a guest on their program.
For more help with Social Media for Authors, please contact us at Social Media and More, where we can help you decide on publishing solutions, create book trailers, and help create your personality and brand on the Web.
Social Media Week Special from Social Media and More
We’re in the middle of Social Media Week in Los Angeles and it’s been an exciting time for social media enthusiasts. Social Media Week is being held in Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Milan, and Bogota – Columbia. Most of the events are free and donations are being made via Twelethon.com to benefit Inner City Arts.
For those around the world who can’t attend these events, many of them are being streamed on UStream at socialmediaweek.org/live
In honor of Social Media Week, Social Media and More is offering a special 20% discount on all of our social media marketing programs. Take advantage of savings from $200-$1500. The Social Media Week promotion is valid through 11:59pm/PT on Friday, September 24, 2010.
Spots are already filling up and I’m so excited to meet so many of you this week. Even if you are not attending the 5-day celebration, I encourage you to visit our site to learn how we can help you create your personality and brand on the web. From building your Twitter personality and Facebook page, to teaching you how to engage in a meaningful way, we’ll be at your side. Authors, businesses and individuals, it’s time for you to get more social on the web.
Contact us at socialmediamore.com/contact for more details.
Being Social at Book Expo America
Gary Vaynerchuk, @garyvee and Julie Spira, @JulieSpira at Book Expo America
I just returned from New York from Book Expo America, the largest industry conference in North America. At the show, authors, publishers, agents, and distributors met to discuss the state of the industry. A big subject this year was the value of e-books and their impact on the industry.
Although the show was a day shorter and the exhibit hall was noticeably smaller, BEA expanded their offerings this year by adding three new events to their packed agenda.
Let’s get Digital included co-location with the International Digital Publishing Forum in a pre-day event on May 25, 2010 as well as the Digital Book Zone on the exhibit hall floor to learn about the latest apps.
New York Book Week was added to the agenda this year. It was an honor for me to have been selected to speak at the New York Public Library as the first of ten authors this year. I read excerpts from two chapters of my book, The Perils of Cyber-Dating: Confessions of a Hopeful Romantic Looking for Love Online as part of their Meet the Author Series. A discussion with dating advice followed the reading.
As an author who uses social media to extend the shelf life of my titles and those of my social media clients, it’s imperative for any author who has an idea to start thinking about their social media strategy. In 2009, a record 1 million books were published.
This year, Book Expo America got a face-lift and became extremely social media savvy. They were tweeting during the show, have a whole new look and feel with a new logo, and were engaging with authors in real-time.
Julie Spira at Book Expo America
On day one of BEA, I enjoyed signing copies of my book in the Authors Autographing Area. Close by, was Sarah, The Duchess of York as well as romance writer Robyn Carr, who I shared a cab with at the end of the day. I met with several publishers and agents about my next two books.
On day two of BEA, as the conference was about to end, I heard a familiar voice. It was Gary Vaynerchuk, better known as Gary Vee. Gary was speaking at the Downtown Author Stage, sharing his passion and enthusiasm on how he lives his life. Gary’s first book, Crush It! became a New York Times bestseller. He was talking about his next book, The Thank You Economy (Harper). Gary said he was driven by gratitude. He shared with us his dream of buying the New York Jets, and brought it to our attention that 80% of drivers actually text while driving.
Gary also gave some sound business advice which included “Giving a gift certificate to an unhappy customer is like giving hush money.” Gary added that he treats his employees better than his family because he wants to keep them for life.
I enjoyed sharing social media strategies with my author friends and look forward to next year’s BEA conference, to be held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on May 24-26, 2011.
Going Social? Time for a Mobile App
Having spent many years in the technology field, I have always prided myself in being ahead of the curve. I was one of the first of my friends to register a domain name. Now, I have over 500 in my portfolio.
So why was I so hesitant about creating an iPhone app before now?
After months of research and quotes ranging anywhere from $500-$160,000, I finally decided to move forward with Mobile Roadie to create my iPhone and Android apps for Cyber-Dating Expert. I figured if it was good enough for Madonna, it could be good enough for me.
Actually, my decision to contract with Mobile Roadie came down to two things:
- Price: $500
- Ease of Use: A few hours of my time
It didn’t hurt that the Mobile Roadie folks only live a few miles from me, so I could go knocking on their door if needed.
I’m now counting the days until my new mobile apps are ready to brag about. If all goes well, they’ll be launched just in time for the 140 Characters Conference in New York, where I will be a featured guest on the first-ever dating panel on April 21, 2010.
If you are interested in finally getting your iPhone and Droid apps, visit https://mobileroadie.com/ref/SMAM. If you put in the referred by name of SMAM, they will offer you 10% off your initial set up fee, bringing the cost of your app down to approximately $450. Compared to my initial quote of $160,000, you could see why I am so enthusiastic about this new service and am recommending it to all the Social Media and More clients and authors everywhere.
Amazing Woman’s Day 2010 Worldwide Launch
It’s an honor to be selected to be a Feminine Leader at the Amazing Woman’s Day 2010 Worldwide Launch in Beverly Hills.
Please join me on Saturday, January 30, 2010 where I will be speaking to authors and those who dream about writing a book. Learn how through social media marketing you can become a bestselling author.
I’ll be discussing the social media strategy I used on Facebook, Twitter, and blogging and more that made my first-published book, The Perils of Cyber-Dating: Confessions of a Hopeful Romantic Looking for Love Online a bestseller on its launch date.
Amazing Woman’s Day was created by Marsh Engle. The day will be filled with education and enrichment for women to help them succeed in 2010. We all have a book in us. Why not make it a bestseller?
What: Amazing Woman’s Day 2010 Worldwide Launch
Where: Beverly Hills Hotel
When: Saturday, January 30, 2010
Why: Because you are an Amazing Woman who will be inspired and educated by dynamic leaders
Cost: $196
To order tickets, please go to AmazingWomansDay.com for a day that will change your path in 2010.
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