Promo 101 Promotional Services: April 2008

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Dyan Garris Talks About Her Book Promotion

You have been invited to share your promotional experience with others.

Your Name: Dyan Garris

1. Where you are from and where are you now?

I was born in Illinois. I live now in Arizona and Florida.

2. How did you get started writing?

I’ve been writing ever since I can remember. I wrote a children’s book when I was seventeen.

3. What do you do when you are not writing?

I swim every day. I love to walk as well. When I’m not writing books I’m writing and playing music. I’m a professional psychic. Everything works together.

4. What would readers like to know about you?

I don’t know, but they can ask me and I’ll probably answer.

5. What inspired your first book?

I had an Old English sheepdog that my little brother was fascinated with. I wrote him a little book about the dog’s adventures.

6. How many books have you written?

Six.

7. What are the titles of your books and what genres are they?

My genre is all Metaphysical Self-Help. The titles are:
Voice of the Angels – A Healing Journey Spiritual Cards
Voice of the Angels – A Healing Journey – The Journal (for use with the cards)
Voice of the Angels – Meditation Journal (for use with my CD series of music and meditation)
Voice of the Angels – Talk To Your Food! Intuitive Cooking
Fish Tale of Woe – Lost at Sea (A small story with a very big message)
Money and Manifesting

8. How do you decide on that topic or genre?

My work is all self-help. It chose me.

9. How do you manage to keep yourself focused and on track?

Being a clairvoyant counselor, I focus for a living. If I couldn’t focus I wouldn’t have any clients. It’s simply a matter of quieting the chatter of the conscious mind. It’s a mindful focus. I’ve had a lot of practice.

10. Do you write to make money or for the love of writing?

Of course I have to teach you something while answering this question. We do not “make” money. Money is energy. We create an open pathway for the energy of money to flow to us. I write because I have something to teach and I love to do it. When the creative pathway is open the money follows. It’s energy.

11. What are some traditional methods of marketing you have used?

The key to marketing is distribution. You can have the best book in the world and if nobody can find it you won’t be selling very many copies of it. Amazon is great, Baker and Taylor/Barnes & Noble are all very important. Author signings are wonderful ways to connect with people. Radio interviews should be at the top of anyone’s list as well.

12. What are some unique methods of marketing you have used?

The Virtual Book Tour is the most unique thing I’ve done in terms of marketing. It’s great fun.

13. Do you sell through a website? If so, what’s the address? If not, why not?

Yes, websites should be one portal of distribution. I have about 15 websites. The main site is www.voiceoftheangels.com There is a lot going on there. I write a Daily Channeled Message there. For my music one of the main sites is www.myspace.com/voiceoftheangels

14. Where can people order your books?

People can order my books through Amazon.com, any traditional bookstore, or through my website.

15. What format are your books – e-book, print, audio etc?

Right now they are just in print, however, I’m working on getting them into e-books.

16. Will you write more books?

No, Money and Manifesting is the last one for now. It’s at the top of the toolbox of tools for spiritual growth and transformation that I’m almost finished building.

17. What do you have in the works now?

I have two more items that go in the toolbox. One is a DVD animation. The other is another music CD that will vibrate to the eighth chakra. The existing CDs are a series of music and meditation CDs that each vibrate to chakras one through seven.

18. What does the future hold for you and your books?

Looking into my crystal ball, I see…..oh, that would be absolutely no fun to peer in on my future. I’ll just let it unfold.

19. What was the most successful thing you did to promote your books?

I’m doing it. The Virtual Book Tour is just great for book promotion. I’m also very fond of author signings because I like to connect with people directly.

20. What was the least successful thing you did to promote your books?

Well, again, it all depends upon how you define “successful". To me there is no success and no failure. Those are simply perceptions and usually they are someone else’s perceptions. In my definition of success everything is simply an opportunity.

This interview was done in conjunction with Nikki Leigh, author of the Book Promo 101 series. For more information, visit – www.nikkileigh.com/promo.htm.

Friday, April 25, 2008

Dyan Garris May Blog Tour

This week, I'm starting to coordinate a special virtual blog tour for Dyan Garris. Some of you participated during the tour we are doing this month to promote her latest book Money and Manifesting. We appreciate every one that has participated with us.

In the middle of May, we are going to do a week long tour to promote the wide variety of life changing products and services that Dyan offers on her website. Please contact me for a full list of her products. If you haven't visited her website - the address is www.voiceoftheangels.com

For this tour, we are looking for blog owners who deal with the topics listed below. If you would like to focus on these topics on your blog, please contact me. To participate, I simply need each blog owner to review her website and to send me for 5-10 questions about the products or services that she offers. I also have a document that has all the items, the prices and descriptions listed. I can forward that to anyone who needs the list.

These are the topics that we want to focus on during her tour in May.

1. Manifesting
2. Self-empowerment
3. Patterns and belief systems
4. What really gets in the way of people manifesting what they want
5. Music as a way to unblock energy and as a healing tool
6. Meditation, mindful meditation, connection in general
7. Chakra balance and energy field
8. Angels and angel cards
9. Psychic ability
10. Integration of mind, body, and spirit and why it's so important

This tour will be May 12th through the 16th. We can also schedule blog visits for a couple of days before or after those dates if needed. Dyan Garris is also available for radio interviews - contact me for more details.

In return for your participation, your blog will be promoted through the tour schedules and the promotional messages that I post to promote each blog visit on the tour. This can be a good way to generate new visitors for your site. It also creates a good number of links back to your site.

If you discuss any of the topics listed above on your blog, feel free to contact me to schedule a date for Dyan Garris to be a guest on your blog.

SPECIAL NOTE -

Each person who posts a comment on any or all of the blog tour spots will be entered in a random drawing for a copy of Dyan Garris’ CD – Release. In addition – the blog owner that hosted the winning commenter will also win a free copy of Release. Share your thoughts and comments with Dyan. She will check in throughout the day to answer questions. You’ll learn more and you have a chance to win a CD.

For more information about Dyan Garris and her virtual tour, you can check the full schedule at http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2008/04/dyan-garris-may-schedule.html and here are more details http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2008/04/dyan-garris-may-blog-tour.html.

Her website is full of great details about all of the items within her “toolbox” and there are many special features. She provides the tools you need to have a full and happy life – www.voiceoftheangels.com and it’s not as hard to achieve as you think. Visit Dyan’s Amazon profile for links to many of her products - http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/AYREZNHQDLRFM/.

Nikki Leigh
www.nikkileigh.com/promo.htm

Monday, April 21, 2008

Learn How Dyan Garris Began Her Incredible Journey

There are several promotional events going on this week and I want to share the details with you.

Dyan Garris’ virtual blog tour for Money and Manifesting is in its fourth week. We’ve had a great month sharing information about Dyan’s latest book. This book is perfect for people who are interested in the law of attraction, but have had problems manifesting.

Tuesday April 22 - http://detailwithnikkileigh.blogspot.com/ - Learn more details about Dyan Garris and also, Money and Manifesting.

Wednesday April 23 - http://melissaalvarez.blogspot.com/ - Dyan visits with author, Melissa Alvarez and she has written an article. It shares her personal story of how she began creating the assorted items that is in the toolbox she created. She has many items to share with people who want to learn how to take their life to a higher and better level.

I would also like to extend an invitation for you to listen to an interview I did on Monday afternoon with author, Joyce Anthony. We talked about her background, the social issues that are important to her, the process she uses to write and her novel, Storm. I invite you to learn more about this special lady – www.blogtalkradio.com/nikkileigh

Nikki Leigh

www.nikkileigh.com/promo.htm

Author of the Book Promo 101 Series

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Join the Dyan Garris Blog Tour This Week

The virtual book tour for Money and Manifesting by Dyan Garris is in its third week. Joyce Anthony hosted Dyan Garris this week on her blog Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Something different was posted on each day and you are welcome to read these past posts. The link to her blog is http://joyceanthony.tripod.com/blog .

On Wednesday and Thursday, Sharon Hurley Hall is hosting Dyan Garris on two of her blogs. This gave Sharon the opportunity to ask two different sets of questions and to post on blogs that feature the same themes. These are Sharon’s scheduled days and links -

Wednesday April 16 - http://bimblogger.wordpress.com

Thursday April 17 - http://www.reikivoyager.blogspot.com/

On Friday, I get the opportunity to host Dyan on my Communati.com blog. She has gathered many wonderful reviews for Money and Manifesting and I wanted to share several with you.

Friday April 18 -

http://www.communati.com/litekepr/reviews-money-and-manifesting-dyan-garris-0

Dyan Garris’ full tour schedule –

http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2008/04/dyan-garris-april-tour-schedule.html

Nikki Leigh

www.nikkileigh.com/promo.htm

Author of the Book Promo 101 Series

Monday, April 14, 2008

Learn How to Take "The Secret" Further - Tuesday Evening

Dyan Garris’ blog tour continues this week and she spends 4 days with Joyce Anthony. Joyce shares Dyan’s bio, the summary and introduction for Money and Manifesting. She also shares an interview she did with Dyan and on Wednesday, Joyce shares her review for Money and Manifesting.

Tuesday evening – you have the chance to chat with Dyan Garris to learn more about her, her book, manifesting, the laws of attraction, how her book compares with The Secret and you have a chance to ask your questions. She has a lot of great information to share.

Sunday April 13 - http://joyceanthony.tripod.com/blog - Bio and Summary

Monday April 14 - http://joyceanthony.tripod.com/blog - Introduction

Monday April 14 - www.lunar-living.blogspot.com

Tuesday April 15 - http://joyceanthony.tripod.com/blog - Interview Posted and An Evening Chat at http://pub29.bravenet.com/chat/show.php/2488831080 (8-10 EST)
(YOU CAN VISIT WITH DYAN GARRIS DURING THIS CHAT - CLICK THE LINK ABOVE TO TALK WITH DYAN AND TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HER)

Wednesday April 16 - http://joyceanthony.tripod.com/blog

If you missed any of the interviews on Dyan’s tour – I recommend that you visit her virtual tour home page – http://inspiredauthor.com/promotion/Dyan+Garris. Her full schedule is located at http://inspiredauthor.com/promotion/dyan-garris-april-tour-schedule.

Nikki Leigh

www.nikkileigh.com/promo.htm

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Fiction Imitates Life – Van Gogh Missing from Heist - and in Miniature

Police were still searching Monday for three masked men responsible for the daring heist of four Impressionist paintings Sunday from a private art museum in Zurich. The paintings, valued at $163 million, included works by Cezanne, Degas, Monet and Van Gogh. The burglary follows on the heels of an earlier theft, also in Zurich, of two Picassos on loan from Germany.

In a case of fiction imitating real life, the search for another missing Van Gogh is the focus of “SEARCHING FOR A STARRY NIGHT,” A Miniature Art Mystery by Christine Verstraete, coming in May from Quake/Echelon Press, LLC. The missing painting is a miniature replica of Van Gogh’s famous work, “The Starry Night.”

In SEARCHING FOR A STARRY NIGHT, Sam and her best friend, Lita, with the help of a mischievous Dachshund named Petey, try to find the missing painting so Sam's mother can get it to the museum, where it belongs.

Spooky family secrets unfold, Petey digs up an ancient curse, and Sam fears her friendship with her best friend is doomed.

Can she find the miniature masterpiece before it's too late?

Will she and her best friend, Lita, go home forever friends – or enemies?

Art Recovered! And.... was it a protest? See

http://stolenvermeer.blogspot.com/2008/02/stolen-art-watch-swiss-art-heist.html

SEARCHING FOR A STARRY NIGHT will be published in May ’08 from Quake/Echelon Press, LLC, www.quakeme.com ISBN: 978-1-59080-579-4

Contact: Christine Verstraete
chris@cverstraete.com

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Ethnic Presidency Blog Blitz Continues - Phil Harris Interviews Dyan Garris

The virtual book tour for Money and Manifesting by Dyan Garris continues into its second week. Friday, April 11^th she visits with Phil Harris on his blog - http://philipharris.blogspot.com . Learn more about how we can use the laws of attraction and manifesting to improve many aspects of our lives. If you missed any of her tour stops, they are archived on Dyan’s virtual book tour home page located at http://inspiredauthor.com/promotion/april-2008-feature-authors. Her schedule is posted on that page.

The virtual blog blitz for The Ethnic Presidency: How Race Decides the Race to the White House by Earl Hutchinson, is shifting into high gear. The full list of blogs which will feature information about the book are listed here http://inspiredauthor.com/promotion/Ethnic+Presidency+Blitz+Schedule . These blogs will share plenty of information about several topics from the book. This election year has been one of the most unique in years, but The Ethnic Presidency takes us back to recent decades to show how race has played a part in many elections. We invite you to visit any or all blog stops. There is plenty of information to share with you.

http://joyceanthony.tripod.com/blog - Democrats, GOP and the Asian Vote

http://karen.pnn.com/5525-politics

http://communati.com/steven-clark-bradley/ethnic-presidency-earl-ofari-hutchinson

http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/immigration/

http://bookmarket.ning.com/profiles/blog/show?id=523145%3ABlogPost%3A89647

If you would like to join the Ethnic Presidency Blog Blitz – feel free to contact me for more details – nikki_leigh22939@yahoo.com

Nikki Leigh

www.nikkileigh.com/promo.htm

Author of the Book Promo 101 Series

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

April 10th - Virtual Blog Tour Details for Dyan Garris and Earl Hutchinson

The virtual book tour for Money and Manifesting by Dyan Garris continues into its second week. Thursday, April 10^th she is visiting two radio shows. Feel free to visit the links below to listen or to call in and ask questions.

Heal Yourself Talk Radio Show - http://healyourselftalk.com (2–3 pm EST)

League of Extraordinary Paranormal Women Radio Show - 7 PM EST or 4 PM PST
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/League_of_Extraordinary_Paranormal_Women

If you missed any of her tour stops, they are archived on Dyan’s virtual book tour home page which is located at http://inspiredauthor.com/promotion/april-2008-feature-authors and her full schedule is linked to that page. We invite you to visit any or all of her tour stops, radio interviews and a chat next week. There are plenty of opportunities to learn more.

The virtual blog blitz for The Ethnic Presidency: How Race Decides the Race to the White House by Earl Hutchinson, is shifting into high gear. The full list of blogs which will feature information about the book are listed here http://inspiredauthor.com/promotion/Ethnic+Presidency+Blitz+Schedule . These blogs will post a variety of information about the book and several topics from the book. This election year has been one of the most unique in a very long time, but The Ethnic Presidency takes us back to recent decades to show how race has played a part in many elections. We invite you to visit any or all blog stops. There is plenty of information to share with you.

http://fictionwise.blogspot.com

http://joyceanthony.tripod.com/blog - Obama and the X-Factor of Race

http://murderatwork.blogspot.com/2008/04/will-america-accept-black-president.html

http://www.loveambassador.blogspot.com/ - Hillary and Obama Roadshow

http://www.warpeacetolerance.blogspot.com/

http://publishedauthors.ning.com/profiles/blog/show?id=956540%3ABlogPost%3A44872

If you would like to join the Ethnic Presidency Blog Blitz – feel free to contact me for more details – nikki_leigh22939@yahoo.com

Nikki Leigh

www.nikkileigh.com/promo.htm

Author of the Book Promo 101 Series

Dyan Garris - April Tour Schedule

Tuesday April 1 - http://startwithfacts.blogspot.com/

Wednesday April 2 - http://newagedaily.com/dyan-garris/

Thursday April 3 – http://www.themarketingmindset.com/

Friday April 4 - www.SHE-web.com (click on special guest)

Monday April 7 - www.up-the-downside.com – Mike Jay

Tuesday April 8 - http://yvonneperry.blogspot.com

Wednesday April 9 - http://whitewolfinvesting.blogspot.com

Wednesday April 9 - A Time To Heal Internet Radio Show
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/AskClaudia - 9 PM EST or 6 PM PST
(YOU CAN CALL IN OR LISTEN TO THE SHOW LIVE - CLICK THE LINK FOR CALL IN INFORMATION OR TO LISTEN TO THE SHOW)

Thursday April 10 - http://healyourselftalk.com (2–3 pm EST)
(YOU CAN CALL IN OR LISTEN TO THE SHOW LIVE - CLICK THE LINK FOR CALL IN INFORMATION OR TO LISTEN TO THE SHOW)

Thursday April 10 - 7 PM EST or 4 PM PST
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/League_of_Extraordinary_Paranormal_Women
(YOU CAN CALL IN OR LISTEN TO THE SHOW LIVE - CLICK THE LINK FOR CALL IN INFORMATION OR TO LISTEN TO THE SHOW)

Friday April 11 – http://philipharris.blogspot.com

Sunday April 13 - http://joyceanthony.tripod.com/blog - Bio and Summary

Monday April 14 - http://joyceanthony.tripod.com/blog - Introduction

Monday April 14 - www.lunar-living.blogspot.com

Wednesday April 16 - http://joyceanthony.tripod.com/blog

Wednesday April 16 - http://bimblogger.wordpress.com

Thursday April 17 - http://www.reikivoyager.blogspot.com/

Friday April 18 - http://www.communati.com/litekepr/reviews-money-and-manifesting-dyan-gar...

Monday April 21 - www.selfgrowth.com

Tuesday April 22 - http://detailwithnikkileigh.blogspot.com/

Wednesday April 23 - http://melissaalvarez.blogspot.com/

Monday April 28 - http://www.spiritual.com.au/articles/money-abundance/position-self-empow...

Tuesday April 29 - http://reikisisters.blogspot.com -Dee Savoy

Wednesday April 30 – http://www.inspiredauthor.com/promotion/author-promo-interviews

June 30 - http://www.blogtalkradio.com/pharris (8 – 9 EST)
(YOU CAN CALL IN OR LISTEN TO THE SHOW LIVE - CLICK THE LINK FOR CALL IN INFORMATION OR TO LISTEN TO THE SHOW)

To learn about the products Dyan offers, visit her website - www.voiceoftheangels.com. You can order your copy of Money and Manifesting from her website or from http://www.amazon.com/Money-Manifesting-Dyan-Garris/dp/0977614069

Virtual Book Tour Schedules

Hugh Ballou - Transforming Power (July 28th - August 29th)

http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2008/06/transforming-power-virtual-tour-with.html

Dave Richardson - Vietnam Air Rescues (Touring in August)
http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2008/06/vietnam-air-rescues-by-dave-richardson.html

Mirella Patzer Promotes Her Medieval/Adventure/Romance - Bloodstone Castle

http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2008/05/mirella-patzer-virtual-book-tour.html

Karen Salmansohn - The Bounce Back Book (May 27th to June 30th)

http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2008/05/bounce-back-book-tour-schedule.html

Dyan Garris - Radio Tour to Promote Her Healing Journey Toolbox (June through August 14)

Earl Ofari Hutchinson - The Ethnic Presidency Blog Blitz Schedule

The blogs that are participating in the blog blitz will be added below -

~~~ SATURDAY APRIL 5

http://joyceanthony.tripod.com/blog
EARL OFARI HUTCHINSON - BIOGRAPHY AND AUTHOR PHOTO

~~~ SUNDAY APRIL 6

http://joyceanthony.tripod.com/blog
ETHNIC PRESIDENCY - SUMMARY AND COVER ART

http://murderatwork.blogspot.com/2008/04/will-america-accept-black-presi...

http://missmaesite.blogspot.com/2008/04/earl-ofari-hutchinson-author-of-...

http://inspiredauthor.com/promotion/Politics%2C+The+Ethnic+Presidency%2C...

~~~ MONDAY APRIL 7

http://joyceanthony.tripod.com/blog
ETHNIC PRESIDENCY INTRODUCTION AND TABLE OF CONTENTS

http://www.myspace.com/tributebooks

http://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/

http://karen.pnn.com/5525-politics

http://murderatwork.blogspot.com/2008/04/will-america-accept-black-presi...

~~~ TUESDAY APRIL 8

http://joyceanthony.tripod.com/blog
HILLARY AND OBAMA ROADSHOW

http://loveambassador.blogspot.com - Hillary and Obama Roadshow

http://weblog.xanga.com/StevenClarkBradley/650866369/the-ethnic-presiden...

http://murderatwork.blogspot.com/2008/04/will-america-accept-black-presi...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/blog/post/PLNK3REEULN0ZFA8A

http://traceyhkitts.blogspot.com/
HILLARY AND OBAMA ROADSHOW

http://stevenbradley.blogspot.com/2008/12/ethnic-presidency-by-earl-ofar...

~~~ WEDNESDAY APRIL 9

http://joyceanthony.tripod.com/blog
REAGAN AND RACE

http://thenewbookreview.blogspot.com/2008/04/ethnic-presidency-talk-abou...

http://karen.pnn.com/5525-politics

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Steven-Clark-Bradley/blog/2008/04/06/The-Et...

http://philipharris.blogspot.com

http://www.zimbio.com/Hilary+Obama+Road+Show

http://loveambassador.blogspot.com - Hillary and Obama Roadshow

http://undergroundcontroversy.blogspot.com/2008/12/ethnic-presidency-by-...

~~~ THURSDAY APRIL 10

http://joyceanthony.tripod.com/blog
OBAMA AND X-FACTOR OF RACE

http://fictionwise.blogspot.com

http://www.warpeacetolerance.blogspot.com/

http://loveambassador.blogspot.com - Hillary and Obama Roadshow

http://postonfire.com/Politics/The_Ethnic_Presidency_by_Earl_Ofari_Hutch...

http://murderatwork.blogspot.com/2008/04/will-america-accept-black-presi...

http://publishedauthors.ning.com/profiles/blog/show?id=956540%3ABlogPost...

~~~ FRIDAY APRIL 11

http://joyceanthony.tripod.com/blog
DEMOCRATS, GOP AND THE ASIAN VOTE

http://karen.pnn.com/5525-politics

http://communati.com/steven-clark-bradley/ethnic-presidency-earl-ofari-h...

http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/immigration/

http://bookmarket.ning.com/profiles/blog/show?id=523145%3ABlogPost%3A896...

~~~ SATURDAY APRIL 12

http://joyceanthony.tripod.com/blog -
DEMOCRATS AND THE BLACK VOTE

http://inspiredauthor.com/v3/blogs/stevenclarkbradley/ethnic-presidency-...

http://murderatwork.blogspot.com/2008/04/will-america-accept-black-presi...

~~~ SUNDAY APRIL 13

http://yvonneperry.blogspot.com

http://nikkisreviews.blogspot.com/2008/01/ethnic-presidency-by-earl-ofar...

~~~~~~ ADDITIONAL PARTICIPATING BLOGS ~~~~~~~

http://www.freewebs.com/phoenixvideotrailersandbanners

http://www.mirellapatzer.com

www.muzesmusings.blogspot.com

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Patricia Guthrie - Author of In The Arms of the Enemy Tour Schedule

Patricia will be touring cyberspace throughout the month of March. You are welcome to join her on any or all of the tour stops. Feel free to post a message and ask questions. The interviews will also be posted here to make it easy to find all of the information about Patricia Guthrie and In the Arms of the Enemy. We look forward to meeting you during March.

March Touring Author Schedule – Patricia Guthrie

Mon March 3 – Start at The Beginning - http://startatbeginning.blogspot.com

Tues March 4 - What I Know So Far - http://deirdresavoysays.blogspot.com/ - Dee Savoy

Wed March 5 – Author Spotlight - http://www.selenaillyriasthoughts.blogspot.com/

Thurs March 6 – Yvonne Walus – http://yewalus.blogspot.com

Fri March 7 – A Book Blogger’s Diary - http://abookbloggersdiary.blogspot.com

Mon March 10 – http://marjo-mumswritings.blogspot.com – Dee Owen

Tue March 11 – Interview With Maggie (heroine) - http://shareyourheroine.blogspot.com/

Wed March 12 - http://marilynmeredith.blogspot.com/ - Marilyn Meredith

Thur March 13 – Gayle – http://nuzzlingmuzzles.blogspot.com/

Fri March 14 – Candid Canine - http://candidcanine.blogspot.com

Mon March 17 – Sabrina - http://equinespirit.blogspot.com/

Tue March 18 – In Detail with Nikki Leigh - http://detailwithnikkileigh.blogspot.com/

Wed March 19 – Pamela Kinney - http://PamelaKKinney.blogspot.com

Thur March 20 – Book Promo 101 Interview – www.inspiredauthor.com/promotion/author-promo-interviews

Fri March 21 – Sue Jeffels - http://fictionwise.blogspot.com

Sun March 23 – Bryn Colvin - http://romeroticawriters.blogspot.com

Mon March 24 – Dorice Nelson - http://awriter-dorice.blogspot.com

Tue March 25 – Male Character Interview (Playboy) - http://lethimtalk.blogspot.com/

Wed March 26 – Joyce Anthony - http://fictionwise.blogspot.com

Thur March 27 – Dorice Nelson -
http://celticmusings.blogspot.com

Fri March 28 – Toni LoTempio - http://tonisplace.blogspot.com/

Mon March 31 – Share Your Hero - http://shareyourhero.blogspot.com

Mon March 31 – Book Promo 101 – Radio Show – www.blogtalkradio.com/nikkileigh

Monday, April 7, 2008

Christie Gabour Atwood Author of Three Feet Under - Tour Schedule

Here is a bit of information about her book Three Feet Under – Journal of a Midlife Crisis.

A Celebration of Midlife … and Elastic Waistbands

Christee Gabour Atwood remembers the exact moment when her “midlife crisis” began. She was visiting the campus where she had attended college when she says, “A handsome young man opened a door for me. And then he called me ‘ma’am’.” With that one word, she knew midlife was upon her.

Many people recognize this scene or have ones similar to it that marked the beginning of their midlife crises. And that is what Atwood is celebrating in both her book, Three Feet Under: Journal of a Midlife Crisis, and in the program she will be offering at (location & date).

“Midlife is not an age. It’s an adventure,” states Atwood. “It’s a time to laugh with others at the things we have in common. Things like the ‘fat end of our closets’, where we hide our big-size clothes. Or things like changing our life goals every day. Or even things like realizing that we chose our car more for the color than for what’s under the hood. And that’s okay.”

These are the episodes that Christee shares with her audiences at readings from her book. And she finds that her audiences have just as many stories to share with her.

“I began to realize after a few of my programs that audience members have hilarious midlife moments to share too. So, instead of spending the entire time reading from the book, I started asking for their best midlife stories. And it has been received so well that now I am working on a sequel to Journal of a Midlife Crisis that will include stories from audience members.”

What are the most important lessons that Atwood says midlife is teaching her? First, she says that midlife is a wonderful time of life when people can begin to appreciate the use of elastic waistbands. She also says that this period of her life has helped her to learn new skills – including how to look “cool” while she tries to remember where she parked her car at the mall. Christee also notes that midlife is a time when people finally start to get comfortable “in their own skin”.

“We spend so much time worrying about our waistline, our hair, or what others think of us. I see midlife as a time to stop worrying about those sorts of things and concentrate on what we think of ourselves. After all, that’s the only opinion that truly matters.”

Christee Gabour Atwood’s background includes a variety of careers, including speaker, corporate trainer, humor columnist, association executive, radio and television personality, and even a period as a stand-up comic. But, she notes, writing has always been her passion. “I’ve always written and wanted to pursue it as my livelihood, but I was so hooked on those silly things like eating and paying rent that I never took the plunge to make it my career.”

So why is she taking that plunge now? She shrugs, “I’ve decided that eating is highly overrated.”

To view excerpts of the book or to order it online, Atwood suggests a visit to the website, www.JournalofaMidlifeCrisis.com.

Atwood will present the program, A Celebration of Midlife … and Elastic Waistbands, on (date & location). Attendees will be able to bring their copies of the book to be autographed or to purchase books that evening at a booksigning and reception which will follow the presentation.

She invites all ages to join her at the session to laugh at – or get prepared for -- midlife moments. Attendees will also be invited to share their midlife episodes for possible publication in the sequel to Three Feet Under: Journal of a Midlife Crisis. And, as a final note about the program, Atwood says the only item an audience member needs to be sure to bring is a sense of humor.

Christee Atwood Schedule

Thursday Nov 1- http://inspiredauthor.com/v3/current-events-and-your-book-promotion-0
Friday Nov 2 - http://www.judgebookbycover.blogspot.com
Tuesday Nov 6 - http://blog.myspace.com/wigglewot
Wednesday Nov 7 - http://www.startatbeginning.blogspot.com
Friday Nov 9 – http://detailwithnikkileigh.blogspot.com
Monday Nov 12 – http://memawriter.gather.com
Tuesday Nov 13 – http://elenadorothybowmansbooks.blogspot.com
Wednesday Nov 14 – http://www.mizging.blogspot.com
Thursday Nov 15 – http://www.inspiredauthor.com/v3/author-promotional-interviews
Monday Nov 19 – http://marjo-mumswritings.blogspot.com
Tuesday Nov 20 – http://elasticwaistbands.blogspot.com
Wednesday Nov 21 – http://yvonneperry.blogspot.com
Thursday Nov 22 – Thanksgiving
Monday Nov 26 – http://pamelakkinney.blogspot.com
Wednesday Nov 28 – http://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com
Friday Nov 30 – http://www.circleoffriendsbooks.blogspot.com and
www.thewritersmeow.deviantart.com

Christee Gabour Atwood’s website – www.journalofaMidlifeCrisis.com

She has a very long list of various things she has done in the past – these are just a few. You’ll hear about some others as the month proceeds.

Developer, Writer, and Facilitator of the Leadership Development Institute of Baton Rouge City Parish Government
Stand-up Comic who was never once hit by a rotten tomato
Bad actress who sat a few rows behind George C. Scott in a courtroom scene in In The Heat of the Night
Voiceover Actress – Television, Radio, Audio Books, Documentaries, and Films
Universal Studios Tour Guide, which assures you she know how to point to her right and her left…
Young Career Woman of the Year, Central Louisiana, (back when I was a young woman … but I’m not giving the year)
First female DJ in Central Louisiana (Highest rated radio program in history of La - 1986)
And she’s an occasional entertainer in the unemployment line…

Feel free to join us on the blog trail with Christee, it will be an entertaining month.

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Yvonne Perry Author of Right to Recover Tour Schedule

Nashville author, freelance writer and speaker Yvonne Perry will launch a virtual tour on Sept. 3 for her new book, Right to Recover: Winning the Political and Religious Wars Over Stem Cell Research in America.

Perry uses more than 600 hours of intensive research and interviews to challenge the validity of President Bush’s decision to deny federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.

Readers can visit various web sites (blogs) from Sept. 3-27 to learn more about Right to Recover and ask the author questions about stem cell research. Right to Recover (Nightengale Press) contains insights from dozens of researchers, doctors, and political and religious figures, as well as stories from patients who hope to transform their lives through stem cell implants.

The 333-page book, which arrives in bookstores on Oct. 1, 2007, explores the research being done using stem cells derived from in vitro fertilized eggs on laboratory animals and presents findings to support its curative potential on humans.

The book has been endorsed by organizations such as Cure Paralysis Now, the Christopher Reeve Foundation, and Parkinson’s foundations from several states.

Dates and locations for Perry’s virtual book tour are

Sept. 3 – The Writer’s Life at http://www.thewriterslife.blogspot.com/.
Sept. 4 – Pump Up You Online Book Promotion at http://www.pumpupyouronlinebookpromotion.blogspot.com/.
Sept. 5 – Family, Fun and Faith at http://communati.com/main/blog/familyfunandfaith.
Sept. 6 – Plug Your Book at http://www.plugyourbook.blogspot.com/.
Sept. 7 – Be My Guest! at http://www.bloggingauthors.blogspot.com
Sept. 10 – The Story Behind the Books at http://www.thestorybehindthebooks.blogspot.com
Sept. 11 – Start with the Facts at http://startwithfacts.blogspot.com
Sept. 13 – Start at the Beginning at http://startatbeginning.blogspot.com/.
Sept. 17 – Straight from the Author’s Mouth at http://www.straightfromtheauthorsmouth.blogspot.com
Sept. 18 – Inspired Author Self Promotion at http://inspiredauthor.com/v3/node/12
Sept. 20 – Author Talks at http://www.authortalks.blogspot.com/.
Sept. 24 - Cheryl Malandrinos at http://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com
Sept. 25 – Judge Cover at http://judgebookbycover.blogspot.com
Sept. 26 – Publishing Secrets for Authors at http://www.publishingsecretsofauthors.blogspot.com
Sept. 27 – Muze’s Musings at http://www.muzesmusings.blogspot.com

“Right to Recover is a thought provoking book that puts stem cell research in layman’s terms,” said Perry, host of the weekly Internet podcast, Writers in the Sky. “It also addresses the political and religious issues surrounding blastocyst (embryonic) stem cell research and gives a logical appeal to those who are straddling the fence. It corrects inaccurate information being spread by misinformed politicians and religious leaders. More than 500 organized groups are in favor of overturning the Bush prohibition on federal funding.”

Perry’s book reveals that

The removal of one stem cell does not necessarily damage a 32-cell blastocyst (frozen embryo).
Unlike adult stem cells, embryonic stem cells can replicate themselves to become any type of cell in the body.
A blastocyst, which is created in a test tube, cannot become a human until it is implanted in a uterus.
Many frozen embryos are never used and later destroyed.
Many Biblical scriptures, including Ephesians 2:10, support stem cell research.

“While working with Reverend Dan Bloodworth of the Brian Bloodworth Stoke and Head Injury Research Foundation, I became keenly aware of, and very interested in, the healing potential of blastocyst (also known as embryonic) stem cell research,” Perry added. “President Bush’s decision to veto the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005 had a heartbreaking impact on members of our society who have physical and medical disabilities.His decision and the mindset of the misinformed right-wing ultra-orthodox party must be challenged if our society is to benefit from blastocystic stem cell biotechnology.”

The author dedicates chapters to defining the separation of church and state, rebutting President Bush’s statement in opposition to stem cell research, and dismissing any link between stem cell biology and cloning. More than half of the book is dedicated to better understanding, research findings, the significance of federal funding, possible cures, and testimonials.

Right to Recover includes quotes from some of the world’s leading medical professionals. Stem cell biologist Dr. John A. Kessler says that “illnesses such as heart attacks, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, spinal-cord injury, and many others will be treatable.” Stephen Hawking, a leading scientist who suffers from motor-neurone disease, says that “banning the use of stem cells from human embryos is the equivalent of opposing the use of donated organs from dead people.”

Actor Christopher Reeve noted before his death that “stem cells have already cured paralysis in animals.” In a letter to Don C. Reed, Reeve wrote, “One day, Roman (Reed’s son) and I will stand up from our wheelchairs and walk away from them forever.”

Reverend Dan Bloodworth endorsed the book, writing, “Over the years I have read literally thousands of articles and documents from around the world about the subject, and Right to Recover is the most complete work I have ever read.”

Perry is a freelance writer, ghostwriter, speaker and author who enjoys writing about topics that inspire excellence and uplift the spirit. She has authored 11 children’s e-books known as The Sid Series; the humorous book E-Mail Episodes, and the book More Than Meets the Eye: True Stories about Death, Dying and Afterlife. As the founder of Write On! Creative Writing Services, she has personally co-written, edited, ghosted or formatted more than 20 books for customers. She also writes and/or develops articles, biographies, brochures, press releases, web text, and newsletters.

Perry earned a bachelor’s degree in metaphysics from the American Institute of Holistic Theology in Birmingham, Ala. Right to Recover retails for $19.95.

For more information about Perry or her new book, call (615) 884-1224, send an e-mail to write_on_yvonne@comcast.net, or visit http://www.yvonneperry.net.

FREE Promotional Options For Author

Update March 14, 2009 - I have made some major changes to the blogs I'm offering and I am updating this list to reflect those changes. These changes should make it easier to find information and give additional exposure to every one who submits information about their books and themselves.

ANY published author is welcome to submit these questions and answers to promote their books. To use any of these blogs - click on the link, click on "how to submit" in the top corner of the blog and follow the instructions. I ask that you send the questions and answers as an RTF file. It is also good to send a jpg file of your book cover - no PDF files for the cover art. When you complete the interview, send to nikki_leigh22939@yahoo.com with the interview title in the subject line and I will add you to the list for that blog.

I have divided the blog lists for fiction and non fiction books to make it easier to find the ones you need. I've added several new blogs lately - so if you've been here before - there are some new options.

Two quick updates -

The print edition of Book Promo 101 is available. The print book is oversize 8" x 10" and the layout is gorgeous. The print edition of Book Promo 201: Harness the Power of the Internet with Web 2.0 and Social Media Marketing is in layout and will be available in early spring 2009. If you would like details about the contents of this book and also to sign up to be notified about the release, visit http://www.nikkileigh.com/book_promo_201.htm

I offer a wide array of promotional services to authors. Feel free to take a look at the possibilities and contact me with questions. If you are interested in something that you don't see listed, let me know and we can talk. For a list of these services visit - www.nikkileigh.com/promo.htm

I offer a wide assortment of virtual book tour options and the current list is located at http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2008/04/virtual-blog-tour-options.html and I offer virtual blog tours which coordinate and enhance Amazon Best Seller Campaigns - http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2009/02/amazon-best-seller-virtual-blog-tour.html there are a number of options and price ranges and we can talk about other options. I'm planning to add more services in 2009. If you'd like to be added to my mailing list to get the latest updates, send me a message at nikki_leigh22939@yahoo.com

This is the full list of promotional blogs - the name, the blog link and the link to full instructions are listed for each individual interview.

Promotional Blogs for Fiction Books

Share your furry writing companions - http://authorpromotion.blogspot.com
How to Submit - http://authorpromotion.blogspot.com/2009/01/how-to-submit-information-about-author.html

http://itsallinthesetting.blogspot.com/ - Details about story setting.
How to Submit – http://itsallinthesetting.blogspot.com/2007/07/its-all-about-setting.html

Animals in Your Book - http://fictionalcharactersindepth.blogspot.com/

How to Submit - http://fictionalcharactersindepth.blogspot.com/2008/05/how-to-submit-your-book.html

Villains in your book.- http://fictionalcharactersindepth.blogspot.com
How to Submit – http://fictionalcharactersindepth.blogspot.com/2007/07/how-to-submit_7729.html

Heroine in your book.- http://fictionalcharactersindepth.blogspot.com
How to Submit - http://fictionalcharactersindepth.blogspot.com/2007/07/how-to-submit_134.html

Hero in your book.- http://fictionalcharactersindepth.blogspot.com
How to Submit - http://fictionalcharactersindepth.blogspot.com/2007/07/how-to-submit.html

Best Friend - http://fictionalcharactersindepth.blogspot.com
How to Submit - http://fictionalcharactersindepth.blogspot.com/2007/07/how-to-submit_28.html

Share Book Details - http://authorpromotion.blogspot.com
How to Submit – http://authorpromotion.blogspot.com/2007/09/how-to-submit.html

http://frombookstomovies.blogspot.com/ - From Books to the Movies
If a movie was made about your book, which actors and actresses would play the main characters? This is your chance in case a movie of your book and it can be a lot of fun.
How to Submit – http://frombookstomovies.blogspot.com/2007/08/how-to-submit.html

Interview a Male Character - http://fictionalcharactersindepth.blogspot.com
How to Submit - http://fictionalcharactersindepth.blogspot.com/2007/11/how-to-submit_6392.html

Interview a Female Character - http://fictionalcharactersindepth.blogspot.com
How to Submit - http://fictionalcharactersindepth.blogspot.com/2007/11/how-to-submit_1859.htm

In Detail With Nikki Leigh - http://authorpromotion.blogspot.com
Give potential readers more information about you and your background.
How to Submit – http://authorpromotion.blogspot.com/2007/09/how-to-submit.html

http://currenteventsinbooks.blogspot.com/- Can you tie a topic or element from your book with current events? This is the place to submit them. Send them to me and I'll review them.
How to Submit - http://currenteventsinbooks.blogspot.com/2008/08/how-to-submit.html

Do you have interesting promotional ideas and suggestions that you would like to share with other authors? http://authorpromotion.blogspot.com

How to Submit - http://authorpromotion.blogspot.com/2008/08/how-to-submit-your-promotional.html

http://judgebookbycover.blogspot.com/ - Share your book cover.
How to Submit – http://judgebookbycover.blogspot.com/2007/07/judge-book-by-its-cover.html

http://startatbeginning.blogspot.com/ - Share your First Chapter
How to Submit – http://startatbeginning.blogspot.com/2007/07/how-to-submit.html

Promotional Blogs for Non-Fiction Books

Share Book Details - http://authorpromotion.blogspot.com
How to Submit – http://authorpromotion.blogspot.com/2007/09/how-to-submit.html

Share your furry writing companions - http://authorpromotion.blogspot.com
How to Submit - http://authorpromotion.blogspot.com/2009/01/how-to-submit-information-about-author.html

Animals in Your Book - http://fictionalcharactersindepth.blogspot.com/

How to Submit - http://fictionalcharactersindepth.blogspot.com/2008/05/how-to-submit-your-book.html

Before I Was Published - http://authorpromotion.blogspot.com
Tell us about what you did before you were published and especially include anything that relates to your books and your writing.
How to Submit - http://authorpromotion.blogspot.com/2008/02/tell-us-your-story.html

http://currenteventsinbooks.blogspot.com/- Can you tie a topic or element from your book with current events? This is the place to submit them. Send them to me and I'll review them.
How to Submit - http://currenteventsinbooks.blogspot.com/2008/08/how-to-submit.html
Do you have interesting promotional ideas and suggestions that you would like to share with other authors? http://authorpromotion.blogspot.com

How to Submit - http://authorpromotion.blogspot.com/2008/08/how-to-submit-your-promotional.html

http://judgebookbycover.blogspot.com/ - Share your book cover.
How to Submit – http://judgebookbycover.blogspot.com/2007/07/judge-book-by-its-cover.html

http://startatbeginning.blogspot.com/ - Share your First Chapter

How to Submit – http://startatbeginning.blogspot.com/2007/07/how-to-submit.html

I reserve the right to refuse to post any submissions, but so far I haven't needed to turn anyone away. I did edit a couple of first chapters to maintain a PG-13 rating for my visitors. That could be one of the reasons why some have such a long waiting list. All the blogs are listed on my Blogger profile which is located at - www.blogger.com/profile/00985309338453728557.

Nikki Leigh
Author of the Book Promo 101 Series
www.nikkileigh.com/book_promo_101.htm
Author Promotional Services - www.nikkileigh.com/promo.htm

Saturday, April 5, 2008

In Detail with Colin Harvey

Tell us the book title and your author name.

Katy’s Cookbook by Colin Harvey

What inspired the book?

Several things; my wife Kate (her full name is Katy, hence the title) has been collecting recipes for years, playing with them to suit to taste (we like spicy food, for example), some –like the trifle- have been passed down from grandparents or even great-grandparents; I’ve tried to read her writing, and often joked that I need to type them up to be able to read them; then my publisher asked for a recipe, and I realized we had enough for a book. Put all of those things together and voila! Katy’s Cookbook!

What makes this book special to you?

Because Kate is very shy and retiring, and would never dream of pushing herself forward. If books are an author’s shot at immortality, then this is our equivalent of the Taj Mahal in India . I hope that in years to come people will know of Kate through this, if through nothing else.

What makes this a book that other people MUST read and WHY?

It’s for people like me who don’t consider that they can cook, but who find out that, erm, actually, they can, if they just have a set of instructions to follow.

What people NEED to read this book and WHY?

I’m concerned at the number of people who can’t cook, or can’t be bothered, when some things take only a few minutes. I’m worried at the number of people who are overweight, but don’t know how to go about changing their diet.

For example, did you know that a portion of spinach a week can defer the onset of Age-Related Macular Degeneration? (It’s a form of blindness that comes with old age) I hate spinach. But bury it in food that masks its taste, and I’m fine with it.Food should be fun, not punishment. So we’ve put recipes that are mostly as healthy as we can make them without being boring, but which are also as quick as we can make them, because like most people, we don’t want to spend a lot of time hunched over a cooker.

But there are some which are about taking your time, or even marinading overnight. It’s all about variety.

NON FICTION - Why are you the BEST person to write this book? What in your background or in your research makes you qualified to do justice to this topic?

(Laughs) Well, I had the recipes, so no one else could have……but seriously, that’s the whole point. I’m just an ordinary man who likes his food, and can read a set of instructions. I’m hoping that we’ll inspire other people to try these recipes, and then they’ll create some others – who knows, maybe we can get cooking back into people’s lives?

NON FICTION - If a potential reader thinks that your book wouldn't interest them, what would you say to convince them to buy? I'm thinking something better than "Its the greatest book ever." Give me something more specific :)

Do you like food? Are you concerned about your health? Do you want to know what goes into
your food? Do you like a challenge – such as cooking a meal? If the answer to any of these questions is ‘yes,’ then buy the book and try some of the recipes!

NON FICTION - Why does the topic of your book interest you? Why would it interest potential readers? Give us a hook to reel in new readers.

Because I’m a gannet -- I can eat for England . But I also like to be able to see my feet, and to not hear my doctor take a sharp intake of breath when they check my blood pressure. I’m sure that I’m not the only person who wants to ‘eat their cake and have it.’ Oh look, there’s another common saying that involves food….

NON FICTION Is there a way to tie your book topic to current events? If so, tell us about how you could do that. I have a blog to feature information and examples about tying books into current events that might be a good place for you to promote your book.

I think that obesity and potentially declining life-spans are about the most current events that you can have. We’re sitting on a demographic time-bomb, and I don’t know about in the US , but in the UK the politicians are proposing raising the age of retirement on one hand, while people will have lower life expectancy on the other. This current crop of retirees may be living the Last Golden Age, whereby they have long lives after retirement. Instead we could be looking at working into the grave. I don’t know about you, but if cutting salt and fat in my diet means I hang around a few more years on this planet, then the salt and fat go into the rubbish bin!

This book won’t change that – but if enough people start to think about what they’re doing, maybe we can tackle our quality of life. It’s not consciously a health book – but that’s the whole point; everything we eat should be geared toward not pumping fat into our arteries and creating cancers in our bodies. It should be the norm, not something that’s unusual. That’s not a swipe at other cookbooks, by the way, but at the instant food lobby at the drive-thru.
If there's anything else you would like to share, this is the time and place.

I’ve suddenly realized that I sound like a zealot! Seriously, food should be fun too. And it makes a wonderful Christmas present, if you’re still looking for that unusual something, for that special someone….

Thank you for visiting with me and in closing, give us your website address and a link to order your book.
http://www.geocities.com/colin_harvey/KatysCookbook.html http://www.swimmingkangaroo.com/books.html

No, thank you for having me here, and to everyone who’s read this far. Have a wonderful Christmas and a great – and healthy – 2008

Interview Presented by Nikki Leigh
Book Promo 101
www.nikkileigh.com/promo.htm

Details with Christee Gabour Atwood

Tell us the book title and your author name.

Three Feet Under: Journal of a Midlife Crisis
Christee Gabour Atwood

What inspired the book?A desire to laugh at myself and see if anybody else laughed along. And the fact that I had a rent payment due.

This book has also been therapy for me. I don’t like it when I see people upset by midlife experiences, when I see the lack of appreciation of elastic waistbands, and also when I see airbrushed supermodels creating unrealistic ideals of what beauty is. Writing this book has helped me put those thoughts on paper and see that I’m not the only who thinks that way.

What makes this book special to you?

This book is special because it made me realize that it’s okay to be myself and to write what I enjoy reading. I discovered that if I write something that appeals to me, at least I have an audience of one. I can build from there.

What makes this a book that other people MUST read and WHY?

People must read this or I’ll come to their houses and talk to them. Yes, be afraid. Be very afraid.

It’s also a great book for airplane trips and trips to the bathroom. Not as a toilet paper replacement, but as short format reading for the attention-challenged like myself. I get bored and trail off when…

It’s also a chance to laugh if you recognize yourself in any of these episodes. And isn’t that what makes life fun?

If laughter is the best medicine, this book replaces at least one dose of fluoxetine. (If you recognize that drug, welcome to my club. You need this book.)

What people NEED to read this book and WHY?

Everyone in the world needs to read this book. Is that too obvious?

Okay, almost everybody in the world needs to read this book. Infants can wait a few years before they pick it up. People need to read this book to help them understand friends who are going through midlife crisis, to prepare themselves for surviving it, or just to laugh at midlifers. Either way, they’ll get a laugh. Or they’ll decide they never want to sit next to me on a plane. Either one is a valuable lesson.

What sparks your creativity? Any tips to help others spark their own creativity?

You know what’s funny? I get creative when I get angry. I found that writing is my therapy. I remember coming home from a job interview and banging on my typewriter (yes, this was a while back) and complaining about the guy with seven strands of hair draped across his head who seemed more interested in doodling on his desk blotter than in my brilliant answers to questions. So I wrote and wrote and little by little the anger started getting really funny. I took the interview to the furthest extreme by describing the fellow as a superhero who only interviewed people in between saving the world from fast food drive-thru workers. From this experience, my humor column was born.

We decide our responses to situations. Anything that makes us mad can also make us laugh. We just have to flip it and take it to the extreme.

What has been the biggest stumbling block in your writing? Can you share some tips to help others get past similar problems?

The biggest stumbling block in my writing is the attachment of my rear end to a chair. I found that the answer for me was to start with short format materials.

With the attention span of an over-caffeinated gnat, it really helped to be able to sit down and write a humor column that was complete at the end of the sitting. It was those humor columns that eventually became the basis for this book.

Also, try writing the worst book you can. This really helps relieve the pressure we put on ourselves when writing. Geez, even Pavarotti had to clear his throat before he sang. Plan to write a lot of phlegm before some good words sneak onto the page.

What do you think motivates people to become authors? What motivated you to get into this unusual industry?

People become authors because they like to be abused by editors, agents, and critics. Because they feel that performance appraisals by one boss are not enough. Instead they want their work appraised by everyone, including that crotchety woman who said that no one has written a good book since Gone With The Wind. In other words, we write because we’re insane.

I became a writer because I love the thrill of creating a world and living in it while writing the story. I get depressed when the story is finished because I don’t want to leave. It’s like the darkness in the theatre when a good movie fades to black. It’s nice because you were there, but you still want more.

It’s also therapy and is a heck of a lot cheaper than a psychiatrist.

Tell me about the most unusual things you have done to promote any books?

Last year, for National Novel Writing Month, I put on a chicken suit and sat in the window of a Waldenbooks for a month, writing a novel called, “Danger, Deceit, and a Demon … named Myron”. I got some incredible press – in fact, you can even see the article on CBS News webpage at http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/12/08/print/main2241177.shtml

I was on the national radio show, The Satellite Sisters, and other various radio shows, television shows, and possibly even made it into a junior high school newspaper, but that might have just been a rumor.

I’ve emceed a Menopause Fashion Show for a hospital. Lots of elastic in that one. I’ve done talks for anyone who would stand still – and that includes turning around in elevators and saying, “I suppose you wonder why I called this meeting.”

I’ve offered myself as a fill-in guest for any radio or TV show within driving radius on a very short turnaround time. I’ve gotten calls with “We’re taping in 30 minutes. Can you talk about something?” and I’ve done it.

After the chicken suit episode, I got a reputation and ended up hosting the Harry Potter Release Party at a mall in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Now, they’ve called me back to be Mrs. Claus and read my children’s Christmas poem to kids who’ve eaten too much candy.

I’m working on a promotion idea right now to do a “mall tour” because I can create events with malls and I can shop at the same time. Sounds like heaven to me.

I created a Girls Night Out group that met at a local bookstore and discussed our midlife adventures. We later moved to bars and liked it much better… although we tended to forget what we had talked about.

And the list goes on and on…

Why are you the BEST person to write this book? What in your background or in your research makes you qualified to do justice to this topic?

I’m living this book. I’m not the only person who could write this book. That’s what makes it special. This is a book any person can and should write about their experiences. It’s sharing these experiences that makes this time of life fun instead of frenzied, happy instead of harried, bonding instead of brooding, and other assorted alliterations…

I hope other people will read this and say, “I could do that” and turn around and write their stories. The more of this that we share, the more we’ll all realize that we’re crazy … but at least, we’re in the same boat.

If a potential reader thinks that your book wouldn't interest them, what would you say to convince them to buy? I'm thinking something better than "It’s the greatest book ever." Give me something more specific :)

Every once in a while we need to realize that there are others like us. There are other people who pretend they’re on the cell phone in the car so people in the neighboring cars won’t realize that they’re talking to themselves. Others who read the comics instead of the business section of the paper. Others who think that, if God had intended us to stay one waist size, he wouldn’t have invented elastic waistbands. This book shares those moments. It’s a great gift to remind ourselves that we’re not alone.

Also, it’s not just a book for midlifers. It helps others understand midlifers.

Why does the topic of your book interest you? Why would it interest potential readers? Give us a hook to reel in new readers.

This quiz will tell you if this book is for you:

Do you use your exercise bike as a coat rack?
Do you want to know how to look cool while searching for your car in the mall parking lot?
Do you believe people on the show Survivor could never last through 39 days in your workplace?Do you believe that cheesecake and Prozac share many of the same healing qualities?
Do you use the phrase, “I remember when none of that was here”?
Do you list your hair color as “Number 168”?
Do you believe that the birthday of Thomas Hancock, the inventor of elastic, should be a national holiday?
If you even grinned at any of those, you need to read this book…

Is there a way to tie your book topic to current events? If so, tell us about how you could do that.
I have a blog to feature information and examples about tying books into current events that might be a good place for you to promote your book.

November is National Novel Writing Month, where thousands of people worldwide will try to write a 50,000 word novel in one month. Everyone has a book in them. They just need permission to give it a shot. This is the month to do it.

I’m a Municipal Liaison in Louisiana, which means that I help writers in the state coordinate events and communication during the month.

I’ll also be writing my sequel to Three Feet Under, entitled In Celebration of Elastic Waistbands, during this month. Like I mentioned before, last year I got national attention when I wrote my novel in the window of a bookstore while wearing a chicken suit. This year I’ll be wearing elastic waistbands. Much more comfortable than a chicken suit…

If there's anything else you would like to share, this is the time and place.I believe that one of the greatest gifts we can share is laughter. And, as an added bonus, it burns calories.

My theme for life is “If I laugh at myself first, then the rest of the world is laughing with me, not at me.”

Thank you for visiting with me and in closing, give us your website address and a link to order your book.

Thank you! This has been a lot of fun and it’s kept me from hitting the refrigerator for a few minutes. That’s a good thing, because there’s just so much elastic in the world…
Website: Christee.biz

Blog that’s just getting started: http://elasticwaistbands.blogspot.com/

You can order Three Feet Under: Journal of a Midlife Crisis at Amazon.com or any online bookstore as well as getting at your local bookstore. If they don’t have it, please ask them to order it!

You can also check out my new business and training books, Succession Planning Basics, Presentation Skills Training, and Manager Skills Training at Amazon.com.

Interview Presented By
Nikki Leigh - Author of Book Promo 101
www.nikkileigh.com/promo.htm

Details with Mayra Calvani

Tell us the book title and your author name.

Dark Lullaby, by Mayra Calvani

What inspired the book?

This particular novel was inspired by my fascination with moral dilemmas and by Turkish folklore. I lived several years in Turkey, so this was a big influence. Listening to stories about the mysterious—and scary—beings called cin (jihnn) was an unusual experience for me and I always knew I would eventually write something about them in a future book.

What makes this book special to you?

The aspect of this book which makes it more special to me is that the protagonist was inspired by my brother (of course for plot purposes I pushed it to the extremes!). It is also my first novel which has a male protagonist; this made the writing both more interesting and challenging.

What makes this a book that other people MUST read and WHY?

Dark Lullaby is a bizarre tale about a young astrophysicist who is lured into the Turkish countryside by a strange and beautiful girl—of course, the girl ends up not being what she first appears to be. Ultimately, he is faced with a moral dilemma: Does the end justify the means? People who must read this book are people who enjoy strange paranormal fiction set in exotic locales, and who also get a kick out of philosophy and controversial moral issues.

What people NEED to read this book and WHY?

Interesting question. Who would need to read this book? People who are idealists and believe ideals cannot collapse. Why? To see that ideals can indeed collapse.

What sparks your creativity? Any tips to help others spark their own creativity?

Walking alone, haunting violin music, a good book or movie, a conversation, a person’s face, free writing, keeping a journal.

I would recommend people to get a copy of The Right to Write and The Artist’s Way, both by creativity guru Julia Cameron. Also to write at a café once a week, either alone or with a group of writers.

What has been the biggest stumbling block in your writing? Can you share some tips to help others get past similar problems?

Definitely lack of discipline. I try my best to write everyday, but the truth is my style is to binge. Not writing everyday can lead to many problems—insecurity, self loathing, stagnation. It used to be very hard for me to actually start that first chapter—it still is, but now I trust my voice more, I’m kinder to my inner self and less critical. Of course—this inner critic, that awful voice that whispers in your ear that you’re no good, gets worse when you don’t write everyday. So both are connected, both feed on each other. The trick is to keep writing, to do it every day, even if just a few sentences. Studying the works I mentioned before (Julia Cameron’s The Right to Write and The Artist’s way) were a tremendous help, as well as joining a creativity workshop. Journal writing can be very useful to keep you writing and to clean your mind of all the useless and negative clutter that gets in the way of your creativity.

What do you think motivates people to become authors? What motivated you to get into this unusual industry?

In my case, it was not a conscious decision. I simply loved writing since I was a child. Writing was something I was particularly good at and it got me attention, so I kept at it. Later on, as I grew older, it became a natural way to get rid of all the voices in my head, a way to bring to life my imaginary world filled with mystery and adventure. Also, I’ve always been attracted by the image of the antisocial, ‘intellectual’ author—pounding on an old typewriter and smoking at a messy desk—not that this is my style! It is, after all, a great job—you’re your own boss, have your own hours, etc.

Tell me about the most unusual things you have done to promote any books?

So far nothing unusual, I’m afraid. I’m quite traditional when it comes to promoting—author interviews, reviews, article distribution, having a website, blog and newsletter, etc.

FICTION - If there is a setting, tell us how you decided on that setting and what you did to create a complete and vivid setting for your readers?

Although at the beginning of the novel the characters are in Baltimore, most of the story takes place in the Turkish countryside; in Rize, to be exact, which is a small, tea-planting city on the north eastern coast of the country. I spent hours doing research on the internet and studied many photos that made me create the right atmosphere for the place. The stories I had heard about the cin were from people who originally came from that area, so choosing that particular setting came natural. I wanted to put the protagonist in an exotic setting, in a place where he would feel like an outsider, thus being in a disadvantageous, weaker position.

FICTION - What inspires you about the hero or heroine in your book? What makes them memorable for the reader? What motivates the hero and/or heroine? You can include information about both if you want.

There’s no heroine in this novel. The story revolves around the hero and the anti-heroine, though the hero, Gabriel Diaz, is the center of the whole thing. I love that the hero is an astrophysicist because I love science, especially astronomy and cosmology. It was fun doing research to make sure I was getting the facts correctly. As I said earlier, the hero was inspired by my brother. He’s an astrophysicist, so he was there to answer my questions as well, which was convenient. I combined my love for science with my love for philosophy and made him a philosophy aficionado as well. All throughout the book Gabriel is motivated by an idealist sense of justice and by doing the ‘right’ thing.

FICTION - Is there a villain or something that causes friction in your story? Tell us about what or who it is and how that contributes to the story. Any details about conflict and friction is good information to know.

The anti-heroine or villainess in Dark Lullaby is a young and beautiful Turkish girl named Kamilah. When Gabriel meets her at the tavern on that first night, she claims to be a biology major. Of course, once in Turkey her true nature emerges to the surface and she ends up being something very different from what she presented herself to be. She is the catalyst that brings Gabriel to face his demons; she the reason that propels him to the extreme, because Kamilah isn’t just a threat to him, but to his twin sister as well, who is very vulnerable right now expecting a baby. In all modesty, I think Kamilah’s true nature will take many readers by surprise.

Thank you for visiting with me and in closing, give us your website address and a link to order your book.

Thanks so much for having me as your guest, Nikki!

My website is www.MayraCalvani.com and the book is available from Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Lullaby-Mayra-Calvani/dp/1593749074/
and from the publisher http://www.whiskeycreekpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=prod

Interview Presented By
Nikki Leigh - Author of Book Promo 101
www.nikkileigh.com/book_promo_101.htm

Details with Earl Ofara Hutchinson

Tell us the book title and your author name.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson
The Latino Challenge to Black America

What inspired the book?

The need to explore in depth the new ethnic clash in America between blacks and latinos

What makes this book special to you?

It breaks new ground on a compelling social and political issue and charts a course of understanding of the relatively unexplored area of black and Latino conflict.

What makes this a book that other people MUST read and WHY?

There are no others books that go into the detail and depth that this book does on black and Latino relations

What people NEED to read this book and WHY?

All Americans concerned about racial and ethnic tensions and conflicts

What sparks your creativity? Any tips to help others spark their own creativity?

Write write and keep writing there's no magic formula to creativity no lights bulbs of inspiration that go off just sweat, blood and tears in the craft of writing

What has been the biggest stumbling block in your writing? Can you share some tips to help others get past similar problems?

Simple write write write sit at the computer even when you don't have a clue where you're going with a thought and don't move until it comes to you then start pounding away

What do you think motivates people to become authors? What motivated you to get into this unusual industry?

The burning desire to get people to think

Tell me about the most unusual things you have done to promote any books?

No magic formula just talk it up wherever there's an ear

Why are you the BEST person to write this book? What in your background or in your research makes you qualified to do justice to this topic?A quarter century of writing on race and ethnic relations

If a potential reader thinks that your book wouldn't interest them, what would you say to convince them to buy? I'm thinking something better than "Its the greatest book ever." Give me something more specific :)It will make you think

Why does the topic of your book interest you? Why would it interest potential readers? Give us a hook to reel in new readers.Racial conflict in America for a century has been framed exclusively in black and white, no longer, it's black versus brown, brown versus Asian, black versus Asian, Asian versus brown, and all sorts of new interethnic combinations, better get on board the train to understanding of the changing racial paradigm in America Earl Ofari Hutchinson gives you a seat on that train

Is there a way to tie your book topic to current events? If so, tell us about how you could do that.

I have a blog to feature information and examples about tying books into current events that might be a good place for you to promote your book.

The hottest topic in America is immigration and Earl Ofari Hutchinson's book deals with in three chapters with special focus on its impact on black America

Thank you for visiting with me and in closing, give us your website address and a link to order your book.

http://www.middlepassagepress.com/ and the book is available on www.Amazon.com

Interview Presented By
Nikki Leigh - Book Promo 101
www.nikkileigh.com/promo.htm

Details with Shobhan Bantwal

Tell us the book title and your author name.

The title is THE DOWRY BRIDE. My name is Shobhan Bantwal.

What inspired the book?

THE DOWRY BRIDE started out as a short story—a class project for the one and only creative writing course I took at the local community college. But when my instructor informed me it had the potential for a good full-length novel, I gave it serious thought. Later, as I did more research into the subject, the shocking truth struck home that thousands of young Indian women are either killed or maimed each year because they don’t bring a dowry or a large enough dowry—even in this day and age.

What makes this book special to you?

It’s very special because I turned 56 just as the book was being released! Unlike many writers, I took up writing rather late in life, at the age of 50. I never dreamt I’d be published, let alone sell a book at 54 to a fairly large publisher like Kensington. Also, I went against tradition with this book, because most Asian writers, especially Indians, tend to write literary books that reach a limited readership due to their more subdued content. I wanted to write a mainstream book which included mystery, emotion, and strong romantic elements so I could reach women who read commercial women’s fiction, including romance.

What makes this a book that other people MUST read and WHY?

THE DOWRY BRIDE is a different kind of book that both entertains and educates at the same time. Readers can not only enjoy a pleasant read but delve into the exotic Indian culture that is so unlike what most Americans know and live in. Today’s India is a modern country with superior technology and a vigorous economy. Indian women have come a long way in pursuing higher education and careers, and yet there are certain facets to the culture that cast a dark shadow over all those accomplishments. The archaic custom of dowry is an example. My book uses the dowry system as a platform to build an intriguing story of betrayal, hope and the resilience of the human spirit.

What people NEED to read this book and WHY?

People need to keep an open mind, mainly because there are some shocking truths exposed in my book. Even the concept of dowry is alien to a lot of Americans and Europeans. And yet, the story is positive and upbeat. It is the tale of a young woman who manages to overcome the roadblocks placed before her by her culture and emerges triumphant.

What sparks your creativity? Any tips to help others spark their own creativity?

I’ve come to realize that my own life is an amazing story to most Americans. I use that and other factors in my background as a storehouse of creative story ideas. I had an arranged marriage 34 years ago. I met my husband two days before we were engaged. Less than two weeks later we were married. For us, falling in love came long after we were married, and 34 years later, we’re still happily married. Imagine the stories one can spin around that factor alone!

As far as tips go, I’d say writers should look around themselves. There are so many interesting things going on with everyone’s neighbors, friends, coworkers, and the world in general, there’s no dearth of potential plots.

What has been the biggest stumbling block in your writing? Can you share some tips to help others get past similar problems?

The greatest stumbling block has been the negativity from fellow Indians. Some of them are disdainful of romantic literature and consider it trashy. A few others feel it is wrong to expose the less desirable facts about one’s culture to the rest of the world. Every time I hear comments like that, it puts a damper on my creative spirit. I try to rise above it, but it’s not easy.

Nonetheless I’m learning to ignore negative remarks and carry on with what I like to write. A thick skin is a requirement in this business.

What do you think motivates people to become authors? What motivated you to get into this unusual industry?

I can’t really say what motivates other people. I suppose it could be anything from unleashing their creative genius to attaining fame and fortune. For myself, it was the challenge of going against the stereotype of writing literary novels and spinning mainstream tales with romance woven into the texture of the tapestry. Then there was also the enticing challenge of breaking into the harder-than-nails traditional fiction market.

Tell me about the most unusual things you have done to promote any books?

I’m giving away a “Dowry Bag” at my signings and through my website as a promotional idea. It contains one signed copy of THE DOWRY BRIDE and some Indian gift items like spices, tea samplers, incense, etc. Although I’ve denigrated the dowry system in my book, my wry sense of humor couldn’t resist using the concept to my advantage when M.J. Rose, writing teacher/mentor and bestselling author of some wonderful books, suggested it to me.

FICTION - If there is a setting, tell us how you decided on that setting and what you did to create a complete and vivid setting for your readers?

I created a fictitious setting: a small town in southwestern India called Palgaum. I believed it would make an interesting and exotic backdrop for my book. However, it is loosely based on the town I grew up in. Whenever I was writing about the streets and the scenery, I had an image of my own town of Belgaum, except for the river. I felt a picturesque river scene would give the story more texture and romance, so I threw in a river, which my town doesn’t have.

FICTION - What inspires you about the hero or heroine in your book? What makes them memorable for the reader? What motivates the hero and/or heroine? You can include information about both if you want.

Both my heroine and my hero inspire me. Megha, my heroine is very young and naïve, but when faced with death, she seeks out the only source of help and eventually overcomes her difficulties to emerge stronger and more practical. My hero is a young man of principles, willing to put his reputation and even his life on the line to protect Megha. Until the end, he doesn’t give up on ensuring Megha’s safety and happiness. Survival is Megha’s motivation while preservation of what’s precious is Kiran’s.

FICTION - Is there a villain or something that causes friction in your story? Tell us about what or who it is and how that contributes to the story. Any details about conflict and friction is good information to know.

The villain is Megha’s mother-in-law, Amma. She is an authoritative Amazon who is out to kill
Megha because Megha’s parents haven’t paid the promised dowry. Amma is the quintessential villain, the menacing shadow that hovers over Megha constantly, even when she’s not in close proximity. Amma is very essential to the book in that the story opens with her plot to kill Megha and she remains relentless till the end.

If there's anything else you would like to share, this is the time and place.I’d like my readers to know that the book’s cover is of special significance to me. The picture of the bride on the cover is my daughter’s, in all her bridal finery when she got married. Kensington couldn’t have made me happier when they informed me that they wanted to use the picture for my book.

Thank you for visiting with me and in closing, give us your website address and a link to order your book.

Website address: www.shobhanbantwal.com
To order the book: http://tinyurl.com/24dlec

Interview Presented By
ikki Leigh - Author of Book Promo 101
www.nikkileigh.com/book_promo_101.htm

Details with L Diane Wolfe

Tell us the book title and your author name.

L. Diane Wolfe (aka – “Spunk On A Stick”), “Mike: The Circle of Friends, Book IV”

What inspired the book?

The series itself was inspired by the wisp of a dream – and from that I began writing a story about an Olympic swimmer. The characters began to come alive and I could see each one had a story to tell, a struggle to overcome. Mike was an important secondary character in Book II, and his tragic story of a sinful mistake never forgiven cried out to be told. There are people out there like Mike who carry a heavy burden of guilt.

What makes this book special to you?

Mike is just such a gentle character and meant so much to the characters in Book II. It’s also pleasing this fourth book has garnered such a wide male audience. Everything about this book, from the story to the cover art, just came together so nicely, too!

What makes this a book that other people MUST read and WHY?

It is hardest to forgive oneself and most people will identify with Mike’s plight. But they won’t spend the whole book feeling sorry for him. They will become emotionally involved with the two main characters to the point they are angry with Mike for not escaping his prison of guilt!

What people NEED to read this book and WHY?

Anyone who has made mistakes in their life, which covers just about all of us! Mike is for those who need hope or just want to be inspired. There are so few books fueled by optimism!

What sparks your creativity? Any tips to help others spark their own creativity?

My characters are so real to me - I am constantly watching their lives unfold within my mind’s eye! I am impassioned by music and find it the greatest inspiration. Every one of my characters has a song or group of songs, (their own theme music if you will!), and all I have to do is listen to become wrapped up in their story. Every writer must find that, whether it's a song or a place, which unleashes their imagination.

What has been the biggest stumbling block in your writing? Can you share some tips to help others get past similar problems?

Fortunately, I do not encounter writer’s block often! But if I am uninspired to continue a scene, I have several tricks. If I am excited about a scene in the next chapter, I skip ahead and write that instead, playing connect-the-dots later. Or I will go back and reread what I have completed, editing as I go. Either of those usually jars my creativity once again!

What do you think motivates people to become authors? What motivated you to get into this unusual industry?

I think at some point, everyone wants to write a book! It’s like leaving your mark on the world, a sign that you existed and meant something. I had dreamed of being an author since I was thirteen years old and holding a copy of Anne McCaffrey’s “The White Dragon” in my hands. It took me many years, but the rewards have been tremendous! Readers and fans keep me going and I cherish all of the friendships I have made along the way. Now that I’ve learned the industry, I am ready to move beyond just author & speaker and into publishing itself so that I might help others realize their dream!

Tell me about the most unusual things you have done to promote any books?

I didn’t know there was such a thing as ‘normal’ when it came to promoting a book! Seriously, though, the massive amount of book signings I have done over the past few years is unusual for most authors. I average about sixty a year, so I am on the road a lot! Interviews are always interesting, too. One time my husband and I got up at 1:30 in the morning, drove over three hours, did a 5:45am interview on an NBC morning news show, and then drove back home. My husband went to work afterwards and his co-workers thought we were crazy! But success is being willing to do whatever it takes.

FICTION - If there is a setting, tell us how you decided on that setting and what you did to create a complete and vivid setting for your readers?

Mike’s story begins his final year at Georgia Tech in Atlanta. He played college football, a sport I love, so game details were no problem to describe. Upon graduation, Mike relocates to Albuquerque, NM, a town I lived in for four years. It is the only time I have ever used my own personal experience for a location, but I could so vividly recall the beauty of the Sandia Mountains, the thrill of the International Balloon Fiesta, and the charm of Old Towne that I felt I could accurately bring the surroundings to life.

FICTION - What inspires you about the hero or heroine in your book? What makes them memorable for the reader? What motivates the hero and/or heroine? You can include information about both if you want.

I am inspired by Mike’s firm resolve to stand his moral ground, even after the terrible mistake in his past. Mike is a likeable person with a sweet spirit, and yet he is filled with such angst and inner turmoil. Danielle’s fiery and ambitious attitude forces Mike to stretch, and it is this spirit that finally frees him from self-imposed bondage.

FICTION - Is there a villain or something that causes friction in your story? Tell us about what or who it is and how that contributes to the story. Any details about conflict and friction is good information to know.

Mike’s greatest enemy is himself, which is true for most people! His guilt threatens to make him a martyr and nearly destroys his future with Danielle. When Mike believes he has it under control, life suddenly throws a curve ball, and he relapses almost to the point of no despair.

Whenever you have a character with excess baggage, they will bring turmoil to their intimate relationships.

If there's anything else you would like to share, this is the time and place.The Circle of Friends series was written to encourage and uplift! For the young person or adult struggling with negativity or a poor self-image, they need to know there is hope. I want readers to come away not only entertained but inspired to overcome all obstacles and pursue their dreams. Life is too short!

Thank you for visiting with me and in closing, give us your website address and a link to order your book.
www.thecircleoffriends.com
Order from Barnes & Noble - http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=9781...
Or Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/dp/1425991270?tag=theciroffri-20&camp=145

Interview Presented byNikki Leigh - Author of Book Promo 101
www.nikkileigh.com/book_promo_101.htm

Getting to Know Phil Harris

Philip Harris the person:

1. What three words do you think describe you as a human being?
SCORPIO, DEEP, I AM

2. How do you think others would describe you?
ODD, THINKER, OPEN

3. Please tell us what you are most passionate about outside of writing.
I THINK A LOT

4. Do you have any pets? If so, introduce us to them.
JAINA, MAIGRAY, CELTSUN, MERLIN,(My horses), SAGAN, CALLIE, PIPER, SAHSHA, LHESSA, N'GUY (MY DOGS), HADES (MY BARN CAT), HOOPS, YOYO, KEETS, KAMA (MY BIRDS) AND FISH

5. What is your most precious memory?
KISSING MY FIRST GIRLFRIEND WHEN I WAS 11

6. What is your most embarrassing memory?
THAT'S TOO EMBARRASSING!

7. If you weren't a writer, what would you be doing with your life?
I HAVE FINISHED WHAT I CAME TO DO AS A NON-WRITER SO WRITING IS NOW WHAT I DO

8. In two paragraphs or less write your obituary.
HERE ARE THE SCATTERED ASHES OF PHILIP HARRIS, HE THOUGHT, HE CARED, HE WROTE, HE PUSHED AND PRODDED, HE SAW THE MANIFESTATION OF HIS VISION

Philip Harris the writer:

9. Can you describe the time you realized you were indeed a "real" writer?
WHEN A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR SAID, MY BOOK "WILL MAKE YOU THINK." PIERS ANTHONY

10. What is going on with your writing these days?
I HAVE 4 BOOKS PUBLISHED; THE FIFTH SHOULD BE OUT BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR. THREE MORE ARE BASICALLY DONE, THEY ARE SPIRITUAL, BOOK II OF WAKING GOD IS IN FINAL EDIT, I HAVE STARTED ANOTHER AND THERE IS NO END IN SIGHT!

11. What are your future goals for your writing?
TO GET PEOPLE TO SEE THE WORLD ANEW AND TO BREAK THE MENTAL CHAINS THAT BINDS THEIR THOUGHTS.

12. Can you describe a typical writing day for you?
NO SUCH THING. IT MAY BE A BOOK, A BLOG, AN ARTICLE, A COMMENT OR SOME COMBINATION OF ALL OF THESE.

13. Why do you write?
I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY. I HAVE A MESSAGE TO GIVE TO PEOPLE AND IT IS GIVEN IN BOTH FICTION AND NON-FICTION FORMAT. TO HELP PEOPLE AWAKEN TO THEIR TRUE POTENTIAL.

14. What writer most inspires you? Why?
RICHARD BACH-HE GETS IT.

15. How do you define your writing?
OFF THE SIDEWALK!

16. In one sentence-what do you want people to say about your writing in fifty years?
HERE WAS SOMEONE WHO CARED ENOUGH TO TELL THE TRUTH!
Philip Harris the details:

17. Can you tell us where to find more information on you? Website? Blog?
http://dickens111.tripod.com/theliteraryworksofphilipharris/
http://philipharris.blogspot.com/

18. Is there a place where readers can reach you?
A comment can be left on my web site or they can email directly at sundiskhermit@yahoo.com

19. Can you list all your book titles so people can look for them?
WAKING GOD
A MAINE CHRISTAMS CAROL
JESUS TAUGHT IT, TOO: THE EARLY ROOTS OF THE LAW OF ATTRACTION
RAPING LOUSIANA: A DIARY OF DECEIT
AN ERA OF TRANSFORMATION-MESSAGES IN A BOTTLE (TO BE RELEASED VERY SOON)

20. For new readers-what can they expect when they read your book(s)?
THEY CAN EXPECT TO BE INSPIRED, TO BE PISSED OFF, TO AWAKEN, TO BE ENTERTAINED

In conclusion:

21. Take as much space as necessary to speak to our readers-what would you like them to know about you and your writing?
I AM MERELY A SOUL CRYING OUT IN THE WILDERNESS SEEKING TO AWAKEN THE HUMAN POTENTIAL.

A Powerful Book to Improve Your Business, Success and Life

1. Where you are from and where are you now?

I reside in Media, Pennsylvania with my wife of 34 years. I have a dental practice in Broomall. I have lived in this area all my life. My roots are here, my family is here, and my community is here. I’m a Pennsylvanian through and through.

2. How did you get started writing?

Not counting all the goals I have written over the years and the business plans, I officially began writing with my newly released book called What Can a Dentist Teach You about Business, Life and Success? Discover Secrets to Achieving Total Success!

I have owned and operated my dental practice for over 30 years. I grew my practice from a 1-chair struggling practice to a multi-million dollar business with nearly 50 team members.

For years I have mentored business professionals and done training courses on how to build a business. I found I had a knack and passion for sharing my information. Initially, my work was with other dentists, but it grew into working with a variety of business types.

Over the last few years I have also done presentations to business groups. My writing was a natural evolution from my business success and working with others. The more I worked with others and did presentations the question came up frequently as to when I was going to write a book.

I had entertained the thought for some time, but about a year ago I decided that I would write a book. The book is a culmination of my business philosophy as well as overall success in all areas of one’s life.

What people will read in the book is not your typical business book. I combine a very pragmatic and spiritual approach to what I call Total Success.

3. What do you do when you are not writing?

When not writing I can be found doing a number of different things. One being, I still practice dentistry. I love dentistry. Always have and probably always will. I can also be found giving speeches, running, spending time with my family, traveling and overall, enjoying life.

4. What would readers like to know about you?

I think readers would like to know that I am very passionate about what I do in all areas of my life. I believe we create our own happiness by our thoughts, beliefs and actions.

Although I am blessed with an extremely successful life, it wasn’t always like that. I grew up in an average blue-collar neighborhood and struggled in school as a kid. And yet, from as far back as I can remember I wanted to be a dentist. I can remember digging in the dirt and filling up the holes pretending I was filling a cavity. That was at the age of 10.

Early on I didn’t get a lot of support for my dream. My high school guidance counselor, Father Melton told me I should pick a different goal rather than trying to become a dentist.

It was at that point I formed the belief that we can either believe what another person thinks is best for our life or follow our own dream. I will forever be grateful I followed my dream. Because of it I have had an incredible life.

I think what your readers would also be interested in know is that along with my dream came a lot of hard work. It didn’t just happen. I had to work for what I wanted.

5. What inspired your first book?

The desire to document the very systems that have allowed me to create the life I have. These systems don’t just apply to building a successful dental practice. They can apply to virtually any type of business.

6. How many books have you written?

This is my first. I do have plans for more books though.

7. What are the titles of your books and what genres are they?

What Can a Dentist Teach You about Business, Life and Success? Discover Secrets to Creating Total Success!

8. How do you decide on that topic or genre?

I follow my instinct. That is how I have done many things in my life.

9. How do you manage to keep yourself focused and on track?

Actually, there is a whole chapter in my book about how to stay focused and on track. I am very clear on the fact that having a laser beam approach to what I want to accomplish makes all the difference as to whether I achieve something or not.

10. Do you write to make money or for the love of writing?

For the love of writing and yet, because I do know how to make money from various ventures I have been involved in, it is very likely I will make great money from my writing. I think an advantage I have in writing about business is the opportunities that have opened up with my speaking and mentoring. The book was released in late December and already I have had some incredible things happen as a result. One is, with one speaking engagement I did, a gentleman who heard me nominated me for the Small Business Owner of the Year Award for a very large Chamber of Commerce in my area.

The recognition this will give me, my book and my business may not be able to be measure in exact return and yet I do know it will open up other opportunities.

Something I believe in is that nothing is an end in and of itself. Everything we do either moves us closer to our goals or further away. When I wrote the book I didn’t write it to make money. And yet, because of the marketing we are doing with the book, money will be a natural outcome of my writing.

11. What are some traditional methods of marketing you have used?

I have a marketing firm on the West Coast who is handling a lot of my marketing. I know that we have had a lot of media releases sent to the press that have given the book visibility. I have done dozens of presentations to local associations that has also gained some nice visibility. I have a very nice media kit with a beautiful sell sheet. One thing we have made sure of is to create an identity for the book.

12. What are some unique methods of marketing you have used?

We have been using the Internet a great deal. Lots of blogging about the book as well as an Amazon.com campaign where dozens of Joint Venture Partners are helping to get the word out about my book. I have done lots of web radio interviews as well as article writing and distribution online. I am launching a series of teleseminars that will all be in some way connected to an aspect of the book.

13. Do you sell through a website? If so, what’s the address? If not, why not?

Most definitely. http://www.joecapista.com/amazon.htm

14. Where can people order your books?

They can order it directly from my site and they can order from http://www.joecapista.com/amazon.htm

15. What format are your books – e-book, print, audio etc?

At this point the book is only available as hardcopy. I do have an eBook available on my site on how to build a multi-million dollar business.

16. Will you write more books?

Most definitely.

17. What do you have in the works now?

Right now I am continuing to build my speaking business. I am in conversations with some business associates about starting a full-fledged training company. That is another area I will be putting some time and energy into.

18. What does the future hold for you and your books?

Lots of fun. I just love what writing a book has done for me. It’s incredible. Although I would like to think I could have done this sooner, I think the timing in my life has been perfect.

19. What was the most successful thing you did to promote your books?

We are doing it right now. An Amazon.com campaign along with a blog tour. The visibility is incredible.

20. What was the least successful thing you did to promote your books?

That’s a difficult question to answer because so far everything has been working.
This book is a great resource for anyone looking for both a pragmatic and spiritual approach to building a life of Total Success. Order you own copy of What Can a Dentist Teach You about Business, Life and Success? within the next 24 hours and receive over $2,551 in bonus gifts from experts around the globe. Go to http://www.joecapista.com/amazon.htm

Dr. Joe CapistaSpeaker, Author, DentistMedia, Pennsylvania

In Detail With Patricia Guthrie

Tell us the book title and your author name.

In the Arms of the EnemyPatricia A. Guthrie

What inspired the book

About a decade ago a horse mob in the Chicago suburban area were murdering horses for insurance money. Quite a few horsemen were indicted, some jailed. That seed stayed planted in my head until about three years ago when I wrote this book.

What makes this book special to you?

In the Arms of the Enemy is dedicated to those horses lost to man’s greed and inhumanity and to those humanitarians whose mission is to save and protect them. The love I have for my characters and their horses have made this special. (It’s also my first published book)

What makes this a book that other people MUST read and WHY?

First off, this is a ‘durn good mystery. Outside of that, it educates the public on what happens when money, animals and greed come together. It also shows what can happen when you deceive the people you love.

What people NEED to read this book and WHY?

Probably the same answers as the last question, but this is for horse loversAnd shows them another side of the horse industry.

What sparks your creativity? Any tips to help others spark their own creativity?

I take my ideas from topical events, mix it with things in my life I love (Romanian castles, horses, collies, women who have to run from dangerous relationships) I like to point out the evils in life balanced with the good.

What has been the biggest stumbling block in your writing? Can you share some tips to help others get past similar problems?

I think marketing has been my biggest stumbling block. I don’t mix writing and marketing well together, so when I market I don’t write and when I write I don’t market. I’m trying to over come that. I’m sure others have much going on in their lives, trying to juggle all that is hard. Writers block? I do, but I usually talk or walk it off. Music helps too, although I can’t write and listen to music. Being a musician I have a tendency to listen and stare at the walls, picking out the cello and violin sections. LOL

What do you think motivates people to become authors? What motivated you to get into this unusual industry?

I think people write when they have a good story to tell and it must come out. I think reading and talking to other writers can “egg-on” that feeling to write.I think those people have a natural interest in the craft of writing and aren’t afraid to write bad drafts, then start rewriting. It’s just in you.

FICTION - If there is a setting, tell us how you decided on that setting and what you did to create a complete and vivid setting for your readers?

This story takes place a horse locations. My prototype for Kalian Downs Racetrack was Arlington Park Racetrack in Illinois and most of the race took place a the barn where I board my horse. When I walk through there and smell the hay and horses, watch the horses movements, the sounds they make when they’re eating dinner, it makes it easier to write it into a chapter.

FICTION - What inspires you about the hero or heroine in your book? What makes them memorable for the reader? What motivates the hero and/or heroine? You can include information about both if you want.

I had to write in Adam. He was so intent in finding a killer of his father’s horse and its trainer and was convinced the trainer’s partner was guilty. He was a man on a mission. Maggie was motivated by the need for peace, having had a stressful and bad experience with her fiancée and the owner of the barn where she trained. The rest of the novel she must learn to protect herself from deliberate accidents and learn to trust Adam, although she believes he’s not what he appears.

FICTION - Is there a villain or something that causes friction in your story? Tell us about what or who it is and how that contributes to the story. Any details about conflict and friction is good information to know.

Well, this is a mystery, so I won’t tell you who, but there are several conflicts here. First Adam being not the naïve, suave and rich entrepreneur he claimed to be. Evidence is pointing toward Maggie being part of the gang who kills horses for insurance money for horse owners. Even as Maggie has no idea she’s even being under suspicion.

If there's anything else you would like to share, this is the time and place.

I hope you enjoy the book. It’s not long, but does get intense. A book where good intentions lead to deception and lies and misunderstanding leads to kidnapping.

Thank you for visiting with me and in closing, give us your website address and a link to order your book.

You’re welcome. I hope your readers enjoy these insights into the characters in the story. My website: www.patriciaanneguthrie.com, www.paguthrie.blogspot.com and www.myspot.com/paguthrie.

You can purchase the book at the publisher’s www.lightswordpublishing.com. Or www.Amazon.com, Borders, Waldenbooks, Barnes and Noble and most of the online independents. You can also order the book at the actual book stores and some stores carry it on their shelves.

Nikki Leighwww.nikkileigh.com/promo.htm

Testimonials for Nikki Leigh

I've been collecting testimonials from people for my promotional work and I'll be adding more as I get them. I also need to explain that I do work with authors under my pen name, Nikki Leigh and I work with people through my business (S & C Consulting) under my legal name, Shri. You will see both names below - but they are both me.

For the Most Up to Date Testimonials -
Visit - http://nikkileigh.com/promo_test.htm

“I recently had the complete pleasure of working with Nikki Leigh. She expertly weaved together my Virtual Book Tour for “Money and Manifesting” from a slender thread into a fully constructed, silky smooth garment. The woman is a dynamo! She takes great care to match the subject matter of the book with the appropriate hosts. Her organizational skills and attention to every detail are par excellence. She responds to questions immediately and she is absolutely tops in promotion. I believe there is none better in the Virtual Book Tour arena than Nikki Leigh. I highly recommend her services and I will be back for another round in the future. I am very impressed.”

Dyan Garris, Author and Musician - April 2008

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Nikki Leigh organizes the best possible Virtual Book Tours imaginable. She goes above and beyond to match the right blogs with the your subject matter. She is also a veritable fountain of information and she helps in every way that she can. There is no one better to partner with on your Virtual Book Tour. The woman is tops in promotion. She is brilliant!

Dyan Garris, Author, Musician, Clairvoyant www.voiceoftheangels.com May 2008

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Amazon Bestseller Campaigns are effective. Today we have been promoting a first time author through a very strategic Amazon.com campaign, blog tour (with the magic touch of Nikki Leigh), Social Networks, Media Releases, Yahoo Groups, and general online outreach.

I have to give Nikki Leigh an incredible amount of credit for bringing in some great bloggers. For anyone who is thinking of doing a blog tour, Nikki is your expert! She has been a pleasure to work with, went above and beyond, created more value than expected and has a great sense of humor which is important during a campaign which tends to be very stressful.

Kathleen Gage - The Street Smarts Marketer
www.streetsmartsmarketing.com

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Nikki Leigh went above and beyond the call of duty when she arranged my virtual blog tour for my book RIGHT TO RECOVER Winning the Political and Religious Wars over Stem Cell Research in America. She worked for month’s in advance making sure I had all the questions and getting my answers to the participating blogs. Then, she promoted the heck out of the tour and stayed on top of things to make sure that my interviews were posted on time and where they were supposed to be. I highly recommend Nikki to any author who wants a virtual tour done right!

Yvonne Perry - http://yvonneperry.blogspot.com

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I must tell all the authors that this testimonial is spoken from my heart and put into words in the best manner I can imagine. Nikki Leigh was and still is an inspirational instrument for my ego and for me to continue on with my journey delivering the message my book brings to others. More so than the Mob life I lived, which is told in detail, but how I found SOBRIETY that gave me the strength to leave the organized crime life behind. Yes, it was Nikki, who showed me the way how to deliver my message to others. I'll always be grateful to her. Always, Tony Napoli

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Nikki Leigh is one of the most helpful and well-connected people on the Web. She coordinated my blog tour for The Sage Age—Blending Science with Intuitive Wisdom. Not only did traffic to the book’s site nearly triple during the tour, it has remained high due to the substantial footprint of new listings in the search engines. With her treasure chest of contacts, Nikki was able to book the tour on blogs with a wide variety of readers that opened the door to a much more diverse audience than the niche market of the genre. The tour also garnered powerful reviews and interviews from several of the hosts, which has been a great boon to the marketing campaign. Because of the tour’s success, I will be going right back to Nikki to coordinate my next tour to launch a series of e-books titled Just the FAQs, which are manuals on the technical aspects of online marketing written for non-geeks. Being an author herself, Nikki’s vast array of connections in the writing business is sure to get this project off to a great start. I highly recommend the services of Nikki Leigh and Promo 101 Virtual Blog Tours.

MaAnna Stephenson - Author of The Sage Age

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Nikki Leigh's Virtual Book Tour was one of the best things I did for my books. Her knowledge of blogging and ability to utilize the wide variety of blogs in the cyber world proved to be a worthwhile investment of my marketing dollars. I definitely plan to engage Nikki's services for my future books.

Shobhan Bantwal - Author of The Forbidden Daughter and The Dowry Bride

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It has been several months since you orchestrated a blog tour for my latest book, Transforming Power, and I am still getting attention on the Internet for the postings, interviews and reviews that you designed for me. I am simply amazed at the attention that I received during the blog tour and that is still coming my way.

I had never heard of a blog tour and was curious about what the process was and how it would help me. You were very skilled at helping me understand the process and what the potential results could be. You did not make empty promises, in fact, you delivered much more value than promised…and that value is still coming my way today.

As an added value element of your process, you taught me several things that I continue to use in building my business. I have a much keener sense of clarity in defining my product or service, I can focus on the value of what is delivered to a client, and I continue to utilize the information that you encouraged me to develop and articulate in additional articles and interviews during our work.

Thanks for the gifts you gave to me and to my business that continue to grow and help me prosper in today’s challenging business climate. I am much better after your process.

Please let me know how I can refer clients to you for your highly productive strategies.

Sincerely,

Hugh Ballou

President

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The blog tour for my book The Latino Challenge to Black America: Towards a Conversation Between African-Americans and Hispanics was both rewarding and profitable. It was a speedy, cost and time effective way to reach my targeted audience. It also boosted book sales. Most importantly, I was deeply impressed with the professionalism, attentiveness, and even friendship that Nikki Leigh provided me. I look forward to doing another book tour with Ms. Leigh and I would certainly recommend her services to any and all.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson - www.middlepassagepress.com

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I am a dedicated published author. I have come to realize that as hard as it is to write a great story that gets readers' attention, marketing it is actually the tough part. I have spend more time than I would like to admit trying to find someone who could help me get my books into the public so they could know they even existed.
Now, I have met Nikki Leigh and learned about her Virtual Blog Tour, I truly feel she has led me on a path that will get my name and my novels out to people who will love them. Nikki has been a Godsend to me and she has shown herself to be always ready to answer any questions I have asked and has been a wonderful, positive critic of my material and has gently pushed me toward excellence.
Nikki Leigh's Virtual Blog Tour has given me the exposure I needed and has turned it all into a very enjoyable learning experience. I can say with out a doubt that if you are a writer who has written some great published material and need the help of a real, courteous professional to get your book into readers' hands, then Nikki Leigh and her excellent system, through her Virtual Blog Tour, will definitely be just the thing you need. Nikki Leigh has turned my literary marketing malaise into a challenging and exciting experience. Don't sit at your keyboard and wonder why you should write when no one ever reads what you have published. There's a solution, Nikki Leigh's Virtual Bog Tour. Contact her today.

Steven Clark Bradley - Author of Nimrod Rising - www.stevenbradley.net

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Atlantic Publishing has worked with Shri Henkel for almost two years. In that time Shri has been an extraordinary client. She has written several books for us; including 365 Foolish Mistakes Smart Manager’s Make Every Day which is a 2007 Bronze Winner for the Independent Publisher Awards and How to Open a Financially Successful Pizza & Sub Restaurant which is a 2007 Notable Winner for the Eric Hoffer Book Awards. She has always been very helpful and flexible in whatever we have asked of her. We have enjoyed working with Shri over the last two years and look forward to our continued ventures with her. Her work is extraordinary and her work ethic is excellent.

Angela C. Adams, Managing Editor - Atlantic Publishing Company

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We have found Nikki Leigh to be a capable author and very professional in all her dealings with our company. In the past two years we have published three of her books and are expecting to do three more in the near future. No advance-paying publisher (i.e. NOT a vanity press) contracts a second time with an author whose work is less than professional, as I am sure anyone would realize. Arline Chase - Owner - Write Words, Inc

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I've worked with some very savvy marketing professionals during my years in the computer and broadcasting industries. I can't say that any one of them had the business instincts, breadth of knowledge, energy and creativity that Nikki Leigh brings to the table. I learn from her every single day.

Nora Peterson, www.norapeterson.com
Past Imperfect, Retire Rich with Your Self-Directed IRA, and Wall Street Lingo

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Shri Henkel approached the SPCA in the fall of 2004 with a creative and innovative fundraising idea, “Pets N’ Portraits.” In this competition, individuals entered pictures of their animals in various categories. Winners received a variety of creative prizes, from an oil painting of their pet to a short story about their pet.
Shri not only conceived the idea, but planned and executed it beautifully, with minimal input from the SPCA. The result was a very popular contest, good publicity, and revenue for the SPCA.
We were all impressed by Shri’s creativity, organizational skills, and attention to both the larger picture and the smallest of details. We enjoyed working with her, recommend her to others, and hope she works with us again!
Many thanks,

Jenny Mead - President, SPCA Board of Directors

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If you would like the facts, figures, statistics, recorded results, dates, and timeframes regarding Nikki's work as a business consultant, what she has done and what she is capable of doing, I recommend that you ask Nikki herself. (Or, read another testimonial that deals more with this sort of detail. I imagine she has many of them.) Nikki will have that information available for you and she will give it to you in a very clear organized, fashion.
What has impressed me about Nikki since I have been fortunate enough to interest her in doing some promotional work for Copper Age is that she has a mind like fireworks. That is really the best way that I can express it. In the short time that I have been working with her she has come up with so many excellent ideas in such a short period of time, that it has left an indelible impression on me.
She is also very capable of bringing these ideas to fruition. (in a remarkably short period of time.) The other qualities that I have recognized in Nikki are expertise, innovation, superlative communication skills and enthusiasm. Nikki gets things done.

Tom Brown – Creator of The Copper Age of Comics www.dunsanys.com

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Nikki Leigh is a whirlwind of ideas and strategies. She knows how to tap into people's brains and pick out effective solutions for marketing, promotions and sales. I've never met such a human dynamo before, and as I've told her, she's my hero and I want to be just like her when I grow up. I'd trust her with any project and know that Allstate isn't the only place where you can be in good hands.

GingerSimpson, Author - http://www.gingersimpson.com

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Nikki Leigh's fortitude, knowledge, professionalism and willingness to take time out of her own projects to help others achieve their goals is inspirational and a godsend. I seek out Nikki for help in marketing and promotional ideas for my own endeavors. With full knowledge that she would excel in any venture she chooses to pursue, I take pleasure in recommending Nikki highly.

Elena Dorothy Bowman - Sarah's Landing Series, The Legacy Series & Time-Rift
www.sarahslanding.com and http://elenadb.home.comcast.net

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Nikki Leigh is a promotional genius. She has more great ideas for promotions than anyone I've met in a long time. AND, most important, she's willing to share her knowledge with those of us who are less fortunate in the fields of marketing and promotion.

Dorice Nelson – www.doricenelson.com - www.DoriceNelson.com/blog
Lost Son of Ireland 850 A.D. - Saratoga Summer: 1863 - Clan Gunn: Gerek 1650 Scotland

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Nikki Leigh is the thesaurus of marketing and promotion as well as a research guru. She not only writes great, absorbing fiction she writes creative non-fiction that reads like a good novel. Whatever the challenge; technical writing, fiction, ghostwriting, promoting, marketing, Nikki can do it. I'm amazed at how much ground she can cover in a twenty-four hour day and do it with intelligent, engaging writing and verve. If you have a project that needs to be done, I highly recommend you have Nikki do the job for you.

Billie A Williams - www.billiewilliams.com

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I spent five years as the co-owner of a marketing and promotion firm working with both large and small clients and media placements. During that time I developed a keen sense of what it takes to do the job. Nikki Leigh is one of the rare people who has both an excellent creative mind and an excellent business mind. She quickly gets to the heart of the challenge, analyzes what needs to be done and develops a composite creative and practical solution. That is essential for successful campaign management. I find myself turning to her when I am faced with challenges I don't have the answers for and she comes through every time.

MORGAN ST. JAMES www.silversistersmysteries.com
SILVER SISTERS MYSTERIES A CORPSE IN THE SOUP by Morgan St. James and Phyllice Bradner. A madcap romp in the glitzy world of TV chefs in search of a killer.

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Nikki Leigh has one of the most innovative and creative minds I've ever come across! She's always looking for new ways to promote, and does it with such enthusiasm. Always willing to share her experiences and ideas with others, I can truthfully say she's always thinking on new marketing techniques and how to get the best for those who work with her. I've learned heaps from Nikki, and the amazing thing is, I know there's still more ideas to come!

Angela Verdenius - www.angelaverdenius.com
Award Winning Author of the sci-fi futuristic Heart & Soul series

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Nikki Leigh's endless vigor and originality makes her the professional I turn to for marketing help. Her know-how and intuition paves the way in networking and media promotions with fortitude. I recommend her highly.

Donna Sundblad, author of Pumping Your Muse and Windwalker

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Nikki Leigh is one of the most determined, ambitious business women I know. She does a great job at everything she tackles because of her enthusiasm and determination. She is a creative and smart writer who writes to help other business owners be successful. We can all learn from her.

Michelle Dunn - Author of the Collecting Money Series & The Mosquito Marketing Series.
www.michelledunn.com & www.BizCreditPolicy.com & www.credit-and-collections.com

Friday, April 4, 2008

Thousands of Writers Participate in National Novel Writing Month

Oakland, Calif. --- www.NaNoWriMo.org --- October, 2007 ---

There are some who say writing a novel takes awesome talent, strong language skills, academic training, and years of dedication.
Not true. All it really takes is a deadline – a very, very tight deadline – and a whole lot of coffee.

Welcome to National Novel Writing Month: a nonprofit literary crusade that encourages aspiring novelists all over the world to write a 50,000-word novel in a month. At midnight on Nov. 1, more than 100,000 writers from over 70 countries – poised over laptops and pads of paper, fingers itching and minds racing with plots and characters – will begin a furious adventure in fiction. By 11:59 PM on Nov. 30, thousands of them will be novelists.

NaNoWriMo is the largest writing contest in the world. In 2006, over 79,000 people took part in the free challenge. And while the event stresses fun and creative exploration over publication, sixteen NaNoWriMo novelists have had their NaNo-novels published, including Sarah Gruen, author of New York Times #1 Best Seller, Water for Elephants.

Around 18% of NaNoWriMo participants "win" every year by writing 50,000 words and validating their novels on the organization's website before midnight on Nov 30. Winners receive no prizes, and no one at NaNoWriMo ever sees the manuscripts submitted.So if not for fame or fortune, why do people do it?

"The 50,000-word challenge has a wonderful way of opening up your imagination and unleashing creative potential like nothing else," says NaNoWriMo Director (and eight-time NaNoWriMo winner) Chris Baty. "When you write for quantity instead of quality, you end up getting both. Also, it's a great excuse for not doing any dishes for a month."

For the past eight years, Baty has sent out weekly pep talks to participants in November. This year, he's passing the pep talking torch to established authors, including mystery writer Sue Grafton, master storyteller Tom Robbins, and renowned fantasy writer Neil Gaiman.

Last year, Christee Gabour Atwood attracted national attention as she completed 50,000-word challenge in the window of a Waldenbooks while wearing a chicken suit.

Why? “Because I knew that someday someone would beat the record of writing a book in a store window, but I doubted that anyone else would be silly enough to do it in a chicken suit. It’s my moment in history … as pitiful as that sounds.”

Atwood is keeping her 2007 “NaNo Identity” secret at this time and plans to reveal it in the window of Waldenbooks in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on November 1.

The daily word-count goal is 1,667 words. Municipal Liaisons around the world organize local meetings to provide writers with advice, inspiration, and support. This year Atwood serves as the ML for much of the state of Louisiana.If you would like more information about National Novel Writing Month, or would like to talk to participants from NaNoWriMo chapters in your area, please visit our website at www.NaNoWriMo.org, or contact Christee Gabour Atwood at Christee@Christee.biz to find out about NaNoWriMo events in Louisiana.

Nikki Leigh
Author of the Book Promo 101 Series
www.nikkileigh.com/book_promo_101.htm

Scientists Need to Explore All Cells to Find Treatment

Stem Cell Research: Scientists Will Need to Explore All Types of Cells to Find Treatment for More Illnesses and Conditions

Right to Recover: Winning the Political and Religious Wars over Stem Cell Research in America Compares Embryonic Stem Cells with Adult Stem Cells and Gives Reasons Why Both Should be Federally Funded

A new book written by Nashville author, Yvonne Perry, challenges preconceived religious and political ideas in hopes of changing the way Americans view blastocystic (embryonic) stem cell research. Right to Recover: Winning the Political and Religious Wars over Stem Cell Research in America (ISBN: 978-1-933449-41-8) was released on October 1 by Nightengale Press to coincide with the start up of the 2008 presidential election campaigns.

The book contains biological facts and scientific data about all types of stem cell research in a way that most people can understand. One question Perry poses in her book is this: “If cord blood, amniotic fluid, and bone marrow contain stem cells, and there is no controversial issue with these cells, then why do we need research on blastocyst (embryonic) stem cells?”

The simple truth is there are no substitutes for pluripotent stem cells. While cord blood, amniotic fluid, adult stem cells, reprogramming of cells and other alternate research certainly deserve study, no credible expert supports using them as a replacement for blastocysts stem cells leftover from in-vitro fertilization. Each type of cell has its own unique characteristics and abilities.

There are no moral issues attached to the use of cord blood and amniotic fluid, but like adult stem cells, these have already differentiated and have different characteristics than in-vitro blastocyst (IV-B) stem cells. Days-old blastocyst stem cells allow a range of research on the very earliest stages of human development and are more versatile than adult stem cells or fetal cells extracted months later from amniotic fluid or from cord blood at birth.

Scientists are still trying to discover which set of stem cell characteristics will ultimately be needed to cure or treat certain diseases. Here are a few key features we know about IV-B stem cells and adult stem cells (ASC):

IV-B stem cells are indefinite, robust, and self-renewable. IV-B stem cells can transform into virtually any type of cell of the body. Pluripotency disappears as differentiation occurs and development continues.

ASCs are limited in the number of cells they are able to transform into; in other words, they can only create more of the same type of cells as they already are. For that reason, adult cells are not able to do the same things as IV-B stem cells, which have the characteristics researchers believe are needed to cure some diseases.

Stem cells exist in relatively large numbers in IV-Bs. IV-Bs will not always be needed once a stem cell line of every race and condition is created by nuclear transfer cloning.

ASC or multipotent progenitor stem cells have not yet been found in all tissues of the body. In fact, they are scarce in the brain. If neural stem cells are needed, they must be generated from blastocyst stem cells. Bone marrow stem cells must be revved up with medication to stimulate their growth before they can be used for transplantation in the treatment of cancer.

Any knowledge gained from blastocyst stem cells will complement studies of adult and all other types of stem cells, and vice versa. Most scientists agree that therapy advances will be found by responsibly investigating all aspects of stem cell biology.

“Regardless of whether the therapies come from adult stem cells, cord blood, amniotic fluid, or IV-B research, all of humanity stands to profit from stem cell treatment and technology,” says Perry. “Whether it comes from the U.S. or another country, the cure for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, heart disease, spinal cord injury, diabetes, or other illness or injuries is within reach.”

With a foreword by Dr. Evan Snyder of Burnham Institute and endorsements from Cure Paralysis Now, Don C. Reed of California’s Prop 71, Christopher Reeve Foundation, and many others, Perry’s book, while controversial, is a concise and accurate picture of the biology and legislation regarding stem cell research in the U.S and globally. For more information about the book see www.right2recover.com

Reverend Dan Bloodworth of The Brian Bloodworth Stroke and Head Injury Research Foundation gave Ms. Perry Biblical references to support blastocystic stem cell research. An entire chapter is dedicated to helping Christians understand this incredible gift God has given humanity. Rev. Bloodworth says, “It is such a pleasure to work with a writer like Yvonne Perry.

She has truly researched the research and spent hundreds of hours to find the facts to share with the readers of RIGHT TO RECOVER. Over the years I have read literally thousands of articles and documents from around the world about this subject and RIGHT TO RECOVER is the most complete work I have ever read. It provides an honest evaluation and asks readers to consider the facts and then form their own opinion instead of listening to people who have never researched the subject.”

To purchase the book online go to www.nightengalepress.com or amazon.com. The book may be ordered in bookstores as well.

Posted by:
Nikki Leigh
Author of the Book Promo 101 Series
www.nikkileigh.com/book_promo_101.htm

Obama Flap over Black Gospel Singer Shows Race is Issue in Presidential Race

Forthcoming Book The Ethnic Presidency: How Race Decides the Race to the White House
Political analyst Earl Ofari Hutchinson publicly challenged Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama to repudiate the anti-gay bashing views of black Grammy winning gospel singer Donnie McClurkin. Obama scheduled a late October gospel tour in South Carolina with McClurkin. Obama issued a statement in response insisting that he supports gay rights and disagrees with McClurkin’s views.

However, Hutchinson notes that the black vote in South Carolina and other states is crucial to Obama’s success, as well as the success of his chief rival Hillary Clinton. In his forthcoming book The Ethnic Presidency: How Race decides the Race to the White House (February 2008 Middle Passage Press), Hutchinson details the huge role race and ethnic politics will play in the fight for the White in 2008.

The McClurkin flap is part of that fight since the singer is loved and admired by a large segment of evangelical leaning African-American voters. Obama wants and needs those votes. “Obama, Clinton, Edwards and the top Republican presidential contenders will embrace and ignore racial issues during their campaigns,” says Hutchinson,” But no matter what course they take those issues won’t be far from the political table.”

Hutchinson’s book, The Ethnic Presidency, details how the approach and avoidance on race and ethnic politics by the candidates will define their campaigns and influence voter decisions. The Ethinic Presidency available in January 2008.

Posted by
Nikki Leigh
Author of the Book Promo 101 Series
www.nikkileigh.com/book_promo_101.htm

Political Analyst Disputes Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on Hispanic Values

Author and political analyst Earl Ofari Hutchinson disputes the contention of former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales that Hispanic values are American values. Gonzales inadvertently feeds the myth that there are two sets of values for Hispanics and Americans
Middle Passage Press 5517 Secrest Dr. Los Angeles, Cal. 90043 323-296-6331

http://www.middlepassagepress.com

October 3, 2007 For Immediate Release Contact: Barbara Bramwell 323-296-6331 Political

Analyst Disputes Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on Hispanic Values in His New Book The Latino Challenge to Black America

Author and political analyst Earl Ofari Hutchinson disputes the contention of former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales that Hispanic values are American values. Gonzales inadvertently feeds the myth that there are two sets of values for Hispanics and Americans. That fear has fueled much of the debate, rancor, and hostility over illegal immigration. Gonzales for instance praises his father for his hard work and sacrifice but that hard work and sacrifice that he holds in high esteem is no different than the hard work and sacrifices that all Americans have made in their lives to move up the social and economic scale. That’s not a Hispanic value, that’s an American value. “Gonzales also feeds the fears of many Americans,” says Hutchinson, “That Hispanics have a separate and distinct culture from those of other Americans.” Hutchinson in his new book, The Latino Challenge to Black America: Towards a Conversation between African-Americans and Hispanics tells why so many Latinos have embraced American culture and values. He details how their support of military service, their rush to learn English, and their fight for better educational and job opportunities has enriched the American experience. “This is the American way,” says Hutchinson. His book tells why that is, Gonzales’s view to the contrary.
Interview Earl Ofari Hutchinson 323-296-6331

About Hutchinson Political ReportHutchinson Political report is a cutting edge news and public issues reporting and commentary blog site. Its focus is on political, minority, and African-American issues and commentary by Earl Ofari Hutchinson.

Posted by
Nikki Leigh
Author of the Book Promo 101 Series
www.nikkileigh.com/book_promo_101.htm

This is the Place by Carolyn Howard Johnson

This particular blog --current events-- interested me most. For one thing, in The Frugal Book Promoter I tell authors that they should watch current events and try to tie their novels to them. It's easy for nonfiction writers to do this but it seems a hard concept for many novelists to get.

This Is the Place has seen a revival recently because it ties to three current events. But first, you should know that This Is the Place is a novel set in Utah in the 50s, a time and place when repression was severe. It explores several aspects of intolerance.

So, currently:

Big Love, the HBO series about a polygamist cult just completed its 2nd season. Yes, there are polygamists (the original settlers in Utah) in This Is the Place.

Jeff Green is finally going to trial as an accessory for marrying a young girl to one of his relatives. He is the prophet of the unrecognized sect of Mormonism in Utah and Arizona.

Mitt Romney is running for the Republican nomination for president. Because he is a Mormon, he calls Utah his Zion. And, there is actually a minor character in This Is the Place running for public office.

As an aside, This Is the Place, won eight awards including a Reviewers' Choice Award.
Carolyn Howard-JohnsonAward-winning author of the HowToDoItFrugally Series of Books for authors. Introducing The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success, now available for pre-orders at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0978515870/

Please sign up for my "Sharing with Writers" newsletter: Put "Subscribe" in an e-mail to HoJoNews@aol.com.
Learn more at http://www.HowToDoItFrugally.com, http://www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com, and http://www.authorscoalition.blogspot.com.

Blogs: http://www.TheNewBookReiew.blogspot.com

Posted by
Nikki Leigh
Author of the Book Promo 101 Series
www.nikkileigh.com/book_promo_101.htm

Brides for Sale

By Shobhan Bantwal

Author of THE DOWRY BRIDE – On sale now

Recently I read an article in Newsweek titled “The Bride Buyers.” At first I was shocked and dismayed to read about some website called MarryourDaughter.com that offered young girls for sale as brides. Teenagers of 15 and 16 years of age were being offered by their parents for thousands of dollars. What was more, the site got millions of hits within a week after it appeared on the Web. It just goes to show how many pedophiles are lurking in cyberspace – a frightening prospect!

However, later on the article explained that the whole thing was a hoax, and I exhaled a breath of relief. The website’s creator, John Ordover, a viral-marketing consultant based in Brooklyn, N.Y. set it up as an experiment to see where it would go. It looks like he was rather surprised himself at how many hopeful grooms were willing to pay hefty sums of money to acquire pretty and accomplished pubescent girls, and how many crazy parents were actually insane enough to place an ad to sell their daughters.

This article brought to mind my own debut novel, THE DOWRY BRIDE, a story set in India about a young bride, Megha, who is coerced into marrying a man who is willing to accept the lowest dowry. Even that small dowry is too high for her debt-ridden parents and her in-laws are about to kill her for not producing the promised money. Megha discovers the murder plot in the nick of time and escapes. She embarks on an extraordinary journey to freedom with the help of a young man who puts his own life on the line to protect her from a gruesome death by fire. More information is on my website: www.shobhanbantwal.com

Upon reading the Newsweek article, I sadly realized that the dowry system in India, although the opposite of bride-price (buying a bride instead of buying a groom) is no less perverse than the idea behind www.MarryourDaughter.com. Many desperate parents, in the hope of finding their daughters a good husband and a secure home, are willing to go into debt for life to raise enough money to pay an acceptable dowry.

If there was such bizarre websites in India and other parts of the world where dowry is blatantly practiced despite laws banning the custom, the title could easily have read: www.MarryourSon.com or www.SonforSale.com. The only difference would be the price – the lower the asking dowry the more flurry of interest from potential brides and their families.

Unfortunately this type of site would probably receive millions of hits each and every day. The sadder part is that neither the law enforcement agencies nor social codes of ethics seem to deter the folks determined to grab a dowry.

Read the Newsweek article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20781129/site/newsweek/?GT1=10357

Posted by
Nikki Leigh
Author of the Book Promo 101 Series
www.nikkileigh.com/book_promo_101.htm

Embryonic Stem Cell Research—a Leveraging Tool for the Democratic Party

Federal Funding for Embryonic Stem Cell Research—a Leveraging Tool for the Democratic Party in Presidential Campaigns
Right to Recover: Winning the Political and Religious Wars over Stem Cell Research in America—a new book by Nashville Author, Yvonne Perry, is a Must-Read for all Candidates.

Nashville, TN – The pub date for Right to Recover: Winning the Political and Religious Wars over Stem Cell Research in America—a book thoroughly covering all types of stem cell research—has been strategically selected to coincide with the start up of the 2008 presidential election campaigns this fall. As the debate heats up over who will take the seat in the White House, issues such as federal funding for blastocystic (embryonic) stem cell research will be a topic of importance for voters deciding which candidate to vote for.

Recent polls and studies show that 70 percent of Americans and 63 percent of Democrats agree that research should be allowed on IVF-derived blastocysts leftover from couples seeking assistance with fertility regardless of the date they are created. Most Republican leaders have adamantly opposed the research due to their belief that a human life is destroyed in the process.

This comparison has been used by the Bush Administration to garner additional support for adult stem cell research which already receives federal funding. Ultra-conservative right wing groups report that multipotent (adult) cells have the same characteristics and abilities as pluripotent (blastocyst) cells, yet this theory has not been proven. In fact, adult stem cells have proven safety and efficacy on only nine conditions.

In order to help members of Congress better understand blastocystic stem cell research, Ms. Perry is sending a free advanced reading copy (ARC) of her book Right to Recover: Winning the Political and Religious Wars over Stem Cell Research in America (ISBN: 978-1-933449-41-8) to Senators who respond to her offer. Since the topic will be a leveraging tool in the Presidential election campaigns, it also would be beneficial for all Presidential candidates to take notes from Perry’s book.

Yvonne Perry is a published author and the owner of Write On! Creative Writing Services. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Metaphysics from the American Institute of Holistic Theology. With over 400 hours of research and interviews with scientific and religious experts, Perry presents an educational tool to readers in Right to Recover while expressing true hope for healing through all types of stem cell biology.

Interviews included in the book are with: Dr. Madan Jagasia, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Susan Fajt, a patient who was scammed by the creators of the fabricated Prentice List and Mary Schneider, whose son was infused with his own cord blood stem cells. Facts were checked by Don C. Reed of California’s Prop 71 and Shane G. Smith, Ph.D. Science Director, CNS Foundation, Former Science Director, ‘Yes on Proposition 71.’

Dr. Smith says, “Yvonne Perry counters long-standing myths of the American stem cell debate with bright, accessible prose. Policymakers and everyday citizens who want to make informed choices about stem cell research need to read Right to Recover.”

To preorder your copy now, go to www.nightengalepress.com . For more information about the book see www.right2recover.com or contact Valerie Connelly at Nightengale Press at www.nightengalepress.biz to review a galley copy.

Contact:
Yvonne Perry
write_on_yvonne@comcast.net
Valerie Connelly, Publisher
publisher@nightengalepress.biz

Religion Has No Place in the Federal Funding Decision for Stem Cell Research

Metaphysical Author Challenges Separation of Church and State in Her Controversial Book on Stem Cell Research

NASHVILLE, TN--A new book written by Nashville author, Yvonne Perry, challenges preconceived ideas in hopes of changing the way Americans view blastocystic (embryonic) stem cell research. Right to Recover: Winning the Political and Religious Wars over Stem Cell Research in America (ISBN: 978-1-933449-41-8) will be released this fall by Nightengale Press to coincide with the start up of the 2008 presidential election campaigns.

You may not realize it, but America was not founded upon Christianity. That may be what you were taught in school, but proof of such is not reflected in the writings of our founding fathers. Billy Graham agreed that the United States of America is not a Christian Nation. In a televised interview on May 30, 1997, David Frost asked Mr. Graham, “Say, is this still a Christian Country?” To which Billy Graham replied, “No! We’re not a Christian Country. We’ve never been a Christian country. We’re a secular country, by our constitution. In which Christians live and which many Christians have a voice. But we’re not a Christian Country.

There can be no religious freedom whenever religion controls the masses through the government. Yet, this is exactly what has occurred in the U.S. Each time a law is passed giving government jurisdiction over what happens in a person’s home, marriage, healthcare or religion, we lose another personal right that was assured to us in the founding documents of our country.

Time and time again, religious groups have violated our Constitutional right to keep church and state separate. The neoconservative and fundamentalists’ unfounded opinion about blastocystic stem cell research is hindering the physical health of our nation.

“Only a lack of knowledge and stubbornness could cause someone to oppose this science and fight to withhold funding for research that offers such potential to help humanity,” says Perry.

“In my book, I will address the lack of knowledge with factual information provided from the experts I have interviewed. Many people who oppose the research do not know why they believe what they believe because they have been programmed by religious leaders to think a certain way. I will take modern-day Christianity back to its original roots in order to challenge the limited mindset that stems from organized religion and show how it does not belong in government.”

Right to Recover is set to be released by Nightengale Press in October 2007. To preorder your copy now, go to www.nightengalepress.com . For more information about the book see www.right2recover.com or contact Valerie Connelly at Nightengale Press at www.nightengalepress.biz to review a galley copy.

Posted by
Nikki Leigh
Author of Book Promo 101 Series
www.nikkileigh.com/book_promo_101.htm

Boycott by Illegal Immigrants Could Fuel Tensions with African-Americans

Political Analyst Warns in His Forthcoming BookThe Latino Challenge to Black America
A spokesperson for Mexicanos Sin Fronteras (Mexicans Without Borders) says that his group will call for a national boycott of employers and businesses on October 9. The group wants to send the message that illegal immigrants don’t take jobs from Americans and indeed are productive and law abiding workers. Many American workers, and in particular African-American workers, reject that message.

Author and political analyst Earl Ofari Hutchinson details the anger and hostility that many African-American community activists and rank and file workers express toward illegal immigrants in the workplace in his forthcoming book The Latino Challenge to Black America: Towards a Conversation Between African-Americans and Hispanics. They vehemently contend that illegal immigrants do take jobs from blacks, especially poor, unskilled young blacks.

Hutchinson assesses the impact of illegal immigration on jobs and the economy in black communities. "Illegal immigration has touched a raw nerve among many blacks, "says Hutchinson, "they are absolutely convinced that they contribute to crime, violence and chronic unemployment in black communities. Hutchinson also closely examines the views of immigrant rights groups. They are just as vehement in disputing the notion that undocumented workers have created the economic ills in black communities, and indeed in American society. Hutchinson says the polar opposite views of many blacks and immigrant rights groups on illegal immigration could result in even greater tension and conflict between the two groups. He tells why and how the planned October 9th boycott could add to that tension between blacks and Latinos.

Interview Earl Ofari Hutchinson 323-296-6331

"The job loss to blacks that they attribute to illegal immigration is as much perception as slight reality. However, when the perception becomes a widely-held public belief and is continually repeated as fact, it soon takes hold in public opinion. The sensitivity of blacks over jobs and illegal immigration has made even top black civil rights leaders tiptoe lightly around on the issue. "
Excerpt from Chapter 9, "Illegal Immigrants versus Black Workers," in the Latino Challenge to Black America: Towards a Conversation between African-Americans and Hispanics
(Middle Passage Press, Los Angeles , October 2007).

Posted byNikki Leigh
Author of the Book Promo 101 Series
www.nikkileigh.com/book_promo_101.htm

Educational Book on Stem Cell Research for People Who Don’t Have (or Want) a Degree in Biology

Right to Recover, Winning the Political and Religious Wars over Stem Cell Research in America—an easy to understand, comprehensive book that challenges assumptions and opinions about research that uses stem cells left over from in-vitro process.

Nashville, TN -- Without being overly academic, Right to Recover gives an accurate picture of the controversial field of embryonic (blastocystic) stem cell research and highlights the progress of therapies resulting from adult stem cell research as well as those from stem cells found in cord blood and amniotic fluid.

The book covers all types of stem cell research and explains why a fish-looking embryo cannot possibly exist in a Petri dish. Author Yvonne Perry says that the belief that a human life is being taken by removing a few cells from an in vitro blastocyst (IV-B) is a ploy to delay funding for a science that may likely produce effective treatments and possible cures for many illnesses and conditions.

“People have heard and read this erroneous report so many times they actually believe the research kills a baby,” says Perry. “Instead of doing research to find out what really goes on in the lab, they believe what they are told by political and religious leaders who are promoting their own agenda through the media.”

As a highly-sought after ghostwriter, Yvonne Perry has authored many books with her clients’ names appearing on the cover. In fact, it was a client, Reverend Dan Bloodworth, who got her interested in stem cell research. The Bloodworth’s son has been in a stage 4 coma for nearly 20 years. In a search for anything that might restore his son’s ability to move and communicate, the “all-denominational” evangelist researched every treatment available worldwide. When Dan learned about stem cell research he knew he had found hope and believes till this day that his son can be helped by therapies or technologies developed from blastocystic stem cell research.

With Dan sharing his 16 years worth of files, contact information, and Biblical references supporting blastocystic stem cell research, Perry decided to attempt to educate the public and lawmakers about this science by writing a book with her own name on the cover.

“I wrote the book so everyone can understand blastocystic stem cell research without needing a dictionary or a degree in biology. People need to know the scientific facts in order to make a more informed opinion about the research,” says Perry.

Nightengale Press, a medium-sized publisher located in Wisconsin, grabbed the manuscript for what is now a 300-page book before it had a chance to be seen at larger publishing houses. Nightengale President, Valerie Connelly, knows a good thing when she sees one.

“When Yvonne pitched her book idea to me, she hadn’t even started the manuscript,” says Connelly. “But she showed so much passion and demonstrated such great knowledge on the subject, I was intrigued enough to say ‘yes’ to her request for publication. I couldn’t let this book get away. Right to Recover has a great potential not only as a commercial success in the book market, but also as a catalyst for a change in federal legislation regarding blastocyst stem cell research.”

The pub date for the book is October 2007 with online sales beginning in late summer. Nightengale Press plans to have advanced reading copies of the Right to Recover (ISBN: 978-1-933449-41-8) available in time for one of the largest annual American trade shows. Book Expo America 2007 will be held at the Javits Center in Manhattan as thousands of booksellers, librarians, book publicists, authors and distributors gather to browse thousands of titles on exhibit from hundreds of publishers.

To preorder your copy now, go to http://www.nightengalepress.com/ . For more information about the book see http://www.right2recover.com/ or contact Valerie Connelly at Nightengale Press at http://www.nightengalepress.biz/ to review a galley copy.
###
Contact:
Valerie Connelly, Publisher
Email: publisher@nightengalepress.biz
Phone: (847) 810-8498

Contact:
Yvonne Perry, Author
write_on_yvonne@comcast.net

Gonzales Resignation and Black and Latino Political Empowerment

Some Latino and black leaders worry that the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales under a cloud of scandal could set back the effort to get more blacks and Latinos in power positions in Democratic and Republican administrations. That’s a false fear says author and political analyst Earl Ofari Hutchinson.

"The appointment of Gonzales in 2004 was a huge step forward in the political empowerment and personal advancement of black and Latino officials in the Bush administration."

The appointment didn’t come in a vacuum. "The Gonzalez appointment," says Hutchinson, "Was a strong signal that Republican and Democratic presidents recognize the growing power and influence of black and Latino voters and the appointment of blacks and Latinos such as Gonzales to top administration spots was recognition of that power."

In his forthcoming book, The Latino Challenge to Black America: Towards a Conversation Between African-American and Latinos, Hutchinson details the growing voting strength of Latinos and blacks in states that are key to victory in the race for the White House. He insists that Republican and Democratic presidential candidates have no choice but to continue to make hard pitches to black and especially Latino voters for support. Their votes are simply too important to be ignored. This ensures that no matter whether it’s a Democrat or Republican that occupies the White House in 2008 and beyond, more black and Latino officials will be appointed to influential and leading policy making positions in the White House.

Excerpt From Chapter 6 ","Neither Reluctant Political Friends or Enemies" in The Latino Challenge to Black America: Towards a Conversation Between African-Americans and Hispanics
(Middle Passage Press, Los Angeles , October 2007).
Interview Earl Ofari Hutchinson 323-296-6331

Gonzales Resignation No Setback to Black and Latino Political Empowerment Political Analyst Details in His Forthcoming Book
The Latino Challenge to Black America
Middle Passage Press
5517 Secrest Dr.Los Angeles, Cal. 90043
323-296-6331

The Spanish broadcasts by Bush and the Democrats were not political grandstanding or a cheap bow to multicultural correctness. In the 2002 mid-term national elections Bush and the Democrats dumped millions of dollars into campaigns to attract Latino voters to their respective party banners. During the elections, Democrats enlisted Latino Democratic politicians to exhort Latino voters to punch the Democratic ticket. Republicans hoped that many Latino voters would stampede to the GOP mostly because of Bush.

Silent Prisoner

My pen name is Amanda Young. I have written the book titled Silent Prisoner.
The journey began to write this book in 2000. It began with the desire to understand myself and why I had stayed on the path that had taken me to yet another destructive relationship. Amanda Young means, the young are worthy of love.

I had since childhood and living with a spiritually devoted aunt believed in God and the angels. She died, but my faith did not. My faith has been tested many times over. But while my faith in God and the angels was there, the faith in me was lacking, and I have only in the last year or so come to realize this.

I have watched the news, and in the last year especially, it is as if my life were being acted out on the television. Or maybe I only thought so as I was completing the final drafts of Silent Prisoner.
I watched how they found the young boy who had been kidnapped and held hostage by a man for several years. The boy stayed and never made an attempt to leave, and I listened as people were in shock that he never left. “What made him stay?” Everyone wanted to know. We do not know his life before that event but something inside of him had programmed him that he could not leave--whether it was by his abuser only or something that was deep inside of him that allowed him to feel it so easily. I think that some children are simply so kind and sensitive and born that way and the abusers sense that. Abusers are like animals on a hunt for prey. But whatever the case, the man knew how to get into the boy's mind and quickly. The continual abuse on an hourly and daily basis goes deep into the psyche. He was then held hostage not only by the abuser's words and actions, then, but by his own mind. He does not any longer know that he can leave. He has become a silent prisoner and is shackled to his abuser. It was an act of God I say that got that boy out. It would be interesting to find out if the boy prayed. The other boy showing up and then finding the two which lead to the one boy that had been there and had been there for so many years is what I call, divine intervention. That is why I believe in God and know that he can save many others through faith.

I am not standing on a soap box for faith. I am simply saying that good can overcome evil if we believe we deserve good things and a good life. It has not been an easy journey for me and my journey continues each day. I am sometimes annoyed by rejection letters that I still get from publishers. I have lost count of how many. I ask God more than once, “Why am I even bothering? My words may not even get out there.” But when I see on the news how O.J. Simpson was going to write a book and profit while Nicole Brown is dead and we all know who killed her, I pick up my pen and paper again. I cannot let her and so many others that have fallen, and the children like the two boys that were kidnapped and abused, go without knowing that I care about them. And so I published through www.Booksurge.com.

A doctor I asked to read the book and write a few words said to me, “I am not expert on domestic violence.” I knew he did seminars on domestic violence and he did write a few words on the press release. I told him that the only expert on abuse is the abusers.

About the Author -

Amanda Young is a registered nurse with a degree in Homeopathy from the British Institute of Homeopathy. Abused by her alcoholic parents and later the victim of domestic violence, Amanda credits the special people in her life and faith in God and the Angels for helping her overcome being a victim and allowing her to thrive. She wrote “Silent Prisoner” in the hope that sharing her story will help those who are silent and suffering to have the courage to find help.

About Silent Prisoner -

Silent Prisoner is based on a true story of how one woman, through faith, survived childhood abuse, and later, domestic violence. April follows life’s road as best she can without the benefit of having parents or siblings along the way. On this road of life she encounters a loving aunt, a spiritual mentor, a proper grandmother, and a stoic therapist. Even though these people are only in her life for a brief time, they have planted the seed within her that will sprout forth an inner strength and faith in God and the Angels.

Youth Soccer Takes a Nasty Turn

ST JOHN OF THE MIDFIELD
An almost mystical story of Bobo Stoikov, one of the world’s greatest soccer players, who escapes death in communist Bulgaria to find the American Dream. Due to severe injury during Bobo’s escape, he is unable to play once he arrives in America. Though he finds peace and happiness in simply coaching soccer to youth travel teams, his eccentric ways of teaching and his success lead to a hate-filled rivalry, and eventually, his death.

This is a current event that ties into St John of the Midfield.

YOUTH SOCCER TAKES A NASTY TURN

I recall a few winters back, while driving down I-94 west near the Romulus airport, that I had the misfortune of driving through a white-out. Having lost my sense of direction and distance in the blinding whiteness, my only means of survival was to follow the dim redness of a snow-caked rear light of a flat-bed trailer. Had the driver of the truck pulling the trailer fallen off the side of a cliff, I certainly would have followed. As it was, fate served me well that day and the two of us made it through. Unfortunately, sixty four cars behind us didn’t, as one after another smashed into each other in one of the nastiest massive pile-ups the Michigan free-ways have ever seen.

Obviously, those drivers in the accident took a different turn. Casting aside an easy metaphor, that’s what I see happening with the new decision by the National soccer team in regard to their new agenda on how to identify and create great soccer players. It seems they have decided that great players can be created or manufactured only by the National team coaches, so they have bucked the state organizations in favor of a top down methodology on developing youth soccer talent.

Hmmmm. Let’s think about his. Where has a restriction of trade and competition benefited a
culture, economy, organization, or group of people? Outside of the communist Kremlin, I can’t think of anything. In my limited knowledge of history, I do recall Nixon fixing gas prices back in the 70’s, which of course restricted competition and caused all those wonderful lines at the pump, and of course, there was this guy named Hoover, who decided to place tariffs on products which of course resulted in a minor calamity called the DEPRESSION. Again, wasn’t that just another instance of restricting trade of reducing competition, which a free-economy is built around?

Perhaps you believe I’ve stretched a bit far here, but consider that an elite group of soccer clubs around the nation were chosen by the National staff members and Nike, the sponsor, to fly to the Nike headquarters to sit at a conference table and be awarded prestigious franchises to house and train the nation’s soccer elite. At that table, where I picture club owners frothing at the mouth like the godfathers did in Godfather III as they received their casino checks from Michael Corleone, it was decided the country would be carved up by regions and only certain clubs would be able to teach the best players in the country. For instance, a player in Michigan, who was trained from the time he was five in the reputable WAZA soccer club, would now have to transfer at a certain age to either the Michigan Wolves/Hawks or the Vardar Soccer Club. It doesn’t matter that the boy developed as a great soccer player in the WAZA club. The National team staff has determined that only the Michigan Wolves or the Vardar Club can take that boy to the next level.

As you can imagine, the crazed soccer moms and dads who have talented children have quickly packed up their loyalties to the clubs who have served them well and taken residence inside the new established elite clubs. That occurred within a New York minute. Therefore, the clubs who lost all their shining stars are now forced to become second rate clubs, or, as many of us predicted, will end up closing shop all together.

Without even discussing the huge surge in costs for the parents in these new established elite clubs, as a means of practicality, let’s for a second consider how the other top sports in America work. Did Michael Jordan learn the game of basketball in the playground or was he handpicked at an early age by a scout who knew instantly he would become the greatest player of his time? What about Tiger Woods? I thought I read it was Woods’ father who introduced the game and the two of them played together for fun in the early years of Tiger’s development. In my reading, I don’t remember a talent scout scooping Tiger up at five and manufacturing him into the greatest golfer of all time.

The Brazilians, who are arguably the greatest players in the world, learn soccer on the street, in
their villages, playing often with rolled up socks or newspapers as a ball. They play for the fun of the game, then have their skills refined as they get older in competitive clubs, clubs which have a vested interest in finding and developing talent.

I believe this latest power play by Bob Bradley and his national staff tyrants will end up causing a disaster in the youth soccer programs inside America. Like the cars that piled up in the whiteout I averted, those that follow Bradley will end up with a mess to clean up. Without allowing the game to flourish on the streets, in the school yards, in the clubs of the player’s choice, look for the interest in the game to wane, falling dramatically more behind the traditional major sports in America. The state organizations, which were blind sided by the move, need to fight back for the sake of survival. If they don’t, the game and their organizations won’t be able to revive themselves.

I can hear the sirens now.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

In the early 80's,Garasamo Maccagnone studied creative writing and literature under noted American writers Sam Astrachan and Stuart Dybek at Wayne State University and Western Michigan University. A college baseball player as well, Maccagnone met his wife Vicki as a junior at WMU. The following year, after injuring his throwing arm, Maccagnone left school and his baseball ambitions to marry Vicki. After a two year stint at both W.B. Doner and BBDO advertising agencies, Maccagnone left the industry to apply his knowledge of marketing in a new venture in an up and coming industry. Maccagnone created a company called, "Crate and Fly," and turned it from a store front in 1984 to a world-wide multi-million dollar shipping corporation by 1994.

Though Maccagnone was asked and toyed with running for the United States Senate that year, the burden of such a race would have been too much of a strain on his young family. Instead of getting involved in politics, Maccagnone chose to start his writing and youth soccer coaching career. During that time, he wrote the children's book, "The Suburban Dragon," and his collection of short stories and poetry entitled, "The Affliction of Dreams." He also took his new found love for soccer so seriously he created a youth club and built an indoor soccer training facility.

It was during the year of 1996 that Maccagnone met the former Bulgarian national player Jordan Mitkov. It was in the time Maccagnone spent under Mitkov's tutelage that the idea for St. John of the Midfield was incubated. Ten years later, Maccagnone resurrected a writing career when the story finally burned out of him.

Feminine Majority - Gender, Values, and the Democrats

As the only group targeted by a political party using a value-based strategy, evangelicals are seen as the only people who match their actions and politics to their values. Values, however, are a universal human phenomenon. In their simplest form, values are socially constructed views about how the world should be. In 1651, Thomas Hobbes wrote about the subjectivity of values and how we shape our values to fit our ideas of what makes a perfect society.

But whatsoever is the object of any man’s appetite or desire, that it is which he for his part calleth “good”; and the object of his contempt “vile” and “inconsiderable.” For these words of good, evil, and contemptible, are ever used with relation to the person that useth them. There being nothing simply and absolutely so; nor any common rule of Good or Evil, to be taken from the nature of the objects themselves.

Looking past Hobbes’s notorious pessimism about the human condition, this idea highlights that everyone acts on values and that values are socially constructed. Therefore, values vary from person to person, and a person has the ability to change his or her values.

Although Hobbes refers to an individual’s values, his message translates to larger community values. Americans, for example, hold American values. Every political candidate, on the right or the left, knows that most Americans respond favorably to the idea that a person should be rewarded for hard work. This is a capitalist, American value. Members of other societies might feel that a person should be rewarded for his or her skin color or family bloodline. Every person is socialized into the values of his or her community or nation, and these values then intersect with other values the person has, such as those based his or her religion, race, and socioeconomic class.

Perhaps the most important set of socialized values, however, is based on a person’s gender. We term these values feminized values and masculinized values. In this book, we will outline how men’s and women’s different value systems create divergent views about what America should be. We argue that Americans carry gendered attitudes into the voting booth and, like the evangelicals, vote based on how these values translate to specific political issues.

Just as some groups’ values fall to the more conservative end of the political spectrum, other groups’ values fall to the left. Evangelicals usually support right-wing candidates, because their moral values are highly conservative. We will introduce a group of voters whose values reflect progressive ideals: feminized values voters. If evangelicals represent the key to Republican electoral victory, then feminized values voters represent the chance for Democrats to usher in a new progressive era.

Feminized values are the values into which women are socialized; a majority of women hold these values, as do a smaller percentage of men, for reasons we will describe shortly. The potential for a more progressive era arises because the women and men who hold feminized values make up today a majority of the country and of voters.

We term feminized values voters the feminized majority. These women and men will not only change election outcomes, but also will transform American values and the American Dream. The feminized majority supports a strong welfare state, views social issues through a lens of egalitarianism, and feels that government should do more in general to help its most vulnerable citizens. Feminized majority voters support stem cell research, comprehensive sex education, and environmental protection. They reject violent imperialism. They worry about their long-term economic security and fear that neither party will provide them with adequate health care. In a much deeper and richer way than American masculinized voters, the feminized majority yearns for a progressive, populist America.

We call these voters the feminized majority because the values they carry truly are becoming majoritarian. We will describe the political and economic changes that have led to this point. It is important to remember that President Bush changed the 2004 election by mobilizing evangelicals, who represent only 23 percent of voters. Now, Democrats have the opportunity to change America in dramatic ways with the support of a much larger part of the electorate. While the general perception is that the United States is a conservative country, we shall show that feminized values are held by an increasingly robust majority of voters in the country who are prepared to support a progressive politics of social justice.

The Democrats can lead the feminized majority if they are willing to abandon their triangulation strategy and create a values-based platform. This approach seems unorthodox, because we usually conflate values and morals with religion and conservatism. However, values are nothing more than socially constructed ideals that provide a moral compass for each person, regardless of where he or she falls on the political spectrum. Once Democrats recognize the power of values in elections, they can begin appealing to values voters.

A noted social critic, Charles Derber is a Professor of Sociology at Boston College. Katherine Adam is the Outreach Director for the Philadelphia GROW Project of the Drexel University School of Public Health. She has been active in Democratic Party politics at the federal, state, and local levels, including interning for Senator John Kerry. Derber and Adam collaborated on the newly released nonfiction title, “The New Feminized Majority: How Democrats Can Change America with Women’s Values” which can be purchased at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble.com, and from the publisher’s website.

Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/New-Feminized-Majority-Katherine-Adam/dp/159451568...

Barnes and Noblehttp://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-New-Feminized-Majority/Katherine-Ad...

Paradigm Publishing - http://www.paradigmpublishers.com/books/BookDetail.aspx?productID=180321

The State of Israel – a Grim View

Has the Israeli-Palestinian peace process received new wind in its sails at the Annapolis Conference in November? How much success can we expect from the recent visit of Vice President Dick Cheney to Ehud Olmert and Mahmoud Abbas?

There exists a grim view, not only regarding the establishment of peace and harmony in the Middle East, but also in regard of the longevity of the State of Israel as a Jewish homeland. There is little secret why the Bush Administration has waited seven years before making its first attempt to act as peacemaker: The futility of any such attempt was obvious as all previous efforts have ended in failure and there were and still are no new strategies known to heal that conflict.

During the past six decades – the lifetime of Israel – we have witnessed seven wars, beginning
with the Palestine War of 1948/9 and ending in the 2006 war against Hezbollah in Lebanon. In addition, there was a continuous chain of armed exchanges, filling in the interwar periods and often running one on top of the other. We know them all, the cross-border gunfights, raids, suicide bombings, retaliatory missile attacks, drawn-out intifadas and so much more. The bitter belligerence spread across their borders, if you remember the OPEC oil embargo, hijackings, the Lebanese Civil War of 1975/6, or the Hezbollah bombings of American, French, and Italian troops in Beirut in 1983. To the extent that my survey was accurate, only a single year, 1961, was free of any armed exchange and was truly peaceful. That would be one year out of sixty.

During the same six decades, there have occurred over fifty international attempts of peacemaking such as United Nations Security resolutions, armistices, peace treaties and blue-helmeted UN soldiers occupying buffer zones. In spite of this plethora of such goodwill interventions by the major powers and other countries, the appalling level of mutual rancor has not diminished one iota. There is no conflict in the world that has received as much international attention as this one – over fifty in sixty years – nor has any country been subjected to uninterrupted hostility for such a time period.

It sounds cynical to say this but it is merely a logical conclusion: The way things stand and with the methods used so far, the conflict will neither be resolved in another twenty years, nor in fifty.
In addition, we are confronted with the all-too obvious demographic problem. The higher birthrate of the Israeli Arabs over that of the Jewish Israelis, even if we disregard the Palestinians in the West Bank and in Gaza, forecasts a time in the not too distant future when the Jews will be a minority in their own country. Expressed politely, that ominous evolution puts the permanence of the Jewish homeland in the land of Zion in undeniable doubt.

You may wonder why, despite our loyalty to the Israelis, I paint the devil on the wall in such a seemingly cynical manner. One reason is that it never pays off to fool oneself. Ignoring the facts will never eliminate the problem. But I have a much more important reason. I have come upon a possible solution, one – if good fortune stands by our side – which would resuscitate our failing endeavors with unimaginable vigor. It is an intervention that is most extraordinary and that to a degree where many people would look at it as totally unrealistic, yet instead it does becomes very realistic, once we have accepted the grim view of Israel’s future as described above. In effect, it says that the only way to cure the State of Israel’s maladies and to save it for a permanent and happy future, after all previous treatments have failed, is for it to undergo a surgical operation. The name of that operation is the transplantation of the State of Israel to the shores of the Baltic Sea.

Yes, I did say it is extraordinary. It is unheard of. It almost sounds politically incorrect. Many will call it preposterous and absurd. But it is thinking outside the box and that’s what we do when confronting an unacceptable alternative. I have described it, and the reasoning behind it, in a short book entitled Quo Vadis, Israel? It is best to read it adopting the attitude of a patient who is informed by his physician that his disease is incurable and that in the end it will be fatal. Once faced by such a prognosis, it is common for us to eagerly consider even radical cures. The way it looks at present, such a major undertaking would be highly successful with few risks and offering the promise of a permanent cure. Its execution could be launched without delay if it weren’t its extraordinariness. As described in the book, nothing can commence until the incredulity of the Israelis and the Russians has been overcome and the concept has undergone thorough discussion.

I won’t give the secret away, for you would not enjoy the book unless you are truly concerned about Israel’s future and have been searching for a possible solution yourself. But if you actually were to read it and do so with earnest interest, you might recognize a promising light at the end of a frightening tunnel.

H. Peter Nennhaus, a retired surgeon and Illinois resident, was raised in Berlin and became a U.S. citizen in 1961. He is the author of Boyhood, the 1930s and World War II, Memories, Comments and Views from the Other Side. Among his various interests, the study of the history of the 20th century, the Holocaust, and anti-Semitism has been a persistent focus. You can visit him on the web at http://outskirtpress.com/quovadisisrael

Peter's virtual book tour is choreographed by Cheryl Malandrinos.

Economical Book Promotion at Craft Shows

Craft shows can be a useful means of promotion for your books. However, they can be very expensive. One way to save money is to register early. Many shows have online promotional sites which allow you to register early, usually at a savings. Some shows sell out early, so contact them months in advance and they may offer discounts. Some offer discounts for last minute registration, but at that point there are limited spaces available.

Find The Best Book Promotional Opportunities

Many craft shows offer a variety of promotional options. They may offer electricity for your booth, table and chair rental, carpet and similar items. The prices rise as the show draws near. Early planning is a great way to save money and lessens the stress level as the show draws near.

How To Save Money While Promoting Your Book

Each writer that participates in the show will need to transport supplies and promotional items for the show. Show participants can save some money by bringing these items with them. It is more reasonable to carry the items with you than to ship them to the show. An eye catching display that can be assembled and disassembled easily makes a great impression and can save you money.

When you reserve a spot at any show, remember front and corner booths cost more money. These may not be the best locations for you. It’s worth your time, to contact businesses who displayed in the past to ask about the flow of traffic on the floor. It is even better if you have attended the show yourself to see which areas seem to have more traffic. This information is a great way to make the most of an appearance at the show.

Promotional Items For Your Book

Show attendees need promotional items for the people who wonder through the tables. These promotional items should have your author name, book title, website address and other identifying information. These items can include: pens, scratch pads, key chains, etc. Some other things you might give out include gum, miniature candy bars, chips and homemade cookies. One author I’ve seen at writer’s events offers cookies which are based on a recipe in her story. This is a great example of an item to hand out which ties in with the story.

In addition to the novelty promotional items, it is important to have handouts, brochures, business cards and samples. Simple and eye catching handouts can be made in any word processing program. It is easy to play with different fonts, font sizes and colors to grab the attention of people who approach your booth. Local office supply stores usually have good prices for large quantities of copies. Think about creating 2 handouts on a letter size sheet of paper and cutting them.

Sometimes desirable shows are farther away and you will need to stay in a hotel and eat out. There may be opportunities for discount rooms for show participants, but these need to be reserved early. Rooms can be shared if that is practical and appropriate. Another big travel expense is your meals. It’s good to set a food budget before you leave, or allow each person a certain amount of money for food.

These are some easy ways to save money when you participate in craft shows. When you travel to many shows, it becomes more critical to save money at each one. If the cost will be high, it’s important to evaluate whether the expensive is worth the exposure your books will receive.

Nikki Leigh
Author of the Book Promo 101 Series
www.nikkileigh.com/promo.htm

Promote Books at Craft Shows

Authors who sell books at craft shows need to maximize the promotional opportunity. They need to be congenial, perky and alert. Many people will pass your booth and you only have moments to catch their attention. If it is a large show, they probably won’t walk past your booth again, so be alert. To be energetic and alert, get sufficient sleep each night of the show. Conversing with the attendees can be exhausting, especially during a show that lasts several days.

How To Create A Booth That Promotes Your Books

It is important for authors to design a booth plan that is open and inviting. If you use an enclosed booth, stand in front of the booth or table. This allows you to communicate with people when they pass the booth. Busy shows offer the chance to talk with several people at one time.

Learn What Promotional Supplies You Need

This checklist includes basic supplies and promotional items that are needed for shows.

Basic Supplies –

Scissors
Tape
Stapler and staples
Note Pads (good to have ones with your tagline and website address)
Book Supplies
Plenty of Business Cards and Card Holders
Pens and/or pencils and Pen Holder (use pens with your name and website)
Promotional Materials about your Books
Sample chapters or short stories would be great items for specific visitors.
Scrapbook with Book cover art, reviews, and any awards you have won.
Questionnaires for Potential Readers to Complete (details are listed below)
Information Packets (details are listed below)

Create Book Promotional Materials

Promotional items for a show should include brochures, handouts, sample pages and information packets for interested people who visit your booth. Pocket portfolios are great to hold brochures, handouts, business card and so on. This might include a pen and note pad for readers to make notes about your conversation. A nice promotional touch is to apply “crack and peel” stickers printed with your logo to the front of the folder.

People registered in the show should spend some time to wander the floor and meet other people, collect their business cards and pass out cards of their own. Make notes on the back of their cards with notes about them and their business. When you talk with people who approach your booth try to have them complete a specialized questionnaire. It is advantageous to make notes on these forms and specific information about these people.

These questionnaires can easily be designed on any word processing program. What are the top ten things you would like to ask each potential reader? These can be included on the questionnaire. The questions should relate to your books and will help determine if they are a potential reader.

After the event, follow up with the people you collected business cards from and the people who completed questionnaires. These people should be added to a mailing list which is used to promote your business. Craft shows can provide wonderful exposure for your books. This is especially true as your experience increases and the shows are handled in an effective and professional manner.

Nikki Leigh
Author of the Book Promo 101 series
www.nikkileigh.com/promo.htm

Find Craft Shows to Sell Books

Craft shows can be a great way for authors to showcase your books. Promoting books at craft shows offer the following benefits.

Generate Book Sales

First and foremost, craft shows offer great opportunity to promote your books. Why not make sales on the craft show floor? You could also meet book store owners or other business owners who would like to host a book signing. Make sure to bring plenty of books, bookmarks, business cards, flyers and any other promotional items that you may have. This way you can give something to people who do not buy books at that time.

Generate Leads For Future Author Promotion

Even if you're unable to make a sale, craft shows are a great way to make contacts for future sales. The key to craft show success is good follow up, so don't forget to check in with potential readers after a week or so. Several ways to gather contact information include: a giveaway which requires people to register and a list for people to join your mailing list. It is good to get their name, address and email address. You can include a short questionnaire to ask what type of books they like and any other questions which relate to your writing.

Learn To Create Author Promotional Opportunities

Craft show booths can operate like a giant billboard for authors. They provide you with ample space to promote your books to potential readers. You can inform them about your books and what will appeal to them, if the booth and promotional materials don't convey this, its time to reevaluate your approach.

Author Networking to Promote Books

Craft shows offer opportunities to meet potential readers in a more relaxed atmosphere. This is another example of times when you can meet people who would want to work together to help you promote your books. Another benefit of craft shows is the opportunities to network and build useful relationships. You could meet existing readers and other writers or aspiring writers that you probably would not meet otherwise. The benefit lies in the potential for promotional partnerships.

Many craft shows offer special consideration for new “businesses” that can make participation financially possible. Even if you don't see any mention of discounts or specials, ask the organizer before you decide if you can participate. If logistics is a concern, most shows have teams that can set up and break down your display. They may even be able to construct one for you from scratch. However, check about charges for these services before you make a commitment.

Craft shows are an important way to promote your books. These shows put you in front of potential readers. Are you looking for a good return on your marketing dollars? Craft shows deliver. For information about craft shows in your area, visit these websites:

http://www.festivalnet.com/
http://www.artandcraftshows.net/
http://www.smartfrogs.com/
http://www.craftshowsusa.com/
http://www.craftsfaironline.com/
http://www.craftsamericashows.com/

These listings offer craft shows, art shows, wine festivals and many other events. Use your imagination and see what possibilities you can discover.

Nikki Leigh
Author of the Book Promo 101 Series
www.nikkileigh.com/promo.htm

Secrets Of Press Release Distribution

Tips to compile an effective press release for your book promotion are discussed in another article (http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2008/04/how-to-write-press-releases.html). A press release is the same as a news release. It describes the news value of your books in one or two pages. A quick summary of the format to use includes these details:

The most important details need to be located at the top of the article.The less compelling information should be near the bottom. Reporters or readers will focus on the first paragraph, and you need to catch their attention within that paragraph. Include personal quotes from customers about your product or service.

Add information which would be of local interest to the area where you are submitting the release. Your home area is not the only place you would want to submit a press release. File a press release anywhere your book would attract people’s attention.

How To Hire A Press Release Writer

If you prefer to hire a freelance press writer, follow these steps:

Go to www.elance.com, www.guru.com or www.ifreelance.com. These sites allow you to post your press release project for people to bid on. Their credentials, rates, feedback and rating system are available.
A local college or university may give you a chance to post the project for communications majors. (Don’t underestimate the value of working with local colleges. I found a wonderful editor to proofread my first book at a very reasonable price.)
You can post your project (for a $25 fee) on the American Society of Journalists and Authors site – www.asja.org
www.imediafax.com (www.imediafax.com) will critique or write press releases. The fee is $200 for one page and $350 for two pages. (See this site for downloadable ebooks to learn how to write press releases. There is a wealth of information in their article files.)
You can go to www.bookmarketing.com (www.bookmarketing.com). Enter the words “press release” in the search box and it will take you to a form, where you fill in the blanks and it will create a press release. Once your press release is the best it can be, circulate it to as many people as possible. This will help you get the word out.

If you want to submit your press release to any newspapers or magazines, a great source is: www.ecola.com. This site lists media sources throughout the world and gives links to their websites. The publications are listed by individual categories or location to make your search easier. Your press release can be submitted by fax or email. It is best to find out which method is preferred by the person you want to contact.Where to Submit Your Book Press ReleaseThese online sites allow you to submit your release for free. I recommend posting free releases and then decide if you need the options they charge you to use. A number of these sites have changed their policy and are now charging minimum fees better $10 and $60.

* http://www.clickpress.com
* http://www.press-world.com – BIG Site
* http://www.prweb.com – BIG Site
* http://www.pr.com/
* http://press.arrivenet.com/
* http://www.press-base.com/
* http://www.fastpitchnetworking.com/pr.cfm
* http://www.prleap.com
* http://www.przoom.com
* http://www.free-news-release.com
* http://www.marketwire.com
* http://www.pr-usa.net
* http://openpr.com
* http://www.express-press-release.com
* http://www.onlinepressrelease.com

Other Sites to Submit Your Author Press Releases

* http://www.free-press-release.com - (Shorten your press release to post free.)
* http://24-7pressrelease.com - Costs minimum of $9
* http://www.prleap.com - You might not want to publish all the information they require.
* http://www.prnewswire.com
* http://www.businesswire.com
* http://www.internetwire.com
* http://www.internetnews.com
* http://www.ebookbroadcast.com/ebooks/
* http://www.newsbytes.com

It is advisable to follow up with these media outlets to ensure that your press release was received. After you submit your press release to these media outlets, post them on your website. This will help you share the information to website visitors who didn’t see your press releases.

Nikki Leigh
Author of Book Promo 101 Series
www.nikkileigh.com/promo.htm

How to Write Press Releases

An effective press release can be a great way to promote your book online and in your local area. Online press release services will not post just any press release. The more effective your press release, the more attention it will get. A skillfully written press release can be a great way to gain wide spread attention for your book or special event.

How To Create Press Release For Your Books

Here are some press release creation tips:

“FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE” – place in the top left corner of the page (Some online press release services will request that you delete “FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE”. It is best to check their guidelines.)
Include your contact name, phone number, and email in the top right corner. It is good to use a different email address before you submit press releases.
Create an attention grabbing headline – Use capital letters, bold print and centered type. Great headlines MUST catch the reader’s attention. A good way to grab their attention is to tie your book topic with current events.
Include the most important information in the first paragraph. It is best to keep the content focused and simple. Write the press release with your target market in mind.• The press release MUST be one or two pages – NO LONGER. Stick with the important and relevant facts about your subject. If your press release looks and sounds like an advertisement, it won’t generate the response you need.
Include any details about your book that would be of special interest in a particular area needs should be included in the first paragraph.
Check, recheck and check your spelling and grammar again. Then check one more time. It never hurts to check your work again or to have someone else check it for you.
Include quotes from satisfied customers. This will create interest and establish yourself as an expert and the best person to write that book or series of books. Explain any research you did for your book. All of these things help establish your credibility and expertise. This will help the reader believe that NO ONE else is as qualified to write the same story.

Things Not To Include In Your Book Press Release

Do NOT use exclamation points.
Don’t use the words: BEST EVER, or anything like that. This lowers your credibility.
Use an easy to read and common font like Times Roman. DO NOT use fancy fonts on your press release and DO NOT or use more than one font. Bold type should be limited to only the most important things.

Key Information To Promote Your Book

Edit to eliminate any unnecessary words and any repetition. Make your author press release trim, lean and effective.
The first time you list the name of your book – use all capital letters and include order information, the publisher’s website page, your website and email address.
The first time you use a person’s name write the full name, after that use just the last name or salutation and last name.
Use short sentences. People get bored with long meandering sentences.
At the bottom of the release, type “###” to denote the end.

Effective press releases take practice, but are a great way to get the word out about your books. Practice will help you write the most effective press releases.

Nikki Leigh
Author of the Book Promo 101 Series
www.nikkileigh.com/promo.htm

Promote Your Books in the Real World

Even in this technological age, we can promote books face to face with potential readers. I don’t know about you, but I love to see a reader’s face light up when they talk about my books or my characters. That light in their eyes can be hard to convey in an e-mail or on a message board.

Use Bookstores To Promote Books

Book stores and other retail outlets can be good places to promote your books. Libraries in some areas may purchase your books to place on their shelves. Other libraries offer classes or chances for authors to speak and the public is invited. Libraries are a natural place to attract readers and to promote your books. I walked into my local library earlier this spring and the librarian recognized my name. She said, “You are a new published author.” The people standing close by turned to look at me. It was like being a kid in a candy store.

Bookstores and libraries are not the only place to promote your books and we’ll discuss other alternatives. They won’t all work for you, but consider who you know, where you shop and the clientele each business attracts. Are they individuals who would like to read your book? It is very possible.

Promotion At Writer’s Conferences

Writer’s conferences are a great way to meet readers and other authors. I recently met one of
my favorite authors and discovered a couple of new favorites. These events usually need volunteers, program moderators and authors to give speeches, to participate on panels among other things. These opportunities provide free promotion for your books.

Craft Shows For Book Promotion

Craft shows are another way to get the word out and to meet new potential readers. I will share a couple of wonderful resources to help you find craft shows and similar events in your area. Once you find a craft show, there are ways to make the most of the event. We’ll discuss ways to get the most out of the shows.

Nikki Leigh
Author of the Book Promo 101 Series
www.nikkileigh.com/promo.htm

Promote Your Book On A Website

For an author, I feel a website is one of the most important promotional tools. This is especially true for authors who offer e-books and print books. If your readers are savvy enough to use the internet to download books, you need a web presence. Many things impact the effectiveness of your website.

Content Which Promotes Your Books

We have all visited boring and unorganized websites. If you visit a site that has boring content, do you visit it again? Most people will not. The sites which are interesting, can teach us something and keep us entertained are the ones we visit again and again. Another secret is to add new content for your website visitors on a regular basis. We want visitors and readers to visit our sites so that they can learn more about us and our books.

Make It Easy to Navigate Your Author Web Site

The most effective promotional websites are easy to navigate. Thismeans that visitors can easily find the information they want. This sort of website design encourages visitors to come back. Each time they come back to your site, there is a greater chance they will buy your books and tell their friends about your work.

How to Create An Attractive and Pleasing Website

Does your website attract visitors or drive them away? Some websites are hard on the eyes. There are some color combinations which should not be used, while others appeal to visitors. We will discuss effective ways to make your site more attractive.

Anytime a visitor comes to the site for your online book promotion, they should enjoy the visit. Does your site make people feel welcome? Do they want to stick around and read more? Is there more for them to read? All of these are important questions. We will discuss techniques to be sure that your website stacks up with the competition.

Nikki Leigh
Author of the Book Promo Series
www.nikkileigh.com/promo.htm

Respond To Your Email

Readers want to contact with non fiction and fiction writer and email is a wonderful tool to use. In previous times, we waited days for mail to arrive and then waited for a response. However, email makes that delay unnecessary. If someone sends you a message, you can respond almost immediately. When you send an email, do you want a prompt reply? Most people who send you an email want a quick reply.

Authors Should Respond To Readers In A Timely Manners

When readers and other fiction authors send you a question, it’s because they want to speak with you. They may want to ask a question or to share news with you. I get emails from readers who want to tell me how they feel about my novels. It’s wonderful to get those messages. Each of these messages needs a prompt reply. Does it bother you to wait and wait for a reply? It is even more irritating when you wait and then they don’t really answer your question. Keep that fact in mind when you receive emails and send your response.

Email As An Author Promotional Tool

Email is an important part of your online marketing efforts. One problem I have is that I have seven email accounts. It is amazing how much time you waste checking seven accounts. I discovered a fascinating free download that makes it much easier to manage multiple email accounts. That is what makes this free download invaluable. (Its free, but a donation is requested.) The link is www.eprompter.com.

Once you download the program, enter any number of accounts and the program checks for messages every fifteen minutes. I’ve found that this makes it much easier to respond in a prompt manner to my emails. It also eliminates the need to log into each of your accounts periodically to see if there are new messages. This is just one option to help you keep up with your email messages.

Learn to Manage Author Email Effectively

The bottom line is to find a method that helps you manage your email messages in order to respond in a prompt timeframe. One last thought, when you respond, also give a complete and helpful answer. This prompt and thorough communication will help people remember you.

Nikki Leigh
Author of the Book Promo 101 Series
www.nikkileigh.com/promo.htm

Promote Books On Forums

What if you could offer a convenient online promotional avenue which would let potential readers talk with you? This could give them a way to ask questions and get additional information about you and your books. Wouldn’t this be another way to establish your credibility and to communicate with interested readers?

Help Readers Learn About Your Books

One issue with online book purchasing is that you cannot pick it up and flip through the pages. When I go to the store, I like to be able to ask questions. This is an advantage of dealing with a brick and mortar store. You can go into the store and ask the salesperson all your questions. That is lacking with most online businesses. How can you overcome this problem? One of the easiest ways is through an online promotional message board.

Free Online Promotional Message Boards

Here are some of the free online services which you can use:

http://groups.yahoo.com/
http://groups.aol.com/
http://groups.google.com/
http://groups.msn.com/

These are some free forums that you can use:

www.freeforums.com
www.forumco.com
www.ezboard.com
www.freewebspace.net/forums
www.chatarea.com
www.forumsservice.com
www.forumforfree.com

There are several ways to offer this service to your visitors and readers. Many authors I know have online message boards to give readers a chance to “talk” with them. The link for the message board is prominently placed on their website and usually it is placed within their signature block.

Learn To Use Online Sites to Promote Authors

Online promotional boards are a great place to hold chats. Readers can come to the web page or respond through their email. It is very easy to answer questions or post some questions for your readers. This is also a wonderful and free way to distribute your newsletter, if you have one. The board can help you create a mailing list for your readers and fans.

This can work for you as well. What can you offer to your potential customers that will be of value and that will keep you in their mind? Do you have any suggestions or ideas on how to offer more to your customers? Visit our promotional forum and we can brainstorm your ideas.

Nikki Leigh
Author of Book Promo 101 Series
www.nikkileigh.com/promo.htm

Effective Promotion With Online Chats

An effective way to promote your books is through the use of online message boards. These boards can also be used for chats with writers and readers. This is a great way to get acquainted with potential readers and other authors. If you want to discuss the release of a new book, reviews, an appearance or any other event or news, this is a great way to share information with others.

Promote Your Author Message Board

You can invite readers and authors to join your message board. This gives them a chance to ask you questions. Visitors can post questions which you should answer promptly. You can also schedule specific times to be online and chat with your visitors. These can be once a week or once a month and for an hour or more at a time. This will show your willingness to communicate with your visitors.

Learn To Educate Readers About Your Books

This is a great way to build your credibility and to educate your customers. There are many uses for the message board in between chats. The photo files can display pictures of your book covers, pictures of the setting and possibly pictures or sketches of how you envision your characters. The files section can hold details about your novels.

This can include:

Character Bios
Setting Details
Additional background that doesn’t appear in the story.
Reviews for your books.
Comments from readers.

There are many uses for the files and photo sections. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination.

Book Promotion Requires Time

Keep in mind that it takes time to build up the membership on your message board. It also takes time to get people to join your chats. However, the beauty of the message board is that its available twenty four hours a day and seven days a week. People can visit at any time to read the messages and to learn from you. Your visitors will also be able to read old chat messages at any time.

You can set a signature block for each message that is posted. It would be effective to include your book titles, release dates, availability, website address and your contact information. This is subtle, but would be sent out with every message. A long drawn out message could turn people away from your site, so keep it concise.

Nikki Leigh
Author of Book Promo 101 Series
www.nikkileigh.com/promo.htm

Use the Internet to Promote Your Books

The internet offers incredible ways to promote your books. Millions of people log onto the internet each day and many of those people like to read. One wonderful aspect of the internet, is that many of the promotional opportunities are free or inexpensive. Also, the internet allows you to interact with potential readers all over the world.

Converse With Readers Online

The world wide web is a godsend for shy authors who promote their books. It is possible to share information about yourself and your books without having to see the person. You can post messages on message boards, forums or blogs and it offers the chance to hold discussions with readers. Online message boards, forums and chats are a very effective way to help new people learn about your books.

How To Create an Effective Writer Website

I feel that every author should have a website. However, it needs to be a well designed and effective website. When people visit your site, what will they see? Is it easy to navigate? What does that mean and how do you make it easier for people to learn about you? All these questions and many more will be answered for you.

Use Online Forums, Groups, Message Boards And More

There are author’s coalitions, writer’s groups and promotional groups on the internet. These are great ways to get the word out about your books. We’ll discuss what types of promotional groups are available and how to find the one that is right for you. I will provide information on this site to help you promote your books on your own.

Websites, blogs, forums, message boards, e-zines, newsletter, e-mail, affiliate programs and many other promotional opportunities are waiting for you to discover them. We’ll discuss ways to utilize these avenues to promote your books.

Nikki Leigh
Author of the Book Promo 101 Series
www.nikkileigh.com/promo.htm

Online Marketing to Promote Books

Internet marketing includes promoting your writing. Promotion will enable people to become familiar with your site, your name and your books. This is how that awareness can help you:

More People Learn About Your Site = More Visitors and Hits for Your Site
More Visitors and Hits for Your Site = More Potential Sales

Sell Books With Online Promotion

That makes the idea of online promotion more interesting, doesn’t it? I’m sorry to be the one to tell you a sad truth. Effective promotion and marketing requires more than flipping a switch or wishing thinking. You will see many advertisements which claim to bring untold numbers of customers to your site – for a low monthly fee. They might, but the chance of these being people who actually need or want your books is slim. This is because they do not generate targeted, quality leads.

Authors Need To Invest Time in Promotion

The truth is that promotion takes time, effort and skill. There will also be some trial and error involved. Nothing works exactly the same for two or more authors. Any promotion must be suited to your books and must be effective with your website. This is one of the many reasons why a cookie cutter marketing method doesn’t work.

Learn That Book Promotion Is Not Instantaneous

Another truth is that book marketing is not an instantaneous thing. It takes time to put your plan in motion. Time is required to implement the elements of your marketing plan and they will take time to work. Search engines take time to crawl your site and then list your site. It isn’t impossible just don’t expect great results overnight

Look at promotion like an uphill journey. It takes effort and momentum to get to the top. Once you reach the top, you can enjoy the ride down.

Nikki Leigh
Author of Book Promo 101 Series
www.nikkileigh.com/promo.htm

Use an Open Mind in Your Promotion

Three of the additional qualities that effective book promotion requires, include:

An open mind
Curiosity
Creativity

These traits will help you search for ways to improve your approach, your promotion, your website and more. You need to always be looking for ways to improve. Potential readers, book stores and other will usually respond to useful input from you. This doesn’t mean that everything you suggest will be a valuable nugget of information.

Authors Need An Open Mind in Book Promotion

Remember that we never know where the best promotional ideas will originate. Give people the chance to share their thoughts and suggestions. This is when you need to keep an open mind. Once you consider the idea, decide if you can use the suggestion. If you don’t understand the idea, ask questions. I’ve found that many times, suggestions can give me ideas to use, or it may spur new thoughts and ideas.

The simple answer is to give people a chance to give you ideas about how to promote your books. If the thoughts are useless, then toss them. Very few suggestions turn into wonderful ideas, but you will never find the golden nuggets if you don’t open your mind.

Curious Authors Can Have Great Promotional Success

Are you a curious person? Do you like to learn more about the things around you? Find a way to use that inborn curiosity to offer better books to your readers. It can also help you discover new ways to promote your work to potential readers. No matter whether you are offering one book or twenty books, you can find better ways to promote them.

Creativity Is Essential For Authors

Authors must be creative in their writing, so why not be creative with your book promotion? Curiosity offers you a chance to stretch your promotional creativity. This is a example of “thinking outside the box”. Open your mind and let your imagination run free. Transfer those ideas to your promotional plans. This doesn’t mean that everything you try will work perfectly. You will probably need to make adjustments, but it gets a little better with each change.

Nikki Leigh
Author of the Book Promo 101 Series
www.nikkileigh.com/book_promo_101.htm

Increase Author Credibility

Fiction authors need to consider the unlimited options people have when they want to buy books. Years ago people had fewer options. When readers wanted to buy a book, they had to drive to a store to make the purchase. Sometimes, a person could drive to several stores in order to compare items. Along with the internet and skyrocketing gas prices, those days are almost forgotten.

Internet promotion needs to include your credibility in order to attract customers and convert their visit into a sale. In the twenty first century, many people shop online with the click of a mouse. This has changed how people view the places where they shop. So, we need to evaluate our online promotional credibility.

How to Develop Author Credibility

Author credibility is not instantaneous, but it can be built over time. Here are some suggestions to speed up the process.

Borrowing Credibility – Did you raise your eyebrow when you read that? Joint ventures are a wonderful way to “borrow” credibility. Establish a promotional partnership with a business that has established their credibility. This helps people view you in a more positive light. Even though you are working with someone else, continue to build your own credibility. Keep in mind that the opposite is also true. If you work with a questionable company, that can hurt your credibility.

Honest Communication Helps Author Promotion

Open and Honest - Let website visitors know how to find you if there are questions or problems. A woman I know said that she hid her email address to make people work for it. That is not a good way to build your credibility. If you don’t want to circulate your home address or personal email, then rent a post office box and set up a business email. The important thing is to make it possible for people to contact you. When potential readers contact you, answer their concerns and questions in a timely manner.

Policies – Does your publisher accept returns? Do you accept returns? If so, what are the requirements? These details need to be posted clearly on your website. It may be best to include it on your order page. These details can be especially important to bookstores and other retail outlets. But, posting these details is not enough, you must abide by them.

Tell Readers About The Author’s Credentials

Show Off - Do you have a long list of publishing credits? Do you have special skills and experience that make you “the perfect person” to write these stories? Include this information on your website. If you write spy thrillers and you worked in a related field, mention that. Any strong background that would apply to your books should be made known. This information about your background will increase your credibility. Share your insights and experience with your website visitors. You can also share this information on message boards and forums. When you post messages, include your website link in your signature block. Publish articles to share this information and include your name and website link at the bottom. Include links to these articles on your website so that your regular visitors can learn from your knowledge too.

Talk About Your Team - Do you work with someone else who brings special experience to the project? A wonderful example of this is the writing team of Jefferson Bass. I have to mention that I met Dr. Bill Bass and Jon Jefferson in the spring of 2006. They are very nice people and a talented writing team. Jon Jefferson has a wonderful way with words and Dr. Bass brings his knowledge as a world renowned forensic anthropology to their fiction and non fiction works. The realism in Jon’s writing and the authentic forensic details certainly add to their credibility. While not everyone has the opportunity to work with such qualified individuals, we can focus on our specific qualifications. It you earned any recognition or awards, share the details. This is your chance to brag.

Testimonials - I mention this to many people. When you have satisfied customers, ask them to write a simple testimonial. It’s always good to have other people telling your potential customers about your wonderful product and service. When these are submitted, be sure to add them to your website.

All of these things help you build credibility with customers and website visitors.

Nikki Leigh
Author of the Book Promo 101 Series
www.nikkileigh.com/book_promo_101.htm

Promote Books by Telling The Writer’s Story

Your potential readers want to learn about you and “what makes you tick”. We’ve all found writers whose books we love and we want to know about them. This is an advantage that we have with the internet. There are so many ways to interact with our readers and potential readers. You have the chance to tell potential readers who you are, why you became a writer and why they have to read your books.

Reveal Author Details to Readers

There could be things about you that could be used to promote your books to new readers. Are you a single parent who needed a way to support your children but still being available for them? Do you have a disabled child or family member who requires your attention, but you still need to make a living? Mention this to your potential customers. This is NOT meant to make them feel sorry for you. It is a chance for people to learn what attracted you to writing. You can connect with someone who could be in a similar situation.

Authors Can Become More Well Known to Readers

This helps make writers more real to their readers. It helps them see you as more than a faceless online entity. We are all people with problems, challenges and who searched to find a solution for our lives. It is very important not to make up a story about yourself that isn’t true. Share your real story with potential readers.

How To Draw Media Attention For Your Books

The media loves a good story and you can submit a press release to announce the release of each book or maybe your new website. Find a way to strike an emotional cord with the readers and you will get their attention. You can gain lifelong fans by letting them get to know you and understand more about your work.

Nikki Leigh
Author of the Book Promo 101 Series
www.nikkileigh.com/book_promo_101.htm

Qualities of a Writer Who Learns To Promote

All writers who want their book promotion to be effective should consider the key qualities of a great marketing person. Two of these qualities include:

Determination
Persistence

We’ll discuss curiosity and an open mind in another article. For now, let’s talk about determination and persistence. These are two qualities that some people believe are positive traits, while others consider them to be negative. But, depends on how you exhibit these qualities.

Effective Authors Show Determination

Determination and persistence are positive traits, but you can drive other people crazy if you are overly persistent or determined in an irritating way. Are you persistent or obnoxious? There is a big difference in those two traits. I was just talking to another writer today. We were discussing how persistence is necessary for writers. This applies to writing the book, submitting the work to publishers and/or agents and promoting the final product.

It Is Acceptable for Writers To Be Persistent

When you are persistent, you see a project through to the end or until you reach your goals.
However, how do you react when you approach someone and they are not interested? Do you continue to bother them and pester them even when they are clearly not interested? This can apply to agents, publishers, book stores owners and managers and many other people that you encounter when promoting your books.

Pushy Authors Are Not More Effective

There are very few people who respond in a positive way when they are pestered and badgered. They may agree to sell a couple of copies of your book to get rid of you, but they won’t work with you on a long term basis. But, will they make an effort to help promote your books? Or, will they make an effort to avoid you? It’s been known to happen.

You can get good results without being a pain. Be enthusiastic and persistent, but there are times when you need to learn to take no for an answer. Make the rejection positive by asking if there about the reasons why they aren’t interested. Use these comments to improve your approach or your book promotion.

Nikki Leigh
Author of Book Promo 101 Series
www.nikkileigh.com/book_promo_101.htm

Brainstorm Your Book Promotion with Others

A great way to get promotional ideas for your books is through brainstorming with other writers. This can easily be done with online message boards, forums and marketing groups can be a huge help. I’ve been a member of networking groups where you work on marketing ideas together and the members promote each other. This works face to face, online or over the phone.

Work With Other Authors to Brainstorm Promotions

You can create a group of people so that you can brainstorm ideas. This group can be made up of friends, family or business associates. Anyone who can and will offer useful input about your ideas can be part of this group. You can post a link on your website to ask people for their thoughts. It would be interesting to post a graphic of a “suggestion box” and invite visitors to send their ideas.

Online Book Brainstorming Options

This doesn’t need to be an expensive promotional opportunity. Online promotional brainstorming should be free. Our promotional forum is a great way to brainstorm and share ideas. Anyone can ask questions, start a discussion, ask for feedback about your website or let your hair down and have some fun. This offers chances to become acquainted and to share ideas and suggestions. You may even find writers who write similar genres, use the same settings or any other similarities.

Book Promotion Does Not Need To Be A Solitary Activity

Working together along with sharing ideas and suggestions is also a way for all of us to learn more and to develop new friendships. These friendships can easily turn into productive promotional relationships for each person who is involved. I’ve also found the people who participate and help one another, attract more attention to their books.

Nikki Leigh
Author of the Book Promo 101 Series
www.nikkileigh.com/book_promo_101.htm

Develop An Author Marketing Mindset

In the beginning, I’ll explain the promotional mindset – how to develop it and how to use it. Every great promotional campaign begins with a well constructed and thorough marketing plan. I’ll take you through each step of building a marketing plan to help you promote your books.

Talk To Readers About Your Books

One of the things I love about promoting my books is that it gives me a chance to talk about my writing. How many writers do you know that can keep their mouth shut when someone asks about their books? Most of my friends who are authors love to talk about their books. So, we need to find people who want to ask questions and then listen to the answers.
These are the building blocks that we’ll use to help you promote your books. You don’t need a fancy education to promote your work. I won’t lie and tell you that it is easy from the beginning, but it is easier when you practice the things we will discuss.

How Will You Promote Books

As you read the book promotion articles, keep in mind that not every technique will be right for you. But, I’ll give you plenty of suggestions so there will be plenty of ways to promote. Then you can pick and choose the methods that you feel right. As your promotional experience grows, it is good to expand the methods you use and step outside your comfort zone. Remember, the best promoters all started somewhere. Now, its time for you to get started learning more.

Nikki Leigh
Author of the Book Promo 101 Series
www.nikkileigh.com/promo.htm

Free Website Services for Book Promotion

Have you visited unprofessional promotional websites? There are some I’ve seen, but I won’t post the links. Some sites were designed by amateurs and it shows. I’m not saying that amateurs can’t design sites. We were all beginners at one time. An unprofessional appearance can drive people away from a site. I’ve talked to many business people and one thing most of us agree on – is that a business should avoid using a free site – that looks like a free site. Let me explain that in more detail.

Free Promotional Websites For Authors

Some free sites include their name in your domain name.

For example:
www.geocities.com
www.angelfire.com
www.freesite.com
www.bravenet.com
and many more

How Will Readers View Your Free Author Website

The majority of website users know these sites are free. I personally have 6 sites online and each costs less than $60 a year for my domain name and hosting. For $5 a month you can have a website which has a more professional appearance. There are other service that are even less. Isn’t it worth $5 a month to look like a serious business? Two of the big benefits are that there are no pop up ads and the word “free” does not appear in the URL.

Create An Effective Author Website To Promote Your Books

Recently, I was working on a promotion for local bed and breakfast business and I visited all of their websites. One was cute, but looked like a family website that was targeting children.

Several others were very attractive and professional. One was an award winning site. I should add that the area is expensive, influential and targets wealthy tourists who want a quality location for their vacation. If you were going to spend good money, which one would you choose?

Think about how visitors will view your site. Also, think about what you want to sell to your visitors. Does your site have the appearance and presentation that you want? If not, it is important to make adjustments in order to create the web presence that offers the best exposure for your books.

Nikki Leigh - Fiction and Non Fiction Author
Author of the Book Promo 101 Series
www.nikkileigh.com/book_promo_101.htm

Learn to Utilize Easy Site Navigation

Is your author website easy to navigate? I’ve been to websites where it was a nightmare to find specific information. One key in sales is to make it easy for people to buy from you. Make it simple and keep it uncomplicated.

Create A Consistent Author Website

One thing that I like is a consistent layout on each web page. This is my preference and you can feel free to disagree. But, when I visit a site and want to look at all the content, it is much easier to keep track when the links on each page are identical. On each site that I design, the layout is consistent and I get many compliments from visitors about how easy it is to find their way around the site.

Encourage Readers To Examine Your Author Web Pages

When a person clicks on one of my promotional websites, I want them to stick around and read multiple pages. I track my visitor stats, and most visitors click on at least 10 to 15 pages out of 25 to 45, depending on which site they visit. In some cases one page leads to another. This encourages them to spend more time and to see more of my work. Your site can work the same way.

When you visit other websites, pay attention to the way they are designed. Are your page links on one side, across the top or across the bottom? Is one layout easier to use than another? You can also ask friends what type of website layout they prefer. It never hurts to get a variety of thoughts and input from others.

Use a Site Map For Your Book Promotional Website

It is helpful to use a site map for your website. When your site gets very big, it is impossible to create a link to every page. In this case a site map can be invaluable. There have been many times when I needed a page and the site map was the easiest way to find the information.

Another benefit to a site map is that search engines like them. This is an additional way to attract search engines and help your visitors by creating a site map.

In closing – make it easy for new and repeat visitors to find what they want. If you make it too complicated, they will find another place to make their purchase.

Nikki Leigh
Author of the Book Promo 101 Series
www.nikkileigh.com/book_promo_101.htm

Design Your Author Website for DSL and Dial Up

Is your author website “dial up” friendly? High speed internet is very popular, but there are many people who still use dial up. This may be their choice or they could live in areas that don’t offer high speed access. Either way, we need to create websites with dial up visitors in mind.

Create a User Friendly Author Website

When you click on a link and the website loads slowly, what do you do? I click the back key and find something else. Not the most admirable quality, but I usually have limited time to surf the internet. When I’m looking for something, I want the page to load quickly.

Learn To Make Author Web Pages Internet Friendly

What things slow down your webpage? Consider the graphics on your site. Do you have large picture files? It is best to save your pictures as jpeg files and optimize them before including them on your site. This helps the page load quicker. Do you have a background picture? That can also slow down your page.

Audio files can discourage some visitors from staying at your website and they slow your page loading speed. If there are audio files you want to include, let visitors make the decision to click on the files. Many websites include a time estimate of how long it will take to load the files. This allows visitors to make an educated decision about whether they have the time to download or open a file.

Is Flashy Best For Your Author Website

There are many bells and whistles that you can offer to your visitors on your website. Flash animation makes your website move slower. I read another article that said 70-80% of the people who click on a website with a flash opening, leave before it loads. That is critical information for website owners. Bells and whistles aren’t necessary and sometimes they actually hurt you. If there is something on your site that encourages people to leave, it will hurt your sales and your site.

When you create your website, visit a friend with dial up and check your site. Find out how quickly or slowly it loads. This can be critical to your visitors. Remember you want to attract visitors and your site is for their benefit.

Nikki Leigh - Fiction and Non Fiction
Author of the Book Promo 101 Series
www.nikkileigh.com/book_promo_101.htm

How to Enhance Your Book Website

What are you trying to accomplish with your website? This may sound funny, but do you have goals for your website? One common goal for an author website is to sell books. Another goal could be to promote your books and to make money. Do you have other goals for your website?

What Do Readers See On Your Author Website

Take a fresh look at your website.

What do your visitors see?
Does it have an appealing appearance?
Did you use “friendly” or “harsh” colors?
Do your pages load quickly or do they move slow with dial up service?
Can visitors navigate through your site easily or is it confusing?
Is your contact information available?
Does your site “teach” your visitors anything?

These are all important questions which need your attention.

What Does Your Author Website Offer

The first item to consider is – What do your visitors get from yourwebsite? Do you offer things they can use? Find items, details and articles that are useful for your target market. To do this, you need to determine what type of people make up your target market.

Learn To Determine Your Target Audience For Your Books

Who do you want to attract to your site? Many people say they want to attract “everybody”. It’s more complicated to attract “everybody”. A good approach is to determine what sort or category of people would be attracted to your books. Then, include bonus items, articles, links to helpful info or anything else that would be helpful to your visitors.

Many times people will share your website link with their friends when you have helpful and interesting information. This will help you find ways to give visitors information about your books and encourage them to return. It will help you draw their interest and convince them to buy your books.

Nikki Leigh - Fiction and Non Fiction
Author of the Book Promo 101 Series
www.nikkileigh.com/book_promo_101.htm

Why Aren't You Blogging

Do you understand the potential benefits of blogging? If you aren’t blogging, then you probably don’t. Before you begin, it’s important to determine the time needed to maintain and promote your blog.

With a blog, you can communicate with your potential customers and keep them coming back to read interesting and motivational content. Each time they visit your blog, you have the chance to drive them to your website and to build interest in your books. Blogging will help keep your books in their mind.

Good content on your blog is an invaluable way to educate your customers. When you give them more information, you have the opportunity to prompt a purchase. Giving potential readers a chance to get to know you and feel comfortable about you and your books can promote their buying decisions.

Blogging Is Easier Than You Think

Something that may stop you from creating a blog is the idea that it’s expensive and difficult. There are many free blogging sites and numerous free ways to promote your blog. (There is a partial list of blogging sites on the next page.)The most popular blogging sites are user friendly. Once you register, the site content walks you through each step of the process. Some blogging sites offer a tour of the site and the features you can use to create an individualized blog.

Start Blogging About Your Books

When you’re ready to enter a new blog comment – log into your account, enter your thoughts, proofread and click to submit. Make sure the content is good and motivating, but actually getting your thoughts online is easy. When you compile your blog post, remember that potential readers are interested in your writing style along with your grammar and spelling skills.

If you’re very busy, it’s possible to hire a freelancer to handle the blog. The person would need to be able to convey the personality and content that you want your visitors to read. Even if someone else writes your content, it needs to reflect your personality and your books. As a writer, I would hesitate to do this, but it’s an option you could consider if necessary.

Remember – the content doesn’t have to be perfect and highly professional, but you need to avoid grammar and spelling mistakes. Keep it casual and conversational. The entries don’t need to be long and drawn out. They can be short and to the point. Or, they can be a short blurb and a link to one of your web pages or other information that would benefit your visitors.

Possible Blog Sites

These are some well known sites where you can establish your blog. There are many free options. The sites usually offer additional services for a charge, but you can get online and establish your blog for no charge.
http://www.blogger.com/http://www.blogtopsites.com/http://www.bloggator.com/http://www.blogspot.com/http://www.diaryland.com/http://www.freeweblogs.org/http://www.incoblogs.com/http://www.livejournal.com/http://www.blogcatalog.com/ - All Sorts of Blog Resources

Blog Directories

Once your blog is established, you need to get the word out. You need to list the blog link on your website, your signature block, business cards and so forth. Each place that you list your website needs to list your blog.

There are also blog directories. People use these to find blogs that pertain to subjects they want to read about. Many blog directories are free. You should be listed in all of these. Make sure that you list your blog under the right categories.

Some of these include:http://directory.google.com/Top/Computers/Internet/On_the_Web/Weblogs/http://dir.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Internet/World_Wide_Web/Webl...http://www.masternewmedia.org/rss/top55/ (Long list of directories.)

You’re well on your way to having an established blog that people surfing the internet can find and visit.

Additional Articles About Using Blogs to Promote

Author Promotion From Your Easy Chair - Is It Possible
http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2008/04/author-book-tours-from-your-easy-chair.html

Can You Blog to Sell Books
http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2008/04/can-you-blog-to-sell-books.html

Tips For Authors Who Blog
http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2008/04/tips-for-writers-who-blog.html

Communicate With Blog Readers
http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2008/04/communicate-with-blog-readers.html

Why Aren't You Blogging
http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2008/04/why-arent-you-blogging.html

Nikki Leigh
Author of Book Promo 101 - Learn the Basics of Book Promotion
http://www.nikkileigh.com/book_promo_101.htm

Communicate With Blog Readers

When you invite readers to visit your blog, give them a chance to leave feedback. A fellow author said she didn’t include a comment feature on her blog because she didn’t have time to read the comments. She also includes her email address in case readers feel they must contact her. I cringed as I read those comments.

That’s one way to operate a blog, but I believe it’s more effective to encourage interaction with your readers and to make it easy for them to speak with you. I admit that’s only my opinion, but I feel it’s important to share the idea with you.

It’s helpful to know what visitors think about your blog content and if there are things you should do differently. You will only know this from their feedback or if your hits start to dwindle. When your hits drop off, it’s too late to get those visitors and customers back. This is one reason to see what your visitors are thinking. Their thoughts could give you ideas for future posts.

What to Say

What should you do if nothing comes to mind? Every writer has that problem some times. Writer’s block is a frustrating situation and it can happen with your latest e-book, novel or blog entry. Here are some tips to get the creative juices flowing.
Did you read a blog entry or a news article that prompted some fresh ideas? There’s nothing wrong with that. Maybe you read about a current event and it spurred positive or negative thoughts. Share these with your readers and see what they think. You could start a lively conversation.

Guest Bloggers

Do you have a writer friend who would like to sell more books? They could be a guest blogger for the day or a week if you’re out of town. It’s nice if they take a moment to mention your book, but that isn’t necessary. Take a chance to ask your visitors about the kind of guests they would like. They may want someone that you can’t deliver, but try to find someone that fits their requests.

Share Your Thoughts With Blog Visitors

Can you provide a fresh slant to a subject you discussed before? If a subject gets good response, then tweak your approach and reuse the ideas. There are many ways to broach subjects and if you are creative you can recycle ideas in quite a few different ways. Keep your readers interested even when they are basically hearing the same thing for a second or third time.

Have you found an interesting site or download that might interest your visitors? You could feature the information in a post and include the link for your readers to see what you’re talking about. This makes you look like a good resource and shows that you know where to find additional documentation and information.

Use Caution With Your Blog Comments

At times you need to vent or get something off your chest. Can you do this without offending your visitors? We all know the sort of subjects that are likely to upset people and it would be good to avoid those unless you are ready to handle the potential fallout. A friend of mine posted her opinions about the romance industry and it prompted harsh comments on many blogs, message boards and several people even sent harsh emails to her publisher. I read the post and she stated her opinions well, but she didn’t expect things to get out of control. This is an example of the reasons why we need to be cautious when you post your comments.

Nikki Leigh - Fiction and Non Fiction Author
Author of Book Promo 101 - Learn the Basics of Book Promotion
http://www.nikkileigh.com/book_promo_101.htm

Additional Articles About Using Blogs to Promote

Author Promotion From Your Easy Chair - Is It Possible
http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2008/04/author-book-tours-from-your-easy-chair.html

Can You Blog to Sell Books
http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2008/04/can-you-blog-to-sell-books.html

Tips For Authors Who Blog
http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2008/04/tips-for-writers-who-blog.htmlCommunicate

With Blog Readers
http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2008/04/communicate-with-blog-readers.html

Why Aren't You Blogging
http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2008/04/why-arent-you-blogging.html

Tips for Writers Who Blog

The following tips will help writers tweak blog posts to increase their chances of selling books. Which tips will help you attract more potential readers? Are there any additional tips that you would like to share with us? Feel free to post your comments.

Keep your posts “on topic”. Promote your book and website, so you need to keep your posts and blog on topic.
Make your posts informative and interesting. You aren’t doing this just to entertain your visitors. The idea is to give them more information so they can make an informed decision to buy your book.
Do not recycle old information. Your readers already know about things that happened months ago. They want you to share new information. The only exception is to relate some past event to a present situation.
Have a realistic and consistent schedule. Once you establish your blog, post fresh content on a regular basis. Your readers come to expect that from you and will lose confidence if you lag behind.
Keep your message clear and easy to understand. It doesn’t need to be elaborate and technical. Use a conversational and easy tone.
Maintain a certain level of quality. You also need to use keywords in your posts. Search engines love blogs and will give additional references to you and your product. But, don’t post mediocre content just to attract search engines. Keep up the quality and weave keywords into your posts.
Proofread your work. The old adage is to: edit, edit, edit and edit again. If your post is full of errors and typos, the visitor will not be motivated to buy a book with your name on the cover.
Be passionate about your topic. If you are excited about your subject, that should carry over to your visitors. Pass that excitement to your readers and they will rush to buy your work.
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