Archives for April 2013

What’s an Elevator Pitch for Your Book?

You Never Get a Second Chance

….. for a First Good Impression!
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Elevator

Book Marketing – Elevator Pitch

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Tips for a Winning Elevator Pitch

What is an Elevator Pitch? This is the 30-60 second description of your book and why someone should buy your book or work with you. It’s called an “Elevator Pitch” because it describes the challenge: “How would you explain your book or your business, if fate placed you in an elevator with your dream prospect and you only had the time it takes to get from the bottom of the building to the top?”

 The purpose of an elevator pitch is not to close a deal. It’s to interest the other person in continuing to talk, or to get someone to want to hear more. That’s IT. There is no other purpose. It is one of the most important parts of the marketing strategy for your book (business).

• Your pitch should be 30 to 60 seconds, and it needs to end with a question, “call to action” or other appropriate closer. Consider a generic closer such as, “Does that sound like something you would look at or that interests you?” That lets the listener respond and if they are interested, they will ask questions. • Content is as important as your delivery. If the content of a pitch is uninspiring or uninteresting it won’t matter if it’s well-delivered and the perfect length.

• There are differences between verbal and written pitches, between the way people speak and the way they write. Many people have trouble with this. But as a writer you are able to write a dialogue then you are also able to tell your elevator pitch to someone in a natural and conversational way.

• Show your passion. Act like a parent showing off pictures of their newborn or their star little children’s fashion model. If you’re not excited about your project, nobody else will be.

• Use your time wisely. Most people are way too busy and constantly overloaded with information. They have to make quick decisions about what deserves their attention and what doesn’t. Grab their attention immediately, work hard at making your pitch as compelling or intriguing as possible.
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See examples of elevator pitches on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98WlZJqscVk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMYD6snLI5g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqsWKaR9Q6M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-ZpP4j09s0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMFFZ0lj41I

You never know when you are going to come across someone who will ask, “What’s your book about?” At conferences, there are mealtimes, hallway chatting times and countless other times when someone might ask you this question. Always have yours ready! Always be prepared: you never have a second chance for a first good impression!

Read more: 

http://www.forbes.com/sites/carminegallo/2013/03/26/six-simple-and-irresistible-alternatives-to-the-elevator-pitch/

http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/4034-elevator-pitch-tips.html 

http://www.inc.com/marla-tabaka/fix-your-elevator-speech.html

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If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book heavily promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only a “token” of $1 / day for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/seminar

Please feel free to check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 730 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Chime.in, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing
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Entrepreneurs and Craftsmen as Authors

Books are becoming popular marketing tools for the self-employed.  An estimated almost 1 Million titles written by entrepreneurs and other non-traditional authors were published in the U.S.

That’s more than double 2008′s figure, according to Bowker LLC, which, for U.S. publishers, assigns the unique ISBN numbers that identify books.
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Mike Holmes book MAKE IT RIGHT
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“Entrepreneurs in most cases are not actually looking to produce best-sellers. Instead, most are taking advantage of new forms of publishing, including electronic publishing and print-on-demand, to generate a marketing tool and additional income at the same time.  That income stems from speaking, consulting, press and new customers. It’s not about selling copies.

The National Speakers Association, a trade group in Tempe, Arizona, USA, reports that about 70% of its 3,200 members are authors and more than 60% earn $100,000 a year on average just from giving presentations.

The trend wouldn’t have been possible without the emergence of print-on-demand publishers and the advent of the e-book.  The electronic-book market and the Internet in general have eased the distribution process for authors.  Within minutes you can now upload a file and have a book.” Mr. Witty is the author of 21 Ways to Build Your Business with a Book.

Blogger Kim Bookless writes in her article:

Your Book Is Your New Business Card

  • Your book will encourage customers to buy your product or offer you speaking engagements.
  • Your book will convince clients to hire you for consulting or freelance work. To establish your expertise and set you apart from your competition, give copies of your book to prospects when you meet them and include copies when you send proposals.
  • Your book will add legitimacy to training courses and workshops. It will help establish you as a subject matter expert and encourage people to register for classes.
  • Your book will help you build your list. Selling your book on your website enables you to capture important contact information.
  • To realize these benefits, you must produce a book that is well written and designed.

Read more:
http://writeahead.ca/2012/10/03/entrepreneurs-your-book-is-your-new-business-card/#.UX46zrVO-So

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjIPHExADoE

http://techcrunch.com/2012/01/28/why-every-entrepreneur-should-self-publish-a-book/

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If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book heavily promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only a “token” of $1 / day for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/seminar

Please feel free to check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 730 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Chime.in, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing
http://pinterest.com/111publishing/
http://on.fb.me/TvqDaK
http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

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How to Sell Foreign Book Rights

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RockofCashelIreland

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It is not that easy to sell your foreign rights without an agent or a publisher, but it’s not impossible. Women’s fiction author Kay Raymer did the whole agent query routine in 2000, but nobody would look at her novel, Hannah Street. So she sent the manuscript to her attorney, who happened to know someone at Bertelsmann / Germany. Bertelsmann made an offer on the book, and her lawyer helped arrange the contract. As a result, Raymer’s first novel appeared in Germany in 2001, a paperback original called Das Rosenhaus. Read more in Gwen Ellery’s article.

Most agents charge 20% (or sometimes even 25%) on foreign sales (including British and translations).
This 20% rate is justified because normally two agents are involved (the second one being in the foreign country), and they end up splitting the commission.

You should never agree to be paying over 25% commissions for any type of sale.
Note that your foreign sales will likely be subject to a local withholding tax (10% is common), and that all of that tax burden will be borne by you (that is, the agent will take his or her commission off the pre-tax gross).

If you are not represented already, why not try to find agents or even publishers yourself in other countries, especially if you speak more than one language?
I just found a blog post from a successful writer, who did just that: searched the internet, found contact addresses of agents in other countries and contacted them. He wrote:

“How does one sell rights in the international marketplace?
My first foreign rights sales occurred as a result of Book Expo America, where for a small fee my book was displayed in a co-op booth.  Although the book didn’t take Book Expo by storm — as I somehow thought it would — it received interest from and I sold translation rights to publishers in Mexico, Poland and Nigeria.  If publishers in such diverse countries and cultures wanted the book, I was sure publishers in other countries would also want it.”   
Read the whole article here: http://axiomawards.wordpress.com/2008/09/05/selling-foreign-rights-around-the-world/

Morris Rosenthal gives also great, detailed tips in his article about book contracts.
http://www.fonerbooks.com/contract.htm

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If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book heavily promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only a “token” of $1 / day for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/seminar

Please feel free to check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 730 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Chime.in, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing
http://pinterest.com/111publishing/
http://on.fb.me/TvqDaK
http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

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The Secret of Success with Social Media

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TulipsWord-of-Mouth Content Marketing

If you’re in the midst of developing one of the more than one million books that are published every year, it’s time to start thinking about how you are going to market your book … because in today’s publishing environment, it’s up to you to build momentum for your work.

However, if all you do on Twitter, Google+ or Facebook is to hawk your book or try to interest agents and editors in your manuscript you are probably not going to get anywhere.  This is not to say you can not ever talk about the interesting things you’re doing, this just can’t be all that you’re doing.

People on Social Media want content, and sharing content has become one important aspect of it. Create content that your target audience loves! The true allure of content marketing is in building an audience.

Social sharing provides signals to Google about which content is high quality; but more than that, social media provides networked, word-of-mouth publicity.
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10 Commands of Social Networking

Twitter, Google+, Goodreads, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, blogs, websites…

  1. Social Media is instant communication.  Managing time for  requests, connections, and comments is important.
  2. Be upfront and honest.
  3. Don’t try to do everything at once. Take it one Social Network at a time.
  4. Treat connections with respect. Followers and friends are so important.
  5. You have a great reach across the internet? People want to connect with people.
  6. It’s not about the most connections when it comes to Social Networking, It’s about having relevant connections.
  7. Be comfortable in the network(s).  Be able to be your authentic self.
  8. Automate posts – in order to save time you can spend individually with your followers
  9. Ask questions and share, share, share. Everyone has questions, some have answers. Get a dialog going…. After all, Social Media is about sharing.
  10. Set-up your bio(s) for optimization. Use key words that will attract the type of people that you want to connect with.
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Ask yourself “how am I truly adding value to my networks today?”  Start thinking about Social Media as a conversation not a transaction.  You will get really frustrated if you think it’s an immediate fix. Social media is important, maybe even crucial for writers today. Don’ t forget: customers always buy from those they know and like.

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If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book heavily promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only a “token” of $1 / day for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/seminar

Please feel free to check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 730 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Chime.in, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing
http://pinterest.com/111publishing/
http://on.fb.me/TvqDaK
http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

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Most Beautiful Beaches in the World: Grand Turks Islands

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Writers Seminar on a Caribbean Cruise: Combine them and you will have a vacation of a lifetime! Learn on days at sea and enjoy the most beautiful beaches, waterfalls and tropical flora around the ports your cruise ship anchors. Get more info at http://writers.thecruiseevent.com/

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If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book heavily promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only a “token” of $1 / day for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/seminar

Please feel free to check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 730 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Chime.in, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing
http://pinterest.com/111publishing/
http://on.fb.me/TvqDaK
http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

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Remember the Time Before Social Media?

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Even your grandmother is now on Social Media. Do you remember the time before Facebook, Twitter and Google+?  See the steep curve of the user growth rate in all age ranges and demographics, and the continuing pervasiveness of social networking into every facet of work, play and life in general.

Social Media Facts – did you know:

  • 53% of all employers research potential job candidates on Social Media?
  • 80% of companies use Social Media for Recruitment?
  • 43% of companies used blogs in 2012 and growing?
  • 33% of companies use YouTube videos for marketing?
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Readers are making book purchasing decisions every day based on social media interactions.  Social platforms are a way to connect with your readers. Use it and be social!

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The Growth of Social Media: An Infographic
Source: The Growth of Social Media: An Infographic
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If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book heavily promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only a “token” of $1 / day for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/seminar

Please feel free to check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 730 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Chime.in, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing
http://pinterest.com/111publishing/
http://on.fb.me/TvqDaK
http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

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Twitter Co-Founder’s Second Best Idea

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Square-Credit-Card-Reader

Square Credit Card Reader

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Imagine, you are at a function, such as a party or book signing and someone wants to buy a signed copy of your book directly from you, but has no cash on hand. How useful would it be to accept a credit card for your sales (besides that, spending increases more, when using credit cards). This transaction is now possible with a tiny device, you attach to your cell phone, called the “Square“.

It is the second revolutionary idea Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter, has helped to create and transform into a viable business: Square Inc., a mobile credit card reader and business management system. Canada is the first stop in Square’s global expansion, after the successful launch in the States. “We want to carry out every transaction in the world,” he’s said – not a small dream.

A small, free (and yes, square-shaped) plastic card-swipe reader that plugs into an iPhone, iPad or Android. It allows registered sellers to accept Visa and Mastercard purchases, with a 2.75 per cent fee per transaction. Two million individuals and merchants now use Square in the U.S. to record $8 billion in annual sales. Starbucks added the Square payment system to 7,000 U.S. stores last fall, and bought a $25-million stake in the company.

Square’s free app gives retailers business tools to track sales, taxes, inventory and popular items; it can identify new customers and give them an incentive to return with discounts or loyalty programs.

Forbes, which recently added Twitter Co-Founder Jack Dorsey as a billionaire member of its famed list of the 400 wealthiest Americans, calls him “nerdier than Steve Jobs” and “a disrupt-er on an epic scale.” Certainly, he builds big dreams from small ideas: a tiny plastic dongle, or a blogging site designed so even those using the most primitive cellphones can tap out 140 characters and participate in the global conversation. BTW, Jack Dorsey’s favored writers are Ernest Hemingway, William Gibson and Margaret Atwood.

Not only writers can sell their books everywhere they are, performing artists for example can sell their records/DVD’s or any other art work right away after performances to their fans. It’s possibilities are endless: garage sales, antique shows, farmers markets … these tiny devices are tremendously useful just everywhere to do payment transactions. Anyone who’s selling anything, be it at a yard sale or a bake sale, collecting donations, or if you’re a music teacher or a gardener, you can now accept credit cards. Jack Dorsey expects individuals and small retailers will be the early adapters. You can start to accept credit cards today, get your free card reader for your phone at Square.

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If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book heavily promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only a “token” of $1 / day for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/seminar

Please feel free to check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 730 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Chime.in, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing
http://pinterest.com/111publishing/
http://on.fb.me/TvqDaK
http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

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How I Survived – Gloria Gaynor Might Publish Your Story

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Gloria Gaynor

Gloria Gaynor

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Famous singer Gloria Gaynor wrote her story of a life-altering accident in a recent Huffington-Post online article:
“The “Queen is dead,” was the report rumored to be circulating around my record company. A few weeks before, I had fallen on stage, jumped back up, and continued my show, including the rigorous choreography. I went out to breakfast after the show, gone home and off to bed. The next morning I felt refreshed. But then I reached for the phone to call my boyfriend and could not turn completely over. I tried to turn over again and felt an excruciating pain that hit me in my back … “. Read the whole story on Huffington Post.
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However, Gloria Gaynor (born Gloria Fowles on September 7, 1949 in Newark, New Jersey) is not only a great singer, but also writes. She will publish a book with real-life stories that read like fiction – maybe your story too:

Have you survived an illness, personal tragedy, abusive relationship, financial ruin, or other life experience that brought you to your knees?  Did the disco-era song “I Will Survive,” by Grammy Award-winning songstress Gloria Gaynor, inspire you to rise and thrive?
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If so, we’d love to share your story in a new book of personal narrative essays that tell the story of how you survived the experience and how the song influenced your life. We’re looking for real-life stories that read like fiction—similar to the stories in the “Cup of Comfort” book series, compiled and edited by Colleen Sell.

The book will include 50 stories of 1,000-2,000 words each. For each essay selected for publication in the book, the author will receive $75, a complimentary copy of the book signed by Gloria Gaynor, and a signed photo of Ms. Gaynor. Well, it’s not a big money maker, but it could be satisfying to write your story and maybe see it in a celebrity book. Start for a freelancing career? Who knows. Listen to her music on YouTube.

Submit by April 30, 2013
E-mail: glolo2004@me.com
or susancarswell@aol.com/

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If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book heavily promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only a “token” of $1 / day for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/seminar

If you enjoyed this blog post, please feel free to check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 720 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Chime.in, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing
http://pinterest.com/111publishing/
http://on.fb.me/TvqDaK
http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

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What Every Author Should Know

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Where are these big publishers heading?

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When consulting / coaching our clients, helping them with their book marketing, we often have to watch them coming to a screeching hold when they try to organize special sales or free days: authors cannot change prices, text or anything else on their retailers account if they go with a publisher. No matter if it is a traditional big publisher or one of these “vanity” publishers, as only those can go into the retailers account – unless they give their authors the keyword and other details and the permission to do changes on the sales page.
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Every writer, no matter if they author-publish (really self-publish) or if they have sold their manuscript, they have to do their own marketing. But how can you do it, if you are on the mercy of a publisher – real or vanity? If you don’t own the ISBN and if they have no access to they retailers publishing pages?
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This is a huge problem (among many others) that authors face after they have given away their work for pittance – or worse, have paid thousands of dollars to a vanity firm. So, what’s the difference between both, beside the fact that they hinder the authors in their marketing efforts?

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Traditional Publishers

  • Accept very few submissions
  • Authors receive a small advance and royalties
  • They do not use print on demand (single or few books)
  • Authors have barely any say to cover image, publishing date etc.
  • It takes very long until the book is published
  • Publisher pays for printing, editing services and cover image 
  • Distribution services are covered by the publisher
  • Professional marketing services available – but only for celebrity writers
  • They own the ISBN for the book
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Vanity Publisher

  • Accepts almost all submissions 
  • Author never receives any advance 
  • Author pays for printing, editing services 
  • Quick turnaround and Print on Demand 
  • Barely any distribution services
  • No professional marketing services 
  • Very few royalties – if any at all
  • They own the ISBN for the book

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Why not self-publish?
If an author has all these challenges, waiting times (or costs to cover in the worst scenario) – and cannot even do the necessary marketing without huge problems, what’s the point in having a publisher? Why not author-publish / self-publish in the first place, and be independent when it comes to marketing?

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If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book heavily promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only a “token” of $1 / day for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/seminar

If you enjoyed this blog post, please feel free to check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 720 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Chime.in, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing
http://pinterest.com/111publishing/
http://on.fb.me/TvqDaK
http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

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