Authors Find and Engage their Target Market with Social Media

The economy is shaky, customers are more conservative and marketing budgets have shrunk. What’s a  entrepreneur to do?

Well let’s begin by looking at the definition of an entrepreneur. “Entrepreneurs use personal initiative, and engage in calculated risk-taking, to create new business ventures by raising resources to apply innovative new ideas that solve problems, meet challenges, or satisfy the needs of a clearly defined market.” (Entrepreneurship: Creating a Venture by Lily Kretchman et al. Toronto: Wiley, 1991.) In this definition the answer is clear. Entrepreneurs no matter what the economic outlook take calculated risks, create new business ventures and solve problems.

This is why Social Media Made Easy works to give entrepreneurs the edge. Entrepreneurs have and will always be the creators of the innovative businesses ventures that will change the landscape of communities, cities and the world. So who needs on-line marketing/social media? The answer is authors, speakers, personal trainers, holistic health practitioners, coaches, self-improvement teachers, real estate agents, MLM professionals and all the other problem solvers. Finding and engaging your target market has never been easier and the best part is that access is essentially FREE.

Join Social Media Made Easy at Mobile Media Mysteries Uncovered 2/9/12 @ 6pm at WCCCD Eastern Campus.

www.socialmediaforauthors.eventbrite.com

MIND ON MONEY: Who Moved My Cheese? via @holla_KGreene #mwn

        Greetings Readers!  My name is Kelly Greene.  I am a former autoworker from Detroit Michigan.  Why former? I look too young to retire.  Did I hit the Lottery?  Did I find the key to financial bliss?  The answer to both questions is no.  The truth is I lost my job due the economy as well as thousands of others in America.  The funny thing about it, I should have been prepared.  Had I took one book seriously, I just might have been.

      About 12 years ago, I was given a book by my girlfriend.  The book was called “Who Moved My Cheese?” by Spencer Johnson.  I read it and cast it to the side as a decent read.  I couldn’t take it seriously.  I was working at American Axle and making good money or “Getting that Cheese” as we say in the hood.  “Cheese” was plentiful then.  I worked 50-60 hrs a week for an automobile company and automobiles are  one of the top 5 inventions of all time.  The world was not going to replace the automobile anytime soon. I was certain that I would have a job for life or at least 30 yrs. I was wrong.  I didn’t factor in that where they made the parts or the automobiles themselves were subject to change.  American Axle moved my Cheese to Mexico 10 yrs after I read that book!  Spencer Johnson was right!  We have to be ready and expect change in both our professional and private lives.

ARTICLE: Retelling the Story: Rewriting Fantasy, History, and Myth #MWN

Great article by Irene Watson for all the writers of all genres. Even if you don’t write in fantasy, history or myth, you can siphon information from this article of tips and tricks of how to retail and rewrite your story: fiction or nonfiction!

Retelling the Story: Rewriting Fantasy, History, and Myth

By Irene Watson

If you take a look at Hollywood movies today, a lot of them are remakes of old films or based on books that have long been well-known. The same is true in the publishing industry. It’s much easier to sell a book that is a sequel to “Pride and Prejudice” to the multitude of Jane Austen fans than it is to sell a new romance novel, and even though most of the vampire novels today are not sequels to “Dracula,” they capitalize on the popularity of the vampire figure.

A writer in search of a “novel” topic might consider taking a look at popular stories, myths, legends, or events in history and creating a new story or version of the story based on them; such a re-vision of an old story can be a profitable and easier way to gain a reading audience. Once you write a book that tells what happened after Camelot fell or after Cinderella married the prince, provided you have told the story well, you will have created a reading audience. Then you will likely have an audience who will largely follow you when you write your completely original novel set in a world with characters you solely created without the aid of another author.

Before you dismiss the idea of rewriting an old story in a new way, take some time to think about the stories that have captured your imagination over the years, and think about how you might have wished they ended differently-what if you retold the story the way you wish it had been told or with the ending you would have preferred? Here are just a few examples of old stories that have been reinvented in recent years for new audiences that might give you some ideas:

King Arthur: There is no absence to the number of novels coming out to retell the story of King Arthur and Camelot. Among the best have been Marion Zimmer Bradley’s “The Mists of Avalon” (1982) which retells the story from the women’s point of view. This novel inspired countless others that retold the Arthurian legend, including Jack Whyte’s Camulod Chronicles that told the story of before Camelot, to numerous books about what happened after Camelot, and even stories of King Arthur set in Outer Space. There are plenty of readers out there who will buy just about any book with a King Arthur connection.

Ancient Myths: Marion Zimmer Bradley also capitalized on the Trojan War by retelling that story from the women’s point of view in her novel, “The Firebrand.” In addition, numerous books and films have freely adapted the Greek myths, from “Clash of the Titans” to “Immortals.” The Norse, Egyptian, and Celtic gods are equally popular and capable of inspiring some great new novels.

Popular Archetypes or Characters: Vampire novels are very popular. Basic elements exist to all vampire stories, and “Dracula” is the seminal work most build off, although writers reinvent the story by making it their own within the guidelines of the key elements such as the vampire being a bloodsucker, not being able to move about in the daylight, not being able to face a crucifix, its reflection not being seen in mirrors, and its being able to turn into a bat. Other archetypal figures to consider include mummies, mermaids, and a wide range of fairy tale characters.

Classics: As long as the copyright of a book has expired, you are free to do with it what you will. Numerous authors have capitalized on classics. Some of the more popular in recent years have been “Mr. Darcy, Vampyre” and “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies,” both revisions of Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” while mixing it with popular archetypal or mythical characters. Gregory Maguire’s “Wicked” re-envisioned the story of the Wicked Witch of the West in “The Wizard of Oz,” leading to a series of novels and a hit Broadway musical. Numerous more “The Wizard of Oz” revisionist movies and books are currently in the works.

Historical Events: History can be dry-just facts and dates-but when you think about who those people really were, what motivated them, their love affairs, dreams, and goals, you can create some great fiction. The popularity of books like Ken Follett’s “The Pillars of the Earth” and numerous films and television series like “The Tudors” have made people from centuries ago real and interesting to twenty-first century readers. Is there something about Alexander the Great, Cleopatra, Columbus, Napoleon, or Hitler’s story that still speaks to us today? Of course; they were human like us; what motivated them, frustrated them, turned them toward doing good or evil, made them dream and succeed and fail? How can you capitalize upon their humanity to make an interesting story today?

How to Write the Story Anew
The key to creating a successful story based on one already well-known is to introduce a new twist to it. Here are a few tips or questions to ask yourself in creating that new version of an old story.

1. What made the villain a villain? Is there a villain backstory to be told? In “Wicked,” the Wicked Witch was made sympathetic as we came to understand her motivation for behaving the way she did.

1. Was the story told from the conqueror’s point of view? In “The Wizard of Oz” Dorothy just takes Glinda and the Wizard’s word for it that the Wicked Witch is wicked. What if the Wizard and Glinda just didn’t like the witch and lied about who she really was? What if you retold the story from the perspective of the conquered, or someone caught in the middle but not on either side? How would “Alice in Wonderland” be different if the Queen of Hearts or the Mad Hatter told the story? What if “Treasure Island” were retold from Long John Silver’s point of view?

1. What if the climactic event had turned out differently? Recently, Stephen King published a time travel novel in which someone goes back in time to try to stop the assassination of President Kennedy. What if a key event had not happened or had happened differently? Kim Newman’s “Anno Dracula” is based on the supposition that Dracula was not defeated-and the result is that he has conquered England and even married Queen Victoria. Think of all the “what if” possibilities. What if the Trojans rather than the Greeks had won the war? What if the South rather than the North had won the Civil War? What if Abraham Lincoln had not been assassinated? What if Napoleon had succeeded in conquering the world?

1. How can you explain something magical or mythical? In “Wicked,” the winged monkeys are actually the witch’s experiment where she sews on their wings. What if Merlin doesn’t have magic powers but is just a good scientist who knows how to trick people into thinking he has magical powers? What if the Greek gods were really humans who used trickery to gain control over people? What if St. George pulled a stunt to make it look like he killed a dragon? What would any of these situations suggest about the main character or the world that these people lived in? Think for example of the Wizard of Oz who holds everyone in awe of him, only to turn out to be a humbug. Who else in literature, myth, or history might have been a humbug?

1. What if the bad guy were really the good guy? Everyone knows Mordred slew King Arthur, but some authors are now depicting Arthur as the bad guy while Mordred was only trying to protect his country. What if the stepmother wasn’t mean but Cinderella was just a spoiled little girl who was mad that her father remarried? What if the evil wizard was really a great teacher trying to help the hero by playing devil’s advocate?

1. What if the storyteller is a liar-the unreliable narrator syndrome? Could the person who tells the story be lying to us? David Copperfield might be an unreliable narrator, a hoodlum even, while Uriah Heep really is a humble hero wrongfully accused of stealing Aunt Betsy’s money when in truth she was just a spendthrift. What about Injun Joe-isn’t it possible Tom Sawyer and his community were simply racists?

Many possibilities exist for retelling a classic story and making people rethink it and see it anew. Make sure the work you choose to rewrite does not have a copyright attached to it. Anything published before 1900 should be safe.

Often, rewriting a story with a new spin or twist on it can be an excellent writing exercise that takes an already effective plot and characters and allows for the possibility of seeing it anew while teaching a writer about pacing, plot, and character development. While I’m always an advocate for authors to be original, retelling a story in an original way like Marion Zimmer Bradley did in “The Mists of Avalon” or Gregory Maguire did in “Wicked” can do more than create a great novel. It can make people rethink history, see gray areas of meaning, and stretch their imaginations in new and inspiring ways.

Irene Watson is the Managing Editor of Reader Views, where avid readers can find reviews of recently published books as well as read interviews with authors. Her team also provides author publicity and a variety of other services specific to writing and publishing books.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Irene_Watson

Article: Will Writing A Book Make You Rich? by Lisa Schultz

By Lisa Shultz

It is wise not to expect to become rich from writing and publishing a book. If you dream of millions of dollars flowing into your bank account as a result of publishing your book from the book itself, think again. It can happen, but it is rare.

However, as a result of being a published author, you can make money in other ways that can be very lucrative. The book establishes your credibility and expertise, which then can be leveraged into other products and income streams.

Let’s assume your book is now a reality and in print. Let’s also assume you have a website focused on the book or its message.

Now you can set up a variety of opportunities around your book establishing a platform to build wealth.
Here are some ideas of how to you can leverage your book into income opportunities:

1. You can develop a signature talk about your book and begin seeking speaking engagements. At first you may not be paid to speak but be sure to obtain permission to sell your books at the back of the room or at the end of the presentation. You can also speak on the radio or be interviewed and verbally direct listeners to your website to purchase your book.

2. Develop a tele-seminar or webinar series about your book or spin offs related to your book. Initially that event may be free but be sure to have a back-end irresistible offer built into the presentation.

3. Offer consulting or coaching services. You may want to consider offering a complementary initial 30 minute session with the opportunity to continue for a fee.

4. You can develop a workshop based on your book and charge admission.

5. You can also create a membership site, mastermind group or inner circle for fans and followers.

6. It is wise to build a strong social media presence around your book with a well-designed fan page. From this page or profile, you can direct your viewers to take action by enrolling in offers and programs you design.

7. Implement a list gathering method to build a list and contact that list with offers of a bonus or other promotions of your choice. Provide updates, newsletters, gifts, specials, and other creative ideas to keep in contact with your fans.

8. Find joint venture partnerships for collaboration and cross promotion. This relationship can be a win-win for both parties with increased exposure of each others books or services. You may have a similar target audience as your partners so that each can build exposure and their own lists by sharing an offer to entice some sort of call to action for the prospective reader or purchaser.

9. Create a solid brand around your book to take every where you go and place this branding on everything you do. This will help the overall image of your book and yourself to attract opportunities and give yourself a professional appearance.

10. Go out and network and be visible. Use your book as a business card and see what doors open to you. Books provide credibility that will change the way people view you. There is an unlimited number of ways to maximize the full potential of what a book can do for your life. Explore and enjoy the journey!

And if you would like to know more about self-publishing process, visit http://www.selfpublishingexperts.com Get free instant access to tips, a free book visualization and more. You’ll find that the writing process can be simplified and even easy with guidelines and sequential steps to follow. Lisa Shultz is a self-publishing specialist and loves to help others bring their books to life.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lisa_Shultz

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Article: How to Write a Quality Book via @bloggingauthors #mwn

By Irene Watson

 

Some people might think that anyone can write a book review, but to write one that will help people to make an educated decision about whether a book is worth reading requires honesty, good writing, support for an argument, and an adequate description.

Following are some attributes of quality reviews. If you are someone who writes reviews or wants to be a book critic, these can be used as guidelines to help you write critiques that readers will appreciate. If you are an author, look for these qualities in potential critics so you can determine whether you want the person to read and write about your book.

Honesty: A review isn’t worth anything if it’s not honest. If a reviewer gives every book five stars, chances are he’s either not reading the books or he’s afraid to hurt the author’s feelings. Reviews should be balanced and only praise books that are well-developed in their arguments, have engaging storylines and characters, or add new information to their field. Whether or not the reviewer receives compensation for reviewing the book, the review is of no value if it isn’t honest. A critic should not be “bought,” and one who writes up a glowing and dishonest review is doing no one a service because his readers will no longer value his opinion and be angry that they spent time and money reading a sub-par book. Similarly, the reviewer who has an ax to grind and gives a book a low rating because he simply doesn’t like the author or the general topic would do better to review other books or no books at all. Bad reviews have their place; they can be a true learning experience for the author, but they can also be kindly worded.

Brief and Clear Summaries: A good book review is not a book report. It should not include a complete plot summary or a chapter-by-chapter description of the book’s contents. It may, however, describe enough of the plot to make people want to read further, such as stopping the summary at a cliffhanger moment, or it might list the main topics without going into detail. Under no circumstances should a review give away a novel’s ending, or list the concluding arguments of a non-fiction work. In short, a review should never provide so much information that the reader feels no need to read the book because he completely knows what it contains; a review should be like a movie trailer-a teaser to get people to read the book, while giving enough commentary to let the reader decide whether the subject is really for him.

Accuracy: Book reviews must be accurate, so if looking for a book critic, checking the accuracy of the person’s past reviews is the best way to determine whether the person truly reads the books he reviews. By accuracy, I mean using the correct names of the characters and spelling them properly, accurately summarizing the plot, and also the importance of proper grammar and punctuation so the reviewer appears intelligent and competent, and therefore, qualified to write the review.

Good Writing: A reviewer is a writer him- or herself. The person should have a strong command of the English language and be able to communicate well. Writing choppy sentences and having poor grammar will only make the reviewer look bad, and that will result in people not understanding the book’s value or valuing the critic’s opinion. A good reviewer will also have knowledge of what constitutes good writing and be able to judge the difference between good and bad. He or she should be widely read and be familiar especially with the subject area to be reviewed, or be willing to admit when a subject is out of his range of expertise; if the latter, he can still judge the material based upon how well he was able to follow the argument. If a reviewer is highly knowledgeable about the Middle Ages, she may be the best person to review a book on the building of Gothic cathedrals, but she may not be the best person to review a book debating evolution-that said, she can admit she is no expert on the subject, but still point out whether the book informed her and she was able to follow it. It never hurts for the reviewer to add whom he thinks would be the perfect audience or age group for the book, for example, “I think anyone interested in quantum physics would enjoy this book” or “This book is probably best suited for a young adult audience, but I think many adults will be pleasantly surprised as well by how entertaining it is.”

Supporting Statements: A good review will provide a basic argument-this book is good or bad, or has merit but with a few faults-and then support that statement with examples, such as: “Sometimes the plot becomes unbelievable; for example when the princess suddenly reveals that she has the ability to turn invisible and doesn’t explain how.” Quoting a passage from the book will help to support the statements. Quotes can be helpful to readers so they get a sense of the author’s style and the work’s reading level to determine whether they will enjoy it. Quotes can be used to provide support for a statement that the book is humorous, well-argued, or a number of other positive or negative attributes it might have. The important thing to remember is that a review is an argument so its writer has to provide support for his argument if he is going to convince people to read, or not to read, a book.

Visibility: Finally, a good review is a visible one-it will be seen by lots of readers. Before you spend money on a review or even give away free review copies of your books, make sure the review will be posted in places where readers go to find out about books. Those places might include the reviewer’s website or blog, online bookstores where the review will be read by customers, as well as print publications like newspapers or magazines, or bookseller brochures. A review is not worth having if no one is going to see it. Also, as an author, be sure to ask for permission to quote from the review in part and in full so you can post it on your website or at least link to it, and so you can quote from it on the back of your back cover and include it in your marketing pieces.

A quality review will help an author to sell books and it will make a reviewer an authority whom readers will come to respect and follow. Few things are of more benefit to an author than a positive and well-written book review.

Irene Watson is the Managing Editor of Reader Views, where avid readers can find reviews of recently published books as well as read interviews with authors. Her team also provides author publicity and a variety of other services specific to writing and publishing books.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Irene_Watson

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Social Media for Authors: New Google Social Network and more…

At a Google presentation last week, many business owners in Michigan learned firsthand from the search engine gurus themselves, why every business must have a website.  At the top of the list of vehicles to help customers find their website was social networks like Facebook and Twitter.  These networks are so important because they help your customers find you as you leave breadcrumbs
that lead to your on-line store.

You may have heard that Google has recently launched their own social network, Google + but do you have a circles yet? If I’m talking a foreign language to you, I invite you to visit www.facebook.com/socialmediamadeeasycoachingand watch the recent videos that were created by Google to show you how their new social network can work for you.

Google gets it. They know that social networks are not going anywhere. They are only growing. Google sees that this concept of people connecting to the things that matter to them (which 10 years ago was made popular by another search engine Yahoo and social network MySpace) is worth them also giving it a shot. With the best internet minds and their robust search engine user collateral at their disposal, Google is betting they can compete with Facebook the current social network favorite with 500 million active users.

Don’t wait any longer. Learn to maximize your social media connections and content. The book buyer’s market is vast and many readers are impulse buyers. Start leaving breadcrumbs that lead to your book everywhere. Here is one of my breadcrumbs. www.theartofreinventingyoubook.com Follow it and see where it leads you.

BTW, http://bookbusinessmag.com has this free white paper “21 Tips for Book Publishers to Build an Effective Social Media Strategy” that I highly recommend. Check it out as well.

Until next time press those buttons, I dare you.

Coach Versandra Kennebrew

Join me on Google +

www.socialmediamadeeasydetroit.com

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Social Media for Authors: I dare you press that button

Image via Wikipedia

Since 2007 I have been an active user of Facebook and I have witnessed many upgrades and deletions of apps and such that drive interaction on the most common social network in history.  I’ve also watched businesses and author jump on the band wagon without a clue of what the game was about.  Monkey see, monkey do. And so it is with many authors.

This series of social media blogs for authors was birthed out of a desire to help authors stop being crowd followers and begin to open their eyes to the wealth of resources and income potential social networks bring. Today we will discuss the buttons or tabs that seem to get ignored because some people think that clicking them will break the computer or something.

So let me make it clear once and for all. Buttons are your friends. They want you to push them. They are crying out to you, “please,
pretty please stop ignoring me.”  Now that we are clear  let’s move on. The first question that any human has when exploring a subject is why and this is where we will begin in today’s session.

When you press any button, you are activating or deactivating something. Press the power button on your computer and you turn it on. Press again to turn it off. Visit your email and enter a login code and password then press the login button to login or get started reading and responding to messages in your inbox.  Its kinda like when you come home from work, put the key in the key hole and turn it to enter your home. If you turn the key the wrong way, you may not get in the door but you have learned that if you turn the key in the opposite direction, chances are, you gain access.  You see, it’s that easy.

So, the number one reason for pressing the button is to gain access and the second is to link access. If you are asking what you are gaining access too, then you are with me. The answer is you are gaining access to the originator of the button and in the case of social networks, you are also gaining access to the originator’s network and if you add a link, you are giving access to an additional network. How cool is that? If you are not following me, don’t worry, I’m going to make this all relevant in just a few.

Hopefully by now, every reader of this blog has a “like” page for their book. If not, stop reading this blog and do it now. Stop procrastinating and just do it. I want you to jump on the band wagon and explore your surroundings. This is a coaching blog so you are learning and not simply following.

Ok, now that you have your page up, you’ve followed all the prompts to populate the page with relevant content and invited your friends to join, visit www.facebook.com/socialmediamadeeasycoaching and let’s stay connected just in case you need more support.

Back to gaining and linking access. Off-line people speak negatively about cliques because they have not gained access. They believe that the exclusivity of these groups or networks of like-minded individuals is a bad thing. They are jealous, because in their minds, they have placed the members of the clique in an elite position above themselves.  Social media takes the veil off cliques
because to gain access all you have to do is press a button. Are you with me now?

I’m still discussing the importance of buttons on social network sites in gaining and linking access. So imagine there is a book store that you want to sell your book. You go to the store’s page and click the “like” button.  You now have access as a fan of
the bookstore. You look for the page owner’s photo and button and click to access their personal profile. (BTW, you must access people on Facebook as yourself, not your business) You study their info page and find a common interest and on the basis of that common interest, you click the friend request button. Guess what? You now have access to their news feed (unless they have blocked non-friends) and you can get to know them better by reading it from time to time. You establish a rapport with the book store owner by liking, commenting and sharing relevant content and they invite you to do a book signing at their store yielding you hundreds of new customers.  How about that for access?

Now let’s explore access from the standpoint of a company looking for a speaker who is an expert in a certain topic. You are the expert and your book delves into the topic the company is seeking. They place the topic (keywords) in the search bar but will they find you? The company reads one of your blogs and finds that you are knowledgeable, professional and your readers respond to you by looking at the comments, likes and shares at the bottom of your blog. Will you be the expert they contact? Have your readers actually enjoyed your content enough to link it to their Facebook page by pressing share. Is your comment box empty?

I’ve asked a lot of questions in hopes that they will trigger some thoughts and feelings regarding the importance of pressing buttons and interacting with good or bad content. The two examples I used, demonstrate the benefits of others using the buttons for your content but the golden rule is “do unto other that which you would have the do unto you.”  Be a teacher. Show your contacts how it should be done by breaking free from the fear of pressing buttons and see how the back links, shares and comments begin to flow. Let’s get liberated. Let’s go viral baby. Start today by clicking the buttons below. If this blog was no good, say so by posting a comment. If it was helpful, you know what to do. Press “like” and add a comment to encourage your friends, groups or fans to also read it. Finally, commit from this day forth to never spend the time reading an article and not let your valuable opinion count.

Until next time, press the button, I dare you.

Coach Versandra Kennebrew

www.socialmediamadeeasydetroit.com Join Us!

Author Tech: Get Money!

Like I wrote before, being an author is like being a small business owner.  You have products (books) to sell and its up to you a lot of the time to get the word out (marketing) about how awesome your product is!  If you are a self-published author you also spend a lot of time selling the product too!

So its important to know about PayPal, Google Checkout, Square Up and any other easy payment gateways out there because you want to GET MONEY!! Right?

So here is my official review of Square Card Reader for SMART Phones (Androids & iPhones, sorry Blackberry peeps).  Now if you’re reading this I HOPE you have taken my advice (from previous articles) and picked up your SMART Phone and Optimized it!  So now you’re ready to do business on the go!

I signed up for the Square Card Reader for a couple of reasons.

• I am an author and need to sell books on the fly or at book signings and other events
• I do home parties and sell products and services out and about
• I wanted to try a cool new gadget to review for you all!

While I already had a mobile payment solution , it was for another business account and I wanted an alternative to keep funds separate and the money straight. Also with the other solution I have to key in all the info which can be a pain. With this reader, it’s swipe & go! You can also capture their signature using the touchscreen, this is good as a secondary way to prove they were really there in case of a dispute (always a concern when using plastic).

Getting It

After opening my account (very simple, but you do have to give your SSN & link it to a bank account for payment), I thought my reader was on the way and would arrive within 2-5 days (as promised), but either I missed some instruction or there was a glitch in the matrix b/c a couple of weeks went by with no reader. So I logged back in to see what was up and lo and behold there was a “ship another card reader option.” My reader arrived within a week! (Yay! It looked so cute, nestled in its little box & protective foam).

Installation

I  put the unit into the audio jack (3.5 mm only) on my phone and then headed over to the Android Market Place and downloaded the Square App.  Once installed I simply entered my username/email address and password and I was pretty much up and running.

Using It

The interface is pretty simple, key in the dollar amount and then add the description by typing or  (this is really cool) TAKING A PICTURE!  How awesome, especially if you sell physical items!  Next SWIPE THE CARD to charge and it will tell you immediately if its approved or not.  Finally the person signs using their finger (pens don’t work) and you choose whether the receipt is texted or emailed and input the appropriate information.  What’s cool is that there is a option for tips & taxes and you can eliminate the signature option for payments <$25 (but that also eliminates the tipping option).  What’s nice is that  you can pull up your sales history right from the app or via the online account management tool.

Pretty simple right? What’s nice is there is no worrying about paper and pens, but if you’re in an area with spotty reception, you may be cash only!  Also keep your charger and/or extra batter handy.

Getting Paid

So next up is getting my money!  This Diva does not like to wait to get paid.  My favorite thing about PayPal is INSTANT access to your money if you get the debit card.  Too bad they don’t allow swiping yet .  With Square, you do have to wait a couple business days to get your money.  I did a transaction Friday night and the funds were available today (Tuesday).  The delay I am sure had to do with it being the weekend.  Yes they took out their 2.75% fee (as was expected), but overall the experience was simple and my money is now safely home with me

Refunds

I just put in request to REFUND one of my test payments and will update this post with how long it takes to complete.

Conclusion

Overall so far Square is alright with me, but its still pretty new and some people have had negative experiences.  I know there are some limits in how soon you can get your cash for transactions over $1000 in a week AND getting to customer service is only available via email so read the fine print and be aware.    It also records the GPS location of each transaction which is kinda creepy to me.

I prefer to collect cash and will still use my PayPal Virtual Terminal for payments over the phone or other keyed in methods b/c I want access to my money quickly, but this is a great tool to help increase profitability because you can take deposits, retainers, or sell products via credit card wherever you are that has reception!  The only thing I need now is a cute little carrying case to protect this baby!!

Kania “TechnoDiva” Kennedy is a graduate of Duke University and holds her B.S.E. in Electrical and Computer Engineering. In addition to being a self-published author she is a life long fan of technology, loves “gadgets,” and she has always been the “goto” girl when technological things need to be “hooked up” or “figured out.”Connect with her on Facebook | Twitter | Google + | LinkedIn

Social Media for Authors: What I really want to say is…

Writers are master story tellers. We take lessons and experiences; add characters, plots, antagonists and protagonists to the mix to produce products for customers all over the world to buy. But why does social media appear to be so problematic among authors?

The quick answer to this million dollar question is; just like a writer sends their transcript to an editor to check it for grammatical errors and make sure the story flows, they should also consult a social media strategist to help them develop an on-line communication plan (a script) that works for them.

After the social media plan has been established, character disassociation or roleplaying is an excellent tool for authors as they move into their role as best-selling author. Once you establish you are an award winning or best-selling author, you can determine what you really want to say to the world.  

Register today for the Upgrade Business Boot Camp November 14-16 from 6p – 9p

Coach Versandra Kennebrew

The first day of the boot camp is free to the first 10 authors to register on-line.  Get to know a social media coach and technology consultant that cares about you and your literary projects. 

http://www.upgradebusinessbootcamp.com/

Do You Have What It Takes to Be A Successful Author? by Irene Watson #mwn

Being an author is no job for wimps. It takes a lot more than glamorously writing books in Paris cafes surrounded by admirers. It takes long solitary hours of writing-what John Steinbeck called “the loneliest job in the world.” And it takes a willingness to promote your book, no matter what the cost.

Authors have to deal with the public-not just admiring fans, but indifferent readers, and those who want to string them up by a rope when a typo is found in a book. Authors have to work long hours both writing and marketing, often with little reward. And authors have to sacrifice their free time and sometimes make difficult decisions such as using that money saved for a new car instead to print the next book. And yes, when someone tells you how he loves your book, it can be all worthwhile, but a lot of work is required before you may receive that compliment.

Before you publish that book, you may want to find out whether you have what it takes to be a successful author. It’s a lot like being Superwoman or Hercules while having the patience of Job. Find out whether you have what it takes by taking this short quiz:

The Successful Author Quiz:

You are invited to speak at an event on Saturday that is a three-hour drive from home, both ways, for which you will not get paid and there is no guarantee you’ll sell any books. Do you:

a. Instantly say, “Yes!” and feel elated that someone wants to hear you speak. (2 pts)
b. Tell the event planner you can’t come unless you are paid for the mileage. (1 pt)
c. Say, “No, sorry. Saturday is family time.” (0 pts)

A reader points out to you the typo on p. 38 of your book. Do you:

a. Realize no one is perfect, but fix it for the next printing. (2 pts)
b. Tell the person, “I’d like to see you do better.” (1 pt)
c. Go home and cry. (0 pts)

The local bookstore wants 60 copies of your book delivered before it closes in two hours, all autographed, and they want a 40% discount payable on consignment (after the books sell). Do you:

a. Say, “No problem,” drop everything else, print up an invoice, sign those books, load your car, and make a delivery within the hour. (2 pts)
b. Say, “Sorry. I can’t make it today but I’ll be there tomorrow, and my price discount is 30% and I need to be paid up front.” (1 pt)
c. Reply, “Are you crazy? Do you realize how much work that is and how heavy those books are-I’ll bring you five and when you sell those, then I’ll bring you more.” (0 pts)

You are inundated with requests from people who say they are also writing a book and want to meet you for lunch. Do you respond by:

a. Saying, “I’m sorry but I don’t like to talk about my writing or share my publishing secrets-and it cuts into my writing time.” (0 pts)
b. Give out free information in the hopes other people will be interested in reading your book even though they are actually only interested in their own. (1 pt)
c. Refer people to a local publishing or writing group where they can learn everything necessary and which you belong to, while politely explaining you’re just too busy right now to meet. (2 pts)

You are invited to an event where the event planner assures you you’ll sell 100 books and insists you bring that many with you. Do you:

a. Refuse to come. (0 pts)
b. Bring only one box of 20 books with you because you know you’ll never sell 100 (1pt).
c. Buy a dolly to reduce how many trips you need to make to carry that many books back and forth from the car and hope for the best. (2 pts).

You are at an event where a customer complains that your books are too expensive. Do you:

a. Say, “Sorry, ma’am. It’s not my fault you’re poverty-stricken.” (0 pts)
b. Patiently explain about the costs of printing and profit margins on books. (1pt)
c. Tell her you’ll make her a deal and if she buys two books, you’ll give her a free one. (2 pts)

You’ve successfully sold over a thousand copies of your self-published book and are invited to a local event where an author newly published by a small press is also appearing. This author tells you if you are interested in becoming a “real” author, she can hook you up with her agent so you can sell more books and get royalties. Do you:

a. Jump at the chance to become a “real author,” kiss her butt, and contact her agent. (0 pts)
b. Explain that you are a real author and that you make more money off of self-publishing your books than you would traditionally publishing them. (1pt)
c. Thank the pompous author for the offer and avoid her in the future. (2pts)

You are asked to speak to a group of schoolchildren about being an author even though you have not written a children’s book. Do you:

a. Say, “No, I’m not a children’s author.” (0 pts)
b. Show up and give your usual talk about writing and put the children to sleep. (1 pt)
c. Spend hours planning and thinking up ways to engage the children in writing activities and entertain them so they are interested, then come home exhausted but hoping you made a small difference in the children’s education. (2 pts)

You have written a historical novel set in your hometown. A reader asks you which house the fictional people in your novel lived in. Do you:

a. Say, “What are you stupid that you don’t know the difference between fiction and non-fiction?” (0 pts)
b. Explain that the characters are fictional but the fictional house is based on a real house in town. (1 pt)
c. Take it as a compliment that your characters seem like real people to your readers. (2 pts)

You are inundated with requests from other authors to read and edit their books. Do you:

a. Say, “Sorry. I have a day job and like to write my own books in the evening. I don’t have time.” (0 pts)
b. Form a writing group with the few authors you think are serious so you can exchange manuscripts and give each other feedback. (1 pt)
c. Agree to help in exchange for payment and spend your evenings working on other people’s books until you have enough clients to leave your day job and make it your full-time business to be an author expert and help others, thereby selling more of your own books as well. (2 pts)

SCORING:

18-20 points: Congratulations! You have the makings of the next Stephen King, Danielle Steel, or John Grisham! I’ll see you on the New York Times Bestseller list…maybe. Well, at least you should make a profit someday.
10-17 points: You might become fairly successful, if you consider success as selling 500-5,000 books over your lifetime. Keep at it.
10-0 points: Keep your day job. There are real authors out there.

Irene Watson is the Managing Editor of Reader Views, where avid readers can find reviews of recently published books as well as read interviews with authors. Her team also provides author publicity and a variety of other services specific to writing and publishing books.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Irene_Watson

Author Tech: Give Me A Home

Every Author Needs a Home on the Web

I am a technology consultant and coach for small businesses and as I said before EVERY AUTHOR should consider themselves a small business.  Now if you’re lucky and get a great publishing deal maybe you can outsource everything and simply focus on writing.   However even New York Times bestselling authors have to go on tour and show up to sign books right?

I’m willing to bet however that MOST of the authors reading this article have to do some/most/all of the work of getting their product (book) and brand (name) known to the world.  Here is the good news, you can reach almost anyone in the world these days without ever leaving home.  Here’s the “bad” news, you have to use technology to do it.

Its my job to help small business owners get themselves out there within budget and looking like a million bucks.  With that being the case there are a few foundational items I cover with new clients.  The essentials that I say EVERY business should have, so take a moment to rundown my checklist and see how you are doing.

Small Business Essentials

• Domain Name
• E-Commerce enabled Website
• Facebook Fan Page
• Twitter Account
• Youtube Channel
• Paypal Account
• SMART Phone
• Linked In Profile

Are you a yes to all of the above?  If not, it seems like you have work to do!  Today I’m going to start with the first two items on the list.

Domain Name

You want to get a personal domain name.  Not your book title, your actual name.  If you have decided to publish a book and put yourself as the author, guess what?  You are now a “personality.”  People will start to look you up and that’s a good thing!  We want to make sure they find you.  So visit a domain name registrar like Go Daddy or my personal favorite Name Cheap and spend the roughly $10 to buy http://www.YourName.com.  Hurry you don’t want someone to beat you to it!

There are two reasons for this

1. If you publish more than one book, you want a single location where people can go to find out about you and all your work
2. We need to build your home on the web i.e. your website

Website (E-Commerce enabled)

If you are reading this, you already know what a website is, but you may not understand why you need one OR why it should be e-commerce enabled.  The short of it is that websites are the number one way people get information about you on the internet (with Facebook running a close second these days).  Let’s say you want to have your book published by a major publishing house and you are sending off manuscripts and proposals, they are not only evaluating your work, they are evaluating you!  So being able to send them to a professional informative website about their next potential author will work in your favor!  If you are self-publishing, your readers will want to find out more about you too, make it easy on them.  Now this site does not have to be complicated but it should have an about you page, information about your work, a way to purchase your work, and a way to contact you.

This brings me to the second part of the site, the E-Commerce.  End of the day, you want to sell books right?   You may even want to consider offering your services as a speaker, if so you want to make it EASY for people to buy from you.  Having a merchant account and a shopping cart and/or purchase links on your site means your visitors can purchase books or book your right there versus having to contact you via phone and then sending in a check or arranging to meet you somewhere.  A wise business owner once told me to remove as many barriers between you and your customer’s money as possible!

Don’t worry getting a merchant account these days is easy check out PayPal and Google Checkout for free easy ways to get started.  Both these services make it easy to accept credit cards and other forms of payment online, as well as offer tutorials on how to add their “buttons” to your site.

So where do you get a site, if you don’t have a website designer?  I’m going to give you a few EASY resources and I encourage you to use one of them or something very similar.

• Webs.com:  This is a great service with both a free (ad supported) as well as a low cost pay option (no ads).
• Intuit Websites:  Low Cost ad-free option
• WordPress.com: WordPress is a free option, BUT it is not easy to add the e-commerce option.  There are work arounds, but it will take a little effort.

I am sure there are plenty of other options out there, but these are three that I can recommend.  While all three of these options are designed to be user friendly, I highly recommend working with a professional to make your site look its best.  The great thing about these tools is that you can put up all the content (information you want to share) and then bring in someone (like me) to “tweak” it.  Its a way to save time and money.

We will tackle the rest of this list in my upcoming articles so check back soon!

Kania “TechnoDiva” Kennedy is a graduate of Duke University and holds her B.S.E. in Electrical and Computer Engineering. In addition to being an author she is a life long fan of technology, loves “gadgets,” and she has always been the “goto” girl when technological things need to be “hooked up” or “figured out.”Connect with her on Facebook | Twitter | Google + | LinkedIn

Social Media for Authors: What do they want from me for God’s sake?

So you have your Facebook Author Page up and running and you’ve invited all your friends to like you. Two-days have gone by and no one has liked you yet?  You begin to second guess yourself, wondering; what do they want from me for God’s sake? But then you remember why you set the page up in the first place. You wanted to make sure your readers got to know you. You wanted to know that your message was getting across to your readers loud and clear. You wanted to meet your readers and reward them for their support. Well, here is a checklist that I use with my social media clients to make sure my I’s are dotted and my T’s are crossed.

1. Check to make sure your content is tight. Do you have 7 or more pieces of killer content populated on your page?
2. Is your information page totally complete with the about, description and award sections complete?
3. Do you have a favorable picture of you and your book or logo as the profile image?
4. Have you asked for feedback to encourage reader engagement?
5. Do you have excerpts from your book in the content?
6. Have you scheduled an event?
7. Have you linked your Facebook page to your Twitter Account and Website?
8. Have you identified 10 people per day that you can individually message, sharing something interesting about your new page with a link to it?
9. Have you liked relevant Like/Fan Pages?
10. Are you asking your friends to give recommendations on your personal wall with a link?

Learn more about how you can upgrade your social media at http://www.socialmediamadeeasydetroit.com

Author Tech – SMART Phone 101

If you took the time to read my AuthorTech Article about SMARTPhones, you know I think it’s a must for every entrepreneur Author who wants to work SMART vs hard.  So once you have the phone, what do you do with it?

Getting the phone is just the first step, then you have to learn how to use it!  If you’re pretty tech savvy it may be simple for you to get the basics, however depending on your level of expertise doing anything beyond making calls and checking Facebook may leave you scratching your head.  (If this is you, no worries, I am awesome at setting up gadgets and teaching you how to keep things running smoothly Call me)!  Once you get the basics down, its time to upgrade.

The BEST part of SMART phones are the Apps.  Now depending on what platform you choose for your phone the exact Apps you use will vary, but I am going to create a list of the TYPE of apps I recommend to optimize the use of your phone for business!

• Banking: You want to be able to access your money so make sure you download your bank’s mobile software. Be careful about using this as there are predators out there, but having quick access to your money is good move
• LinkedIn: I’m assume you already have set up your LinkedIn profile right? (If not, hop to it!) Now get the mobile app so you can access contacts in your network easily!
• Mobile Credit Card Payments:  You want to be able to accept credit card payments from WHEREVER you are so you need an app to do that.  Options include:
• Mobile Merchant Pro which offers a FREE app, the thing is you have to use Authorize.net or PayPal Web Payments Pro.
• Square Up they offer a FREE cool credit card swipe tool that plugs right into the media jack on your phone!  The money gets deposited right into your bank account.  This is perfect to accept payments on the go.  I am currently awaiting mine to be delivered and if you follow my Adventures in Tech Blog, I’ll share about my experience once I start using it!
• Intuit GoPayment: Similar to Square Up but powered by Intuit (same people who make Quickbooks).  It comes with a card swiper too (so convenient)
• Gmail/Google Apps
• Sync your calendar, email, and contacts only works if you’re using Gmail and other Google tools
• If you’re using Google Apps to power your back office this is essential!
• Paypal: You can request money, send money, and check your balance but even better you can receive CHECKS while on the go! No more running to the bank, you can use the camera feature on your phone! PAYPAL rocks!
• Email Sync: If you’re using another mail service, find their app and load it. You want to be able to read and respond to messages on the go.  Who knows when opportunity is going to knock?
• Social Networking: Twitter, & Facebook in particular.  You’re an author so you need to be able to “micro’blog” on the go.  Your readers want to hear from you.  The articles on “Social Media for Authors” are perfect to find out how to use these tools once you get them set up!

These are my essentials and there may be others that will work PERFECTLY for you, but you have to start somewhere right?  Just remembers these phones are not just for talking and if you’re paying for a data plan, make sure that phone can make you money on the go!

Social Media for Authors: Who loves you baby?

Everybody loves you, right? I’ll bet you know because your bank account is overflowing with money from all the books you sell every day. Well, maybe not.

What if I told you there were a few easy ways to find out who really loves you on the internet by using a tool that comes standard with your Facebook fan page? What if all you had to do to expand the people who love you on the internet (people who would most likely buy your book) was to check this tool out regularly and target an ad directly to those people? Well it’s a fact and this is how it goes in 3 easy steps:

1. In the last segment I briefly mentioned Insights (a Facebook tool which comes standard with Facebook pages that tells you how many people visited your page during any given period. This tool also tells you where your page visitors come from and their age range.
2. Review my last blog to learn how to grow your on-line community using killer content and after following those tips for 30-days, you can check your Insights and review them to see who loves you baby.
3. Now that you know who loves you, your goal should be to find more people in that demographic to join your community and buy your book. Referrals are the best way to do this however the second best is through Facebook ads.

I invite you to join me at my next Social Media Made Easy Meetup or call me for a Social Media Coaching Session if you need support with creating a Facebook ad or for referral strategies.

www.socialmediamadeeasydetroit.com

www.theartofreinventingyoubook.com

ARTICLE: Start Marketing Your Book Even Before It Is Done #book #promotion #mwn

I picked this article because I felt it was needed after the many questions I get that pinpoints to “When do I start marketing my book?” I hope this helps and there’s more to come.

By Lisa Shultz

Ideally, one should plan and implement a marketing campaign many months before the actual launch of your book. Lay the foundation for success early and then be consistent with ongoing marketing well after your book has been released.

Here are seven tips to do while you book is being edited or in process of production and you have a bit of extra time on your hands since the book is being worked on by others.

Tip #1: Review all your social media profiles and update them. Put information in the profile indicating that your book is soon to be published, and add a date if you know one, and a brief overview of what the book is about.

Tip #2: Begin to do searches on all social media platforms of your target audience and join groups, “like” pages, and subscribe. For example, you were writing a book about a dog, your target readership might be dog lovers. Spend time finding out where dog lovers hang out both physically and on the internet. Perhaps visit the actual locations in your community where dog lovers go and build relationships with owners of stores and leaders of organizations related to dogs.

On the internet, begin interacting with members of groups related to dogs and just enjoy the conversation. In forums and groups, it is best to spend several months in friendly interaction before ever suggesting a call to action such as buying your book. If the membership enjoys your comments in the groups, they will be much more willing to actually buy a book from you at a later date.

Tip #3: Build your lists. Accelerate your efforts at adding followers to your lists. Those lists might be friends and fans on Facebook, your email distribution list, and blog subscribers. Wherever you have lists, build them to greater numbers. Allot a certain amount of time each day to list building activities to increase your connections.

Tip #4: Begin to inquire about joint venturing with others who have large lists. Leverage the lists of synergistic people in your niche by suggesting a mutually beneficial partnership of cross promotion. Perhaps they will promote the launch of your book to their lists if you feature them on your blog or they have the opportunity to give a bonus to your list when someone buys your book.

Tip #5: Draft press releases and email and social media announcements so you are prepared for the big launch day when it arrives. You may edit these drafts as the day approaches, but you will have these important promotional pieces in a ready state.

Tip #6: Create interview questions that you would love to answer on radio shows or blog interviews. Those who might interview you appreciate you making their job easier, and you have a chance to practice your answers so they sound smooth and natural.

Tip #7: Place information about your book release in the signature line of your emails such as “Author of the soon to be published book entitled (your book’s title)”.

Remember that marketing needs to be a part of your routine every week consistently before and after your book comes out. Keep a constant stream of exposure to your target market for your book’s success. Whether you traditionally publish or self-publish, you will be in charge of marketing your book, so start early and be persistent!

And if you would like to know more about self-publishing process, visit http://www.selfpublishingexperts.com Get free instant access to tips, a free book visualization and more. You’ll find that the writing process can be simplified and even easy with guidelines and sequential steps to follow. Lisa Shultz is a self-publishing specialist and loves to help others bring their books to life.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lisa_Shultz