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When I decided to put out the fourth edition of How to Write a Nonfiction Book, before I chose a printer, I was so lucky to find Lisa Fox, manager, Publishing Services, at No Waste Publishing, a St. Louis-based "green" printing company that does amazing work. I could write a page about all the help Lisa provided, the glitches her production manager found and fixed, and the beautiful books they produced. But I'll just give you their website, and you can see for yourself. No Waste Publishing, a subsidiary of Creative Imaging Inc.
Blogging is big. Everybody's doing it, but not necessarily correctly or well. If you really want to market your site, your service, or your project, you might need a marketing expert. I would suggest starting with The Marketing Blog (ranked #2 on Google for the keywords, "Marketing Blog"). Its author, Michael Fleischner is considered a marketing expert and has published a new eBook, The Webmasters Book of Secrets.
You never know when or where you're going to find a fellow author or writing teacher. I found Alice LaPlante through a casual conversation with a doctor. "You two should meet," he said, and so we did ... electronically, of course. Alice's credentials are very impressive, including teaching at nonfiction writing at Stanford. Her new book is called The Making of a Story.
Here's a Website I never would have found if I didn't haunt article sites that feature other authors. Sandra Beckwith is a former publicist who figured out the only way to get her books properly promoted was to do it herself. Check out www.buildbookbuzz.com to see how she's done it and what she can do for you. While you're there, you really should visit her new blog, http://buildbuzz.blogspot.com, and subscribe to her newsletter.
There
is more to marketing on the Web than you can begin to imagine.
Don't reinvent the wheel; don't make mistakes, or miss opportunities,
when all you have to do is ask an expert. Bobette Kyle will
help your small business get noticed on the World Wide Web.
Visit http://www.WebSiteMarketingPlan.com to read her free Website promotion and marketing plan articles.
I have a friend in Canada whose name is also Bobbi. We do many of the same things — writing books and teaching, among then — but she is famous in cat circles, which I am not. Barbara Florio Graham (her real name) is an award-winning author and online mentor in a wide variety of areas, including writing, publicity, publishing, copyright, and creativity. Her website, www.SimonTeakettle.com (her cat's real name), contains free information on all of these topics, as well as a special section for cat lovers.
Can you imagine anything worse than receiving a note telling you there is a mistake on your Web site? (It happened to me) Meet the proofreader/editor par excellence who will never let it happen to you! Her name is Penny LaRocque and she can be reached at kcpenny@gmail.com. First impressions are lasting impressions. Make a good one!
Want to meet a real, live Web Wonder Woman? Meet Lynne Klippel, author and publisher of a book by that name, life coach, teacher of teleclasses, and champion of women. She's amazing, and her Web site is worth checking out. Meet Lynne at http://www.lynneklippel.com, and click on topics from stories of success and self-publishing to "Surviving HIS Job Loss."
The book is written and now you're at the hard part — marketing it. Chances are, if you're like many authors, you find this process mysterious. Help is available from a pro — Book Marketing Expert, Penny Sansevieri. Author Marketing Experts is a full-service book marketing, promotion, and publicity company. Check out the great (mini) newsletter at http:www.amarketingexpert.com.
Yes, I know there are many Web site hosts in
cyberspace, but let me tell you about mine. It's VERIO — http://www.verio.com —
and its customer support staff is amazing. They will do headstands
to help you; you won't be on hold until you're too tired to
care; and they seem to have a package for everyone's needs.
I am a fan. Can you tell?
If
you have products or services you want to sell on the Web,
you need an on-line store. Check out http://www.shopsite.com
for everything you need. Then, click on Rodeck Design for
expert help with designing your store, adding new products,
setting up your shopping cart, and one-on-one training.
Do
you know the value of adding e-mail to your marketing and
PR? Check in with Katey Charles Communications - http://www.kateycharles.com
- and find out. Katey helps clients build cost-effective,
successful e-relations programs through E-newsletters, education
and consulting, newsletter templates, personalized software
training and technical support, and flexible pricing packages.
Thinking
of starting or reinventing your small business? Get help from
SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives). SCORE provides
no-cost, confidential business counseling to small businesses,
as well as workshops and seminars at low fees. SCORE volunteers
are real-world professionals with time-tested knowledge, who
donate thousands of hours to help small businesses succeed.
Find a chapter in your city at http://www.score.org.
Self-publishing
is big and getting bigger all the time. If you have a book
on your mind, you should know about PMA, the Independent Book
Publishers' Association at http://www.pma-online.org.
There are local chapters in many cities. If you can find one
near you, go to a meeting. The people are great; the networking
is better; and the information you will gain is the best.
(In St. Louis, where I live, our chapter is St. Louis Publishers
Association (SLPA) - http://www.stlouispublishers.org.
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