Book Spotlight On The Frugal Promoter

What's it About?:

The second edition of The Frugal Book Promoter is an updated version of the multi award-winning first edition. It has been expanded to include simple ways to promote books using newer technology--always considering promotion and marketing techniques that are easy on the pocketbook and frugal of time. It also includes a multitude of ways for authors and publishers to promote the so-called hard-to-promote genres. The award-winning author of poetry and fiction draws on a lifetime of experience in journalism, public relations, retailing, marketing, and the marketing of her own books to give authors the basics they need for do-it-yourself promotion and fun, effective approaches that haven't been stirred and warmed over, techniques that will help rocket their books to bestselling lists. You'll also learn to write media releases, query letters and a knock 'em dead media kit--all tools that help an author find a publisher and sell their book once it's in print.

We all know that book promotion (and life!) has changed since The Frugal Book Promoter was first published in 2004--particularly in ways that have to do with the Web, but in other ways, too. As an example, the publishing world in general is more open to indie publishing now than it was then. So, this update but includes lots of information on ways to promote that were not around or were in their infancy a few short years ago. So here is what is new:

There is new information in this expanded and updated edition that answers questions like these:

· What is Carolyn's simplified method for making social networks actually work--without spending too much time away from my writing?

· How can I avoid falling into some of the scam-traps for authors? 

· How can I get into one of those big tradeshows like BEA? 

· What are the best "old-fashioned" ways to promote--the ones I shouldn't give up on entirely?

· There is even an updated section on how you go about writing (and publishing) an award-worthy book. And, of course, you'll find it loaded with resources you can use--but they're all updated. 

· How can I use the new QR codes to promote my book to mobile users? And to others?

· What are the pitfalls of using the Web and how can I avoid them? 

· What are the backdoor methods of getting reviews--even long after my book has been published?

What The Reviews Say:

I purchased The Frugal Book Promoter 1st Edition in 2004 and scoured it for ideas to promote my debut novel. I used it so much that its pages are worn. It's full of post-its I stuck in with reminders of what I should do and when. The countless ideas about marketing were a valuable resource for publicizing my book. I have fifty reviews on Amazon and have sold more copies than I thought possible. The Frugal Book Promoter was a gold mine!

I've recently discovered an UPDATED gold mine. Carolyn Howard Johnson's SECOND EDITION of The Frugal Book Promoter, available in eBook and print versions, is packed and twice as thick as the first version. Do you want to hit the marketing world running with your book? I highly recommend you utilize the many resources in the Second Edition. The information is completely current and easy to follow. This excellent resource puts you, the author, in the driver's seat to do what your publisher can't to promote your book. A huge plus--the tips are "nearly free" (to quote the cover subtitle).

Today's technology, social networking and marketing techniques are covered. Updated web resources abound. Advice in sync with today's Internet are incorporated:

* Blogging tips and pitfalls
* Obtaining reviews and avoiding scams
* Finding places to pitch your book
* Using the eBook explosion to promote sales
* Using Google alerts to full advantage
* Staying on top of current trends in the publishing industry
* Writing quality query, media release letters and scripts for telephone pitches
* Putting together power point and author talk presentations

Don't have deep pockets to pay a pricey publicist? Do you want your book to get maximum exposure? This book is a game-changer and the best investment in your book's future you can make. Carolyn Howard Johnson is an author who understands authors and generously shares her savvy about marketing. Highly recommended.

About The Author:

Hi.
I am best known as The Frugal Book Promoter and I love being an advocate for authors, but I also love being a fiction writer, a poet, and editor. You can see I have a problem with branding, not because I don't know how to brand but because my interests are so diverse. Ha!

As a college freshman, I was the youngest person ever hired as a staff writer for the Salt Lake Tribune--"A Great Pulitzer Prize Winning Newspaper"--where I wrote features for the society page and a column under the name Debra Paige.

Later, in New York, I was an editorial assistant at Good Housekeeping Magazine. I also handled accounts for famous fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert. She was the one who developed the first "10 Best Dressed List," and it was my fun job to write releases for celebrity designers of the time including Pauline Trigere, Rudy Gernreich, and Christian Dior. 

I have also been a consultant for the Oak Park Press in the Chicago area.

In my many former lives I have also written columns and reviews for The Pasadena Star News, Home Decor Buyer, and the Glendale News-Press. I write a "Back to Literature" column for www.Myshelf.com where I also give an annual Noble (Not Nobel!) Prize. 

I studied at the University of Utah, graduated from USC (University of Southern California) and have done postgraduate work in writing at UCLA. I loved the UCLA and San Diego State Writers' Conferences I attended and I'm now an instructor for UCLA Extension Writers' Program. You can find all their classes at www.UCLAExtension.edu.

I adored studying writing at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom; Herzen University in St. Petersburg, Russia; and Charles University in Prague. 

My first novel, "This Is The Place," and my book of creative nonfiction, "Harkening," are both multi award-winners. A chapbook of my poetry, published by Finishing Line Press was named a Ten Best Reads by the Compulsive Reader (www.compulsivereader.com) and the Military Writers Society of America honored it with a silver medal for excellence. I have also partnered with Magdalena Ball for the Celebration Series of poetry chapbooks including "She Wore Emerald Then," "Cherished Pulse," "Imagining the Future" "Blooming Red," and "Deeper Into the Pond," a chapbook with a feminist theme. The proceeds for my award-winning book of poetry, Imperfect Echoes, go to Amnesty International. I also wrote a screenplay, "The Killing Ground."

My stories and poems have appeared in anthologies like: "Pass/Fail," edited by Rose A. O. Kleidon, PhD; and in journals like Pear Noir, Front Range, The Pedestal Magazine and many more. One of my poems won first place in the Franklin Christoph prize, 2010.

I was given the Woman of the Year in Arts and Entertainment Award by California Legislature members, Carol Liu, Dario Frommer, and Jack Scott. I can't help but be proud of that. 

In its first edition, "The Frugal Book Promoter" became an instant best seller as an e-book on ebookad.com and the paperback opened to rave reviews here on Amazon. It is now in its second edition, expanded and updated. It became the first in the How To Do It Frugally series. "The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success" is the next. I published a couple booklets to go with it. "Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips" includes word trippers and other gremlins lying in wait to attack your copy. The other is "The Great First Impression Book Proposal." 

The Book Publicists of Southern California honored me with their Irwin Award and the "Pasadena Weekly" for literary activism. My hometown's Character and Ethics Committee honored me for my work promoting tolerance with my writing. 

Yes, I am having fun yet!

Find me at: 
Sharing with Writers and Readers blog (A Writer's Digest 101 Best Websites pick!), www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com
www.HowToDoItFrugally.com
www.CarolynHoward-Johnson.com
Subscribe to my newsletter by sending an e-mail with "subscribe" in the subject line to HoJoNews@aol.com. 

First person essay: http://www.howtodoitfrugally.com/published_works_almanac.htm 

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Book Links For Carolyn Howard-Johnson

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