Day 2: Setting Up a Virtual Book Tour in 5-Days Challenge
Welcome to Day 2!
I’m going to cover a lot of information today. But first, I’d like to give you an idea of where we’ve been and where we’re going …
Today I’m moving from the planning stages - Steps 1, 2 and 3 - that I discussed yesterday, into the data gathering stage. I’ll spend today and tomorrow morning on data gathering - covered in Steps 4, 5 and 6. Tomorrow afternoon - in Step 8 - I’ll introduce you to my secret technique for evaluating a blog to determine if it would be a good stop for your virtual book tour.
In the videos that follow you’ll see that after you put Steps 4, 5 and 6 into place, the data we’ll be evaluating will be delivered right to our email inbox. It doesn’t get any easier than that.
This first video covers Step 4: Listing Your Book’s Keywords and Phrases. We’re going see how to use this list in Step 5 to locate blogs that our potential readers visit or blogs that are already discussing the topic of our books.
Get out your pen and paper for notes. Here we go …
That was easy, wasn’t it?
Now let’s see how to use our list of 20 keywords and phrases.
That’s it for today.
Oh, what about Step 7? I’ll cover that tomorrow morning … it’s what you should have in your media kit.
Until then …
No day without a line.
Day 1: Setting Up a Virtual Book Tour in 5-Days Challenge
It’s finally here … Day 1 of the I Can Set-up a 10-Day, 10-Stop Virtual Book Tour in 5-Days Challenge, event that I’m hosting on Facebook. This was suppose to be posted this morning but, I’ve been unable to get my computer to record the audio portion of my video. I ended up having to pick up a different microphone to record these videos. Don’t you just love technology?
Anyway, in this clip we “begin with the end in mind” and do a little backwards planning in setting up our virtual book tours.
In Step-1, we review and set S.M.A.R.T. Goals for our virtual book tours.
In Step-2, we give our virtual book tour a name and discuss its importance in tracking posts and getting readers to our virtual book tours.
Finally, in Step-3 we decide how long our virtual book tour will be and block out the time on our calendars or planners.
Don’t skip over these 3 steps, they may appear simple, insignificant even, but the success of your virtual book tour begins on a solid foundation.
Tomorrow we’ll put steps 4, 5 and 6 in motion.
Until then …
No day without a line.
Day 0: Setting Up a Virtual Book Tour in 5-Days Challenge
This is the introduction of the I Can Set-up a 10-Day, 10-Stop Virtual Book Tour in 5-Days Challenge, event that I’m hosting on Facebook. I explain how the challenge originated and what participants can expect in the 5 days. I will also be making posts here on my blog. so stick around and see if I can set up a virtual book tour using my system outlined in “My virtual Book Tour Secrets.”
Can I Schedule a 10-Stop, 10-Day Virtual Book Tour in Only 5 Days?
… I sure hope so! Let me explain.
I’ve been challenged by friend and writer Amy Munnell to put my money where my mouth is. You see I’ve just released an ebook, “My Virtual Book Tour Secrets! – A Self-Publisher’s Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Your Own Successful Virtual Book Tour in as Little as 30-Days.”
And, Amy is a bit, shall we say, skeptical of my claim that I can set up a virtual book tour in 30-days … she knows how much work is involved in setting up a successful virtual book tour, she frequently hosts tour stops for other authors. Anyway, in my enthusiasm - ok, maybe I was shooting off my mouth - I said using my system I could set up a successful virtual book tour in about a week. And, she said, “Prove it.”
The gauntlet had been thrown and I accepted the challenge.
So, during the week of July 7, 2008, I will set up a virtual book tour for, “My Virtual Book Tour Secrets!” And your invited to watch over my shoulder as I document every step along the way and the results I receive. Good or bad.
If I fail to set up a 10-Day, 10-Stop virtual book tour I promise to contribute a minimum of $100 to Amy’s Event: Kia’s Birthday Benefit, which is a really good cause I might add. If you’re on Facebook, you can learn more by visiting her event page at: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=21496451465. Anyway, if I succeed, I’ll be able to point to this event as proof that my system works.
You can watch me succeed or fall flat on my face in 1 of 3 places:
1.) My Facebook Fan Page
2.) The Official “My Virtual Book Tour Secrets” Readers Group on Facebook
3.) Or, here on my blog. Bookmark it pressing “CTRL + D”
I’m sure Amy will have something to say too. She blogs at “3 Questions…and Answers: a Blog/Zine about Writers.”
There’s one thing I’m worried about though … I’m scheduled to go on vacation with my family starting July 12th. So my wife will be expecting me to be doing other things, like mowing the grass, changing the oil in the van, packing, etc. Who knows what else?! So I’ll have to use my system and time wisely.
You’re also invited to follow my 10-Day, 10-Stop virtual book tour that will begin on July 21, 2008 and run to August 1, 2008. See the itinerary, which I will post on my blog, Fan Page and Group.
During the virtual book tour I will be interviewed by host bloggers, answer reader’s questions, write and submit guest posts, possibly even do a live teleconference or an interview on SecondLife. All with the intent of generating buzz (and sales) for the book.
If you want to learn how to set up your own successful virtual book tour and sell more of your books, please attend this event … and invite all of your friends to do the same. You won’t be disappointed.
Until next time …
No day without a line.
Writing Style Meme
I saw this writing style meme over on http://blog.jenwriter.com. Thought that it would be fun to share my writing style and get your feedback. Feel free to take it and share it on your own blog. Here we go …
What’s Your Writing Style?
1. Are you a “pantser” or a “plotter?”
Plotter. I usually know what is going to happen in each chapter before I sit down to write Chapter 1.
2. Detailed character sketches or “their character will be revealed to me as a I write”?
I like to do detailed character sketches of all my main characters … we need to be “good friends.” That doesn’t mean that I don’t learn something new about them as the story progresses; I always smile when I say to myself, “You never told me that,” or “I didn’t know that about you,” when I’m writing about a character. With minor characters to be “acquainted” with them is enough for me.
3. Do you know your characters’ goals, motivations, and conflicts before you start writing or is that something else you discover only after you start writing?
Yes, for the main characters. And, sometimes for the minor characters, but it’s not important for me to know minor characters’ goals, motivations, and conflicts before I begin writing.
4. Books on plotting - useful or harmful?
Useful in that they give you another option in plotting. Harmful in that you can get locked into a model that isn’t true to you or your book.
5. Are you a procrastinator or does the itch to write keep at you until you sit down and work?
I’m 99 1/4% procrastinator. I think my greatest asset, curiosity, is also a great hindrance. When I do get started writing something I often go off in tangents researching, plotting, character sketching, setting research, surfing the internet …
6. Do you write in short bursts of creative energy, or can you sit down and write for hours at a time?
I can do both. Mornings when everyone in the house is still in bed or at night when they’ve all gone to bed and the house is quiet is when I can write for hours at a time. I also jot bits and pieces at stop lights, watching tv, while washing dishes … whenever an idea flashes across my mind. I always have paper and pen with me.
7. Are you a morning or afternoon writer?
I write whenever I get a free minute, even if I have to beg, borrow or steal it.
8. Do you write with music/the noise of children/in a cafe or other public setting, or do you need complete silence to concentrate?
I prefer it to be quiet. I can handle music, but people talking really drives me nuts. I can’t concentrate with people talking within ears-shot.
9. Computer or longhand? (or typewriter?)
I can write with both. But, when I write longhand the words seem to flow freer and require less editing.
10. Do you know the ending before you type Chapter One?
Most of the time I do. Sometimes it’s a surprise for me.
11. Does what’s selling in the market influence how and what you write?
No. I write what I like to read. And that changes frequently … that curiosity thing again.
12. Editing - love it or hate it?
I love editing. Through editing I can make my words shine. Problem is, I sometimes get stuck in trying to make my words perfect. Sometimes good enough, is good enough.
Until next time …
No day without a line!
10 Web 2.0 Sites for Writers
Below is a list of 10 Social Media Sites specifically for writers. On these sites you can upload, share, bookmark and market your books (be sure to check out their policies before blatantly marketing your books. Follow proper netiquette). Social Media Sites are a hot book marketing tactic.
Social Media Marketing is getting big. Even large book publishers like Random House/Crown Publishing, Harper Perennial and Putnam are starting to use Web video and social media to market their books. Just take a look at this episode at The New Media Minute for more details.
Social Media Marketing brings higher rankings and more targeted traffic. Give it a try and let me know what you think in a comment. If I missed a Social Media Site that you think would be useful for writers, post it in a comment.
I’d also like to thank @MargHamp and @sduffyphotos for their suggestions.
Here they are in no particular order …
http://www.shelfari.com/Create a virtual shelf to show off your books. Connect with your friends. Discover exciting new titles. Voice your opinion. All for free. Read. Share. Explore.
http://wordsy.com/
Strongly inspired by Digg.com. You can vote on stuff, and if more people vote on something it’ll get promoted to the homepage. There are many places on the web to find stuff about books and reading - like reviews, previews, discussions, newspaper articles, blog posts, videos, podcasts. Wordsy is a place to put it all together. And let you be the judge…
http://www.scribophile.com/
Scribophile is a community of writers just like you. Publish your works and get valuable critiques and feedback from their writing community. Read the works of other authors and write helpful critiques. Interact and grow with a vibrant community of authors and poets. And, when you’ve put the finishing touches on your work, publish it as a PDF eBook.
http://ficlets.com/
A ficlet is a short story that enables you to collaborate with the world. Once you’ve written and shared your ficlet, any other user can pick up the narrative thread by adding a prequel or sequel. In this manner, you may know where the story begins, but you’ll never guess where (or even if!) it ends.
http://www.facebook.com
Facebook is a social utility that connects people with friends and others who work, study and live around them. People use Facebook to keep up with friends, upload an unlimited number of photos, share links and videos, and learn more about the people they meet.
Note: When you sign up for Facebook, send me a friend request. I enjoy connecting with writers.
http://beta.booklamp.org/
BookLamp.org is a system for matching readers to books through an analysis of writing styles. Similar to the way that Pandora.com matches music lovers to new music. Do you like Stephen King’s It, but thought it was too long? The technology behind BookLamp allows you to find books that are written with a similar tone, tense, perspective, action level, description level, and dialog level, while at the same time allowing you to specify details like… half the length.
http://issuu.com/
Issuu is the place for online publications: Magazines, catalogs, documents, and stuff you’d normally find on print. It’s the place where YOU become the publisher: Upload a document, it’s fast, easy, and totally FREE. Find and comment on thousands of great publications. Join a living library, where anyone finds publications about anything and share them with friends.
http://www.22books.com/
22books is dedicated to the creating, sharing, and viewing of book lists. Start out by browsing some of the featured lists to the left and then open a free account and start creating lists of your own.
http://www.booktagger.com/
Tired of cruising bookstores trying to judge a book by its cover? Now you can ask those who’ve read it before. Booktagger is an online bookshelf application to list the books you’ve read and to share them with others.
http://www.mixbook.com/
Mixbook was started with the idea that friends should be able to create books together. Though Mixbook software makes book creation easy and fun, it also allows groups of people to build books together. Now friends finally have a way to share their memories online!
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Until next time …
No day without a line!
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