While Pinterest has been around for quite awhile (2010) it has only recently begun picking up steam and interest. I’ve been doing research on and reviewing articles on this exciting new phenomenon and rather than composing an article sharing my findings and opinion, I’d like to share with you a few articles that seem to be “spot-on” and extremely informative.

(Scroll down for links to articles across the Web along with a recommendation for further reading. Enjoy!)

Whether you’re promoting awareness of a certain cause, want more traffic to your blog or are promoting your business, Pinterest offers a unique opportunity to get your message out there through the use of images. Here are just a few of the fun things Pinterest offers:

• A visual cork board where people “pin” up things they are interested in, on specific topics
• The ability to pin both images and videos
• The opportunity to add a link to an image that either opens up to the image or that links to any site you’d like
• Access for people to pin your content to their board. You then broaden  your reach as you show up on their board
• Pinterest also offers powerful search engine benefits

Another great thing about Pinterest is that you don’t need have to have a lot of followers to gain visibility. Pinterest is a very open website and people are always searching for images and topics of interest, so it’s easy to get started right away.

I hope you find this resource helpful. If you do or if you would like to share your questions, tips, or ideas on this exciting new social network, please scroll down to “weigh-in”.

1. Podcast: Add a Pin It With Pinterest Button On WordPress by Charly Leetham
   
2. What You Absolutely Must Know to Use Pinterest Safely by Michelle Shaeffer
3. The Ultimate Guide to Mastering Pinterest for Marketing by Pamela Vaughan
4. Pinning for Gold by Jeff Turner
5. Pinterest: A Beginner’s Guide to the Hot New Social Network by Rob Lammie
6. Pinterest Drives Traffic and Boosts Visibility for Your Blog by Denise Wakeman
7. Pinterest Frenzy. Will Marketers Kill It? by Tom Treanor
8. Pinterest Articles and Tips by Tom Treanor
9. Pinterest Marketing Delight by Annie Infinite 
10. Video: Add a Custom Facebook Pinterest Tab by Annie Infinite – contributed by Roz Fruchtman
    
11. How Pinterest Uses Your Content Without Violation  by Dave Copeland
    
12. Letter for Bloggers and People Who Use Pinterest by Amy Locurto
    
13. Pinterest and Copyright by Sean Locke
14. Photographers Should Stop Complaining about Copyright & Embrace Pinterest by Trey Ratcliff
    
15. Avoiding Copyright Pitfalls on Pinterest by Sara Hawkins
    
16. Is Pinterest the New Squidoo by Bob “the teacher” Jenkins
17. 56 Ways to Market Your Business on Pinterest by Beth Hayden – contributed by Mari Smith
    
18. Why I Tearfully Deleted My Pinterest Inspiration Boards by Kristen Kowalski 
19. Pinterest Becomes Top Traffic Drive for Women’s Magazines by Lauren Indvik
20. Pinterest – The Hottest New Social Site by Dana Lynn Smith

If you’d like to learn more about Pinterest check out Dana Lynn Smith’s new publication: Pinterest Guide for Authors.

Here’s to your social networking success,
D’vorah

~.~.~.~.
D’vorah Lansky, M.Ed., Bestselling Author of
Book Marketing Made Easy: Simple Strategies for Selling Your Nonfiction Book Online
http://BookMarketingMadeEasy.com/amazon 

Share your Pinterest comments, questions, ideas as well as links to interesting Pinterest articles and boards.

Many authors don’t realize that writing the book is just the tip of the iceberg, it’s only just a small part of the entire publishing process. YOU as the author are responsible for marketing, promoting and selling your book. For the most part publishers will not participate in the marketing side of things.

Are you writing a book . . . ?

Whatever stage you are at in writing . . . whether:

• You’ve already published.
• You’ve completed your manuscript.
• You’ve completed your 1st draft.
• You are half-written.
• Your idea is just a glimmer in your eye.

. . . You NEED to have started building and maintaining your blog ALREADY.

What can a  a blog do for you?

• Your blog is your home.
• You will build trust and credibility.
• You’ll attract more traffic.
• You get more readers.
• You’ll encourage subscribers and readers to follow you.
• You’ll encourage comments on your blog.
• You’ll get sales.

Q – Why should you have an “authority” blog for your business?

• Enhance your reputation.
• Establish your brand.
• Build your list.
• Sell more books.
• Creating and controling your own media space.
• Ability to connect with your fans / let them know about your projects.
• Helps to develop their ideas and content of their book.
• Help builds your exposure.
• Greater visibility – search engines love fresh content organically.
• Own your own virtual realestate.
• Build a brand that draws people to your House.
• Use your blog as your primary social media hub.
• This is where you creating your own personal brand.
• Amplify your content to other media outlets.

A 3-step formula for creating quality content that gets found and builds trust with prospects:

• Create content.
• Promote content.
• Repurpose content.

In order for an author to dominate a niche – have to have dominate visibility on web.

6 Efficient Ways to Consistently Produce Content:

• Writing a series of posts at one time / then schedule them.
• Use Guest bloggers.
• Interviewing other experts on your subject.
• Colleagues / Vendors.
• Repurpose audio / transcribe audio for reading.
• Use a compelling keyword content based Blog Title.
• Keep a Swipe File of titles you like.

Some more benefits using a blog for your business:

- 2+ billion people with internet connection.
- Having a global and local audience is extremely powerful.
- Available tools makes it easier to get your message out.
- Connect withj your niche/genre crowd.
- Your blog can dominate search engines with pertinent info on the topic of your book.

Using a WordPress Platform:

- WordPress platform software updates frequently.
- The way the software works it’s easy to manage/control/use.
- No longer need a webmaster to make changes on your site / WordPress blog easy to make changes yourself.
- Very easy to use | very flexible / many pluggins available.

Search Engines ‘love’ blogs because new content can be easily added.

Attract relevent traffic by using good keywords.

Research Tools to find good keywords:

• Google Analytics.
• Wordtracker (free keyword suggestion tool).

Use keywords in your blog titles & at the beginning of your content/article/post.

- Keep a running list of topics on your subject.
- Schedule regular times to post to your blog >> Will keep your audience engaged with you.

Learn more more from Denise. Check out her Viral Blogging System

If you missed this live conference, replays and MP3 downloads are still be available at:
www.BookMarketingConference.com/details 

(Contributed by Eric V. Van Der Hope | www.Facebook.com/BookLaunchMarketing)

What are you most excited about in regards to your book / author blog?

I am so excited that my book can be given internet exposure in this way.   I love the way my simple book cover theme can be carried through this blog.   I was thinking of having the cover revamped, but now seeing how well it works on this blog I’ve decided to stick with it as it is.

What is the focus of your blog?

The focus of the blog is to give my book internet exposure.  I didn’t even know such websites existed until I listened in to the teleseminar series Online Book Marketing Conference presented by D’vorah Lansky.   Now I have insights into the power of such a blog.  The power is that it enables me to let people know about the book and to bring together a community of like-minded people who are on their own personal and spiritual development path, or those who just admire Hayley Mills.

Please describe your blog layout and functionality.

The layout is simple and to the point.  I have been able to match the colour of the printing to the colour scheme of the template, and it all matches into the colour used on the book cover.  This I have been able to achieve through the installation of a plugin.  The ease for the reader of moving from being introduced to the book, then to me, then a fuller explanation of the book, then to media exposure, through to the Author’s blog really suits my sense of flow.

Do you feel it is important for authors to have a book blog or author blog and if so, why?

I do feel it is important as it enables authors to talk about the message of their book and can reach the audience that can benefit from the lessons the author has learnt from their own experiences or from the information that the author is wishing to share.

Who built and designed your blog and would you recommend them.

My blog was built by D’vorah Lansky using the WordPress template of Luscious.  D’vorah has done a wonderful job as she listened to my thoughts for the blog and interpreted them to produce the wonderful blog that she has.   Her professionalism was obvious. Having oceans between us we communicated with both Skype and emails, as she helped me to learn things which at times I found challenging.    D’vorah has a very pleasing and easy-going nature that allowed working with her to be fun as well as rewarding.  I feel I have found a new friend in her.  I would definitely recommend her to any author looking for mentoring to build a blog for marketing their book.

What else would you like to share about your book/author blog or how it has benefited you to have this blog?

Having the blog has helped move me forward in my thinking and planning for what comes next … a virtual book tour and book launch.  As my book is not published yet I have time on my side for further learning and creating of expertise.  I am being drawn into a bigger picture for my book than I had before experiencing the Online Book Marketing Conference.  This is very exciting!

What book are you going to be featuring on your blog?

Book Title:  ‘FINDING HAYLEY FINDING ME’ My Life-Changing Journey to Actress Hayley Mills

Synopsis

“Helen, a young teenage girl in Australia, being brought up as a practicing Christian, feels a deep unexplainable connection to English actress Hayley Mills, a famous Disney teenage Hollywood movie star. Thirty years later Helen’s sense of connection is still very real. Through an act of boldness she seizes an opportunity to pursue her driven desire to meet the star. This sets off a string of life-changing events taking her on a journey of self-discovery and spiritual evolvement as both women come to understand where their strong connection comes from.  Dreams, previously seen as fantasy, come true resulting in a lifetime bond of friendship.”

Additional Comments

I started to write the story as a journal for my daughter.  I didn’t have any aspirations for it to be a book.  It was others who said I should write it for publication.  The purpose then of writing ‘Finding Hayley Finding Me’ was to share with others my story that demonstrates the power of the mind, and that once you take an action toward your dream the Universe, God, (call it what you will), takes you to places you never thought possible.  This is a story that I would never have believed could have taken place.  It took me from being a narrow-minded Christian into a broadening experience that led me to the realm of personal development and spiritual growth and awakening to the power of Love.

www.FindingHayleyFindingMe.com.au

What are you most excited about in regards to your book blog?

That I am able to share with other women the knowledge that I have acquired over the past 23 years regarding personal transformation and emotional freedom.

What is the focus of your blog?

To share the five steps from the book that create change, empowerment and self-discovery.

Do you feel it is important for authors to have a book blog or author blog and if so, why?

Because it is part of the platform for building a following for your book and your message. It also connects you with other authors in your genre doing similar work.

What do you like most about the new design of your blog?

Love my new template. So much more punch and geared to the book and the work I want to do.

What else would you like to share about your book blog or how it has benefited you to have this blog?

I have made some very nice connections from it and I see it is starting to build some momentum for me. At the early stages of doing this.

What book are you going to be featuring on your blog?

Alpha Chick

Book Synopsis

Let go of painful past experiences and live the life you’ve only dared to dream when you discover the powerful Alpha Chick inside of you. Author Mal Duane first shares her poignant personal story, and then shows you how to use the 5 steps in the Alpha Chick Process to overcome pain, fear and confusion to approach life’s challenges with the power of acceptance and the value of a positive mental attitude.

Alpha Chick provides you with all the encouragement and the tools you’ll need to overcome self-destructive behaviors and create dynamic mental, emotional, physical, financial and spiritual transformation in your life.

www.AlphaChick.com

Here Are 4 Check and Correct Situations

1. Remember that both quality and quantity count to increase your credibility as the go-to-person in your niche.

Do you wonder if they will ever come? Don’t quit too soon. I did 5 years ago. Then, I created a new blog marketing plan. I replaced my article marketing at ezinearticles.com and other sites with a new business. I wrote to educate and entertain my book writing and business marketing audience so they could make money from their craft.

Why? Because of three payoffs.

Payoff One. Blog pages have a higher potential to rank in Google searches, and my already good traffic soared and over doubled the last two years. I check these numbers each month with Google Analytics. You can too.

Payoff Two. By sharing new blog posts with other professionals in the book and business fields, I reached new audiences who appreciate my how to’s and visit my site. Now, I am a guest blogger for 10 leaders in the field. Just this month I posted one blog article on LinkedIn with John Kremer that brought a good amount of new traffic. Over 130 a month become subscribers to my site. That’s important. Because…

Payoff Three. You have a leg up on staying in touch every week or so with your audience, enjoying their blog comments, and continuing to convert sales to much bigger numbers.

2. To stay in the high traffic zone, increase your blog postings to at least 2 a week.

If you are only blogging once or less a week, and are not submitting your blogs to Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn groups, you will miss out on building your community and eventually getting sales. This information came from a Social Media report with graphs showing the difference in results, but it also just makes good sense.

3. Increasing your quantity will keep your name in internet lights.

Use a professional writer or book coach to check and correct obvious errors and find out what will engage and hook your audience to read the whole article. If your audience turns away from boredom, you will lose them for sure. From my own experience, 10 points in a blog is plenty. If you are going for under 600-700 words per blog, divide and conquer! My own example–Using my 1800 word “Book Marketing 10 Mistakes and Solutions.” I produced three shorter and easier-to-read blogs with specific keyword rich titles that Google loves. Writing 3 related same category blog posts increases your chances to show you as the trusted authority and please Google at the same time.

Stimulate your Sleepy Muse. To produce new, juicy articles, just copy and paste old or borrowed ones into your writing program such as Word. Use only some of the former blog, and add your own hook and how to’s and end it by repeating a few benefits. When you add your own wisdom and specific examples, you make it irresistible for new eyes to notice and finish. Remember, you want them to comment and subscribe to your blog.

4. Get professional feedback on your first five blogs.

Make your audience so happy they’ll never leave you or ask for a divorce. You don’t know what you don’t know, so incorporate a coach’s instructions on a best beginning, middle and end of your blog, because you don’t want to ramble and repeat yourself. The one writing sin we all relate to is “redundancy.” We don’t like it and take it as “talking down” to us. My own rule of thumb–write one blog in one hour. Finish the draft the next day when you have a fresh mind. Follow that by sharing it with a savvy writing person who knows your game and will give you appropriate editing. The third day, you can be proud and sure that your blog will win the hearts and minds of your audience.

Brainstorm your first five blogs with a writing coach, and in just one session, like my client Jeanne, generate 7-10 Blog titles and get one blog developed enough to get final editing on. This takes about 40 minutes.

When you follow these tips you’ll generate fame and fortune because you will stand out from the crowd. When you don’t follow them, you’ll generate results you may not be happy with. Working alone will not produce a quality blog, even for professional writers. Now you know that blog feedback will make you more confident in your writing, and take you to new heights in your visibility and credibility.

What skills and actions you hadn’t thought of did you get from this blog? What will you incorporate in your future blogging? When you want more fresh how to blog writing and marketing tips, join Judy Cullins, 25 year writing and book coach, publisher of 14 related books, at http://bookcoaching.com/help-writing-a-book.php

**********

Book and Blog Coach Judy Cullins helps you transform your blog into an income stream for life. Author of 14 books for business people and authors includes “LinkedIn Marketing: 8 Best Tactics to Build Book and Business Sales,” and “Write your eBook or Other Short Book Fast!” Judy offers free, weekly publications on writing and online marketing.

By Judy Cullins

Branding in your book sets you and your book apart from all the others. That makes selling books easy. Notice famous authors such as Trump, whose name is bigger than his title. Besides your book title, you can also brand parts of your book such as your chapter titles, headings within the chapter, tips, facts, case studies, or quotes.

For a book titled, “Passion at Any Age” the author rewrote each chapter title to mention a form of the word, “passion,” thus branding with “passion” to set her passion coaching business apart from others.

In her annotated table of contents Instead of a chapter title like “Expand Fulfillment,” she renamed Chapter 1 “Attracting Passion,” to again brand her as her book title of “Passion at Any Age” did.

After the title in the table of contents, she included such benefits as “Expand fulfillment, Overcome resistance, Communicate clearly, and Come from the heart,” so readers would know the benefits of each chapter-a great motivation!

Within each chapter she branded her tips as “Passion Hot Line Tips” and her PASSION FACTS as well as “Passion Quotes.” All to support the book’s title, and brand her.

One UK client coached with me on a yoga book, filled with yoga postures and tips to make a working woman’s life easier and less stressful. In each session, we brainstormed the branded chapter titles and the branded headings.

Her working title, “Yoga for Stress Management-A Practical Guide for Working Women” was also her thesis.

Here’s a sample heading from one chapter: Top Three Ways Yoga Releases Anxiety And Boosts Your Energy

Another heading: Five Gentle Yoga –in–Bed Stretches To Ease You Into Your Day

Here’s a sample tip: Stress-free Yoga Tip: Learning to recognize stress and anxiety in your life helps you feel more in control and on-top of things.

Her book brands her as the go to person for great stress relief through yoga and meditation practices.

You can brand your business with your book like one business client of mine. He changed his book title many times, but finally he used “The Smiling Owner-How to Build a Great Small Business.” He added a visual every businessperson can connect to. He worked the “Smiling Owner” metaphor into his how to’s and tips throughout his chapters.

Think about your book title. What key words and thesis does it contain? Take that key word or phrase and then think about each chapter title. Incorporate the key word into each chapter title.

In each chapter, develop format parts that are in each chapter. That may be tips, headings, client problems, stories, quotes, charts, or a side bar of facts. Your readers love these kinds of things in the middle part of your chapter. They look for relief from reading long copy.

Preplanning your book chapters by expanding the thesis makes your book memorable and easy to read too.

Like all the famous authors, your book brands you, and your business, and its branded parts make you look like the expert—and this brings you multiplied contacts, contracts, and book sales.

Want more details on branding in a book? See Judy’s most popular best selling book, ”Write your eBook or Other Short Book– Fast!” at xxx

Or, if you aren’t sure, check out Judy’s fresh writing and marketing blog posts at http://www.bookcoaching.com

By Roger C. Parker

One of your most important book marketing decisions is the title you choose for your book. Your book title represents your first, and—often–only, chance to sell a book, hopefully, begin a lasting and profitable relationship with readers.

Why are book titles so important?

If your book title fails to immediately engage the attention of the right prospective readers, or fails to attract the right search engine traffic, all the care you took writing your book will have been in vain.

Strong titles attract prospective readers like a magnet, weak titles are passed-over without a glance.

Book titles are like billboards; they succeed when they attract attention, arouse interest, and are easy to remember and act on. Book titles compete in competitive environments for the attention of fast-moving readers.

If your book title doesn’t immediately engage the readers interest and compel them to want to learn more, readers—like drivers—are just going to speed right on by.

Top characteristics of effective book titles

Here are some of the things I encourage my clients to look for when choosing or evaluating, book titles:

1. Promise. Nonfiction titles should clearly identify the problems your book will help readers solve, or the goal you’ll help them achieve. Compare Graphic Design with Design to Sell. The former simply tells what the book is about; the latter emphasizes using design to increase sales.
2. Targeted. Identify your intended readers in your book’s title. Prospects will want to read your book because it sounds like it was “written for them.” Note the subtitle of C. J. Hayden’s Get Clients Now: A 28-day Marketing Program for Professionals, Consultants, and Coaches.
3. Specific. Use numbers to add credibility to your titles. Numbers can provide a structure for your information, as Steven Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Individuals shows. Numbers can emphasize how quickly readers can achieve their goals, like Jay Conrad Levinson and Al Lautenschlager’s Guerrilla Marketing in 30 Days. Numbers can also quantify benefits, i.e., 21 Pounds in 21 Days: The Martha’s Vineyard Diet Detox.
4. Position. A good title sets its book apart from the competition by emphasizing the market you wrote the book for, or the market it’s not written for, i.e., Robin William’s Non-Designers Guide to Design.
5. Engaging. Contradictory terms in titles can arouse curiosity, such as David Chilton’s The Wealthy Barber. Prospective readers want to find out how a barber can be wealthy.
6. Metaphor. Words that paint pictures make it easy for readers to understand and remember what your book is about. Jay Conrad Levinson’s Guerrilla Marketing titles promise to describe low-cost, unconventional ways to achieve success.
7. Imperative. The verbs you choose set the tone of your title. Imperative titles, i.e., those begining with a silent “you,” to communicate in an action-oriented, conversational, way. Notice the implied action in Get Clients Now and Book Yourself Solid.
8. Concise. Brevity leads to impact. The fewer the words, the larger the type they can be set in. Titles with a few, short words often have greater impact than titles with several long words.

Most important title characteristic of all

Testing is the most important book title characteristic of all. No matter how enthusiastic authors, editors, family, and friends are, book titles should be tested.

Title testing used to be a long and costly process. Now, however, the Internet makes it practical for authors to test their titles, using free online surveys and minimal investments in pay-per-click advertising tests.

Train yourself

Take the time to analyze the titles of successful books, especially “evergreen” titles that have been successful for many years. Chances are, you’ll probably find that the title exhibits one, or more, of the above characteristics.

Roger C. Parker’s goal is to help you plan, write, promote, and profit from a book that builds your brand and positions you as an expert in your field. He offers a variety of do-it-yourself tools and coaching options at Published & Profitable. Roger can help you identify opportunities, evaluate options, and master the habits of efficient writing and book marketing.

Roger’s books simplify design, marketing, and personal computing. His latest, #Book Title Tweet: 140 Bite-Sized Ideas for Compelling Article, Book, and Event Titles, takes the mystery out of choosing the right book title.

Roger, tell us a bit about you and your journey.
In the process of writing over 40 books, which have sold over 1.6 million copies around the world, I’ve made just about every mistake possible. I’ve learned from my mistakes, and wrote my 99 Questions to Ask Before You Write and Self-Publish a Brand-building Book workbook to help others avoid making the same mistakes I did.

My first best-seller, Looking Good in Print: A Guide to Basic Design for Desktop Publishing was a once-in-a-lifetime best-seller, praised by the NY Times and credited with launching hundreds of thousands of design careers.

For a long time, Looking Good in Print was the most stolen book in the Boston Public Library! Other noteworthy events included writing the original Microsoft Office for Windows for Dummies series.

What is the title of the book you’ll be speaking about today?
The book I’m proudest of is my latest, 99 Questions to Ask Before You Write and Self-Publish a Brand-building Book which is an interactive distillation of everything I’ve learned from my experiences, plus the experiences of the more than 500 leading nonfiction authors I’ve interviewed.

Please share with us a synopsis of your book
99 Questions to Ask Before You Write and Self-Publish a Brand-building Book is a workbook intended to be used, instead of read.

There are a lot of good books about writing out there—but they tend to appeal primarily to other authors. 99 Questions to Ask Before You Write and Self-Publish a Brand-building Book is not written for authors, I wrote it for subject area experts who want to grow their business by writing a book to attract qualified prospects.

What inspired you to write this book?
There’s sort of a “glass wall” separating highly-successful authors from subject area experts who haven’t yet written and published a book.

The obstacle holding back not-yet-published authors is partly knowledge-based. Most books about writing are written from a “creative” or “inspirational” perspective that puts a premium on the act of writing.

In the real world, however, writing is just one of the tasks needed to write and profit from a brand-building book. Planning, promoting, and profiting are equally-important tasks, but they don’t receive the emphasis they should.
Likewise, there’s a lot written about “creativity,” but very little about creating a writing process—or system—that views writing a book as just one part of a brand-building content creation system.

I choose the one-question-per-page workbook question-and-answer format because I wanted a book that could be used, not just “read.”

Who is the ideal reader for your book?
I wrote 99 Questions to Ask Before You Write and Self-Publish a Brand-building Book for the same people every self-employed professional should write for—their ideal clients and prospects.
I like dealing with coaches, consultants, entrepreneurs, and self-employed professionals, so I wrote a book that helps them translate their subject area expertise into a book and content plan that will position them as the obvious expert in their particular field.

What advice can you offer to authors wanting to write their first or next book?
Success is not about you, or how much you know about your topic, or how good a writer you are. Success is all about your ideal clients and what they want to know; the problems they want to solve and the goals they want to achieve.
Accordingly, one you identify your ideal clients and what they want to accomplish, choosing the right title and creating a detailed table of contents becomes a lot easier than trying to shoehorn a lifetime of experience into 10 or 12 chapters.

What advice can you offer to authors wanting to sell more books?
Everyone is in the education business, especially today in the Internet and social media world. Whether you want to sell a stereo or a Saab, success involves education; teaching consumer show to make informed buying decisions—sharing knowledge to take the risk out of making a purchase.

Consistency is the second key to brand-building success and selling more books. You have to be constantly visible, so that your message will be noticed when your prospect is ready to buy.

My background involves consumer electronics retailing, which has always been extremely price competitive. Yet, when I was Advertising Manager of Magnolia Hi-Fi before it was purchased by Best Buy, the constant refrain of my ads was “How to Buy a Stereo.” We were rarely the cheapest, but we outsold and outlasted the competition.

What book has inspired you most on your success journey and what about this book inspired you?
Jan V. White’s Editing by Design inspired me to try to write with empathy and enthusiasm. Jan’s book set the standard I’m still shooting for with each new book.

On a more pragmatic level, the book that really changed me was The Power of Focus by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, and Les Hewitt. The Power of Focus is an amazing book, and it all boils down to cultivating the habits of success. In a single sentence, Your daily habits determine your future.

Are you currently writing your next book? What can you tell us about it?
My goal is to build on the 99 Questions and provide additional examples, ideas, and tips in my daily blog and future products.

Do you have a program or product available to help authors in any phase of the writing, publishing, or marketing of their books? If so, please tell us about it.
Published & Profitable, my membership site and coaching headquarters, is the core the resources I offer individuals who want to plan, write, promote, and profit from a brand-building book. Published & Profitable’s resources include:

• Author interviews. There are over recorded interviews with both leading nonfiction authors as well as emerging authors. Many of the interviews are in the process of being transcribed. Each month, I typically add 2 or 3 new author interviews.
• Tools. I’ve prepared over 80 one-page checklists, worksheets, and templates to help clients and Published & Profitable members plan, write, promote, and profit from a book.
• Case studies. I’m fascinated by the DNA of brand-building publishing success, and have studied what has worked for successfully-branded authors in the past. I’ve also mind mapped contents of successful brand-building books to learn how their authors organized their ideas.

I also offer 1-on-1 and group coaching and problem-solving, helping clients overcome temporary obstacles and create sustainable long-term content plans.

What is the best way for people to find out more about you, your book and your work?

My Published & Profitable blog contains over 1,000 posts, as well as links to guest posts like Dan Schawbel’s Personal Branding Blog and Rajesh Setty’s ActiveGarage. Or, just explore the public content area at Published & Profitable.
http://www.publishedandprofitable.com/public/770.cfm
http://blog.PublishedandProfitable.com

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Writing a book to build your brand is not an impossible dream, nor is it a project requiring martyrdom and endless work.

By viewing a brand-building book as the outcome of a series of informed decisions and aseries of consistent daily progress, there’s no reason any subject area expert can’t write a book to build their brand.
Brand-building success is a matter of asking the right questions, exploring alternatives, and making informed decisions and consistent progress—one step at a time.

By Lynne Klippel

Your back cover copy is an essential component of your book marketing.  Research tells us that potential book buyers look at the front cover for a brief 3-8 seconds, flip the book over to scan the back cover copy, and then quickly decide to open the book or to put it down.  Thus, the words you select for your back cover must be compelling, interesting, and focused on the benefits of the book.  Potential readers will be asking themselves, “If I invest in reading this book, what will I receive in exchange for my time, money and attention?” When you answer that question in your back cover copy, you will have a book that is a magnet to your perfect readers.

Let’s start from the top of the back cover and review each component.  At the very top of your book cover, you’ll list the genre, the section of the bookstore where your book should be placed, such as Parenting, Spirituality, Business and Investing, etc. Listing the genre gives potential readers a quick overview of the focus of your book.

Next, you’ll see the most important part of a successful back cover, a compelling headline. It’s important to grab the reader’s attention right away and let her know why she needs this book.

Here are some examples:

• “America’s favorite organizer tackles the time crunch and shows you how to get more done with less stress.”
• “Feel more peaceful at work, no matter who you work with.”
• “Release Your Inner Leader.”

Follow your headline with two paragraphs describing the benefits of reading the book. The first paragraph should address the problem, using emotional language, so that the reader knows you understand her situation. The second paragraph introduces your book as the solution to that problem. Using a bulleted list of key points is a good technique in the second paragraph to concisely share the 3-5 key benefits of the book.

Back cover copy is generally written in a conversational tone, using ‘you’ to address the reader.  The intent is to begin a relationship with the reader that is full of trust so it is important to communicate, respect, understanding, expertise – send the message that you have what they need personal interest in helping readers solve problems.

The next section of the back cover contains 1-3 short endorsements. These quotes provide social proof and communicate that other people have read this book and liked it. You may want to just post snippets of endorsements as short quotes on the back cover and use the full endorsement on your website and in the first pages of the book.

Next, there is a short bio of the author, generally no more than 1-3 sentences. The bio is written in third person, as if someone else is describing you. This bio should focus on your education, work history, and other items which demonstrate your credibility. The last line of the bio traditionally says where you live. That sentence is there so that readers know you are a real person. For example: Richard lives with his family in Northern California. Julie lives and works in New York. Debbie and her cat Sheba live in Oregon.

Include a small professional photo of yourself on the back cover, even if you are shy. Since the whole point of this book is to establish yourself as an expert and grow your business, having your photo on the back cover further cements you as that expert person. Ensure that your photo highlights your eyes and draws people to you. Your photo should evoke warmth, trustworthiness, professionalism, and confidence. Invest in a professional photograph done with excellent lighting.

The final ingredients of the back cover are the bar code and publishing marks. Your publisher will insert those for you. If you decide to self-publish, you can easily insert them yourselves. In fact, some printers now provide the bar code for you at no charge.  That’s the anatomy of a back cover. Depending on the size of your published book, you have between 150-250 words, so each one should be carefully chosen for maximum impact. Write a draft of your back cover copy and get feedback so you can assess the impact of your words. Continue to polish your back cover copy until you love it.  Then, have your publisher or editor polish it further for you.  When you follow this formula, you’ll have a winning back cover that will effortlessly attract your ideal readers.

Best-selling Author Lynne Klippel has been an author, publisher, ghost writer, and book coach since 2004.  Her business, BusinessBuildingBooks.com, serves entrepreneurial authors writing non-fiction books.

 Are YOU ready to write your book?  Take Lynne’s FREE assessment and find out if you have the requirements for author success at www.AmIReadytoWrite.com