Small Publishers Journal
May 2008
Small Publishers Association of North America - SPAN
In this issue:
- Executive Director's Letter
- Announcements
- Articles
- Short Links
Executive Director's Letter
Hello Everyone,
I recently read a blog post by a publisher who was trying to
sell books on Facebook.com. She said that after about six
months on Facebook she had had lots of fun but had not
sold any books. She said she was going to work to sell books
other ways and use Facebook for fun.
Some people have accused me of being a naÔve, enthusiastic
booster for Facebook. I reply, "Who, me?" What I am is an
advocate for learning how to be perceived as an expert and
creating a niche community around your expertise. Facebook
is one of the tools.
Selling books in non-bookstore markets, getting publicity, and
driving buyers to your Web site areall ncreased by improved
expert status. Blogs, social media sites, Internet newsletters,
Web sites, and electronic and print publicity need to create a total
interrelated system that supports your expert status and your
community.
For example, if you have a book on whale songs, there are over
78,000 listings on Google and only one whale songs group on
Facebook. This is a good opportunity for you to support your
expertise by creating a Facebook group that brings together a
community of people interested in what you do.
At the same time, it is important that you provide resources on
the Facebook group that come from and link to your book,
recordings, videos, Web site, newsletter, blog, and details about
your public appearances.
A couple of months ago, I cited Fern Reiss' Facebook group,
"Writing and Publishing" as a good example of integration of these
parts and how they support her expertise. You can find her group
at: www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6138914001
I would like to highlight other examples of this kind of integration.
If you know of any publishers integrating several Web based tools,
including Facebook, send them to me and I will pass them on in the
next Small Publishers Journal.
Until then, find your niche and build your expertise.
Scott Flora
Executive Director
ps. SPAN's Independent Publishing Facebook group can be found
at:www.facebook.com/group.php?gid= 8643073564.
Join today and have some fun.
Announcements
Author 101 University
May 29, 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM, Westin LAX, Los Angeles, CA
Top publishing expert will reveal techniques to get your
book published and increase your income.
Join Mark Victor Hansen, Rick Frishman, Brendon Burchard,
Barbara DeAngeles, David Hancock, and Alex Carroll for this
premier publishing event.
Some of the key topics that will be covered include:
- How to write and present your book proposal to an agent
- What publishers look for in a new book
- What you need to do to make your book a bestseller
- How to create "hooks" for yourself and your business
- How to get rich and become famous by being a guest on radio shows
To register, go to the Author 101 University
Web site:www.author101university.com/
__________________________________________________
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____________________________________________________
Maximizing Sales Through Quality Data
Free Webinar presented by Bowker for SPAN Members
June 25, 7:00 pm Eastern Time
Bookstores are looking for your book. Can they find it? Learn
how to sell more books by effectively using Bowker's Books
in Printand other free services.
To register, e-mail Denielle.Starr@Bowker.com.
________________________________________
Renew or Join SPAN Today!!!
Renew or join SPAN the easy way by signing up online.
Go to www.spannet.org/join.htm .
Articles
ABA Preparing for Tipping Point
By Judith Rosen, Publishers Weekly, 5/5/2008
Timing is right for independent bookstores to rebound, according
to Oren Teicher, COO at the American Booksellers Association.
According to Publishers Weekly , Teicher recently stated, "We
are convinced things really are at a tipping point.î The PW
article reported Teicher citing "a combination of factors from
consumer interest in shopping green to corporate retailers
being forced to close hundreds of stores to indicate that the
time is right for locally-owned, independent bookstores to rebound."
To read the complete article go to,
www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6557356.html
______________________________________________________
SEO to DAO - Evolution or Revolution?
By Andrew Catalano
With the acronym DAO (Digital Asset Optimization) floating
around everywhere these days, it might lead you to wonder;
is DAO replacing search engine optimization (SEO)? The
answer is no. In fact, DAO can best be described as the
next stage of SEO. SEO isn't dead, but it is rapidly evolving.
To read the article, go to:
www.spannet.org/article-catalano-DAO.htm
Short Links
YouTube Reveals Video Analytics Tool for All Users
YouTube's Broadcasting Ourselves blog recently reported:
"Whether a YouTube video has 10 views or 10,000,000, people
always want to know the same thing: Who's watching this?
Where do viewers come from? How did they find my video?"
"Finally, we have some answers. Today we're releasing YouTube
Insight, a free tool that enables anyone with a YouTube account to
view detailed statistics about the videos that they upload to the site."
To read the complete blog entry, go to:
www.youtube.com/blog?entry=IRJjhiDz6RU
_______________________________________________
Got Questions?
To answer all your publishing questions, go to SPAN's
Internet Discussion Group on Yahoo! Experts are standing by.
To sign up go to:
finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/self-publishing/
Small Publishers Journal
is a service of SPAN, the Small Publishers Association
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