Wednesday, November 30, 2016

2017 All-New Book Marketing & Book PR Toolkit


ALL NEW!!!
2017 Book Marketing & Book Publicity Toolkit

There have been over 2,200 posts on my blog. At the five-and-a-half-year-point, on November 13, 2016, I proudly reached my one-millionth click.  My goal with this blog, aside from admittedly being a branding tool and lead generator, is to help people and to bring the book publishing community together. I strive to offer you and all readers a dose of  inspiration, information, and ideas that challenge the norm, honor the past, and create a new path towards a strong future for books, literacy, the First Amendment, printed books, physical bookstores, and great writing. Here are my prior annual toolkits and this year’s best blog posts. Enjoy, practice what you read, and please give back by sharing with others.

How Do You Build The "Write” Platform?
http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2016/09/how-do-you-build-write-platform-to-snag.html


The Social Media Strategy For Authors

83 Websites For Authors & Publishers


What Authors Must Do On Branding

11 Best Author, Literary Agent, Media Interviews Of The Year, An Opportunity For You To Be Interviewed

Which Demographic Do You Promote Your Book To?

10 Ways Authors Must Think Like The Media

14 Areas All Authors Must Master

Should You Promote Your Book By Yourself?

16 Ways To Work With Book Publicists

Marketing The Perfect Novel

10 Sure-Fire Ways To Get Media Coverage For Your Book

The 8 Biggest Book Publicity Mistakes To Avoid

10 PR Tips For Novelists At Thrillerfest

A Primer On Self-Publishing

Why Must You Promote Your Book?

What Should Authors Not Write About?

22 Bad Things Writers Could Do – But Shouldn’t

Great Quotes About Books & Writing – With Insight On Why We Love Such Quotes

How Are Books Really Made?

How Do Writers Navigate The Challenges Of Time?

What Do Book Publishers Value?

What Exactly Is Your Author Brand?

2016 Book Marketing & Book Publicity Toolkit

2015 Book Marketing & PR Toolkit

2014 Book Marketing & PR Toolkit

2013 Book Marketing & Book PR Toolkit

Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog 2016 ©.
Named one of the best book marketing blogs by Book Baby 


Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Why Should You Help The ACLU?


Every Writer Should Donate!

On “Giving Tuesday’ I didn’t donate to anyone, even though there are countless causes to contribute to that are worthy and terrific I had given throughout the year and it was just a week ago that I gave money to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).  It seems like free speech and the First Amendment are always under attack and misunderstood.  In order to protect all of our constitutional rights we must ensure that the First Amendment is preserved, protected, and promoted, for once we lose the right to speak out, we become a frightened, diminished, and lost people.

I encourage everyone to donate to the ACLU.  It’s quite easy to do – and it feels great to click a few bucks to such a wonderfully dedicated and successful organization.  Just go to www.aclu.org and do your part to protect humanity from tyranny, oppression, suppression, and corruption.

It may seem like the First Amendment shouldn’t need protection.  It’s in the Constitution, so what could happen to it?

Plenty.

First off, the Supreme Court could oversee changes to its interpretation, allowing for things to water it down and chip away at it, much like Roe vs. Wade is getting picked apart at certain federal and state levels when it comes to regulations, funding, and other factors that threaten the landmark decision.

Second, how people view and use their freedom of speech is just as important as the powers granted by the law.  If people come to not respect free speech or abuse their privilege, speech suffers and so do our politics and ability to grow as an evolving nation.

Under a Republican Congress and White House, free speech will be in the news more.  President-elect Donald Trump has clearly stated in his election run that libel laws will be strengthened.  He has a bad history of suing anyone who speaks out against him.  The thin-skinned Trump doesn’t take criticism lightly though his Twitter rants do seem to embrace what free speech is all about.  Except that his words usually speak in a nasty tone, often filled with downright attacks, lies and threats.  In many respects, he tests the limits of free speech when he bastardizes the facts and uses words to hurt others.

The ACLU is a true freedom-fighter.  They look out for everyone and as a result, eventually piss-off everyone.  The ACLU, in its bid to protect our sacred rights, will also defend the ugly, such as the rights of neo-Nazis to march, simply because it knows that when people want to march against the government it wants that right to go unchallenged.

The ACLU is involved in many social justice causes.  It is involved in litigation over issues like the Patriots Act and government surveillance of the communications of innocent people.  It defends against voter suppression.  It defends Muslims who are discriminated against.  It protects against unlawful procedures related to immigrant deportations.  It monitors when the government fails to fulfill Freedom of Information Act requests.  The list goes on.

The ACLU has been very active on these issues as well:

·         Rights of protesters
·         Internet speech
·         Student speech and privacy.
·         Finance reform
·         Campaign

The ACLU monitors how the government or police treats its citizens.  It protects women, minorities, and those who are not treated equally or fairly.  From drug laws to the death penalty or free speech to voter rights, the ACLU has done a lot and still needs to do more.  Give now, before it’s too late, before your rights get taken away.

The ACLU, for nearly 100 years, has been the nation’s leading defender of freedom and justice.  I do hope you support them – and as a result, your own rights – and help to keep the United States a truly free nation for all. 

Please Click On The Best Out Of 2,100 Posts
11 best author, literary agent, media interviews of the year – with an opportunity for you to be interviewed

2016 Book Marketing & Book Publicity Toolkit

2015 Book Marketing & PR Toolkit

2014 Book Marketing & PR Toolkit

Book Marketing & Book PR Toolkit: 2013

Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog 2016 ©.
Named one of the best book marketing blogs by Book Baby 

Interview with author Jax Anderson


1. What inspired you to write your book?
The inspiration for SemiViral comes from the consistent anxiety and bullying I suffered while in public school and the depression I battle with every day. The journey I personally experienced seeking hope for myself, as well as the many mistakes and accomplishments I made along the way, were guiding tools to expressing myself in SemiViral. I chose to write a fiction as a more comfortable method of explaining some of my embarrassing experiences in an intense but relatable way.

2. What is it about?
The book begins with Mathew Stemp leaving his partner-in-crime, Porter, after one last job to kill a man who is infected with an STD that is causing people to become blood thirsty cannibals. Afterwards, Matt leaves his partner, their gang, and the prostitution business behind as he attempts to find his Christianity and pursue a career in mixed martial arts. It’s not as easy as he had hoped when he finds his younger brother, Garret, bullying a young girl, Shaylee, at school because of her mother’s cannibal infection. In order to help his brother change, Matt must now befriend a girl who many fear is infected and stand against his old gang to show his brother and community that you can’t judge others without getting to know them. Follow Matt and many others as the world falls apart in civil war between people who believe the virus can be cured, Curists, and those who believe the infected should be exterminated, Exterminationists. Read as Matt trains a team of outcasts to battle bullying and intolerance while the virus affects each of their lives differently.

3. What do you hope will be the everlasting  thoughts for readers who finish your book?
If I could sum up SemiViral’s message into three statements, they would be as follows:
       Good people can make bad mistakes, and bad people are capable of accomplishing great things. So don’t judge so easily.
       There are at least two sides to each story. Often, each side believes they are doing the right thing for everybody. The missing link in most debates is a new perspective.
       Bullying should not be tolerated. Remember to always stand up for yourself and others. If you ignore it, you promote it.

4. What advice do you have for writers?
Don’t stop writing! Don’t get hung up in each detail. Write storylines and figure out your message. When suffering writer’s block, I often would read over my draft and rediscover my original direction or find that I mistakenly shifted directions. Read and reread and never forget to write down your ideas for the future of the story of separate stories. Your creativity is a muscle— exercise it.

5. Where do you think the book publishing industry is heading?
I am watching self-publishing and hybrid publishing take off dramatically. Traditional publishing seems more difficult to get into because so many books are getting published. Each style has its advantages though, and requires the investment of the author.

6. What challenges did you have in writing your book?
My first challenge writing this book was committing time each day. While working full-time and attending school, I struggled for a while to commit the 30 minutes a day to writing. I found once I had sat in front of the writing for 30 minutes, I would stay longer and get more done. When I had writer’s block, I read the manuscript for 30 minutes instead but I dedicated the minimum 30 minutes to my book each day. My second challenge was staying honest with my characters. My religion plays a strong part in my writing but I was fully aware that this story would not make sense or be meaningful if I changed characteristics of those in my book to be politically correct. I knew the entire time that many of my peers, family, and even friends would be offended by some of the story but the story needed to be real and relatable.

7. If people can only buy one book this month, why should it be yours?
The world is in a current state of turmoil. There are riots in the streets across the United States occurring frequently. If there was ever a time to read SemiViral, it is now. Step into a world with similar struggles with heroes who show you all of the small things you can do to make a difference in this mess. SemiViral’s heroes and villains are each relatable to many of us and the social intolerances and differences experienced throughout the story can help you greater understand ourselves and those around us.

About Jax Anderson: He got his start in writing when he began keeping a journal as a kid. After finding his life was pretty embarrassing, he switched to fiction. SemiViral began when he discovered many individuals in his personal life were intolerant people. Without calling them out individually, he wrote a book with cannibal style living flesh eaters, prostitution, drugs, and Mormons to address what he had been seeing his whole life in a neutrally opinionated manner. Anderson resides in Colorado with his wife and young daughter.

For more information, please connect with Jax Anderson on Facebook and Goodreads
SemiViral is available for purchase on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Green Ivy Books

Continue to follow the SemiViral blog tour tomorrow at A Sky Filled With Sparkling Stars!

Please Click On The Best Out Of 2,100 Posts
11 best author, literary agent, media interviews of the year – with an opportunity for you to be interviewed

2016 Book Marketing & Book Publicity Toolkit

2015 Book Marketing & PR Toolkit

2014 Book Marketing & PR Toolkit

Book Marketing & Book PR Toolkit: 2013

Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog 2016 ©.
Named one of the best book marketing blogs by Book Baby 

Monday, November 28, 2016

Art Book Is Explosive: Guns In The Hands Of Artists


Books have the power to open our hearts, minds, and souls to new ideas, to explore fantasies, and to entertain what could be.  They also can clue us in on history and the facts of life.  Some books combine all of that and have the potential to change how we think, and feel, and move us to action.  One such book is Guns in the Hands of Artists.

Jonathan Ferrara, New Orleans art gallery owner, was determined to use art to stir a new dialogue on the issue of gun violence.  Over two decades ago he initiated an amazing exhibit of the work of dozens of artists and their abilities to turn guns into art.  His goal:  to bring people to the conclusion that we need common sense changes in how we view and treat the proliferation of guns.  He doesn’t expect nor seek extreme things like repealing the Second Amendment.  But safety protections regarding background checks, training, and mandatory safety locks would be a way to improve on things.

Now he has a book out that captures what he has sought to do with the exhibition and added powerful essays from a dozen and a half noted contributors.  People like U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Richard Ford, Aspen Institute CEO Walter Isaacson, former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, and Lupe Fiasco a Grammy Award-winning rapper penned provocative words to accompany these stunning images.

It’s a truly terrific moment – to see art, publishing, life, and death merge.  Ferrara is a social activist artist with a real vision.  He says:

“Every image in the book is powerful in its own right, some are just more subtle than others, but the messages they convey are potent.  A few that come to mind are Marcus Kenney’s Girl with a Gun because it speaks to the issue of child safety and guns and the laws or lack thereof that exist in America.  The captivating image of a young girl dancing with a gun addresses the fact that only two states have laws that require guns to be locked up in homes that have children in them. Can’t we agree that regardless of what side we are on that we all want to protect our children? The sculptures by Mel Chin are equally powerful. He literally embeds guns into the concrete busts of two infamous killers to show how much guns are embedded into the American psyche. The work of Katrina Andry is subtle yet powerful.  Her woodcut monoprint of a disappearing African American male with gun chambers stamped across it addresses the fact that we are losing an entire generation of young black men to violence and incarceration… a fact that is widely known across America.”

One can see why we need a new way of viewing and discussing guns.  21 of the 25 deadliest shootings in the U.S. have occurred since 1980.  The U.S. has the highest rate of gun ownership in the world.  Every day in America there are 35 gun homicides, 60 gun suicides, and 200 of others who survive getting shot.  A third of the population owns a gun, but 50% of all guns are owned by 3% of the population.  Studies show the risk of an individual’s death by homicide when living in a home with a gun increases by at least 40%.

Which of the images in his book did Ferrara find to be the most powerful?  

He says: “Every image in the book is powerful in its own right, some are just more subtle than others, but the messages they convey are potent.  A few that come to mind are Marcus Kenney’s Girl with a Gun because it speaks to the issue of children and guns and the laws or lack thereof that exist in America. The captivating image of a young girl dancing with a gun speaks to the fact that only two states have laws that require guns to be locked up in homes that have children in them.  Can’t we agree that regardless of what side we are on that we all want to protect our children?  The sculptures by Mel Chin are equally powerful.  He literally embeds guns into the concrete busts of two infamous killers to show how much guns are embedded into the American psyche.  The work of Katrina Andry is subtle yet powerful.  Her woodcut monoprint of a disappearing African American male with gun chambers stamped across it speaks to the fact that we are losing an entire generation of young black men to violence and incarceration…a fact that is widely known across America.”

Ferrara launched a foundation to address gun violence, Guns in the Hands of Artists Foundation.  Proceeds from the book benefit the foundation as well as Gabby Gifford’s Americans for Responsible Solutions.

His book is just a stunning effort to make a difference.  I’m proud that the public relations firm I work for was recently retained to promote his book and mission.  It’s the land of creative effort and fresh approach that may finally catalyze some real change.

I leave you with the words of Dan Gross, the president of Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence:

“In his new book, Ferrara brings a hauntingly beautiful new perspective to the national conversation about gun violence in America and how we understand it.  This smart collection of brilliant artists and voices reimagines the devastating violence that cuts through the fabric of society, while paying homage to the hope that drives those of us in this movement every day.  Guns in the Hands of Artists is required reading for anyone looking to shift the American gun violence discussion from one rooted in debate, to one striving for solutions.”



Please Click On The Best Out Of 2,100 Posts
11 best author, literary agent, media interviews of the year – with an opportunity for you to be interviewed

2016 Book Marketing & Book Publicity Toolkit

2015 Book Marketing & PR Toolkit

2014 Book Marketing & PR Toolkit

Book Marketing & Book PR Toolkit: 2013

Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog 2016 ©.
Named one of the best book marketing blogs by Book Baby 
http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  

When A Bookstore Rises From The Ashes, We All Celebrate



When I first moved to New Rochelle, a small city 30 minutes north of Manhattan, in the Fall of 2003, I was optimistic that it was a good landing place to eventually raise children.  One of the many things that factored in the decision was that I would be near several bookstores.  15 minutes away was a Barnes & Noble on the border of where the Bronx meets Westchester.  Even closer, was a Borders in nearby Eastchester.  There was also an old independent store in neighboring Larchmont, a mile from my house.

But the literary landscape looks a lot different now.

The Bronx B&N is closing and will leave nearly 1.5 million without a community bookstore.

The Borders closed up four or five years ago.

But Anderson’s Book Shop is still kicking in Larchmont and seven years ago another indie opened up in Larchmont, catering to children’s books, The Voracious Reader.

And now, I’m proud to say, there’s a new Barnes & Noble housed in the exact space the Borders used to be in.  I’m sitting in it right now, on the eve of Thanksgiving.  It is a thankful moment, indeed.

A generation ago some people complained that huge chains, like Borders, Barnes & Noble, Walden Books, and Books a Million.  The indies are now rising.  You also have a significant portion of book sales coming online, via e-books, print-on-demand, and of course, Amazon.

It’s a new marketplace out there.

But I can’t explain the joy I feel sitting here.  It’s the same feeling I get when I hear an old theater that was renovated is re-opening.  It’s as if something had died, but now comes renewal and hope.  Imagine a town that was hit by a nuclear radiation leak, left abandoned for decades until one day the ground is no longer contaminated and the land starts to again yield trees, crops, and life.  A bookstore grows where once stood a literary graveyard.

Why the drama and romance from me?  Because I know just how important bookstores are to our cultural ecosystem.   They bring people together like few places can.  Young and old, big and small, black and white – it all converges in a communal, nurturing environment, a safe space that fosters the development of our souls.

We can only be a product of our experiences, knowledge, human interactions, and connections.  The bookstore affords a rich opportunity to explore ideas information, images, and facts in a way we otherwise wouldn’t.

There’s order to it – lined shelves of current books by genre, format or popularity.  But there’s also choice and randomness at play for the curious, wandering browser.  It’s a scene that gets redrawn daily, with new books pouring in on a regular basis.

It’s peaceful here.  There’s a self-fulfilling prophecy going on.  Everyone who decided to walk through these doors is a pursuer of knowledge.  They are on a journey and welcome the words and sounds and pictures that could shape and reshape their lives.

Okay, okay I know this mental masturbation sounds silly, but imagine how you feel when you go somewhere and instantly feel at home, like you belong, as if you were always there? This is my island, my respite from the harsh realities of an imperfect world.  This is where words matter, where they get to live and breathe.

My hope is that this store makes it and that the existing independent stores stick around.  There soon will be another Barnes & Noble, coming to New Rochelle.  It’ll be the campus bookstores for Monroe College, but it will also be open to the public. I think it will be a small store, but nevertheless, tally another bookstore for humanity.  I can’t wait to visit that one, too.

The financial key to the Eastchester Barnes and Noble will be its café.  It’s a big one and it sells more than coffee and cake.  It has some real food, which looks pricey.  The brisket burger is 15 bucks.  Soup is $9.  But the real kicker is the wine menu.  One bottle -- Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 Napa Valley -- goes for $78.  A glass of Pinot Noir goes for $16.  They sell beer, too.

I thought I’d get drunk on books, but for some, this could be a bar hangout that happens to have books. If that’s what helps the bookstore succeed, I’ll take it.

This holiday season the gift of a new bookstore is wonderful.  Go support your local bookstores and savor them.  Don’t take them for granted.  Cherish the opportunity, to not only consume books, but to do so in the holy environment of a bookstore. 

Please Click On The Best Out Of 2,100 Posts
11 best author, literary agent, media interviews of the year – with an opportunity for you to be interviewed

2016 Book Marketing & Book Publicity Toolkit

2015 Book Marketing & PR Toolkit

2014 Book Marketing & PR Toolkit

Book Marketing & Book PR Toolkit: 2013

Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog 2016 ©.
Named one of the best book marketing blogs by Book Baby 

Saturday, November 26, 2016

Interview with author Andro Donovan


Motivate Yourself:
get the life you want, find purpose and achieve fulfilment
Andro Donovan author of Motivate Yourself’ is a globally sought after facilitator, author, speaker, and consultant. She specializes in coaching high-performing CEO, and Entrepreneur forums to become more effective leaders, with a stronger sense of meaning and purpose in their lives. She combines her 20 years experience as a management consultant with her natural insight andaffinity with all types of people, to help her clients gain greater influence, effectiveness and perspective. 


1. What really inspired you to write your book, to force you from taking an idea or experience and conveying it into a book?
As I am a facilitator it became a stronger and stronger need to pass on this information to more people, not only the people that found me on a retreat or workshop. Also I wanted my children to have this as my legacy to them.

2. What is it about and whom do you believe us your targeted reader?
Anyone who has reached a point in their life where they are questioning is this it? Could I have a bigger and richer experience in my life.

3. What do you hope will be the everlasting thoughts for readers who finish your book? What should remain with them long after putting it down?
That once they have had a glimpse of their essence their essential nature and been able to articulate their core values that they hold dear,  they will always have their natural compass to act as their guide through life's trials and tribulations. Under the armour, we are all great with enormous amounts of potential for personal growth. We can all make a difference.

4. What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers?
Believe in yourself, what you have to say is important and you have a duty to share it with the world. Don't ever think 'this has been doen before' because it's never been said in the way you will say it with your own unique style and personal story.

5. What trends in the book world do you see and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading?
Having spoken to many people now who have self- published there is still a very special genre of books that are published by a publishing house which gives them a different kind of credability. That being said I would have been willing to get this book out and was willing to do whatever it took even if it meant self- publishing. As far as I’m concerned there will always be a place for real physical books- you can't beat them.

6. What great challenges did you have in writing your book?
Managing my negative self-talk which was arguing for my limitations and trying to keep me small, safe, invulnerable and in my comfort zone.

7. If people can only buy one book this month, why should it be yours?
Especially at this time of year coming up for Xmas and the New Year,  it's a great time to start getting ready to detox your mind and nourish your soul. I can't think of a better present than 'Motivate Yourself'  and a beautiful journal to record thoughts, insights and new areas of focus. Sure there are a lot of beautiful things you could buy for yourself or indeed your friends,  but how do you put a price on discovering your own sense of meaning and purpose.

For more information, please see: www.androdonovan.com

Please Click On The Best Out Of 2,100 Posts
11 best author, literary agent, media interviews of the year – with an opportunity for you to be interviewed

2016 Book Marketing & Book Publicity Toolkit

2015 Book Marketing & PR Toolkit

2014 Book Marketing & PR Toolkit

Book Marketing & Book PR Toolkit: 2013

Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog 2016 ©.
Named one of the best book marketing blogs by Book Baby