Another Way to Build Visibility To Your Blog – Submitting Your Blog to Blog Catalogs

There are directories or catalogs of various blogs you can submit to and, if accepted, there viewership would then be able to access your blog. Most of these directories have a free option and this is the one I would choose. You can find some directories at the following link -

http://www.masternewmedia.org/rss/top55/best-rss-directories-and-blog-submission-original-list-part-11.htm

It is fairly quick and easy to do and I hope it will help you build visibility for your blog!

Another Way to Build Visibility To Your Blog – BlogCatalog.com

This site can be a great way to build visibility to your blog and to find other blogs you might be interested in commenting on. In their words they are, “Blog Catalog is the premiere social blog directory on the internet. Whether you’re looking to promote your own blog or find blogs on various topics, this site is for you.”

Here is the site – http://www.blogcatalog.com/

First go to this site – then fill in info about your blog – the next step is to verify ownership – I picked the rate my blog feature to do this – I then put the html code they provided below the “my profile” section in my blog – then go to your personal blog where you can edit html – find where your profile is and then paste the coding in this spot (an easy way to do this is to click “ctrl F” and then type in “profile”)

You should then be able to preview your blog – make sure it looks ok and you will now be setup in this blog catalog!

More Ways to Increase the Visibility of Your Blog

An author of mine sent me some valuable information after my initial posting on increasing the visibility of your blog. There is information on promotional videos, free book downloads, and general visibility.

Here is his email:

John,
We review a few books at Blogsboro.com Contact and submission info is here: http://bloggingpoet.squarespace.com/contact-blogsboro/

My recommendation is to read the various Team Blogsboro blogs and then decide which writer would be most like the sort who would enjoy your book(s).

Also, if any of your authors are doing promotional videos and uploading them to YouTube and other video sites I highly recommend they upload them here as well: http://blogsborocomvideochannel.magnify.net/ Videos uploaded to our channel have the best chance of being featured on the Blogsboro Network where we have over 80.000 unique monthly readers.

If your authors are poetry bloggers then they need to contact me so I can feature them at BloggingPoet.com and add their blogs to Poetsarus.com.

Anyone using free online novels as a promotional tool needs to follow this link: http://bloggingpoet.squarespace.com/blogels-online-novels/

There’s more here: http://bloggingpoet.squarespace.com/blogsboro/how-to-promote-your-poetry-free-almost.html While it’s geared towards poets most of it will work for any author.

And here is the world’s most complete list of local English Language blog aggregators: http://bloggingpoet.squarespace.com/blogsboro/local-blog-aggregators-by-city-state-and-country.html

And finally, because Booksurge products are available through wholesalers I can add them to BloggingPoet-Shoppes.com , BillysToyStore.com and several other of our aStores.

-Billy

PS. Beginning April 1st Blogsboro and BloggingPoet.com will be hosting the 4th annual Poet Laureate of the Blogosphere election: http://bloggingpoet.squarespace.com/bloggingpoetcom/category/poet-laureate-of-the-blogosphere I’m expecting well over 100,000 readers to tune in.

How to Make your Blog More Visible – Generate Tags

So you have this great blog, but can’t figure out how to get anyone to see it.

If you have this problem then it may be because you are not tagging your posts with keywords. This is very easy to do and makes your blog postings more likely to show up on the wider web. Here is a step by step guide on how to do this:

(1) Develop a set of keywords that you think fit the blog post you are creating. For example, I used the following keywords for this posting – how to use my blog, make my blog more visible, marketing help for my book, help me market my book, online book marketing tools
(2) Once you have your keywords for the post go to this link to generate the tag – http://www.egmstrategy.com/ice/tag-generator.cfm
(3) You should see that option one on this site is to generate a tag. In the blank that asks for keywords place the keywords you have developed separated by commas.
(4) Do not adjust any other of the options.
(5) Scroll to the bottom and click “generate code”
(6) Copy the code that comes out and make sure that you copy the entire code.
(7) Go to where you can edit the posting you are placing on the blog. There should be an option to “Edit Html” – click here – please note that you should have already written the posting and that you can do this to past postings
(8) You will then see the full code for this posting – scroll to the bottom – click enter – then paste the code at the end

You can do this for every posting and it will make it much more likely that your blog postings will be viewed by the wider web!

Contest Opportunity – Many Genres

16th Annual Writer’s Digest International Self-Published Book Awards

The deadline to enter the 16th Annual Writer’s Digest’s International Self-Published Book Awards is May 1, 2008. The competition is open to all English-language books for which the author has paid the full cost of publication, or the cost of printing has been paid for with a grant or prize. All books published or revised and reprinted between 2003 and 2008 are eligible.

Entrants must send a printed and bound book.

Entry Fees
First entry: $100
Additional entries: $50 each
The Categories
Mainstream/Literary Fiction
Genre Fiction
Nonfiction
Inspirational (Spiritual, New Age)
Life Stories (Biographies, Autobiographies, Family Histories, Memoirs)
Children’s Picture Books
Middle-Grade/Young Adult books
Reference Books (Directories, Encyclopedias, Guide Books)
Poetry

For a complete list of rules and to download an entry form, visit WritersDigest.com

Contest Opportunity – All Genres – IPPY’s

2008 International Independent Publisher Book Awards

The 12th Annual Independent Publisher national and regional Book Awards (IPPYs) is accepting entries for its annual IPPY Awards that honor the year’s best independently published titles. Entries are now being accepted in 65 subject categories and Best Regional Fiction and Best Regional Nonfiction categories in eight United States and two Canadian regions. All independent, university, small press and self-publishers who produce books intended for the North American market are eligible to enter titles copyrighted or released in 2007. Print-on-demand and other independent authors are welcome to enter their books themselves.

Started in 1996, the IPPYs were designed to bring increased recognition to the deserving but often unsung titles published by independent authors and publishers. Established as the first awards program open exclusively to independents, the IPPYs recognize hundreds of the year’s best books, bringing them to the attention of booksellers, buyers, librarians and book lovers throughout the world.

Entry fee is $75 per title, per category. You can add a regional entry for only $45 per title, per category. Deadline for entry is April 1, 2008.

Download an entry form or learn more about the IPPYs by visiting their Web site

We have had several authors when awards through this contest and they occasionally will recognize winning authors at BEA (the world’s largest book fair).

Contest Opportunity

One of my authors has started a company offering contest opportunities to authors with cash prizes available.

Please click on this link to learn more about this opportunity: http://www.sumthingnew.com/writing

Creating a Book Trailer

A great new way to help market your book is to create a video trailer for your book. This can be used on your personal website, on www.youtube.com, and in your publicity packages that you are sending to TV stations. Here is an interview one of my colleagues held with an author of ours who has used this idea to successfully market her book.

SPA: Congratulations on the book and the video. Obviously the video is a reflection of the material in the book, but what kind of pre-production work went into it?

Author: Well, with virtually no budget there’s not a ton of pre-production. Luckily, my background is live theatre and a bit of film so I had access to a lot of really talented people. For instance, my costume designer at the theatre built the gorgeous red cloaks (I use one for my readings now!) and my set designer made the actual flask for the Miist of Kalliope. However, this same kind of talent can be found working at fabric stores and paint shops, not to mention art schools. As for the sets, I have a room in my basement where there are no windows so it was perfect for creating dim, moody locations. Basically, I yanked out everything I had from my Halloween stuff…and let me tell you, as an official Halloween Freak, I had lots…and decorated the room like an old library. I made scrolls from dollar store parchment paper, used lots of candles and focused on tight shots as they would be easier to “make real”. The fire was a total fluke. I had put flour on the book to look like dust and when I went to blow it off, it caught on the flame of the candle and made this awesome fire. Man, can’t pay enough to get special effects like that! For the outside shots I just snuck into a cemetery not too far from my house, threw the cloaks on my sister and her two kids and said “walk”. That was a laugh! I was also able to use a photography studio for a few hours. They had the big stone walls, which really helped for some shots.

SPA: Where did you find your actors?

The walking in cloaks is my sister and her kids. And then there’s a shot of my nephew’s eyeball and my niece reaching for an old teapot. The rest are me (opening the book, the creepy looking Simp) For the Simp I just used red food coloring, petroleum jelly and kleenex and mixed it all together to look like gross peeling, bloody skin. I think it worked as it freaked out my daughter! Oh, and I had a hideous wig! The growling teeth were my dog’s.

SPA: The music is chilling and I think a key to the success of your video. Where did you find the music?

I was so very fortunate with the music. The composer in residence of your city’s symphony caught wind of my project via a mutual friend and offered to do the music. How fantastic is that! Of course I said ‘yes’ or rather squealed ‘YES!’ and after viewing the rough cut of the video he composed this amazing score. I was blown away! I’ll never forget hearing it for the first time. There I was crying with headphones on in the middle of this coffee shop. He’d just nailed it so perfectly! Obviously, this isn’t something that will happen for everyone but there are many music options such as schools, free online stuff and even Garage Band.

SPA: What equipment did you use to shoot and edit the video?

We shot on digital video, with a pretty decent 3 chip camera. My friend did the editing on Final Cut Pro, which is a really accessible program. We got sound effects from free sites online and then he put it together, brilliantly I might add. But he has had quite a few years experience on the program. This is where I think the money should be spent.

SPA: How long did it take you to shoot and edit?

The shooting took two or maybe three days and about a week to edit.

SPA: Do you have any advice for other authors who may be thinking about putting a video trailer together for their books?

Well, I just did an interview with our local TV station and they were absolutely thrilled with all the ‘stuff’ I had for them to work with (book trailer, footage of readings, props, costumes etc). It made their job so much easier and made the entire story, not only longer (aka more air time, aka more exposure), but also much more interesting for viewers. Also, my readings are much more fun. I play the trailer on a giant screen (always supplied by the school or library) even before I enter. By the time I come in the kids are already with me. They’re sold! And they can’t wait for me to read more of what they’ve just seen. The book trailer has been absolutely my strongest marketing tool. It’s a fantastic way of giving media a taster. This plus the website. I spent a lot of time and money on my website. Probably the most (aside from my book, of course:) But, keep in mind I am sharing with a demographic that has grown up ‘virtual’ so I wanted to impress them with the best of that. I think that, especially if an author is going POD, then a book trailer and website are essential. But don’t go cheesy or cheap on the trailer. Do some research and some sniffing around at film schools. Do it right, the best way possible. A really bad trailer is worse than no trailer at all.

Thanks again for the opportunity to share with you, Richard. It was a real pleasure!

All the best,Kami

SPA: Thank you, Kami. Great advice and great video!

Contest Opportunity – All Genres

Here is more detailed information about this contest:

LOS ANGELES (August 21, 2007)_ The 2007 DIY Book Festival has set Sept. 25,
2007 as the deadline for entry to its sixth annual celebration of independent authors and publishers.

This year, the DIY Book Festival is placing a special focus on the poetry, fan fiction, unpublished stories and comics/’zines categories. Special reduced entry rates, exclusive category cash prizes and special spotlights for select entries are among the plans.

The DIY Book Festival will consider self-published or independent publisher non-fiction, fiction, biography/autobiography, children’s books, teenage, how-to, cookbooks, science fiction, audio/spoken word, photography, art, comics, ‘zines, fan fiction, poetry and e-books published on or after Jan. 1, 2005. All entries must be in English and have been self-published or issued by an independent publishing house.

Our grand prize for the 2007 DIYBF Book of the Year is $1500 cash and a flight to the awards ceremony, held in October. All entrants receive free admission to the annual DIY Convention in Los Angeles each February and are eligible for special exhibition discounts at that event. Genre category winners will receive a combination of books, software and cash awards.

Submitted works will be judged by a panel of industry experts using the following criteria:
1) General excellence and the author’s passion for telling a good story.
2) The unique use of guerilla marketing tactics to reach a wider audience.

This includes innovative marketing, merchandising, publicity tactics and other innovative methods of reaching an independent audience..
ENTRIES: Please classify your book and enter it in the following categories.Multiple entries must be accompanied by a separate fee for each book.

1) General Non-fiction
2) General Fiction
3) Children’s books
4) How-to
5) E-books (word or .pdf file acceptable)
6) Comics
7) ‘zines
8) Photography
9) Fan Fiction
10) Poetry
11) Art
12) Teenage
13) Biography/Autobiography
14) Audio/spoken word
15) Compilations/Anthologies
16) Best Unpublished Short Story
17) Cookbooks
18) Science Fiction

In addition to honoring the top selections in the above categories, The DIY Book Festival will award the following chosen from submissions:

1) DIY Author of the Year-Honors the outstanding book of the competition.
2) DIY Book Design of the Year — Honors outstanding and innovative design.
3) DIY Independent Publisher of the Year-Honors the top publisher based on materials displaying excellence in marketing and promotional materials, as determined by our judges.

FESTIVAL RULES: DIY Book Festival submissions cannot be returned. Each entry must contain the official entry form, including your e-mail address and contact telephone number. All shipping and handling costs must be borne by entrants.

NOTIFICATION AND DEADLINES: We will notify each entry of the receipt of their package via e-mail and will announce the winning entries on our web site (www.diyconvention.com). Because of the anticipated high volume of entries, we can only respond to e-mail inquiries.
Deadline submissions in each category must be postmarked by the close of business on Sept. 25, 2007. Winners in each category will be notified by e-mail. Please note that judges read and consider submissions on an ongoing basis, comparing early entries with later submissions at our meetings.

TO ENTER: Entry forms are available online at www.diyconvention.com or may be faxed/e-mailed to you. Please contact our office for fax requests.
Applications must be accompanied by a non-refundable entry fee of $10-$50 (see entry form drop-down menu for specific category prices) in the form of a check, money order or PayPal online payment in U.S. dollars for each submission. Multiple submissions are permitted but each entry must be accompanied by a separate form and entry fee.

You can also enter the contest by phone by calling 323-665-8080 between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Pacific time.

Entry fee checks should be made payable to JM Northern Media LLC. We’re sorry, but entries must be mailed and cannot be delivered in person or by messenger services to the JM Northern Media offices.

Entry packages should include:

1) One copy of the book;
2) Your official entry form or a copy;
3) The entry fee or receipt for online payment;
4) Any marketing materials you wish to send. Marketing is used as a tie-breaking consideration by our judges.

Entries should be mailed to:
JM Northern Media LLC
attn: DIY Book Festival
7095 Hollywood Boulevard
Suite 864
Hollywood, CA 90028-0893
Phone: 323-665-8080

AWARDS: The DIY Book Festival selection committee reserves the right to determine the eligibility of any project.
The 2007 DIY Book Festival is part of the DIY Convention: Do It Yourself in Film, Music & Books, which also produces the DIY Film Festival and the DIY Music Festival. The 2007 DIY Book Festival is sponsored by Final Draft Screenplay Software; The Hollywood Creative Directory; Imagic; Alcasid.com and The DIY Reporter.com.

I hope you do well and do let me know if you win or place in any category!