2012 Social Media Forecast — Interview with John Kremer and Joel Friedlander

Social Media Logos

How much time did you spend on social media sites this week? This week was, for me, an almost nonstop 60,000 foot view of the social media landscape, with occasional hovering over content that caught my attention. I did everything online marketing experts advise against -- spending too much time exploring at the expense of writing. My social media travels, however, did accomplish a few really important and practical goals: My Bloggers Read Across the Globe (BRAG) Facebook Fan Page "likes" increased 23% in 4 days. Okay, the actual … [Read more...]

6 Tips for Planning a Virtual Book Tour

Bloggers Read Across the Globe (BRAG)

Preparing a Virtual Book Tour (VBT) takes time and focus. Here are some tips for planning and organizing a VBT: 1. Create a planning calendar.There are so many steps involved in setting up a VBT that a calendar of tasks becomes essential. Using a checklist of TO-DOs, with dates and descriptions is a great tool for staying on track. Also include the names, websites and email addresses of guest hosts, and update the list frequently as you contact hosts and receive feedback. I use a calendar template from Microsoft Word to fill in each … [Read more...]

Bloggers Read Across the Globe (BRAG): Promoting Children’s Literacy — March 2012

BRAG LOBO 350

I love children's picture books. Before I could read, colorful illustrations were magnets for my eyes. I loved the images so much that I made up stories to go along with them. Little by little, I discerned the actual words. My big sister taught me a few letters, starting with "B" and "A." That helped me decipher the word "beast" in the classic story, Beauty and the Beast. From 2 letters, a world opened, and I haven't stopped traveling there since. I'll always be thankful for the gift of literacy. Many children across the world … [Read more...]

How to Make Video Book Trailers

Feature your book in a video trailer! I've received a lot of questions about how I made the video trailer for Sunbelievable.  I thought I'd share the steps I used to create and share it.  Video trailers are a great way to promote books 24/7! The steps may appear somewhat linear, but it's more a back-and-forth, fluid process between one step and another. If you have an idea for the "gestalt" of the video, go with your instinct for starters. What is it about your book you want to emphasize and feature? I'd love to hear your … [Read more...]

Announcing Literary Powerhouse Consulting, LLC

Literary Powerhouse Consulting

The Only Comprehensive Online Literary Services In June of 2011, I teamed up with Marisa Corvisiero, Esq., a colleague, attorney, literary agent and friend, to form Literary Power House Consulting, LLC—a unique and comprehensive, online consulting firm that offers services to authors, agents, editors, publishers, publicists, and lawyers. This project evolved from work each of us was already providing during a time of rapid changes in the publishing industry. Demand for consulting services grew as major transformations occurred. We … [Read more...]

Save the Date! Bloggers Read Across America March 2012

Read Across America

Celebrate Read Across America--March 2012! As 2011 ends, I think ahead to the new year and a spectacular line-up of events focused on promoting reading and literacy among children. One of these falls in March--the National Education Association's Read Across America 2012.  What is Read Across America?  "NEA's Read Across America is an annual reading motivation and awareness program that calls for every child in every community to celebrate reading on March 2, the birthday of children's author Dr. Seuss. NEA's Read Across America … [Read more...]