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Connect with Your Fans If You Want to Sell Books

The following article appeared in Dan Janal’s Irreverent Marketing Memo on 10-17-11

Four young authors are selling lots of books and are inspiring a lot of people at the 21st Century Book Marketing Conference, [including Dan Janal!]

They are selling lots of books and their stories are all different.
Rick German, a coach and author of “Monetize Your Passion” says he networked like mad with other authors in his niche. “No matter what n iche you are in, you can meet the right people.” He did favors for them for two years, always asking, “How can I support you?” When his book came out, he called in the favors and people were happy to help. Now he spends every morning jogging on the beach, taking a dip and meditating – then coaches people on how to live his lifestyle. Sweet.

Kailin Gow has built an empire in the tween market and then the teen market as her readers grew up. She maintains strong ties to her readers by answering their emails (up to 2 hours a day) and responding via Facebook. She has a Facebook page for each book series. “They protect me from people who attack” she said. As to the time commitment she added, “I don’t sleep much.” Her books include the Desire Series, PULSE, Wicked Woods and Frost. A major worldwide game developer is creating games based on each series, she said.

Kevin Hansen collected people&rsq uo;s “regrets” on his website, then self-published a book “Secret Regrets: What If You Had a Second Chance.”  Get this: he contacted the Dr. Phil show and pitched his book – and they said yes, let’s do an entire show around this. That NEVER happens. But it did.

Hannah Dennison has written four books in the Vicky Hill Mysteries series by getting up at 5 a.m. every day and writing for two hours before going to her job.

These young authors serve as an inspiration to all!

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Dan Janal helps small businesses get publicity so they can sell more products. My clients get terrific results from my coaching, consulting, done-for-you services and do-it-yourself tools. For info, go to www.prleadsplus.com or call me at 952-380-1554.

Tie Observances to Your Niche, Uncover Hidden Riches

Just as news tie-ins can help you get media attention, pairing your writing with monthly observances can help uncover hidden riches in your business.  Every month of the year is full of monthly, weekly and one-day observances.

When you can find a way to share your knowledge, expertise and skills to help your readers, website visitors, workshop attendees, and customers, you enrich your value and uncover profits you may otherwise have missed. These tie-ins are also prime content for compelling press releases.

Here are a few of the ways my clients could create articles, tips, booklets, ebooks or audio guides that tie into monthly observances, followed by a list of  some of the August and September observances.

Back to School Month

  • Feng Shui consultant– how best to arrange college dorm rooms
  • Parenting consultant– how parents can to prepare their youngsters for school success
  • Image consultant–fashion advice on styles on which parents and teenagers can agree

Family Meals Month

  • Plant-based nutritionist–how to transition your family to a whole foods diet

College Savings Month

  • Personal finance coach–ways to begin or continue college savings progams

Self-Improvement Month

  • Life coach–how to set and accomplish personal growth goals

Mold Awareness Month

  • Contractor–ways to prevent, spot and rectify mold in your house or office

Library Card Sign-up Month

  • Author–little-known benefits of using your local library

What are some ways you can use the following observances to uncover hidden riches in your niche?


August Observances

American Adventures Month
American Indian Heritage Month
Back to School Month
Black Business Month
Cataract Awareness Month
Children’s Eye Health & Safety Month
Children’s Vision & Learning Month
Get Ready for Kindergarten Month
Family Meals Month
Golf Month
Motorsports Awareness Month
National Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Awareness Month
National Immunization Awareness Month
National Spinal Muscular Atrophy Awareness Month
National Runaway Prevention Month
National Truancy Prevention Month
National Water Quality Month
Neurosurgery Outreach Month
Pedestrian Safety Month
Psoriasis Awareness Month

September Observances

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Month
Baby Safety Month
Backpack Safety America Month
Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
College Savings Month
Gynecology Cancer Awareness Month
Library Card Sign-up Month
(World) Leukemia and Lymphoma Awareness Month
National Alcohol & Drug Addiction Recovery Month
Mold Awareness Month
National Chicken Month
National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month
National Childhood Injury Prevention Month
National DNA, Geonomics & Stem Cell Education Month
National Coupon Month
National Head Lice Prevention Month
National Organic Harvest Month
National Osteopathic Medicine Month
National Prime Beef Month
National Sickle Cell Month
National Preparedness Month
National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month
National Skin Care Awareness Month
Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month
Self Improvement Month
Shameless Promotion Month
Sports and Home Eye Health & Safety Month
National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15-October 15)

Get Media Coverage with a Compelling Press Release That has a News Tie-in

The media continually scrambles to fill the news, on and offline. You can get free  and invaluable promotion for your book, blog or other writing with a great press release.  To get  published your press release must tell a  compelling story and have a news angle or a hook that grabs the media’s attention.

A press release is a pseudo-news story that will convince an editor of the newsworthiness of an event, product or service.

If you can tie together a press release about your writing with some connection to a news story, you can generate immediate attention which can lead to increased sales for your book or traffic for your blog.

News tie-ins are great because a lot of the work is already done for you.

For example, when a portion of one of the major freeways in south Los Angeles, the 405, was closed for widening, the city, county and whole state were abuzz. In anticipation of this one weekend, July 16-18, 2011, some businesses closed, some lifestyles were altered and the media garnered tremendous attention by dubbing this event Carmageddeon, warning drivers to stay away from the area. 1,000’s of tweets, Facebook messages and many news stories were spun from this event.

Retailers, such as www.cafepress.com, were ready with Carmageddon t-shirts, mugs and iPhone cases and more. Some local bars and restaurants offered special deals to help ease the stress on local residents, and of course, get them to still shop during this period.

Clever authors, bloggers and writers  could have tied into Carmageddon if they cover topics about stress relief,  handling adversity, resilience, time management, happiness, child’s play, crime and so on.

During the same time frame, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony  parted ways. Coaches and therapists could tie in to this news story with an article about what we can learn from celebrity breakups that can help our own relationships.

Back to school stories are popular in August.  Can you write about how back to school is different for K-12 students enrolled in online programs?

With news stories, there is a very short window of opportunity. The good part, however, is that there are always news stories, though not equally dramatic, but always with possible tie-ins that can mean visibility for you.

What is happening in the  news that you can tie in to promote your topic or niche?