FIRST TIME AUTHORS

Publicity advice for first time authors
By Paula Margulies

First published here on August 31, 2012 and still relevant in 2014.

I receive a lot of calls from first-time authors with questions about how they should promote their books. Here are a few of the questions I hear most often, along with my responses:

1) Do I really need a website and a blogsite to market my book?
Yes, you really do need both. When I contact media producers and editors on your behalf, they will be looking to see what kind of presence you have on the web and whether or not you’re starting to develop any kind of following among readers. And readers interested in your work will want to visit your web and blog sites to learn more about you.

2) I edited my book carefully myself, and my wife/husband edited it, as well. Isn’t that enough?
Sorry, but self-editing (or editing via friends or family who are not professionals) doesn’t cut it. Whether you plan to self-publish or go the traditional route, you should have your work edited by a professional.

Your book is your product – it can have the greatest storyline or nonfiction content in the world, but if it’s poorly written and/or contains errors, readers will notice and say so in reviews. And it will be more difficult to obtain that all-important word-of-mouth promotion that helps some first-time books breakout. There are always exceptions to these guidelines (some might list Fifty Shades of Grey as an example), but in most instances, if you want to sell well, you must have a product that is polished and well-written, and the best way to do that is to have a professional editor review your work.

3) I want publicity for my book, but I don’t want to blog/travel/appear publicly/give interviews. What can you do for me?
If you are a first-time author, you need to find methods to reach your target audience. The best way to do that is to put yourself out there; if you’re unwilling to do so, then hiring a publicist is probably not going to help you.

And, yes, there are methods of reaching out that don’t require personal appearances or blogging. You can pay for advertising, for example, or hire a blog tour company to get bloggers to post about you and your book on their sites.

But remember, there are over 32 million books on the market right now, and experts predict that number will continue to grow. How will you make your book stand out from all the others? If you want readers to know about you and your book, you’re going to have to get yourself in front of them in as many ways as possible, be it online, on paper, via traditional media and advertising, or through in-person appearances. The more of these activities you do, the better chance you have of reaching readers.

4) How can I promote my book if I don’t have a platform?
Having a platform means that you, the author, have a strong background or some kind of expertise that is newsworthy and will make you a good potential interview candidate for the media. Promoting a book without a strong author platform is difficult, so if your platform is weak or nonexistent, you’ll need to build one.

The best way to build a platform is to establish yourself as an expert in your book’s content area (this is true for fiction, as well as nonfiction). Many authors mistakenly believe this means that they should try to position themselves as experts on writing. That’s true if your book is about writing, but if it isn’t, you’ll want to position yourself as an expert in the genre or subject area that your readers buy. The best way to do this is to create blogs on topics that interest your readers, become a guest blogger on other sites in your genre or specialty area, teach classes, write articles, and do whatever you can to be seen as someone with expertise in the realm in which your book (and its potential readers) reside. Again, this means putting some effort into developing a following on social media sites, writing blogs, making public appearances, writing articles for online and print publications, etc. (Those who are uncomfortable with doing these things, please reread my answer to question #3).

5) I have a good book, but no platform, or I have a great platform, but my book isn’t quite there yet. Will you represent me?
When I read a book by a potential client (and I always read potential clients’ books before I agree to take them on), I ask myself three questions: Is the book well-written and professionally edited? Does the author have a good platform? And can I successfully promote this book and author to my contacts? I will only represent an author if I can answer yes to all three questions.

6) Some pundits are saying that I should have at least three books published before I start any promotion. Is this true?
Many established authors have discovered that if they are successful in a certain genre, they can generate more sales by creating sequels for those books that sell well. And readers are proving loyal to characters and storylines that they love. So, if you write a book that lends itself to creating a series, particularly if it’s genre fiction, it can be a good idea to do so. 
Continued below . . . .

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But, if you’re self-publishing your work, it’s sometimes hard to know if you have a potential success (or a potential successful series) until you get that first book out there. Even if you plan to write follow-on books, I believe it’s still a good idea to spend some time promoting the first book. And if you have a second book in the wings, you can often build on the publicity for the first book to successfully promote the second.

7) From a publicity standpoint, what general advice do you have for me as a first-time author?
Great question – here’s what I recommend:
● Make sure your book has been heavily workshopped, ruthlessly revised, and polished to perfection by a professional editor before submitting it to agents, editors, or publicists, and certainly before publishing it online or in print.
● Educate yourself on promotion and marketing. Read everything you can by experts and successful authors who publish in your genre. Some of the advice will be tremendously helpful, while some of it may not fit you or your goals for your book; adopt what is useful, and commit yourself to doing what those experts recommend to help your book sell.
● Decide how much in the way of time, effort, and money you’re willing to spend on promoting your book and develop a schedule and budget you can live with.
● Plan to promote your first book full-bore for a set amount time (6-8 months after release is a good rule-of-thumb) and then consider creating a self-sustaining/long-term strategy, so you can focus on writing the next book. 

More on Paula's Blog: http://paulamargulies.blogspot.co.nz

WE SHOT DOWN AN AIRLINER

Newspaper publishes transcript of war crime conversation

The English language newspaper Kylv Post in Ukraine has published a transcript of an intercepted conversation between a Russian military intelligence officer in Donetsk and a colonel at the Russian armed forces headquarters.

Here is their conversation:

Igor Bezler: We have just shot down a plane. Group Minera. It fell down beyond Yenakievo (Donetsk Oblast).

Vasili Geranin: Pilots. Where are the pilots?

IB: Gone to search for and photograph the plane. It's smoking.

VG: How many minutes ago?

IB: About 30 minutes ago.

SBU comment: After examining the site of the plane the terrorists come to the conclusion that they have shot down a civilian plane. The next part of the conversation took place about 40 minutes later.

"Major": These are Chernukhin folks who shot down the plane. From the Chernukhin check point. Those cossacks who are based in Chernukhino.

"Greek": Yes, Major.

"Major": The plane fell apart in the air. In the area of Petropavlovskaya mine. The first "200" (code word for dead person). We have found the first "200". A Civilian.

"Greek": Well, what do you have there?

"Major": In short, it was 100 per cent a passenger (civilian) aircraft.

"Greek": Are many people there?

"Major": Holy sh----t! The debris fell right into the yards (of homes).

"Greek": What kind of aircraft?

"Major": I haven't ascertained this. I haven't been to the main sight. I am only surveying the scene where the first bodies fell. There are the remains of internal brackets, seats and bodies.

"Greek": Is there anything left of the weapon?

"Major": Absolutely nothing. Civilian items, medicinal stuff, towels, toilet paper.

"Greek": Are there documents?

"Major": Yes, of one Indonesian student. From a university in Thompson.

Militant: Regarding the plane shot down in the area of Snizhne-Torez. It's a civilian one. Fell down near Grabove. There are lots of corpses of women and children. The Cossacks are out there looking at all this.

They say on TV it's AN-26 transport plane, but they say it's written Malaysia Airlines on the plane. What was it doing on Ukraine's territory?

Nikolay Kozitsin: That means they were carrying spies. They shouldn't be f***ing flying. There is a war going on.

Source: Kyiv Post

How shocking is that?

These military criminals feel nothing for their victims. They even try to make victims of themselves as they justify their horrific actions.

To them, nothing is more important than their precious war and this is obvious from their assertion that the airliner had no right to be where it was. Well, get this, you murderous criminals. You have no right to be having a war, in Ukraine, Russia, or anywhere else.

It has been reported that they have found a Black Box and have sent it to Moscow, and now the fox will investigate the demise of the chickens. The site should have been protected to make sure nothing was moved until a properly constituted air accident investigation team arrived.

Russia has no authority to interfere in the investigation. The aircraft was not Russian owned or registered, was not flying in Russian territory, and probably had no Russians on board. There was nothing Russian about this tragedy, except for the 298 murders committed by Pro-Russian criminals, using Russian supplied arms.

Finally, will the sleeping giant that is the United Nations, be aroused now and take control in Ukraine?

CHICAGO AND MURDER

Gun mad Chicago celebrates independence with multiple murders

Al Capone is alive and well, or so it would seem in Chicago, America’s third most populated urban area. Chicago has 8.6 million people compared with New York’s 18.3 and Los Angeles’s 12.1 million. But Chicago remains the only American city to record more than 500 murders in a year, almost all of them shootings.

In Chicago this year, Independence Day started with a bang. Corey Hudson aged 34 was shot dead while walking with a friend on the street. That was at 2:30 am Friday and it was quickly followed by other slayings.

Over the holiday weekend seven people died and 50 were injured. One shooting involved police shooting dead a suspect. Two others were wounded by police gunfire. Increased policing since 2012 has seen a slight reduction in the murder rate for 2013 when 415 people were murdered in the windy city. But a further 2,185 people were injured by gunfire, and all in the name of the right to bear arms.

Without weapons, Americans would have to use their fists for protection and it is rare for fist-fight victims to die. Fist-fights can be one-sided depending on the age, fitness and size of the combatants, but surely it is preferable to shooting an attacker dead before he shoots you dead.

Evidence that America’s gun laws are crazy can be found in world murder statistics. When the American rate for murder without guns is compared with countries that have restricted access to guns, America comes out very close to the average for developed countries. It is the gun-related murder rate that tips the scales.

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Carrying a gun for protection, except in a military conflict, is foolish and invites death at the hands of a like-minded individual. Carrying a gun for protection can, in a split-second, turn a defender into an accused criminal and, in many states, a candidate for government murder. Who wants that?

Anyone doubting the danger of carrying guns for protection should look at Chicago’s record for the last week of June 2014. In that week Chicago had 43 murders and all but three involved guns.

People who are genuinely concerned about safety should not carry guns, and they should not listen to the advocates for the National Rifle Association. They are hunting on a different planet.

PAIN RELIEF

How Ralph Linford invented Elmore Oil to beat arthritis

Ralph Linford was 78 years old when he invented and named Elmore Oil in his hometown of Elmore in Victoria, Australia.

Ralph Linford

Elmore became a pastoral farming settlement in the 1840s and was at first known as Bertrams Inn. Then it became Campaspie after the river that flows through the town, then Runnymede and finally in 1882 the locals settled for Elmore.

The next year Elmore was the first place in Australia to hold a Madi Gras festival and the town also hosts an annual machinery field days event which is well attended by Victorian farmers. But for the rest of Australia, and the world, Elmore and its 700 residents was a ‘Where?’ town until Ralph Linford changed all that.

Ralph was born in Victoria in 1920 and spent most of his life in manufacturing and was always interested in nature and natural remedies. In 1998 his aging body was suffering from arthritis and he started developing his own natural remedy. He told friends that he knew he was in trouble when he could no longer hold a pot of beer.

Elmore, Victoria

He developed his special potion by blending vanilla oil with olive oil, tea tree oil and eucalyptus oil, when he had perfected the potion he named it Elmore Oil after his home town and started manufacturing it for sale to other suffers of arthritis, back pain, headaches, sciatica and other muscular pains.

After a television program in 2005, sales of Elmore Oil began to soar and the product soon found its way into Australian pharmacies and that was followed by shipments to, and distributorships in, more than a dozen countries.

Some of the oils used may have side-effects for some people if used undiluted. Eucalyptus oil can be fatal if 3.5 ml is swallowed undiluted. In lesser amounts it can cause a whole range of side-effects including stomach pain, burning, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and drowsiness. Just ask any koala bear.

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Elmore Oil, in very small amounts, is applied to the skin of the affected area and then massaged for about 30 seconds to bring immediate relief.

Ralph Linford always recommended that Elmore Oil should be used sparingly and that frequent use is always better than over use. Ralph passed away in 2011 aged over 90 and the business has been run by his son Mark since 2004. Mark has carried on a tradition established by his father of supporting charities in Australia and abroad.

NEW ZEALAND ROAD SAFETY

Sharing the road downunder

New Zealand’s extra short passing lanes, usually just one kilometre long, are death traps.

Drivers get plenty of warning that passing lanes are coming up with advance signs at two kilometres, one kilometre, 400 metres and finally a sign to keep left unless passing. But at the death-end of the passing lane there is just one small sign showing the lanes merging in 200 metres, and that sign could easily be obscured from overtaking traffic by the traffic keeping left. (Readers from most countries should note that in New Zealand we drive on the left and have the steering wheel on the right, and there is no plan to come into line with the rest of the world)

Dangerous features of the passing lanes include the fact that the lanes merge after exactly one kilometre regardless of visibility. It could be on a crest of a hill or on a blind  curve and it matters not to the road engineers or the source of the funds. The money runs out after one kilometre, live or die.

For many drivers one kilometre is long enough to start a race, but not long enough to finish the race. The death-end works like a concertina where the music comes from screeching rubber, crushing metal and mortal screams. But in spite of close shaves by the minute, ignorance continues to dictate that speed should have right of way over caution and overtaking is more important than merging.

In her article Sharing the Road, Trena Marshall has touched on two topics that are dear to my heart; road safety and motor caravans.

I fully endorse her comments about freedom campers who don’t play the game with toilet habits. It may be time to outlaw rental motor-homes that are not fully self-contained, or alternately require the renting companies to prominently display the rules and the consequences inside their vehicles.

But, having said that, perhaps it is time also for central and/or local government to start providing more public facilities along tourist routes. Other developed countries don’t have the problems that we do because they appreciate the benefits that tourism spending has on the economy and employment, and cater accordingly for their visitors.

Here is Trena Marshall’s article:

Freedom camping has endured some blight but it comprises two distinct groups.

There are those who hire a van set up as a camper. It will have a bed and cooking facilities but no toilet – and some tourists, considering it is all-natural anyway, head for the bushes.

Then there are those who use public toilets, or drive or tow self-contained vehicles with cassette toilets on board and willingly use dump stations.

The excellent, professional New Zealand Motor Caravan Association (NZMCA) – membership now nearly 54,000 individuals – publishes a monthly magazine as well as a biennial Travel Directory bible which sets out information and GPS co-ordinates about where dump stations are situated, as well as giving detailed maps and listings of camping grounds, private park-over properties, free parking, Department of Conservation camps, the facilities provided at each, and much more. 

It has also been going into bat to educate councils as they contemplate overly restrictive freedom camping bylaws, brought about because of those irresponsible enough not to use toilet facilities – and because the Government’s Freedom Camping Act 2011 did not distinguish between certified self-contained vehicles and non-self-contained.

Some towns are happy to take on the label motor home friendly – a wise move.

The NZMCA rallies can generate a great deal of money to local economies. The 2013 NZMCA National Easter Rally was held at New Plymouth.

The event poured $1.6 million into the region. Latest figures on the Easter rally held in Mosgiel have yet to come in.

Skilled association members can issue self-containment certificates after a thorough check and other bonuses are discounts, for instance on the Bluebridge ferry crossing. I arranged my insurance, signed up to the association, and set out. 

I thought towing a caravan would be like towing the trailer – I am an expert at that after growing up in a farmyard. Abe – my caravan – would follow like the waking wisps of a dream. Lord knows, he was snuggled up close enough behind the car.

Except that it wasn’t easy. For some reason, we struggled up the hills. When I came across another vintage caravan parked in a rest area, of course I pulled in for a chat.

We left together but their little car and quaint Lilliput caravan were soon miles ahead, going at a jaunty pace up the hills while I seemed to get slower and slower.

It wasn’t until I reached Kaikoura, alerted by squealing brakes, that I found the handbrake on the caravan needed adjusting – it was half on.

If driving an automatic, as I was, make sure it’s awash with fresh fluid: oil and transmission. Changing the latter every 40,000km would be advisable the Honda dealership told me.

Back on the road, I tried to be a courteous driver. So intensely did I concentrate on the rear vision mirror as well as the road up front that I nearly came back with one eye higher than the other. As soon as I saw traffic behind, I searched for a place to pull over to the left a bit and let it pass.

The trouble is, the courtesy wasn’t a two-way street, and my pulling over to the left where a wider stretch of tarmac allowed became a repeated exercise in fright as my bay ran out and the cars behind poured on the power, arrows determined to make it through – and too bad about the car and caravan with nowhere to go any more.

Running out of road has a way of wearing on the nerves so after a few hundred kilometres of this I changed from pulling left as soon as possible the second I reached a passing lane.

Then I would let out a breath, slow down, and let them go.

Only passing lanes also run out. That last little bit of gap became the hell-bent goal for yet one more car, and my hair would start to frizz again.

Some encouragement came during a phone call from Paul Cooper, in Pukekohe, who did the restoration work on Abe. He wondered how I was faring on my first long-range trip: “Remember you have as much right to be on the road as anyone else,” he said.

It wasn’t all hard work. At times, I forgot Abe was there. Backing was no problem whatsoever. I could turn that caravan in a tiny space if I had to. The three-point turn stretched a bit but I could do it.

Abe is now resting up in my neighbour’s paddock. I am going to get back into the saddle again soon for a weekend trip.

That beautiful caravan deserves to be under cover though so if any Waikato farmer out there has an empty bay in a barn, please phone (07) 825 8191.

More in Country Wide: http://agrihq.co.nz/country-wide/

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THE POLITICS OF IMMIGRATION

They are the butt of jokes, sick emails and discrimination. But immigrants build nations and make everyone better off

Below is a list of questions that are answered in a new book, The Politics of Immigration by Jane Guskin and David L. Wilson and available from Amazon

1: Who Are the Immigrants?

How do we define immigrants?

How many immigrants are here?

Are immigrants different from other people?

Who are the undocumented immigrants?

Is there a “new wave” of immigration?

Is the new wave really new?

Are politicians stirring up a panic about immigration?

2: Why Do People Immigrate?

What are the “root causes” of migration?

Why do people come to the United States?

Is it our fault other countries have so many problems?

Why do so many Mexicans come here?

Why don’t people stay home and fix their own countries?

What happens when people do try to fix their countries?

How can we address the root causes of immigration?

3: Does the United States Welcome Refugees?

What is a refugee?

The Voyage of the St. Louis

Who gets political asylum?

Are all refugees treated equally?

Why do Cubans get special treatment?

4: Why Can’t They Just “Get Legal”?

Is it really important who’s “legal” and who’s not?

How “illegal” is immigration, anyway?

Criminal or Civil?

Why don’t immigrants “follow the rules”?

Don’t all immigrants bring their extended families here?

Isn’t there some kind of “visa lottery”?

Is it really so hard to get a tourist visa?

“Yacht people”

Aren’t there lots of other ways to come here legally?

Once immigrants have been here a while, can’t they “get legal”?

Isn’t there some kind of “waiver”?

Who can “get legal”?

What about the so-called “anchor babies”?

Couldn’t immigrants become U.S. citizens if they wanted to?

5: Is It Easy to Be “Illegal”?

Is it easy to live here “illegally”?

Do immigrants have the right to an education?

Are undocumented workers more exploited?

Are all workers protected by labor laws?

Do immigrants have constitutional rights?

Do immigrants have the right to protest?

How can you tell who’s a citizen and who’s not?

6: Are Immigrants Hurting Our Economy?

How much do immigrants cost us?

Do immigrants collect welfare?

Do immigrants pay taxes?

How much do out-of-status immigrants get back?

The 9/11 Victims

Do remittances drain the economy?

Do immigrants take our jobs?

Don’t they just take jobs we don’t want?

Do immigrants bring down wages?

Why do they work for less?

Who benefits from low wages for immigrants?

What can we do about the “race to the bottom”?

7: Is Immigration Bad for Our Health, Environment, or Culture?

Do immigrants endanger public health?

What about epidemics like TB and AIDS?

Is immigration bad for the environment?

Do immigrants care about the environment?

Are immigrants to blame for population growth?

Is overpopulation a serious environmental threat?

How can we slow population growth?

What about overcrowding in our communities?

Do immigrants learn English?

Are the new immigrants too “different” to assimilate?

What factors slow assimilation?

Who are the “real Americans”?

8: Are Immigrants a Threat?

Do immigrants commit more crimes than non-immigrants?

Is it unfair to treat immigrants who commit crimes differently than citizens?

Does deportation make us safer?

Is there a link between immigration and terrorism?

Is the government going after foreign terrorists?

Who decides who’s a terrorist?

Does the crackdown on immigrants make us safer?

How does the crackdown on immigrants affect the rest of us?

Did all this start with September 11?

Are immigrant workers a national security risk?

9: Enforcement: Is It a Solution?

If we enforce our laws, will the problem go away?

What if we deport all the “illegal” immigrants?

Are we doing enough to secure the border?

What has border enforcement done so far?

Can’t we seal off the border?

How would smugglers deal with “sealed” borders?

Can’t we cut off the “job magnet”?

What have employer sanctions accomplished?

How are employer sanctions enforced?

How does workplace enforcement affect organizing?

If we make life hard enough for immigrants, will they leave?

Who profits from enforcement?

10: What About “Guest Worker” and Amnesty Programs?

Are “guest worker” programs a solution?

How did we end up with these “guest worker” programs?

What happened to the Mexican “braceros”?

How are “guest workers” treated now?

What happens when “guest workers” defend their rights?

Do “guest worker” programs hurt U.S. workers?

What’s all this talk about amnesty?

Haven’t we already had an amnesty?

What impact will amnesty have in the United States now?

Won’t amnesty cause more problems later on?

11: Why Do We Jail and Deport Immigrants?

Who gets deported, and why?

What happens to people who are deported?

What happens to the families of deportees?

What is immigration detention?

Is immigration detention new?

Who is in immigration detention, and where?

How long do people spend in detention?

How bad is detention really?

The Story of S.

How are families affected by detention?

Is detention necessary?

Who pays for detention—and who profits?

12: Can We Open Our Borders?

What do we mean by open borders?

Have any countries actually tried opening their borders?

Does the European Union really have open borders?

Has freedom of movement caused problems in Europe?

Does freedom of movement threaten national identity or culture?

How can we keep criminals and terrorists out without borders?

Is opening the borders part of “free trade”?

How would freedom of movement actually work here?

How would we control citizenship?

What would happen if we opened the U.S. borders?

Wouldn’t we be flooded with immigrants?

Would our standard of living collapse?

Could freedom of movement really work?

There is nothing new about discrimination against immigrants. It has been happening since the beginning of time, and it happens all over the world. Some people become so paranoid about immigrants they organize strikes and political campaigns, and actively try to shut immigrants out of their local community.

But it is all based on false assumptions, misinformation, prejudice and ignorance. Every successful economy and every country with a high standard of living could not have achieved what they have without immigration.

There is one thing that is worse that an expanding population and that can be found in the country, region, city or town that is losing population. That always leads to unemployment, business failure, increasing crime and poverty – the very situation that exists in many countries that immigrants leave behind in their search for a better life.

The Politics of Immigration is available from Amazon: Amazon.com

How immigrants made Australia great

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