Author 101 University is a must attend event for authors who are serious about making it in publishing.

I’ve told Rick Frishman that the “101” title is misleading. This has become a networking event that we go back to again and again.

The next one is March 3-6 in LA. I’ll be shooting video segments for my TV show.

Time will be tight, so I’m giving priority to my readers. You do have to be attending Author 101. If not, we’ll have other opportunities announced here in the future.

To get on the schedule, leave a comment below and let me know you’ll be there.

Author 101 is Sold Out

Last I heard, the event is sold out. Publishers, agents, book marketing professionals and authors gathering like this has a tendency to draw a crowd fast.

If you don’t have a ticket, but want to come and be in a video. let me know. I may be able to get a ticket. (leave a comment with your and I’ll email you privately).

Kevin Eikenberry writes great books on leadership.

He also has the launch blueprint down as well as anyone I know. Working with Kevin and his team is fun and profitable.

Watch the video, look at the offer today, and order a copy of the book for anyone you know that wants to be a better manager.

When you do, you’ll see the blueprint at work. Kevin’s community and the network of other best seller book authors who get involved with these cross promotions.

A great book and a blueprint launch will make for a best seller and build a business right

With all the talk of social media and the dominance of Facebook in the out thoughts when we market your book online, authors have been asking me “Do I still need a mailing list?”

The answer is any unwavering YES!

In the 1990’s, just having an email address from a reader meant you had a connection. Then marketers got busy sending out offers and mailings, with some large companies reaching millions of subscribers. Spammers really added to the clutter to the point where many people shut down one email address and started over.

However, in the past decade, we’ve all come to depend on email for important communications. Most good email services do a pretty good job of catching the spam, and we’ve all learned to filter and ignore the mundane or irrelevant mail.

You Have to Be Relevant

When I talk to major marketers about their mailing lists, they tell tales of lower response rates to sales offer emails. One might think that email is on it’s way out.

Not quite, what on it’s way out is irrelevant emails.

It’s true that some young people forgo an email address to get their messages from other sources, but most everyone is getting email type messages in one or more places. Facebook has just announce integration with email systems. Emails between real people have a real conversation is alive and well.

What does this mean for an author today?

You have a major advantage when you engage readers using email. As an author you understand the power of the written word. In an age where much of the communications amounts to the written equivalent of grunts and murmurs, a little bit of attention to good writing really stands out.

Here’s some tips for getting your email read

1. Make sure your are writing as a human being. Put your own name and a return address on every email and expect that some of your readers will reply and want a response. If you have a large following, you may need some assistance, but there’s no excuse for ignoring your readers.
2. The SUBJECT LINE is the most important part of an email message. If your reader thinks it’s just another ad or notice, you’ve lost them before the message is opened.
3. An email is not a book. Keep it brief, get to the point and let your readers know what do next to continue the conversation.
4. Don’t send email just for your own goals. Pay attention to what the readers will be feeling and thinking when they get your email. What is their desire? Speak to those desires and they will respond.

How To Build Your Mailing List

When you know what your readers want, it’s easier to find other places they are reading relevant information. You can buy advertising, or reach these group in forums, chat rooms and user groups… or you can get creative…

My favorite way to find people who are anxious to read about a subject is a cross promotion with other authors in similar niches. We often put dozens to hundreds of authors together to announce a new book launch or business. We know that readers will like seeing what authors they know recommend.

Connect With the Best Authors for FREE

I set up ZeroCostPromotions.com to help authors build their mailing list when we launch a new best seller.

It FREE to join, just sign up at the link to become a PARTNER.

You’ll get the first notice of any upcoming book launch, specialized training, and an inside look at our best seller book launch campaigns.

The site is a bit dated. We are putting up the new page with paid options next month.

Become a PARTNER at ZeroCostPromotions.com to build your list with readers.

7 More Ways To Help Your Family Get Better Health At A Lower Cost

BONUS AUDIO click here to get it free with Brandi’s book

Last night, we got the scoop on Brandi Funk’s best advice for families

Brandi is the author of this week’s best seller “Cut Your Health Care Costs Now” which uses her 17 years experience as a nurse to help family cut costs (while still getting the best care)

Brandi is answering questions asked most often by families searching for answer in the maze of the US Health Care System.. where it’s often so consuming that professionals get mixed up.

I talked about one tip from Brandi that saved me hundreds of dollars.. and got my daughter faster, better care.

Authors are helping Brandi buy ordering a copy of her book today (11/17).

The book can save you thousands.. and get your family better care.

The bonuses are a incentive for today.. So we can get others to share this vital information. Great information from other authors.. the kind of people you want in YOUR network.

Order a copy of the book. Another for a a family you care about.. and meet dozens of like minded authors today

Read this note from Brandi now

While working with authors who have joined our free Facebook page to promote good health, helping people and sharing great books during November, I found some authors are still having trouble with Facebook

That’s because Facebook is NOT a place to sell book directly.. it’s a HUGE RESOUCE for building a network that will help you sell more books than you ever thought possible.

The key to Facebook, social media, and ALL future book marketing and promotion: Today RELATIONSHIPS are more important than transactions.

Think about this.. you go into a bookstore and see a bargain bin. Do you expect to find the best ideas and help there?  NO. Those are the losers. The books that aren’t worth full price.

While some of the old rules of retailing apply to books and information products (i.e., having a sale).. for the most part, the more direct selling an author does, the lower the value of his expertise.

What you want is readers BEGGING FOR HELP and ANXIOUS TO ENGAGE. Social media is perfect for this.. and Facebook is the hands down leader.

So what do you do?

You stop saying “come buy my book” and start building relationships.. it’s as simple as that.

Here’s the action plan:

Start by finding like minded authors. I’ve talked to thousands for non-fiction expert authors over the past decade. Nearly every author I meet understands that their book is like a business card… just the start of relationship.

Finding authors in your niche, or related topics is easy today. Many of them already have a Facebook Page.

For an example.. I’ll use Brandi Funk’s “Cut Your Health Care Costs Now”

You’ll want to join us on this one.. It’s current, it’s gaining momentum fast, and (BIG HINT) It’s the one Warren is working on right now, so you know you’ll get more promotional oomph immediately

Go to Our FACEBOOK PAGE and LIKE the page

Now you are ready to cross promote with our network.

Our partners are posting on blogs, their Facebook pages, their newsletters, Twitter and more about others in the promotion. These tell people about Brandi’s book, and the idea of getting healthy information out this month. So here’s what you do:

1. Post on your blog that you are one of the authors supporting this promotion. You’ll want to mention Brandi’s book and link to the Brandi’s Facebook page.
   It can be a review of the book, a description of the promotion, or short narrative of why you are joining us to promote good health and healthy helpful authors. Anything BUT an ad for your book (we’ll get to that)
2. Tell Facebook and Twitter. Tell your readers, Tell your network.. Tell the world.
3. We will do the same. The traffic you get will be to that post.. and the world will see you are a giver
4. More people come to this page, some buy the featured book and some go back to your gift announcement.

This  publicity is permanent because the links on the web will be left up, indexed by search engines, and found by readers again and again.

Brandi will continue to post health tips here and network with the partners in the program. Soon there will be thousands of LIKEs (fans of the page) and high authority link juice (that’s SEO talk for “Google will like you more”)

When you start promoting like this… Shining the light on others besides yourself, you’ll find plenty of other pages and others to help out. They will be happy to tweet and talk about you AFTER you have done it for them. Simply LIKE their page, comment on their blog, share a link, blog about them or whatever else you can think of to promote their good work (for free and in just a few minutes of your time) and they will LOVE YOU.

Remember. You can get anything you want out of life if you help enough other people get what they want. While it’s normal for you to include your web site with your signature, mention your book or blog in a post, or share a resource that will lead to making you money.. more and more, people are attracted to those who HOLD OFF selling and help others first.

As all of your partners work to build the network. You can create your own Facebook page, cross promote new products, all that marketing stuff… but READERS want to see conversation. Makes sure you start with conversation!

Build the network and you will build your own brand. The next step is ON FACEBOOK

November is a great time to think about health.

It’s National Diabetes Awareness Month, and I’m reminded of a huge best seller success we had a few years back bringing awareness to the dangers of diabetes. During that promotion, dozens of authors built connections with readers and several started relationships that continue to this day.

It’s also Movember, an anti cancer campaign where men are growing a mustache this month. I’m personally using as an excuse not to shave. (no photos please)

How Authors Will Promote During This Healthy Time

If you have a book that promotes good health or a better life, this is a great time to be on the lookout for cross promotions and good causes.

As we say, the best way to attract new readers for your book is to get involved and network with other authors with similar great books. Remember, your best buyers will not be buying just one book and the most likely readers from your book (and leads for other business) will be those buying books on subjects like yours.

When you see a good book, do as many of these as possible.

Buy a Copy of “Cut Your Health Care Costs Now”.

You are an expert author. You should know the best books. As Mark Twain Said

“Never trust anyone that writes more than they read”

When you meet an author, they ALWAYS appreciate the compliment of “I bought your book” (try it, it really works on ANY author, no matter how famous). Let them know that you bought it through reviews, email, comments on their blogs, or some of the idea below

Tell Your Followers

There’s trick we use to get readers of newsletters, email list and blogs to buy. We make sure there are offers from many sources. Studies have shown that people tend to be turned of from a barrage of messages saying “buy my stuff” but love to hear about great products from others.

A review in your newsletter, an excerpt from book on your blog, or mentions on your radio show, speeches and teleseminars will add value and make you stand out as the expert (see Twain quote above)

Reach Out While the Author is Promoting

Most authors are as anxious as you to get more publicity for their book. Instead of begging for coverage, use the tools at your disposal to lend a hand to authors you meet. And if you don’t know them, use this as an opportunity to connect.

When an author has a new book out, they are busy… but this is exactly the time that they will want to be on your radio show, be interviewed for your blog, or talk to your audience.

The Recipe For a Best Seller Network

It’s simple:

Buy a book, promote the author as much as possible the ask them to be your guest.

I’ve done these 3 steps over and over. There are many variations, but I know try to always approach an author I want to have recommend me by ordering their book, finding their Twitter and Facebook ID and sharing it with my readers, commenting on their blog on any post that I can and only then calling them.

Rather than a cold call, I get to hear “Thanks for calling. I appreciate you” .. after that, they are in your camp, asking you how they can help you and looking for ways to cross promote, endorse and grow with you.

We talk often about social networking and social media to market your book.

Sometimes, I think authors suppose that these are good for promotion, and something that you switch on after your book is released. That may have been possible in the past, but is not the smart move today.

Not only do I strongly recommend that you start building relationship and your brand online today.. there is research out that show you’ll have a better book with better ideas, a richer experience and more fun.

Steve Johnson has great ideas.

He has been working on ideas and innovation for the past few years and now has a book Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation 

I hold that the connectivity that has increased in our capacity to generate new ideas at a faster rate than ever before. While there is still much benefit from closeting yourself off to contemplate, I suggest you find a balance where you use the power of collaboration in all you do.

Collaboration and networking are a part of every Best Seller Roadmap I do. Start building relationships, your online network and marketing team the minute you decide to write a book.

What are you doing right now to collaborate more?

I was talking with a group of authors and speakers here in Vegas the other day and saw an opportunity to build my bank of networking reciprocity with two of the best connected friends I have.

How?

I gave them a ride to the airport… got mentioned in a video by Larry Benet of SANG (Speaker and Authors Networking Group.. a great group) and Lewis Howes, the master sports networker and LinkedIn social media speaker.

Here’s some good networking tips from Larry

It’s 10/10/10.

A perfect day for reviewing this short film on perspective.

I help authors sell books, build a business and take their messages to the world.

We do that in two ways here.. a lot of free information on the web, and high paid clients. Unless I get a crazy idea to test new software and give away the paid consulting.

I am trying out a new webinar system for my private coaching sessions. So you get this same ME, hopefully a great show, and the fun of watching me bumble through with new technology (OK.. you can get that anytime)

The only catch.. I’m just doing this ONCE.. it will NOT BE RECORDED (no evidence if I screw up) and it is on SHORT NOTICE.

Friday at Noon Eastern (9am Pacific) on July 16th (yes, that is tomorrow.. I did say SHORT NOTICE)

Grab a slot here –> Warren’s free coaching session

I’m going to share some new tests from what is working on FACEBOOK, how partners are getting 10x the publicity on the MEGA SUCCESS DAY promo for next week and other freebinarific advice. I may talk about Twitter if you twist my arm.

I will answer ANY question… show any secret site.

You can still ask your question in a comment, on Twitter or whatever.. but you won’t get the real live me with a mouse in my hand showing you exactly what YOU need to succeed unless you register here

I wrote about meeting other authors, speakers and attendees at seminars, and the system I use to do a preemptive love strike.

Since then, authors have been sharing other ideas.

Carrie Wilkerson, The Barefoot Executive showed us her notes from a seminar.

Click on the photo here to see the full size and her description of how she follows up with the panel of speakers in an event she was attending

When I asked about using the photo (on her Facebook Wall where it added to my link to the discussion) she added another suggestion about using the photo for a greeting card

That’s how Carrie thinks.. she never misses another opportunity to add value (love) to a conversation.

That’s an author to model

What other ways have you sent a preemptive love strike when networking with authors and speakers?

I know I’ve said it before.. calling a inane letter or email the worst ever.. so I won’t proclaim that here.

Then again, this one is certainly a candidate:

Hi, Warren.

GuiltyInc has been talking with your company intermittently about helping address your company’s vague requirements.  I am currently planning a trip to your area in March. Is it possible for us to meet to talk about your vague strategy?

GuiltyInc is the largest vague firm headquartered in Silicon Valley, California. Since we are very familiar with your company’s products and technology, I think we might be able to contribute meaningfully to your vague program.

If you feel it would be better for me to talk with one of your colleagues, I would appreciate your letting me know the name of the appropriate person to contact and forwarding this email.

Thank you for your help and I look forward to your reply.

Sincerely,

GuiltyInc Rep

I’ve changed the company name to GuiltyInc and their vague description of what they do to vague.. not to protect them, just to keep us from discussing that technology. But trust me when I tell you that there is no way that they know anything about my “products and technology” as I don’t have such things!

I imagine that you could look through your standard business letter books and find this letter as a template. The sender likely spent as little time putting in their company name as I did changing it to post here.

Don’t Be a Dull Salesperson When You Talk About Your Book

I’m a firm believer in sending cover letter, introductory emails and any other means of getting you and your book in front of prospects for publicity or sales. Just remember, we all get tons of spam, bad letter and inane requests. It take just a moment to be real and open a dialog with people.

Just use my marketing mantra .. listen and love

1) Find out something unique about your prospects. They have a web site or blog, read it first.

2) Comment to let them know you read up on them.

We all know that people approaching us have business interests and selling desires. We accept that if you have just a modicum of personality. If you can approach the media, book distributors, prospects yourself, do this and you’ll get better results. If you have someone helping you, teach this to them.

Whatever you do, don’t put this off because you think there is more important things to do. You are asking for a human being to allot some of their time to listen to you. They deserve this much attention.

Best of all, the return on investment here is immense. Spending a few extra seconds yourself, or paying your help to add real person al contact will pay off 100x

Watch Dan Zarrella talk about social media in a way you have not seen before.

Social science, persuasions, and viral marketing memetics are just some of the good data Dan shares

Be sure to pick up a copy of Dan’s book and share this with others who are looking to go beyond the socializing of social media.

Remember, when you do, you’ll be seen as an influencer.. an expert in any subject is accepted in all areas and authors need to be perceived as experts.

How will  you spread your meme?

This morning got me thinking about the copywriting secrets that separate the pros from the rest of us.

1. Testing everything
2. Bullet Points
3. Strong Headlines

My friend Thom Scott put out a tweet that mentioned the power of 3, 7 and 10 for making a list when you can’t think of what to blog. I had other plans, and replied that I ought to write a post about the Top 3 numbers… a catchy headline, but I meant it as a joke. I know he’s right though. I’ve tested it.

Next I saw “The Secret To Driving Blog Traffic” by Jason Falls How can you pass up a headline like that? Jason is right, I’ve tested headlines myself and nothing works better to increase readership.

From there I went to Google Reader.. where I have been practicing not reading all the 100’s of posts I get each day, but skimming for the best headlines and subjects, marketing them with a star and   cutting out 80% of the time it was taking to use Reader (my best source of inspiration, news and ideas)

The last 3 paragraphs are my story. A good story makes anything you write more readable and is much easier to write than the more boring non-fiction style we learned in school.

I took what I know, what I have tested, and a spark of inspiration to make a list of 3 very important items to share with you. I didn’t use bullet points.. I wanted to emphasize that TESTING beats the other two.

Put Bullet Points in Everything

Every letter, most emails, many of my blog posts and much of my conversations with people are based on bullet points. I use them to:

• Emphasize the essence of the message
• Visual stimulate you to keep reading
• Group ideas together.

If you haven’t guessed, my favorite number is 3. I’ve tested longer bullet point lists, 3 is most readable..(except when you have a lot of info that has to be included)

Did You Like My Headline?

I didn’t spend 90% of my writing time on this headline.. but I did think about it for 2 hours before writing. It came from inspiration, so I need to test how it will go over with you.

If you liked this headline, the bullet points or the talk of testing, say so below in a comment. Let’s discuss what you’ve found. I’m sure that your results won’t be the same as mine.

I hope this is the start of a discussion, not the end point. Let’s all work together to make our books, blogs, information products and marketing more engaging and persuasive.

Are you with me?