Blogging, Writing, and Publishing

Which works better, paid advertising or free internet opportunities? I still think (and have the numbers to back it up) that informative and attractive blogs provide the best marketing for your book. After all, you are the expert on your book and who else better to talk about your book than you. I recently ran an experiment with LinkedIn and Facebook. If you’ve read Get Rich in a Niche , you might remember that I loathe advertising. Against my better judgment I reluctantly decided to once again pay to advertise my books and publishing company. Using Facebook, I created four ads; three for books and one for Red Bike Publishing. Each ad is a pay per click ad and I set my limit to $10.00 a day. I gave each ad a max of a $100 limit before pausing it. I also limited my ads’ exposure to demographics likely to buy my book. For example, for my security clearance books, I set the ads to be visible for 22-55 years old and/or small business owners and/or professionals with technical backg...

The next morning, John set Buttercup down for a bumpy but otherwise perfect landing at the Tarampura airstrip. He made a mental note that the strip of land carved from brush and trees would have to be groomed before it got out of hand. He also noted Marta wasn’t there to greet him. “Hi, John! Are we going to fly on this nice day?” Tucker asked. “I don’t think we can. The nurse and I still have a lot of villages to visit,” John said. Numah smiled a bashful greeting. “Where is Marta? Doesn’t she come to greet friends anymore?” asked Sandy. “She want us to bring you. She fight with the village doctor,” Tucker said. They climbed hurriedly to the village. They could hear Marta yelling loudly in the local dialect. When frustrated, she threw in intermittent English. “What do you mean waving these feathers over him? This isn’t going to do any good. Just give it up and let me help,” Marta begged. The witch doctor just grunted and continued his magic. Multi¬colored sacred bird feathers fluttered...

“We’ve done all we can. We’ll let the medicine and God do the rest. Why don’t we catch our breaths now?” said Marta. “I could use a breather.” John followed Marta to a cool spot in the shade of her hut. Business as usual, he thought as he watched a couple dig up sweet potatoes. “Steve is probably wondering what the blur was going through the middle of Tiom.” John laughed reflectively. “Waiting for you was painful,” said Marta. “I haven’t stopped rushing until just now. I radioed for the medicine, and Steve had it waiting. He handed it through my window right there on the runway. Next thing I knew I was flying back,” said John. “I think my heart has stopped pounding. You may just be a hero. Who knows what would have happened had you not been here.” “I’m sure everything would have been fine.” John looked at her approvingly. “Don’t sell yourself short. I’m glad you were here. I think you were right the first time,” said Marta. “When?” asked John. “When you came today. I think you were rig...

I've shared with you many possibilities for free online marketing and brand awareness opportunities with niche and specialized industries. Success is possible after you develop a platform and your audience trusts you. Well, what about fiction? Same formula applies, develop a platform and your audience will trust you. Though the formula applies, you may find yourself starting over if your fiction does not involve your core specialized market audience. For example, my core niche audience is security professionals. They are interested in my "how-to" books, articles and blogs. However, as a whole, they are not interested in a novel about missionaries in Indonesia. I could get luck writing a thriller novel featuring a main character performing in the niche industry, but I can generally expect to start all over with a new platform. So, how does one create a buzz, gather an audience and sell their fiction? Here are 4 ideas. 1.  Start a blog featuring snippets of your book....

The days seemed to melt into each other as John learned the intricacies of his new plane. He enjoyed the privilege of flying the only yellow airplane in the nation; the main reason he named her Buttercup. Even people deep in the forest who had no affiliation with missionaries felt a sense of ownership when they saw the plane fly over. “I’ve come to know the sound of your plane,” Marta said. “That’s what the Johnsons said at my last stop. It’s really nice to be wanted.” John beamed. “Are you so sure it’s you everyone wants to see?” Marta teased. “All right, so everyone wants to know what I have in my cargo bin. I feel like Santa Claus year round.” “I guess it’s good to see you too. I need to use my English now and again so I don’t forget,” said Marta. “That’s so nice of you to say so.” John enjoyed the game they often played with each other. The lines around her eyes when she smiled told him of the joy he had brought to her. It was such an easy smile, and he didn’t have to try hard to g...

     In her hut, Marta lay staring at the grass roof; it had been a fitful sleep. Bouts of fitful tossing were triggered by images of John. She wasn’t sure if he would fit in, or remain on Irian Jaya, but she hoped he would stay. She couldn’t believe her feelings for this man, and passed them off as curiosity. After all, he was fresh and full of conversation. But she had met men and women who came to visit as evangelical missionaries, preaching for a short time before moving on. Pilots, doctors and other medical persons came, as well as the Peace Corps and United Nations workers. None had the allure that John already had over her. He seemed to own some part of her, and she wasn’t ready to give it over. She had to get him out of her mind....her heart. No, she couldn’t admit he had her heart. She finally rolled from her bed for the short trek to the stream where she washed. On the way, she saw John and the old man. She saw him smile and trot toward her. He looked like he ha...

   “Let’s help them,” Tucker said, grabbing John’s hand and pulling him toward the commotion in the forest.      The village surroundings had been busy with the sound of leaves crunching, vines cracking, and rhythmic chants for the past 30 minutes. Tucker led laughing gleefully as they went to investigate. Finally they found twenty men pulling on thick vines as they advanced the progress of a huge sago palm toward the village.      “It is big, John. It will bring us lots of food. The kind you eat a lot of last time,” said Tucker.      “I don’t remember eating food from a tree. What do you mean?” John asked as he stepped in behind one of the men.      Both John and Tucker were now struggling with the cumbersome tree. They made slow progress as the tree scraped across the jungle floor inch by inch. Awkward at first, John soon fell in with the rhythm of the cadence and found the load easier to bea...