Author Blasts is the Authors On The Net Podcast. If you are a member of AON and you have a book, we would like to interview you. Simply send us an email at info@authorsonthenet.com. We are also interested in speaking with publishers, distributors, book designers, editors and other people who have a publishing or book promotion message.

In today’s podcast, we speak with Mike Raymond, author of We The People, a Science Fiction Adventure. We The People deals with an act of terrorism so horrific it transcends the human race. In fact, CIA agent Cliff Tanner discovers the act of terrorism is of alien origin. Besides listening to the podcast, you can find out more about Mike’s book at mike-raymond.blogspot.com You can purchase a copy of We The People at stores.lulu.com/wethepeople

Click here to download and listen to the podcast. Listen to Author Blasts show now.

http://authorsonthenet.com/audio/MikeRaymondPodcastfinal.mp3

Note: depending on the speed of your Internet connection, this file may take a few minutes to download. You can also download the interview through itunes. To subscribe to this podcast, go to the itunes store, click on podcasts and search for “Authors On The Net.” Subscribe and you will receive our podcasts directly to your itunes.

1 – Synopsis

Without an obvious target market or news hook, new fiction can get lost in the sea of novels published every year, no matter how well written it may be. Successfully Marketing Your Novel in the 21st Century is a step-by-step guide that’s jam-packed with proven tips and ground-breaking strategies to make your novel a sales success. Mystery and thriller writer Austin S. Camacho offers hundreds of winning tactics that he has personally used to get his six novels onto the shelves of major bookstores and into the hands of thousands of readers. This book will show you how to:

• Overcome the stigma of being POD or self-published.

• Create a basic marketing plan

• Make positive contact with booksellers

• Make your book signing an event

• Handle interviews for newspapers, radio or TV

• Make the best use of web-based marketing tools

Austin S. Camacho wants you to succeed as an author, and he shares everything he has learned in a decade of self-promotion in Successfully Marketing Fiction in the 21st Century.

2 - Interview

Who is Austin Camacho?

Some people think he’s a public affairs specialist for the Defense Department, but inside he’s a philosopher and a teller of morality tales thinly disguised as mysteries or adventure stories. He’s also a husband and father, a flirt and a loudmouth, with a big heart and an even bigger ego. And he’s a hard-working marketing fool who wants every adult alive to read his novels.

You’ve published several fiction novels. Why did you decide to pen a book about marketing?

When I was first published I read a number of excellent volumes on how to market self-published books, but none of them did a good job of addressing my specific needs. The most successful self-published books are nonfiction, but the best advice on marketing nonfiction books won’t help you sell your novel. So I set about culling out what was most useful to me. A lot of trial and error was involved, and more than a few disappointments. This book is the result of the synthesis of knowledge found in those books, my public affairs training, and my ten years of hard won personal experience. Read the rest of this entry »

I found this article surfing around and thought I’d share. It’s a few years old, but very relavent still. What he says at the end is probably the most interesting for authors today.

Ten Rules for Dealing with Wholesalers and Distributors
A Saturday Rant 4-10-2004

First we need to define the difference. While there are some blends,
basically a wholesaler, like Ingram or B&T is an order taking warehouse and
fulfillment operation. They do no sales. They get around 55% discount and
pass 40% to their retail customers. A distributor is a different animal. You
can make the analogy that your distributor takes the place of your in-house
sales operation. Most book distributors require an exclusive right to sell
your product. They have sales reps, catalogs, and their mission is to go out
and hawk your book. They also warehouse your books and fulfill your orders.
Most take around 67% and pass 40% to the stores.

1. Don’t be afraid to negotiate the different discounts. Wholesalers and
distributors can be flexible on their terms. They don’t WANT to be, but if
they want your product line, they will make a few concessions here and
there. The exception is Ingram. It is either their way or the highway.
However with IPG, Midpoint, and others if you speak up you might not leave as
much money on the table as those who don’t.

2. Keep after your distributor to find “new” ways to sell your product. The
sales staff of most distributors are hard working, but are lacking in much
imagination. This is because they have a zillion books to hawk and it is
hard to have good ideas on how to hawk all of them. Fax or e-mail your
distributor contact every two weeks with an “idea” that their sales staff
can take to the field. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m listening to Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki. His book is generating some ideas I plan to blog about for authors in the next week or so. The first idea is the idea that authors need to become best sellers in addition to being best writers.

Many authors will think to themselves and say to those around them they want to become a New York Times best selling author or they have written a “best seller.” The twist Mr. Kiyosaki puts on this concept is that the author him/herself needs to develop strong marketing and selling skills to make his/her book sell well - become a best seller. Read the rest of this entry »

I received the following press release in my email and thought I’d post it here. If anyone else has a press release, send it to info@authorsonthenet.com and I’ll be sure to post it on our blog.

A Supernatural/Horror

“I,AM”

Mankind knows that God is all-powerful, but there IN THE MIDST OF GOOD, THERE IS EVIL and IN THE MIDST OF EVIL…
THERE IS…….. “I, AM”

“I,AM”
BY DEON C. SANDERS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 08, 2008

CHICAGO, IL.–SUPERNATURAL/HORROR AUTHOR, DEON C. SANDERS is proud to announce the E-book release of his second Supernatural/Horror novel titled “I,AM,” ISBN: 1-55404-315-8 taking a different direction from his first print supernatural/horror novel titled “Miss Mary Weather: A Southern Nightmare ISBN: 1-58851-837-X.”

Short Synopsis of “I,AM”
We all know how the story begins: God is completing Heaven and Earth. Heaven was full of splendor… and the Angels were filled with laughter. Except for Lucifer, the most exquisite Angel in heaven and the most jealous of God. Lucifer’s jealousy of God ignites a war between God’s Army and Lucifer’s followers. As the war ends, God and his army conquer Lucifer, banishing him from heaven. With God’s own two hands, he throws Lucifer out of Heaven to rule in hell for all eternity. However, Lucifer did not gather his jealousy of God and the thought of War by himself. Lucifer was tempted, and manipulated into thinking he could defeat God, by an unknown evil, just as powerful as God. Its name was “No Name,” it was neither good nor evil, and it was neither merciful nor malicious. It’s “I,AM”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
As a sophomore horror author in the publishing world, Deon C. Sanders (Deno Sandz), a black father of six working in the educational field, is on his way to writing numerous best-selling supernatural/horror novels, inspiring poems, short stories, and feature film screenplays. However, his passion is supernatural/horror writing.

Deon C. Sanders (pen: Deno Sandz)
ISBN: 1-55404-315-8
Genre: Supernatural/Horror - Suspense/Thriller
eBook Length: 76 Pages
Published: January 2006
Imprint: Double Dragon Publishing
P.O. Box 54016, 1-5762 Hwy 7 East,
Markham, Ontario, L3P 7Y4 Canada

AVAILABLE AT:
http://www.double-dragon-ebooks.com/single.asp?ISBN=1-55404-315-8
http://www.amazon.com
http://www.ereader.com/product/detail/21130?book=I,_Am
REVIEWS
http://ghostwriterreviews.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=2_316

BOOK VIDEO
http://www.trailerspy.com/movie-trailers/view/547/iam-1/

RADIO INTERVIEW
http://www.globaltalkradio.com/profiles/denosandz.htm

Media/Press/Raves/Interviews
Contact: Publicist, Tray Taylor

Author Blasts is the Authors On The Net Podcast. If you are a member of AON and you have a book, we would like to interview you. Simply send us an email at info@authorsonthenet.com. We are also interested in speaking with publishers, distributors, book designers, editors and other people who have a publishing or book promotion message.

In today’s podcast, we speak with Termina Ashton, author of Medwin’s Room, a fantasy novel filled with Pickwicks, Snotlings and Coblies. In addition to learning about her book, we also get a glimpse into how her book was discovered by a movie producer and other tips on how to use the Internet to promote a book. Termina has a great website promoting her book at www.medwinsroom.com and I encourage authors to visit her site to see how Termina took a concrete slab in her house and turned it into an incredible story and other products.

Click here to download and listen to the podcast. Listen to Author Blasts show now.

http://authorsonthenet.com/audio/TerminaAshtonPodcast.mp3

Note: depending on the speed of your Internet connection, this file may take a few minutes to download. You can also download the interview through itunes. To subscribe to this podcast, go to the itunes store, click on podcasts and search for “Authors On The Net.” Subscribe and you will receive our podcasts directly to your itunes.

Author Blasts is the Authors On The Net Podcast. If you are a member of AON and you have a book, we would like to interview you. Simply send us an email at info@authorsonthenet.com. We are also interested in speaking with publishers, distributors, book designers, editors and other people who have a publishing or book promotion message.

Today’s Podcast is the second part of an interview with Phyllis Zimbler Miller, author of Mrs. Lieutenant: A Sharon Gold Novel. In Part 1, Phyllis tells a story from the perspective of four women who went through the military’s training program on how to be a good spouse to their husband’s serving during the Vietnam war. You can learn more about Mrs. Lieutenant by visiting the website, www.mrslieutenant.com. In this segment, Phyllis shares information on promoting books on the internent. It is a great segment and we hope you gain some valuable insight.

Click here to download and listen to the podcast. Listen to Author Blasts show now.

http://authorsonthenet.com/audio/PhyllisZimblerMiller-part1.mp3

To watch the Mrs. Lieutenant book trailer, click here.

Note: depending on the speed of your Internet connection, this file may take a few minutes to download. You can also download the interview through itunes. To subscribe to this podcast, go to the itunes store, click on podcasts and search for “Authors On The Net.” Subscribe and you will receive our podcasts directly to your itunes.

Author Blasts is the Authors On The Net Podcast. If you are a member of AON and you have a book, we would like to interview you. Simply send us an email at info@authorsonthenet.com. We are also interested in speaking with publishers, distributors, book designers, editors and other people who have a publishing or book promotion message.

In today’s podcast, we speak with Phyllis Zimbler Miller, author of Mrs. Lieutenant: A Sharon Gold Novel. Phyllis tells a story from the perspective of four women who went through the military’s training program on how to be a good spouse to their husband’s serving during the Vietnam war. You can learn more about Mrs. Lieutenant by visiting the website, www.mrslieutenant.com. Phyllis also has a lot of information for authors promoting on the internent, so much that we decided to run her interview in two parts. The file below primarily covers her book and part 2 will cover what she is doing to promote her book online.

Click here to download and listen to the podcast. Listen to Author Blasts show now.

http://authorsonthenet.com/audio/PhyllisZimblerMiller-part1.mp3

To watch the Mrs. Lieutenant book trailer, click here.

Note: depending on the speed of your Internet connection, this file may take a few minutes to download. You can also download the interview through itunes. To subscribe to this podcast, go to the itunes store, click on podcasts and search for “Authors On The Net.” Subscribe and you will receive our podcasts directly to your itunes.

The Internet ushered in a new culture of free information. Some people simply enjoy providing information to other people and are either not interested in making money or they see their free information as a way to create other income streams. In order for an enterprise to provide valuable content and be able to sustain their efforts, the enterprise must earn an income somehow.

For authors, one tactic we can use is giving away free copies of our books, either hard copy books or ebooks. Ebooks are more popular as freebies as they do not cost anything to reproduce. The idea with freebies is that we will create a grass-roots awareness for our books. But so far, a proven model has not emerged that this strategy works.

Free content has its value if used strategically. For example, many people give away free newsletters, short ebooks or CDs as a way to build their list. These authors then put their lists of contacts in an autoresponder and prompt their customer base to buy other products. This is one way to start building your platform.

I personally think this culture of free on the Internet will evolve into more pay-for-content models. If you want to read more about free content on the internet, you might want to read this article, for free of course . . .

This is the second video I took at Brandon Mull’s (author of Fablehaven) book signing. Scroll down to see the first video and more information on this book signing. Many people these days are saying that book signings are an ineffecient way to sell books, but if you can parnter with your local library and have the kind of turnout that Mr. Mull does, then a book signing can be very productive. I was very impressed with Brandon’s energy and enthusiasm as he spoke with his target audience. It was a lot of hard work, but seeing the long line of avid readers with books in their hands waiting for him to sign them was validation that a good book signing is still a viable way to promote books.