Joe Wikert, who operates the Publishing 2020 blog, interviewd me last week and the interview was posted on his blog yesterday. Joe runs a very successful blog and it is a great honor to have been interviewed by him.

But more importantly than the PR, is understanding how this interview came to be, at least for the members of Authors On The Net and any other author. The interview happened because I blog, because I use a cool widget called mybloglog, because I leave comments and social network and because I sent out an online press release. These tactics are all discussed on the site and recommended as effective tools for authors to promote their books. So here’s my experience:

I started my blog, www.howtopublishabookblog.com in January 2007. I blog religiously, not letting more than a few days go before I post something, even if it’s someone else’s article.

A few months after I began blogging, I discovered a widget called MyBlogLog (www.mybloglog.com). I put this widget on my blog and shortly thereafter I saw that Joe had visited my site.

Eight months later, I finished my book and this website and decided to run three press releases. Joe picked up the first press release and made a small blurb on his blog and I believe this created quite a few new members for Authors On The Net.

The third press release I ran prompted Joe (and two other people) to ask if they could review my book, Fast & Furious Book Promotion: A system for promoting books online. This interaction with Joe then resulted in the interview that he just posted on his blog.

If you go to Joe’s blog, you will see that his day-time job is he’s a VP at John Wiley & Sons, one of the most prestigious publishers in America. So yes, it is pretty significant that Joe asked to review my book and he is willing to make posts on his blog about Authors On The Net.

I say all this to offer some validation for the concepts presented on Authors On The Net. I have no guarantees that my book or my Self-Publishing in a Box kit or the website Authors On The Net will be successful ventures. But the internet puts me in control of my own destiny and at least gives me a fighting chance. And not just me, but any and all authors. That is the message of this post.