What Does Grammar Have to Do with Anything?

by Vivian Zabel  

    A while back,  I wrote about the need for writers and/or editors to use good grammar whenever they write (check for article here). Some people argued that worrying about grammar stifles creativity. I disagree, and I'm not the only one.  Using correct grammar adds to a person's qualifications and credibility.

    In that article I briefly mentioned that often people in business are promoted, or not, based on their grammar usage. Oh, my, one would think I had torn a hole in a valuable painting. However, my research shows I'm correct.

 
     Some writers fight the idea that grammar (including sentence structure, punctuation, subject/verb agreement, pronoun usage, spelling, etc.) impacts the worthiness of writing, which is like saying failing to lay a solid foundation does not impact the stability of a building. However, many people don’t realize that the use of grammar influences a person’s future in business from being hired, to receiving promotions, to validity as a professional.

      Speech and English instructors inform students that how they speak and how they use their language can determine whether an employer hires them or not. Many applications include the need to write a paragraph. Those who evaluate the applications read the paragraph to gain knowledge of the applicants education in language usage. During an interview, if an applicant uses correct grammar and word usage, he will be considered over another applicant with the same credentials but poor grammar and speaking ability. A person doing the interview will become distracted by incorrect grammar and rough speaking patterns, and the applicant loses in the process.

    According to Naphtalia Leba as well as other experts, poor grammar and word choice leads to unclear communication. Kyle Wiens, CEO of iFixit, (Harvard Business Review, July 20, 2012) states he will not hire people who use poor grammar. “I have a zero tolerance approach to grammar mistakes that make people look stupid.”

       Once a person is hired for a position, he faces the possibility of promotion and pay raises. Kyle Wiens’ article includes the following:           
           Good grammar makes good business sense — and not just
       when it comes to hiring writers. Writing isn’t in
       the official job description of most people in our
       office. Still, we give our grammar test to
       everybody, including our salespeople, our operations
       staff, and our programmers.

      He continues to show that grammar does have something to do with job performance, creativity, and intelligence. If someone can’t properly use “it’s” after many years, then that person has a defective learning curve. People who make fewer mistakes on a grammar test make fewer mistakes in other activities not related to writing, such as stocking shelves or labeling parts. People who care about grammar (the details of good writing) also care about other details.

     Cheryl Conner, in her article for Forbes (March 11, 2013), gave the results of a study involving English-speakers in industry. 1. Professionals with fewer grammar errors in their profiles had achieved higher positions. 2. Fewer grammar errors correlate with more promotions. She cites Brad Hoover, CEO of Top Ten Reviews who says grammar skills indicate the following positive workplace traits: Attention to detail; critical thinking; and intellectual aptitude.

     The use of poor punctuation, grammar, and word choice leads to unclear communication. If a person’s writing is confusing, if his spoken words are unclear, confidence in him will be poor, too. The adherence to the “rules” helps build a positive impression involving client relationships, communicating with co-workers, and impressing employers.

     As Naphtalia Leba  added, “Unclear, confusing or ambiguous writing causes misunderstanding and misinterpretations. These can lead to costly mistakes, hurt feelings, lost money, and legal issues.” The same is true of unclear, confusing or ambiguous speech.

    Proper grammar usage is important not only in writing stories, novels, and other books, but also for writing in business and for use in speaking.  

4RV Publishing 

4RV Bookstore   

4RV Preditors & Editors results

     Critters Workshop sponsors the  Preditors & Editors Readers Poll each year. This year several nominations were from 4RV Publishing: Children's books, Young Adult books, Artwork from books, Book Covers, Publisher, Author, Artist, and Bookstore. Of those, we had seven (7) that placed in the top 10, the only places that actually count.

 

        The first on the list, Children's books with two nominations from 4RV, had one place. First Flag of New Hampshire by Stephanie Burkhart, illustrated by Ginger Nielson took 8th place.

       Nominated in Young Adult books were two from 4RV, but only one placed - A Shadow in the Past 3rd. The novel, written by Melanie Robertson-King, also helped Aidana WillowRaven, who designed the cover art, earn 9th place in the Artist category and tie for 6th place in Artwork.

  

 

    Ginger Nielson, tying with Aidana WillowRaven for 6th place in the Artwork category, wrote and illustrated Willow, an Elephant's Tale.  

     In the Author category, Vivian Zabel placed 6th.

    4RV Bookstore took 3rd in the bookstore category.  

    Congratulations to everyone who placed.           

         

Preditors & Editors Poll -- promotion

          The image above is the award given to one of the 4RV novels which placed first in the 2009 Preditors & Editors Poll. The Poll is open once again, for 2012, and 4RV publishing has several nominations (more may be added).

        So far the following are nominated, with links to their different categories:

Children's Books :     First Flag of New Hampshire by Stephanie
                                         Burkhart (illustrated by Ginger Nielson)
                                                   Willow, an Elephant's Tale written and illustrated by
                                         Ginger Nielson

 Young Adult Books :   A Shadow in the Past by Melanie Robertson-King
                                                       Victoria and the Ghost by Janet K. Brown

All other Novels :         Journey of the Cheyenne Warrior by Kathleen Gibbs

Artwork page :             Aidana WillowRaven
                                        Willow, an Elephant's Tale by Ginger Nielson 

Book/e-book Cover Artwork page  :  
                                     A Shadow in the Past  cover art Aidana WillowRaven
                                         Journey of the Cheyenne Warrior   cover by Aidana

Authors page :               Vivian Zabel

Artists page  :               Aidana WillowRaven

Print/Electronic Book Publishers page :    4RV Publishing   

Bookstore page :           4RV Publishing   

          We would appreciate any and all votes for any and all of the above. Yes, this poll is a popularity contest, but winning or placing still feels good.

           IF you do vote, be sure and check the email used and click to affirm your vote. Your last vote or nomination in each category is the only one that counts.  Than you.

               

Marketing and Promotion - Are They the Same Process?

Marketing and Promotion - Are They the Same Process?

By Karen Cioffi

Merriman-Webster.com notes that both words, marketing and promotion (the terms, or the present day meaning), came into existence around the 15th and 16th centuries. Interestingly, although both marketing and promotion seem to be used in place of each other, and marketing is regularly used in place of promotion, they are separate processes. Well to be more clear, promotion is a process under the marketing umbrella.

Marketing, according to BusinessDictionary.com is a "management process through which goods and services move from concept to the customer. As a philosophy, it is based on thinking about the business in terms of customer needs and their satisfaction. As a practice, it consists in coordination of four elements called 4P's: (1) identification, selection, and development of a product, (2) determination of its price, (3) selection of a distribution channel to reach the customer’s place, and (4) development and implementation of a promotional strategy."

So, marketing is taking your product from the idea to the sale. While you may not think that marketing is necessary in the idea stage of a product, think again. If you don’t produce a product that your target market will be interested in, you most probably will not get to the “sale’ stage. This means the product will need to be saleable in every aspect, from the product itself, or in a writer’s field, its content, to the package, price, and distribution. All this takes marketing research.

Promotion on the other hand is the marketing process of bringing your product or service to the attention of your target market. Promotion encompasses the needed strategies for actually selling your product. Promotion is done through publicity and advertising – in essence, through visibility.

Visibility (promotion) can be done using social networking, taking advantage of social media services/sites such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Digg. It can also be accomplished through traditional promotional techniques, such as ads, business cards, and flyers, as well as through inbound (organic) promotional strategies: providing valuable blog and article content, reports, e-books, and newsletters.

Organic promotional strategies are those that bring visibility to your product/service through processes mentioned above such as blog and article content (article marketing). This type of promotion may take a bit of time to establish, and involves work, but its long-term benefits will be worth the time and effort. This type of promotion creates trust and reliability. You will develop a relationship with the potential customer/reader. She will come to value the information you provide, and look forward to it.

Digital-Web.com defines organic traffic as: "traffic that comes to your Web site naturally and without being driven there by a specific marketing campaign. In essence, Web site visitors are there because they found the site and thought it had something they wanted. And like anything organic, organic traffic isn’t there instantly; it takes time and nurturing to grow into something healthy and with longevity."

Bottom line, no matter what you call it, it takes time and effort to drive traffic to your site.

~~~~~
Boost your writing and marketing efforts with Karen Cioffi. Visit http://thewritingworld.com and find out why you should sign up for her FREE newsletter, The Writing World.

Promotion: PostCard Trailer for Life on Hold

posted by Vivian Zabel   

     Since Life on Hold is not an illustrated book, Aidana WillowRaven created a Post Card Trailer to promote the book. The young adult book is written by Beverly Stowe McClure. Life on Hold will be released about the middle of March. Watch for it, since it will be available through the 4RV Bookstore as well as any brick and mortar or online bookstore.

4RV Publishing

Pony Strings & Critter Things book trailer

posted by Vivian Zabel 

     One of the newest 4RV releases, Pony Strings & Critter Things, will be out in two weeks. The author, Rena Jones, prepared a trailer, a fun and interesting one, using illustrations by Ginger Nielson.

     The book can be pre-ordered from the 4RV Bookstore, and will continue to be available there as well as from other book stores.

     Let's enjoy the trailer:





4RV Publishing  

Promotion: Carla's Cloud Catastrophe review

posted by Vivian Zabel 


     The following was posted in The Midwest Book Review for January, in The Picture Book Shelf section.

Carla's Cloud Catastrophe
Beth Bence Reinke, author
Ginger Nielson, illustrator
4 RV Publishing
P.O. Box 6482, Edmond, OK 73083
9780982834602, $13.99 http://4rvpublishingllc.com
"Carla's Cloud Catastrophe" is a tall tale about a birthday-party-crashing cloud catastrophe that challenges Carla (whose birthday party it is) to come up with an extreme solution to save the day (and her birthday party! The whimsical colored illustrations show puffs and piles of excess clouds everywhere except up in the sky where they belong. Kids age 4-8 will enjoy the ridiculousness of the cloud catastrophe and get caught up in the need for a quick solution to save the birthday cake (and party). "Carla's Cloud Catastrophe" has lots of lovely descriptive prose as well as animated, dreamy illustrations, making it fun and memorable to kids everywhere.


     Carla's Cloud Catastrophe is found in the 4RV Publishing Bookstore and is on sale.
           

Promoting Your Book with QR Codes

by Holly Jahangiri  

I’ll bet it never occurred to you, while writing your book, that writing would be the easiest part of becoming a published author. I still remember the “deer in the headlights” look on my face when Vivian Zabel said something to me on the phone about attending a book festival and arranging for book signings. “WHA—? Oh, no, no, no… I WROTE the book. You have to promote it!!”

I still remember Vivian’s laughter on the other end of the line. After my blind panic subsided, it did start to sink in – it even made sense. What’s a good book promotion without the active involvement of the author? When’s the last time you went to a book signing and thanked the publisher for their autograph?

Book Promotion: 20 Strategies That Will Broaden Your Reach is a great list of things you can do right now to promote your book. As an introverted technical writer who writes children’s picture books by night and still wakes in a cold sweat from nightmares involving kindergarteners and flying globs of Jell-O, rotten fruit, and spoiled milk, virtual book tours are one of my favorite methods of book promotion. I also like new, cutting edge, or creative ideas.

What Are Those Squiggly Things?

One such idea involves the use of QR codes – a form of two-dimensional barcode that can be easily scanned and translated by any number of free smartphone apps. A lot of people ask me, “What are those squiggly things?” My dad would call them “curiosity generators.” The cool thing about QR codes is that, although they’ve been around for quite a while, they’re just now gaining traction as a marketing tool, and they’re actually useful because they are so easy to use and so accessible thanks to the popularity and widespread use of smartphones. Look closely, and you will see QR codes on billboards, shop windows, buildings, magazines, coupons, ads, business cards, postcards, web sites, and more. If you have a smartphone, odds are you’ve seen them as a way to quickly download apps from a catalogue or web site. Odds are, they pique your curiosity and you want to scan them – to discover the “secret message.”

Here are a few examples (if you have a smartphone, go ahead and scan them!):



Adding a QR code to your business card lets you embed your contact information in a standard format, or allows you to create a “landing page” with dynamic content that can be updated as needed. When resizing the QR code or changing colors, or when placing text or other images near the QR code, be sure to scale the graphic, preserving the original aspect ratio. Always double- and triple-check to be sure it still scans, if you make any changes to it at all. The “quiet space” around the QR code (more commonly known as “white space” to us writers) matters, and some codes have a higher amount of “forgiveness” built in (higher error checking). A higher amount of error checking results in a more complex code that allows for up to about 30% of the pixels to be replaced or altered artistically. This often comes at the cost of scanning speed, and people may give up trying if they think the code doesn’t work, so sometimes, simple is best.



You can use a QR code to make it easy for people on the go to sign up for your newsletter, or bookmark your blog. QR codes can be printed or placed on your blog. This example goes to a signup form for a mailing list I created for a blogging contest. You can use a QR code to link to your book trailer on YouTube (keep in mind that Android-based smartphones may only be able to play video hosted on YouTube).

It is easy to create your own QR codes, at no cost, online – just search for “free online QR code generator.” One of my favorites is Qurify.com. If you prefer artistic QR codes that you can integrate with your brand image, you may want to hire a designer. The following promotional codes were created using Qurify.com and Corel PaintShop Photo Pro X3:

Now Create Your Own – It’s Easy!

1. Using your favorite web browser, visit http://qurify.com.
2. In the blue box, enter your text. You have 255 characters to play with – that’s 115 characters more than a Tweet on Twitter! You can use a URL shortener, too, to buy more space for your message.
3. Click the Qurify! button. Your QR code appears to the right.
4. Click the link to Download (PNG file)  |  Download (JPG file) - choose your favorite format, or download both.

You can use the black and white QR code as is, or add it to your promotional materials using your favorite illustration program.

This should be enough to get you started! Any questions? Fresh ideas for using QR codes? Share them in the comments, below.

---

Holly Jahangiri is a technical communicator, social media analyticator, children's book author with 4RV Publishing (Trockle, and A Puppy, Not a Guppy), blogger, happy wife and mom living in Houston, Texas. She would really appreciate it if you would read her post, Good Goals Gone Bad on TheNextGoal.com.

Promotion: Two Festivals with the James Writers

by Vivian Zabel  

          Mother and daughter authors Jean and Mary James took their new release Sparrow Alone on the Housetop, copies of Mary's music projects, and copies of other 4RV books on the road. 

          The first book festival they manned (uh, womanned?) a booth was the Baltimore festival. There they met -- gallons of rain, rain, and more rain. Note the river flowing through the tent in the photo below:

Booth without showing river

          Then the James duo packed up books and headed for Nashville and the Southern Festival of Books.

One display with other books out of view

             Next, Jean and Mary will be packing books and heading for the Miami International Book Fair. Now these writers have gone above and beyond the call of duty. If you visit the website, vendors and exhibitors, 4RV Publishing is listed under the General category.

            We hope you sell many books, James Writers, at this last of the trio of festivals. Thank you for your hard work and efforts.

4RV Bookstore   - Remember the Holiday sale until December 5
4RV Website 

Promotion: How Do You Present Your Book?

by Vivian Zabel  

          When you submit a press release, are interviewed, or blog about your book or books, do you present yourself as self-published, as published through an independent publisher (one who charges authors), or as published through a traditional publisher? Wording can make a difference in how readers or listeners perceive the source of your publication.

           Often newspapers change the way the author (agent or publisher) present material and omit the publisher if there is one. Therefore, we need to be sure that information is given in different places and ways so that readers know a publisher is involved. If one is self-published or not, even if not stated, the lack of the name of a publisher makes it appear that the book being promoted is self-published.

          If the article, blog post, or interview states "Mercy Jones published Shame, Shame," the inference is Mercy Jones self-published the book. If the only link is to the author's website or the only places listed for the book to be purchased is the author's website and/or Amazon, the reader will assume the book is self-published.

          Yes, more and more people are self-publishing, which is the topic of a completely different article. However, if a person used a publisher, and the publisher has taken a risk of preparing and printing the book, then it's only good manners and another promotional tool to give credit to the publisher.

          How do you present your book? Do you present it as a professionally published book? Do you present it as self-published when it's not? Do you present it as a product that you and only you produced? Do you present it in a way to show that it and you are professional? Do you promote it, and yourself, with credit to those who helped make the book possible? Do you share that the book can be purchased through bookstores (if it can be), as well as through your website and Amazon?

          Give you and your book every opportunity to attract readers by allowing them to know more about your book. Present it well.

4RV Website 
4RV Bookstore 



                 

Writing for Free – A Means to a Visibility End

I have come to the conclusion that the most time consuming aspect of writing is keeping up with all the useful information that is made available through everywhere from business sites to personal blogs. It seems everyone is offering free information. I have already spent entire days just surfing through sites and reaming ideas, strategies, tips, and so on. It really is endless.

In the writing world everyone tries to and actually needs to keep their work and names visible. Whether you’re selling books, or services, or another product, you need to reach the potential customers. Providing information is a primary means of accomplishing this. The information you provide creates an informational funnel leading readers back to your site/s.

One useful tool to create an information funnel is the blog. New blogs are popping up everyday with free tips and advice. According to statistics from August 2011, there were 131,709,724 active blogsites.

The blog has become a great vehicle to bring you to the reader. It is an excellent way to show readers what you have to offer. The information you provide will hopefully not only draw readers, but keep them coming back for more. Using my own blog as an example, I found that if I don’t offer beneficial information, I lose followers.

Another vehicle to bring you to the reader is the free online magazines. This is where you can write and have your articles published. While you don’t get paid, you do get published. Although it doesn’t have the credibility of paying markets, it is a great way to hone your craft, expand your visibility, and establish yourself as an expert in your niche.

One more source of visibility is writing guest blogs or articles for other blogs or sites.  Often the writers are looking for new and fresh content for their sites or newsletters.  If the offer arises take advantage of it, or ask bloggers if they would be interested in a guest blog from you.

Every marketing teleseminar and workshop I have been to encourages writers offer information through blogs or free online magazines. According to marketing experts the name of the game is visibility. Free information draws readers. I can confirm that this is true because I make it a point to attend all the free teleseminars and teleclasses possible. 

The businesses that offer this free information want to draw you there so they can sell you their services. This is understandable. It is a win-win situation; they acquire some new customers and you, whether you take advantage of their services or not, receive valuable information.

The best strategy is to start out offering free tips and articles until you can provide your own expert information and advice.  It’s important to remember that this free information will draw readers and show them that your posts and articles are helpful and needed. Once you feel comfortable enough that the information you are providing is of substantial value you can offer it in the form of e-books, newsletters, teleseminars, workshops, or other means for a fee.

But, to what extent should a writer offer their services for free? 

While taking this path of visibility it’s important to remember that submitting to free ezines or guest blogging is not just a lack of financial gain, it’s the time loss incurred while preparing these articles – this is called opportunity costs, the cost of choosing one path over another, and the related loss of opportunities because of that choice.

You should consider writing for free as an investment in your writing career and as an effective tool to attract clients or buyers.

It should also be noted that even when you reach the point of being considered an expert, it’s still a good idea to publish articles in the free ezines for continued visibility and as a means of drawing new readers/customers to your sites and services. And, don’t forget that while you’re providing free information you can also be submitting articles to paying markets.

~~~~~
Karen Cioffi is an author, ghostwriter, and freelance writer. For writing and marketing information visit Karen at http://karencioffi.com and sign up for her free newsletter: A Writer’s World. You’ll get 2 free e-books on writing and marketing in the process, and two more just for stopping by.

Promotion: Making a "Pitch"

by Vivian Zabel 

         Someone asked me to share some promotion ideas, which I've been doing for the past couple of months. This issue will concern making a pitch. A pitch in the book world is a quick presentation of your book to an agent, a publisher, an editor, or a group. This can also apply to illustrators "pitching" their portfolios to agents, editors, groups, or publishers.
         The suggestions below can be adjusted for different time limits, but the basis is for a three minute pitch.

Making a 3 minute book pitch

         I had an appointment with an agent, and as I prepared for that few minutes to “pitch” my book in a way that she would want to know more, to read it, maybe to represent it, I wrote notes and practiced my speech so that it flowed smoothly but still seemed spontaneous.
         Knowing how to prepare and present a three-minute pitch should be a tool in an author’s selling kit, to be used for agents, editors, and public presentations. If a writer has more than three minutes, everything can be adjusted accordingly.

1. Start with an attention-grabber. This is a must. If you lose the audience, whether one person or 100, at the beginning, you can’t get them back. Just as the first paragraph in a story, article, or novel must attract the reader, the first words out of your mouth must do the same.

         I started my spiel with the statement: “When life steals something important from a person, she either gives up and dies, or she finds a way to rebuild her life.”

2. Don’t give a complete summary of your book. Give just enough information that the audience/agent/publisher/editor wants to know more.

         I continued my pitch by saying, “Torri had things stolen from her life over and over including her marriage destroyed by an unfaithful husband and her best friend by cancer. Each time she gathered her courage and rebuilt her life. However, when her children are taken by their biological father and not found, she didn’t know if she could continue.”

         I gave a bit more information from the book when the agent asked for more. For an agent or editor, the ending for the book may be required. For a presentation to a group, the ending should not be revealed. Also if presenting to a group and more than three minutes should be used, read a portion of your book to create interest.

3. If asked, be prepared to tell why you wrote the book – be sincere and know who the intended readers are.

4. Rehearse so that you don’t ramble. You don’t want your speech to sound memorized, but you need to know the main points and the order in which to present them. I always had a small file card with a brief outline only. With practice, I seldom have to refer to the card, but it's there if I need it.

5. If the book is already released (which if the pitch is meant for an agent or editor, it will not be), be sure to let the audience know where and how they can buy your book.

6. If the presentation is for a group after the book is released, be sure to take copies of the book to sell and autograph.

         Be prepared for any questions from the agent, publisher, or audience.

Please do visit the 4RV website and 4RV catalog.

Promotion: professional bio and photo - a must

by Vivian Zabel 

           Since I'm filling in weeks where we have few contributors, readers will see me twice this week, both articles dealing with different components of promotion. This issue, I want to discuss the need, no, the requirement of a short professional bio and a professional appearing photo.

           Personally, I have several photos I can use for publicity, author pages in books, and my media kit. One was taken by a professional photographer in a Target studio, with the most expense being the cost of the copyright for all poses (needed for my using any I want to use for whatever reason I want). The others were taken with a digital camera, downloaded to my computer at 300 dpi and high resolution, cropped, and saved. Which is which?

 

          Yes, two of the above began as "snapshots," but ones that were set up carefully so they could be cropped and used as publicity shots. All publicity photos should look professional, not amateurish. 

          Next, authors, illustrators, and other professionals should have at least three biographies: a long one to be used an for long article or such; a medium length one for media kits and festival publicity; a short bio for author/illustrator pages. 

          For a short bio, the information should relate to the purpose, not give information that readers don't care to read. Unless the book is about dogs, why take up valuable space writing about owning sixty dogs? If the book is your first one or first one with a particular publisher, mention that. If the book is part of series, mention that. Let the reader know why you wrote or why you illustrated the book, if that's pertinent. If it's important to give a bit of personal information, make it short and interesting. Yes, include your website. Only include other book titles IF those are from the same publisher.

          An important part of promotion is to have a professional bio and photo. Both may take some effort, and maybe a little money (look at WalMart and Target studios for price breaks and be sure to pay for copyright), but both are necessary parts of promotion.

Please visit the 4RV website and the 4RV Online Catalog.

SEO and Marketing: Basic Tips and Definitions

In its simplest form, promotion is a tool or strategy under the marketing umbrella. The marketing umbrella covers the creation or manufacturing of a product or service, R&D, distribution, and any other elements needed to get a product from creation to the consumer. Promotion creates visibility.

Utilizing online promotion means you will be using the internet, search engines, and SEO. SEO is the process of getting the search engines to find and rank your content. You obviously want a high ranking so when a searcher (potential customer) types in a search term (keyword) your site may be one of those on that first SERP.

Marketing and especially SEO can be confusing and seem like a daunting task to undertake, but once you understand the basics it becomes less intimidating.

SEO and Marketing Definitions

1. SEO – search engine optimization: “the process of creating and adjusting website content with the goal of improving search engine rankings.” (according to Compendium.com)

2. SERP – search engine results page – the page results from a search query.

3. Keyword – “any word or phrase a searcher might use to describe or identify a desired resource on the Internet.” When using keyword in your title, it’s important to use the keyword in the beginning of the title. Rather than use “How-to-Guide for SEO,” opt for “SEO: A How-to-Guide.” (according to Compendium.com)

4. Organic Traffic or Marketing – free strategies, such as Twitter, blogging, article marketing, etc.

5. Paid Traffic or Marketing – utilizing paid/sponsored ads, such as Google adwords, etc.

6. Ranking – your position (how high up) on the SERP: the higher the better. In other words, you want to be on the first SERP, or at least within the first few pages.

7. Anchor text – linking to other websites and/or pages directly from text within your content. This strategy should be used to bring the reader to your products, to other related articles you’ve written, to another site that has useful information pertinent to your post, and/or to link to a site you’re mentioning.

Providing readily accessible information and links through anchor text will give your readers more “bang-for-the-buck.” It will give the reader a broader reading experience, and she will definitely appreciate it – this builds a relationship . . . and trust.

Using anchor text links will also help search engines, such as Google and Bing, relate your content to other relevant content, and create a target for searchers to hit.

One last note about SEO, keep your keywords simple and concise. And, often it’s of greater benefit to use long-tail keywords. These keywords may not get as many search hits, but they do get a much more targeted audience; this leaves you with less competition.

An example of a keyword might be, “allergy relief.” Allergy relief is a very generic and heavily used keyword. In order to make it more specific and hone in on a narrower audience/searcher, you might use, “allergy air cleaners,” or maybe, “remedies for allergies,” or, “allergy sinus medications.” You want to narrow the playing field.

There are free tools to test out and analyze keywords; here are three of them you might try:

http://freekeywords.wordtracker.com/
http://www.keyworddiscovery.com/search.html
http://www.wordstream.com/keywords/ 

~~~~~~
My middle grade fantasy book Walking Through Walls will be available for sale beginning the middle of this month. To read a number of reviews please visit:

http://walkingthroughwalls-kcioffi.blogspot.com/p/walking-through-walls-reviews.html

You can pre-order get your copy of Walking Through Walls today at:

http://4rvpublishingcatalog.yolasite.com/mg-ya-page-2.php

 

And, check out the amazing book trailer Aidana WillowRaven created for the book:
http://youtu.be/90aJO5qHHWc

Karen Cioffi is an author, ghostwriter, and freelance writer. For writing and marketing information visit http://karencioffiwritingandmarketing.com and sign up for her free newsletter, A Writer’s World - you’ll get 2 free e-books on writing and marketing in the process, and two more free e-books just for stopping by.

Promotion - Conferences

by Vivian Zabel 

My participation at the book signing at the OWFI conference

                                           

            The idea of promotion is to build a platform for oneself, give people a chance to know us and for our names to become familiar. Then, once we have a product or service, people will recognize the name, creating a “fan” base for our books, illustrations, service.

            One way to become better known is to attend writing conferences. “But,” you ask, “what would a conference offer me? How would attending bring notice to me?”

            Attending conferences not only gives writers, illustrators, and/or publishers a chance to learn more about their craft, but other people attend and are friendly – if we allow them to be and are friendly, too. How to make an impression without being obnoxious?

1. Have business cards and/or book marks to give everyone.
2. Make appointments with agents, publishers, and/or editors. Make a pitch or two.
3. Take part in “buzz” sessions (informal gatherings with speakers and other experts to "talk")
4. Ask questions in sessions.
5. Visit with speakers outside their sessions.
6. Introduce yourself and show an interest in the other people.
7. Smile.
8. Don’t be afraid to ask to join a group around a table if space is available.
9. If the conference has a writing contest, enter.

            If the conference has a book room/store as part of its event and you have a book released, see if you can have your book(s) available for purchase. If the conference has a book signing time as part of its event and you have a book, participate. If you don’t have a book released yet, make the rounds and visit briefly with all the authors there.

            Not only are conferences available in most states, but some are held online. Of course one has to adapt the ways to make an impression a bit for an online conference, but generally the objective is the same: be friendly, ask questions, show an interest in the speakers and others. Rather than business cards and bookmarks, have links to blogs and websites. One online conference I recommend is the Muse Online Writers Conference.

            I not only attended but was a speaker at the OWFI (Oklahoma Writers’ Federation, Inc.) writing conference the first full weekend of May. That conference is one of the less expensive ones with much to offer that I’ve found. OWFI has a 33 category competition, with a deadline of February 1. Usually judges give helpful suggestions which allow writers to improve their work. The judges don’t know the names of entrants, but category chairs and other learn, especially the names of those who place – excellent promotion. I have a pile of business cards given me, and I will use them for reference. I remember names of new friends and definitely those of people I met before. Also, more and more people recognize my name.

            Also, attending sessions that help us hone our craft is always good, and the better we are at what we do, the more others recognize us.

            For more about the OWFI conference recently, go to my blog at  Vivian Zabel.