Book Articles

I truly believe that the international terrorists are using multilevel marketing sales tactics in order to sign up and recruit suicide bombers. If you watch in action a multilevel marketing company and their representatives and down line you’ll notice that they work very hard to prey upon the psychological aspects of the individual.

For instance a multi-level marketing company will talk about all the things are wrong with the society and what your life is about and where you are today and what may happen to you in the future because things are not as you were told. Once they have got you to admit to certain aspects of your own life or certain uncertainties, which you have of your own future then they provide the solution, basic trickery.

International terrorists do the exact same thing when they try to recruit people. They talk of the present and future and to the chances of that individual succeeding in life. They prey upon the weaknesses of the individual and then offer the solution of joining a group, a group that will treat them with respect and they can become somebody. They take away the individual’s self-confidence and look for individuals with low self-esteem to recruit.

Multi-level marketing companies use the psychology just like international terrorists do to recruit their members. Personally I wonder if we should trust either group. However I do believe we should study all the multi-level marketing sales tactics and try to figure out exactly how they do what they do and then apply that to stop them and in defeating international terrorism forever. Consider this in 2006.

With the explosion of computer usage worldwide, it is not surprising that online tutoring would gain popularity with students. Online tutoring works much the same way that traditional at-home tutoring does. You log on to your computer, and through online “classrooms” or instant messaging, you actually will get the help you need on the subjects that you are having difficulty in.

Thanks to the internet, your computer will allow you to have access to qualified professionals practically around the clock.

Is Everything Offered Through Schools “Online Tutoring”?

That is a big no. To be true online tutoring, you need to have a feeling of a classroom or face-to-face learning session. There is a back and forth component to online tutoring that the following examples don’t provide:

1. You download several text documents for a nominal fee – whether it is for a computer science course or a biology course. You study the files and probably take some sort of online test…this is not online tutoring.
2. You download a computer software program or receive a CD-ROM for a nominal fee. This program provides you with some instruction and a few practice exercises…this is not online tutoring.

When students are engaged in true online tutoring, they will feel like they are interacting with the professional teaching them. In many cases, online tutoring sessions will occur in “real time”, meaning questions of the students are answered immediately by the professional. It will not be like the online bookstore in example number one or the self-study course in example number two. It will be hard work!

Are All Online Tutoring Providers The Same?

Again, that is a no. Some online tutoring providers focus on helping elementary-aged children, while others focus on SAT/ACT study or college coursework. To find the right one for your needs will take some time and a little research.

You will also want to look for an individual or company with a good reputation. When working in the cyber-world, you cannot see a diploma hanging on the wall behind your tutor. Make sure to ask for references, accreditation, and years experience when you go with an individual. When you work with a company, check them out with the Better Business Bureau and look for licensing information.

Looking for a professional MBA degree recognized all over the world? St. Joseph’s University, Philadelphia offers both full time and part time MBA programmes suiting your requirements. The university located in the heart of the city of Philadelphia is fast becoming a much sought after business school for professional degrees especially MBA. Only St. Joseph’s University, Philadelphia gives you an MBA that is valued and recognized by all the major companies in the U.S.

The MBA degree offered by St. Joseph’s University at two locations, Philadelphia and Collegeville, adhere to the policies established by the university’s Haub School of Business. The Philadelphia campus is located in the heart of the city and the Collegeville campus is located at Ursinus College, near King of Prussia, PA. The excellent facilities offered at the Philadelphia Campus makes this university one of the leading MBA Colleges of Philadelphia.

The MBA program of St. Joseph University, Philadelphia is designed to meet the needs of working professionals in the Greater Philadelphia Area. Do you want to earn a part time MBA to enhance your career prospects? The part time MBA offered by SJU Philadelphia is the right choice for you!

St. Joseph’s University, Philadelphia has been awarded the AACSB International Accreditation representing the highest standard of achievement for business schools worldwide. As an AACSB International accredited university, we are committed to quality and continuous improvement in our business degrees like MBA. Therefore, get the benefit of an AACSB MBA and know the difference!

Have access to affordable GMAT help in the Philadelphia area only at St. Joseph’s University, Philadelphia. We partner with Spielberg and Associates to offer our GMAT workshops. Register yourself for the coming GMAT Prep Workshops at the university campus in Philadelphia and give a competitive push to your GMAT preparations. The online MBA application available on our website allows students to submit their resume and personal statement electronically. St. Joseph ’s MBA brochures and application form are also available at the university campus. Submit your application online and give a boost to your career with a MBA from SJU Philadelphia.

“Psychic detectives” are people who claim to have special psychic powers, in order to assist, and have claimed to assist certain police and law enforcement agencies in theinvestigation and solving of crimes. The credibility of such claims cannot be ascertained since there is not much evidence to support them. However, the numerous stories regarding psychic detectives and psychic crime investigations circulating in newspapers, books, magazines and on the internet, have not failed to intrigue, and evoke the interests of both skeptics and enthusiasts of the paranormal.

Methods used:

Most of these people are self-proclaimed psychic detectives whose “contribution” to crime investigation is almost always voluntary. Their alleged abilities include postcognition - the supernatural perception of the past, psychometry - the paranormal divination of information based on reading the ‘aura’ of a place or object, and telepathy. They may also employ tarot reading, voodoo, numerology, séance and dowsing in their “psychic” investigations.

Responses from Law Enforcement Agencies:

Though there have been incidents where some police departments sought the help of psychics when all else fails, many law enforcement agencies, such as the LAPD, discard them and insist that they would never rely on frivolous activities like psychic readings when conducting routine crime investigations. This skepticism also extends to Scotland Yard’s official statements regarding psychics. An unfortunate “psychic detective”, who possesses information crucial to a crime investigation, may even be considered a suspect.

Other Responses:

Many supporters of psychic abilities believe that psychics do help solve crimes in many ways, and since psychic crime investigations have been performed for more than a century, credits should be given to them for their effort and achievements. However, majority of the people think otherwise. They consider psychic detectives and investigation only to be a form of trivial entertainment which should be never taken seriously. Vague evidences, self-promotion, and media hype have also furthered this skeptic opinion.

Famous “Psychic Detectives” and Cases:

The first documented case of a crime allegedly solved by a psychic detective was in 1845, when one clairvoyant brought to trail a suspect who consequently confessed to the crime. There is no proof that the clairvoyant had really solved the crime with her psychic abilities but this is the first official record to be documented.

One of the most well-known “psychic detectives” in the United States is Sylvia Browne of Kansas City, who’s been guest to popular interview shows such as Larry King Live and the Montel Williams Show. Her many works include predictions such as the claim that Bill Bradley would win the 2000 U.S. presidential election with the Reform Party coming in second, the “hiding in caves” of Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein, September 11, 2001 attacks etc. She has written a number of books including “Life on the Other Side”, and is the founder of the Society of Novus Spiritus.

Outside of the United States, Chico Xavier (Brazil) is a famous “psychic detective” whose supposedly transcription of a statement from a murder victim, in 1979, leading to the release of an innocent man and arrest of the real murderer, sparked renewed interests in psychic investigations.

Statistics show that only 20% of books published sell more than 100 copies. The big problem is that most writers don’t ever think about marketing and selling, which is great if your reason for writing is purely literary. However, if you’re writing a book to build your business or to generate additional income, you can’t afford not to think about marketing.

Making a marketable book doesn’t mean you have to compromise the book’s integrity. Addressing marketing from the very beginning can help you create a better book. So, before you write the first word, think about the marketplace, which includes:

Readers (the people you expect to BUY and read your book). First, make sure you know who they are. Saying they’re business owners isn’t enough. Paint a clear picture, i.e. age, sex, race, geographic location, industry, revenue, professional affiliations, etc. This information will help you determine how and where to reach them. You’ll also want to identify what appeals to your target market. What style of writing are they most apt to receive? What gets their attention – hype, facts, controversy, celebrities, etc?

Competitors (successful and unsuccessful books that are similar to yours). Check out your competitors so you’ll know which books are selling; identify elements that work and use them in your book; identify missing elements that can differentiate your book from existing publications. Also note the publisher, agent and editor (you may want to contact them in the future). Thirdly, examine their marketing efforts; which tactics did they use to garner media attention and generate sales?

Agents (if you plan on seeking a traditional publisher, chances are you’ll need an agent). Do your research to identify agents that specialize in your particular genre. Contacting agents will require a query letter, book proposal (for nonfiction books). Both documents are selling tools. Your chance of getting published increases when you successfully use these tools to peak the agent’s interest. In order to do that, you must know what appeals to an agent.

Publishing Editor (if you decide to go straight to the publisher and skip the agent). Approaching publishing editors is similar to approaching agents. Most often you’ll start with a query letter; again it must be written in a way that peaks the editor’s interest. Write a boring query letter that simply states the facts or list the details of your book and it will probably end up in the garbage.

Literary Publications. Before your book hits the market, you’ll want to send a copy of your book or galley to literary publications for review. Book sellers, libraries and readers often make buying decisions based on reviews. So before your book is published, find out where to send your book for review and be sure to follow their submission guidelines.

Book Sellers (independent and chain book stores). Once the book is written and published, it must still be marketed to book sellers. Each book seller has a different needs and priorities for the books they sell. They also have different requirements for determining which books they stock. Understanding their needs and requirements improves your chance of convincing them to stock your book or set up a book signing.

A marketable book is positioned to appeal to every segment. That requires understanding what each segment wants and needs and developing a marketing pitch or hook that answers their needs.

A marketing plan is a business development document designed to help you identify and plan out the actual activities that will promote and sell a product or service. It is a crucial planning tool that provides focus and check-list type clarity. Marketing programmes attempted without the backup of a proper plan, often fall victim to an unstructured, ad-hoc approach and money down the drain.

Why should you develop a marketing plan for your book?

A book may not seem like the kind of item relevant for the development of a marketing plan. This is definitely wrong. Your book is ultimately a product. It is a commercial item that must be promoted and distributed to a pre- targeted marketplace. Approaching the sale of your book in this professional and business-like manner is the best platform to realise any kind of commercial success.

Core components of your marketing plan

The marketing plan for your book does not need to be an elaborate, 20+ page document full of graphs and market research analysis. This will be your marketing plan, for your book. It does need to be a clearly written and sharply presented professional document, suitable for bookstore buyers/managers, publishers and distributors to review. However, it only needs to reflect the fundamental essentials that will influence the potential commercial success of your ‘product.’

Goals and Objectives

Establishing clear goals and objectives for the commercial success that you would like to achieve from your book is the first step in the development of the overall marketing plan. Think of these goals in terms of numbers. How many units of the book do you aim to sell and over what period of time? Taking into account your estimated retail price per book, how much revenue (money made before costs and tax) and profit (money left after costs and tax) do you anticipate from your unit target?

Target Audience:

Who exactly are the people most likely to be interested in reading your book? Create a picture of this person in your minds eye, and describe this profile within the plan. Are they male or female readers? What age? What kind of social or economic background do they come from? What level of education are they likely to have?

Unique selling proposition (USP):

You now have a profile picture of the type of person most likely to read your book. Now, clearly define this next essential question – why would this person want to read your book? Does the book address important social issues such as politics, economy, health, war or religion? Is it going to evoke strong emotive response? Will it capture the minds and hearts of the audience? How? In what way will it strive to achieve this?

The qualities that will entice your target audience are the qualities that make your book unique. These unique characteristics form the foundation of your USP. They are the core messages that should be openly and clearly emphasised in all your promotional and selling activity for the book. Study the back covers of books in your local store. How does the text describe the book? What unique statements does it emphasise to capture and hook your attention? These back covers may appear to be simple synopses, but they use the essential principles of a USP.

Promotional Activities:

What promotional activities will you implement to generate publicity and public awareness of your book – especially among your selected target audience? Will you use media, through public relations or press advertisements? Will you look for speaking or networking events relevant to your book topic? How much of a role will the internet play? Do you plan to host a book launch event?

Developing a marketing plan is your opportunity to think precisely about what strategies and activities you will engage in, and structure them in a tangible form. A marketing plan also gives you the best forum to plan out the specific details for each individual activity - such as timeframes and dates, costs, essential contacts and suppliers.

In summary, a marketing plan is not a ‘quick and easy’ document. It requires thought, research and planning. Developing one really should be approached as a project in its own right. I guarantee however, that the time spent will be a worthwhile investment in the commercial success of your book. It will represent all your hard work in a professional fashion, and create a strong business impression.

Often when observing the human race, members of our online think tank have pondered the question; has the human race for gotten more than it has ever learned? And this is an interesting topic because so often we say that those who fail to understand their history are doomed to repeat it. One has to ask what Omar was thinking when he ordered the Alexandria ancient library burned to the ground? Why did he do it?

He said; “If the literature agrees with me, it is not needed; if it disagrees with me it is false” Thus it is not allowed and so the library and all the books were torched. Makes you sick just to think about it. All those books could have been digitized into the permanent human record forever.

It is amazing how truly unfortunate this event in human history was. Can you imagine how valuable that information might have been to modern human societies today? The burning of the Alexandria library was probably one of the most tragic events of the past periods of that era. One certainly hopes we do not make such an error in our present period. Wars tend to do these things. Even if you lose most of the people, the records are invaluable.

I certainly hope this article is of interest and that is has propelled thought. The goal is simple, to help you in your quest to be the best in 2007. I thank you for reading my many articles on diverse subjects, which interest you.

If there’s one thing I love, it’s the way that people can get so excited about struggling to find an answer to a question, when the real answer to their problem is that they haven’t really asked the right question in the first place.

Here’s an example.

“Please help me. I’ve just written a book. Which is best – trying to find a publisher the ‘traditional’ way, or trying to get it published on the internet?”

Good question, you might say. So why am I being so smug? Why am I saying it’s the wrong question? Because you don’t have to ‘try’ to get published on the internet! Anyone can do it, any time (as long as you pick the right company).

That might not be easy, of course. There are plenty of people advertising out there on the web, and many of their ads will lure you in, get you interested, then tell you that you need to give them hundreds of dollars for them to publish the book for you. That’s not ‘internet publishing’. It’s a form of publishing that’s been around for hundreds of years. It’s called ‘Vanity Publishing’. The reason it’s called that is because it’s assumed that it’s ‘vain’ to want to see your book in print, especially if traditional publishers have already turned you down. The argument goes that ‘if your book is good enough’, then you will find a traditional publisher, and they will pay you to see the book printed. If they don’t want your book, the logic goes, then it can’t be any good, and so it’s nothing but vanity to think that anyone would want to read it. So, they say, don’t publish. Don’t think about it. Don’t go any further. You’re just being vain.

If you’ve read any of my other articles, you will know already why traditional publishers fail to publish quite a few good books. You will appreciate that lots of good stuff never gets accepted by traditional publishers, and why many authors are driven to seek out alternatives, after they’ve been driven wild with frustration. After setbacks and rejections, authors often start looking at the internet. They see it as an answer to their question: “How am I ever going to get this book published, ever?”

It doesn’t have to be like that. Internet publishing could be your first choice, not your last resort.

My argument goes like this. After you’ve written your book, you want people to see it. That might not be a large total. It might simply be just a few friends and relatives. Ideally, you think, it would be nice for me to be able to get hold of a dozen copies, maybe twenty, and hand them out, maybe use them as Christmas presents. As well as that, you might want a dozen to give to local bookshops, just in case they want to put them on their shelves. Either way, you don’t need many, at first.

Hmm, tricky, if you don’t know what you’re doing.

You could approach a printer and say you want a handful of copies. They’ll laugh at you. You could start off down the road of finding a traditional publisher. After years of struggle and dozens of rejection slips, you might start asking yourself how you ever got involved in such nonsense.

Is there an alternative?

Yes, of course there is. Try turning to the internet, but not at the end - at the beginning. Still, one word of warning. Don’t go for offers of publishing that involve you paying. Instead, look for a company like Lulu.com, as they will hold your book online for you - free - so that people can log on and inspect your effort. Then, if those ‘customers’ are interested, Lulu will allow them, (friends, relatives, well-wishers or customers) to buy a copy – one at a time, if necessary – as they want. If you need half a dozen for your local bookshop, sure, they can print them off for you too. No problem. They’ll print – ‘on demand’, as needed. There won’t be warehouses of your books going mouldy, and there won’t be bills for thousands of dollars arriving on your doormat. It’s a win-win situation.

The logic, if you’re following this, is that anyone can do that. Any time. In fact, as soon as you’ve completed your manuscript, you can get on down to Lulu and see your book in print. Simple as that. Straight away.

Ah, but - say the young authors. After all, there’s something missing. And that’s the millions of dollars. The fame. The adulation. The TV coverage. The chat shows. The celebrity gossip. If you still want that, surely you’re going to need a ‘traditional’ publisher, with the media links, the PR people, the experience. If you want to be the ‘next Dan Brown’, it makes sense that you should approach Dan Brown’s current publisher, as they’ve already got a pretty good idea of how the last one got made, so should know all about how to make you into the next one.

Okay, I agree.

But look, here’s my point again. Why not go for Internet Publishing - first? What have you got to lose?

If your game plan is to conquer the world and become more famous than Mrs Beeton’s Cookbook and the Bible, sure, you need a traditional publisher and all that entails. But where are you going to start? Why not start by putting your manuscript up on Lulu and ordering a few copies? That way, you get to see your book in print, which gives you a good idea about what it will look like. You can decide if you need a better cover, more blurb, or whatever. Also, a cross-section of people will get to read your book. Okay, most of them may be people you know, but still, they may have ideas about what’s good and bad in your book and may give you clues about what to revise, change, take out or put in. (Best thing is, you can do corrections with Lulu, over and over again, creating new versions as often as you like and, of course, without having to scrap a print-run of thousands. Change the thing as much as you choose. It’s easy, and it doesn’t cost anything extra.)

Oh-oh, say the sceptics. If I put my book up on the Internet, then ‘tradtional’ publishers are going to be offended. You chose the opposition, they will say. We’re not even going to look at you, they’ll snarl. Don’t you believe it. After all, publishing is a business. If you’ve come up with a product that’s sellable, then the publishers will beat a path to your door. After all, they poach off each other! Yes, if one publisher offers you a deal and the book looks good, another publisher will quite happily try and buy it off them. That’s the kind of sharks they are. No, internet publishing isn’t going to hamper your career with ‘traditional’ publishers. Better than that, if your internet publishing is a success and sales go well, then you will come to the attention of ‘traditional’ publishers and they will approach you, don’t have any doubts about that.

On the other hand, maybe you’re not destined to be one of the major writers of your generation. You aren’t going to be rich and famous. Or rich. Or even famous. No worries. The internet is even kinder to you. Internet publishing allows you to see your book in print, (in small numbers, granted), which is a thrill to you, and something that you will be deprived of, if you waste your most productive years chasing ‘traditional’ publishers who don’t give you the time of day.

Yes, Internet publishing is the best option. For everyone. Whether you’re destined for greatness or not. If your book is huge, you sell millions of copies, make money and become famous, good luck to you. But you could get started on the internet. If you aren’t worried about F&F, but want to see your book in print, so that you can read it - and Grandma, and Aunt Fanny, and the man at the garage who’s interested - then Internet Publishing is for you too.

Let’s say you want to know how to self-publish a book, and you want to do it in the least expensive and best way possible. Is this contradictory?

In fact, on my web site at Write and Publish Your Book, the two questions I’m asked the most are how to self-publish a book and how to do it on a shoestring budget. They also, coincidentally, want to know the BEST way to do this.

But for now, let’s focus on this question of the best and cheapest way to publish a book. In fact, these are two entirely separate questions. The first question is, “What is the best way to publish my book?” Then, the second question should be, “What is the cheapest way to publish my book?”

See, most people who ask me this question are really just new to the business. It’s a perfectly legitimate question, especially if you’ve slaved over writing your book for two or three months (again, the timeline for writing a quality book is the subject of another essay). So let’s take these two questions apart.

What is the best way to publish a book?

Write an outstanding, must-read book that is unique, provocative, controversial, a literary masterpiece, or is endorsed by someone like Oprah. No, really. That’s the best way to publish a book.

Take for example Joseph Finder, author of the best selling corporate espionage book, Paranoia. He’d had moderate success with his previous well-written CIA suspense novels, but didn’t hit it big until he inadvertently created an entirely new genre with Paranoia. In his words, “All I was doing was trying something new - a thriller with a fresh setting, a fresh cast of characters.”

Or, how about Nora Raleigh Baskin, popular author of middle-grade novels such as In the Company of Crazies (HarperCollins). She’d had a knee-high stack of rejection letters until she wrote the book she’d always wanted to write - not because she wanted to be published, but because she wanted to write this particular book. That one book, which she wrote from her heart, got her on the road to a successful writing career.

Many people have a great idea for a book, and many of these books are from their life experiences. They have no experience as a writer, but the strange thing is that they almost always ask first about publishing the book before it’s even written.

Even if they do ask how to self-publish a book, they’re still thinking in terms of publishing their best seller before they’ve even determined if there is a market for the book!

For example, remember the story about the guy who had to saw his own arm off with a dull knife in order to save his life? Aron Ralston didn’t just come up with the idea to write his book Between a Rock and a Hard Place. His story was popularized well before the book was ever written.

Contrast that with the woman who wants to write about her experiences with domestic violence. Unfortunately, this is not an unusual story. As much as I’d like to see an end to this horrible sickness, the story won’t necessarily sell books.

And selling books is what it comes down to. Will your book sell? That’s the ultimate question you need to answer if you want your book published. The question of the salability of your book applies whether you’re self-publishing or attempting to sell your book to a publisher. Either way, it’s got to sell or it just won’t go anywhere.

That said, let’s get back to the original question: What’s the best way to publish my book?

Self-Publish or Traditional Publisher?

There’s no easy answer to this question, and the answer you get will depend on who you ask. I think a lot of it depends on you, the genre of your book, your experience as a writer and in sales, and your intentions for the book.

Self-publishing is ideal for a business person who wants to use the book as part of his or her overall business strategy. It’s a great way to establish yourself as an expert in your field (assuming the book is well-written and informative). The book can be “repurposed” into E-books, teleclasses (telephone conference-call classes), Webinars (seminars held on the phone and Internet), and eventually advanced courses sold for thousands of dollars. Thus, the book itself is printed at a loss and is generally given away to seminar attendees.

Self-publishing is also an option for novelists who really believe in their books, but because they’re new can’t find a publisher for the book. The key here is that you’ve at least tried to sell your book to a traditional publisher.

Self-publishing with an aim toward eventual publishing with a major publishing house will require a tremendous amount of energy and perseverance to market and sell your book. If you can show that the book sells, you’ll find a publisher. Just putting it on Amazon won’t do a thing. You absolutely must work at marketing your book.

There are many self-publishing options, ranging from “free” (Lulu) to several thousand dollars. Perhaps the worst option is to go with what’s called “Vanity” press. These are companies who will publish your book for two to ten thousand dollars, print 2500 or more copies, and do a minimal amount of marketing. You’re stuck with a garage full of books and an empty wallet. Beware those companies who want to print your book in bulk.

Lulu is the most popular, but has its own costs. Most of the books published on Lulu sell no more than 10 copies - total. The books are amateurish, with home-made covers that look like something the dog chewed. The book print quality is good, but the printing prices are steep. For a fee you can have an ISBN number assigned and the book listed on Amazon.

On the other hand, for just a little more money you can buy your own ISBN number and have your book printed at Lightning Source for far less money per book. You’ll make your investment back with less than 100 books printed.

Then, there’s everything in-between, including “Print on Demand” book publishers who will create the cover, edit your book, and format the interior of the book so that it looks professional. Some POD publishers simply publish your book as-is. You provide the cover and the interior formatting.

Just consider that you generally get what you pay for, although some POD publishers will charge you high fees for what loosely resembles a marketing plan. Make sure you compare the options closely.

Traditional Publishing

Expect rejection. Seriously, the vast majority of books submitted to both big and small traditional publishers (publishers who either pay you up front or don’t ask for any up-front money from you) are rejected. It’s a fact of life simply because they’re in it to make money. If they don’t think the book will sell, they’ll reject it.

The best way to ensure success is to write a beautiful, clever, provocative, inspiring, brilliant book. No, let me take that back. The best way to ensure success is to already be someone popular, well-known, famous, or influential. Think Donald Trump, Bill Clinton, or Paris Hilton (dread the thought).

If you’re writing a nonfiction book, it’s best to be someone important, have a track record in sales, or have excellent credentials. If you’re not any of these, then consider co-authoring your book with someone who fits the above criteria.

Also, for nonfiction or a memoir, do your marketing research beforehand. If you can go into your book proposal or query letter armed with documented proof that people are buying your type of book AND that yours has a interesting and unique twist on a highly relevant topic, then you’ll get their attention.

You’ll need to write an excellent proposal. I’ve charged thousands to write nonfiction book proposals (and I have a good track record of success). It takes time to write a compelling lead that draws them into the benefits of publishing your book, and following that with a comprehensive plan for marketing your book. For nonfiction, you should have two solid sample chapters written.

But what about writing fiction?

The first thing you’ll need is a good, well-written, and interesting book. We recently had a novel writing contest at the site, and you’d be amazed at how many books had basic grammatical errors and were poorly written.

What are people thinking? Obviously, this isn’t you. So, take your great book and write an even better query letter. You’ll need to have your book written. Don’t say that “it’s almost done,” or that “I’m thinking about writing…” Ideally you will have gone through about a dozen drafts of your book before you send it to anyone.

It’s far easier to get your book published if you’ve already been published. But if you’re new, don’t worry. There are ways… and there are certainly ways to do it on a shoestring budget. You can have cheapest, and you can have best, but you’re going to have to work at it to have both!

These days if I miss something funny or important that was on television I’ll think to myself, “I’ll look for it on YouTube.” This popular site has become so infused with our culture that it seems to have replaced television altogether as a resource for news and entertainment. In today’s short-attention, quick-fix society, one needs only to visit YouTube for a three-minute visual rundown of a hit movie, or to catch up on homegrown, underground soap operas created and filmed by regular people with the time and the chutzpah. With Google’s recent acquisition of YouTube for over one billion dollars, it goes without saying that this site will prove to be a media powerhouse in the future.

Because YouTube is essentially built by registered members who contribute their own video content, it should also be noted that authors can take advantage of the site’s popularity and usability to increase their own exposure. Lately, I have noticed authors creating “trailers” to advertise their books and using YouTube for distribution. It may take a bit of work to figure out how to do so, but using YouTube to promote your books can propel an effective word of mouth campaign that draws readers to your book.

YouTube adds dynamic multimedia to your website. One factor that makes YouTube so popular is the ease with which visitors can share favorite videos. Send-to-a-friend links allow one to alert family and friends to must-see clip, while special EMBED HTML code offered by YouTube allows bloggers and site owners to implement videos on their own pages. As YouTube hosts the video, there is no unneccesary uploading of large files to your site. By hosting a book trailer on YouTube, you allow other users to apply codes and showcase your videos throughout the Internet, thereby lending a creative, free advertising campaign for your work.

YouTube enhances the message of your book. While you may offer a compelling blurb, glowing reviews, and attractive cover art on your site, sometimes readers need more to be convinced to make the purchase. Offering a well-designed book trailer for consideration gives your book the star treatment. Mood music, attractive imagery and taglines that sell draw the reader into the short clip and entice them in wanting to learn more about what you have written. Movie companies have drawn many a film buff to the theater based on sixty seconds of a film’s premise. It is effective advertising that drives traffic and builds readership.

There are, of course, caveats to consider when thinking of creating a book trailer. For one, major media companies are very vigilant of sites like YouTube, looking out for copyrighted material used for illegal purposes. If you are seriously interested in creating a book trailer for promotional purposes, you want to be certain any music clips and images used are either in the public domain, acquired through royalty-free databases, or acquired for use with the permission of the copyright holders. While you might not think it significant to use something for thirty seconds of streaming video, there is always the risk of being caught by somebody who recognizes a picture or melody. Before you begin your book trailer, make sure all materials are okay to use.

Find Materials

For imagery related to the subject of your book - be it romance or science fiction, a biography or self-help, there are a number of royalty-free photoggraph databases that offer thousands of images to represent every emotion and setting you wish to realize. Istockphoto.com is one such resource, where pictures can be bought for as little as one dollar. For royalty-free music, the aptly named RoyaltyFreeMusic.com may prove to offer the sound you want to accompany your work. If you are feeling especially daring, you might want to consider approaching a band for a sample clip to use. A quick search on MySpace, for example, yields a good number of musicians using the Internet to promote their music. A promotional exchange (their credits in your trailer for use of their music) may prove to be beneficial, and can improve word of mouth on your trailer as the group advertises where to find their music.

Making the Video

If you own a PC, you will more than likely find it is equipped with a program called Windows Movie Maker. This nifty tool allows you to combine photographs and streaming audio, and add titles and taglines to the frames that make up your video. Taking the time to explore options and like frame transitions (including star wipes and side wipes) and visual effects (fade in, fade out, sepia tone applications) will allow to create a look unique to your story. Start with an attention-grabbing tagline, continue with imagery related to your story, adding taglines on photos where appropriate, and finish with a shot of your book cover and information on your website and where to purchase the book. Scrolling end titles completes the trailer, and before you know it you have a clip to add to YouTube!

Most book trailers may run anywhere from thirty second to two minutes. You don’t want to make the trailers too long. For one the longer a clip is, the more memory it takes up, and the longer it may take to load. A viewer who has to wait too long will eventually get frustrated and go to another clip. You want to be sure your book trailer is recorded at a length that allows computer users of all Internet speeds to enjoy. Also, you don’t want to give too much information away in your trailer. Tease pertinent information and entice the reader to learn more at the point of sale.

As an interactive marketing tool, book trailers created for YouTube are a creative and inexpensive way to get the word out about your book. Include the trailer on your website, and the URL in your e-mail signature and show readers exactly what they are missing unless they buy your book.