About Judy Baker

Free Book Marketing Tip #5 – Use Video

September 28, 2015 by Judy Baker

Free Book Marketing Tip #5 – Use Video

YouTube is a gigantic search engine. YouTube has over 1 BILLION subscribers. Millions of people are viewing videos every day. (YouTube Statistics)

You Can Make a Video

You probably already have everything you need to make a video. If you have a smart phone, you can make a video. If you have a computer with a built-in camera, you can make a video. There are upgrades too: you can get a web cam (Logitech makes several models, some are under $100), a dedicated video camera, or use an SLR camera that also takes video.

You Don’t Have To Appear On Camera

If you are camera-shy, consider adding narration to photos or slides. Demonstrate how to do something. People love how-to videos. There are a variety of ways to make videos. You can record your actions with a camera or use software to follow your actions on the computer.

Movie Making Software

When it comes to making movies, there are a lot of choices. Some software can help you turn your images, slides, or pdf’s into a movie. Some of the tools are free, some for fee. Many software developers let you try before you buy. Here is a sampling of some of the apps/software you can use to make a video that you share with others:

Animoto
Storyo
Photoshop (yes Photoshop has the ability to edit photos and create animations and video)
Wondershare makes a variety of tools that converts your assets into video
Magisto – Magical Video Editor (available in from iTunes – iPhone and iPad)
Camtasia (you can try it free)
Screenflow
Blab (you can record your live streaming event) using an app from bebo
Google Hangouts (you can record your hangout)
Splice
iMovie
Adobe Premiere
Final Cut Pro
Windows Movie Maker
Keynote
Powerpoint

I’m sure there are other tools out there, and if I left out one that you love, please let me know.

Movies and Videos are Another Way to Tell a Story

Here a few ideas to get you started:

Interviews
How did you come to write your book?
What did you learn in the process of publishing your book?
Why you wrote the book
Who your book is for (your intended audience)
How your readers can best use the material contained in your book
A guide to the characters
A guide to the setting(s) in the book
Create a book trailer that pumps up excitement about your book

Where to Share Your Videos

Your website
Youtube
Vimeo
Goodreads (your author profile for instance)
Amazon
Pinterest
Twiter
Facebook
LinkedIn
Instagram
Your newsletter
Slideshare
Vine

Are You Ready for Your Close-up?

I hope this has informed, entertained and inspired you to create your own videos. Some final tips:

Keep your videos short (90 seconds to 5 minutes)
Do a series of short videos rather than one long video
Make an outline of what you want to cover before you start
Search for top videos and see what they are doing
Be sure your audio is crisp
If you are working indoors, use enough light to show your subjects clearly
Include a call to action (what is the next thing you want your audience to do)
Have fun

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Prolific Beats Precious When It Comes to Discoverability

September 7, 2015 by Judy Baker

Prolific Beats Precious

Many times a great idea was in my reach and I didn’t share it because I thought I had to be perfect first. Does this sound familiar? I bet it does. I discovered that being perfect isn’t the answer to meeting the right customers, finding a great friend, having a wonderful romance, and enjoying life. Getting out there and living is far more valuable, and fun.

[embedyt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBJ80IODm5o[/embedyt]

A Shift from Perfect to Powerful

Maybe I saw the light during my year of being a Wellness Warrior and winning over cancer. Maybe I shifted my thinking when I realized that in today’s fast paced world, most of what I create has a rather short shelf-life. I am not saying sloppy is o.k. I am not saying it is o.k. to do a poor job. What I am advocating is to stop worrying about being perfect. Perfection is the enemy of taking action.

I discovered the concept of “Lean Start-up” and “minimum viable product” several years ago. Trying out an idea in its most basic form before trying to perfect it became a new way for me to look at creativity and what I was doing in my life and in my business.

What has changed for me?

Instead of hoarding my expertise, I recognized that prolific beats precious. I started making short videos and posting them to YouTube, embedding them into my blog, sharing them on Pinterest. I blog at least once a week (most of the time), and I post updates on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. I am making my expertise available in many places and at many different times.

When I start a project, I look at what I must do, how much time I have to do it, and what my resources are (partners, money, what can be outsourced.) Then I work creatively within this framework. It is liberating. I do my very best with the resources I have. I learn from every project. I spend less time worrying about what I don’t have or don’t know and producing what I need for my clients and myself.

Persistence + Consistence = Power

Blogging and posting consistently is your ticket to being discoverable. As an author, that is really a lot of what it takes to sell your books. A best seller is one that people are talking about, sharing, and reviewing.

You can start blogging and posting well before your book ready available for sale. You can share stories of how you came to write your book. You can talk about the characters or as one of your characters. Non-fiction writers can share case studies that highlight their expertise. The idea is to get people talking. No one can talk about you if they don’t know you exist.

20,000 Views on LinkedIn in 1 Week

My friend, Ted Prodromou did something really amazing. He got 20,000 views on LinkedIn in 1 week. His strategy was simple. He used a LinkedIn post as his hub and pointed all of his other social posts for the next 7 days to this one page. You can watch a replay of a live stream event he did with Alex Mandossian by following this link to his original post.

You Too CAN DO Amazing Things When You…

Stop procrastinating
Start doing
Share Your Expertise
Start small
Experiment
Find Partners
Stay the course
Do what works, forget what doesn’t
Be willing to fail
Keep moving towards your goals

My Request

Tell me what is working for you, or if you feeling stuck.
If you like what you see here, please share it with your friends (as long as you give me credit).
Follow me for more marketing tips.

Free Book Marketing Tip #4: Always Have Your Book with You

August 26, 2015 by Judy Baker

Free Book Marketing Tip #4: Always carry copies of your book with you

You never know who you are going to meet when you are waiting in line at the grocery store, in an airport lounge, at the gym, at a conference, your kid’s soccer game, at the movies…places where you find potential readers are who would enjoy your book, so don’t disappoint them. My client, Deborah Myers, carries copies of her new Daily Clean Your House Flow books with her. She met a hospital administrator at a social event and they are now in discussions with about how to bring her work into the hospital.

Think Like a Publisher

As an independent publisher, you are your chief marketeer, (a specialist in promoting or selling a product or service (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/marketeer). Think like a big publishing house. Be prepared at all times to share your book with your fans and potential fans.

Be Ready to Sell

There is no excuse for not being able to sell your books anywhere. You can get a free credit card reader from square.com, PayPal, Intuit, or use a service like Stripe, all of which work on a smart phone, tablet or computer.

Don’t forget the sales tax

If you are engaging in physical commerce, be sure to collect sales tax. If you aren’t sure about this step, talk to your tax preparer, or read up on the process here. Remember, you are now a business and it is important to follow the rules of taxation. For more tax tips for small businesses, especially creatives, check out taxpertise.com — this site is amazing in its depth as well as being well written with a touch of humor. Bonnie Lee is an Enrolled Agent and author, so she knows her stuff.

Don’t be shy

You spent a lot of time getting your book published. Now is not the time to allow shyness get in your way. If you are always prepared to sharing your book, you are always prepared to sell your book.

If you are shy, you can hire me to help spread the good word, because “marketing is a conversation.”

Check back soon for more free book marketing tips for independent publishers from Judy Baker and if you have a great book marketing tip, share it with me.

Free Book Marketing Tip #3

August 24, 2015 by Judy Baker

Free Book Marketing Tip #3 — Make a Table Top Display featuring your book cover.

It is a fact that most authors don’t make a lot of money from selling their books. Many make real money by getting hired to speak.

If you are just getting started in promoting your book or your expertise as a speaker, I recommend you invest in a table top display. Using an image of your book cove, will help you sell more books. A table top display is portable enough for you to take with you everywhere. Use it at events where you are a speaker, and at trade shows where you are planning to sell your book. A vertical display will gain the eyes of your buyers. Make it easy for people to see it, read it and take action.

Free Book Marketing Tip – Using Facebook Pages

August 22, 2015 by Judy Baker

Facebook Pages are Free

It doesn’t cost you anything but your time and creativity to add a Facebook Page to your marketing mix. Advertising fees are surprisingly low and you have complete control over how much, how often and what goes into your targeted ads.

Make a Facebook Page for Each of Your Books

I went to a workshop put on by Facebook. I learned some great ways to reach your desired audience by using Facebook Pages. Facebook Pages are different from a personal profile in several ways:

Pages give you the ability to select your audience using demographics (location, age, gender)
You can advertise from a page
It is all about your book
You can link a group of pages together if you have separate but related content

The Power of Visibility

The more places you feature your book, the more likely your book will be discovered. One of the best benefits of using a channel like Facebook is the sheer volume of people who are on it every day. You can share posts, photos, video, audio, links to your blog, links to other social channels too.

Try it and See

Get started now, whether you are already published or if you are in the pre-publication phase of your book. Facebook Pages can help you connect with your ideal audience and get them talking about your book. You can see an example of a Facebook Page for a book here. We have used photos, video and outbound links to help educate our audience.

Setting Up Your Facebook Page

There are articles and support for setting up your page and using it on Facebook. Take a look at this page to get started.

Need help?

Not sure what or how to do it yourself? Don’t miss out on this opportunity to reach your ideal audience. Call on me, Judy Baker, your book marketing expert. I can build an attractive Facebook Page for your book and show you how to use this platform to sell more books.

Everything Amazon

August 20, 2015 by Judy Baker

Join me, Judy Baker, at the September 12, 2015 Bay Area Independent Publishers Association meeting.

Learn and discuss the importance of Amazon to independent publishers.

I’ll be the MC and I am leading a discussion on how to make the most of book reviews:

how to ask for them
how to use them
how to give a great review

There will be a panel presentation in the morning, followed by a series of roundtable discussions in the afternoon. Learn from the group and meet the members of our publishing community.