Penny Sansevieri - Red Hot Internet Publicity: An Insiders Guide to Promoting Your Book on the Internet

Red Hot Internet Publicity: An Insiders Guide to Promoting Your Book on the Internet Copyright 2009 by Penny C. Sansevieri

Red Hot Internet Publicity was originally published by Morgan James Publishing in 2007. Current edition published by Cosimo Books, 2010.

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ISBN: 978-1-60520-724-7

To everyone whos ever been called an
Internet geek, your time has come

It would take an entire book to thank everyone involved in the process of creating Red Hot Internet Publicity. Of all the sections in this book, this is the most difficult to write.

There are scores of people who contribute both in their support and the willingness to share their own creativity, and there are several behind the scenes people who brought their own amazing level of support, information, and creativity to this book: AMEs very own (AKP) Paula Krapf, who shared in her wisdom, insight, creativity and who keeps me sane. Weve been through many trials together; I couldnt have made it through them without you. She is more valuable to me than she will ever know. To Internet Queen Susan Gilbert, who can run circles around Google, and who is a whiz at everything she does. The talent, insight, creativity and wisdom shes brought to AME cant be overstated. Susan came into my life years ago and together weve had many wonderful adventures. This journey is but one of them. To Jeniffer Thompson who, besides being a great friend, made my Web site beautiful despite my efforts to screw it up. Lauren Hidden, who I value and respect more than shell know, thank you for being in my life. I am wildly fortunate to surround myself with super smart and savvy women. For Alex Hawley, our first AME-male (we know youre not a girl), you are bright, insightful, thoughtful and a true visionary. Thank you for your humor, insight and for your patience when I send you my usual tsunami of e-mails. To Nancy who, while new to us, has found her place at AME and has become an incredibly valuable part of our Team. I am blessed to be surrounded by so many amazing people. To Larry Kirshbaum for not only being a friend and supporter but for always believing in me. I hope you wear your AME Team uniform with pride. And finally to Mac, for the lessons, both good and bad, that you taught me and for helping me steer this ship, if only for a little while.

To Alexander Dake and the Team at Cosimo, its been fabulous working with you all and now that my book has found a home there I am excited to be a part of your publishing list. Thank you for giving me this opportunity.

There are many more people that I need to thank, and thankfully too many to list here. I am fortunate to not only be in this industry, but to be surrounded by many amazing people who always make me look so good. To them I say: Thank you. This journey wouldnt be possible without you.

To my friends and family who always love and support me even when my schedule doesnt always permit me to spend as much time with them as Id like.

I have many blessings in my life. To list them all here would be endless. I continue to have a grateful heart for my work and my mission and I am enormously fortunate to be able to do what I love. I wish you the same kind of happiness.

by Laurence J. Kirshbaum
Founder, LJK Literary Management
www.ljkliterary.com

When I started in the book business (shortly after the Peloponnesian War), most authors believed that their job was completed when they turned in their manuscript. However, a legendary figure named Jacqueline Susann was a special breed. It was the late 60s, and Jackie wrote Valley of the Dolls and a host of other mega-hits. She believed the authors job had only begun when she wrote the end. Jackie pioneered the author tour and was always on the road pushing her books. She kept fastidious notes of every store or radio show where she appeared and her Christmas mailing list was well over 25,000 names. (Thankfully, postage was a bit cheaper in those days!)

Over a publishing career spanning 40 years, Ive watched the publicity revolution become more and more of an everyday necessity for authors who want to succeed whether theyre trying to write bestselling fiction or specially targeted nonfiction. With hundreds of thousands of titles being published annually, authors must develop a platform that sets them and their book apart from the crowd. The good news is that you no longer have to travel to every nook and cranny of the country in order to get the message across. The Internet has started another publicity revolutiona unique way for authors to find and stay in close touch with their potential audience. As Penny writes, Its no longer a matter of whether you can get published. Its a matter of whether you can get noticed.

Thats where this book comes in.

As a nontechie myself, the Internet has always seemed a bit daunting beyond the simpler uses of e-mail and search. What a blessing for authors (and agents and publishers) that Penny Sansevieri has stepped up to provide a lucid and thorough guide on how to put the Internet to work for you. And, best of all, she writes with humor and in nontechnical language that will have anyone up and running in no time. As the founder and leader of Author Marketing Experts, Inc., Penny has been helping authors turn their books into successes for a long time. And she is ably assisted in this book by some of her colleagues, including her search specialist Susan Gilbert who won my heart when she told me, I love being a search expert because I can work at home and wear my pajamas to work.

Pennys book is extremely well organized so that readers can either digest it all in one reading, or turn to the parts that most interest them. Her main thesis is that there are now 150 million adult users of what she calls Web 2.0the consumer driven Internet. Thus, her succinct advice is Dont sell your booksell what it can do for the reader. The Internet reader is driven by the acronym WIIFM: Whats In It For Me? Every part of the Internet strategy, from the design of the Web site to the copy within it, will revolve around the focus on the consumer. The best site, Penny writes, will give your customer a Nordstrom shopping experience. (For those who dont know, Nordstrom is a department store highly respected for its obsession with creating a customer-friendly environment.)

Another important lesson is that while the Internet may be instantaneous, reader relationships have to be built over a period of time. Be persistent, dont be a stalker, Penny quips. One powerful tool for authors is bloggingalthough the author warns us there are now 9 million blogs and 40,000 new ones every day. But she hastens to add, there are 57 million readers of blogs and 87 percent of them buy books. So the waters warm, and this book will show you how to get started and stand out from the crowd. Penny sorts through a variety of ways that one can blogfor instance, you can tweet on Twitter or squawk on Squidoo or be a friend on Facebook. There are macro blogs and micro blogs and this book will help you pick the right one for your work.