First Word

On Tik-Tok, they have this thing called “Storytime”. Something kind of interesting plays in the background video while someone starts with a question: “Am the asshole”… I know it’s crude, but the question leads to some salacious tale about all sorts of family ridiculousness, bad relationships, cheating boyfriends and girlfriends, etc. Then in the comments, people answer whether or not that person was in the wrong. I have to admit, almost every story leaves me with my jaw on the ground. The point is, it’s shocking behavior told in a way that just sucks you right in.   Storytime prompted me to think about anthologies. Storytime is great because over the course of about four to six parts, you hear what is essentially a short story. It’s perfect for quick entertainment. Then after wandering into a bookstore to find a few anthologies right upfront in the most coveted display areas, it piqued my interest. For many years, anthologies weren’t that popular. So, it begged th...

  Some people have been watching the Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard trial religiously -- almost on the same scale with the OJ Simpson trial back in the 90s. This high-profile defamation case has played out in an interesting way when it comes to a public relations perspective.  Depp's team has masterfully used social media to show how he's kind and genuine with people. If you watch mainstream media versus social media, the difference in attitude is totally opposite. Mainstream media has villainized Depp and seems to lean more toward Amber Heard. Meanwhile social media and experts and fans do not see it quite the same way.  Most of social media and average people watching this trial soon realized that Heard's testimony is questionable.  Social media's portrayal of Depp has been masterful at repairing his image. I assume that Depp's team is well aware of the tactics they've taken, which are brilliant. We see Depp doing a live performance in his iconic character Captai...

Let's discuss an important topic when it comes to publishing a book - building your following . Many of my authors aspire to either traditionally publish their next books or attract the attention of our foreign rights agents (we have two of them). Key to both opportunities is a strong following to justify the acquisition or overseas sale of the book. So what tips and tricks can you apply to your marketing and promotion to build aforementioned following?   The easiest way to build a following is social media . Social media has different affects: it can justify the case to the agents or traditional publishers. What if your sales aren't commensurate with your following, though? Well, if you have book fan page with thousands of fans, then you can show the potential of followers interested in what you're doing. Every little bit helps. And remember this one important factor: PUBLISHERS ARE A BUSINESS! A SURE THING IS THE ONE THING THEY WANT TO INVEST IN . Pleas...

What are the easiest ways authors can promote books on their own? Now many of you may read these 15 things and feel daunted. Just know that 3L Publishing (www.3LPublishing.com) offers marketing and public relations services, too. We can help you and guide you through this process. Social Media (it's free)-Facebook, Twitter are great starts. The jury is out on SnapChat and Instagram. Goodreads (social media for readers and authors to connect) Blog ( blogger.com )-blogging services are free, too, but you have to provide your own content Book launches -it's a party so why not celebrate your accomplishment and sell books Book signings via your regional independent bookstores. Leave some books on consignment if they're open to it or maybe they will purchase the books on their own. Newsletters like this one focused on promoting your book reviews and signings and sharing excerpts and experiences with your book. Regional nonprofit book festivals (not all boo...

How do you grow your followers without having to do the outreach? I have one key tip: Keep your posts interesting! I didn't say salacious, profane or hateful. Keeping your posts interesting doesn't require you post your bare skin, bikini pictures, or anything that resembles Playboy . Keeping it interesting requires lots of pictures (people like visuals), thoughtful or provocative, and generally intelligent. When you're out and about look for the opportunity to photograph something different. Food shots are marginally interesting if it's a great meal or wine or even coffee. Beauty is all around you. Interesting things happen all around you. Make note of these things on social media. Write your own great quotes and thoughts. Inspire other people. Use your life events and lessons learned to share and help other people grow from your experiences. Use humor or be humorous in your responses to other people's posts. All business these days benefit from social me...

The Daily Cup: Issue 6 ​ Q: Is social media replacing traditional networking to attract business? A: In some respects, yes. When it comes to social media vs. networking you almost have a chicken before the egg situation. You have to build following in social media to effectively market, and you can't build an adequate following without networking -- and round it goes. My advice is to start by doing traditional networking and have your fan pages set up ahead of time. Make sure you've got the requisite "find me" on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. on your marketing promo. As you're networking encourage people to follow you. Once you've got a big enough following then you can begin to enjoy the results on social media. Remember, though, to participate in your social media community. While in-person networking can be slowed down once your social media is established, you still have to be a "member" of that social media community. In...

Here I am awake and ready to blog. I check my stats every time I go online. My curiosity piques as I see that in one day I had 350 page views, which for this blog is way off the charts. Now I'm curious, "Why?" I ask myself. What appeared and where that drove up traffic? Blogger allows you to see sources, but most of these sources came from Google, which is nonspecific. These systems rarely come with classes. When it comes to blogs or even social media, it's all "figure it out." Asking questions of others is always good, but the answers are varied and sometimes inaccurate. I think it's more trial-by-fire. We had a writers' group meeting last night. The focus was on building your followers on social media. What I noticed that was missing from the discussion was traditional marketing and promotion. So much emphasis exists on using the free and seemingly easy resources with Blogger, Facebook, Twitter and the many other tools that charge nothing but y...

It has been a while since I've just quipped or been interesting on my blog. Why, you ask? Well, have you ever had your brain so full it's leaking? We have so much going on right now with the national exposure of the book Chocolate Flowers . The phone calls and requests for ghost-writing services and full-service publishing (see our company at www.3LPublishing.com) have been nonstop. I just got off the phone with a woman from South Carolina. So many compelling and important stories to tell from people who call in from across the country. Most of the interest is coming from social media since the Dr. Phil show didn't directly promote Chocolate Flowers or even reveal its title. The social media attention has proven the importance of having a strong presence. I'm about to max out my "friends" on Facebook . I think the biggest lesson: Don't automatically exclude someone on Facebook and accept "new" friends if you want to grow your business. I o...

Social media has its upside and its downside. People using Facebook or Twitter or Instagram to do business are often nonplussed by the habitual social aspects that makes it great, but also annoying. When I'm friended on Facebook my initial consideration to accept is based on two things: 1. is this a prospective customer/client or 2. is this another person only interested in a date? Since I'm looking for clients/customers for our business 3L Publishing (www.3LPublishing.com) that second question has merit. Those looking for a date will start almost immediately bothering me. The no. #1 thing I don't like though ... getting in touch with me and using business as a means to your end. Men (and even some women) who approach me about my business and act like that is what they want to know about and then do bait and switch. What I really want to know is: are you single? Not only is that a very cheesy and dishonest way to approach me, but it's offensive. I was taught manners...

You have to love Facebook. Yes, it's a great business marketing tool; but on the personal front it is a place to reconnect. I have a sweet story for the morning "musings". Several years ago we used to get pedicures with a Nail place near my old house. Ann, the owner, just adored my children. She hugged and loved on them like her own, especially my daughter. I got a divorce, and Ann moved her shop to places unknown. Well as the story goes, fast-forward to 2014 and she's got a new shop and doing my friend's Stacy's nails. Stacy and I worked together in the same profession. Ann takes note and asks if she knows me. Stacy says "yes" and so it goes. Ann then finds me on Facebook. Voile! Reconnect. Turns out her new shop is near where I live now, too. So I told her I would bring my daughter for a visit and to get her nails done. You have to love Facebook.

So I was perusing my blog's most-read items and noticed my posts about social media seem to be popular among readers. In fact, my most popular post for the month of August was about Facebook an social media. So it seems social media trumps True Blood . All right so I have learned everything I know about social media marketing via hands-on experience. I am by no means an expert per se. I am an expert on marketing, public relations and communication -- and these days social media plays an integral role in getting the word out about your business. The most common complaint or more like "whine" I hear about social media is that it's a time-suck vortex. I give this simple advice on how to manage your social media activities. First, I don't want those of you caught in the vortex to feel guilty. It's easy to get sucked in. I advise users with basic rules to apply. 15/15 Rule --only devote 15 minutes at the beginning and end of your work day to social media. If y...

I was chatting with 3L Publishing author Jason Kraus about his forthcoming book Late Bird . The subject of work ethic came up in the conversation. Jason admitted he chose 3L Publishing to create his book for two key reasons. He had watched my posts on Facebook to observe my viewpoints on key social and political issues, and he noted that I had an amazing work ethic. Without digressing into my stand on social issues, which I really don't spend much time revealing on social media but I guess I showed enough, I'll address the work-ethic discussion. What happened to good-old fashioned work ethic? I've asked that question many times over the years? Without making sweeping statements, I'll give examples. The younger generation, which I'll suggest is from about ages 20-30 give or take have some perspectives that baffle me. My operations manager who is in this age range says this generation thinks they are all "special snowflakes" -- and honestly that made me ...

People don't amaze me anymore. I've seen enough in the world not be amazed. I should maybe be pleasantly surprised and delighted, but amazed and in a stupor -- sometimes. Social media is often one of the biggest culprits of said amazement. I love social media. I've met so many people I might not have otherwise met. I've stayed connected to some people I have met and got to know better and thoroughly enjoy. I've enjoy the community support, and it gives me a place to "hang" out much like the water cooler only in a more productive way (via marketing). At the same time, I've connected with people who are a whole other breed of "folks" -- and sometimes they are odd ducks with different stripes of color I don't get. I'm an old fashioned girl. I am polite, well-mannered, and as my fiancé aptly puts it, "have social skills". I care about people. I try to help them. What I don't understand is the raw nature of social media whe...

I was recently criticized by an associate for "living my life" on Facebook. Today I came back from a very productive meeting with a Facebook connection who observed me for approximately six months before he pulled the trigger on a meeting. He is not the first business associate to use Facebook as a tool to keep an "eye" on a prospective business partner or employee. In the course of our conversation we discussed the whole Facebook "thing," and he made some interesting comments that I don't want to digress off the topic. So the question of being one of those people who lives their lives on Facebook I'm going to shove in the cubby hole I'll call "and that's your opinion". Here is my opinion: I do think there is a fine line between TMI and smart business. I do think there is a balance to strike. People like to work with people they like. So meaningless fluff or comments that border on salacious or inappropriate fall into what I cal...

Did you know you have a personal brand? It is funny but even you as an individual are in a way a brand. What do you project about yourself? Personal image is a part of a personal brand. If you're in business you do have to consider your self-image as a part of your personal brand, and what you project to the world. Your personal brand can affect who hires you. Your personal brand can affect whether or not you receive that promotion at work. Are you now wondering, "What is my personal brand?" A personal brand extends beyond self-image, but self-image is a part of your brand whether you realize you had a brand or not. Most people don't think of these things in business terms. Beyond what you project to others is any personal communication you put in the public arena that defines you both professionally and even personally. Personal brand identity starts with what people associate with your name and what you do. Everything about you out on the Internet is defining that...

Tip 2: Leverage social media to the extreme.  Social media is free. Any tool you can leverage free-of-charge to market your book should be used. Create on Facebook an author page for your personal outreach to other authors, agents and "fans". Next create a fan page for your individual title. A secret trick: use Rocket Likes to invite hundreds of fans to your page. Make sure you create a Twitter account and a Linked-In profile. Focus your energy on the social media outlet that provides the most opportunities. Post on that outlet at least once or twice a day. Keep it up. The more you post, the more exposure for your book. Just make your posts a part of your daily routine, but do not get sucked into spending too much time on it. Remember, social media is a marketing tool not a toy. If you want to use it for social purposes, create a separate personal page for family and friends.

I've watched many authors and recognize their fail points when it comes to marketing and promoting their books. Most authors are not businesspeople. So I can't fault them for not knowing what to do to spread the word about their books. First and foremost, authors need to recognize that in being an author it's one part writer one part businessperson . Authors who believe their "craft" should be enough to sell a book typically don't sell any books. Whether it's fiction or nonfiction, please know the rule remains the same: one part art one part business. As an author/businessperson what do you need at your basic foundation to the promote and sell your book? Publicist : do you know book promotion? I doubt you understand it. It's an entire profession. Seek a book publicist. It's the best investment you can make in your book. Your publicist will use media contacts and lists to promote your book to the book reviewer media. Marketing tools : your publi...

If you're working on building your social media presence for your business, I recommend a split between the professional and personal (small bits and bites about YOU personally but not a lot). The reason I add a "sprinkle" of personal is people like to know who they are working with. Here are three things NOT to do with your social media marketing: Tip 1: Don't plaster marketing materials on other people's Walls ( Facebook ) without permission . Nothing turns off a prospect more than having a piece of marketing promo plastered on his/her Wall. It's like using their brochure or business card to doodle on. And worse, it's a marketing piece that is probably not something he/she would have put on his/her Wall in the first place. You will offend and not sell a thing. Tip 2: Don't ever, ever get into "flame" wars . Do not make a public spectacle out of some argument. If someone gets belligerent on your Wall, "de-friend" them, and then...

You ever have one of those weeks where you think: Is this my life? Always living and flying by the seat of my dress or skirt. The good news: 3L Publishing is just going faster than a speeding bullet, and yes I can leap tall buildings, too ;). Today I changed my profile back to my favorite photo from Santa Cruz and got an instant marriage proposal LOL ... here is the deal (I may shock you with this one or not). I am not kidding you. I get marriage proposal all of the time from complete strangers. Now I wonder who in the world would ever make such a crazy suggestion without knowing a thing about the person they are striking up such a serious "idea" with? Just a question. I've always wanted to comment on this topic and since aforementioned proposal just got messaged to me, I thought today was the day. I once had this diamond dealer in NYC made a ridiculous suggestion that he would (if I didn't say yes) "miss me forever..." Say what? How could you possibly...

I preach to clients about building their marketing platforms. I say this all the time, "I walk my own talk." Nothing annoys anyone more than "do as I say not as I do." How am I supposed to convince a client (especially as a business owner) to market and promote their companies or books by building a strong marketing platform when I didn't bother to do it myself. It's like trying to sell food that tastes bad. You don't eat it so why should your prospective clients? An investment in your marketing platform (and my platform consists of this blog, First Word newsletter, First Word radio, social media and website) costs a lot of money to get it done right. So my no. #1 advice: build it and build it right ... just like I did. Nothing yanks my proverbial chain more than professionals who don't do it professionally . If you're going to build your platform, rule #1: create a brand identity (use a professional marketing service) and then apply the bran...