Blogging is Publishing

I wish I could say that "blogging is publishing" was something that I came up with on my own, but that is not the case. However, I have been pondering on this phrase for a while and decided to write an entry on my thoughts.

New Self Published Book by R.I. Coffield

Rebecca (Becky) Coffield, longtime resident of Bend and an alum of the Publish and Sell Your Book class, now has a self published book on the market.

Titled Life Was a Cabaret, it chronicles her 25,000 mile sailing adventure around the Pacific Ocean with her husband aboard their sailboat, Cabaret. One can almost smell the sea air as she describes the fun, fright, and self awareness that she experienced.

The book is perfect bound, has a 6" x 9" format with a professionally designed cover. Of course there is a copyright, ISBN, LCCN, etc. Her experience with a book manufacturer offers insight into the problems and prospects of out-sourcing some of the work on a self published book.

Fortunately, she is more than willing to share what she discovered with you and I. Get all of your questions answered at her book signing at the Book Barn on June 30, 2006. Watch for the announcement in the Bend Bulletin.

Also, be sure to visit her author website (and purchase a book or two) at:
http://www.rlcoffield.com/

Media Brands Look to Combined Print/Web Audits
The Audit Bureau of Circulations has come up with a new way to measure the reach of a media brand. It quantifies and combines a publication's print readership with one day of Web site traffic. It seems to me that...

Blogs and Podcasts
Good news! I will be giving a class on what blogs and podcasts are all about and how to use them in your personal or business efforts. At the end of the meeting, you will have your very own blog on the Internet and the information and software necessary to create podcasts.

The class will be held on the main campus of COCC, from 9 am to 4 pm on Saturday, April 15, 2006.

More information is available from Community Learning in the Continuing Education Department at (541) 383-7270 or on line.

Sending Out Press Releases
Letting the world know about your new book is always a time-consuming challenge. One rather fast means of spreading the word is to use an Internet press release service.

Each of the sites listed below will announce your press release for a fee. They also have a free announcement. The paid service gives broader coverage and better placement but if your budget is slim, give the free posting a try.

Be sure to check for help in writing the release, tips on making it better, and blunders to avoid. Also, use templates where applicable.

PR Free is a general service that has a book category.

PR Leap tends to focus on the media and particularly journalists. There is a book category.

PR Web is directed toward small businesses and is a great place to announce your blog or podcast.

Its Name is Zookoda
Zookoda is the new leader in professional email marketing for bloggers. It gives you better control on the look and feel of how your feed is sent to your subscribers. The program is similar to what you see in newsletter...

Making Good Use of Your Entry/Award
The previous post offered suggestions on entering your book in contests. This post builds on that one by looking at a number of ways to take advantage of entering and/or receiving an award.

The first is to clearly discuss the contest/award in your news packet/news release. Be sure to include copies of letters, emails, announcements, etc. about your entry/receipt of an award.

Similarly, post all the information on your website, blog, podcast, etc.

A third strategy is to inform book stores and other retail outlets about the contest/award. They are often impressed with the fact that you submitted the book, regardless of whether you win or not, and will use the information to promote the book.

Another idea is to have stickers that announce the contest/award. Stationary supply businesses usually can print the quantity that you need. Thus, by applying one to the cover of each book, you have let the casual browser know that your book is an outstanding addition to the literature. It seems that nothing succeeds like success.

Lastly, be sure to include the information in your biography. The entry will help build the platform from which you launch the next book!

links for 2006-09-05
How to be a Net video hit Six steps to becoming a video star. (tags: video) Top Italian Web Apps (tags: Italy Web2.0) WebWorkerDaily A brand new blog from Om Malik and crew. (tags: blogs Web2.0) Narrowcasting with customized homepages...

Four Marketing Tips for Self-Publishers
You may have already noticed that self-publishing is very time consuming. Most of your time is spent on marketing and publicity and very little time on writing.

links for 2006-09-07
Tracking your buzz "The best tools out there for keeping track of your online buzz" (tags: Marketing Search buzz Blogs Analytics) Writing Hacks, Part 1: Starting - scottberkun.com (tags: Writing Lifehacks) confidential "do not distribute" - Google Search Jeez, who...

Premier Entry

This is my first blog in several years and I must say its good to be back in the blogosphere. The inital blog dealt with train watching conditions along the historic Union Pacific rail line through the Tehachapi Pass in California. I discontinued that blog when I decided to move to Oregon.

A Union Pacific frieght train on the Tehachapi Loop. The photo was taken during the first Golden Hour, sunrise to one hour later (second Golden Hour is the hour before sunset).

Once settled in my new home, I started teaching in the Community Learning Program of the Continuing Education Department at Central Oregon Community College. The classes related to book publishing. I wanted to continue sharing publishing-related information, tips, and procedures with former students from the classses; hence, this blog.

In the following weeks, look for thoughts on Internet resources, tricks for editing photos that are to be included in books, intriguing marketing ideas, and more!

Thanks for stopping by.