Welcome to week eight of the Christian Author Bootcamp! This is a ten week book promotion blitz created to help you whip your publicity plan into shape. This week your challenge is to sign up for HARO. Don’t know what HARO is? It stands for Help a Reporter Out and it’s a free way to get publicity for your book!
Sign up for a free HARO account and start receiving updates from working journalists every day.
Christian Publishing Tips is excited to introduce the Christian Author Bootcamp, a ten-week book promotion blitz. Over the summer we’ll be handing out one assignment a week to help authors whip their book publicity into shape. Watch this video to get the details.
So don’t forget to come back here on Monday, June 21 for your first assignment in the 10-week Christian Author Bootcamp. For reminders on Twitter, be sure to follow @ChristianPubTip.
Your Right Job Right Now By Brian Golter
When Brian Golter wrote his book Your Right Job Right Now, he had no idea how needed and timely it would be. His book, released this month by Ambassador International, is a survival guide for the new job market. It’s not only a great read for those on the job hunt, but also for those feeling like they’re not reaching the full potential God has in mind for them with their current job. Today Brian joins us to explain why he wrote the book, and how his mission changed as the economy changed.
**Keep reading for your chance to WIN Brian’s new book!**
When I wrote this book in 2008, I was writing to those rare individuals who wish to see their careers as an opportunity to transform themselves. To overcome their deep-rooted fears and inadequacies, and become the man or woman they had always dreamed of being. It was a book about turning fear into courage, mistrust into trust and inadequacy into confidence.
But as the saying goes, “that was then and this is now”. Since the time I completed this manuscript, we have entered into one of the most difficult job markets in modern history. This book is no longer for rare individuals. It has become a survival guide for the new job market. Understanding how to bring your absolute best to the job market is no longer a luxury. It has become a necessity.
The old rules simply no longer apply. If you’re looking for a job, it’s no longer enough to get on the computer, send out your resume and expect to get a job. The days of just “showing up” to the interview and getting an attractive offer are over.
Quite simply, if you are experiencing a lack of motivation, enthusiasm or confidence, you are not going to find the job you want. No, faking won’t help you either. In this market, employers have their choice of hundreds of candidates. Of course, they will eliminate people on the traditional criteria: by experience, skills and salary. But what most job seekers don’t realize is just how large a role expectations, confidence, risk-taking and attitude play in getting the job they want. They play a larger role than education and experience. This has always been true. Today’s serious candidates have to pay attention to those deep places in themselves: those places that determine how other people experience them. The days of covering up the real you and still getting what you want are slowly but surely coming to an end.
For those of you willing to do the work of overcoming your fears and inadequacies, there is a silver lining. And what a wonderful silver lining it is! It’s truly a new day in which you can reach for what you know is true and rewarding. A day in which you can no longer get away with, or be rewarded for, the very things you don’t like about yourself. A day when you can become the man or woman God designed you to be.
For those of you who refuse to take up this challenge, it could just be the death sentence of your career. It’s time to get real and dig deep. To use the adversity you are experiencing to become so honest with yourself, so humble, that you will get the right job, right now.
***
Win a copy of Brian’s new book, Your Right Job Right Now. Simply leave a comment below for one entry. Tweet about our giveaway to be entered a second time, and blog about to be entered a whopping FIVE MORE TIMES! Sorry guys, but this giveaway is only open to US entries. A winner will be selected on June 12. Tell your friends!
The #1 Bestseller in Christian Books
Here are the Christian bestsellers for April 2009 according to Publishers Weekly:
The Top 10 Fiction
1. The Shack.
William P. Young. Windblown.
2. Take One.
Karen Kingsbury. Zondervan.
3.Fireproof.
Eric Wilson. Thomas Nelson.
4. A Cousin’s Promise.
Wanda E. Brunstetter. Barbour.
5. Double Minds.
Terri Blackstock. Zondervan.
6. This Side of Heaven.
Karen Kingsbury. Hachette/Center Street.
7. Kiss.
Ted Dekker/Erin Healy. Thomas Nelson.
8. Blink of an Eye.
Ted Dekker. Thomas Nelson.
9. The Centurion’s Wife.
Davis Bunn/Janette Oke. Bethany House.
10. Against All Odds.
Irene Hannon. Revell.
Christian author Adam Blumer recently held a book launch. It wasn’t at a local coffee shop or bookstore– it was on Facebook. According to his blog, nearly 150 people turned out and here’s what Adam wrote about the event:
Here’s a big thank you to many who attended my online book release party yesterday! I was pleasantly surprised when 147 of you participated and entered the book drawing. You wrote such kind words of encouragement. Thank you! Sorry we ran out of salsa, and my assistant who was supposed to buy more cake ran off with it.
It sounds like Adam and his Facebook visitors had a great time celebrating the release of Meaningful Suspense. So here’s how you can create a book launch party on Facebook:
1. Create a Facebook Page. As long as you already have a Facebook account, you can create a fan page. Put your name or your book’s name in the title so people can easily search for it. Here are some guidelines to follow when setting up a Facebook Fan Page.
2. Pick a Time. You can either set up your book launch like Adam did with a specific date, or you can make it more general. Either way, encourage your fans to visit your page often to stay up-to-date about book signings and events.
3. Promote your Fan Page. Send messages to your Facebook friends and encourage them to become your fan. Ask them to recruit more fans for you. You can also use paid advertising to get the word out about your event.
4. Put a Badge on Your Blog. Facebook makes promoting your fan page easy by creating badges. This will let visitors to your blog know about your Facebook page. You can learn how to create a badge for your Page from the ‘Promotion Guidelines’ link. This can be found under the communications section when you are editing your Page.
5. Host a Giveaway. Encourage visitors to stop by your Facebook Page by holding a giveaway like Adam did. Promote the giveaway on your blog as well.
6. Communicate with Your Fans. As long as you don’t go over 5000 fans, you can easily communicate with the entire group and keep the up-to-date about events and happenings surrounding your book. The update will appear in their Facebook inbox.
Are you planning a Facebook book launch party? Or have you held one in the past? Tell us about it!
Searching for inspiration?
Do you ever find yourself blankly staring at your computer screen, longing for inspiration, feedback or help with your writing project? We’ve all been there. Here are some free online resources for authors. If you have others you like to use, please leave them in a comment below! We’d love to know what online resources you’re using.
Critiques
In case you’re wondering whether something you wrote is sensational or silly, try signing up for an account at FaithWriters.com. The free service allows you to post articles or works and request feedback on them. You can also network with other Christian writers in the forums.
Dictionary/Thesaurus
When we need help with spelling or coming up with new words we head to merriam-webster.com. It’s easy to use and extremely helpful.
Quick Research
If you need to do a little quick research try Enclyclopedia.com. The site includes data from 49 encyclopedias and 73 dictionaries and thesauruses. When you don’t want to take a trip to the library, this is a great site to check out. Refdesk.com is another one worth a visit. It brings a lot of websites and resources together in one place which makes searching easy for authors.
Miscellaneous Help
Need to figure out the best way to collect an outstanding payment? Wondering how to avoid scams? Check out WritersWeekly.com. It’s one of the most well-known freelance writing ezines in the world.
Design Inspiration
Needing a little inspiration for cover designs? Or maybe just motivation to keep working on that book? Head to BookCoverArchive.com and see books that look more like artwork. I don’t know about you but seeing a great cover is good motivation to finish writing.
Grammar
Have a grammar question? If your 10th grade English teacher isn’t available, try using online resources like Towson University’s Online Writing Support. They’ve even got a writing support hotline that allows you to submit your grammar question. Someone should respond within 24 hours.
Photo courtesy of Extra Ketchup
Christian Writers Fellowship International is granting ten scholarships for the 2009 Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference scheduled for May 17-21, 2009. The conference costs $315 to attend. That tuition cost includes access to all sessions, breaks and a special Wednesday night banquet. So how do you win a scholarship to this event?
Act quickly because the deadline for entries is Feb.15, 2009. Rooms for winners will be double-occupancy, and scholarships will be awarded based on financial need and close attention to entry instructions.
The ten winners along with two alternates will be announced in the March/April 2009 issue of Cross & Quill and on the CWFI website.
Copyright © 2010 Christian Publishing Tips All rights reserved. Theme by Laptop Geek.
