New Year Advice From My Dear Friend Marsha and WHY Video is ‘HOT’ in Marketing Yourself & Your Books…

January 12, 2018January 12, 2018 Catherine Lyon Author/Writer A Writer's Thoughts, Book Promotion Tips For Authors, Featured Guest, Marketing and More, News Around The Web, Posts, Updates and More Authors, Mainstream Media, Marketing Tips, Marsha Friedman, Media, new year, PR Insider, Social Media, video, Writers, your brand

Since we are starting a fresh New Year, I came across TWO exceptional articles from my friend and PR Expert, Marsha Friedman that shares two vital parts to marketing you, your books, and Brand! We can never have too much advice from a Public Relations firm that Marsha runs and is the founder of. Let’s make 2018 our “Year To Shine!”

“2018 Is Your Time To Shine!”

Marsha Friedman + by | Jan 3, 2018.| General Marketing, PR Education

The start of a New Year is always a great time to focus on creating a “new you” – or at least an improved version of the old you.

Sometimes we do that through resolutions about dieting and exercise that, sadly, we don’t always keep. Sometimes we enter January vowing that in the next 12 months we will travel more, read more or spend more time with the family.

As you look ahead to all the possibilities that a New Year brings, let me suggest that if you’ve been letting your personal brand languish, 2018 can be your time to shine! It can be the year you rise from obscurity to fame – or at least to recognition as a voice of authority and go-to expert in your field. You just need to be willing and determined to make it happen!

You can bet that if you don’t, someone else – possibly a direct competitor – is going to step into the limelight that you neglected. They will be the ones polishing up their personal brands and, as a result, speaking with journalists, chatting with radio and TV show hosts, and linking to their media success stories on their websites.

Several years ago when I wrote my book Celebritize Yourself, personal branding hadn’t become quite as widespread as it is today. Certainly, some people – Zig Ziglar, Suze Orman and Bob Greene, just to name a few – had become extraordinarily successful at it, but at that time there weren’t always as many ways for people to promote themselves as there are now.

Most of the social media platforms that we have come to take for granted were either in their formative years or were dismissed as being irrelevant or unimportant. How quickly that changed! Now it’s so easy for anyone to create a Facebook, Twitter or other social media account and introduce themselves to the world.

Meanwhile, the old-school ways of promoting yourself via earned media in print, on radio and TV are still around, too. With so many opportunities out there, let me suggest just a few things you can do in 2018 to make this the year you take your personal brand to a new level:

Maintain a digital presence. Over just the last few years, I’ve seen more and more people who seem to – finally – get this. They understand the need for a website. They know the value of being featured in online publications and showing up in Google searches. They realize they need to be on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram or other social media sites, spreading their message in the places where millions of people check in daily. Still, on occasion, I encounter people who have no digital presence or haven’t posted anything on their social media platforms in months or even years. But in this day and age, an active digital presence is a must!
Continue to build your credibility. You want to be viewed as someone who provides insight on what’s happening in your field, and who offers helpful tips and interesting observations to people who follow you on social media. You can do that through a blog and through your regular social media posts, as well as through any interviews you can land with the media. By building your credibility you will come to be seen as an authority on your topic.
Make sure you deliver your best work. If you promote your personal brand, but don’t deliver an excellent service or product, eventually it will catch up with you and all the work you put into creating your personal brand will be meaningless. On the other hand, when your work shows the caring you have for your clients, it reinforces that shine you worked so hard to achieve.

So make a vow that 2018 will be your year! Although it may seem a daunting task, this really can be the year you create a truly authentic personal brand that will positively sparkle by the time 2019 arrives.

That’s a resolution definitely worth keeping…Shine on!

Yes, this is me shining on!! Now to our next article!

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Make Video An Integral Part of Your 2018 Marketing Plan!

“As many of you know, I love brainstorming with my team to distill ideas and tips that not only can be useful in working on behalf of our clients, but also to share with you in the PR Insider.”

This week my creative team and I were in the middle of just such a session when Jay York, our senior social media strategist, intrigued me with his thoughts about current trends in video marketing.

Let’s face it. With today’s technology, combined with the vast reach of social media, it’s easier than ever to create your own video segments that can become an integral part of your overall marketing strategy. You don’t even need a studio worthy of “Good Morning, America” or special effects that would make you the envy of George Lucas. In fact, the less formal the production is the better.

And once you arrive at your finished product, you can put your video on Youtube, share it on other social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, and post a link to it from your website.

Frankly, you can get a lot of marketing mileage out of just one video – but you shouldn’t stop there because there are so many approaches you can take. You might create a series of short messages filled with insights into your area of expertise.

You might want to show your company culture with glimpses of team-building outings for example. It can show you’re a fun company to work with, or that you’re philosophically aligned and share commonalities with potential clients. These can be deciding factors when choosing a company to work with. At EMSI, we often use videos for those peeks inside the company, sharing them on Instagram!

So, with an assist from Jay, let me offer a few tips on what you should do to get started and get the most out of your video marketing this year:

Round up the equipment. This shouldn’t take long. After all, you won’t need the 124 cameras that ESPN reportedly used for the college national championship football game. One lone cell phone should serve your needs, although a tripod would be nice in case the person who does the taping lacks a steady hand. You’ll also want to decide on an appropriate setting. This simply could be your office or a backdrop of bookshelves. On occasion, you might even opt for an outdoors shot. Some of this will depend on the type of message you’re sending and just how serious – or light-hearted – your approach is.
Prepare your message. You don’t want to wing it, so know what you want to say and how you want to say it. In terms of length, although succinct is often better, Jay tells me the game has changed a little on that count. The typical recommendation used to be one to two minutes, but if you’re offering valuable information and are engaging, you can keep an audience interested longer than that, up to perhaps 12 minutes. And if you are making a speech or presentation before a group, don’t be reluctant to tape the whole thing – even if that means 30 minutes to an hour.
Keep it conversational. It’s best to look into the camera and speak as if you are having a conversation with a friend. The last thing you want to do is keep your head down and read in a monotone from a prepared text.
Consider going live. Now that you’re no longer jittery about a video (I’m going ahead and taking that leap here!) the next step is to consider going live. How? One opportunity is on Facebook, where there are advantages to a live video presentation. For one thing, Facebook gives precedence to live video so you will pop up at the top of your followers’ feeds. In addition, the live video will be interactive, so viewers can send you questions that you will see on your screen. You can respond immediately or use some of the questions as ideas for future video presentations.

A video is going to be more relevant in marketing in 2018 than ever before, which means you need to give serious consideration to incorporating it into your overall strategy.

Granted, not everyone enjoys going in front of a camera. I get that! But I also know the importance of video, so I’m going to suggest you overcome any camera fright and, if you haven’t already done so, take the video plunge! And yours in high definition!

About Marsha Friedman
Marsha Friedman launched EMS Incorporated in 1990. Her firm represents corporations and experts in a wide array of fields such as business, health, food, lifestyle, politics, finance, law, sports, and entertainment. She consults individuals and businesses on a daily basis and is frequently asked to speak at conferences about how to harness the power of publicity.

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Author – Writer SpotLight on Tony Roberts of “Delight in Disorder”…

October 9, 2017October 9, 2017 Catherine Lyon Author/Writer A Writer's Thoughts, Author News, Featured Guest, Featured Guest Writer, Posts Authors, Bloggers, cats den, Interviews, just a writer, lyric writers, Music, new spotlights, new writer feature, Writing

Since fall has arrived and winter not far behind, readers will be gearing up for READING! Reading awesome new books, visiting blogs and websites, listening to music, and getting ready for the holiday season too. So I thought I would start a new fun feature on “Spotlighting” bloggers, authors, musicians and more as “the real writers they are.”

A more in-depth profile of their writing as a writer and learn what makes them tick. We all write for many reasons like just writing from the heart in a journal, write to author a book, or even write lyrics for music, or even write as a profession.

So let’s have some fun learning more about the person and their “craft as a writer.” My First Guest? I WELCOME Tony Roberts! An author, blogger, writer, and mental health advocate…

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Image result for copy free images of Tony Roberts Delight In Disorder

About Tony Roberts:

Tony was born and raised in the Hoosier heartland just south of Indianapolis.

“I grew up worshiping high school basketball and once had the honor of playing in a televised “game of the week.”

I went to Hanover College (alma mater of both Mike Pence and Woody Harrelson – go figure). After many detours into sex, drugs, and more folk rock than roll, I wound up at a seminary and became a pastor. It was then that symptoms of depression and mania culminated in a psychotic episode that became pivotal in my life, for better and for worse. After graduating from Hanover, I obtained a Master of Divinity degree from Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. While there, I did ministry assignments at a state hospital for persons with developmental disabilities, as well as at a women’s prison, and an inner-city hospital.

I served two decades as a solo pastor. I then shifted to writing, speaking, and leading small groups. In March of 2014, I published my spiritual memoir, Delight in Disorder: Ministry, Madness, Mission. Having served in pastoral ministry and gone mad, it’s now my mission to bridge the gap between faith communities and the mental health world.

I now live to write and write to live in Rochester, New York. I also have a “delightful domain” on Lake Caroga, the gateway to the Adirondacks. My greatest earthly delights are my four children and two grandchildren.

Tony is also an author of his book; “Delight In Disorder” available now on Amazon and Amazon Kindle store online.

Product Details

“What makes Tony’s devotional so compelling is that bipolar disorder continues to periodically beat the crap out of him, and he still believes.”

– David Zucker, Mental Health Advocate, University Presbyterian in Seattle.

“A Writer Interview With Tony Roberts”

Hello and welcome to Cat Lyon’s Reading & Writing Den, New Writer Interviews.
My name Catherine Lyon, Author… Let’s get you introduced to everyone, shall we?

Tell us your name and a little of what you do?

Tony Roberts. I am the author of Delight in Disorder: Ministry, Madness, Mission and the co-founder of Delight in Disorder Missions. I write, speak, and facilitate small groups with the aim to build hope and foster compassion for those with mental illness, like me.

Where are you from?

I was born and bred in Indiana, where I now live. I spent much of my pastoral career in Upstate New York.

Tell us more about you? Like your education, family life. Etc.

I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and theology from Hanover College and a Masters of Divinity degree from Louisville Presbyterian Seminary.

I am blessed to have four children (ages 25, 23, 16, 13) and two grandchildren who are the delight of my life. My birth family means a great deal to me. We live close and care for each other.

Do you have any latest news?

My blog, delightindisorder.org is growing. I will be featured in an upcoming issue of bp magazine. Plans are underway to develop a podcast with commentary as well as interviews with persons in the faith community and mental health fields.

Are you a writer?

Yes. Writing is my vocation.

When and why did you begin writing?

I’ve written in various forms since I was 7. My first piece, “Ode to My Pet Rock,” was a hit in my family. I wrote satirical stories in high school, college, and seminary. I wrote over 100 articles for school newspapers. I studied Creative Writing and penned a novella called, Life (in obvious places).

Why? For the same reason as Isaac Asimov. “I write for the same reason I breathe – because if I didn’t, I would die.”

What inspired you to write your first book?

It started out primarily as therapy. I had lost much of my memory and I had lapsed in my practice of reflecting on Scripture. This was a way of reclaiming both. I’ve been told that if we first write for ourselves, others will need to read what we write.

How did you come up with the title?

“Delight in Disorder” is a 17th-century poem by Robert Herrick about a dress that is beautiful in its imperfection. The subtitle (Ministry, Madness, Mission) was given to me by a friend when I described the stages of my pastoral life.

Do you have a specific writing style?

No. Sometimes I jot down notes. Sometimes I sketch outlines. Sometimes I start with a Scripture quote, sometimes I weave it in. Sometimes I move right to the word processor and edit as I go. If there is one “style” is have is a commitment to editing.

~Paul Velery once wrote, “A poem is never finished, only abandoned.” I believe this about any writing. When I read my published work I cringe, knowing I could have spent more time on it.

How much of the book is realistic and are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

All my writing is based on my own life.

To craft your works, do you have to travel? Before or during the process?

My memoir only required introspection. I could sit in my basement and stare at brick walls, which I often did.

My current writing is more collaborative. I have traveled various places to meet faith and mental health care advocates and learn more what is going on and how we can improve.

Who designed the covers?

Nicole Miller of Miller Media Solutions.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

I want people to read my memoir and find hope in Christ for those with troubled minds.

Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest? Who is your favorite writer?

Tim Keller is currently on my memoir. Favorite all-time would be Fyodor Dostoevsky.

Outside of family members, name one person that supported your commitment to becoming a published author?

Leanne Sype, my editor.

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

I’m always thinking of changing I would have liked to make. But I now see I’ve given birth to it, it has a life of its own.

Did you learn anything during the writing of your recent book?

I learned many things — some brought me joy; others, sorrow. The biggest thing, I learned, though, is I can delight in the One who delights in me.

If your book was made into a film, who would you like to play the lead?

How about Russell Crowe? He makes a pretty good tortured soul.

Any advice for other writers?

Read. Write. Walk. Repeat.

Share one thing about you that will surprise readers?

In college, I was given my first tour by Mike Pence and later partied with Woody Harrelson.

Will you write another book?

Probably. Right now I am focused on electronic media, but I will likely get back to my first love eventually.

What are you reading now?

Nobody Cares About Crazy People by Ron Powers.

Do you remember the first book you read?

Bible story books from my grandmother’s house.

Is there one person, past or present, you would love to meet? Why?

Singer/songwriter John Prine because he is the best storyteller I know.

Do you have any hobbies? Cooking.

Favorite Music?

Americana: John Prine, Iris Dement, Jason Isbell, Zoe Muth, …

Imagine a future where you no longer write. What would you do?

Listen to music. Cook. Share stories with friends and family.

What do you want to be written on your headstone as part of your Legacy?

“He delighted in the One who delights in us.”

Do you have a blog or website where readers can visit for updates, events or updates? Tony Roberts, Author of Delight in Disorder: Ministry, Madness

I thank you for sharing with me and my readers Tony!

You can connect with Tony on Social Media!
Facebook
Twitter

Happy Thanksgiving Weekend! Let’s Share What We Are “Grateful For.”

November 24, 2016November 24, 2016 Catherine Lyon Author/Writer A Writer's Thoughts, Author News, Posts Authors, Bloggers, Books, Gratitude, Happy Thanksgiving, holiday, share your gratefullness, Writers

I thought it would be a fun idea if all of my visitors, friends, and readers would share in my comment area what we happen to be “Giving Thanks” for this long Thanksgiving weekend. The holidays are a time we can reflect on how our year has been going and about holidays past with family and friends sharing good food and more. . . .

It can a great time to share with others what we enjoy about life and how others have a positive impact on our lives because being a writer and author can many times be a life of solitude. So if you happen to come for a visit here? Please leave your Blog or Site Link as well when you write what you are “Grateful For” this holiday and maybe we can meet new bloggers and friends in the process.

I Wish All My Friends and Vistors a very Blessed and Happy Thanksgiving!! XO

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Sharing Thanksgiving Gratitude With All . . . I am also sharing Gratitude over on my other WP Recovery Starts Here blog , so stop by!

* Columnist/Author, Catherine Townsend-Lyon ~ Cat Lyon’s Reading Den *

Guest Article Share~’Beware of These 5 Social Media Mistakes.

April 27, 2016April 27, 2016 Catherine Lyon Author/Writer Book Promotion Tips For Authors, Featured Guest, Marketing and More, Posts Advice, Authors, Book Promo Tips, Mistakes, Social Media, Use Social Media

Hello and Welcome Readers, Authors, and Writers,

“I always enjoy sharing helpful articles I come across about book promoting and social media. And my dear friend Marsha Friedman from The PR Insider of EMSI Public Relations always has fantastic tips and advice on how to use social media to our advantage.

I also teach my authors I book promote for just how important social media is to promote their books through. It is about engagement when using social media.
Building a following also builds your readership. Here is what Marsha suggests to us about social media.”

Don’t Make This 5 Social Media Mistakes

Social media sites have become a powerful way to market your brand, but anyone who follows the news is aware they present pitfalls as well.

Companies end up apologizing over ill-advised tweets. Individuals create controversy with Facebook posts they thought were innocuous – or perhaps knew would be controversial but didn’t anticipate just how controversial.

If you’re like me, you probably have more than enough headaches without adding a social media blunder to the list! So to help you avoid some of the more common mistakes that businesses and individuals make, I asked EMSI’s social media team to chime in.

Here’s how they say many people go astray:

Treating every platform the same. Social media sites are different and you need to approach them differently. Facebook, for example, is the most consumer-friendly and the first place most people go, whether they want to share photos of their grandchildren or learn what others have to say about their experiences with a business. LinkedIn is better for business and professional purposes. Twitter, with its character limit on messages, is the high-speed, information-now site. It’s a great place to check news updates. You also can get away with posting more often here than you can on other sites.
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Posting too frequently – or not frequently enough. You want a happy balance here. Some people flood their followers with Facebook posts. It becomes too much of a good thing and your followers’ eyes glaze over as they scroll quickly past your latest post – perhaps thinking, “Oh, no! Not him or her again!” On the other hand, out of sight is out of mind. If you rarely post, then your followers forget about you – and that’s not good either.
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Failing to use hashtags. When you are on Twitter or Instagram, you are trying to become part of the conversation. The hashtag allows more people to see your contributions to that conversation. For example, if you were on Twitter and tweeted something without a hashtag, only your followers would see it. (Unless, of course, they re-tweeted it to their followers.) But if you use a hashtag, any number of people could end up being exposed to what you have to say.
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Using poor spelling or incorrect grammar. I don’t want to become the Punctuation Police here, but it’s important to project a professional image. Misspelled words and problems with subject/verb agreement create the opposite effect. That means you need to remember what Mrs. Schubert taught you back in your high school English class. If you are unsure about a word’s spelling or the grammar in a particular sentence, look it up. Your computer can help some here, but don’t let those computerized spelling and grammar checks become a crutch. They don’t catch everything. For example, they will skip right past it if you use “their” when you should have used “there.”
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Posting offensive or inappropriate material. You can ruin years of goodwill in an instant if your social media sites are used to post something that many people find offensive. You would think that’s easy enough to avoid. But not necessarily. Sometimes it might not be clear to you that a particular post or tweet could strike people the wrong way, so be careful out there. Here’s an example where a careless moment resulted in social media backlash. During this year’s Oscars, Total Beauty, an online publication, tweeted how delighted it was to learn that Oprah Winfrey has tattoos. Just one problem. The woman in the Oscar photo accompanying the tweet was Whoopi Goldberg, not Oprah Winfrey. Critics pounced on the publication, and some mocked the mistake by posting their own tweets mixing up white celebrities. Total Beauty apologized.

Ouch! Yes, there are potential downsides if you’re not careful about what you’re doing. But such blunders aside, social media is a powerhouse marketing tool.

That’s why I maintain that the biggest social media mistake – by far – is not to be on social media at all. Go visit The PR Insider Marsha Friedman Today for more tips!

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Here Is A Great Way To Enhance Your Free or Low-Cost Book Promotion

April 1, 2016April 1, 2016 Catherine Lyon Author/Writer Book Promotion Tips For Authors, Marketing and More, Posts Amazon, Authors, Book Promotions, E-book Deals, Free, Low Cost Promos, Tips and Advice

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“Spring is in the air and authors are running free, .99 cent, or low-cost book promotion! Then how about enhancing your promotion with low-cost book ad’s in conjunction with your promo to have a Successful Campaign?” Here’s How!

It is easy to run a special book promo or lower the price of your Kindle E-book and go for it! But you may want to do a couple more things to make it even better. Here are just a few of my trade secrets to having a fun and successful book promotion.

First, once you settle on a lower price for your e-book and the date? Give yourself a week out before running your promo and visit Reading Deals to add a low-cost book ad to run along with it. Here is a little about what they have to offer:

They have two to choose from. Just fill out the one you’d like and ready to go!
http://readingdeals.com/submit-ebook (E-book promo price has to be $2.99 or under, so read the guidelines please.) They email to thousands of readers and share throughout social media and their huge following. They are a part of my good friends Jason & RJ of Book Marketing Tools who I write some articles for when invited.

Free Submission – All authors and publishers can submit their books to be considered on the dates of their book promo. These submissions are not guaranteed, but we will consider each book that is submitted. See our editorial guidelines for more information.

Guaranteed Submission – For a small fee, you can ensure that your book will be featured on ReadingDeals.com and sent to our e-mail list. This way, you know that your book will reach readers in your chosen genre! This is subject to approval and if your book is not approved, you will receive a refund.

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Now, if you like reaching out to Facebook readers, and FB reader groups and Twitter readers? Then visit my good friend Gary.O.Jones on Readers Gazette Book World and add a low-cost book ad campaign to go along with your special priced book promo. I use them all the time for my book and many of my clients when we run a fabulous book promotion. Here is where you start, as they offer just more than books. They have games, books, puzzles, articles, a blog and more going on there! They will share your promo on Twitter and Facebook with ease and watch your promo SOAR …
Authors Start Here With Your Facebook & One Easy Step!

JOIN TODAY!

Free Membership,

Hi Please sign in to Facebook, this part of the website needs a Facebook id
If you don’t want to sign in that’s fine, you are free to explore the rest of the site!
*Gary* login with facebook.

Just read the page for the info on all they offer for your book ad and you will see Awesome Results along with your Book or E-book promo!

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Now I know I had just had a guest article about “The Real Deal about the $.99 cent Book Promotion” last week. And even though it seemed a bit negative? There are many reasons why authors run special lower priced or free e-book promotions. It may be that they want more book reviews on Amazon to up their rankings, or maybe wanting to get a new book release up into the Top 25 or even #1 to reach Best Seller status on Amazon and not just for more Sales.

One more important tip! Make sure authors you go Create Event Page for your book promotion to invite all your FB readers & friends. Then go on Goodreads and do the same to increase the awareness of your promotion!

So, what ever the reason authors? Take my tips and advice above and just have a Successful and Fun Book Promotion!

Author and Book Promoter, Catherine Townsend-Lyon
“Lyon Book & Social Media Promotions”

Why Should Authors and Readers Engage & Connect With Each Other?

March 2, 2016March 2, 2016 Catherine Lyon Author/Writer Book Promotion Tips For Authors, Marketing and More, News Around The Web Authors, Book Promoting Advice, Books, Connecting With Readers, Reader & Author Engagement, Readers, Social Media, Tips For Authors

Hello Readers, Authors, and New Friends,

Why should authors and readers connect? There are many reasons why for both sides of this topic. As a book promoter, I know how important it is for an author to interact and engage with their reader fans. It creates more excitement for the reader to know an author is “touchable” and they can learn more about their favorite writers, which helps authors with book sales and gaining more book reviews for books. And it seems I am not the only book promoter, social media PR firm and book marketing site that feels this way.

Here are two articles I came across this week that can give insights as to why authors need and should interact and engage with readers throughout social media and many book sites are exclusively for this purpose like Goodreads. I will share snippets as I would like you to visit and join free so you can be “In The Know” with many tips and advice on book promoting . . .
OUR FIRST is at http://www.bookdaily.com/authorresource/blog/post/1805275

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“This morning I received three emails.”

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One was from a lady in Scotland who read one of my books and joined my fan page. She wanted me to know how much she appreciated waking up and finding that I had responded to her messages.

The second was from a man in Australia who sent me a list of things he liked about Silent Witness. He highlighted sentences that he particularly liked, but at the end of his note, he said, “thank you for making Hannah so intelligent.”

The third was from the very first fan I ever had. We’ve been pen pals for 28 years. Now we communicate on the computer but every once in a while we still send one another a card, remember birthdays, the holidays and share information on grandchildren (hers since I only have a grand dog).

The point of all this is that what authors do is extremely personal. It begins with our characters. If we don’t feel them in our souls and translate that feeling into words on the page, our books will be enjoyed but not treasured. When we do make that magic happen and a reader reaches out, opening a personal dialogue with them will make a reader into a fan. In some wonderful instances, it also creates a friend.

Here are my top five rules of engagement:

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1) Know thou characters: Know the personal history and habits of every character in your book and write as if you live and die with them. If you do this, real people will reach out to you . . .

Please stop by the link above to see all of Rebecca’s rules of engagement.
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OUR SECOND is by Marsha Friedman CEO & Founder, of EMSI PR Firm

No one really needs to convince me how great social media is for connecting you to your customers (Readers) – and keeping you connected – but the point was reinforced perhaps better than ever this week when I was chatting with Jay York, our senior social media strategist.

Jay was telling me about Datz, a restaurant near his home in Tampa, that has impressed him with its excellent use of social media as a marketing tool.
Talk about connecting! Datz has more than 12,000 followers on Twitter. It has nearly 8,000 on Instagram. It has 1,280 mostly positive reviews on Yelp. And, perhaps most impressive of all, more than 40,000 people “like” Datz on Facebook.
Those are remarkable numbers for any business. But especially when you consider that Datz is a local restaurant and not a recognizable brand name like McDonald’s!
So why am I telling you this? Because this social media success story prompted me to have Jay share tips on how small businesses ( and authors promoting their books) can make the most out of their social media to keep customers and potential customers thinking about them.

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Here’s what Jay had to say:

Interact with customers. Engage your customers inside your business as well as outside it. Some of the most successful restaurant owners have mastered this, Jay says. They take the time to chat with and get to know their customers when they are dining at the restaurant, and they also interact with them on social media. Here’s where it’s worth remembering the “social” part of social media. These sites are all about having a conversation and people expect you to be involved in that conversation – or else they’ll be discouraged from interacting with you in the future.
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Use undivided attention opportunities to promote your social media. There are a few ways to do this, Jay says. In-store signage that encourages you to follow the business on social media is the most obvious. Restaurants, such as, might drive visiting customers to their social media sites by giving 10 percent off an entrée if they follow them right at that moment on Twitter. Professional speakers can use the same strategy when they’re in front of a large audience by posting their Twitter handle on the screen behind them. The point is to take advantage of the attention of hundreds or thousands of people – all with mobile devices – who can start following you immediately . . .
.Again, please visit the link above to read the Tips to use social media to promote your books and small business. No matter the product, readers want to interact with you and this is a crucial part of your book promoting efforts. I hope you find these articles helpful. :-)

*Author, Catherine Townsend-Lyon of Lyon Book & Social Media Promotions*