Drive Traffic to Your Website by Sharing Other Websites- Say Whaaat?

Need a better way to market your product or business without looking like a "douche bag" for shamelessly self promoting? 

You're in for a pleasant surprise because I've found the answer!


I recently found an absolutely amazing app that will revolutionize what you share on the internet!  What I mean is that you can attach an advertisement for your business, website, or product to everything you share on the internet, whether you share on Google Plus, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin or other websites.

 
Basically, if you find an article that you want to share, you can attach your advert to it with this super easy to use app. You can even attach your advert to a Youtube video... how awesome is that?! I've used the free version, and tech support has been great at answering any questions or issues, even when using the program for free. They seem to continuously strive to improve as well.

This website has created a complete 360 degree win-win scenario. Not only do they have a free version, but they have an affiliate program where you can make 20% from referrals. So here is the quick and dirty version of the benefits:

(1) Everyone get's to go around sharing useful info from other websites, (2) which in turn advertises their product, (3) while making money as an affiliate for sign ups, (4) all the while making money to support Sniply.. Say what?! Not to mention that it's super simple to use.

This is something that EVERY business that markets online should have in their arsenal!

In my case, I found an article on Parenting.com and Shared it on my G+. Now when someone clicks on it, they will see an advert for my book.

Check out the ad I made in a matter of minutes in the screenshot below:

My ad on parenting.com

If you want to see the above snip live in action, you can see it here: snip.ly/zQQx

Then, when your friends click the "share" button on this article, the people who click it will see this ad too. How awesome is this?

Below is a screenshot of the Sniply dashboard. It's easy to create the ad and they have detailed instructions on how to do it. In the dashboard, it's very easy to see stats such as: how many clicks, bounce rate, conversions, average time on site, and other great stats so you can keep track of what's working.
   

Sniply Dashboard

I should mention that with the free version, you are limited to 1 ad creation, however, you can use that same ad over and over with different websites.

The paid version isn't that bad either at $16 per month for the pro version and $85 per month for the business version.


You can now self-promote without having to self-promote... It's a win-win any way you look at it.

Why I'm a Little Creeped out by Click Bank University

Source: ClickBank University

Considering Click Bank University?


I was seriously considering it too, and I almost bought into the program at the irresistible price of $47, but I had some questions, so I attended the webinar. After getting about 45 minutes into it, I realized the webinar was not live, as they advertised. The fact that I was lied to was probably the first thing that was a let down. I know the webinar was fake because:

1. It was the day before Christmas Eve, and during the webinar, not one thing was mentioned about the internationally observed traditional holiday. Not a "Happy Holidays". Not a "Merry Christmas". Not a "Seasons Greetings". Not one thing mentioned.- By the way, why would two wealthy men be doing a webinar right before Christmas instead of preparing for the holidays, visiting relatives, or being with their families?
2. Their timing was off: They would ask questions, I would reply to them in the chat box. But they would pause as if they were waiting on responses coming in and then read off "someone else's" answer. 
3. Some of the responses that they were supposedly getting from people seemed unrealistic.

Even if the webinar was just a video, Click Bank may still be legit. That's why I almost clicked the "buy now" button and bought into it before I went to the webinar.

The link to the video was sent to my email. They had a really good introduction video to the program. That video was pretty good. What they were saying made sense, and I knew that pitch was a video, so there was no prob there.

I can't say that I know exactly how well the program works because I didn't buy or try the program, but what I can tell you is my strange experience at the webinar that creeped me out.

The things that creeped me out were:

First, I thought it was kind of weird that I couldn't see the responses of other people in the chat box (only mine and the moderator's), but I was being optimistic, so I started writing in the chat box, asking questions about the things they were describing in the video.  They had no problem replying and answering them. But then I started asking some questions that they apparently didn't want to answer. So here is how the chat went down:

Me in Chat: I asked if there would later be something else to purchase within the program (an up-sell)

Them in Chat: Their response was, we have so many people in this webinar, we can't answer all the questions. There is a 60 day money back guarantee.- Mind you they had no problem answering my questions prior.

Me in Chat: In so many words I said, "That's why I'm asking now, so we don't waste my time or yours with having to get my money back if there is an up-sell just to finish the program. I also said, "Maybe I can get my money back, but time is irreplaceable, and my time is very valuable to me. I will just do a google search to find some answers."

Them in Chat: Crickets...

Video: They then said on the video (supposed webinar) that the program was $1,300.

Me in Chat: "I thought the program was $47 to join."

Them in Chat: They then replied in the chat box with another link to join for $47.

Video: They said they would mark the program down to just $800, and supposedly they had all kinds of wealthy people who happen to have $800 to spare on this program, right before Christmas.

Video: They finally got to the end of the program and marked the program all the way down to $47. They asked what's holding you back?

Me in Chat: I started typing "I'm thinking about waiting until after Christmas", but then erased it and did not send the response. 

Them in Chat: All of the sudden, they put a quote up that  directly related to what I was saying. It something to the effect of "While others lounge, you make money." or something like that.

I said: Well damn that was creepy. I didn't tell them that, lol, but that's was what I was saying to myself. I felt like they were spying on me, and more than likely, they were.

I suppose I should mention, they kept repeating in the chat box: 60 Day Money Back Guarantee, Give it a try!

So this is why I'm creeped out by Click Bank University. I was a little disappointed that I adjusted my schedule for a webinar that I thought was live, and limited to a specific date and time only to find out that they recycle this webcast regularly. I felt lied to, stalked, and patronized all at the same time. I didn't it was  possible to feel like that from a webinar, but apparently it is. Maybe that wasn't their intention, and I could be totally wrong about everything, but this is just how I perceived it. - Maybe I'm just paranoid about getting suckered and wasting more of my precious time on a useless venture that won't work for me, and I am a fairly optimistic person. You be the judge. Look em up, watch the intro video, go to the "live" webinar; watch for the things I told you about. Come back and tell me how it made you feel, I would love to know your thoughts.



There is a more in depth review from someone who actually tried the program at One More Cup of Coffee if you want to have a look. From what I gathered, the person says that Click Bank University is legit, but there are some things that aren't so great about it, like the fact that they withhold training modules. So the program seems legit based on the things they said in the videos, and some of the reviews I read. You can see more insightful reviews from the people at the Warrior Forum.

I should also mention that the webinar wasn't a complete wash, despite me being creeped out. I was able to learn a couple of interesting pieces of info, like a brief synopsis on how Click Bank works, and like how to create another way to make money as an affiliate using Youtube.

Either way, I'm unsure as to how great the  program would work for me, because of that minor detail of Click Bank University holding training modules hostage until they want you to do them. So essentially, they won't let you go at your own speed, unless you pay them $800 bucks- Maybe that's the plan... I'm only speculating and making assumptions, but maybe, they take forever to give you the info so you will go past your refund period and continue to pay a monthly fee, and then finally end up having to pay for the higher program later, after you've already paid over $500 once a year is up? And then maybe they will later present you with something else that is incredibly high priced, so you can buy into that too? Maybe it's the same old game as the marketing group schemes, with a free offer, then a product/membership to buy, then an up-sell. Only, this is just a different product? Maybe they will even have you sell their program as an affiliate... (People are starting to know this pattern, so this sales technique may not be as good as it once was). We can only speculate, or we could ask CBU, but we may not get an answer since there is no contact information for people who haven't bought the program yet.

 For me, when I get an idea and make a commitment to it, I will go full speed and don't get burnt out easily. I guess my biggest hindrance to buying the program is that I don't like having limited access to something that I've paid my money for. - Not cool.

I can't help but wonder: if this program is legit, why do they feel like they have to lie about having a webinar instead of just telling the truth (seriously, I would have understood the truth a lot better and may have even bought the program), and why do they sell so hard, and why are they so resistant to simple questions like the ones I was asking? Actions always speak so much louder than words. Therefore, I think I'm going to "hold my horses" for now and marinate on it because that webinar really did creep me out.

If for some reason I decide to try it out, I will report my findings. If I find out about, or try out some other program, I will let you know that too.

Feel free to comment with your thoughts about this program. If you're using this program, I would really like to know how it's working out for you.

So You Got a 1 Star Review on Amazon- Now What?

 

So you've got a really crappy review and don't know how to take it. I understand because the same thing happened to me. It eventually happens to every author, so don't feel like the lone ranger.

Every great book has 1 star reviews. Yes, bad reviews can hurt like a punch in the stomach or be a blow to the ego, but personally, I can't find 1 great, or best-selling book that doesn't have some pretty mean 1 star reviews. Even J.K. Rowling has some pretty crappy 1 star reviews- and she's awesome. There will always be people who are mad at the success of others. So don't feel bad when someone comes along and tries to strip you of your hard work. If anything, take it as a sign that you're doing something right. Why else would someone take the time to attempt dragging you down- unless they really feel like you ripped them off. However, in most scenarios, that is not the case. 

For example:

There was an author that I didn't know personally, but apparently was threatened with my book that took 3 years to write, and had quite a few 5 star reviews; so she did one of the worst things imaginable and gave me a 2 star review telling people not to buy my book, along with several other lies. I couldn't understand why, but after doing a little research, I realized that her actions were speaking much louder than her words. I took a look at her books and book ranking, it looked like her book sales weren't going well. I suppose that is why she took the time to attempt destroying someone else's hard work.

But here's the thing... If someone feels compelled to write a review (good or bad), feel honored that you had an effect on them, and then keep it moving. I would more so worry if there was no reviews. A few 1 star reviews won't make or break you if you don't let them. Use the info given in the reviews to advise you on how make your book better, and make you stronger. Then come back at it again, better than before.  You can then try some new promotional methods. Perhaps, go to an event or convention that relates to your books topic, not just for networking, but to inspire, be inspired, and maybe learn something new. Bring some copies of your book. You also could visit some online forums and advise or talk with some people there. If they like what you're saying, send em a copy of your book. Who knows? You might get a good review to counteract that negative one, not to mention all the inspiration you can get from being around other like-minded people.

Getting a 1 star review is not the end of the world, but wallowing in someone's negative feedback and giving up will end the possibility of your success. Yes, when someone is completely rude or mean in their review, it feels like crap. I'm sure when those bestselling authors got bad reviews, it didn't feel good to them either-but do you think those authors of bestselling books let 1 star reviews stop them from their success?... If they didn't give up, neither should you.

Naturally with a bad review, we get hurt or defensive, but instead, take it as a compliment that someone felt the need to take the time out of their schedule to post a review about your book, good or bad. Don't let these little distractions deter you from your goal. Think tunnel vision and stay focused. 

If I wanted, I could have done the same to that author and gave a horrible review to her 2 indie books that probably aren't all that anyway. I could slander her name right now on this blog, but what's that going to do for me? How is that going to make me any more successful? I would much rather spend my time being productive, building something great, and helping others do the same- as opposed to wasting my time hating on someone else.

"A wealthy man can buy a lot, but he can't buy back time."~ Unknown

Something that has helped me get through the bad reviews, and life in general is this fact: — You can't control the actions of others, the only thing you can control is YOURSELF.

Here's a couple of inspiring quotes for you:

“You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you have charge of.”~ Jim Rohn

 “To get something you never had, you must do something you never did.” – Thomas Jefferson

"I may not be where I want to be, but thank God I am not where I used to be." - Joyce Meyer

“A failure is not always a mistake, it may simply be the best one can do under the circumstances. The real mistake is to stop trying.” ~ B.F. Skinner

Thanks for taking the time to read this. I really hope this helps you get over that 1 star review slump.

Santa's Slave Shops - Another great reason to shop at Amazon for Christmas

When You Buy Christmas Gifts, Do You Ever Give Thought to Where They Came From?

Tis the season for giving, but not everyone receives...

If you live in the U.S., you're aware of programs that help needy families around the Christmas season. Not only are there programs to help around the Holidays, but there are programs to help families year round.

I'm extremely grateful that such programs are available, but others aren't so lucky. Have a look at the working conditions that people in poverty deal with in China.... Thought slavery was over with? Not really.. It's supposedly over in the U.S., but that's also up for debate.

Now I know we like our bells and whistles, and millions of people choose to turn a blind eye to this issue, but there are people out there who are just like you or I, who live this utterly horrific and dismal reality.

While we're busy enjoying time around our carefully decorated Christmas tree, giving and receiving gifts with that great holiday feeling, others are are suffering from long hours of working, malnourishment, and lack of medical aid.

Some may say it's their fault they're in this situation. - I beg to differ. If they new better, they would do better.

The reason I'm bringing this topic up is because we can all help by doing what we do best at Christmas time... and that is (drum roll please) - Shop. Shop at Amazon Smile to be exact. Amazon Smile is exactly the same as Amazon. The only difference is that they donate 0.5% of the purchase price to your choice of a charitable organization, like Big Tree International (an organization that helps families in poverty). The other awesome thing about it is that it doesn't cost you anything for the contribution. Just simply shop at smile.amazon.com and a percentage of your purchase will go to a charitable organization of your choice.

I feel that not only should giving be for friends, and family, but giving can also be for people who so desperately need it, like the people in this video.

I'm not one for just giving handouts. I don't like to see the seeds I've planted not be watered. I want to help people, not just give them something. They have to learn how to get things they need on their own. This is why I advocate for programs like Big Tree International. They not only provide aid, but they work on helping families become more self-sufficient.

I'm sure there are some other awesome organizations you can contribute to. This is just on in particular that I feel passionate about.

We can't save the world, but a small change can make a big difference one dollar at a time.

How to Get Hundreds of Google Plus Friends & Followers

Watch your Google Plus social networking experience explode with this simple trick to gain friends & followers.

 

So an awesome guy by the name of +Daniel Stock on Google plus, has got me and thousands of other people in a circle. The beauty of this circle is these people are active engagers... and rarely bots. Not only do I follow the people in this circle, but these people follow me too.

The way the circles work is that if you like, follow, share & comment, you can be a part of the circle too. Once you become apart of the circle, you will be a part of the shared group, and tons of people will follow you.  But it doesn't stop there. +Daniel Stock  and other people alike will continue to share the circle until their heart is content. So if you like, follow, share, & comment each time the circle is shared, you, and everyone else who has done the same will continue to get more and more engaging followers.

As of today December 13, 2014 he has 96,709 followers.... Hol-E-Cow! Is he going for the World Google+ record for the most Google+ followers ever?

So as you can see this method totally works!

In order to get in such a circle, you have to find one or create one. I was lucky and stumbled across a few circles like this so far, including this epic circle founded by Daniel. However, I discovered a cool trick to finding more! Of course there are tons of other people on Google+ doing this very same thing.

How do you find em?

You can start by adding +Daniel Stock  to your circles and watch for his circle share.
If that's not enough people to chit chat with, then do a search in your Google Plus search box for #CircleShare

There you will find tons of people, who've posted tons of circles, which include tons of people ready and willing to follow you back, and actively engage!

Hold on kemosabe... Not so fast. There's a couple things you should know about these circles.

First: It's not just about followers, it's about active engagers. People want to follow/circle other people who share the same interest, and are going to engage with them.

Secondly: Google+ gives you a limit to how many people you can circle/follow per day. So after following a circle as big as Daniel Stock's, you will probably hit your max for the day, and will need to come back again and do a search #CircleShare again the next day.

Thirdly:  You can only have 5,000 people in your circles, so circle wisely. If you didn't circle wisely, you will have to un-circle anyone who's not following you. The best thing I've found thus far to do this is Circlescope. Circlescope is an app that only can be used in Google Chrome. It's free to see and un-follow anyone who's not following you, but you have to do it one person at a time unless you pay Circlescope $47 to get the app to do it in bulk.

Fourthly: Not everyone on Google+ is of scrupulous character, so follow and be followed by these circles at your own risk! If someone creeps you out, you can always un-circle and/or block them.

Fifthly: Before you take off into the dazzling Circle land, I'm going to show you how to get the ball rolling with sharing your own circles.


How to share your own circles with yourself included:


1. Add yourself to all of your circles. You can see how to add yourself in the image on Step 5.
 Look on the left hand side where it says "Add a Person"- then click on it and type your name. This is how you add yourself to your own circles.


2. Hover your mouse over the "Home" button, and click on "People".

3. Click "Your Circles"

I recommend following the 3 lovely ladies above because they're awesome :) +Allie Irish , +Erinn Sluka & +Kim Miller 

4. Click on the Circle that you want to share.

5. Click "Actions", Then click "Share this Circle"... and viola! You can start your own snowball following effect.

So there you have it. I hope you will make lots of friends, and that these tips will enhance your Google plus experience.

Happy Circling!!! 

Disclaimer: I'm not a pro at Google Plus. I'm just an active user who loves to share awesome findings; so if I've forgotten to mention anything about Google plus circles, please let me know and I will update this post. Thanks for reading!

The Good- The Bad- The Ugly - Making Money on Fiverr

 

The Good:

Fiverr is a site where you can make money doing what you love. You can buy and sell just about anything for $5. The majority of people who sign up won't get rich using Fiverr, but I can say that it is definitely a legitimate source of side cash.

The first time I discovered Fiverr, I was hooked. I couldn't believe all the unique things I could buy for just $5, from someone singing a personalized song, to a testimonial video, or someone Photoshopping your logo on times square.

So here is the lineup of benefits to using Fiverr:

• Make money on the side
• Buy gigs to help your business
• Build your clientele
• Make friends and meet amazing people from all over the world

At first glance, I didn't think I had much to offer for $5. But then I realized that people came to me for opinions on their music all the time. I enjoyed helping people with their music. I think that's part of what  made me a sought out DJ, but... the amount of inquiries became overwhelming. Critiquing someone's song actually takes time- time I just didn't have, because I was busy working on building an enterprise for my family's future. It was when I discovered Fiverr, that I realized I could be charging for this service instead of turning people down, so.....

A little under a year ago, I started a profile on Fiverr.

This is my profile. I recently made a withdraw, so you can see my current balance is $36.

Currently I charge $5 for a song rating, and $15 for a rating with a full written critique.

Since my song rating and critiquing gig did fairly well, I started adding more gigs such as: Voice Overs, Contracts, Song Edits, Virtual Assistant, and others.

There are tons of things to help grow your pockets, and your business at Fiverr. I could add more gigs to make money, but I don't want to overwhelm myself because I've still need to have time to build the enterprise, write books, raise kids, and write this blog. But as you can see, you can do as little or as much as you want. Fiverr even has a vacation feature you can use when you get too busy.

I've personally used some amazing editing services, critiquing services, and I even found an amazing guy in Canada who helped me solve my blue screen of death on my computer. How amazing is that?

The gigs start out at $5, but then can go up to $160 with the gig extras. So you can spend a little or a lot- or you can make a little or a lot. On each transaction of $5, the seller makes $4 and Fiverr makes $1.... or now $1.50 because they recently added a 50 cent surcharge.

So far since the Spring of 2014 until now Dec. 2014. I've made about $1,000 on Fiverr, and I've gotten to work with awesome people from all over the world. A thousand bucks isn't much when looking at a year's income, but it's definitely a start of getting paid for doing something you love.

The parts that are blue on the map are where I've made sales in the world. The areas in the darker blue mean that there have been more sales in that area.

The Bad & The Ugly:

I've also learned that there are some things to watch out for on Fiverr. There are some shady characters offering "real" traffic to your website, or tweeting your product or service out to their "following". However, gor the most part, they are not legit- despite the thousands of 5 star reviews. Most of the people who gave them 5 star reviews don't know what they are even looking at... all they comprehend is that their site visits are going up. The reason I say this is because most of the site visits are bots making the visit ticker go up on site. As far as the twitter/facebook shout out's go, do yourself a favor and have a look at their interaction on the social platform. If there's little to no interaction on the tweets or facebook posts, don't waste your money. It is also likely that their facebook/twitter "following" are bots too.

I've personally used one of the gigs above... I'm going to take the high road and not say who tried to scam me. Just steer clear of all of them. I'm telling you from my own experience, loss of time, and loss of money- THEY DON'T WORK!

I paid a guy to send traffic to my fundraising campaign. The guy didn't know I was savvy and had analytics on the campaign page. The numbers of visits definitely went up, hundreds per day even, but...

a.) there were no conversions - no one donated

b.) the campaign analytics said the visits were coming from the same ip address (or something like that - it was a while ago, so I can't remember exactly) But they were exactly the same number of visitors from each country every day. There is definitely something wrong there.

There are also other gigs that offer other similar types of things. As a general rule of thumb, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Think about a psychic telling you what your wining lottery numbers are. If they can tell you, why aren't they wealthy already.

Now think about these people who can send traffic your way.... If they can send it your way, why aren't they busy making millions of dollars with their own traffic, instead of peddling $5 gigs to people like you?

Either way, you have to watch out for these scams. I know it's tempting because you may desperately want to be heard, or get your brand out there, but take the time and do the research, or better yet, pay someone who has a proven track record to get your traffic up.

I know you want the infamous Staples "Easy Button". So here it is:

Now here is the easiest way to get traffic and a following:

Your best source of traffic is going to come from hard work, putting out content, building your following one connection at a time, cross promoting with other like minded people, and being clever in your marketing strategy.

Can I get a "That was easy"?

Ok, maybe not... was worth a try anyway.

However, this is the easiest and fastest way, other than if you have a VIP in your corner shouting you from the roof tops. In a majority of instances, that's not the case. You've gotta build it from the ground up, one step at a time. In my experience, it seems that the "short cut" ends up being the "long road" - and an eye opening hard learning experience.

Back to Fiverr...

You most likely won't get rich quick, you're not likely to even make a living wage unless you live in a country where the conversion is 4-1, and even still... maybe not. But you will make a little extra cash for dinner and a movie on the weekend.

The other great thing about Fiverr is that you can find out if other people value your work. This is a great way to find yourself, your strengths, and what people are really interested in. It's can be rewarding when you see that other people find value in something you have to offer, and not a company you're working for. It's another step to Indie Freedom.

Fiverr is a site where you can "dance to the beat of your own drum".... literally...

If you need some extra cash, and can find something creative, or something of value to offer that doesn't take longer than 15 minutes to do, Fiverr might be worth your while. It does take some time to build your clientele because ratings can be the driving force for customers to buy, however, it doesn't hurt to try something new. You never know, you might surprise yourself- I did.

How to Get Your .Mobi Kindle Book on Your iPhone the Easy Way

I couldn't find a good resource on the net for this, so I figured I throw this post out there for you real quick.

1. Make sure that you have your email service linked up to your phone. (You can find super easy instructions to set up an email on the Apple website here: http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201320)

2. Make sure you have the kindle reading app on your phone. (If not, just tap the apps button and do a search for kindle reader- It will only take a few minutes to download the app)

3. Find the .mobi file in your computer or device

4. Compose an email to yourself, then attach the .mobi file to your email- then email to yourself.

5. Open up the email on your phone.

6. Click on the attachment to open (this may take a few seconds)

7. The icon should change to a Kindle icon after it loads.

8. Click on the attachment again.

9. Click "open with Kindle Reader"

10. Give it a few minutes to show up on your Kindle Reading app on your iPhone.


Happy Reading!!

So, You Want to Make it Big in the Music Biz- Read This

I say this in a tone of a mother breaking some hard facts to her child. The only difference is, that it's a previous radio DJ telling artists. So I'm going to be blunt and give you the real...

What are you in the music business for if you don't learn about the business?

I was looking at the sales online for various book topics. One of them was the music business. I couldn't believe with the amount of people who are trying despirately to break into the music scene, that there are so little people buying books on how to navigate it. The music game is highly saturated with both talented and untalented people. You would think that with the amount of competition there is, that people would take a little time to educate themselves before wasting so much time, energy, and money on it.

For those in the music business aimlessly wandering, I have an important news flash:


If you can't handle what I say in this blog, you will never be able to handle this music, entertainment and indie artist biz... One of the BIGGEST misconceptions of the music biz - "All I have to do is be talented and someone big will find out about me and they will take care of all the business and I will get paid for making music and performing." Those who think this are seriously mistaken. The music business is real live BUSINESS... Just like a restaurant, lawn service, retail store, etc. Talent needs to be there for the business to be really successful... just like a restaurant with good food... or lawn care with great service, or a store with great clothes.... but those things can't be successful on their own- The business side must be handled before they are successful. 80% of the business side is marketing, marketing, marketing! And then there is all of the people you must hire or contract out to handle your marketing, pictures,videos, graphics, publishing, copyrighting, beats, mixing, mastering, album press up, shirts, venues, performances, dealing with promoters, publicists, managers, traveling, touring, meetings... and let's not forget that you should get educated on the biz so you don't get screwed over.

Just like any business, professionalism is a must... Music about the streets or partying, and the music business are two separate things. So don't be arrogant.. nobody wants to work with an ignorant arrogant person who may be talented, but knows nothing about business or how to be professional. No one can explain the biz to you in an hour, day, week, month or even a year... This is something you will have to learn on your own. No one is going to "save" you... you can't ride someone's coat tail to the top... the big wigs are very familiar with jock riders and they will use you to their advantage, then chew you up and spit you out or they will ignore you completely! You must learn the game, and do it for yourself so you will have something to offer when you actually sit at the big corporate desk of a record label.... but by then, you might decide to stay independent because you studied and got educated and realized what kind of asset you really are and that the label is trying to rip you off.

There is no need to get mad at the next person's success or try to pull them down... it won't work if they are handling their business right, and if you're busy trying to pull someone else down, instead of building yourself up, what's that going to do for you?

So I'm just saying, get educated, read some books, and make sure you're handling your business right -

More information is yet to come to give you helpful tips for success in the music and entertainment biz.  This is just the beginning.

My Black Friday-Cyber Monday Book Promotion & Beyond

I know a lot of authors want to know about effective book promotion, and around what time to do it – me being one of them. Since I couldn’t find much info out there on the net, I figured I would do my own experiment and you all can learn at my expense.

I feel it’s important to mention that I’m not an established author, as a matter of fact, I’m a first time author. This promo is on my 1^st book. I’ve written a 2^nd book under a pen name which in no way relates to this book, so I’ve learned that the sales of 1 book will not effect the other, since they are written as 2 different authors. Also, when I lauched this book with a free promotion, I ranked #67 with over 5,000 free downloads in the Kindle store.... which was a great outcome... but then the sales plummeted, which is why I am trying other things.

My main thought was to run a promo around Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but also to run a promo right after Christmas. So far, here are the results from the promotions I ran around that time:

Nov 28 – Ereader News ($30 – 29 downloads)

Nov 29- Good Kindles ($8 – 0 downloads) (7 downloads before promo began)

Dec 30- No Promo ($0 – 5 downloads)

Dec 1- Kindle Books & Tips ($25 – 51 downloads)

Dec 2- Fussy Librarian ($5 - 17 downloads)

Dec 3- No Promo ( 9 downloads at .99 cents)

Dec 4- Regular Price, No Promo (1 download)

Averaging 1-2 downloads per day now as of Dec 10^th

At first glance, the downloads from Ereader News look not as great as Kindle Books & Tips… but I’m not quite sure that one is not as good as the other, because there are a couple of additional factors that I feel are important to mention.

1st: I ran a promo back in August with Ereader News with a somewhat different book cover which amounted to about 125 units downloaded— which is about the same amount as all of these promos put together. So the lower download rate could be due to the book already being promoted to some of the same subscribers several months ago, and with a different cover.


2nd: The low download rate may also be due to it being Black Friday, and most shoppers are out and about doing their day after Thanksgiving ritual… . I suppose I should have scheduled the promos differently, but, because I knew Ereader News worked from using them in the past, I wanted to make sure to start off the Black Friday/Cyber Monday promo with a bang.


3rd: I ran a Kindle Countdown deal on my book instead of just adjusting the price. Apparently, (I’m just finding out) Kindle Countdown can only be done in the U.S. or U.K. Therefore the promo to the international market was in vein, because they could not purchase the book for the advertised price at .99 cents. So my book promotion was limited to only the U.S. – Not cool Amazon… what gives?

Therefore, my conclusion thus far is that Ereader News is still one of the big dogs in town (other than Book Bub or Kindle Books & Tips) when it comes to book promotion. I think I just had several factors working against me.

I followed up the Ereader News promotion with a Good Kindles promo, which seems to have amounted to… (drum roll please)—nothing. The sales made on that day were made before Good Kindles sent out their email to the subscribers. I did pay for that promotion. I figured, what do I have to lose for 8 bucks….. Oh well, but at least you all can learn from this eight dollar loss— no big deal.

Fussy Librarian surprised me with 17 downloads. Not the strongest promo, but hey, not bad for 5 bucks. I would definitely use again.

Unfortunately, as you can see… my book has gone off into obscurity again. So I’m not sure what else I can do to help it other than write other parenting books (which is not what I want to do), or pay for more promotion. (Note: The reason I don't want to write another parenting book is because I have an innovative system in this book, which was the reason for writing this one. I won't be as passionate if I write another... unless I come up with another innovative system like this one. Plus, I have so many other great things to write about.)

So, as you can see, the book promo went good, but not great during the Black Friday/Cyber Monday time period for me. 

 

A couple things I’m considering for promotion is to reach out to the media and news stations, and/or to team up with other authors who have written parenting, or children’s books to do a bundle. I learned this technique from awesome people who do the Sell More Books show.

I did reach some good ranks for these downloads, so I figured I would share what happened to the ranks with the amount of downloads I received.

I was also number 11 in the larger "Parenting " category which for some reason doesn't show here, so here is a screenshot for this category.

FYI- My book cover is different now, than from when I ran the promos.

So I’ve scheduled another .99 cent promotion right after Christmas with KB Boards , Ereader Girl, and Buck Books.  I will update you on how it goes. You’re also welcome to watch the ranks as it happens live in action.

Here is the link to the book:

 http://goo.gl/2Atq5N

The after Christmas promo schedule is as follows:

Dec 26: KB Boards ($35)

Dec 27: No Promo

Dec 28: No Promo

Dec 29: E Reader Girl ($10)

Dec 30: No Promo
Dec 31: No Promo

Jan 1: No Promo

Jan 2: Buck books (Free)

Update: I ran these promos, you can see the results here: My After Christmas/New Years Book Promotion Experiment

Please feel free to comment and share with me your insight on this. What has your book promotion experience been? Do you know of any other good book promo sites? Do you have any other strategies to try?