–> 10 Reasons to Promote Your Book with Postcards

–> How to Get Grassroots Marketing for Half-Price
Over 300 pages of solid information on lowering your marketing cost and boosting your return.

–> Hear & Meet Shel

• Book Marketing for Fun and Profit with Janet Elaine Smith:
  September 8 at 8pm Eastern on PIVR
• At the Virtual Book Marketing Conference, Getting Great Book Reviews:
  Tuesday, September 30 at 11am Eastern, 8am Pacific, Register FREE at http://stores.authorsmart.com/Page.bok?template=vbmc
• A “Success Secrets” Interview with Shannon Cherry of Startup Spark: http://www.startupspark.com/success-secrets-shel-horowitz/

–> SPAN’s Amazon/BookSurge Antitrust Lawsuit Campaign

–> Get Noticed in a Big Way!
Jill’s new book, GET NOTICED … GET REFERRALS, is available! We want to give you thousands of dollars worth of valuable and unique gifts from her colleagues – speakers and authors who are the best of the best! Jill’s new book teaches you how to get noticed and become influential using an intuitive, people oriented approach that will serve you throughout your career. Here’s the details and a quick peek at all the special gifts you will receive: www.GetNoticedBook.com

–> Boost Your Profits & Get More Referrals with Your Business Card
Do you worry that your business card is going to get thrown away as soon as your back is turned? Can subtle design changes really double, triple, even quintuple the follow-up business you get from simple little business cards? Learn the secrets of effective business cards with Diana Ratliff’s ebook (recently revised to include a brand new chapter on business card referral strategies!).

–> How to Make a Major Impact
JV maven Ken McArthur’s long-awaited book, Impact: How to Get Noticed, Motivate Millions and Make a Difference in a Noisy World is available, with a ton of bonuses including one from me–and 100 hours of no-cost top-level audio training on the Impact Factor site. I haven’t seen the book yet, but I’ve followed Ken’s process of writing, and the amazing way he turned this launch into a months-long internship on Internet marketing, imparting skills to others while building the launch in the best win-win People first fashion. The quality of information he provides is superior, plus he’s a really nice guy; I fully expect the book to be worthy of him. When the time comes for me to update Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First, I expect to include his story, as I just love the way he embraced the idea that he can profit by making everyone he knows into a better marketer.

–> A Book from Rick Frishman
“Where’s Your Wow! 16 Ways to Make Your Competitors Wish They Were You” (co-authored with Robyn Spizman). I’ve read the whole thing and I think it’s an excellent introduction to branding. http://www.wheresyourwow.com/.

–> Myanmar Cyclone Relief: Make a Donation to Doctors Without Borders
Sharon Tucci put together a site to funnel donations directly to groups on the ground doing cyclone relief in Burma/Myanmar. Her preferred charity is Doctors Without Borders, but she offers several other choices as well. Note: Donations through this site are administered by an organization that takes a small administrative fee, but makes the process very smooth. If you’d rather give directly, that’s fine too.

–> A No-Cost Way to Connect with Reporters Seeking Stories
My friend Peter Shankman, a very well-connected PR guy in NYC, has started a no-charge service called Help A Reporter Out. He sends queries from reporters a few times a day, and if there’s a good fit, you answer the journalist. And he gets some leads that never make it to Profnet/PR Leads. This should be a no-brainer–but don’t abuse it. Only answer if you’re approrpiate for the query, or else you’ll spoil it for yourself and everyone else . If you get one good lead in a year, it’s worth it. He has passed on leads from the NY Times and Washington Post, as well as lesser venues. Sign up at www.helpareporter.com

–> Finally–An E-Book Site Puts Authors’ Needs First
Writers: Mark Victor Hansen (of Chicken Soup fame) has just launched a very author-friendly e-book/multimedia content distribution site at http://www.youpublish.com/referredby/shelhorowitz. No fee to set up, no fee to upload your files (wide range of types), 50% commission.

–> Which of Shel’s Books is Right for You?

–> Want a Free E-Copy of Mark Joyner’s Classic Book, The Irresistible Offer?
This amazing book has a prominent place on my bookshelf–but I had to pay for my copy. You can get the e-book at no cost by following the above link.

–> Also from Mark: the re-release of his infamous “Mind Control Marketing,” the book that built his reputation years ago as one of the most focused and creative marketers in the world. I confess, I haven’t read this one-but I’ve heard about it for years.

–> Facebook Teleseminar with Mari Smith
If you’re not on Facebook yet, you may be missing valuable business opportunities. If you are on Facebook, are you getting the most out of it for your business? Recently, The Blog Squad grilled Mari Smith about why you need to be on Facebook and how to use the social networking site to be smart about building your business. Now you can get access to the audio program from the live teleseminar for an investment of only $20.

–> You’re invited to join Foundercontact
Christophe Poizat, founder and chairman of the International Network of Social Entrepreneurs (INSE) has invited you to receive a free membership with Foundercontact. Foundercontact International Ltd is a web 2.0 online marketplace designed to bring entrepreneurs into contact with 3500 investors for seed, early stage, or growth capital. With members from 5 continents and 93 different countries, it opens up international business opportunities for entrepreneurs. Sign up at http://www.foundercontact.com/user/register

–> Latest Additions to the Websites

–> Administrative Information
Subscribe, unsubscribe, back issues, etc.

–> Don’t forget to play our games, at the top of any page on FrugalFun.com– no fees to play, prizes to win, and you help me continue to bring all this good information to you.

Published monthly since July, 2007 by Shel Horowitz
16 Barstow Lane, Hadley, MA 01035 USA
413/586-2388

As most of you know, SPAN launched the Amazon/BookSurge Antitrust Lawsuit Campaign on July 7. The campaign is working to get Amazon.com to change its policy of requiring publishers, using their print on demand (POD) distribution services, to print with their subsidiary, BookSurge.

For the whole story, you can read my July 7 letter to members and additional supporting information at
http://www.spannet.org/amazonantitrust-home.htm.

After sending the letter to our e-mail list of about 10,000 authors and publishers, I received quite a few letters. Response to SPAN’s campaign ran about 97% favorable.

I thank everyone who sent comments and I especially thank all of you who signed the petition. I appreciate the commitment the signers made to stand up for the good of the industry. Although I was not able to get back to everyone, I read and archived your comments.

I believe in free markets, freedom of expression, and freedom of assembly. I also believe in the system of checks and balances on both government and citizens as outlined in the U.S. Constitution.

Amazon has the freedom to do whatever it wants to do with its business (even illegal acts) until the market or the legal system stop it from doing things they find objectionable.

I’m not a lawyer, but I did take Business Law 101, which had a chapter on antitrust cases. I also recently read the class action complaint and some other information on illegal tying of products. Ultimately, it is for the court to decide if Amazon’s practices are illegal. From my research, the plaintiffs seem to have a reasonable case against Amazon for illegal business practices.

(You can read the complaint and several antitrust articles here: www.spannet.org/amazonantitrust-home.htm.)

People have asked me, “How is the campaign going?” At this point we have 307 signatures on the petition and five publishers’ and writers’ organizations supporting the campaign. Additionally, several organizations contacted me to say that the decision would have to go to their board and it might take a few months.

As for the advocacy side of the campaign, I will send the letter and a copy of the petition to Jeff Bezos at Amazon.com at the end of July.

One price of freedom is a responsibility to hold in check unjust practices by taking the time to be informed and to
voice our objections. SPAN’s campaign provides an opportunity for our community of voices to be heard.

Have you added yours?

Thanks,

Scott Flora
Executive Director

Ps. We still need people to sign the petition www.spannet.org/amazonantitrust-petition.htm and publishers’ and writers’ organizations to support the campaign.

Shel Horowitz’s Book Marketing Tip of the Month, Volume 2, #1, July 2008
Market Your Book with a Postcard, Part 1 of 2
10 Reasons to Promote Your Book with Postcards

• Visit libraries and bookstores, show your book and leave your postcard
• Mail postcards to your local mailing lists to announce author events
• Pass them out at fairs, festivals, and other public events
• When you talk to someone at a trade show or business networking event, give the postcard instead of (or in addition to) your business card
• Excite people who’ve never met a real live author by giving them personally autographed cards–one for them and one for a friend
• Enclose cards with every direct order to get more business from your “word-of-mouth army”
• Enclose when you send press releases, letters of interest about speaking gigs, responses to inquiries about consulting, etc.
• If you’re doing a flier exchange with another author, offer postcards instead of fliers to put in their packages
• Distribute to school classes if you do school gigs, and hope that some show their parents and talk about how much fun you were, and the parents order
• Hand them to clients and suppliers and say, this is my new book

Next month: what to put on your postcard.

(Shel Horowitz’s latest book, Grassroots Marketing for Authors and Publishers, is his third in a row to win an award. Order at http://www.grassrootsmarketingforauthors.com/ )