–> Market Your Book with a Postcard, Part 2 of 2
What Should Your Postcard Include

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

–> Hear and Meet Shel, August Through September 2008

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

–> Friends and Colleagues Who Want to Help

• Read Mark Joyner’s New Book For Free–A Year Before Publication
• Train in Person with Jay Conrad Levinson, Founder of Guerrilla Marketing
• Master speaking coach and media trainer TJ Walker is doing another program to train you as a professional speaker
• Your Chance to be in the Movies

–> 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.

–> 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

Shel Horowitz’s Book Marketing Tip of the Month, Volume 2, #2, August 2008
Market Your Book with a Postcard, Part 2 of 2
What Should Your Postcard Include

Front side:
Your gorgeous book cover, in full color (Note: companies like Modern Postcard, Tu-Vets, and VistaPrint make this easy and cheap. VistaPrint will even accept back sides done in MS Word.)

Back side, left

• Title and author
• Brief enticements such as endorsements, review quotes, awards, mini-synopsis
• Ordering information for individuals
• Ordering information for bookstores and libraries
• Adequate whitespace and font size for easy, comfortable reading

Back side, right
Blank space for personal or stickered message and address

(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/ )

–> Positive Power Spotlight: Valhalla Organic Macadamia Farm
The first words out of Lawrence “Lorenzo” Gottschamer’s mouth were “I’m a guerrilla in the eco-war. Everything we do here is to repair the planet.”

–> Another Recommended Book: Ethical Markets by Hazel Henderson
So many books about the need for change are nothing but doom-and-gloom. Focusing on the successes, Ethical Markets: Growing the Green Economy by Hazel Henderson (with Simran Sethi) (Chelsea Green, 2006) is fundamentally about hope.

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

–> Friends and Colleagues Who Want to Help

• Read Mark Joyner’s New Book For Free–A Year Before Publication
• Train in Person with Jay Conrad Levinson, Founder of Guerrilla Marketing
• Master speaking coach and media trainer TJ Walker is doing another program to train you as a professional speaker
• Your Chance to be in the Movies

–> Hear and Meet Shel, August Through September 2008

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

–> 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 September, 2003 by Shel Horowitz
16 Barstow Lane, Hadley, MA 01035 USA
413/586-2388

This post (along with about 300 other articles) is available exclusively to subscribers or to members of the Clean and Green Club. If you are a subscriber or Club member, please login at www.thecleanandgreenclub.com/members If you are not a subscriber or member, please visit www.thecleanandgreenclub.com

This post (along with about 300 other articles) is available exclusively to subscribers or to members of the Clean and Green Club. If you are a subscriber or Club member, please login at www.thecleanandgreenclub.com/members If you are not a subscriber or member, please visit www.thecleanandgreenclub.com

–> SEO Copywriting, Part 1
What’s the biggest difference in writing copy for the Web versus writing for direct mail, printed ads, or other media? Simple–when writing for the Web, you have two very different audiences: the reader, of course, but also the robots that spider your site for Google and other search engines.

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

–> Friends and Colleagues Who Want to Help

• Read Mark Joyner’s New Book For Free–A Year Before Publication
• Train in Person with Jay Conrad Levinson, Founder of Guerrilla Marketing
• Master speaking coach and media trainer TJ Walker is doing another program to train you as a professional speaker
• Your Chance to be in the Movies

–> Hear and Meet Shel, August Through September 2008

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

–> 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 September, 2003 by Shel Horowitz
16 Barstow Lane, Hadley, MA 01035 USA
413/586-2388

This post (along with about 300 other articles) is available exclusively to subscribers or to members of the Clean and Green Club. If you are a subscriber or Club member, please login at www.thecleanandgreenclub.com/members If you are not a subscriber or member, please visit www.thecleanandgreenclub.com

–> This Month’s Frugal Fun Tip: 10 Ways to Make Driving Vacations Affordable
Despite the sharp upsurge in gas prices–and, by the way, the U.S. still has some of the lowest gas prices by far–a driving vacation is still usually a lot cheaper than flying, and has lower carbon impact as well. Here are a few ways to keep it affordable.

–> Latest Additions to the Websites
Fantastic new articles this month, including:

• Antigua, Guatemala: Colonial Elegance and Lots to Do
• Haight-Ashbury in the Guatemalan Mountains: San Pedro and Lake Atitlán
• Guatemala City: Where Are The Crowds?
• Back to School Quality Time Without Spending a Dime!

–> Parents…Are You Set Up Properly if Something Happens to You?
I’ve had a look at Wear Clean Underwear by Alexis Martin Neely, and I’m very impressed by her clear writing and her words of warning to parents: If you want a good outcome for your not-yet-adult kids in the event of your death, you need to prepare…NOW!

–>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://tinyurl.com/4kpp9h This link will take you to the page here my books are set up. From there, just click on “Register” in the upper right. No fee
to set up, no fee to upload your files (wide range of types), 50% commission.

–> A New Way To Have More Frugal Fun–No-Cost Games on FrugalFun.com
Want to win cool stuff? Tired of surfing through content and want a break? Here’s something you’ll want to look at. To play, go to any inner page of FrugalFun.com (not the home page) and click on the game banner at the very top.

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

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

Published monthly since May, 1997 by Shel Horowitz
16 Barstow Lane, Hadley, MA 01035 USA
413/586-2388

Despite the sharp upsurge in gas prices–and, by the way, the U.S. still has some of the lowest gas prices by far–a driving vacation is still usually a lot cheaper than flying, and has lower carbon impact as well. Here are a few ways to keep it affordable:

1. If you have a gas hog, swap. Find someone with a car that gets 30 MPG or better, who isn’t going to be doing much driving. Pay that person $100 or so, and trade cars for a couple of weeks.
2. Lower the cost of lodging: join a homestay organization such as Servas (real, in-depth visits, http://www.usservas.org in the U.S., or http://www.servas.org elsewhere) and/or Couchsurfing.com (crash space), and spend some of your nights with members of these organizations. Plus you’ll meet great people!
3. Lower the cost of lodging again, by camping. All you really need is a decent tent that’s easy to assemble and stores in a small space, and a good sleeping bag (get the zip-together kind) and foam pad for each person. For two people, even if you have to buy all of that new, you’d make up the cost by the fourth night, if not sooner–and you’ll have this stuff for years to come.
4. Drive efficiently. Keep tires properly inflated, change the oil regularly, fill your tank in the early mornings when the gas hasn’t expanded, back off on the accelerator when you’re going to need to slow down for an exit or stoplight or tollbooth, avoid jackrabbit starts. Set cruise control for 55 miles an hour; it’s a lot more gas-efficient than 65 or faster, and you won’t have to worry about the very expensive speeding tickets and the even more expensive insurance surcharges they bring. Plus, you’ll actually get to see the scenery.
5. Put a sunshade across the windshield when you park, so you’ll need less air conditioning when you get back on the road.
6. Once you get to your destination area, get around by bike and/or public transit and leave the car where you’re staying.
7. Limit yourself to one restaurant meal a day, and picnic for the rest.
8. Use member discounts on attractions: AAA, AARP, your union…or take advantage of the numerous free or discounted choices you’ll find in every area, if you know where to look.
9. Don’t buy stuff you don’t need, just to have a souvenir. Take digital photos instead.
10. For a whole $8.50, buy a copy of my e-book, The Penny-Pinching Hedonist: How to Live
    Like Royalty with a Peasant’s Pocketbook. It includes specific techniques for many of these tips, as well as a great deal more. For instance you’ll learn several ways to locate free or cheap attractions and entertainment, slash the cost of dining out, find cheaper places to stay, and much more.
    280 pages of great frugal fun advice! Learn about the book at http://www.frugalfun.com/pphtoc.html, and buy it at http://www.frugalmarketing.com/shop.shtml.

Global Travel Review

• Antigua, Guatemala: Colonial Elegance and Lots to Do
• Haight-Ashbury in the Guatemalan Mountains: San Pedro and Lake Atitlán
• Guatemala City: Where Are The Crowds?
• Midwest Book Review’s Travel Bookshelf

Down to Business

• The Myth of Focus
• Midwest Book Review’s Business Bookshelf

Frugal and Fashionable Living

• Back to School Quality Time Without Spending a Dime!

Global Arts Review

• Midwest Book Review’s Theatre Bookshelf

Good Business Blog

• Does Fox’s Acceptance of Paid Product Placement Slant News Coverage?
• Shel Encounters the President of Guatemala
• Whatever Happened to “Uniter, Not a Divider”?
• Colby: Protect Writers Against Theft-Through-”Orphan Works” Legislation
• Strategic Alliances go Far Beyond JVs
• Ostriches of the Ultra-Right: Carbon Belch Day
• Well-Fed Peter Bowerman on Self-Publishing
• A Zero-Carbon City? In the UAE?
• Republicans’ Head-In-Sand Energy Posturing
• Bravo! Kucinich Moves to Impeach Bush
• Obama Clinches With Class; Pit Bull Hillary Won’t Let Go
• Good-bye to the Hummer, Finally?