Market Your Book on Squidoo

By CHERYL ROGERS

Do you Squidoo?

In case you haven't heard, Squidoo is website that opens up worlds of possibility for online marketers. It's free to use and -- better yet -- it may even make you money.

Sound too good to be true? It really isn't. I've been using Squidoo since 2007 and it's the real game. What Squidoo does is set you up with free one-page websites called lenses, where you can take a close look at a topic of your choosing. To prepare your lens, you use their online tools, making the job easy even for folks without a lot of technological savvy. The tools include modules where you can place short articles like this one, photos, affiliate/personal sales links, a link list, YouTube videos, iTune listings, Amazon and eBay product links, etc. You get the idea.

As a Squidoo lensmaster, you have the freedom to promote your products and your brand, drive traffic and sales on your own website, boost your personal domain search engine ranking, collect a share of Squidoo advertising revenues, and generate affiliate sale commissions. You'll generate interest in your work, but you may not be able to track your sales back to Squidoo.

Squidoo is the brainchild of bestselling author and blogger Seth Godin, who writes books about marketing. Here are some tips to help make Squidoo work for you.

* Avoid spammy content with a strong sales angle, avoid even the smell of it. Squidoo calls it spam or spambait and will lock your lens if you try it. In short, they'll keep you from updating it. They can even close your account.

* Be willing to work at it. Like other things in life, you have to be willing to work hard to reap the rewards. Skimpy websites with little content can only be expected to reap skimpy results. You'll get some boost in lens ranking possibly because of the extra links, but you sure won't do much for your reputation as a expert, or convince anyone you are dedicated to quality.

* Create lots of lens, quality lenses. Remember these are one-page websites. They are focused, leaving you wiggle room to create lots of new lenses expanding upon your initial topic and developing related topics. More lenses make it easier for you to be found online, increase your number of product links, boost traffic potential, and multiply your income potential.

* Don't put more than nine links to your website on any one lens. Only pre-approved websites like CafePress or Zazzle, which sell print on demand products designed with original art, can bust through the nine-link barrier. Your lens can be locked for this also.

* Do update your lenses regularly to ensure optimum lens ranking. Regard the lenses as free advertisements. Maximize their impact by keeping the content fresh, offering useful information such as product reviews, and sharing with fans on Facebook, Twitter, etc.

* Don't limit yourself to Squidoo's established affiliate programs. You are free to maximum your income potential with other affiliate programs like Art.com and Clickbank.

* Check out the Squidoo forum and some of Squidoo's how-to lenses for more advice.

If you decide to join Squidoo, tell them I sent you. Use this code, http://www.squidoo.com/lensmaster/referral/cherylrogers, and they'll give me $5 (when you make your first $15).

REVIEW OF THE BOOK « THE ROAD TO DEER RUN » BY ELAINE COOPER

It was an absolute pleasure to read Elaine Cooper's first book. I just fell in love with it. As I started reading, I found myself very eager to carry on with my reading; the book was so well written that I connected easily with the characters and the places where the story took place. Honestly, I felt like I was watching a very nice historical romance movie in Technicolor.

The Road to Deer Run takes place in 1777 during the war between the British and the Americans. A young atheist British soldier, Daniel Lowe, is seriously injured before running away from his regiment to find refuge in the nearest village called “Deer Run” where he meets a young Christian American lady, Mary Thomsen.

Being enemies of war, they soon learn that they strongly need the support of each other to survive evil at its fullest."When God is allowed into the picture as the Great Physician, true healing of one’s innermost being takes place. When a person allows the Great Physician to have access to his heart; healing for the mind and emotions follows on applying the healing power of God’s Word." (Quote from God’s Prescription by Ken Sharum).


Romans 8:38-39
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: Or Christ, that person is a new creation. The old has gone, the new is here.

Elaine Cooper’s book shows us that God can turn hatred into friendship and restores the years that the devil has stolen from our lives a hundredfold. He is forever faithful and full of surprises. The author demonstrates that God lets things happen in our lives so we can turn to Him for help as He saves us from our sins. Elaine also shares the longing of God to have a loving relationship with those who doubt His existence and forgiveness.

Ephesians 3:20
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.

Being Elaine Cooper’s first book, I felt that it was the written work of a professional with a lot of experience.

Her book is well researched. Deep emotions, love and passion have been put into Elaine’s historical romance novel where love is deeply rooted to the soul and heart of each character. Elaine has managed to give her readers a book where perfection prevails. The author knows how to get the attention of her audience from the beginning to the end of her story.

To conclude, I would recommend Elaine Cooper’s first novel The Road To Deer Run as a great gift for anyone who wants to read a good breathtakingly historical romantic novel. Most importantly, I would suggest it as a good read for those who still doubt the existence of God.

May God use Elaine Cooper's book to reveal His forgiveness and character in order to change the stoniest hearts.


You can order Elaine Cooper's novel The Road To Deer Run by clicking or copying the link below into your browser:

http://deerrunbooks.com/order_264.html

God bless you,

Sana Edoja

http://sanaedoja.wordpress.com/?p=799&preview=true

Family Scrapbooking in Celebration of First Sale

We live in an age when family members often live far apart. Years ago, before it was the norm for young adults to scatter from their homes, women cooked, canned, and even cleaned together. Families in general gathered on a regular basis, often after church on Sundays, for food and fellowship.

There are times when girls need to be girls and do something together, for one another. I planned such a day with my daughters and granddaughters after Christmas, 2010.

The afternoon began with a visit to Chocolatier Blue, where I treated them to their choice of exquisite, unique chocolates. Every once a while, I have to do something tactile. I had already decided to put together a first-sale scrapbook in commemoration of the release of Moselle’s Insurance. I invited loved ones to share in the fun, and I’m so glad I did. In creating memories for me, I hope these lovely girls took away something for themselves. We all had fun, and the final product is so much prettier and more meaningful than had I done the selections and arrangements myself.

Going back to my childhood, I saw a scrapbook for the first time when I was 12. I babysat a family of three girls who lived near our farm in Antelope County, Nebraska. The mother had glued keepsakes within the paper covers of a simple scrapbook. I was hooked. I’ve had scrapbooks, and made them for my children, ever since. In recent years, keepsakes have gone into decorative boxes or the cedar chest instead of between book covers. A woman has only so much storage

Every time I see the pictures from that day, I’ll remember the laughter and the love. For example, when I offered to show my old scrapbooks, my youngest granddaughter said, “I like to put ‘em together, but I don’t want to look at others.”

As for the tactile, I do a simple collage for my inspirational novels. My next work will probably not be a romance. I have yet to search and choose the pictures I’ll use for that collage. My inspiration will surely come from the finished Moselle’s Insurance scrapbook.

www.loreepeery.com
Rainn on My Parade coming soon
from White Rose Publishing
Moselle's Insurance
http://www.whiterosepublishing.com

Lynn Dove's launch

As you know, Lynn Dove's Amazon launch of her book 'Heal the Wounded' is on Tuesday, Jan. 25. As an encouragement to Lynn and a reminder to everyone else, here is my review of the book.

HEAL THE WOUNDED - a review
by Tracy Krauss

HEAL THE WOUNDED is the second in a trilogy by Canadian author Lynn Dove.  The entire series is aimed toward the YA market, but it is worth reading no matter what your age. In HEAL THE WOUNDED , we are introduced to several teenagers who are facing some tough problems. First, Jake, a Christian from a loving family, has to deal with the fact that his mother has been diagnosed with cancer. He is still reeling from the death of a close friend and wonders where God is in all of this. His girlfriend Leigh is also struggling. Her insecurity and an untimely fire force the two apart. Meanwhile, another teen, who happens to be the brother of the deceased friend, has turned his anger and confusion inward and begins ‘cutting’ himself to ease the emotional pain. I don’t want to spoil the story by explaining what happens, but the author draws us into the emotional whirlwind that is the life of a teenager with skill and conviction. Her characterization seems very true to real life as she deals with some tough issues. In fact, the series has apparently been listed as a helpful resource for anti-bullying. My only negative comment, which in no way reflects on the author or the book, is that I think I may have gotten more out of this second book if I had read the prequel, SHOOT THE WOUNDED, first.  Dove does a good job of explaining the back story, however, which includes teenage pregnancy, gossip, stereotyping and other issues about making choices. In the end, this is a solid book that is entertaining yet manages to pack a wallop in terms of its message to teens. I highly recommend this, and the rest of the series, to young readers everywhere.

New Book Awards

I'm excited to tell you about the launch of a brand new Christian Book Award - The Grace Awards. This is a totally reader based award, where YOU, the reader, can vote for your favorite books of 2010 in a number of categories.

What do you have to do? As long as you have an individual social networking page, (facebook, twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace, Ning etc ... ) that has been up and running for three months prior to the opening of voting, you can nominate your favorite book of the year. It's that simple.

Individuals can vote from Jan 21 - Mar 15, 2011 by email to: graceawards@aol.com and the subject line should read: '2010 Voting'. Include the Grace Awards novel category (ie, Contemporary Romance/Historical Romance), the title of the book being voted for and its author, a link to the individual voter's social networking page, the  individual voter's online name, and a 15-45 word summary/review/reason for voting for the novel. (Don't just copy the back cover blurb. We'll check!) Please vote ONLY for novels you have read.   

Novels must be submitted to the correct category, or they will not be counted. The Board makes all decisions on what votes will be accepted, but it is not our aim to exclude or disqualify a vote or voter, but rather to be inclusive.An individual can vote for only one novel per category in one submission. Multiple submissions will not be accepted. Please be sure you've voted in all the categories you wish the first time you submit. More than one submission can disqualify your voting. Of course authors can vote, but not for their own book(s). This is a reader-based awards and readers will pick the finalists in each category. 

PROJECTED BOOK CATEGORIES
·         Women's Fiction
·         Contemporary Romance/Historical Romance
·         Suspense/Thriller/Mystery/Romantic Suspense/ Detective Novel Series  
·         Speculative (SciFi/fantasy/horror, etc.)
·         Action Adventure/Western/Historic Epic Fiction
·         Young Adult 

for more information and included categories: 

www.graceawards.yolasite.com

email: graceawards@aol.com

Review of Delia latham's book DESTINY'S DREAM

As a pre-cursor to Delia Latham's book launch, I'd like to post my review of her book.

DESTINY’S DREAM by Delia Latham has it all. There’s romance, mystery and action – all very skillfully woven together into a well told and satisfying story. Add to that a solid presentation of the gospel using real and believable characters, and you have a recipe for a great Christian romance novel. These elements on their own are enough to make this book worth reading, but Latham has taken her story telling to another whole level. There were so many unique things about this book that I’m not sure where to begin. First of all, the set up where the two main characters meet is pretty unusual. Destiny May and Clay Gallagher meet at her mother’s funeral. Yeah, that’s right – a funeral! Hardly the makings for a ‘happy beginning’, yet Latham manages to make this scene quite humorous without becoming irreverent. Also, Destiny’s profession is atypical, to say the least. She runs a dating service for Christians and sees it as a ministry that God has called her to. Rather than coming across as shallow, Latham manages to present both the heroine and her aspirations in such a way that it seems totally plausible – even inspiring. In fact, one of the things that impressed me most was the matter of fact way Destiny’s deep spirituality was dealt with in the book. There were plenty of references to the gospel message, redemption, prayer, and even some topics that other authors might shy away from such as angelic visitations, the use of anointing oil, and prophetic messages from God. Yet, Latham weaves all of these elements into the story in such a skillful and unobtrusive way that never once does the reader feel like they are being preached at or ‘taught’. This is good story telling at its finest. There are lots of solid Biblical principles, well rounded and sympathetic characters, and enough plot twists and turns to keep you on your toes – all put together so that in the end all you are left with is the satisfaction of a story well told.   

Lorilyn Roberts' Appearance on Atlanta 57's WATC Television

Friends and Neighbors
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A TREE ROOTED IN THE WORD OF GOD

Photo credit: kconnors from morguefile.com

A Tree has Roots,
That grow deep inside the Ground
Which hold firmly the tree in place.
The Wind blows,
The tree Stands,
The rain Pours,
The tree Stands.

The tree has beautiful leaves and fruits
Providing a full covering.

As a human being,
The spirit is willing.
But our flesh is so weak
And when trouble comes.
We fall on our knees,
And ask God to come
And fill us with his comforting word of encouragement.

God is not a small God but a very big God
That helps us in times of need.
Tree, Strength, Roots, Word and Fruits.
We are like a tree planted in the word of God
That produces fruits in good season.
Never withering as the Lord waters us
Through the refreshing river of the Holy Spirit.

LW!'s The Author's Hideaway!: The Completely Whole Tour with author Paulette Har...

LW!'s The Author's Hideaway!: The Completely Whole Tour with author Paulette Har...: "Join Twitter Chat with #PauletteHarper  TUESDAY - JANUARY 11, 2011 at 9 pm ESTStay tuned for details! Follow us on Twitter&n..."

Brand your name, don’t promote your book

That’s a strong statement, I know, but I wanted to capture your attention.

Stephen King, J. K. Rowling, Dean Koontz, Nora Roberts, Michael Crichton, James Patterson, Anne Rice, Mary Higgins Clark…we all know those names or at least a good portion of them. So what’s my point? Just that…we know their names; we don’t all remember the names of their books.

Your fans are not going to always be able to spout off the titles of all your books, but if they like your work and if you’ve become popular, they will remember your name. If they know your name, they can easily find you online or in the bookstores. When they find your website, then they can look up your books. When they go to the bookstores, they can find your specific titles.

As an author, hopefully you will continually be writing more books. Your readers may not always know your current works, but they’ll keep track of what you’re working on and when your new releases come out. So, how do you (and me), as up and coming authors waiting for the day you’ll be on the best seller lists, brand your name and market yourselves as authors?

That question being put out there, you still, of course, need to work hard on marketing each of your books, but the way to really become popular is to market your name.

One of the best ways to brand yourself is to have a website. You always need to have an online presence; that includes branding yourself in the social media networks. Another good idea is that you should always try to write articles in your trade, and post them in free online writing networks. Usually, you just need to register and then you can begin posting articles; sometimes certain sites will need to review your articles first. These sites will allow readers to link to your profile, where they can follow a link to your website. Other online article posting sites allow you to list a byline with a direct link to your website.

You must remember that you are your greatest fan and you need to take advantage of that fact and promote yourself wherever you go. Of course, some people may feel this is taking you down to ego-land, but there are ways to promote yourself and your work without seeming to be overbearing. I don’t usually like to be in the center of attention, but as my husband mentioned the other day, I’m an author now and I’d better get used to it.

Join writers groups and other writing associations and always attach your byline in everything that you write and have your “elevator speech” prepared and ready to use at all times. So what’s an elevator speech? It’s a short pitch on something you’re trying to market and since you’re trying to market yourself, be prepared to tell people that you are an author and when your next book is going to be released. Be ready to hand out a business card or at least be able to give out your website.

Blogging is another way to brand your name. You always want your readers, potential readers and the press to go to your website. You can do this by offering them something. How do you do that? You need to provide good content that is always updated. That’s why it’s good to have a blog directly on your website or if you have it through another online service, to at least have the blog link prominently displayed on your site. You can even create a newsletter. This will be a bit more time consuming than writing a daily or weekly blog, but it is something that you can think about as you get farther along in your writing career.

Don’t forget to keep on promoting your name. You are your biggest fan! Make your marketing count!