The Finest Example of Launching Christian Books in the World

The John 3:16 Marketing Network

The Finest Example of Launching Christian Books in the World

Q&A with Lorilyn Roberts

 

I started the John 3:16 Network last summer and am excited about what God is doing. I will share some Q&A here to help your readers learn more about the network and answer some questions that I have addressed at various times.

 
Question: What is the John 3:16 Marketing Network?

Answer:  The John 3:16 Marketing Network is a network of Christian authors from all over the world who have united for a common purpose: To help Christian authors launch books on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The launches last for twenty-four hours, and during that time, authors in the network post tweets and Facebook announcements, host interviews of the launching author, post blogs about the upcoming book, and send emails to opt-in lists.

Oftentimes there are free e-gifts available to those who buy the book on launch day. We’ve had several authors to reach best-seller status at Amazon, and even those who didn’t still received a lot of publicity and exposure for their book.

Question:  I don’t have a blog/website, don’t use Twitter, and don’t care for Facebook, but can I still be in the network? I have a book coming out that I need help promoting.

Answer:  You must have an active blog or website to be a member of the John 3:16 Marketing Network. The reasons relate to the type of social marketing and network promotion we do for Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
You will need a blog/website to help others if you wish to be a blog host for a launch.

It shows you have enough knowledge to do very basic internet marketing.
The John 3:16 Marketing Network is not designed to do the hard work of marketing your book for you. Those who have enjoyed the network the most and have achieved best-seller status made the most of the internet for promoting their book on launch day. We have around eighty-five authors now, and if even half of the authors help on a launch, I would imagine we are reaching close to five hundred thousand people. As we grow, I look forward to reaching a million people on launches and boosting rankings even higher in subcategories. An author can also use sources outside the network to launch a book, increasing his exposure.

Question: Does everybody who submits their name to join the John 3:16 Marketing Network get accepted into the network?

Answer:  Even assuming a person meets all the criteria as listed on the submission page, no. As time has passed, I have become more selective. For instance, early on, if someone didn’t leave all his information, which is basically, his name, website/blog, and email, if I had his email, I would follow up in an email and ask him for his full name or blog.

I don’t do that anymore. If an applicant can’t follow the directions on how to apply, I would rather he not join. The rules are specific about how to launch a book to best-seller status, and if an author can’t follow the rules about how to join, he won’t be able to follow the rules for hosting a launch.

Before I approve a person on the John 3:16 Marketing Network, I always check out his or her blog/website. If I see something that raises a question mark in my mind, I don’t go any further in the application process. I also only let in about three or four authors per week. It is very time consuming because there are several steps in the process, and since I am doing this at no charge, I only have a limited amount of time each week to devote to new members.

Question: What is the John 3:16 Marketing Network like on a day-to-day basis?

We have a Facebook page that is used basically to announce books on launch day and as publicity for the network. People find us there and become a fan, but that does not make a person a member of the network. The Facebook page is only a tiny fragment of the big picture.

We have a blog for launching books, a page where many of the books written by our authors are listed for purchase, an introduction page for new members, and we are fixing to launch a resource page of available services offered by authors within the network.

The most important part of the network is our Yahoo Forum, which is by invite only. You can’t be a member of the forum unless you are in the John 3:16 Marketing Network. We have a very verbose group on the forum. It is not unusual to have between fifty and one hundred email postings each day.



Question: What is my role (Lorilyn Roberts) in the John 3:16 Marketing Network?

I admit everybody into the network. I verify all the launch dates and launches to make sure each author is ready/prepared to launch and is not in conflict with anyone else’s launch. I provide an important document explaining how to host a professional launch based on the Peggy McColl Best-Seller Program. (We also have made some modifications to that program to suit our network). I answer a lot of individual emails from members and oversee the general running of the network. It is a labor of love.

I had no idea when I began this network, which I felt led by God to form, that it would be so successful. I have touched a felt-need in the Christian arena of authors and marketing. We have a connectedness and sharing among like-minded individuals. We make no distinction between self-published, POD published, or mainline published. It doesn’t come up in conversation on the forum, as I have seen on other forums, because nobody cares.

There is a camaraderie and feeling of good will that must be akin to what existed in the early church. We truly have something special here. As with any group, however, it is not for everyone. You must have at least some familiarity with how to post on Facebook, twitter, blog, et cetera, or be willing to learn without complaining; you must be willing to follow the instructions on how to launch a best-seller and be willing to be edified—we want everyone to succeed; and you must be willing to give of yourself to help others on launches or give an e-gift for those who have landing pages. The landing pages have been fabulously successful in helping authors to achieve best-seller status. You will learn what that is when you join the John 3:16 Marketing Network.

As far as I know, we have done something that has never been done—united Christian authors from all over the world in one network representing every way a book can be published. On book launches, we all join together and cheer each other on through announcements of various kinds, helping each author to achieve that coveted best-seller status. We share our thoughts, insights, knowledge, blogs, successes, prayer requests, and dreams. What started out as a way for authors to launch books has become so much more. I am not sure where God will take it, but I am trusting Him for the future. As I love to say, the best is yet to come!

To visit our information page and submit an application go to:
http://www.lorilynroberts.com/john_3_16_marketing_network.html

This has been reprinted from the Reflections in Hindsight blog from Monday, April, 11, 2011.
http://reflectionsinhindsight.wordpress.com/2011/04/11/market-mondays-networking-is-vital/#comment-1382