Why Should I Join the John 316 Marketing Network?

 

Why Should I Join the John 316 Marketing Network?

Part Five of Six

John 3:16 Marketing Network

By Lorilyn Roberts

I am the president of the local Word Weavers Critique Group in Gainesville, Florida, and I have encouraged my fellow critiquers who are serious writers to join the John 3:16 Marketing Network. Many are making great strides in their writing and working towards publication.

But most of them are not interested in joining. The main reason: "I want to concentrate on my writing."

Doing both IS hard, but it is essential for writers to begin marketing themselves long before they finish their book.

Why? Marketing is more time-consuming and more all-encompassing than writing. If you start early, you will be better prepared when your book hits Amazon and/or bookstores; and if you are a serious writer, that day will come.

Don't wait. Take some time and start making those connections TODAY-on Facebook Twitter, and other social networking websites.

The John 3:16 Marketing Network combines all those assets that social networking offers with many added bonuses, including:

1. We help you to launch your book to best-seller status on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. It is within reach for an unknown author to achieve best-seller status in one or more categories for a twenty-four period with some old fashion hard work and the help of the John 3:16 authors.
2. The forum provides encouragement and camaraderie in the Spirit of Christ.
3. A lot of information is shared by authors in the network-what has worked, what hasn't work, pitfalls to avoid, and ways to do things better.
4. We have several marketing gurus in the network who often give free help/advice on our forum.
5. Members feature other members on guest blogs. We've had interviews of authors on blog talk radio and other offers of various types involving social networking adventures. Creativity reigns supreme in the network.
6.  Because we are a cohesive group, we are in a position to test-drive new marketing products for authors before they are released to the public. There is "power" in numbers!
7. Your publisher will be thrilled when you tell him you have a large network of authors ready to Facebook/tweet/blog/announce your book on a book launch, and you have the opportunity to be featured on multiple websites as you promote your book. It is possible to reach thousands of people in a twenty-four period.
8. You will make lifelong friendships as you pour your heart/dreams/hopes and life into sharing your book and participating in helping others. As part of the Body of Christ with similar giftedness, there is nothing else like it on the web-at least that I am aware of. If there was, I would have joined it rather than starting one.
9. We are free-how many things in marketing cost money and give little back in return. You don't risk anything and have everything to gain.

Until Tuesday, May 24^th, we are hosting a membership drive and featuring some of our members. Our Facebook event will be on Tuesday, May 24, 8-9pm EST, when you will have an opportunity to win up to nine free books. During that hour, we will have many members online to answer questions. We will be offering technical tips on how to do things that will help authors. These tutorials/tips will include: how to upload a .jpeg to Facebook/blog, how to resize a .jpeg and load it Facebook/blog, how to copy and paste widgets on websites, and how to set up a twitter account.

Knowing how to do these things will help you in your marketing efforts.

For information on the John 3:16 Marketing Network and to submit an application to join, please visithttp://www.lorilynroberts.com/john_3_16_marketing_network.html on TUESDAY, May 24. If you submit an application on Tuesday, May 24, you will be able download free e-books from some of our member authors.

As part of the membership drive, our member authors are hosting a blog tour featuring eight of our John 3:16 Network authors.

Today I am pleased to introduce you to Lynn Dove. Lynn has been a delight to get to know through the John 3:16 Marketing Network and I know you will enjoy meeting her, too.

 

Lynn is a graduate of the University of Calgary, where she earned her Bachelor of Education degree in 1981. She has spent the last thirty years teaching children in the private and public school settings. In 2007, she earned a Masters of Religious Education degree from the Canadian Southern Baptist Seminary in Cochrane, Alberta, Canada.

The Author Jeopardy Question to win Lynn's book Shoot the Wounded during the Facebook Event on Tuesday, May 24, 8-9pm, will come from this short interview:

Question: Tell us about your two books, Heal the Wounded and Shoot the Wounded.

Lynn Dove:  Shoot the Wounded, the first book in the "Wounded Trilogy," is written for youth and young adults, and addresses how lies and gossip destroy a person's spirit. It speaks to the heart of relevant themes such as bullying, teen pregnancy and family violence all the while pointing the characters, and ultimately the reader, to hope in Jesus Christ.                                                                        

                                   

Heal the Wounded  is the much-anticipated sequel to Shoot the Wounded. After the death of their friend, Ronnie (in Shoot the Wounded), Leigh and Jake try to come to terms with their loss. As their love grows for one another, Leigh and Jake must face a series of devastating, life-changing events that will challenge their love and their relationship with God.

Question: In your books you deal with topics that can be sensitive and disturbing for Young Adults - bullying, cutting, and teen pregnancy, among others.

Do you draw on personal experience at some level for your characters, or do you create your characters from scratch?

Lynn Dove:  I have worked with teenagers for over thirty years as a teacher/church youth leader. In that time I have seen the devastating results of children being victimized by bullying. My eldest daughter was bullied in middle school and I was bullied in high school so I do draw from personal experience to a large extent.

Question: Do you have any publishing and/or marketing advice for new writers? 

Lynn Dove: One thing I would tell new authors is to not feel shy about purposefully promoting yourself in the marketplace. I think that was one of the hardest things for me to do initially. As Christians, we value a humble attitude, but as authors the louder and bolder we are in promoting ourselves to our readers, the more books they will buy and read. Some self-published or POD (print on demand) authors are quite content to write for a select audience, family and friends, but for those of us who want to reach a larger, more world-wide audience, we need to be prepared to create a "buzz" about the book. The only way to do that is to get people talking about it. Word of mouth is huge! 

That said, I think it is also important to ask yourself the questions ahead of time about what your personal goals are with publishing a book. I applaud my publisher, Word Alive Press, for asking some pointed questions up front in their publishing questionnaire. One question in particular prompted me to prayerfully consider my personal goals: "What is the one thing, (the most important thing) you would like to accomplish with your manuscript (book)?"  I remember I wrote, "My hope is that teenagers and young adults who read this book will be touched by the message in the story, and ultimately that this book and any others I write will bring Glory to God."

Tomorrow on Tuesday, our big launch day for new members, we will be featuring Why Should I Stay A Member of the John 3:16 Marketing Network After I have Launched My Book? Part Six of Six, from the John 3:16 Marketing Network. Our guest authors will beLorilyn Roberts, Deborah McCarragher, and JD Holiday, hosted by Amanda Stephan (on her website).

If you have missed any of the previous postings for this blog tour, they are listed below:

Wednesday, May 18

Location: Lorilyn Roberts Featured Author: Jay Miller

Featured Book: Sal and Sally

Featured Author: Sherrill Cannon

Featured Book:  The Magic Word
Featured Article: Are There Secret Formulas or Short Cuts for Making the Best-Seller List on Amazon-Part One of Six on the John 3:16 Marketing Network

Thursday, May 19Location: Paulette Harper
Featured Author: Dr. Ray W. Lincoln
Featured Book: Innerkinetics^TMFeatured Article: What it Takes to Have a Winning Team - Part Two of Six, John 3:16 Marketing Network

Friday, May 20
Location: JD Holiday Featured Author: Dr. Robert McGinnis
Featured Book: Paradise is Where You Find itFeatured Article: Roaches That Eat Your Best-Seller Dreams - Part Three of Six on the John 3:16 Marketing Network 

Saturday, May 21
Location Lorilyn Roberts
Featured Author:  Elaine Marie Cooper
Featured Book: The Road to Deer RunFeatured Article: What is a Book Launch Anyway-and Slowly, Please, I am New at All of This - Part Four on the John 3:16 Marketing Network

You can also find all the articles at http://john316mn.blogspot.com