Roaches That Eat Your Best-Seller Dreams Part 3 of 6, John 3:16 Marketing Network

By Lorilyn Roberts 

John 3:16 Marketing Network

 

Many years ago my ex-husband and I drove to Gainesville, Florida, from Augusta, Georgia, when he was finishing medical school and applying to residency programs. We had brought along our dog, Shelley, and it was dusk after the long eight-hour drive before we arrived at the motel.

As I headed into the bathroom exhausted, I was aghast to discover the ugliest creepy crawler I had ever seen-a huge, brown roach with antlers (okay, they were feelers, but they looked like antlers), crawling around on spiny, hairy legs, and the worst part-he turned his head and stared at me with dark beady eyes.

I ran out of the hotel room screaming at my husband, "I saw a roach."  After calming me down, we went back in so he could murder the invader. But the roach had scampered away. Of course, I insisted that we find him. As we examined the room in minute detail, we started seeing roaches everywhere-on the walls, on the floor, in the bathroom, crawling on the bed-I stood there and cried, "I can't stay here." 

                                    
 

It was a football weekend, and if you know anything about Florida Gator football, you know that means almost every motel is full. We went from motel to motel for hours after driving all day to find one that had a vacancy that would accept dogs.


While my husband was contemplating an important interview for his residency, I was facing the horror of sleeping in a roach-infested hotel room. It was many years after that experience before I could stay in a hotel and not do the standard "roach check" - inside the bed sheets, under the bed, the dark bathroom, the closet-I would turn out the lights after I got into bed and then five minutes later turn them back on again to make sure one hadn't come out of hiding.


As I learned later, because my husband did accept that position at the University of Florida, there are many species of roaches besides those big ones. There are little ones, ones that fly, ones that hide in dark places, and ones that fall into the water while you take a bath (I would know). 


What does a roach-infested hotel have to do with book marketing? When my husband finished medical school, I had huge hopes and dreams. I had spent the first five years of our marriage supporting him while he was in medical school in a job which was less than satisfying. I couldn't wait to take the next step toward my dream of earning that elusive college degree, which didn't include meeting a roach upon arrival.


The roaches of life have a way of catching us off-guard. They appear out of nowhere when we least expect them, and usually at the worst opportune time. Recently I had my one-another group over for prayer and put out a nice spread of food. While enjoying the sweet fellowship of Christian believers, one of my guests pointed out a large handsome roach crawling across the floor toward the table of food. That pang of embarrassment at an unexpected moment, we have all been there. I ran and fetched the roach spray. Such is life in Florida for those folks who live in Canada and the hinterlands.


As authors, we hope that story we have been mulling around in our heads becomes the next best-seller. But what about those marketing roaches? Have you met one? They are those "horrid things" that threaten to make an even bigger mess of your best-seller dreams. They rob you of sleep, steal your money, destroy relationships, and take away your peace of mind, filling you with worry, apprehension, and doubt.


I encountered my first roach in marketing when I went to a writer's conference in the Southeast. "No one reads memoirs" several people commented. Many attendees ignored me when they found I wasn't a VIP-an editor, agent, or well-known author. Others sounded judgmental with comments like, "Did anyone edit your book? 



I came home and wanted to crawl back into my little cubbyhole and forget all about marketing. The experience squelched my creativity and motivation in one fell swoop. Even the proposal that I spent several days working on that an agent asked me to send him following the conference was never looked at.


I've learned there are a lot of roaches in the publishing business, and I have by no means met them all. On the forum, some of my fellow authors have shared some of their experiences with other kinds of roaches that I didn't even know existed.  


My first step to a healthier mindset was to quit focusing on all the things I couldn't do or control and figure out what I could do. I found I could do a lot more than I thought if I just took the time to learn how and wasn't so impatient. Your roaches are probably different from mine, but whatever they are, they will handicap you more than you realize unless you deal with them. You will be able to do more than you think if you have a teachable spirit, a positive attitude, and invest some time in helping others. When you help others, you are really helping yourself.  How? I don't know how, except it's one of the laws of nature that seems to work itself into equations that have eternal value. God sees it all and rewards us in ways we least expect it.


I had to go back to my faith and recommit my dreams. There is nothing anybody can do to prevent God's perfect will from being accomplished. No one has any power over my mental state except if I willingly relinquish that power to them. In the process of adversity and difficulties, God makes us strong. Nothing is ever wasted without serving a useful purpose.


Nevertheless, it's important to be aware of the more common kinds of roaches in marketing. A couple of months after my book was published, I bought two pricey email blast services-the kind where companies send out book announcements to their email lists, including subscribers, libraries and bookstores. Beware-these pricey roaches in the end were worthless. I sure wish I had that $600 back. 


There are some other not-so-subtle roaches in marketing-laziness. If you are not willing or you don't want to work hard at marketing, I hope you have some influential contacts. You've probably heard this before but it's worth repeating: Nobody cares about your book. Your job is to make other people care. How do you do that? Through building relationships (I won't say anymore about this for now, but will address this again in the sixth article). 


For those who have day jobs, kids, school, and major commitments outside of writing, I feel your pain. And this is where my concept of "process" comes in. I must focus on what I can do and leave the outcome in God's hands.  


The roach of discouragement: Quit complaining and ask God to help you. The John 3:16 Marketing Network is all about encouragement and lifting each other up. If you are hoping that "best-seller" status will bring you happiness, it won't. There is truly nothing "out there" that will fulfill you. Only your relationship with God, family, and friends can bring you happiness. 


Now that we have dealt with some major roaches in marketing, let's look at some things you can do to start marketing effectively. Before we begin a best-seller program, we need to look at what goes into launching a book, focusing on Amazon.


What you must do-long before you approach anyone to help you. We've had authors come into the network who did not have these things in place. Without fixing them, their book launch was doomed to failure. 

1. Make sure your book has been edited completely-no ifs, ands, or buts. In addition to a professional editor, ask twenty people to read your book and look for things that are wrong, unclear, or misleading-from grammatical errors to content issues to structural problems. I guarantee you, honest people will find the problems-even though your mother will tell you it's wonderful the way it is. All the networking and promoting in the world won't salvage a poorly written book.
2. Make sure your book is not overpriced. Nobody will buy a book that is too expensive. There are unscrupulous companies out there that will overprice your book-roaches feeding on your desire to get published that care nothing about making your book salable. They will take your money up front and offer empty promises. Don't fall for it. Be wise. Remember the Proverb, "A fool and his money are soon parted." Go to Amazon and compare your book with others of similar content and length. Make your book cheaper if it's possible (and some publishing companies do listen. I asked that the price of one of my books be reduced and they did it).
3. In my opinion, e-books are the wave of the future. Price e-books lower and you will sell more copies. Remember, you must be competitive to sell books. Not only publish your book on Kindle, but in other e-formats as well, including Nook and Sony. Smashwords is an excellent service for publishing all types of e-books.
4. Get as many reviews of your book as possible. If you are an unknown author, you should have at least 5 four/five-star reviews before asking others to help you. We ask for two reviews on the John 3:16 Marketing Network now, but we will probably increase it to five soon.  
5. Here is a screen shot of my reviews for Children of Dreams. Reviews are important-both good ones and bad ones. My worst review was one three-star review. Why?  The reviewer thought I had too much Bible content. I thought it was actually a good review-after all, it's an accurate assessment of my book for someone who is thinking about reading it. The reader will know what he is getting before he buys it. That's what reviews are for.

 

1. Take advantage of all the functionalities of Amazon.com to market your book; i.e., the inside-the-book program. It allows others to sample your writing before buying your book.
2. Upload a nice photograph of yourself for your Avatar. While I love those goofy animal shots, I am not so sure if they pass the screen test for promoting oneself as a professional.
3. You will notice on Amazon all of the author names are hyperlinked to something called an Author Page. These are set up through the Amazon Author Central portion of Amazon. The Author Page will show your profile, bibliography, published books, a book trailer if you upload one, and a link to the Amazon Associates Program. The Amazon Associates Program will allow you to sell Amazon books on your website or blog.  All these things can sound very intimidating at first and overwhelming, but if you take it one step at a time, anyone can learn how to use these tools effortlessly. Because they are technical in nature rather than creative, all an author has to do is switch to the other side of his brain, which is where most adults spend their life anyway. Again, I repeat, anybody can do these things.  

 

 Make sure you list your book correctly in the subcategories on Amazon, going from the largest category to the smallest. It is more difficult to reach best-seller status in a huge category like fiction than in the subcategory Christian Romance Fiction. The biggest roach-killer for the John 3:16 Marketing Network authors has been not optimizing the best-seller categories to enhance the probability of reaching best-seller status on book launches.
  

1. Again, don't let the laziness roach eat at you. Persistence pays off.
2. Don't let the discouragement roach take away your dreams. As long as there is life in you, give it your best shot. Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you will land among the stars.
3. Start a blog and post to it as often as you can. To be a member of the John 3:16 Marketing Network, you must have an active blog. Write about what stirs you, interview other authors on your blog, review books, and post your reviews on your blog, Good Reads, Amazon, and other social networking sites.
4. Build up your Facebook contacts, Twitter followers, and create a Fan Page on Facebook.
5. Seek out positive people to interact with on the Internet. Avoid roach people-those who are self-centered, negative, bitter, or judgmental. They will pull you down into a funk you may never get out of.
6. Enjoy the journey. If you feel overwhelmed, pull out the roach spray. What do you need to kill? Examine what you are doing and consider what isn't working. Know yourself, your limitations, and your strengths. Focus on process, not on outcome, and ask God to give you wisdom.
7. Finally, don't give up. Join the John 3:16 Marketing Network today and experience the blessing of sharing your marketing journey with others.

From Wednesday, May 18^th through Tuesday, May 24^th, we are hosting a membership launch featuring some of our members in a blog tour. Our Facebook party will include many events which you won't want to miss. Mark your calendar-Tuesday, May 24, 8-9pm EST, when you will have an opportunity to win at least eight free books. During that hour, we will have members online to answer your questions, and we will be offering tutorials on how to do some technical operations for internet marketing. These tutorials/tips will include:



1.      How to upload a .jpeg to Facebook/blog
2.      How to resize a .jpeg and load it Facebook/blog
3.      How to copy and paste widgets on websites
4.      How to set up a twitter account. 



The information will be useful whether you apply to the John 3:16 Marketing Network or not. 



In addition to an opportunity to win a lot of books, on Tuesday, May 24^th, if you submit an application to join the John 3:16 Marketing Network , you will be able to download free e-gifts 


 For more information or to submit an application to the John 3:16 Marketing Network, please visit my website at Lorilyn Roberts.



Again, Tuesday, May 24, will be the membership launch day. If you summit your application on Tuesday, May 24th, you will be able to download free e-gifts offered by some of our authors. 



Today on our Blog Tour we will meet Dr. Robert McGinnis.  

The Author Jeopardy Question to win Dr. McGinnis' Young Adult book,Paradise is Where You Find It during the Facebook Party on Tuesday, May 24, 8-9pm EST, will come from our discussion below:

 

Kids read so much garbage these days, how about a YA book with clean language, no sex or extreme violence, a book that has adventures galore, and teaches values for life. Joy, my twelve-year-old daughter, calls Dr. McGinnis' Books "Fun and Thrilling to Read!"
                                                           
Question: Dr. McGinnis, you are one of the most complex, yet simple and fascinating authors I have met. You have a beautiful family with lots of children and grandchildren, and from what I have seen, two passions: Writing and family. In the midst of the joys and pleasures that those blessings bring you, you try to figure out the complexities of how God created us. What are two things you could share with us to help us know you even better?


Dr. Robert McGinnis: There are two things about life that I have always loved most. 
1: Each of us is an individual and completely and totally different from anyone else, and there is no one exactly like us and never will be.
2: We are just like everyone else even with our differences, and we are totally and irreversibly exactly like everyone else.

If you can understand this, then you are way ahead of the game.

It can't be explained, it has to be felt, but let me give an unsatisfactory example. Every person is paddling a small boat every which way they choose while floating on a huge sea in a universe going in a preplanned direction of which the small boats have no control.

That doesn't do it, but try to think of the insignificance of all the smalls and the power of the large.

If that is not good, try this: No matter how hard you try, you are going somewhere over which you have no control at all and everyone else is going, too.

Well, I guess I will leave this for some of you to explain to me. I am trying to understand how I got here, where I am going, and what does it all mean?



Don't forget, during our Author Jeopardy Game, you will have an opportunity to win Tuesday night, Paradise is Where You Find it , May 24, 8-9pm EST during our Facebook party at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Christian-Book-Launches-John-316-Marketing-Network/145412252147289



Saturday we will be featuring What is a Book Launch Anyway-and Slowly, Please, I am New at All of This, Part Four, from the John 3:16 Marketing Network. Our guest author will be Elaine Marie Cooper  hosted by Lorilyn Roberts (on her website).


If you missed the previous postings on this blog tour, here is the information which hyperlinks:  


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

What it Takes to Have a Winning Team, Part 2 of 6, John 3:16 Marketing Network

What it Takes to Have a Winning Team

Part Two of Six

John 3:16 Marketing Network

By Lorilyn Roberts

Everyone knows who Lebron James is—at least they should know. Many consider him the best basketball player currently playing the game. He can do it all—shoot from the perimeter, make free throws from the foul line, dunk the ball with great charisma, pass it through arms and legs, muscle his way through guards, and practically defy the laws of probability on a good night.

He didn’t just start doing that. He’s been doing it since he was young. In fact, he entered the NBA at eighteen, right out of high school, bypassing a college career completely.

I remember the naysayers—he’s not good enough, he’s not old enough, he doesn’t have enough experience, in the NBA he will have lots more competition, he’s not that good. I remember all those comments because I wrote them. I do closed-captioning for television, and commentators love to beat up on famous people. Actually, maybe it’s not so much beating up on people, but I cringe at times when I hear what ruthless so-called experts say, thinking how I would feel if they were saying that about me.

Marketing is really a game. It’s a big game made up of players, managers, owners, referees, commentators, and the “crowds” that watch, whether it’s in a stadium, in the galley, in the stands, or in a gymnasium. Somewhere everybody fits. Those that don’t enjoy sports, well, I guess you just miss the game.

But let’s pretend you are a sports fan even if you aren’t. I use Lebron James as an example because he is a marvelously successful basketball player. He has done it all—except one thing that he wants more than anything else. He wants to win an NBA championship.

Why hasn’t he done that yet?  After all, he’s been a professional basketball player now for years. Were all the naysayers right? 

Even the best basketball player in the world can’t win a championship all on his own shoulders. When Lebron James was with the Cleveland Cavaliers, he tried. He did everything in his power to make it happen. He came close, but in the end he failed.

As I am writing this, the Miami Heat is playing the Chicago Bulls for a bid at the championship. I don’t know who will win—I am pulling for Miami for Lebron’s sake, even though I really like Joakim Noah for the Bulls (He showed up at my daughter’s nine-year-old birthday party and surprised us all.

Games are not meant in large part to be solitary sports (except for a few like tennis). To win, it takes cooperation, commitment, hard work, perseverance, and team participation by everyone.

I have captioned hundreds of games in various sports, and afterwards, the reporter usually interviews the most valuable player and the coach. He will also interview the losing coach and one of the best-losing players if time permits. It’s always interesting to hear what each coach says, and I especially love to hear the players’ thoughts.

After the game, all the reporters from the various sports news agencies will gather in a press room, and the star players and coaches will sit at a long table. The press conference often includes a bunch of “stupid” questions. Usually with grace, the players and coaches will endure the battery, probably remembering that paycheck (in the pros), and those in college get a taste of the limelight.

But for those teams who are successful, it goes so much deeper than that final winning shot. It goes back to hours of practice and sacrifice; learning to play together as a team, the quirks of fellow teammates, what makes them tick and what ticks them off; and encouraging each other on how to make the other person’s game better. It’s about “dying to self” and embracing the concept deep down that it’s not “all about me.” And sometimes you have those phenomenal athletes like Tim Tebow who openly give the glory to God for their success.

How does this tie into the John 3:16 Marketing Network? Each author who has joined the network will admit to the dream of wanting to be a best-selling author. And in the John 3:16 Marketing Network, this is achievable for an unknown author in subcategories. It has happened on Amazon several times in the eight months we have been in existence.

But I want to remind the reader that the ultimate goal of the network is to bring glory to God through promoting a Christian worldview in the best-seller categories on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or the New York Times. If we remember the ultimate goal is to glorify God, we can have a “winning team.”

That means we rejoice when someone else wins an award, snags a contract, receives a glowing review, or achieves something for the first time he or she never thought possible. We die to our self, not wishing it was us instead. God has a path for each one of us. As a Body of Authors, we can help each other to achieve success on whatever path God sets before us. For some, that might mean selling only a few hundred books. For others, that might mean selling thousands. The outcome is not ours to control. We unselfishly commit our way to being part of a winning team, not counting the costs in personal sacrifice, but the ultimate cost of winning souls. That is the real game in Christian marketing.

It’s not always the outcome that matters, but the process through which we achieve it. If we focus on the outcome and disregard relationships as we strive for that elusive finish line, we probably won’t succeed. It’s just too hard. Winners have learned they need others’ help to succeed. This is the philosophy behind the John 3:16 Network.

Recently, an author complained to me, “I feel like I have given out so

much and gotten so little in return.” She cited some examples and I could relate to her sentiments of being slighted. We have all experienced it. None of us are immune because it’s not in our nature to ignore the hurtful things people do to us—even when it’s unintentional.

My email back to her was this:

God will return tenfold what you give out if you don’t keep score. He doesn’t forget. Think about all the people who have helped you and you weren’t in a position to return the favor.

Believe me, you will receive it back in miraculous ways, and it’s always better than what you expected, perhaps from a different source. But you need to have a short memory to allow God to have a long one.

The John 3:16 Marketing Network is about a lot more than selling books. It’s about being a winner--dying to self, caring about others, and encouraging each other in the journey. With the right attitude and the gifts God has given us, I have no doubt that many in the John 3:16 Marketing Network will achieve great success as far as book sales.

But there are also other kinds of success not measured in dollars and cents—in relationships, networking, gaining knowledge and skills.

I don’t want to walk away from the marketing game because it’s too hard. I don’t want to sit in the stands watching others sell their books while I languish because I don’t know how. I don’t want to be stuck on the bench because I am injured—whether it’s my hurt feelings or pride that has tainted my attitude and made me selfish. And I don’t want to be a commentator finding fault with everything someone else has done wrong. I don’t want to be a referee—I just want to play. And those commentators out there—I can hear it from the naysayers. They probably think I am just a little crazy. Well, guess what? My kids would probably agree with you (but they love me anyway).  

Here we are all winners. We have taken that first step in successful marketing—networking. Don’t miss out during this membership drive. Prayerfully consider what you can offer to others.

From Wednesday, May 18^th through Tuesday, May 24^th, we are hosting a membership launch featuring some of our members in a blog tour. Our Facebook party will include many events which you won’t want to miss. Mark your calendar—Tuesday, May 24, 8-9pm EST, when you will have an opportunity to win eight free books. During that hour, we will have members online to answer your questions, and we will be offering tutorials on how to do some technical operations for internet marketing. These tutorials/tips will include:

1.      How to upload a .jpeg to Facebook/blog

2.      How to resize a .jpeg and load it Facebook/blog

3.      How to copy and paste widgets on websites

4.      How to set up a twitter account.

The information will be useful whether you apply to the John 3:16 Marketing Network or not.

In addition to an opportunity to win eight free books, on Tuesday, May 24^th, if you submit an application to join the John 3:16 Marketing Network , you will be able to download free e-gifts.

For more information on the John 3:16 Marketing Network and to submit an application, please visit my website at Lorilyn Roberts.

Again, Tuesday, May 24, will be the membership launch day. If you summit your application on Tuesday, May 24th, you will be able to download free e-gifts offered by some of our authors.

Today on our Blog Tour we will meet Dr. Ray W. Lincoln.

The Author Jeopardy Question to win R. W. Lincoln’s new book INNERKINETICS™  during the Facebook Party on Tuesday, May 24, 8-9pm EST, will come from our discussion below:

                                                

Ray W. Lincoln is the bestselling author of I'M a KEEPER and is the founder of Ray W. Lincoln & Associates. Ray is a professional life coach and an expert in human nature. His 40 plus years of experience in speaking, teaching, and counseling began in New Zealand and have carried him to Australia and the United States. He speaks with energy and enthusiasm before large and small audiences. It was not by accident that he became the international speaker and coach that he is today and acquired the ability to guide so many to a happier, healthier, more fulfilled life. Ray has studied extensively in the fields of Philosophy, Temperament Psychology, and Personology. A member of the National Speakers Association, his expertise has been used as a lecturer and professor, teacher and keynote speaker, seminar presenter, counselor, and coach. He teaches and leads in staff trainings, university student retreats, and parents' educational classes, as well as other seminars and training events. He also trains and mentors teachers and other professionals and executives -- all with the goal of understanding our own temperaments and those of others.

His wealth of background is revealed in colorful, graphic language that keeps listeners glued to his every word. The personality that developed from his vast experience unfolds in the pages of I'M A KEEPER and in his newest work, INNERKINETICS™

.

Question: In your book, InnerKinetics™, you talk about strengths and weaknesses of people. What do you think is the number one reason why people fail to develop their full potential?

Ray W. Lincoln: The number one reason is: They focus on their weaknesses. When a weakness is identified, they set about trying to get rid of that weakness by focusing on it and trying to eliminate it. They are focusing on a negative, and focusing on the negative cannot produce positive results.  Our instruction is: “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8)  It doesn’t sound to me like we are instructed to focus on our weaknesses.

Closely akin to this reason is that they do not understand themselves and have not identified their strengths. Many interpret skills and talents as strengths. While these may have developed as the result of strengths, they may also have developed apart from strengths. Take the person who is very skilled in technical analysis and is paid well for it but who hates the task and, if employed in that occupation, is very unhappy at their job. They have developed a skill, but it is not their strength.

Let’s define what we mean by strengths. These are urges and drives that are innate to our being. When we are using our strengths we feel energized and are fulfilled when we use them and develop them further. They provide energy to our lives and the activities wherein we use them even when we are short on the physical energy normally needed. These urges and drive are strengths. We need to identify them, because their use is what brings fulfillment to our lives. I have provided a Temperament Key that will help individuals to determine their God-given strengths and provided it within InnerKinetics™ along with guidance in how to develop the strengths once they are identified.

Once identified, focusing on the strengths provides positive energy, positive direction and creativity in their use. Focus intensifies and directs our mind’s power. Just as a magnifying glass focusing the sun’s light on a piece of paper or dry leaves will ignite the fuel, so focusing on our strengths will ignite a fire within us that will provide what we need to reach our potential.

As a follower of Christ, I believe in the Bible’s statement that we are created in the image of God. He created us and he gave us NO weaknesses. He is not in that business. How can we be created in His image and be created with weaknesses?  Furthermore, He created us for a purpose. The strengths He gave to each of us that reflect His image He gave for that purpose — the purpose for which he created each of us in the first place. Our strengths, gifts, and talents are all given with the achievement of that ultimate purpose in mind. However, we must develop them by identifying what He has done in creating each of us and then by focusing on them to reach our highest potential. (I have provided a Temperament Key within InnerKinetics™ that will help individuals to determine their God-given strengths, along with guidance in how to develop the strengths once they are identified.)

Don’t forget, during our Author Jeopardy Game, you will have an opportunity to win      Tuesday night, INNERKINETICS™, May 24, 8-9pm EST during our Facebook party at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Christian-Book-Launches-John-316-Marketing-Network/145412252147289

Friday we will be featuring Roaches That Eat Your Best-Seller Dreams—Part Three of Six, from the John 3:16 Marketing Network. Our guest author will be Dr. Robert McGinnis hosted by J.D. Holiday (on her website).

If you missed yesterday’s post, Are There Secret Formulas or Short Cuts for Making the Best-Seller List on Amazon? Part One of Six, you can read it at http://lorilynroberts.blogspot.com

To learn more about the blog tour, free e-gifts, and books being offered for the Author Jeopardy during the Facebook Event on Tuesday, May 24, 8-9pm, please visit http://www.lorilynroberts.com/john_3_16_marketing_network.html

Are There Secret Formulas or Short Cuts for Making the Best-Seller List on Amazon? Part 1 of 6, John 3:16 Marketing Network

Are There Secret Formulas or Short Cuts for Making the Best-Seller List on Amazon?

John 3:16 Marketing Network

Part One of Six

?  + ? = ?

By Lorilyn Roberts

If I knew of a secret formula, I would be a millionaire—and so would you, because secrets promising success don’t remain secrets for long.

There is one sure road to the best-seller list, provided you have a good book, and that is hard work and networking. I don’t know of any other way to do it. What I have discovered, however, is many authors spend a lot of time and money in less productive ways, thus coming away feeling discouraged and defeated.

Examples of comments I have heard include: “I can’t get anyone to review my book,” “my sales are non-existent,” “I don’t know where to begin,” “I spent money doing ‘this thing’ and got no results.”

You also have heard this if you have been marketing for a while. I could tell some fabulous tales of “drain holes” I thought would work and didn’t.

One of the reasons I made becoming a member of the John 3:16 Marketing Network free is so people would not feel like they paid for something and got less than their money’s worth; and most authors don’t have a lot of extra money (like me). 

I also didn’t start the John 3:16 Marketing Network to become a marketing guru. God gave me the vision, but He gave me the passion to write. But without a way to promote my writing, I knew nobody would read my books because nobody would know they existed.

I will share a short story about my first book, The Donkey and the King, which I published using a Print on Demand publishing company. When my book arrived, I was ecstatic. I could at last say I was an “author.”

But, sadly, I didn’t know any other authors to share my excitement with and I did nothing to market it. I made no announcement and told nobody about my new book, except my closest friends and family. I did nothing to promote it, not even with people in my church. ZILCH! NADA!

I am sure you are wondering how many copies I sold—maybe ten copies. Yep, I probably made the Guinness Book of World Records for the “worst-selling” book that year. Why didn’t I do something to promote it?  First, I didn’t know how; and second, I was too shy to talk about my own book.

A couple of years later, I went on Amazon to see if The Donkey and the King was listed since as I had never checked. Sure enough, it was there. I had one review by someone I didn’t know with a rating of five stars. That was the first time it occurred to me that somebody out there might like to read my book besides my closest friends and family.

I have gone from that day to this—because God put it on my heart to start the John 3:16 Marketing Network.

The John 3:16 Marketing Network is based on John 3:16 from the New Testament in the Bible: “For God so love the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

To become a member of the John 3:16 Marketing Network requires only two things:

1. You believe in John 3:16.
2. You have an active blog/website.
    

Over the next six days, several of our John 3:16 Marketing Network authors are hosting a guest blog of different authors as part of our twice a year membership launch. Each day I will share a marketing article, and the guest author for that day will share something about herself and her writing career.

Before we are authors, we are people uniquely gifted and loved by God. Once we look beyond what someone does and see him as we see ourselves—a human being with needs, wants, struggles, hopes, and dreams, we can relate to him better and discover things we have in common.

That brings me back to the question and the title of this piece, Are There Secret Formulas or Short Cuts for Making the Best-Seller List on Amazon?

The short answer is no, there are no secret formulas, but yes, there are short cuts to make marketing easier. I will share some of my thoughts and what we do in the John 3:16 Marketing Network to help Christian authors launch their books.

From Wednesday, May 18^th through Tuesday, May 24^th, we are hosting a membership launch featuring some of our members in a blog tour. Our Facebook party will include many events which you won’t want to miss. Mark your calendar—Tuesday, May 24, 8-9pm EST, when you will have an opportunity to win eight free books. During that hour, we will have members online to answer your questions, and we will be offering tutorials on how to do some technical operations for internet marketing. These tutorials/tips will include:

1.      How to upload a .jpeg to Facebook/blog

2.      How to resize a .jpeg and load it Facebook/blog

3.      How to copy and paste widgets on websites

4.      How to set up a twitter account.

The information will be useful whether you apply to the John 3:16 Marketing Network or not.

In addition to an opportunity to win eight free books, on Tuesday, May 24^th, if you submit an application to join the John 3:16 Marketing Network , you will be able to download free e-gifts

For more information on the John 3:16 Marketing Network and to submit an application, please visit my website at Lorilyn Roberts.

Again, Tuesday, May 24, will be the membership launch day. If you summit your application on Tuesday, May 24th, you will be able to download free e-gifts offered by some of our authors.

Today on our Blog Tour we will meet two authors Jay Miller and Sherrill Cannon.

The Author Jeopardy Question to win Jay Miller’s children’s picture book, Sal and Sally,during the Facebook Party on Tuesday, May 24, 8-9pm EST, will come from our discussion below:

Question: Can you tell us a little about yourself.

Jay Miller: I am a retired Electrical Engineer and now spend time writing children’s books. I have been married thirty-three years; have seven children, and 13 grandchildren.

God gives me the opportunity now to bring Him into the lives of young children so they will learn to love Him in fun ways that they can understand. These books will also teach them to have fun reading, while learning to love and respect everyone else and all the Critters that God has placed upon this earth.

Question: Ten percent of the proceeds from your books go to the Grace for Children Foundation. Can you tell us a little bit about what the organization does?

Jay Miller: The Grace Centre project is an integrated, holistic Christian approach to meeting the needs of a broad range of children. Children of all ethnic and religious backgrounds will be accepted, based only upon the recognized genuine need of the family.

Over the past 40 years the families of Ethiopia have suffered drought, famine, civil war and more recently the AIDS epidemic. Families have been stripped of their wage earners, and traditional multi-generational support. Infant mortality is high (16.5%) and literacy low (less than 30%).

Overall, Grace Children’s Centre aims to work together with families to provide a means of improving the lives of their children. This means the children will be given the opportunity to grow up into people who can change their world in a positive way with a hope and vision for the future.

Sal and Sally: ISBN 9781935028130 (ages 3-8)
Book Trailer

Two little fish learn to blow colorful bubbles in the sea. Soon all the other sea critters are learning to blow them, too. Nasty Nick, a hungry long nose cowboy shark, wearing a red cowboy hat, swims up and tries to break up the party, but he is unable to pop the bubbles. He soon tires and decides to head back to Texas, but they convince him to stay and blow tiny bubbles through his long nose. Soon, everyone is blowing bubbles and singing songs of praise to Jesus.

The Author Jeopardy Question to win Sherrill Cannon’s children’s picture book, The Magic Word during the Facebook Party on Tuesday, May 24, 8-9pm EST, will come from our discussion below: 

Question: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Sherrill Cannon: I am the mother of four and a grandmother of nine. All of my books are in rhyme and all teach something like good manners and caring for others. My husband and I just celebrated our 50^th wedding anniversary last June!  We travel in our RV from the East Coast to the West Coast each year to visit our children and grandchildren... sharing my books along the way!

Question: Was there a particular experience that motivated you to be a writer?

Sherrill Cannon:  After I read the story of the Nativity to my granddaughter, she looked at me and asked, "But where's Santa?"  That night the entire story came to me in a dream, and when I sat down to write, the words just flowed—with ideas I hadn't even thought of. I thank God every night for allowing me to write Santa’s Birthday Gift.

Don’t forget, during our Author Jeopardy Game, you will have an opportunity to win      The Magic Word  and  Sal and Sally, Tuesday night, May 24, 8-9pm EST during our Facebook party at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Christian-Book-Launches-John-316-Marketing-Network/145412252147289

Thursday we will be featuring What it Takes to Have a Winning Team, Part Two of Six, from the John 3:16 Marketing Network. Our guest author will be Dr. Ray W. Lincoln, hosted by Paulette Harper (on her website).

Best-Seller Books in the John 316 Marketing Network

The John 3:16 Marketing Network Revolutionizes Christian Book Marketing

by Lorilyn Roberts

 

Your doorbell rings.

“Mommy, it’s UPS,” your daughter hollers from the other room.

You are glued to your chair captioning live television.

“Can you get it, honey?” you yell back.

The front door slams followed by the tearing of cardboard. Your heart thumps faster than it has in a long time. Your fingers sweat on the stenograph machine as you write 260 words per minute. Your body succumbs to a supernova hot flash as you wait…and wait a few more seconds.

“Mommy, it’s your book, and it’s beautiful.”

But you must finish captioning until the next commercial break. Finally, the talking heads stop and you turn around, and there it is—your daughter hands you your labor of love. You forget the late nights working instead of sleeping, the fast food at McDonald’s to save time cooking, and the piled up laundry in the closet.

What is it like to hold your book for the first time and flip through the pages? If you are a published author, you know. You feel like you just gave birth—indeed, you have.
 

You send out a flurry of copies to your family, friends, and share your excitement with everyone with whom you come into contact. You learn how to check your rankings on Amazon and discover your book is rated in the top twenty in two subcategories. You wonder when you will get your first royalty check; and how many books have you sold in the first two weeks anyway?

A month later, the excitement wanes as you see your rankings plummet, you have run out of people you know who want to buy your book, and you can’t afford to give away any more copies.

Now what? The hard work of marketing begins. You must stretch your horizon further than you could possibly imagine. You discover that while writing a book is hard, marketing is even harder. Should you invest the little money you have left to hire a publicist, or pay for a professional email campaign? Should you skimp on the money and just lick lots of stamps for library mailings—or what about the big bucks for radio and TV appearances? You mange to drum up a few public appearances close by and sell quite a few books in the process, but you can’t travel far because you need that day job to pay your bills.

If any of this sounds familiar, know you are not alone. Most of us have tried some if not all of these things and probably dozens more.

But one day my floundering marketing efforts took me on a different path. I was listening to a one-hour marketing seminar by Steve Harrison with guest speaker Peggy McColl about how to become a best-selling author on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

And my dream was born. I said to myself, “I can do this.” As I was contemplating how to begin, God refined my dream by giving me a vision beyond anything I could have imagined. The more I thought about it, the more I became convinced that God was leading me to try something new—something which had never been done in marketing. Why not have a network of Christian authors to help each other launch books? Why not try to make best-sellers of as many books with a Christian worldview as possible?

But dreams don’t happen without a lot of hard work; and to make it a reality, I needed authors who were willing “to give it a go.”

I wrote a series of articles and contacted Christian authors on Facebook and other social networking sites. Slowly, I built a base of somewhat skeptical but entrepreneurial-type authors. Two months later, in October of 2010, we went live with the John 3:16 Marketing Network and launched our first book, I’m a Keeper, by Ray Lincoln, to best-seller status in multiple categories.

Since that time, I have been blessed to meet on our forum some of the most caring, dynamic, hard-working, educated, and talented authors in the industry. I wanted to share some of their unedited comments and hope that you, too, if you are a Christian author, will catch a glimpse of the potential we have to impact and revolutionize the very underpinnings of internet book marketing.

Thanks to Lorilyn and all our fellow writers, this network has grown significantly. I agree with Mary Jo that our Network will affect the future of Christian publishing. I personally am very grateful for all your helpful advice, prayers and just good ‘virtual’ company.
Fr Serafim – author, Carnival

Although the Network was in its infancy when we did our launch, I am sure that it was a significant part of our success with hitting Bestseller in 5 Amazon.com categories.  The people who we are connecting with are becoming friends even though we have never met face-to-face. I firmly believe this group can have a great impact on the Christian book market.
Ray Lincoln – author,  I’m a Keeper


The John 3:16 Book Marketing Network has been a God catalyst for so many talented authors here.  I have not had the opportunity to enjoy the book launch benefits as mine is already in print (2009) – but I have made some wonderful contacts here and you have blessed me with your unwavering devotion to this group and its success.  Your heavenly concept for this network has certainly been a blessing to so many – you are loved much Lorilyn!
Deborah McCarragher – author, Mission Possible


Apart from achieving #1 best-seller status for my small press novel, Wounded Spirits, the John 3:16 Network has given me peace of mind. As I sit down to work on my next proposal, I have total confidence in writing that I can reach thousands during my marketing campaign. It just doesn’t get much better than that.”
April Gardner – author, Wounded Spirits

“The John 3:16 Network has helped me not only achieve best-seller status on Amazon.com with my second book, Heal the Wounded, but also garnered renewed interest in my debut novel, Shoot the Wounded, that it soared to a #1 ranking on Amazon.ca (Canada), only days after my book launch of HTW!”
Lynn Dove – author, Shoot the Wounded and Heal the Wounded

I didn’t have to face the release day of my first novel alone. As a novice, I feared everything. Would the book be well received? Would it be purchased? Would anyone care? With the John 3:16 network, I knew people cared. They took time out of their day to tweet or post for me–someone they barely knew. They offered gifts in support. Amazing! Because of this generous network, my launch became a day that warmed my heart and reminded me that we serve a God who has a precious plan for us all.
Shellie Neumeier – author, Driven and The Wishing Ring

John 3:16 means support for myself as a new author. It has also been a tool to testify for Christ.  I have a carousel of books from John 3:16 authors on my blog. I change them every 3 or 4 days.  I pull up the John 3:16 page and go down the list of authors, searching on amazon.com by author name. Then I put one of their books on the carousel. Anyone who accesses my blog will see a carousel of books by John 3:16 authors. This is a very quick way to show that a group of Christian authors has banned together for the cause of Christ.
Theresa Franklin – author, A Sunny Tomorrow, release date March 12, 2011

 Having the connection with fellow authors in John 316 gave me the confidence to pursue marketing with more passion, knowing I have the support of such loving friends.
But what I value most is Lorilyn’s willingness to go out of her way to help us out. Her constant support as she brings new ideas, offers new outlets, and points to specific marketing paths.
Thank you so much, Lorilyn!
Janet Perez Eckles – author, Trials for Today, Treasures for Tomorrow

What John316 has meant to me has been a renewal in my draggin’ career. While
I haven’t gotten a new contract, I have made some pretty neat contacts and
met some lovely people. I’ve learned a lot about effective marketing at
online retailers and feel like I’ve been helpful in encouraging and
promoting and using my growing skills with other members of the group.
Lisa Lickel – author, Meander Scar

Last year was my first full year after I released my first novel in December 2009. My promotional plan was to sell thousands of books and the only way I knew to do this was to travel and organize events that people would come to and buy my book. After visiting seven cities from February to November, I decided that that was not the best way to promote my novel. I did sell two hundred copies, but the cost to travel left me far behind the profit ratio. I did have a lot of fun meeting different people, but I didn’t reach my objective. At the leading of the Holy Spirit I took the month of December to look back over my year and devise a plan on how I would promote and sell books. The plan I produced was to seek education from those who could teach me how to increase my sales without increasing my travels in 2011. I asked the Holy Spirit to send me a teacher that could mentor me and teach me how to reach my goal for 2011. His answer to my prayer was Lorilyn Roberts and John 3:16 Marketing; but I have received so much more, which is the way that God operates.

From the first I have loved the energy in this group. The sense of purpose and the unity that’s manifested here almost daily is life giving. And to be connected to bestselling authors is phenomenal! I’m going to release my second book in a few months and I hope that I can be as successful using Lorilyn’s program as the rest of you have. Right now, I’m a little skeptical that it can work for me and I’m frightened that it might. Sometimes the smell of success gets to me like that. I can keep going but I’ll stop now. I love all of you and I love being a part of this dynamic expression of genuine fellowship and partnership. To God be the glory for sending Lorilyn for such a time as this.
Bernard Boulton – author, Do You Wanna be Made Whole?

I have been blessed by reading the emails and seeing how helpful everyone is to one another.
S.E. Gregg – author, The Christian Olympics, and many others

John 316 has meant not being alone. Writing is a lonely business but even when you ‘meet’ people they don’t necessarily believe anywhere close to the same things that you do. This group is a group of believers that uplift each other and support each other. To lose the lonely feeling all I have to do is log on and look at my email and there have been things going on with the group to catch up on or prayer requests. It is just wonderful to know that I have that support group behind me for when I want to talk, need prayer, have something to share, or when I do a launch in the future.  Thank you, Lorilyn, for introducing all of us
Ashley Wintters – author, Shadows From the Past and Shadows of Suspicion

The John 3:16 Network has been fantastic in so many ways. First, through the expertise and guidance of those ‘in the know’, my book MY MOTHER THE MAN-EATER reached best-seller status on Amazon.ca in the romance contemporary category, and stayed there for three days. This is something I never would have been able to achieve without the network. Secondly, this network is very supportive in more ways than just marketing. When like-minded people of faith gather together, a sense of mutual support and concern builds. I am thankful for that. John 3:16 was truly inspired and I thank Lorilyn Roberts for taking her vision and making it a reality.
Tracy Krauss – author, My Mother, The Man-Eater and And the Beat Goes On

Writing and marketing our works can be a lonely enterprise, but it doesn’t have to be. The John 3:16 Marketing Network enables me to gather wisdom from many authors who’ve been there and done that. Thus, I save time, money and frustration by crowdsourcing issues rather than depending upon my limited experiences. Solomon advised us that success and victory result from consulting many counselors. This network gives me an easy way to access these counselors. 
Steve Miller – author, Enjoy Your Money! How to Make It, Save It, Invest It and Give It

In the lonely world of writing, this network has provided encouragement, information and friendship with writers of many different genres. At a time of great changes in publishing when many are turned away from publication because the bigger companies are “full for the year”, John 3:16 offers a variety of choices for authors to learn about non-traditional venues of seeing their writing in print and available to be read by others. It can give hope when others only discourage.
Elaine Cooper – author, The Road to Deer Run

The John 3:16 Marketing Network has helped me a lot with my book launch by giving me a lot of exposure. Even if I didn’t make best-seller status first round, I managed to sell a few books.
The John 3:16 Network has taught me a lot about the Kindle market and other technical issues with Amazon. I have come to know other authors’ work and feel really blessed in reading their books. I was also able to get help in finding the right person in regards to the making of the video of my book and finding somebody to help me with my drawing.  The interview with Donald Parker was amazing. Most importantly, the encouragement, mutual support, and guidance from everybody has been tremendous.
Sana Edoja – author, Loving God

If you are interested in becoming part of the John 3:16 Marketing Network, please visit our informational page at: http://www.lorilynroberts.com/john_3_16_marketing_network.html
 Lorilyn Roberts
Children of Dreams
The Donkey and the King
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This article orignally appeared on the Reflections in Hindsight blog at http://reflectionsinhindsight.wordpress.com/2011/04/11/market-mondays-networking-is-vital/