Book Marketing Tip of the Week
April 17, 2007: Daffy Duck's Birthday
Stone Soup for the World Day

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In this issue . . .
-- ABA Journal
-- reviews and distribution
-- National Parks magazine
-- BlueRectangle's Book Reviews via video
-- Christian Work at Home Moment talk radio
-- Book Marketing Network and Blogs
-- Another great book trailer

ABA Journal
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This lawyer's magazine is the monthly journal of the American Bar Association. Send information to the ABA Journal, American Bar Association, 321 N Clark Street, Chicago IL 60610; 312-988-6018; Fax: 312-988-6014. Email: abajournal@abanet.org. Press releases email: releases@abanet.org. Web: http://www.abajournal.com.

Reviews and Distribution
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Question: Are you aware that Shelf Awareness will not review any books from a publisher that does not have a distributor? They were going to review a galley I sent them and when they looked up our distributor, they canceled the review. The more I learn about this business the angrier I get. And no one tells the truth about it all. You have to learn it from the back tables. I spent a small fortune this year in galleys only to find out that this is normal procedure and it sucks.

John's Answer: I apologize if I have not made this clear in my book. You can't expect any legitimate reviewer to review a book that does not have distribution -- at least not reviewers who are reviewing for the bookstore market like Shelf Awareness, Publishers Weekly, etc.

But that doesn't mean that there aren't many other venues for reviews, interviews, book excerpts, etc. Look for those websites, bloggers, and magazines that are targeting your potential audience. Go for them. Stop trying to get reviewed in magazines that couldn't care less. Sorry, I know that's blunt, but practical.

I know many books that have sold hundreds of thousands of copies and were never reviewed in any major magazine, showcased on any TV show, etc. Their authors and publishers found other ways to make sales and get noticed.

National Parks magazine
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This quarterly magazine is published by the National Parks Conservation Association, Circulation: 290,000. The winter 2006 issue featured an excerpt from Ruth Rudner and David Muench's Our National Parks.

Send review copies to National Parks, Linda Rancourt, Editor-in-Chief, 1300 19th Street NW #300, Washington DC 20036; 202-223-6722. Email: npmag@npca.org. Web: http://www.npca.org.

BlueRectangle's Book Reviews via video
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BlueRectangle.com, a website hosted by Pacific Book Exchange, features reviews of books by consumers via video. For example, see one woman's review of The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell: http://www.bluerectangle.com/reviews/view_one_review/2027.

Reviewers currently are taped only at their Oakland, California offices. Anyone can contribute reviews if they will be in the area. To contribute a review, email jessica@bluerectangle.com.

Here are a few Q&As from their website:

Q. If I wrote a book, can I review my own book?

A. Yes, if you think it's bad. We may be adding an author interview section, which would be a more wide-ranging interview. Not just about one book. So, please feel free to write us if you're an author and would like to be interviewed.

Q. Can I put this content on my own site?

A. You can't copy it without our written permission, but you can become an affiliate for no cost. We will provide you with an account and some code that plugs into your site so you can offer your own section of video book reviews. The reviews change automatically everyday, so your site will always be dynamic with five fresh new video reviews.

If you have other questions, call them at 800-350-7754, ext. 201, or check out their website at http://www.bluerectangle.com.

Pacific Book Exchange is an online bookseller of used books. They buy and sell such books, no charge for shipping. If you have books to sell, you just enter the ISBN numbers and they will send you a postage-paid mailing label to ship them the books. They pay for the books after they receive them. Their packing list will specify what they are willing to pay for the used books.

Christian Work at Home Moment talk radio
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This Internet radio show and podcast, hosted by Jill Hart, features successful work-at-home moms, internet marketers, and authors who share tips on building and marketing a business. For more details about the show, see http://www.cwahm.com/radio/radio-podcast.htm.

To book a guest spot, email Jill at Jill@cwahm.com.

Book Marketing Network and Blogs
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If you haven't joined the Book Marketing Network yet, you're missing out on a lot of good content and some great resource people. Join the social network for book authors, publishers and self-publishers now at: http://bookmarket.ning.com. Note: This is a non-commercial website designed to facilitate sharing ideas, resources, and success stories. There are 183 people on the network right now!

Also, if you don't read my Book Marketing Bestsellers blog on a regular basis, you are also missing out on some great ideas. Here are a few recent blog posts:

Need a Website? Here's a Simple Way:
http://blog.bookmarket.com/2007/04/need-website-heres-simple-way.html

Distribution with Bookstores:
http://blog.bookmarket.com/2007/04/distribution-with-bookstores_07.html

The best author website I've seen in a long, long time:
http://blog.bookmarket.com/2007/04/
best-author-website-ive-seen-in-long.html

In Praise of a Blank Cover:
http://blog.bookmarket.com/2007/04/in-praise-of-blank-cover.html

M-Books: Mobile books from Moka.com:
http://blog.bookmarket.com/
2007/04/m-books-mobile-books-from-mocacom.html

Mashable.com social networking news:
http://blog.bookmarket.com/2007/03/mashablecom.html

Another great book trailer
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Micheal Lane just sent me a link to a book video he created to promote his new inspirational novel, The Wisdom of Yawdy Rum. Check it out. Nicely done. Web: http://www.micheallane.com/Yawdys-wisdom.html.

Copyright © 2008 by John Kremer
Email: JohnKremer@bookmarket.com

Open Horizons, P O Box 2887, Taos NM 87571