American Shirley Agudo has been in the Netherlands for almost 20 years. She calls herself a determined writer who has worked hard to be successful in her field. To date she has written six books including several with her photographs, including Bicycle Mania and Hot Pink. She has ghost-written a book on networking, written Here’s Holland and was even invited to write the Fodor guide on the Netherlands. Now fascinated by street photography Shirley has never stopped adding skills to her portfolio. She is a journalist and editor too, and even does PR. Find out more at http://www.bicycle-mania.nl or http://www.shirleyagudo.com. You can follow her on Twitter at @bicyclemania.

Be inspired by her determination by listening to the show here.

This week I speak to PR professional, Becky, again, about how she uses Twitter, Facebook and blogging to raise awareness of the charity she works for and grow her contact base. Her work has to be focused and relevant and the tips and tricks she shares here will help any author to sell more books and increase their profile too.

You can listen to the interview here.

Last year I promoted the Writers Abroad competition Foreign Flavours, and now it’s time for the 2012 competition this time called Foreign Encounters.

Read on for more information:

Writers Abroad will be publishing their third Anthology entitled ‘Foreign Encounters.’ We are seeking submissions of short stories, non-fiction pieces and poetry on the general theme of relationships around the world. The anthology will be print published and later available as an e-book. All nationalities are welcome but contributors must be expat or have lived as an expat at sometime. All profits will go to registered charity, Books Abroad. Word limits: 1700 for fiction, 1000 for non-fiction and 30 lines of poetry. Please visit www.writersabroad.com for more information on how to submit. Closing date 31st July

Apple and Jo FIGT 2012

I don’t know about you, but I do love an epiphany. Those moments when everything comes together and suddenly you have clarity about something.  Look it up in the dictionary and ‘epiphany’ describes an appearance or manifestation, in the most well known case, of the three wise men.  Many also consider this word to convey a sudden intuitive perception or insight often precipitated by a random event.

I had one of these epiphanies recently when I walking through the underpass by King Street station in Alexandria, Washington DC with my good friend, Apple Gidley. Apple, who has just published her first book, Expat Life Slice by Slice, by the way, asked me a question.

“If you could only write one more book, what would it be?” she asked as we pulled our coats closer round our bodies against the wind that whistled through the tunnel.

Immediately my mind was awhirl. Only one more book? That was an impossible thought. As someone who has written at least one book a year for all my adult life, Apple’s question felt like a threat. After a few moments I realised that it had been a gift.

When faced with such choice about what we could write, many wind up disabled, debilitated, unable to write a thing.  Choice, can, in many cases be a curse…  if your life has been interesting and taken you places then you could turn some of your experiences into a memoir, a novel, a series of poems, blogs, articles … but… what to choose and where to start? And so we start nowhere.

Apple, thankfully, narrowed the field for me… What if I could only write one more book…?

Then it struck me. One of those epiphanies I guess, that if I really could write just one more it would have to be the book I wanted to do above all others. Of course, to me the one is the one I’ve been putting off because the thought of it is so darn scary.  You see, I have always wanted to write what I call my ‘Natalie Goldberg/ Julia Cameron/ Anne Lamott book’. (If you have not yet read those writers then I urge you to read Writing Down the Bones, The Artist’s Way and Bird by Bird because they changed my writing life).

Of course, like many epiphanies, it was not the first time that I had come to that realisation.  When I read my old diaries I am ashamed to discover that many of the same Aha Moments ‘epiphanised’ more than once and each time I had moved on and forgotten about them. Shame on me.

Some wise men and women are known to believe that the really important epiphanies persist in returning to bonk us on the heads repeatedly until our heads hurt so much we can ignore them no longer and do something about them.

“Just one more book,” she asked?

This time, on that chilly spring day, putting me on the spot like that was just the catalyst I needed. She wanted an answer and I knew that whatever answer I gave she would hold me accountable for in the future.

Thanks to Apple I have now taken my first step. I am beginning with what I always do to testdrive my ideas – a workshop. I will run my first Natalie Goldberg/ Julia Cameron/Anne Lamott type classes on Mondays in October.  Keep an eye on my workshop diary for details, dates and times.

If you’re suffering from ‘choice fatigue’ aka writers’ block aka procrastination then I challenge you to ask yourself your Apple question today… “if I could only write one more X, what would it be?” And then, don’t just bask in the joy of experiencing an aha moment – take your first step towards making it real.

This week I interview a PR professional who has worked for mainstream publishers in London on getting PR for expat authors. In this interview she shares what she has learned about getting media coverage in the press, radio and on TV as well as how to write a press release.

Listen to the interview here

I am delighted to have been able to interview a highly successful author of an expat book. Someone who is now making a living from his book, who has been a trailing spouse, has agent, publisher and his book translated into more than ten languages. If you are serious about being successful as a writer you need to read this. Chris will be in Amsterdam next week, 26 April, at Waterstones. I hope to go and meet him.

CP: I’d been a New York City book editor for nearly two decades when I followed my wife’s career to Luxembourg, where I tended to household and children and eventually started writing an espionage thriller called The Expats, which was published in early March 2012; the book is at www.facebook.com/expatsbook and I’m at http://www.chrispavone.com.

JP: Tell me about your book. What is it about? Can you describe it in just a few sentences?

CP: An American woman moves abroad, and finds herself in a complex web of intrigue where no one is who they appear to be, and the most profound deceptions lurk beneath the most normal looking of marriages.

JP: Why did you write it? Please give both writerly and personal reasons. I understand you were an ‘accompanying partner’ at the time.

CP: After we’d finally gotten settled, and in between all the housekeeping and parenting and new-life-making, as an accompanying partner I found myself with not only time to write, but also a great selection of material. I started sketching out characters, drawing inspiration from the usually fascinating—yet also sometimes boring—expat world that surrounded me, and the inherent themes of adventure and reinvention, with the tensions of big life changes, and the marital resentments and suspicions that can naturally grow out of the expat circumstance . . . It seemed like expat life was practically invented to write about!

JP: What qualifies you to write this book? What had you written and had published before?

CP:I don’t think anything qualifies anyone to write a novel; fiction stands on its own, without prerequisites. But I’d prepared myself by working in the book world for my entire career, and I’d edited some bestsellers and award-winners, and had ghost-written a couple of books.

JP: Do you feel that your genre, expat crime, if you will, is a new genre? How relevant is it that you chose expats as your theme? There is no expat section in a bookstore, so do you have any regrets about your choice of theme?

CP: I don’t believe that expat crime is my (or anyone’s) genre. I think of the book as a thriller, as a suspense novel that’s mainly about a not-particularly-honest marriage, with espionage and crime that drive a plot, and an expat milieu that provides a backdrop, and introduces some interesting themes.

JP: Who do you think will read your book? What made you think that there was a market for it? If your book has been out for a while, what proof do you have that you were right?

CP: I didn’t attempt to micro-market to any particular segment of readers, nor to analyze the market, but simply to write the best possible book that I was in a position to write. Immediately upon publication The Expats has landed on all the important bestseller lists in America, and it has been reviewed widely and favorably, and rights have been sold in a dozen foreign territories as well as for a major film option.

JP: It does not matter how good a book is, or how good your writing is if no one knows about it. What steps have you taken or do you plan to take to promote your book?

CP: As of typing this answer in late March, I have written 40,000 words—i.e., a third of a book’s worth of text—of promotional material in support of the novel’s publication: essays and articles and Q&A’s for scores of newspapers, magazines, and websites on three continents; I have been interviewed for print and radio and video; I am touring America and will soon embark on a European tour. By the time I unpack my suitcase and return to work on my next novel, I will have spent four months promoting the book full-time (which is about the same amount of time it took to write the first draft of The Expats).

JP: Are you a speaker or trainer? Blog? What social media tools are you using?

CP: I blogged when I lived in Luxembourg, mostly as a way of staying in touch with friends and family in America. I’m not really doing it now, though I am somewhat active on Facebook, and I have a presence on some other social-media sites.

JP: How did you publish your book? Did you find an agent, a publisher or did you publish it yourself?

CP:I work with an agent who I’ve known for twenty years, and the book is published in America by Crown, which is a division of Random House.

JP: Please describe your process and tell us how you found the experience. Is there anything you would definitely do again or never do again?

CP: After I typed “The End” I continued to work on the manuscript for a half-year, with multiple rounds of reviews by highly critical readers, before I sent it to an agent. We then worked on it for three more months before it was ready to submit to publishers. We sold it two days after submission. And finally I continued to work on the manuscript with my editor for another three months before it was set into type. I would definitely do all of this again; the rigor of this process isn’t enjoyable, but it works.

JP: What was your biggest challenge regarding the writing of your book? How have you overcome that?

CP: The abovementioned revision process was excruciating, but I repeatedly reminded myself that this was how I would give the manuscript its best shot of being good and successful.

JP: Now you have written this book, what has writing it done for you, your family, your self-esteem, your bank balance or your business?

CP: I’m incredibly happy, and I’m earning a living for the first time since we left for Luxembourg four years ago. And my eight-year-old twins are immensely proud of me! It’s perfect.

JP: If you were to give advice to someone else who is thinking about writing a book, what would be your number one tip?

CP: There are an awful lot of paths to ruining a manuscript—to making agents and editors and reviewers and readers toss it in the garbage, put it down, ignore it. But I think there’s only one sure way to avoid those paths: be careful and purposeful, about absolutely everything.

JP: And finally, how can people buy your book, in what formats, and what does it cost? Please include any links if you have them.

CP: The Expats should be available wherever English-language books are sold, as well as in e-book. There’s a hardcover edition from the U.K. publisher Faber & Faber, as well as a hardcover from Crown/Random House in the U.S. and their export edition in paperback, plus audio in CDs or as digital download. There’s also a Spanish edition published by SUMA that’s widely available, and before long there will be another dozen translations. Prices vary depending on edition, currency, and retailer. And if you can’t find it, please do send me a note at chris@chrispavone.com!

I talk to Nina Sichel, co-editor of the anthology Unrooted Childhoods, about her second anthology, called Writing Out of Limbo, published in December 2011 by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. Nina teaches memoir in Washington DC, and is a Third Culture Kid herself. She is passionate about the cross-cultural identity and has helped to compile a comprehensive mix of writings about the global nomad experience, as memoir, as reflections, as research and more. The book is perfect for academic circles, for interculturalists, for the teachers of expat kids, for expat counsellors and for the expats themselves. It is more than a primer. It is also a collaboration of four editors based in different places, and with a publisher based on another continent. With contributions from all over the world too this is truly an international collaboration of great merit. Writing out of Limbo is available on Amazon, from the publisher and via good bookshops. You can also contact Nina on nsichel@yahoo.com for more details and follow the story at their facebook page

You can listen to the show here

Anne O’Connell is a freelance writer and trainer, avid traveller and voracious reader. In 1990, she launched her PR career and in 1993, she and her husband left Canada and became expats. After almost 15 years in the PR business she decided to branch out on her own.  In 2007, she began a portable career as a freelance copywriter and in December 2011, will realize her dream of being an author.

Website: http://www.athomeindubai-gettingconnected.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/athomeindubai or www.facebook.com/annethewriter

Twitter: @annethewriter

Blog: www.anne-writingjustbecause.blogspot.com

JP

Tell me about your book. What is it about? Can you describe it in just a few sentences?

AOC @Home in Dubai… Getting Connected Online and on the Ground is what every newcomer to Dubai should have – their very own personal, friendly guide. It’s like I’m holding your hand through the first tough weeks of getting connected to a new city.  I share my experiences on everything from getting a work permit to finding a Wi-Fi hotspot… and even how to connect with a fun sport or social group. Connecting in Dubai can be a nerve-wracking experience but I keep it light with some helpful, and sometimes comical, insights into how to get it done.  Knowing the drill is half the battle and I also include advice from other expats who are happy to share a few ‘how tos’ with readers as well as a slew of online references and resources.

JP

Why did you write it?

AOC I’m a teacher, mentor and helper at heart and I constantly find myself having coffee with new friends or colleagues, helping them over the rough patches whether personally, in their writing careers or getting settled into expat life. I was sending out regular updates on my escapades in Dubai and after several people suggested I write a book about my experiences, to help others going through the same stuff, I thought it was a great idea. Working with Summertime Publishing to start the @Home in… series fit very nicely in the big picture for me.

JP

What qualifies you to write this book?

AOC I’ve been an expat for almost 18 years and spent four years in Dubai. I’ve lived in four different countries and travelled to 25 (most recently Australia so now I’ve officially hit every continent) so I know what it’s like to have to adapt to a new place. After many years in PR and as a writer, I’m an avid researcher and I’ve become adept at finding the best resources both online and on the ground (and I also surveyed other expats who shared their favorites too).

JP

Why do you think your book needed to be written? What will it do for other people? How will it help? Did you have any competition?

AOC Dubai has a hugely transient population with thousands of expats still pouring in every month.  It’s hard to find good solid information on how to accomplish practically anything in Dubai and there’s a lot of misinformation and incomplete information out there which leaves most people floundering.  I personally experienced it and have heard it over and over again from others. I was involved in many organizations, both professional and social, and every time I met a newcomer I heard the same lament.  The biggest thing that makes @Home in Dubai different from other books on Dubai (the ‘competition’) is that it’s chock-a-block full of tried and true, online references and resources and it’s written in a chatty way. The approach I have taken has a warm, personal touch (at least I hope that’s what comes across).  I help readers feel like they’re not alone.  I share my own personal experiences, along with those of many others who have been through the wringer too and then I end every chapter with simple, step-by-step guidelines and a couple of helpful case studies for good measure.

JP

Who do you think will read your book? What made you think that there was a market for it? If your book has been out for a while, what proof do you have that you were right?

AOC @Home in Dubai will be read primarily by smart people J who have recently moved or are planning a move to Dubai (whether first time or veteran expats).  It will also have loads of great information for visitors to Dubai (more long-term versus short term) and I’ve also had people who have been living in Dubai for a while, who reviewed the book before it was published, tell me that it’s even helpful for entrepreneurs and individuals looking for advice on how to get connected (especially the chapters on setting up a business and getting connected professionally). I knew there was a market for it because I was surrounded by people who were always asking for help (as I did when I first arrived). That and the fact that 80 percent of the population in Dubai is made up of expats.  Everyone constantly complained that it was so hard to unearth information on the processes and procedures and as a result it usually took many trips to the respective government entity or service provider to get anything done. @Home in Dubai helps streamline the process.

JP

It does not matter how good a book is, or how good your writing is if no one knows about it. What steps have you taken or do you plan to take to promote your book? Are you a speaker or trainer? Do you have a blog? A website? A newsletter? Do you use Facebook, Twitter or other social media tools? What about press releases and sending out review copies and free articles? Have you had any other ideas? Which methods do you think work best and can you give me any examples?

AOC I have been working diligently to establish my online platform, which I started developing four years ago when I became a freelancer and more recently began enhancing with my ‘new author’ status.  I have a business website (www.globalwritingsolutionsonline.com) that dovetails with the book website (www.athomeindubai-gettingconnected.com) and have a Facebook page for the book (www.facebook.com/athomeindubai) as well as one for me as a writer (www.facebook.com/annethewriter). I’m working on establishing cross-promotions for all of these elements and use Twitter (@annethewriter) and my blog (www.anne-writingjustbecause.blogspot.com) to drive traffic and am researching the possibility of running ads on Facebook as well.  I am working on articles to submit to travel and expat websites and have a list of related blogs I  targeted to send review copies to and/or pitch to do a guest blog. I plan to do a few targeted events in Dubai where I can hopefully speak and do book signings and a press release will go out to a very targeted media list.

JP

How did you publish your book? Did you find an agent, a publisher or did you publish it yourself? Please describe your process and tell us how you found the experience. Is there anything you would definitely do again or never do again?

AOC Well, you know this story well.  I had started a writers group in Dubai called Flamingo Authors, a group of friends who were all in various stages of writing a book (some already published, some self-publishing and some just exploring the idea). We decided to meet monthly as a group and urge each other on.  A couple of the group members had met you before (and I had also read a couple of your books) and suggested that we invite you via Skype to one of our meetings to share how the book writing/publishing process works. We had a great session, which led to your visits to Dubai to deliver some workshops (which I hosted and promoted for you, and filled the room). You and I started brainstorming a few ideas. I was working on a book on Dubai but you pitched the @Home in… series that your company, Summertime Publishing, had gotten the rights to and asked if I would write the Dubai edition.  I loved the idea and jumped at the chance (even though I had to shelve the book I was working on at the time, but I will get back to it).  Since @Home in Dubai my first book it has been quite a learning process but it’s been incredible.  It has shown me that I definitely have what it takes to write a book(s) and with my PR and marketing background I love that the industry has moved towards authors sharing responsibility for their own marketing and PR. Yes, I would do it all over again… if you’ll have me!  I’m also attempting to self-publish a ‘how to’ e-book, but that’s another interview, right?

JP

What was your biggest challenge regarding the writing of your book? How have you overcome that?

AOC I guess the biggest challenge for me was having to put my copy writing business pretty much on hold for the three months it took to write the book. I continued with my existing clients and just had to be very disciplined to get everything done.  I was used to spending a big chunk of my day writing but I had to add at least four hours to that in order to accomplish my goals and meet the deadline.  Fortunately, it was heading into summer and things quiet down in Dubai during that time.  I also spent a month at a cottage in Northern Ontario following that, which was a perfect place to do the first round of edits.

JP

Now you have written this book, what has writing it done for you, your family, your self-esteem or your business?

AOC It’s been all very positive. I’ve dreamed of being an author, so for me, it’s a dream come true. It’s inspired me to dust off other book outlines I’ve had lurking in my computer for a long while.  I even signed up for NaNoWriMo in an effort to get my first novel done.  Of course, my family is very proud of me and even though none of them will be moving to Dubai any time soon, they’re still waiting for their signed copies!  My mom is actually the MT to whom the book is dedicated.  As for my business, writing a book is like doing daily calisthenics for a writer so it’s kept my mind nimble and focused, which can only help.  And, being a published author adds to my credibility.

JP

If you were to give advice to someone else who is thinking about writing a book, what would be your number one tip?

AOC Get a really solid outline done first, then a list of chapter topics followed by a full-on brain dump to get all the ideas that have been floating around your head down on paper (or on your computer).  Then, you’ll be able to sit back and have a look at whether or not you’re really ready.  Oh, and look at your schedule to see if there’s any time in the run of a day or even once a week that you can ferociously protect as writing time. Otherwise, it’s not going to happen.

JP

And finally, how can people buy your book, in what formats, and what does it cost? Please include any links if you have them.

AOC @Home in Dubai… Getting Connected Online and on the Ground is available in paperback or a Kindle version on Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk or even Amazon.ca. Or, you’ll be able to get a PDF version on the website at www.athomeindubai-gettingconnected.com. It will also be available through www.expatbookshop.com and will be distributed to retail stores internationally, so check in your local bookshop.

€14.99 £12.99 $19.99

Jean Grant is an adventurer, a traveler and an expatriate writer, having worked in Cairo, Beirut, Dhahran, and having lived the sweet life in a hamlet in France. She is a dual citizen of Canada and the U.S. and now lives in Lawrence, Kansas.

JP

Tell me about your book. What is it about? Can you describe it in just a few sentences?

JG

The Burning Veil is a novel of love and colliding cultures. Sarah, an American physician, visits the kingdom to decide whether to risk marrying her Saudi Arabian boyfriend, Ibrahim. She clashes with his brother, an Islamist hardliner, as well as with his mother. Ibrahim himself is torn between his love for Sarah and his devotion to his family and culture. There are no easy answers in the fast-moving, contemporary love story.

JP

Why did you write it?

JG

When I lived in the kingdom I met American women who were deeply in love with their Saudi husbands. Sometimes, it did not work out. Often, actually. I wanted to write a more optimistic scenario.

JP

I see that you had support from a writing group and funding too, yes? I’d love to know more about this as it sounds fascinating.

JG

My writing group, here in this small town of Lawrence, Kansas, would meet once a month. We’d feast, and then settle down.  I read several of the emerging chapters to these five or six fellow-writers. It helped. Very much indeed! I won a prize—the annual Langston Hughes Prize for Fiction—and that came with a most welcome five hundred dollars that I have used to buy books on the craft of writing fiction.

JP

Why do you think your book needed to be written? What will it do for other people?

JG

As we become a global society, it’s good to understand the nuances of other cultures. At its heart, Islam is a religion of compassion and mercy. Of course there are bigoted Islamists, but I hoped to show they are not the norm. My hero Ibrahim is “a good Muslim.”

I hope the novel will serve to show what everyday life is like for expats in Arabia.

JP

Who do you think will read your book? What made you think that there was a market for it? If your book has been out for a while, what proof do you have that you were right?

JG

I didn’t consider whether or not there was a market for my book. I’ve always  writing as a gift to myself. I expect to be well paid for writing non-fiction, but fiction I do it to please myself.

JP

It does not matter how good a book is, or how good your writing is if no one knows about it. What steps have you taken or do you plan to take to promote your book? Are you a speaker or trainer? Do you have a blog? A website? A newsletter? Do you use Facebook, Twitter or other social media tools? What about press releases and sending out review copies and free articles? Have you had any other ideas? Which methods do you think work best and can you give me any examples?

JG

I’ve been fortunate in having excellent reviews of the novel in the Middle Eastern Press (e.g. Arab News, Kuwait Times, The Middle East Magazine) and several blogs aimed at expats in the Middle East. Unfortunately, since the book isn’t available in the region, these haven’t helped sales. I’ve done several library talks and book club presentations, but these haven’t led to many sales. On the other hand, I’m always warmly applauded, so that’s fun. What has helped sales more than anything are the many positive customer reviews on Amazon. I am on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, but I don’t see how that’s helped. I’ve won some awards for my writing and send out press releases when that happens, but they don’t get picked up.

http://theburningveil.com

http://twitter.com/#!/THEBURNINGVEIL

https://www.facebook.com/expatjean (my personal site)

http://tinyurl.com/6urfry6 (Facebook page for The Burning Veil)

JP

How did you publish your book? Did you find an agent, a publisher or did you publish it yourself? Please describe your process and tell us how you found the experience. Is there anything you would definitely do again or never do again?

JG

I started with a literary agent and when she couldn’t find a publisher for the manuscript, I decided to go it alone, setting up “Mishmish Press.” I hoped that I’d publish other books as well but I quickly discovered that I’m not a business person but a writer. So it looks like The Burning Veil will be the only book published by Mishmish Press.

JP

What was your biggest challenge regarding the writing of your book? How have you overcome that?

JG I

t took many years to write the novel. I kept putting it aside, or, even worse, changing it. I find it difficult to make decisions, even on behalf of imaginary people, and that’s what a fiction writer HAS to do.

JP

Now you have written this book, what has writing it done for you, your family, your self-esteem or your business?

JG

Writing the book has boosted my self-esteem. It’s a wonderful feeling to see it sitting on the shelf or in a reader’s hands. Almost all writers feel they may be embarrassing their families, and that’s the case with me.

JP

If you were to give advice to someone else who is thinking about writing a book, what would be your number one tip?

JG

As the slogan has it, “Just do it.” Easier said than done. What helps me is to write in 45 minute sessions with a 15 minute treat at the end. And to write without peeking at the world wide web.

JP

And finally, how can people buy your book, in what formats, and what does it cost? Please include any links if you have them.

JG

The book can be ordered through Amazon (amazon.com) in many countries, including its branches in China (amazon.cn), France (,amazon.fr) Germany (amazon.de) England (amazon.co.uk) etc.

Amazon also ships to the Middle East. The book is available in paperback, hardback, and ebook versions. It is also available at <Indiebooks.com> and <barnesandnoble.com> Your bookstore can also order it through Ingram, and Baker and Taylor.

I am delighted to welcome back Jane Horan to share what she learned about book promotion since her book came out last October.

Last year I wrote, “I Wish I’d Known That Earlier in My Career: the power of positive workplace politics” – In the process I learned valuable lessons about book marketing particularly the value and impact of social media.  I wanted to share these tips and surprises with you – one in particular, for those who don’t tweet - start now!  You will be amazed how 12 Tweets a day drives awareness, recognition, and book sales!

A few years ago, I founded The Horan Group, a consultancy focusing on cross-cultural leadership, uncovering bias, navigating politics and managing career transitions and re-entry.  My clients include Fortune 500 companies, NGOs, and academic institutions ranging from financial institutions, entertainment, hi-tech, and consumer products. Now living in Singapore, I have lived, worked and studied across the Asia Pacific Region for two decades, and previously worked with Disney, CNBC and Kraft in talent, leadership and organisational development.

So you’re writing a book, now what… start marketing early!

1)    Build a solid and strategic marketing communications plan covering all touch points; radio, blogs, micro-blogs, television, and news articles.

2)    Blogs & Blogging: six months before your book is published, start writing a blog about your topic, find ways to connect this topic to relevant news articles, give tips and tools from the book (if your publisher agrees) to build momentum and followers.  Or offer to be a guest blogger for others.

3)    Twitter: three months before your book is published, start tweeting, providing tips, tools and insights on your topic.  Scan news articles and blogs that link to your topic and tweet regularly.

4)    Develop a blog & twitter workout: Discover best times for both and be consistent, blog once a week or every other week on the same day. Tweet 12 times a day and consider spreading your message by using “bufferap” for synchronized tweeting.

5)    LinkedIn: Link your blog and twitter to LinkedIn, join LinkedIn groups post links to your blog or present questions to the community about a topic from your book.

6)    Facebook; One month before your book is published, set up a facebook page for your book and don’t forget to direct others to this page.

7)    Public Talks: Join the speakers circuit, speak at conferences, or give talks to professional groups – Chambers of Commerce, Professional Groups and communities

8)    Expand your network across social media platforms, if you’re writing on Human Resource topics; find a way to link this topic to marketing, leadership, talent or customer service. Cross post interesting articles on your topic of interest.

9)    Do your homework and practice your pitch! Practice, practice, practice to ensure you are ready for media events. Have your “30 second” story down and don’t fumble – be able to answer succinctly, what is the book about and why you wrote it?

10)Learn the etiquette of social media – it’s not always about you – share and add value by providing relevant, timely, insightful information on your book, of course.

11)Plan ahead and ask for testimonials on your book early!  Think broadly and diversely on endorsements; consider business leaders, academics, experts, and NGO’s,

Once published:

12)Host a book launch event; invite the press, friends, family, clients, and colleagues to thank those that helped you along the way!

13)Set up your Amazon web page and link this page to your blog