tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32413620005283072262024-02-20T23:18:38.846-08:00Blog Book ToursNew books. New authors. New ways to connect.Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.comBlogger218125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3241362000528307226.post-53670331150104754712018-12-14T20:00:00.000-08:002019-08-23T10:06:57.150-07:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsg5fLVKLn2i4zCfM6JdrRIJvkZS4TOzvq3V1WfFGE8ux6q2EhMQ8FKgx2wyjXoPmVsE-bzm5OlK9YmixRoB9FQEQM_Kygvf66wssFudxbaqneawCs8e0Zn2A3MMPdQZChGI6T0GUiKRw/s1600-h/Twitter__What_are_you_doing_-3.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332913665420889890" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsg5fLVKLn2i4zCfM6JdrRIJvkZS4TOzvq3V1WfFGE8ux6q2EhMQ8FKgx2wyjXoPmVsE-bzm5OlK9YmixRoB9FQEQM_Kygvf66wssFudxbaqneawCs8e0Zn2A3MMPdQZChGI6T0GUiKRw/s400/Twitter__What_are_you_doing_-3.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 176px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 340px;" /></a><br />
<span style="color: red;">This post first ran in 2009 - much still remains relevant. I've changed a few things in red.</span><br />
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At the Blog Book Tours class <span style="color: red;">(which I no longer teach) </span>, the next assignments for the month focus on the social marketing groups we all know... and maybe hate. These include <a href="http://www.facebook.com/">Facebook,</a> <a href="http://www.myspace.com/">MySpace</a>, <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/">Goodreads</a>, and <span style="color: #3333ff;">Twitter</span>.<br />
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We're starting with Twitter because it's the fastest, easiest, and most powerful for marketing your other websites. It's also less of a time-suck than the more complex social forums. There are other added benefits about Twitter networking that I'll point out later.<br />
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In a nutshell, Twitter is a micro-blogging site that allows snappy posts of 140 <span style="color: red;">(now 280 + photos, videos, and GIFS - use them!)</span>characters. To participate, you follow other Twitter users and this allows you to see their updates.<br />
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You, in turn, are followed by others and those people can read what you have to say. Keep this scenario in mind, because it's the key to how Twitter works, or how it doesn't if you don't "get it". Believe me, many people don't, and consequently feel it's a waste of time.<br />
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Let me repeat:<br />
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You must follow people to see their updates.<br />
Only <strong>your followers </strong>can see your updates.<br />
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It's crucial you understand this. If you are enthusiastically following thousands of people, but only a fraction are following you back, then only that small fraction sees what you write. Therefore, it's important you spend your efforts offering information that is of value to others, so they will want to follow and read you. <br />
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Now, to get started, and before the following and socializing begins, you need a few things upfront:<br />
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<ol>
<li>An email account that is acceptable on Twitter like yahoo or hotmail</li>
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<li>A name that coordinates with your other website efforts if possible - I use blogbooktours everywhere I can</li>
<li>A small photo for your homepage and post icon</li>
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<li>A well-written short bio</li>
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<li>The website link you will send readers to for more information</li>
</ol>
Now you're ready to set up your Twitter account. Go to <a href="http://twitter.com/">http://twitter.com/</a> and follow the directions, plugging in the information above.<br />
Once you've gotten this far, you're ready to practice entering some updates. Introduce yourself in one, leave a blog link in another, tell us what you're doing today in a third. Do this several times more, perhaps throughout the day, to get Twitter into your conciousness and just to practice writing concise but meaningful messages. Be sure to bookmark your Twitter page to make it one of your regular stops several times during the day, much like checking your email.<br />
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Now you're ready to start following people and have them follow you back. We'll talk about how to do that in the next post. <br />
And then you can follow me <a href="http://twitter.com/blogbooktours">@twitter!</a><br />
Tomorrow I'll also post helpful links picked up at Twitter to help you even more. One of my favorites is <a href="http://www.twitip.com/">TwiTip</a> for ongoing updates and tips.Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3241362000528307226.post-91874367532887487662013-09-26T00:01:00.000-07:002013-09-26T10:56:21.364-07:00Blogging Tip #1It's easier for your readers if your blog title is the same as your URL. So Blog Book Tours is easy to find at http://blogbooktours.blogspot.com without too much need to memorize anything. Make it easy for your fans!Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3241362000528307226.post-76481011956935135142013-04-01T05:53:00.000-07:002013-04-01T10:25:45.646-07:00Clickable Links in CommentsIt's important for bloggers to visit other blogs, and leave the occasional comment, especially if they like the blog and see it as a potential host for a blog tour. It's also a good idea to leave a nice little clickable link back to your blog at the bottom of your comment post. You've seen those, right? How did the commenter do that, you may have wondered?<br />
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First type this:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix-inKqIsTNkhv2JFgPKh3-GvgjRf2RWELwHECbzVos0a-AcY2DaG3igNBNb9JyRL8aDbpHKN_ECTIUzg8OVVM3_-_aSQ9cVtwchh70QckZCEzvhCbT29VSP_Dd84yglOlul5T3Hz7oIU/s1600/Comment+URL+capture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix-inKqIsTNkhv2JFgPKh3-GvgjRf2RWELwHECbzVos0a-AcY2DaG3igNBNb9JyRL8aDbpHKN_ECTIUzg8OVVM3_-_aSQ9cVtwchh70QckZCEzvhCbT29VSP_Dd84yglOlul5T3Hz7oIU/s320/Comment+URL+capture.JPG" /></a></div>
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But replace <span style="color: red;"><a href="http://blogbooktours.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: red;">http://blogbooktours.blogspot.com</span></a> </span><span style="color: black;">with your blog URL.</span><br />
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Then replace <span style="color: red;">Blog Book Tours </span><span style="color: black;">with your name or your blog's name.</span><br />
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My link will look like this when I publish the comment:<br />
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<a href="http://blogbooktours.blogspot.com/">Blog Book Tours</a><br />
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Even though I pasted in the entire string in the red box above. And it's clickable, isn't it?<br />
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Now copy and save this tip for future use. Paste the entire string as your signature in a comment window and you should get a live clickable link when it publishes.<br />
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Go try it in the comment section of your own blog to make sure it works for you! It may sound a bit confusing, but it's really not.Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3241362000528307226.post-38074954522323738852013-01-15T11:14:00.000-08:002013-01-15T11:19:24.818-08:00The Ever-Popular Thank You Note<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGQCN_84I7tel4-oAv2TKLZNQCrO-05IRoijykceDy3Hq6-4a3HwBCKSlMkkx0H0dJhyljsgtWa9qQ7iRqqFJz7ksRg5N04Q_MtvqYujzph_95YKa1ZmY8VPXR9jfxUwcp9XGWwaEa_rk/s1600/Thanks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGQCN_84I7tel4-oAv2TKLZNQCrO-05IRoijykceDy3Hq6-4a3HwBCKSlMkkx0H0dJhyljsgtWa9qQ7iRqqFJz7ksRg5N04Q_MtvqYujzph_95YKa1ZmY8VPXR9jfxUwcp9XGWwaEa_rk/s1600/Thanks.jpg" /></a></div>
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Do any of us ever tire of getting a thank you? I don't. This one just landed in my e-mailbox for my participation in a blog book tour, and it's the final step in a successful one.<br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-size: 12.7273px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Hello all,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 12.7273px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 12.7273px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-size: 12.7273px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">I just wanted to reach out one more time and thank you all so much for your wonderful posts for last week's blog book tour for <b><i>Spaghetti is NOT a Finger Food</i></b>. The book is off to a great start, thanks in no small part to your efforts. Each one of you took the time to put together a thoughtful and interesting post, and all together this added up to seven days of unique insights, original approaches, and interesting comments.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 12.7273px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 12.7273px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-size: 12.7273px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Those of you who hosted a giveaway, remember to send me the name and email address of the winner, so we can give them <i>a </i>gift of the book.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 12.7273px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 12.7273px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-size: 12.7273px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Again, you were great to work with. I appreciate the time and effort you dedicated to making this tour a great success.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 12.7273px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 12.7273px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-size: 12.7273px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Thank you</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-size: 12.7273px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">, </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-size: 12.7273px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-size: 12.7273px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Khadijah</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Doesn't reading a thoughtful note like that make you feel good? When was the last time you got a really great thank you note from someone? When was the last time you wrote one? Please 'fess up in the comments!</span></span></span></span>Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3241362000528307226.post-31265801844658390702013-01-13T12:23:00.003-08:002022-05-13T10:52:12.789-07:00Promoting a Blog Book Tour with Social Media <div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7273px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
When I'm promoting a blog book tour for myself or another author, my social media procedure goes like this. It's basically what I teach to my blog book tours classes:</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7273px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
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<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7273px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
1. First thing in the AM, go to the host blog and leave a comment</div>
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2. Click G +1 </div>
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3. Share on your FB and Twitter (usually there are share buttons right at the blog)</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7273px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
4. Pin to Pinterest (I have the pin bookmarklet on my dash)</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7273px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
5. Go to the host's Twitter account and retweet other relevant tweets</div>
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6. At mid-day go to the Twitter account and retweet more</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7273px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
7. Go to host's Facebook account and share the book promotion</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7273px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
8. Rinse and repeat in the evening (by then, you should have a shortened URL from somewhere which is handy)</div>
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9. Share on any other social networks you use</div>
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A good blog will make this easy for you and you'll notice most of the share buttons I mention in the photo below:</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPGYLJJAqsIZtZIKG0PbZWSg2uu5SwRdXESbQV5W0aBPf7y-3IkwB89Kw7jtTL9PE7HFv6J9hyaNsuQdeBk3JOWSn08t8kezJWlDUVA4e4oywDas_1kqO61Nfd7AAIG0cHj40UD-5-1-Y/s1600/BBT+social+media+how+to+Capture.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPGYLJJAqsIZtZIKG0PbZWSg2uu5SwRdXESbQV5W0aBPf7y-3IkwB89Kw7jtTL9PE7HFv6J9hyaNsuQdeBk3JOWSn08t8kezJWlDUVA4e4oywDas_1kqO61Nfd7AAIG0cHj40UD-5-1-Y/s400/BBT+social+media+how+to+Capture.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I try to do this at least three times a day because as you know, with as many followers as some of us have, the scrolls roll pretty fast and posts can be easily missed. </div>
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This procedure works very well for anything you're promoting, not just books. The important consideration is frequency over a long period of time - don't post everywhere twelve times in ten minutes! </div>
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End your day by saying thank you to your host blogger! Everyone loves a little appreciation. </div>
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Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3241362000528307226.post-30401676503003622242013-01-12T08:00:00.000-08:002013-01-12T16:03:41.009-08:00Tip of the Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizswYuhQB6kjzsSTa7WUIeNSPt6bEMPVfxC3srmwsODKuk4nGhNNlRGiLNbOVs47EiLMQZJlASBZVOfJFqAd67havbEo7xaE-uZ9HjocUj6jsviyE1wv3wXfWvyssmi0jz0R8f8-k3-sM/s1600/290px-Modern-captcha.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizswYuhQB6kjzsSTa7WUIeNSPt6bEMPVfxC3srmwsODKuk4nGhNNlRGiLNbOVs47EiLMQZJlASBZVOfJFqAd67havbEo7xaE-uZ9HjocUj6jsviyE1wv3wXfWvyssmi0jz0R8f8-k3-sM/s1600/290px-Modern-captcha.jpg" /></a></div>
Turn off blog moderation and word verification, often known as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CAPTCHA" target="_blank">CAPTCHA</a> code, during a daily blogging challenge or blog book tour. I don't find either to be very useful since I monitor my posts daily, and far more often during a busy project. Having these kinds of hurdles in place mostly just keeps people from commenting. Your goal is to <i><b>get </b></i>comments! Make it easy for your readers.<br />
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Happy weekend, everyone!<br />
<br />Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3241362000528307226.post-84473922098095967152013-01-11T13:48:00.000-08:002013-01-11T14:00:08.907-08:00How Often Should I Tweet?It's a common misconception that people on <a href="http://twitter.com/blogbooktours" target="_blank">Twitter</a> will think you are spamming them if you tweet about your new book all day long. But let's look at how repeated messages play out.<br />
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I'm promoting my other blog, the <a href="http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Blood-Red Pencil</a>, like crazy today because I'm hosting a blog book tour stop over there. I'm interviewing Jodi Carmichael about her first chapter book published by <a href="http://www.littlepicklepress.com/" target="_blank">Little Pickle Press</a>.<br />
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So to promote <i>Spaghetti Is NOT a Finger Food</i>, the book in question, makes my Twitter page look something like this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Iol-UiM6a2-3Yh0uuK5NXtFO843A3xSGJuugzbnUTLr3ogG4t6zmPzHX8Qyg7ktNJtSUAckzl3p4s0vSjGZ1vnzowumskFXROLmhc_-Q-BziVi8uPFUp8Y3wht64bqDUHUQgp_YXYb0/s1600/Twitter+Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Iol-UiM6a2-3Yh0uuK5NXtFO843A3xSGJuugzbnUTLr3ogG4t6zmPzHX8Qyg7ktNJtSUAckzl3p4s0vSjGZ1vnzowumskFXROLmhc_-Q-BziVi8uPFUp8Y3wht64bqDUHUQgp_YXYb0/s400/Twitter+Capture.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
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But it's important to remember that my posts won't run sequentially like this on YOUR Twitter page. They'll be interspersed in your Twitter stream among all the other folks you're following and who are tweeting, and the more you have, the less likely you'll see my tweets sequentially. In fact, if you have thousands of tweeps you're following, you may never see my tweets. So don't worry about looking like a spammer when you promote anything. Does that make sense?<br />
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Of course, I also like to mix it up by re-tweeting other unrelated information, adding some thoughts and quotes, just being a normal, sharing person along with promoting. The more value I add to my Twitter stream, the more people will like me.<br />
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Having said all that, keep in mind that Twitter doesn't like you to re-tweet the exact same thing more than once, so you do have to mix up your words a bit. That can be as simple as posting the same promotion, but with a different hashtag reaching out to various groups. You'll noticed I've used #kidlit as well as #Aspergers. <br />
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Tomorrow I'll talk a bit about HootSuite, which I use to queue up a bunch of posts to release on Twitter when I'm busy doing something else and can't tweet live. It's a handy tool.<br />
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And, yes, this re-tweet is absolutely true today:<br />
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RT <a class="twitter-atreply pretty-link" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/KiteReaders"><s>@</s><b>kitereaders</b></a>: Get "Spaghetti is NOT a Finger Food" for <a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23FREE&src=hash"><s>#</s><b>FREE</b></a> today on <a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Amazon&src=hash"><s>#</s><b>Amazon</b></a>! <a href="http://amzn.to/10P6Okw"><span class="invisible">http://</span><span class="js-display-url">amzn.to/10P6Okw</span><span class="invisible"></span></a><span class="tco-ellipsis"><span class="invisible"> </span></span> <a class="twitter-atreply pretty-link" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/LPP_Media"><s>@</s><b>LPP_Media</b></a> <a class="twitter-atreply pretty-link" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/Jodi_Carmichael"><s>@</s><b>Jodi_Carmichael</b></a> <a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23kidlit&src=hash"><s>#</s><b>kidlit</b></a><br />
Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3241362000528307226.post-45239321189506703292013-01-10T12:34:00.000-08:002013-01-10T12:35:17.631-08:00Sage: Book 1 by Marian Allen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuzwoNGlAybOflY-Tc-Hu_74TluSR1mwFbRBzk0SUY7EgrFUWcO98fX_m24_ehWwODNtHqAfWnLX9wbTV9fsdXDsN-gCeLX1UbwY9tqfObTbF_2k9j3mKh2NI2DQ1wA6f2Gj_F4HPkaTE/s1600/Marian+Allen+Book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuzwoNGlAybOflY-Tc-Hu_74TluSR1mwFbRBzk0SUY7EgrFUWcO98fX_m24_ehWwODNtHqAfWnLX9wbTV9fsdXDsN-gCeLX1UbwY9tqfObTbF_2k9j3mKh2NI2DQ1wA6f2Gj_F4HPkaTE/s1600/Marian+Allen+Book.jpg" /></a></div>
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One of our pals at the BBT Cafe, Marian Allen, has just released her new Kindle book and we're please to help spread the news! You can buy and download a copy of the book for $3.99 <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fall-Onagros-Sage-Book-ebook/dp/B00AYF6546" target="_blank">here</a>. I love the cover and font.<br />
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When you go to the page, you'll notice something very important. Scroll down a ways and you'll see a "tags" category. If you're an author, get those filled in right away. Not only does it give you control over how your book contents are labeled, you'll increase your searchability at Amazon. The author or her publisher has done this and it looks like this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMWPkqZppRQ1rCoan4Bl9rVrVFztMbH1r8iXQBD8oMuujkBR2fbhgMiOmi9cAxsIyds1T5MlYCCXKAINA4ymflF-6E_69NoicMqzVwZCleSHKvZASZjP7IcJk41cRhmBNJyRy-pjsF_Yc/s1600/Amazon+Tags+Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMWPkqZppRQ1rCoan4Bl9rVrVFztMbH1r8iXQBD8oMuujkBR2fbhgMiOmi9cAxsIyds1T5MlYCCXKAINA4ymflF-6E_69NoicMqzVwZCleSHKvZASZjP7IcJk41cRhmBNJyRy-pjsF_Yc/s400/Amazon+Tags+Capture.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Anyone can add to these tags, but getting a dozen or more in place right away gives you a good deal of control over your own book. Don't miss the opportunity!Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3241362000528307226.post-19703772835511083812013-01-09T12:37:00.000-08:002013-01-09T12:40:41.359-08:00A Permalink Lesson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsnUdjnAWq5pHC1Q2EQlqIPTx5nguLSdvQZ_ftugoGEDaD_PxCEg7jq9gAAzBpjsxU5gIEFw6hf07fNzmoM-NFoCKDkXHGXiepDtR2GzRMf_pgcUrsNmfjF-jC2ISP24_79ixo-14muk0/s1600/regina-brett-not.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsnUdjnAWq5pHC1Q2EQlqIPTx5nguLSdvQZ_ftugoGEDaD_PxCEg7jq9gAAzBpjsxU5gIEFw6hf07fNzmoM-NFoCKDkXHGXiepDtR2GzRMf_pgcUrsNmfjF-jC2ISP24_79ixo-14muk0/s320/regina-brett-not.jpg" width="251" /></a></div>
Do you like this photo? No, it's not a picture of me. But I'm using it for this lesson about permalinks and their importance during a blog book tour.<br />
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Let's use Pat Bean's terrific travel blog as our example. Pat's blog URL is <a href="http://patbean.wordpress.com/">http://patbean.wordpress.com/</a> which gets you to the main blog page. But if I wanted to have a record of the specific blog post titled, <i>Life Lessons</i>, I'd click on the title and get this expanded URL:<br />
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<a href="http://patbean.wordpress.com/2013/01/05/life-lessons/">http://patbean.wordpress.com/2013/01/05/life-lessons/</a><br />
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That unique post "address" is what we call a <b>permalink</b>. When you're on a blog book tour, having these unique links to your guest post after the blog goes live, is a good way to promote your book in the future. But only if you can find that post again, and on a very popular and busy blog, that can be a challenge.<br />
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Copy and save your permalinks the day the host blog goes live with your blog book tour stop. You'll be glad you did! If you like the picture of this old broad, go to Pat's blog and read about her. And don't believe everything you see.<br />
<br />Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3241362000528307226.post-1400734710383720582013-01-08T15:09:00.001-08:002013-01-08T15:09:52.095-08:00Blog Popularity and PageRank<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvRLJxkde0X-BsovfNLm-wn_Fe8jH3BP5vQOZ7YA3PNQDhfluFgS3LZoBdXIVC3c2u9hDDZgHA4vjK2mDyHG_PReGJZpsMMslvq3A6byryEJqn9dxCQSpnU19D8WKuePj6Opa2jK1pnSQ/s1600/Google+ranking+images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvRLJxkde0X-BsovfNLm-wn_Fe8jH3BP5vQOZ7YA3PNQDhfluFgS3LZoBdXIVC3c2u9hDDZgHA4vjK2mDyHG_PReGJZpsMMslvq3A6byryEJqn9dxCQSpnU19D8WKuePj6Opa2jK1pnSQ/s1600/Google+ranking+images.jpg" /></a></div>
Blog popularity, or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PageRank" target="_blank">PageRank</a>, is an important part of choosing blog book tour hosts. You want publicity on sites that are noticed by search engines and real people alike. But how do you check a blog's ranking?<br />
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I use <a href="http://prchecker.info/" target="_blank">PR Checker</a> which works for all search engines. It's easy. Just type in the URL for the blog you are vetting, complete the word verification, and you get a rating between 0 and 10.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6HD0LGdAASPv-JjGWiYDKO4cpQHPunZANID_oWGDX6IeqUqxM0J3YrRbBlOFiwSQTgtIa6Zl64tK5GGSctT0SsNHb-qH5gobgAfNtj_nKvJz-RZ4FTOYUXnnuJ8dL3ytPNWRcxmgaBYs/s1600/PR+Checker+Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6HD0LGdAASPv-JjGWiYDKO4cpQHPunZANID_oWGDX6IeqUqxM0J3YrRbBlOFiwSQTgtIa6Zl64tK5GGSctT0SsNHb-qH5gobgAfNtj_nKvJz-RZ4FTOYUXnnuJ8dL3ytPNWRcxmgaBYs/s320/PR+Checker+Capture.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Most good blogs are rated between 3 - 5, but rarely higher. They will probably be good hosts for your blog book tour stop. Even a 2 ranked blog might be a good choice if it matches the niche market of your book. As you discover blogs you like, and when you think they will be good matches for your book, vet them at PR Checker and then add them to a running list you'll use later. A little work each day makes planning a blog book tour much easier when the time comes!<br />
<br />Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3241362000528307226.post-40436441774283550622013-01-07T09:53:00.000-08:002013-01-07T09:53:35.019-08:00Spaghetti Is Not a Finger Food Blog Book TourThe best way to learn how to build your own blog book tour, is to follow one in action. Here's one that is kicking off today at Little Pickle Press. See the entire schedule <a href="http://blog.littlepicklepress.com/p/our-blog-book-tour-schedule.html" target="_blank">here</a>. Why not stop at each guest blog over the next week and see how it works? You can practice leaving comments and sharing the blog post on your social networking groups. Here's more information from today's host:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNIorITBhYnKFlBhNykuDu9GWwXqEVVObE8UmF_wgxOFRUIIpB4d0qdAYj92TCtmFukSOmvCRPiOVntc8I3t_4leRj8vZ50DktspKrw5Em3eBUCcRK5vMS5Rt29WlbG-CUNnd2ZsgemlQ/s1600/Spaghetti+Kick-off+BBT+Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNIorITBhYnKFlBhNykuDu9GWwXqEVVObE8UmF_wgxOFRUIIpB4d0qdAYj92TCtmFukSOmvCRPiOVntc8I3t_4leRj8vZ50DktspKrw5Em3eBUCcRK5vMS5Rt29WlbG-CUNnd2ZsgemlQ/s640/Spaghetti+Kick-off+BBT+Poster.jpg" width="388" /></a></div>
<br />Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3241362000528307226.post-71528091773371425772013-01-06T01:13:00.000-08:002013-01-06T01:13:00.393-08:00How To Tweet in time for #blogboost<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfr4harpz0SkFnbEfykGzkMtQPGuSHymeooVWS-1Z7pXlc-aQ-ZAEQsCQELbnynqrIPALqlrN67Zbei8cUEv8xdYdIXt_KCEViKjgvocU5zY1EgPIXFWJRQOADnZDXGvPayCiJFUtO3E4/s1600/How+to+tweet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfr4harpz0SkFnbEfykGzkMtQPGuSHymeooVWS-1Z7pXlc-aQ-ZAEQsCQELbnynqrIPALqlrN67Zbei8cUEv8xdYdIXt_KCEViKjgvocU5zY1EgPIXFWJRQOADnZDXGvPayCiJFUtO3E4/s320/How+to+tweet.jpg" width="199" /></a></div>
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If you haven't yet dipped into the Twitter pool (and you must to promote your books!), here's a guide from Kathi Flynn that's available for free on Kindle today (1/6/2012) and tomorrow. Download it now by clicking <a href="http://www.amazon.com/How-Tweet-The-Basics-ebook/dp/B00ANG0GPU/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1357420215&sr=1-1&keywords=how+to+tweet" target="_blank">here</a> and start tweeting!Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3241362000528307226.post-77223574584624792492013-01-05T12:19:00.001-08:002013-01-05T12:19:53.560-08:00Have We Connected?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOLgEyWgKgn17gNhsPNfCQk8rIDRKgIzn6elGZeoZM8Y5l2TvuXOQHs3Jyu36g6UVyAxZs-L1FaN35OnlTZYHineZbUi-f4_3YSogXOB-v7LXemCnkTxSej9gTVCNWKgUc0RbN2K1Ee-M/s1600/connections.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOLgEyWgKgn17gNhsPNfCQk8rIDRKgIzn6elGZeoZM8Y5l2TvuXOQHs3Jyu36g6UVyAxZs-L1FaN35OnlTZYHineZbUi-f4_3YSogXOB-v7LXemCnkTxSej9gTVCNWKgUc0RbN2K1Ee-M/s1600/connections.jpg" /></a></div>
You can join my Yahoo!Group, the <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BBTCafe" target="_blank">BBT Cafe</a>, which is all about blog book tours.<br />
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Join me on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/blogbooktours" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, too.<br />
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Here I am on <a href="http://twitter.com/blogbooktours" target="_blank">Twitter</a>.<br />
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And don't forget <a href="http://pinterest.com/quoe2" target="_blank">Pinterest</a>.<br />
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What about you? Leave me a comment with your links so we can stay in touch!Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3241362000528307226.post-15821381341698860562013-01-04T03:30:00.000-08:002013-01-04T07:28:12.859-08:00Photo Friday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6mxrlnwHPTZyw90vAmA2137XDPcNc7gI2GPQr45xXCHqe9QmTAVc76fCIf_DaSrSE4h4UpyUqPTdXy4J9u-Y4Jn3F1TNUXtscN9n2qTl5WifYQL6wyhNYyJu0i7b7pPwaPhxYJIcRsTY/s1600/Pippin+Planking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6mxrlnwHPTZyw90vAmA2137XDPcNc7gI2GPQr45xXCHqe9QmTAVc76fCIf_DaSrSE4h4UpyUqPTdXy4J9u-Y4Jn3F1TNUXtscN9n2qTl5WifYQL6wyhNYyJu0i7b7pPwaPhxYJIcRsTY/s320/Pippin+Planking.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Have a relaxing weekend, everyone! Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3241362000528307226.post-6929049492581821332013-01-03T13:12:00.000-08:002013-01-03T13:12:40.963-08:00Break it Up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxrn9EQFzXcxhyphenhyphenk6b7IZDYSj-akENNq2mgLoXUcedOpXwcMzidoumacVBcCnVEBxx5RAPiEfjRJdylmwuiVEu1X3mxsH_hnhTxgGAEH4rlsBSEBePAiAAYc3R_wpPXv1XEJNaE3vkfEqw/s1600/breaking-the-chains-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxrn9EQFzXcxhyphenhyphenk6b7IZDYSj-akENNq2mgLoXUcedOpXwcMzidoumacVBcCnVEBxx5RAPiEfjRJdylmwuiVEu1X3mxsH_hnhTxgGAEH4rlsBSEBePAiAAYc3R_wpPXv1XEJNaE3vkfEqw/s320/breaking-the-chains-10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Yesterday I warned you about blog posts that are too long for your hurried readers. How do you avoid posts that are time-consuming to read quickly?<br />
<br />
First, just write without regard to length. Say what you have to say. But then really look at your writing with a critical editor's eye and notice where you can split the writing into two or more sequential blog posts. This critical eye will get you a week's worth of posts and return visitors in one writing session! With a little practice, you'll see how the mind naturally links related chunks of information that can easily be broken into segments and published over the course of a week.<br />
<br />
I know many bloggers who write their blog posts over the weekend using exactly this approach and you can, too.Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3241362000528307226.post-84343451004621548392013-01-02T16:38:00.001-08:002013-01-02T16:40:35.383-08:00Keep It Short<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnWYAhJPQqIWzfRlQhyphenhyphenJDJTaafNBLqecCZN5caSL2lms8AKnk-wtAPQk6s72_e_7CgjgJjGGDlgoO2b3xjIbMxXCrpPs_8Kj0HqdM3kBAKt1c7tX-DEUVvKhgobMSSMnVFK1GGCtCqmHc/s1600/shorts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnWYAhJPQqIWzfRlQhyphenhyphenJDJTaafNBLqecCZN5caSL2lms8AKnk-wtAPQk6s72_e_7CgjgJjGGDlgoO2b3xjIbMxXCrpPs_8Kj0HqdM3kBAKt1c7tX-DEUVvKhgobMSSMnVFK1GGCtCqmHc/s1600/shorts.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo credit: shopwasteland.com</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
One of the most important tips about blogging is to keep your posts relatively short - no more than 500 words. Blog readers are always in a hurry, and they just won't stick around to read a long post.<br />
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Writing short is easier said than done, especially if you tend to procrastinate about blogging. Sounds contrary to logic, I know, but when you don't blog often, you tend to cram in as much information as you can. Who knows when you'll be back, right? Better say it all now, which usually results in a long and rambling blog post.<br />
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Don't do this.<br />
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Tomorrow I'll explain how you can use this problem to good effect!Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3241362000528307226.post-7835035802462866652013-01-01T11:10:00.000-08:002013-01-01T11:51:34.432-08:00Happy New Year!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-prZkTpcgGNnnw19rqLIBqm134AWPlmWthydj8fVJ59oc3rHdLdFMZb7tM_rv96q6BmQJC6_HjXgYKOBHYS2XSg_MIs0011MFM-9sHi_qs1J-eubYUsJ73FGr0FpILj4dOluQbeh9p9w/s1600/UBC+Image+Ultimate+Blog+Challenge.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-prZkTpcgGNnnw19rqLIBqm134AWPlmWthydj8fVJ59oc3rHdLdFMZb7tM_rv96q6BmQJC6_HjXgYKOBHYS2XSg_MIs0011MFM-9sHi_qs1J-eubYUsJ73FGr0FpILj4dOluQbeh9p9w/s1600/UBC+Image+Ultimate+Blog+Challenge.png" /></a></div>
What better time to spark up a blog than the first day of the year? I've joined the <a href="http://ultimateblogchallenge.com/" target="_blank">Ultimate Blog Challenge</a> because I know from past experience how important daily blogging is to heating up the popularity of a blog. I often include a blog-a-day challenge in my blog book tour classes.<br />
<br />
So what will I blog about for 31 days? How about my journey completing the Blog Book Tours Kindle book? I'll start by offering short daily tips to help you organize your own blog book tour.<br />
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Are you planning to have a blog book tour this year? Leave me a message and let me know what book you'll be promoting! I plan to host a few more blog book tour stops at this blog this year, so if you have a book related to these topics, keep me in mind as a host for your tour:<br />
<ul>
<li>Children's picture books</li>
<li>Cozy mysteries</li>
<li>History mysteries</li>
<li>Organic and environmental non-fiction</li>
</ul>
May we all enjoy the best year ever in 2013! Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3241362000528307226.post-92097000437513768042012-11-16T13:46:00.000-08:002012-11-16T14:32:55.086-08:00Oh, How I Miss You Blogfest<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_95aPYDMfKjuINLja4JZoBqkT-W158RINO0-p6K9xGFAYOyXlhKjlhYgDO5kypT96ziIC18YMbFvXgHlOevC69wDhjPtCebTDyD6Dsrdt3FsZ55E4wgn9KF0cyVR3Z1ly4faWkgyWOWc/s1600/I+Miss+You.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_95aPYDMfKjuINLja4JZoBqkT-W158RINO0-p6K9xGFAYOyXlhKjlhYgDO5kypT96ziIC18YMbFvXgHlOevC69wDhjPtCebTDyD6Dsrdt3FsZ55E4wgn9KF0cyVR3Z1ly4faWkgyWOWc/s1600/I+Miss+You.jpg" /></a></div>
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One of my favorite peeps of all-time, <a href="http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Alex J. Cavanaugh</a>, is an instigator of yet another blogfest. This one I can handle!<br />
<br />
Here are the bloggers I've missed lately:<br />
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Ann Parker who writes the marvelous historical mystery series set in Leadville, Colorado. The <a href="http://silverrushmysteries.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Silver Rush Mysteries blog</a> is so... dead. Ann, where are you?<br />
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My own fault I don't visit S<a href="http://susanalbert.typepad.com/" target="_blank">usan Wittig Albert's blog</a> more. She always has interesting updates about her life in the Texas Hill Country, and what's new with her latest novels. Yes, she usually is cranking out at least three books, and the latest is a novel exploring the life of Rose Wilder Lane and her mother, Laura Ingalls Wilder.<br />
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Another fave blog I miss is <a href="http://www.thecrunchychicken.com/" target="_blank">Crunchy Chicken</a>. I do stay caught up with this author on Facebook, but still... you know that good posts like the most recent one are worth it to fans, right?<br />
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Who would I miss if they disappeared? So many to choose from, but here are three:<br />
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The <a href="http://blog.littlepicklepress.com/" target="_blank">Little Pickle Press blog</a>, because I helped bring it to this state of wonderfulness over the past two years. It's a blog any company can be proud of. I certainly am! If you have children who are readers, do bookmark it and visit often because they have great specials on their new releases.<br />
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I'd also miss <a href="http://patbean.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Pat Bean's blog</a>. Pat travels the country in her little SUV with her pal, Pepper and shares stories of her adventures. She's writing a travel memoir that I'm sure will be a bestseller some day.<br />
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Finally, a group blog because I love them. One of my faves is <a href="http://www.jungleredwriters.com/" target="_blank">Jungle Red Writers</a> because these are authors I read, they post regularly, they write really well. Oh, I'd miss them if they were gone. Please don't go away!<br />
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Okay - onward to discover more great blogs. What are your favorites - leave me a comment!Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3241362000528307226.post-42910476681004939582012-11-05T09:00:00.000-08:002012-11-05T09:03:37.644-08:00Promoting Your Blog Book TourThe first day of a blog book tour is always a bit stressful for everyone involved, because it sets the tone for the rest of the tour. Also important is getting the word out about the blogs hosting you and this is a process that you "work" all through the day, each day of your tour. Here's the basic procedure:<br />
<br />
1. Go to host blog and make sure the post is up<br />
2. Get the permalink (by clicking on the blog post title to expand the URL which is<br />
the unique URL for just that post), then make a shortened link if you are set up<br />
to do that (I use <a href="http://bit.ly/">bit.ly</a>)<br />
3. Leave a comment on the blog<br />
4. Post the permalink or bit.ly to your Facebook page and post a status update explaining a little about the tour stop<br />
5. Share the link with your online groups and mailing lists (no reason your<br />
friends and family can't help, right?)<br />
6. Use the bit.ly on <a href="http://twitter.com/blogbooktours" target="_blank">Twitter</a> throughout the day<br />
7. Share on <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> if you are set up over there<br />
8. Promote all through the day and be certain to drop in on your host blog for the day and check the comments - then join in the conversation. You should be addressing the questions and comments throughout the day as any good host would<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fJBQZajknWk/UJfunoMF0VI/AAAAAAAAEj0/PLgvlvsgKmU/s1600/ripple%27s+effect.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fJBQZajknWk/UJfunoMF0VI/AAAAAAAAEj0/PLgvlvsgKmU/s1600/ripple's+effect.jpg" /></a></div>
Today, <a href="http://www.littlepicklepress.com/" target="_blank">Little Pickle Press</a> kicks off a blog book tour for their new picture book, <i><a href="http://www.littlepicklepress.com/shop?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage_images.tpl&product_id=57&category_id=4" target="_blank">Ripple's Effect</a>.</i> Here's a link to the first host:<br />
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_206901943"><br /></a>
<a href="http://bit.ly/U49qE9">http://bit.ly/U49qE9</a><br />
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You can follow the tour for the next two weeks. The entire schedule is <a href="http://blog.littlepicklepress.com/p/our-blog-book-tour-schedule.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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If you have questions or comments, please share them here!Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3241362000528307226.post-61330756430012140182012-09-10T12:56:00.001-07:002012-09-10T12:56:18.667-07:00A BIG Blog Book Tour<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii_e8R_YHjTt0e3vkUr6jyK7zqmSanhP6j0NoMapepMltiEUf00dz7PqE0ooFSRiuotqnr7IbcR7YZszvEn_VvnEzfx-RmgUUL0K8l6kiGbQhVgrvUuyMuWI4w0-3qBwmYY0OD61uYLJI/s1600/Blog+book+tour+BIG+Day+1+Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii_e8R_YHjTt0e3vkUr6jyK7zqmSanhP6j0NoMapepMltiEUf00dz7PqE0ooFSRiuotqnr7IbcR7YZszvEn_VvnEzfx-RmgUUL0K8l6kiGbQhVgrvUuyMuWI4w0-3qBwmYY0OD61uYLJI/s320/Blog+book+tour+BIG+Day+1+Capture.PNG" width="260" /></a></div>
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Today we kick off a blog book tour for Little Pickle Press. Their newest title, <i>BIG</i>, by Coleen Paratore is a colorful children's book that encourages children to think big in ways that go beyond size and stuff. It's a pretty powerful message for adults, too! Go <a href="http://bit.ly/BIGbbtBRP" target="_blank">here</a> to read an interview with the woman who creates the free lesson plans to go along with the picture books.<br />
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If you're wondering what a blog book tour is all about, the best way to learn is to follow along on one.<a href="http://blog.littlepicklepress.com/p/our-blog-book-tour-schedule.html" target="_blank"> Here's the entire schedule for the <i><b>BIG</b></i> tour.</a><br />
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Hot blog book tour tip of the day: Be sure to change your daily blog URL to that post's permalink so you always have the exact link to the blog book tour stop.<br />
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<br />Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3241362000528307226.post-52051732833487994062012-08-27T03:00:00.000-07:002012-08-27T10:12:32.499-07:00More Numbers To Consider<i style="color: red;">Originally published on 11/6/2009</i><br />
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One of the most important statistics on your blog book tour are those of your once-and-future blog hosts. You want hosts that get at a bare minimum, 100 or more hits per day. To some of you, this sounds like a paltry number because your own blog may get thousands of visitors each day. But more of you probably don't get anywhere near that many on your own blogs, and building the blog that <i>does</i> seems like an insurmountable challenge. But you must, because this will help you find and choose blogs at least as good as your own.<br />
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In the blog book tours classes, we experience great resistance to this concept of finding high-traffic blog hosts. Some people even get downright ornery about the idea, and insist that any blog is good enough, and it's just too much work to vet them for popularity.<br />
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Those people should simply pay large sums of money to a tour service to plan an impersonal tour for them. Why? Because it's simply too much work to put into a tour that no one will see if you insist on any old blog. Let's think this out.<br />
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You can expect to spend 40-60 hours planning a blog book tour of 10-15 stops. A good portion of that time - up to half - is spent crafting your tour stops and doing the actual writing of the blog posts that your hosts will enter on their blogs. You can plan on spending 2-4 hours for each stop, so why would you spend that precious time on a blog that gets 2-3 visitors a day? It makes no sense to gamble that those people will buy your book. Aunt Mabel and many well-meaning friends will offer their services, and by all means humor them if you must. Just don't count them as part of your professional tour of 10-15 really good blog hosts.<br />
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Work hard on your blog book tour, but also work smart. That means maximizing the hours you spend preparing a good tour for your <b>very</b> <b>popular hosts</b>.<br />
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To rank the blogs your are considering, click <a href="http://www.prchecker.info/check_page_rank.php" target="_blank">here</a>. Contact blogs with a rating of 2-5. Few blogs will rank higher than that. Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3241362000528307226.post-80121476950229319552012-07-21T09:48:00.000-07:002012-07-21T09:48:32.736-07:00Free on July 21, 2012We are #52 on the big Kindle Top 100 List at this very moment, and have 4,600 downloads so far during this promotion. Please help us reach #1 by sharing this link with your friends today. <a href="http://amzn.to/Cornercafe">http://amzn.to/Cornercafe</a> and do leave us a review on our Amazon page if you have a minute! You can also link to all our authors over there and see what other books they've written.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYQG38keg-o0VV2UjeJNbNGrsYXfzZldA3g0Qi9FkQJLu4y_2y-iURM7heuGiLk8wJ5TT4MXjc-Zrq24pMU9TDYZwgV1D9WX_6Phcp-YlXJeQbnBv5bMVAQ9I1HRAErd4vJx26Q6w9jTg/s1600/No.52+Top+List+Amazon+Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYQG38keg-o0VV2UjeJNbNGrsYXfzZldA3g0Qi9FkQJLu4y_2y-iURM7heuGiLk8wJ5TT4MXjc-Zrq24pMU9TDYZwgV1D9WX_6Phcp-YlXJeQbnBv5bMVAQ9I1HRAErd4vJx26Q6w9jTg/s320/No.52+Top+List+Amazon+Capture.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
No need to buy Shape Magazine when you eat at the Corner Cafe - it's all calorie-free! Haha!Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3241362000528307226.post-26340177482536340452012-06-15T05:00:00.000-07:002012-06-14T19:50:38.240-07:00Welcome to The Corner Cafe Blog Book Tour!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2rPZNZDBRVuutUPKlTzXgLl__dFI6ozk6L3b8CTmW9Aa6bVSQEuZCzGnjKtEu6eA6ElKuqojMHo56Rel5AWGpuBGXwInRA99y09q4a8LYM7AXfUxI26t3Vt6WidH0MuKT7wDHi3vukCo/s1600/cornercafe3copt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2rPZNZDBRVuutUPKlTzXgLl__dFI6ozk6L3b8CTmW9Aa6bVSQEuZCzGnjKtEu6eA6ElKuqojMHo56Rel5AWGpuBGXwInRA99y09q4a8LYM7AXfUxI26t3Vt6WidH0MuKT7wDHi3vukCo/s320/cornercafe3copt.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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Join us for the latest wild and crazy experiment at the <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BBTCafe" target="_blank">BBT Café</a>, the online social group for all the writers who have taken my blog book
tours classes over the past few years! This community of about 100 authors
supports each other’s writing efforts through daily social media interaction, <a href="http://www.squidoo.com/quickest-blogbooktourguide-ever" target="_blank">blog book tours</a>, and by sharing information and conversation as the publishing world
changes. And, boy, is it ever changing fast!</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
In the past few years, the opportunities for self-publishing
have burgeoned, and the stigma attached is virtually non-existent. Only an Old
Publishing School dinosaur would think of self-publishing as an inferior option. Programs
like <a href="http://kdp.amazon.com/" target="_blank">Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing</a> have leveled the playing field, and more
authors are jumping into the game every day.</div>
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This fertile publishing ground is what inspired The Corner
Café short story collection. We noticed that authors were starting to give away samples and old titles in e-book format, and that it resulted in increased
sales on their other titles. Even a free day or two tended to increase sales when the regular price of a title came back. </div>
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Without too much forethought about what we were stumbling into, we
decided to put together a collection of our very own around a common theme: The
Corner Café. The object was for readers to sample various writing styles, and
tempt them to link to other works by the contributing authors. We’d promote the new
project via a month-long blog book tour (what else?), and track sales each day,
as well as measure download bumps the five free days allowed by the KDP Select
program. (Seth Godin suggests free is a good marketing strategy in publishing. <a href="http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2012/05/free-samples.html" target="_blank">Here’s his post about it</a>.) So we’re putting it to the test. That’s the short version
of how it all came about over the past four months. You can get more gory details at the various blogs
listed below throughout June.</div>
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Let me tell you a little bit about the book’s content.
Here’s the description on Amazon:</div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>Sweet, dreamy, steamy, and sometimes slightly seamy, this
multi-genre collection of short stories includes something for every taste.
Prepared by the BBT Café authors: Marian
Allen, Shonell Bacon, Karen Casey Fitzjerrell, W.S. Gager, Helen Ginger, Dani
Greer, S.B. Lerner, Audrey Lintner, Morgan Mandel, Maryann Miller, Bodie
Parkhurst, Bob Sanchez, Mary Montague Sikes, Red Tash, Christine Verstraete.</i></div>
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These are just a few of the teasers each author submitted for their
respective stories: </div>
<ul>
<li>In <i>The Catfish Enchantment</i> by Marian Allen: Cosmo’s father
deserted the family and died unforgiven, his mother is sinking into depression,
he’s started cutting himself to relieve the pain, and his boss suggests…a
tattoo? </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>In <i>The Eyes Have It</i> by W.S. Gager: Crimebeat reporter Mitch
Malone hates going to church, but when he gets rooked into speaking to the
Bible-toting ladies, he may be facing the devil himself as he investigates the
prayer group's missing purses. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>In <i>The Consequences of Breaking and Entering</i> by Audrey
Lintner, Goldilocks gets an update and her comeuppance. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>In <i>Perfect Timing</i> by Christine Verstraete, a rescued pup
helps Corner Café owner Gina Mason find love and thwart a would-be robber. </li>
</ul>
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You can also read the first two chapters using Amazon’s Look
Inside feature. If it sounds like something you’d like to download to your
Kindle, here’s the <a href="http://www.amzn.to/Cornercafe" target="_blank">link to buy</a>. Only 99 cents! </div>
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Join us during the blog book tour all month as we visit these
blog hosts:</div>
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June 4 Blog Book Tours Kick-off <a href="http://blogbooktours.blogspot.com/">http://bit.ly/CCBBT</a></div>
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June 5 Bob Sanchez with Stephen Tremp <a href="http://bobsanchez1.blogspot.com/">http://bit.ly/CCBS1</a></div>
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June 6 Red Tash interviews Dani Greer <a href="http://redtash.com/">http://RedTash.com</a></div>
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June 7 Magic Dog Press <a href="http://bit.ly/CCMagic">http://bit.ly/CCMagic</a></div>
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June 8 Heidi Thomas <a href="http://bit.ly/CCHeidi">http://bit.ly/CCHeidi</a><a href="http://heidiwriter.wordpress.com/"></a></div>
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June 11 Marian Allen <a href="http://bit.ly/CCCosplay">http://bit.ly/CCCosplay</a></div>
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June 12 W.S Gager <a href="http://wsgager.blogspot.com/">http://wsgager.blogspot.com</a></div>
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June 13 Chris Verstraete <a href="http://candidcanine.blogspot.com/">http://candidcanine.blogspot.com</a></div>
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June 14 Helen Ginger <a href="http://straightfromhel.blogspot.com/">http://straightfromhel.blogspot.com</a></div>
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June 15 Kathy Wheeler <a href="http://kathylwheeler.wordpress.com/">http://kathylwheeler.wordpress.com/</a><br />
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</tbody></table>
</div>
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June 18 Morgan Mandel Double M <a href="http://morganmandel.blogspot.com/">http://morganmandel.blogspot.com</a></div>
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June 19 Pat Bean <a href="http://patbean.wordpress.com/">http://patbean.wordpress.com</a></div>
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June 20 Shonell Bacon <a href="http://chicklitgurrl.blogspot.com/">http://chicklitgurrl.blogspot.com</a>
</div>
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June 21 Alberta
Ross <a href="http://albertaross.wordpress.com/">http://albertaross.wordpress.com</a>
</div>
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June 22 Karen Casey Fitzjerrell <a href="http://karencaseyfitzjerrell.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://karencaseyfitzjerrell.blogspot.com</a></div>
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June 25 Pat Stoltey <a href="http://patriciastoltey.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://patriciastoltey.blogspot.com</a></div>
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June 26 SB Lerner <a href="http://www.susanblerner.com/">http://www.susanblerner.com</a></div>
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June 27 Maryann Miller <a href="http://its-not-all-gravy.blogspot.com/">http://its-not-all-gravy.blogspot.com/</a></div>
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June 28 Mary Montague Sikes <a href="http://marymontaguesikes.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #1f497d;">http://marymontaguesikes.blogspot.com</span></a></div>
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June 29 Stephen Tremp <a href="http://breakthroughblogs.blogspot.com/">http://breakthroughblogs.blogspot.com</a>
</div>
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We hope you join us each day to read more about how <a href="http://www.amzn.to/Cornercafe" target="_blank"><i>The Corner Cafe: A Tasty Collection of Short Stories</i></a> evolved. For those of you out there who know little
about how a blog book tour works, a great way to get an education is to follow
along on a tour. You'll get lots of ideas for your own blog book tour. Join us and do leave questions and comments here!</div>Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3241362000528307226.post-81542635474452778972012-06-11T12:08:00.001-07:002012-06-11T12:09:18.059-07:00Monday at the Corner Cafe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-X37zneHkElhmSpGyVDruryhgYUgh1GuE2KhZD8PVokqhp3aUPK59XJcku8X-sJ0K-zaKBBZ40XgYA3Lbxa2bmhyphenhyphenjbRu58CGDQuecTHA2DswAjgu7_aHcYB2hmi6aJEo7JSX7zxOZiIo/s1600/Mr.+Spock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-X37zneHkElhmSpGyVDruryhgYUgh1GuE2KhZD8PVokqhp3aUPK59XJcku8X-sJ0K-zaKBBZ40XgYA3Lbxa2bmhyphenhyphenjbRu58CGDQuecTHA2DswAjgu7_aHcYB2hmi6aJEo7JSX7zxOZiIo/s1600/Mr.+Spock.jpg" /></a></div>
Today, we're visiting Marian Allen's <a href="http://bit.ly/CCCosplay" target="_blank">blog</a> and chatting with <a href="http://www.redtash.com/" target="_blank">Red Tash</a> about Star Trek. If you're a Trekkie, do join the conversation over at our virtual Corner Cafe. <br />
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We had an active weekend of free downloads of <b><i>The Corner Cafe: A Tasty Collection of Short Stories</i></b>, so thanks to all who now are happily reading on their Kindles. We'd love a short review of your favorite story at our Amazon page! It's kind of thrilling to reading good reviews of the book! <a href="http://www.amzn.to/Cornercafe">http://www.amzn.to/Cornercafe</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2rPZNZDBRVuutUPKlTzXgLl__dFI6ozk6L3b8CTmW9Aa6bVSQEuZCzGnjKtEu6eA6ElKuqojMHo56Rel5AWGpuBGXwInRA99y09q4a8LYM7AXfUxI26t3Vt6WidH0MuKT7wDHi3vukCo/s1600/cornercafe3copt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2rPZNZDBRVuutUPKlTzXgLl__dFI6ozk6L3b8CTmW9Aa6bVSQEuZCzGnjKtEu6eA6ElKuqojMHo56Rel5AWGpuBGXwInRA99y09q4a8LYM7AXfUxI26t3Vt6WidH0MuKT7wDHi3vukCo/s320/cornercafe3copt.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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It was also very cool to hit #2 on the Top 100 Free Kindle Books list. It's darn-near close to the very top. When you think about it, being the Super Bowl loser isn't such a bad thing either, is it? Leave me a comment and tell me what you think!Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3241362000528307226.post-11485690895084549772012-06-10T08:36:00.005-07:002012-06-10T08:36:55.739-07:00Corner Cafe Tour Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUB-cKpkV1ErVnhdhM7AhL3ST_vwi4FadXc5V7ljQRzA6puPm2U6RLAYgAyYznUhQ-Mfqdna8EYZcgdj3TR5937kuprpLG3AwqYGcfnlGvDma0mNZZMYlMnwfizbu-XfYjQ6IcbQuHJA4/s1600/No.+2+on+Free+Kindle+Books+Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUB-cKpkV1ErVnhdhM7AhL3ST_vwi4FadXc5V7ljQRzA6puPm2U6RLAYgAyYznUhQ-Mfqdna8EYZcgdj3TR5937kuprpLG3AwqYGcfnlGvDma0mNZZMYlMnwfizbu-XfYjQ6IcbQuHJA4/s320/No.+2+on+Free+Kindle+Books+Capture.PNG" width="270" /></a></div>
It was an exciting week, with our Amazon statistics topping off at #375 and reaching #2 in the Top 100 Short Stories. The book is still <a href="http://www.amzn.to/Cornercafe" target="_blank">free to download</a> today (Sunday 6/10) so load up your Kindle!<br />
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We have two nice blog posts about the book today from contributing authors:<br />
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Maryann Miller highlights strong women in several of the stories. Click <a href="http://its-not-all-gravy.blogspot.com/2012/06/book-review-corner-cafe-tasty.html" target="_blank">here</a> to read.<br />
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Red Tash blogs about the book <a href="http://redtash.com/post/24815160055/rubbin-elbows-with-the-king-were-going-for-1" target="_blank">here</a>. We're right across the hall from The King (see screenshot above)!<br />
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Check us out at our <a href="http://www.amzn.to/Cornercafe" target="_blank">Amazon book page</a>, and while you're there, poke around and get to know the authors who submitted stories to this short story collection! Happy Sunday!Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.com0