Please join me in welcoming Linda Frank, a resident of San Francisco, avid reader and author of After the Auction.

1. What inspired you to write your first book?  My novel, After the Auction, originated from a story my mother told me about a man she met during World War II. Someone like him is a character in the book, but the plot evolved from the mysterious silences I got when trying to research him for a nonfiction article or biography. 

2. Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?  I hope the book informs readers about the historical context of the plot. As for message, it’s a story that ultimately tests whether a righteous end justifies less than righteous means.         

3. How much of the book is realistic?  The history encompasses realistic Holocaust experiences, including Nazi art looting, which remains a timely topic even now, 67 years after the end of World War II. References to illegal smuggling of arms and displaced persons to Palestine before Israel’s War of Independence are also a matter of record. A scholar on art looting has told me that the processes and difficulties I describe are very realistic.

4. What book are you reading now?  I’m in the midst of three books right now (this drives my husband crazy). One is a huge biography of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (the British Royal Family is sort of a hobby), one is a biography of Iris Origo, and I started The List, a historical novel by journalist Martin Fletcher, on my Kindle on a trip the other day.

 5. Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?  I recently read Restoration by Olaf Olaffson, who’s not a new author but new to me. It’s a novel based on a character something like Iris Origo. Olaffson is a top executive at Time Warner, which makes me wonder how he finds the time to write, especially since I’m not working full-time anymore and can’t seem to crank books out as regularly.

6. What are your current projects?  I am currently working on a sequel novel featuring many of the same characters and set mostly in Shanghai, China. I’m also working on a nonfiction book about affinities among Jews and Chinese told through family stories, including mine.

7. Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members. I worked with a developmental editor, Alan Rinzler, who is a veteran in the publishing business. I found Alan after a draft or two, and he helped me shape the story and characters, sometimes by eliminating whole sections, scenes and people. It was an intense (and not cheap) process, but invaluable.

 8. Do you have any advice for other writers?  Two things:  First, just do it!! Write it, and, if you experience rejection and/or long delays from the “conventional” publishing world of agents and editors, forget it and get your work out there.  Second, eBooks are a phenomenon not to be ignored!

For more information about Linda, or to purchase her book, go to http://www.lindafrankbooks.com/

My good friend, fellow author, and one of the first female motorcycle racers in the world, Birgit Soyka, has taken the next step in book promotion.  No simple book trailer for her.  Take a look at her innovative music video.  Hopefully, it will inspire you to read her fabulous memoir, To Drink the Wild Air.   Click on the book cover on the left for a link to read the reviews and to purchase it to Amazon. 

If you’re an author or business owner, Pinterest is a new way to help establish your brand.  The concept is fairly simple.  The site is a collection of boards, like virtual bulletin boards where you pin pictures and videos.   Once you sign up (there’s a waiting period now), you set up as many boards as you like which you name and add to your page.  They can be anything within Pinterest’s regulations and can describe your brand, your book, your message, your business.   For instance, I have a board entitled “My Writing Journey,” to support my book and another called “Fashion Over Fifty,” that relates to a regular column I write for the Clayton Pioneer.   

Where to start?  Once you get an account, poke around on the site and follow people in your business or with your hobby to see what they’re posting about.  You can also clink on the “popular” link to get ideas.  Think about what your audience would like to see.  You can create a how-to board or if you have a speaking event or book signing planned, you could put up a board in advance to market the event.

I’m new to Pinterest and am just learning about all the options.  But what I know is this is not just another social networking site.  It’s growth has been extraordinary and big brands such as Macy’s and Real Simple are onboard (excuse the pun!)  So this site seems to have staying power. 

If you’re an author with a book on Shelfari, you can set your book apart by adding unique extras that can help people who are either currently reading your book or deciding if they want to read it.  Extra information such as character descriptions, awards, important locations, etc., can really differentiate your book.

To add Book Extras, go to Shelfari (an Amazon.com subsidiary) and login using your Amazon user name and password.  In the top search bar, enter your title or author name. Locate your book, then add, update or correct the  set of Book Extras for your title.  You can also see who has either read your book or is planning to read it. 

All  you authors out there, if you don’t have your book on Goodreads, you should.  And if you want to make the most of the site, get reviews. Just like on Amazon, reviews make your book stand out and increase the possibility of a reader taking a chance on an unknown book or author.

So how do you get reviews?  Give away books. Statistics show that 60% of giveaway winners review the books they win.  Goodreads recommends two month-long giveaways; one three months before the book’s release and one once the book is out.  Even if your book has been out for a while, a giveaway can re-energize interest.

Here’s my page on Goodreads as an example.

If you have a book on Amazon, tags are a great way to gain visibility.  They not only describe your book, they can influence recommendations which increases the chances of it appearing in search results.

So what kind of tags work best?  Some examples are: 

• Words from your title 
• Your name
• Your genre
• Topics related to your book (characters careers, time period, location, themes)

To get an idea of what tags to use, search books like yours on Amazon and look at their tags.

To add a tag,  scroll down to the “tag” section on your product page (below customer reviews), and type in your tags.  You’re allowed up to fifteen.  It will be well worth your time.

In a few weeks, everything on your Facebook profile, plus your photos, everything you’ve ever “Liked”, everything you’ve ever posted and more will be available unless you tell Facebook otherwise.   For more information on this important privacy change, go to this Techlicious blog post.

What’s the best way to get fans to “Like” your Facebook page other than blatantly asking them to or bribing them with a prize?  In a study of 10,000 Facebook fans done by Roost.com, they found that photos generate 50% more impressions than any other type of content.  Next, are quotes which provide 22% more interactions that any other content.  Questions results in two times the number of comments than any other post type.  On Twitter, quotes and retweets rule.  You can read the details of the survey findings here. 

Roost also offers a free social networking tool to help you plan and execute your activities across Facebook and Twitter, which could save you considerable time and energy. You can also run a free Roost Local Scorecard evaluation of your Facebook fanbase.

If you have a print or ebook on Amazon, you are eligible to set up an author profile page.  This is accessed from the “More About the Author” section of your book sales pages.  Here’s a look at my author profile.

To set up your own profile, you must sign up at Amazon Author Central.  You’ll be prompted to identify your book(s) and respond to a verification email, then you’re ready to go.  You can upload your photo, enter your blog feed address and publicize upcoming events.  Take advantage of this great marketing tool!

Thanks to Dana Lynn Smith, author of How to Sell More Book on Amazon, for this tip.

We authors are always looking for unique ways to promote our books. One idea is to create your own holiday, or even better, link your book to a holiday someone else has already created.  For instance, did you know that the second week of January is letter-writing week?  If you’ve written a book that involves letters, why not launch a publicity campaign that week?  

Here are some others ideas for the month of January: the release of your new book could be tied to Make Your Dream Come True Day, or your recipe book could link to National Pie Day, or your children’s book could match up with Winnie the Pooh Day. 

Here’s a website with a list of unique holidays in January.  Let your imagination run wild!