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/

Today, I’d like to welcome Tim Turner, author of Questions – Directions to Who You Are.

Where are you from?   Born and raised in North Dakota – Currently living in sunny San Diego.

What’s your latest news?  My book was #1 – Won the National Indie Excellence Award, 2011, for Inspirational Book of The Year.

When did you start writing?  When I was eight – the reason – had to let my feelings out and put them down on paper.

Is there a message in my book?  Yes!  Live your life according to You!  Get your priorities and values in the proper order and have a great day – everyday!!

What are your current projects?  Just completed a new dust cover and an audio book is in production.

 What was the hardest part of writing your book?  Not the writing for me – the inaccessibility of the book publishers, agents and distribution company’s as it relates to helping self published writers.  There’s the old way and the new way – neither seems to have much time for self published writers.

Self published writers need to band together – to get some power.  I’m working on that.

What was the most surprising thing you learned from creating your book?   I’m surprised by the number of people who really do need direction to find who they are and why.  The world seems to be changing so rapidly – most people say that they’re just fine with all the changes, but when you really get down to it – they’re really not – and are looking for a way to put the simple things back into some part of each day.

To find out more about Tim, read reviews or order the book go here.

Authors are constantly told they need a blog.  Setting one up is fairly easy, but then comes the paralyzing thought — what should I write about?  The first step is to decide what you want the focus to be (e.g. your writing journey, author interviews, book reviews, etc. ).  You don’t have to stick to this theme, but it will help you get started.   

The most popular blogs are how-tos or opinions or reactions to things the author has read or heard about.  For a writer it might be about an author event you attended or an article you read in Publishers Weekly.  Pick things that will make your readers think — better yet, ask them what they think.  Be honest with your writing and write about things that really interest you.  Post links to other pages that support or contradict your opinions.  Get involved in networks; LinkedIn has a variety of  groups to choose from.  

Remember, blogging is a commitment.  You can’t just drop in once in a while.  Create a regular schedule, one that’s realistic considering your time constraints.  It pays to plan ahead.  Keep a list of ideas or better yet, some draft posts ready to go for those times you can’t think of anything interesting to say.

Blogging is not only important in creating your platform, it’s an excellent way to make connections and learn from other people.  And we all know how important networking is.  Happy blogging!

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. 

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.

A fellow author asked me what was important to include on his website.  Before setting up my site, I did some research.  One thing became clear — an About page is critical.  Why?  Because the About page is typically the most-visited page on your site.

Some tips on creating an effective About page include:

1) Don’t give it some fancy name.  Call it About.  2) Use a real photo of yourself, not an avatar or drawing.  If someone is interested in you, they want to know what you look like.  3) Use your voice . Don’t be afraid to be funny if that’s who you really are.  And don’t be afraid to be a bit of a nerd either. 4) If you use a video, make it short and include some text for those who don’t like videos. 5)  Keep it short — a couple of paragraphs will suffice.  This isn’t the place to tell your life story.

Remember, your About page is a marketing tool.  Use it wisely.

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!  

Nothing is more off-putting than a blatant plea to “buy my book.”  I see this on a number of sites I belong to along with “vote for my blog,” or “vote for my book trailer.”  My reaction – hit the delete button.  And I’m sure I’m not alone.

Authors need to be more creative in marketing their books.  You need to find a way for readers to connect with you as a person, either through your blog or by other means.  What other interests do you have besides writing?  Cooking?  Bird watching?  Tap Dancing?  My second love is fashion.  Some time ago, I began doing posts about fashion for women over fifty on a well-known blog.  The editor of my local newspaper saw them and contacted me asking if I would like to write a similar ongoing column for her paper.  I jumped at the chance.  Here’s one of my articles.  See Page 13 and check out the byline. 

My point is there are more effective ways to promote your book than begging people to buy it.  If you know anything about marketing, soft-selling works.  Think out of the box.  Use some of the creativity you used in writing your book to market it.   

Sign up with Kindlegraph and register your book.  You’ll get a notification by email when someone wants your autograph.  When you sign and send it, it gets sent to your reader’s Kindle. It won’t be your real signature, but it’s still a nice personal gesture.