THE POWER OF PROMOTIONAL GROUPS Excerpt

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THE POWER OF PROMOTIONAL GROUPS Reviews

"As a rather shy individual, I read THE POWER OF PROMOTIONAL GROUPS with reservation how it would affect me--a loner. Before I was done, I'd dog-earred pages, highlighted links and underlined whole paragraphs. I'd heard of writers coordinating together for promotion, but never had I realized how serious these groups can be...and how much promotion they garner for the members. From identifying writers that click together to coordinating shared advertising--even how to publish an anthology or join venture, this publication covers every possible question you'd have in originating a promotional group of writers. Whether you need to share financial expenses, crave a promotional partner to dull the stress of public appearance or wish to ride on the coattails of others to increase attention for your work, this is a book that teaches you how there's "strength in numbers" in a big way when it comes to being a writer and selling your wares." ~C. Hope Clark, Editor, FundsforWriters www.fundsforwriters.com, Writer's Digest 101 Best Web Sites for Writers - 2001 through 2007

"Karen Wiesner is an accomplished author with 42 titles published in the past nine years, which have been nominated for or won 55 awards. Now she has shared with us some of the things she’s learned about promotion, especially how to promote your works, in her latest book THE POWER OF PROMOTIONAL GROUPS. THE POWER OF PROMOTIONAL GROUPS is jam-packed with everything you could possibly need or want on how to promote one or more stories either by yourself or with others: Promotional groups, websites, press releases, giveaways, and a zillion informational links. As a matter of fact, there is so much information here it makes my head spin! Ms. Wiesner starts with the basics of promotion, but then focuses on the benefits of promoting with a group. She points out that groups can have similar styles of writing, the same publisher, close proximity, or some other bond holding them together. The most important part of group promoting, though, is a plan and clear agreements between the members of the group how the group promotions are going to work. To this end, she includes wonderful resources and guidelines in the appendix, as well as instructions and suggestions on how to start and develop such a group. This book is invaluable not only to authors interested in working with a group in promotion, but also to the individual author just starting out in promoting their works. We happily recommend this book!" ~The Long and Short Of It Reviews Newsletter http://www.longandshortreviews.com/

"The internet is full of opportunities for authors to promote their books. From online review sites, to blogging, to virtual book tours, the internet offers inexpensive book publicity. One of the ways authors can publicize their books is through promotional groups. In her latest ebook, award-winning author Karen Wiesner demystifes these groups and explains everything you'll ever need to know about them. What are the basics of group promotion? Who should promote? How many hours a week? What are the different types of groups? How do you find the group that's right for you? How do you join? What are some of the most successful groups out there? Should you start your own promotional group? If so, how? Wiesner answers these questions, and a lot more. The author examines the advantages and disadvantages of promotional groups in detail and includes hundreds of resources and sites with their appropriate links. In this sense, the book is an amalgam of resources for authors who are interested in spreading the word about their books, even if outside of promotional groups. There's a checklist at the end of the book and various appendices--one of them offering a list of about 700 websites where you can promote your group. The author writes in a clear, concise style that is also engaging and interesting. THE POWER OF PROMOTIONAL GROUPS is an essential and informative addition to any author's virtual bookshelf." -reviewed by Mayra Calvani for Blogcritics Magazine http://blogcritics.org/archives/2007/12/16/142012.php

“Here is an ebook that all of our author followers should read. The book is called THE POWER OF PROMOTIONAL GROUPS and it is written by Karen Wiesner. As the title suggests, the book covers how to promote an ebook using various types of group efforts. THE POWER OF PROMOTIONAL GROUPS is well written, easy to follow and highly recommended to anyone who is new to the world of ebook publishing. With this book a new author can expect to learn:

• All about four different types of promotional groups that can take your ebook sales to the next level.
• Elements you should have in your own toolbox to promote your work yourself.
• How to target your promotions inexpensively over the long term.
• Places where you can get inexpensive paid advertising to help with your promotions.
• How group anthologies can help to bring your own work to a wider audience.

The ebook also lists hundreds of organizations and other tools to help you along the way. My personal feeling after reading this one is that anyone who is new to the world of ebook promotion should read this book. It will help you take your fiction (or likely non-fiction) work to a new level of readership.” ~eBookGuru http://www.ebookguru.org/index.php/2009/03/the-power-of-promotional-groups-ebook-review/

"This past year, I formed yet another writing group. This one wasn't for critiquing, or even getting together at coffee shops to write. This one was for networking. Some of my local writing friends decided we were all getting close enough to the serious possibility of being published (a couple were already there!), and that we should start talking about the business aspect of writing. So we've been talking and reading and swapping ideas. It's been good. Eye-opening, to say the least! One of the interesting things I found is an e-book by Karen Wiesner. Karen is the author of THE POWER OF PROMOTIONAL GROUPS, a book I've mentioned here before, the one I'm using to plot my current WIP. I love the FIRST DRAFT IN 30 DAYS book, not just for the organization ideas, but for Karen's wonderful understanding and explanation of plot structure. So, when I had a chance to read Karen's new e-book, THE POWER OF PROMOTIONAL GROUPS, I went for it. And I'm glad I did. The e-book presents ideas for anyone starting a promotional group. Karen talks about both the pluses and minuses of these groups, and gives writers plenty of ideas about why and how to set one up. She discusses the money aspect of promotion, which we all worry about, and shows how a group can make that part a lot less painful! The other thing I like about the book is Karen's emphasis on professionalism. Writers, in general, are very nice people. Karen reminds us that even nice people disagree, and the best way to run a group like this is with some basic guidelines and rules...on paper! And she provides excellent examples for anyone not sure how to get started. If you're thinking about building a promotional group, or even joining one that's already set up, check out the info at Karen's website: http://www.angelfire.com/stars4/kswiesner/nonfiction.html. It's a good place to start." ~Becky Levine on Becky's Levine's Blog http://beckylevine.livejournal.com/

"THE POWER OF PROMOTIONAL GROUPS by Karen Wiesner is an incredible how-to book for any author interested in banding with other authors for promotion purposes. The beginning presents a persuasive and well-documented argument for the usefulness of author promotion groups. Her comprehensive research and hands-on knowledge of the subject is not only amazing, but presented clearly and concisely. She continues with a detailed discussion of the benefits and pitfalls in forming such groups, creating an excellent template for every author seeking to promote books through group efforts. As an added bonus, the extensive lists of URLS for various types of promotion are priceless." ~reviewed by award-winning author Jane Toombs http://www.JaneToombs.com