MARKETING WITH QR CODES

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A Note from Carol McAdams Moore Have you ever noticed the QR (quick response) codes that come on grocery advertisements? Using a smart phone, the reader can quickly scan the code which takes him to sale information online. The same kind of codes can be valuable marketing tools for authors, retailers, and event planners. Using a smart phone, the reader can quickly scan the code which takes him to the online location of information – such as a website or blog. Recently, I attended a writers conference on a college campus. A staff member from the college taped a paper with…

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Tips from the Pros: Mona Hodgson

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Greetings from Sarah Sundin in California! Today I have the honor of interviewing Mona Hodgson, author of almost forty fiction and nonfiction books! Mona also gives back to the writing community. I’m one of many writers who have benefitted from Mona’s teaching and warmth at Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference. This past year Mona also took on the responsibility as director of the conference, and she’s doing an excellent job! Mona, how many books do you have published? Twenty-eight children’s picture books, early readers, and middle-grade nonfiction. Eleven novels and novellas, and a Cripple Creek novella releasing in November.

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The Family PR Team

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When our first book was released, our mentor, Jim Conway, (Men in Mid-Life Crisis), told our three young sons, “Your life is copy written. Make a deal with your folks, if they use a story from your life, you should get some benefit.” That was great advice because our boys would BRING us stories to use in exchange for a “royalty payment”. When they were little, tangible coins went into a jar for each, but with in a few years, we all agreed it was easier to give them their percentage when our royalty checks came, and that money went…

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Tips From the Pros – Linda J. White

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Grace and Peace from Kevin Thompson in sunny Florida! “Home, home on the waves. Where the tourists and natives cruise. Where never is heard a discouraging word…unless you turn on the network news.” I know. I Know. “Don’t quit my day job.” Story of my life. So, instead, let’s try our hand at another installment of Tips From the Pros. Please welcome to the cyber, direct, first floor, pool view, ocean view, multi-purpose, ping pong playing great room/used puzzle collection storage room/mail room/library/adjacent laundry room/pinochle contest held on the 4th Thursday of each month room, Author Linda J. White! Welcome, Linda!…

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KEEPING PINTEREST FRESH

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A Note from Carol McAdams Moore Today, let’s wrap up a three part series on Pinterest. We began with an overview of Pinterest. Then we talked about the basics of setting up Pinterest boards. Today, let’s talk about keeping your Pinterest boards fresh. Below is a check list to guide the author in doing that. Keep boards that represent your new releases, speaking engagements, and blog posts current. Remember that many people follow Pinterest. Your Pinterest followers may or may not be the ones who are friends on Facebook or who follow you on Twitter. Keeping your most recent online…

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The Name Game

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Hello from Crystal Bowman! I have been writing books for children for over 20 years and have learned a few things along the way. Writing for children is much harder than most people realize. The challenge is to write an engaging, creative story using limited vocabulary and word count. Another thing to consider is naming your characters. The characters in a book may be animals or humans, but either way, they need names—and choosing the right name is important!

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Stories, Parables & Movie Scripts — Basic screenplay writing excerpted from HOW TO SUCCEED IN HOLLYWOOD (WITHOUT LOSING YOUR SOUL) — Part III — For Better or for Worse

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Stories, Parables & Movie Scripts Basic screenplay writing excerpted from HOW TO SUCCEED IN HOLLYWOOD (WITHOUT LOSING YOUR SOUL) Part III For Better or for Worse Communicating effectively requires learning and applying the basic principles of language, grammar, rhetoric, technique, and general rules that govern each genre and medium. There are three levels of such principles: general principles (which apply to most communications), genre specific principles, and media specific principles. There are also several steps involved in producing powerful communications, including movies and television programs. Here is a brief outline of the most important foundational steps in preparing your communication….

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Did They Dominate 2014?

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Grace and Peace from Hot, Muggy, Sticky, “No, you don’t want to move down here and retire” Florida! Really. If we get too many more people, the peninsula will break off and float out into the Atlantic. I hear North Carolina’s nice this time of year… They have golf up there, too. 🙂   It’s Marketing Wednesday. Since I am not a marketing genius, I always feel a little inadequate trying to help those of you in the writing business who are much further along in the “selling” aspect of the biz than I am. I’m old school. Call me a fuddy-duddy….

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MARKETING: ANOTHER LOOK AT PINTEREST

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  A Note from Carol McAdams Moore Do you remember the saying that a picture is worth a thousand words? Sometimes that is difficult for authors to embrace. We are used to painting pictures with our words. Using an actual picture to communicate an idea makes us stop and reroute our creative process.  Last month, I posted an introduction to Pinterest here. Today we will look at the basics of setting up an account and creating Pinterest boards.

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MARKETING: TAKING A LOOK AT PINTEREST

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  A Note from Carol McAdams Moore Do you remember the saying that a picture is worth a thousand words? Sometimes that is difficult for authors to embrace. We are used to painting pictures with our words. Using an actual picture to communicate an idea makes us stop and reroute our creative process. If you are an author, or an aspiring author, it is important to take that “reroute” to capture the attention of your readers. Why? Pinterest is a growing avenue of social media. The savvy author will have a well-planned presence on Pinterest.

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