David’s Comments (group member since Nov 22, 2014)

David’s comments from the Authors Pay It Forward Project group.

Our podcast to learn more about the Indie Publishing process and to promote our friends' books is coming together. The last piece of recording equipment should arrive this week-end and then I can fine tune the studio procedures.

I'm learning to build a website in WordPress that will allow you to search and listen to each episode, right on the site. www.AuthorsPayItForward.com.

If you have experience with WordPress, I'd appreciate your comments and suggestions on the layout and content of our site. Also, check out the Audio intros on the Home Page and APIF Community Pages. The comments so far have been: "Wow, Excellent" and "Can you make it shorter". :)

It's a work in process. I'm excited to launch very soon. Guest Experts are lining up to share their knowledge of our Indie Publishing process.

Regards,
Dave

Hi Teddy,

Congrats. That's excellent. I have my copy and will work on reading and reviewing, ASAP. I'm way behind on my R&R list, due to my obsession (I mean, work) on our Podcast.

The Authors Pay It Forward Podcast is still a couple of weeks away from launch. In addition to interviewing world class Indie Publishing experts about our process, I want to add a couple of things to help our members.

I want to see if we can add a segment in each episode to do a Skype interview with an Author in our group who has a new book to launch. My thought was to work on the "Pay It Forward" process by asking a member to submit copies of two reviews that they have posted for other members, in exchange for a possible slot on an upcoming episode.

Also, I want to invite new Authors to join us, by promoting a New Book Launch Team program, where an Author can provide copies of a new book, BEFORE their launch to a group of 20 friends (or as many as possible). On a designated day and time, the friends who agree to read and review the book, in advance would then be asked to download the book on launch day, post a review and then copy that to the group.

I hope to interview Jimmy Burgess on this subject. He has a program, where he guarantees to get your book listed as a best seller. I want to know how he has done it for his books and for others.

Talk to you later,
Dave

Hi Teddy. I'll try to catch up with reading and reviewing, but I'm buried working on our groups podcast. I am getting smarter by the minute, however. :) Lots to learn.

Dave

Today we are building the website for wwww.AuthorsPayItForward.com. This will be home base for our podcast, which will interview world class Authors and Experts, concerning key milestones and challenges in the Indie Self-Publishing Process.

The Website will share a list of links to all completed podcast episodes and with post a written transcription of each podcast, for those who care to read rather than listen to our interviews.

We will always appreciate suggestions for both hot topics, special guests and even better, introduction to those potential guests, where possible. Do you personally know an Expert in our industry. Do you think they would be an interesting source of information and if possible, do they have a book to promote on the specific subject. Please introduce them to me (Author.David.Freeman@gmail.com or 561-932-9694.

PODCAST PREP UPDATE: 3-26-15 H-E-L-P!!!!
The AUTHORS PAY IT FORWARD PODCAST is under construction. Your ideas, suggestions and general comments are truly welcome. Here are a few things that need development:
The primary objective of our podcast will be to attract a large following of new Authors and their fans, by :
1. Interviewing notable experts in our industry of self-publishing, who can discuss their personal paths to success and offer recommendations for others (us) to follow (or avoid) to maximize our success as Authors.
a. Your suggestions and requests for celebrity guests will be appreciated.
b. We will need to generate laser sharp, intelligent and humorous questions for each guest. I would prefer to ask original questions of each guest, based on their personalities and expertise.
c. So that we don’t dilute the content and focus of our FB headquarters, I’m wondering if our Google+ location would be a good place to have open conversations about our podcasts, including suggestions, questions, etc. and to further promote our books, once those in cyberspace notice our new forum.

2. Directing traffic and attention to our sites and our books (That’s the point of our podcast, after all). We need to invite our podcast fans to become fans of our member’s books. So, where do we send them? We now have a presence in several media locations, mostly in name only:
a. FaceBook ( http://on.fb.me/1tZ1R8x) is growing nicely and remains the headquarters for our Authors to support each other.
b. LinkedIn (http://linkd.in/11yjKjy) has potential by drawing from a professionally oriented crowd.
c. Amazon’s GoodReads (http://bit.ly/1FvvrUI) is a logical location to connect with fans of books.
d. Google+ (http://bit.ly/1w8gXpm), while technically, not as large as FaceBook, because of its relationship to Google and Google’s YouTube (the #1 & #2 search engines on the planet), is an excellent place to direct our Podcast fans, in order to find our books.
So, as the Authors Pay It Forward Podcast takes shape, if anyone has ideas, suggestions or a desire to help in the organization of our soon to be famous venture, let me know. Here’s my email address: author.david.freeman@gmail.com (Google Mail is recommended by many experts for its impact on an individual’s “search-ability”.

Here's a podcast by Joanna Penn, posted 1-18-15, discussing the wonderful new innovations to the KDP Kids Book Creator. The interview is with an expert familiar with the day to day improvements of this exciting technology. http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2015/0...

Tim Grahl explains how he uses Amazon Algorithms to improve his book's ranking and visibility, with a few simple corrections.

http://outthinkgroup.com/hacking-amaz...

When you have a date for the Free eBook eVent, you can create an event on each of the groups, so that members will be reminded in advance and on the days of the eVent.

Certainly Jaysen. Let's get you caught up. :) While our LinkedIn and Goodreads groups are growing slowly, for something like this, make sure to post it to our FaceBook group, where we have 300+ members to connect with for reviews and votes.

Ants In My Pants!

http://youtu.be/Bc3-xius6wU

The “AUTHORS PAY IT FORWARD PROJECT” is now on LinkedIn & Amazon’s Goodreads. Our goal in these two new locations and our original and largest group on FaceBook is to generate 100 or more reviews for your book(s), while you help fellow Authors do the same.
If you have connections on LinkedIn join us there and invite them to our community at: http://linkd.in/11yjKjy .
Now, by adding the Goodreads location, we are making it easier to connect with the (current) 30 Million Readers who are searching for the next “Good Read”. This new location is designed to connect directly to the metrics and promotional capabilities of Goodreads and Amazon. Join us at http://bit.ly/1FvvrUI, on the internet, right next door to the Amazon Corporate office.
NEW INFORMATION:
We all know the importance and difficulty in receiving reviews for your book. There is a process in place at Amazon.com that allows readers to VOTE for a review, indicating whether or not it was “HELPFUL”. While the voting process requires a simple mouse click on the “HELPFUL BUTTON” under each review, we are told that votes are tabulated by Amazon and are as important as the original review.
NEW REVIEW MULTIPLICATION PROCESS;
We are asking Authors who post future reviews (Thank You!) to please post a note (WITH A LINK TO THE REVIEW) to the groups, to let members know that your review has been posted. At that time, we ask all members to take two seconds to click on the Review Link and click a vote noting that the review was “HELPFUL”.
When you have an opportunity, please, also post a note (with your book link) to the groups, noting that YOU have a book that has been reviewed in the past and that you would appreciate a similar HELPFUL VOTE for all previous reviews. CLICK – CLICK- VOTE = CLICK – CLICK - REVIEW!

Thanks in advance for helping your fellow Author friends.
Already a member? Invite a friend. At this writing, we currently list 400 members in our three groups!
Kind regards,
David Freeman
Author.David.Freeman@gmail.com

NEW TECHNIQUES TO IMPROVE THE REVIEW PROCESS:
As we learn more techniques to promote our books, it may be time to rewrite our Group Goals and procedures. After reading the recent post from Tim Grahl (Hacking Amazon), I, personally learned two things (so far).

1. In addition to scheduling a Free eBook eVent for generating 100 Reviews, we should consider scheduling a quick follow up eVent, to request that members visit the site of the Amazon and Goodreads Reviews and to VOTE for the helpful reviews.

We are told that those votes are tabulated by Amazon, similar to Reviews and in their eyes, a POSITIVE Review of a POSITIVE Review is just as important as the original Review. We'll need to work up a simple procedure for inviting our friends to VOTE for excellent Reviews.

2. I also learned that it is possible to request that unfair reviews and reviews with ulterior motives to be deleted by Amazon.

3. Here's the link again. I'll be taking more notes and reaching out to Tim for more information and marketing ideas. http://outthinkgroup.com/hacking-amazon

Roitman wrote: "THANKFUL FOR TODAY Children's Picture Book - FREE today! 12/6 - Inspired by the prayers of a three year old it is perfect for bedtime to teach preschoolers gratitude. You can read it before bed and..."

Done. I'll R&R ASAP!

Thanks Roitman and Becky. I've downloaded both books and will R&R ASAP!

I like the networking capabilities of Eventbrite. The selling function was really designed to sell tickets to physical events, but it could be used for selling product.

I'm not ready to invest in an inventory of books to sell from our garage (wait, we don't have a garage), I'll stick with CreateSpace for the near future.

...and I forgot to mention, on our LinkedIn group site, you can post your eVent under the "PROMOTION" tab and each member will receive an email reminder.

I really like the Eventbrite program, which is an event scheduler, that allows you to share, tweet and email your event notices and reminders. If you want to sell a book through this system, there is a process for Eventbrite to collect your payment (Paypal) and you can mail your product to the customer. That would work if you had an inventory of print books and sold them from your location. Just a thought.

Excellent Ingrid. When you have chosen your dates, please post it to the eVent tab, then we can share your eVent with the rest of the group and the planet....in advance. Then everyone can be reminded automatically, when its download day.

We have similar posting options on the FaceBook group. Now, to check out the trailer.

Thank you Ingrid. We appreciate it. Happy Cyber-Monday. :)

Magical Dawn. Well done. Consider it Shared and Tweeted.