Customer Reviews

Social Networking for Authors-Untapped Possibilities for Wealth

5 star:		(18)
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Social Networking for Authors is a `must have' book for any author interested in increasing awareness and generating book sales in the digital age in which we live. While technology has made it possible for more authors than ever to get their books in print, this explosion of books published annually makes it easy to get lost in the crowd.

However, using the tips and tools that Michael Volkin shares in this book, one can utilize technology to stand out from the crowd. The `buzz' that can be generated by taking advantage of the social networking sites he has outlined will get you the competitive edge you need. Highly recommended for any author.

As authors, we are all faced with managing the marketing tasks for our book. Whether traditionally or self-published, keeping your book alive is all up to you. With "Social Networking for Authors: Untapped Possibilities for Wealth" you'll be ready to get started on your online marketing plan to sell more books.

I'm amazed at the number of people who want to sell online but don't have an online presence, so believe him: that is Step #1. You'll also learn how to improve your visibility in search engines, offer books for sale through a shopping cart system, and learn about powerful web resources, including some surprising free features of Amazon and Google.

In Part 2, Social Networking for Authors stretches your ability to use the web for selling books through today's hot social networking sites. With Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Ning, Squidoo, and more, it is difficult for the average author to sort out the scams and gimmicks online. It truly is a lot of work to find the right path to increasing your customer base through online marketing, but Volkin did the work for you.

The book ends by listing more than 20 online venues for you to create visibility, stay connected, and keep your book selling. You might succeed on your own, but you will succeed with Volkin's SEO strategies.

Helen Gallagher
Release Your Writing: Book Publishing, Your Way

I started doing marketing research about a year before my historical fiction novel was published - and wish I would have had Michael Volkin's Social Networking for Authors to guide my way.

This book not only defines social networking to those new to its use, but thoroughly explains how it can help you sell books. For new authors trying to navigate the complex world of social networking and book marketing, this book is a resource that will help you focus your efforts.

Social Networking for Authors is divided into two parts. Part 1 discusses numerous tips and tricks you can use to enhance website traffic and increase sales, and Part 2 discusses how to sell books via social networking.

Most importantly, Volkin's book offers a host of free tools that literally took me years to stumble across. I was able to take my novel to a #1 spot in the historical/romance category using many of the suggestions in this book - but the hours I lost while stumbling blindly through the maze of social networking sites is incalculable.

I've been disappointed by many marketing books, but the amount of time this one will save you makes it well worth the price.

Good writing does not sell books. Good marketing will sell books.
That fact alone is the harsh truth of the publishing world and the faster you learn it, the more books you will sell.

The best instruction manual to Internet based marketing that I have found so far is Social Networking for Authors-Untapped Possibilities for Wealth by Michael Volkin. Michael is truly a "marketing wizard". His book is well organized and has easy to use chapters that make this a "manual for publicity for authors". It is a must for all authors, whether you are self published or not. Because even if you are published by another firm; ultimately you are responsible for marketing your book.

Michael explains how to market any book on the internet in effective, cost favorable methods. That's right, many of his tips are free. I have seen presentations/seminars/web casts and telecasts all offering the same information, but they are charging hundreds of dollars. Why pay that when you can have a book by your computer to reference instantly for under $25?

Social Networking for Authors-Untapped Possibilities for Wealth is divided into two parts.
Part 1 is on Web presence and how to drive traffic to your site. It includes Search Engine Optimization(SEO), Free shopping carts, and common website mistakes. It instructs you on how to create a money making website to sell your books even though you may not be technically savvy (this is my case). Chapter 2 "Building a Proper Foundation" discusses book covers and titles and is worth the price of the book alone.

Part 2 delves into Social Networking sites (23 of the top ones-including Facebook, Myspace, YouTube, Internet radio, twitter and many others I had heard about but were unfamiliar with that were perfect for creating interest in my books!

I highly recommend this book as perhaps the "bible" for Internet publicity. What a great value for the information it provides and the hours saved scouring the Internet trying to understand the sites and techniques for starting them.

Finally, a step-by -step guide to using the Internet to market your book! This easy-to-read, eye-opening manual shows you everything I have been looking for in a book on creating more sales through the Internet. I am jealous as you will learn tips it has taken me years to discover.

Ultimately if you use this tome wisely you can reach a far larger audience with your marketing and thus increase book sales exponentially.

Sam Hendricks
Author: Fantasy Football Guidebook; Fantasy Football Tips and Fantasy Football Almanac 2009

As a struggling first time author I felt like a salmon swimming agaist the current until I found this book! What a wealth of information inside these covers! I could not have asked for a more comprehensive, well organized, and easy to assimilate reference guide. I keep it by my computer within reach at all times. Thank you Mike for sharing your expertise with the world!

As the publisher at Triad Press, Inc, I am always searching for new means to present our relationship books to the public. I recently attended a seminar that cost more money than I care to admit. I should have read Mike's information first. I got nothing from the expensive seminar that wasn't already available in this one complete book.

If you are an author or publisher, read this book NOW!

Michael Volkin "practices what he preaches" in his latest book Social Networking For Authors! I loved this book and his complementary web site! I even had a short and immediate online chat with the author...

As a book reviewer, authors often look upon me as an individual who will help them work miracles--to sell their books. I believe a review helps; however, if nobody ever reads that review, it won't help in the sales process. It is the author who sells, and I firmly believe that one of the most important opportunities for authors is through the Internet Social Networking activities.

Authors, this book may be just the one for you!

But, really, anybody who is in sales will benefit from this book (See, Michael, I've already started learning from your book and see the potential!)

Michael uses selling books via social networking as the method by which he shares much on social networking. I've been helping authors in small ways to do that for a number of years, so I must highlight that I learned new possibilities on many, many pages. For instance, at one site where I've been a fairly active member, Volkin highlighted a section/process that I didn't even know about! I also immediately joined two sites based upon the description in the book.

Volkin's book contains a chapter on various sites. He starts by describing "Their Niche" and then goes on to explain how to use the site as a free marketing tool. Obviously not every site will be of interest to each author; however, I believe the method of his analysis will also be a training tool by which other present and future sites can be evaluated. Also, various readers will be considering the potential sites for different reasons. That is, as a book reviewer, I provide a service, so my activity is selling myself to show the assistance I provide authors, while the authors would be interesting in marketing their books!

I loved this book because one of Volkin's premises is that you must have a primary web site upon which you are selling your product. He then proceeds to give methods by which you begin to drive people to that web site...and, in writing his book, every single chapter gives you something to check out on that web site! He not only gets you there to his site, but he has used the tools he recommends to readers on his web site so that you can actually see it operationally as well as get specific directions on how to use it! Oh, be prepared, there is a charge for some additional information such as the videos--however, isn't that the point of his book--and what you, the author, are trying to do!

I don't rave about too many "how to" books, but this is one that I must say is a "must read" for anybody working online to promote books and other products. If you don't have the creativity to imagine the possibilities, let Michael Volkin in Social Networking for Authors be the creative genius behind the innovative and common sense approaches for your future actions!

G. A. Bixler

The publishing world is undergoing a seismic shift as it moves from brick and mortar stores to online purchase and e-book down loads. Traditional publishers have been slow to embrace the new technology and new marketing paradigm. But a small number of people - mostly authors who self-publish non-fiction - are using the web to find their customers and maximize profits. They are earning far more than if they had gone the traditional publisher route and earned some small percentage after agent's fees, returns and remaindering. In fact, most wouldn't have been published at all - not because their books weren't good, but because they are geared to a niche audience and traditional publishers make money from huge general sales.

Now, some of these entrepreneurs are sharing the secrets of their success. One of the best I've run across is Michael Volkin's Social Networking for Authors. It's a must have for any author - fiction or non-fiction, self-published or traditional. Volkin pulls together the latest marketing strategies and coolest free stuff on the web. He's obviously used these things himself. His book is cover-to-cover, easy-to-use, how-to information The first half is devoted to setting up and optimizing a web site for your book(s) and the second half to using social networking to drive sales. The first half is probably more important - without an optimal site, the social networking piece is next to useless. Volkin walks the reader through a step-by-step process in designing the book as well as the site, sharing resources and pointing you toward additional information, focusing on Search Engine Optimization (SEO.) The second half gives the reader an overview of how social networking works, then a breakdown of the top 23 social networking sites. In each site description, Volkin reveals what niche they cover, how to use it as a marketing tool, and tips on optimizing your presence. If you're an author, check it out!

First the bad news: More than 70% of published books in this country do not earn a profit for their publishers. The average shelf life of a hardcover book is between 3 and 6 months. For a paperback it is 3 to 6 weeks. More than 120,000 books are published each year in the U.S. alone. The percentage of the general population that reads for recreation is crashing harder and farther than a Wall Street stock market. And according to Michael Volkin who has written "Social Networking For Authors: Untapped Possibilities For Wealth", the average reader, browsing in a bookstore or on the internet, spends less than 8 seconds deciding whether to buy a book or not. Now the good news: Michael Volkin in the pages of "Social Networking For Authors" shows aspiring authors and limited budget publishers how to use social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and the growing number of others, to create customers for a book. Volkin explains how anyone can create a book oriented website that will sell books. Readers of "Social Networking For Authors" will also discover how to take advantage of free tools specifically useful for authors seeking to increase their book sales and converting single copy sales into multi-copy sales. All this and a great deal more make "Social Networking For Authors" an invaluable and highly recommended read, especially for self-published authors who must bear the entire burden of book marketing upon themselves.

As co-author of Grandloving: Making Memories with Your Grandchildren, 4th edition, I'm always looking for new ways to reach families. After reading Michael's book, I could hardly contain myself. The organization and Michael's clear and engaging writing style provide for rapid understanding of current sites, tools, techniques and marketing strategies. It is a must read reference for both newbies and old hands involved with writing, publishing and search engine optimization.