I just finished a wonderful article at MediaPost which gave me the biggest “I told you so!” moment. I could have written it myself because the stand this journalist takes is so on the money!

The article by journalist Vanessa Horwell talks about how people are so in the old school way of thinking when it comes to a new product launch – whether it be new books or services or whatever.  In this  article,  she says,

“I also feel that many marketers see PR people as old-school, or just not with the times — you know, stuck in a fax-a-million-press-releases-a-day-type thing.”

I have been over to the Zumaya group (yahoo group for authors published by Zumaya Publications of which I am published, also) all week long trying to explain to them what PR is all about from an online marketing standpoint and in my own experience with virtual book tours and other ways to promote your book.

One author emailed me offlist and she had some really good questions for me which I responded to.   But what kept her asking questions was the fact that she had been burned by a publicist recently who had just stopped cold turkey in returning her emails and calls.  She said she had paid this publicist good money, yet he couldn’t do a thing for her.

I asked her where he tried and she told me several offline places including newspapers.  I then told her that he sounded to me he was still in the old school mindset as he focused all of his efforts into offline opportunities which ended up turning out to be sour grapes, or rather, no grapes at all.

She wasn’t very happy with that.  She had paid him to publicize her book, but ended up with nothing and she wasn’t a very happy camper.

Here’s what she said:

“I work for a newspaper, and my suspicion is because there are tons of people sending press releases out all the time — including self-published authors. Heck, we once got dogged for a few weeks by a guy who hadn’t even finished a book yet who nonetheless wanted us to do an article. Sad thing is, my ex-publicist had friends at these places and told me it wouldn’t be that big of a deal.”

This is the very reason I decided my field was going to be online marketing.  I can still get my clients into such publications as USA Today, Chicago Times, Washington Post and even more huge publications just by using…the Internet.

The new PR is this…the dailys and the weeklies…they are bombarded by press releases by authors, publicists and publishers.  There are cut backs at these papers which makes it even harder to get in.  Why publicists don’t reach out to online venues is beyond me, or maybe a few of them have.  I know I wouldn’t have it any other way.  The times…they are a’changin…and it’s already begun.

My advice to new authors is this.  There are more than 200,000 books published each year.  Less than 2% sell more than 500 copies.  However, last Christmas even with the recession looming, 24 BILLION shopped online for their holiday purchases.

How many of you relied on publicists who were in the old mindset of PR and how many of you relied on publicists who used online methods to sell your book or you took it in your hands to do it yourself?  Let’s change those stats.  Let’s not allow ourselves to fall into that 2%, or better yet, let’s increase the odds and prove to the world how effective online marketing can be if used correctly (with correctly being the key buzz word here).

Heading to the beach with nothing to read? Now you can head out in style with a book from one (or more!) of your favorite authors!

Pump Up Your Book Promotion is hosting our very first Summer Beach Reading Giveaway. Four great authors with 4 chances to win!

All you have to do is head on out to one of the blogs listed below and follow directions to win. It’s that easy!

As the Pages Turn is giving away a copy of Dorothea Hover-Kramer’s Second Chance at Your Dream!

This is the first book to apply the breakthrough insights of Energy Psychology to healthy aging. Energy Psychology is an exciting new healing method that changes the vibrational patterns in the energy fields to produce rapid emotional healing and a sense of well-being. With the help of the over fifty exercises for rebalancing yourself offered in this book, you can face the challenges and opportunities of later life to create a time of energy, abundance and joy. You can visit Dorothea online at www.secondchancedream.com.

Click here to enter!

Fiction Scribe is giving away a copy of DCS’ Synarchy!

Thirteen bloodlines, The Brotherhood, fanatically loyal to their gods, the Anunnaki, have controlled the planet since his-story was written. In 1925 Stefano Vasco Terenzio, head of the Terenzio crime family makes a deal with the Anunnaki to solidify his control over the American Mafia. Clever and manipulative, Stefano’s true goal was to put his family in a position so one day they would be able to turn on their masters. Two generations later, the shockwave he ignited was still being felt. Now, as the world inches closer to 2012, time is running out. The only thing in the Brotherhoods way is Terenzio, a family now divided as a truly epic battle begins that will determine whether mankind continues existing in a world of lies, or shatters the chains that have held it prisoner since his-story was written. Shocking yet hopeful, Synarchy slowly unravels the tightly laced reality we have created for ourselves. Blending the metaphysical with conspiracy, fact with fiction, debut author DCS has opened up a world that will force you to rethink everything you believe about your own. The knowledge within provokes the question; do you really want to know? You can visit DCS on the web at www.synarchynovel.com.

Click here to enter!

The Book Stacks is giving away a copy of Dr. Ronald J. Frederick’s Living Like You Mean It!

So many of us long to feel more alive, connected, and secure in our lives, particularly now, in these challenging and difficult times. Why is it so hard? Part of the problem, says Dr. Ronald J. Frederick, has to do with a fear of our feelings—a feelings‐phobia—and the consequences of expressing our feelings to others. It’s this fear that keeps us stuck, detached from the wisdom inside us and distanced from the people around us. And yet positive emotional experiences can actually “rewire” our brain and free us up to experience ourselves and our lives more fully. LIVING LIKE YOU MEAN IT: Use the Wisdom and Power of Your Emotions to Get the Life You Really Want by Ronald J. Frederick, shows how we can overcome our feelings phobia in order to enjoy more satisfying lives.

Click here to enter!

Zensanity is giving away a copy of Richard Aaron’s Gauntlet!

Six hundred sixty tons of Semtex is detonated in a massive explosion in Libya – the last of a deadly stockpile. The operation seems to have gone smoothly, but within minutes of the explosion, CIA agent Richard Lawrence discovers that one shipment of the explosive was hijacked en route to the destruction point. Days later, a glory-seeking “Emir” broadcasts to the world that he is planning a massive terrorist strike against a major U.S. landmark. And he gives a timeline of one month. You can visit Richard online at www.richardaaron.com.

Click here to enter!

Four great authors, four chances to win! Hurry before contests end!

I’ve got a book review by moi and a book giveaway by author Dorothea Hover-Kramer up today at As the Pages Turn! Here are the details:

BOOK GIVEAWAY!

We’re offering a book giveaway! If you would like to win a copy of Dorothea Hover-Kramer’s A Second Chance to Your Dreams, here are the details:

Dorothea says, “No one should wait until a terminal diagnosis to start living more fully. Make a list now of the things you want to do, the people you want to see, the actions you can contribute to make the world around you better.”

Give us ONE thing on your own list of things you want to do, people you want to see, the actions you want to contribute to make the world around you better and leave it in the comment section. Be sure to include your email address or your entry will be void. Contests ends on August 1, 2009 and the winner will be hand selected by Dorothea herself. Your entry should not run over one or two sentences, so please be brief. Good luck!

Hop over and tell us what’s on your list and you could win a free copy! You are welcome to comment but leave your “one thing” at As the Pages Turn, please, so you will get an entry into the contest! Have fun and good luck!

Irene Watson, as part of her virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion is giving away a FREE copy of her newest book, The Sitting Swing!  You heard it right, folks!  Absolutely free!  Ahhh…but there’s a catch. You must be the first person to guess where Irene was born.  And no high-tailing it down to the court house! Whoever is able to guess where Irene Watson was born wins a free copy of her wonderful new memoir, The Sitting Swing. Contest ends at midnight on August 1 and good luck! Click here to guess where she was born and win a free copy of The Sitting Swing!

There are two great book giveaways going on today!

C.W. Gortner is giving away a copy of his latest historical fiction novel, The Last Queen! Stop by Cafe of Dreams, leave a comment, and April will pick a winner! Is that the most beautiful cover you’ve ever seen?

Therese Fowler is giving away a copy of her latest women’s fiction novel, Reunion! Stop by Savvy Verse & Wit, leave a comment, and Serena will also pick a winner! Another beautiful cover from such talented authors!

Hurry, all you have to do is stop by and say hi, shoot the breeze, say hi to the authors, anything your heart desires. And, wait, there’s more!

Every month Pump Up Your Book Promotion chooses someone who has commented to win a free virtual book tour if you’re an author or a $50 gift certificate if you’re not! What do you have to lose???

Stop by, leave your comments on the appropriate blogs, and good luck!

Did anyone read in the Miami New Times about the woman who attended a live book signing virtually? You wouldn’t think that could happen, would you?

On May 23, Libba Bray, author of The Sweet Far Thing, attended a live reading at Books & Books in Coral Gables, Florida, to talk about her book and sign purchased copies.

What made the event unique is that Bray was never in Miami. She was sitting in her home in Brooklyn, New York, beaming her voice and image through a special teleconferencing software called Skype. And what makes this really exciting is that, according to Random House spokeswoman Meg O’Brien, this is a first.

What makes it exciting for me is that now authors can combine online book touring with live book touring and still reap the benefits of never having to leave their house, not to mention how much money it saves all the way around.

If you’d like to read the entire article at The Miami New Times, click here.

What do you think of this fantastic way to combine online and offline book promotion? Do you see live signings/readings dying out and migrating to this new way of book marketing?

I am really loving this Twittering thing. Just found out I’ve been a member since 2007. That’s 2 years ago and why don’t I have more tweets or followers? I’ll tell you. Because it wasn’t until the last year that people realized how great a place it was, so I went back and gave it another try. I am so loving it now! And what’s even cooler is all these great Twitter applications that are popping up all the time.

What I would like to do is having this an ongoing project. When I find great Twitter apps and tools, I’ll add them to the fold. If you know of one, leave it in the comments and I’ll give you full credit.

Okay, my ongoing list of Twitter applications and tools are as follows:

BackTweets.com
www.backtweets.com
It searches Twitter for links to your website or blog, or even for your key search words.

Nearby Tweets
www.nearbytweets.com
Find a twitterer near you!

TweetPenguin
www.tweetpenguin.com
“When you add your Twitter information, you will receive your own page like this one — except the bottom name will drop off, and yours will appear on top. We will also send a tweet for you to alert your followers to your custom page. When they join and refer others, you can expand your social network in new and interesting ways.” Not tried this one yet. Has anyone tried it and do you find it beneficial?

Tweetbeep
http://tweetbeep.com/
Receive Twitter alerts by email! I am signed up for several alerts..reminds me of Google Alerts.

TweetDeck
www.tweetdeck.com
TweetDeck is your personal browser for staying in touch with what’s happening now, connecting you with your contacts across Twitter, Facebook and more. I’ve never used it but have friends who swear by it. I’m just skittish about downloading things that look perfectly safe (my computer got fried the last time I did this with a site that looked harmless). With that said, this is a safe application, as many people are signed up with it and love it. One day I’ll break down.

TwitPic
www.twitpic.com/
Share photos on Twitter.

TwitterFeed
www.twitterfeed.com
Feed your blog feed into Twitter. I use this and love it.

Twitter Icons
http://www.twittericon.com/
As of this writing, 170 different Twitter icons similar to the one I have above. There are even animated ones, too.

Twt Poll
http://twtpoll.com/
Would you like to create a poll? I haven’t tried this one out yet, but it looks fairly simple.

Twitter Search
http://search.twitter.com
Twitter search engine and one of my favorite applications.

Twittl
www.twittl.com/
Discover, rate and share tweets.  As of this writing, I have not tried this but I see there’s a handy dandy box to the right after you sign up where you can just post your latest tweets, so the site looks pretty easy to understand.

Do you have a Twitter application or tool that you’d like to see here?  Leave your suggestion in the comment box below and thank you!

I know, I know, where have I been? First time on Ploked.com today thanks to a Twitter tweet from MarketingYP! What a great blog post today: 10 Social Media People You Must Follow on Twitter.

I was already following Chris Brogan, ProBlogger, and John Chow, but how did I overlook those other greats?

Do go check it out and sign up…lots of great information they share!

Interesting article in TechCrunch this morning. Seems they had run a story about a 104-year-old woman who had signed up for Twitter (supposedly the oldest woman to sign up for this wonderful microblogging platform), but the thing is, it ended up being a PR stunt that either worked or not (depending on your take on things). TechCrunch apologized; wasn’t their fault. They were just reporting a news item and wanted to clear up the facts (thanks TechCrunch!).

But what I find interesting in all this is that Ivy is still twittering. Just four hours ago, she wrote, “hello all spending the morning reading wont be able to use lap top much today other residents are using it be in touch later.”

So is Ivy doing this or someone from The Geek Squad who supposedly put her up to it in the first place? Who knows, but I followed her. It would be interesting to see how far this takes us, you think?

But is there a fine line between getting that story and maintaining integrity while doing so? Do you think IvyBean 104 was being taken advantage of and has no idea what’s going on or maybe really she can Tweet?

A reviewer calls your book a piece of trash for all the world to see? Sue’em!

That’s just what an author in southern Russia did. And won.

Seems the bad review the book got gave the author loads of stress-related ailments – chest pains, headaches, elevated blood pressure.

The case must have convinced the judge because he awarded the plaintiff with $1,000, which both parties weren’t happy with and are appealing.

According to this article, “Observers have commented that this judgment creates a very dangerous precedent, opening the way for lawsuits based on subjective opinion.”

Uh, yeah, like duh. But isn’t this every author’s dream? To get back at the big nasty reviewer?

Oh, but hold on…the article also added, “Some have even suggested that if a book reviewer can be sued, a reader who did not like a book can sue the author for making a bad quality product.”

And you think you’ve heard of everything.