As you move forward with bringing your book to the world, there are some tools that will makes your life easier. There is also no end to the companies and resources that will take your money without delivering what they promised.
The sites listed here are author tested and approved. Feel free to search through them and use what works for you!
Free Resources
http://www.novelrank.com/- Track your sales on Amazon
http://www.facebook.com/- Connect with family, friends and fans
http://www.twitter.com/- Connect with other marketing professionals and genre fans
http://www.goodreads.com/- Connect with bibliophiles and see how your book is being received
Promotional Resources
http://www.printrunner.com/- GREAT for postcards and bookmarks!
http://www.vistaprint.com/- A favorite for business cards
www.brandsawonline.com/cfi Great choice for posters or for authors who do not have designing resources
For those of you who went to the LDS Story Maker's Conference, they had a number of fantastic presenters (really, this conference is as good as national ones I have attended, for those of you who are wondering if it's worthwhile next year). Below are the resources from C.S. Bezas class on Public Speaking, Media Kits and resources helping you choose how to present yourself. Click through the (many, many) links to choose what might work for you and your book:
Top Ten Myths About Public Speaking
http://www.diresta.com/media-training/media-top-ten-myths-about-public-speaking.html
How to Handle Nerves While Public Speaking
http://www.stresscure.com/jobstress/speak.html
http://www.essortment.com/all/overcomingfear_num.htm
http://www.ljlseminars.com/anxiety.htm
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_do_you_stop_yourself_from_getting_nervous_before_an_oral_presentation
http://www.squidoo.com/public-speaking-nervous-tips
http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/05/overcoming-fear-of-public-speaking/
http://www.ehow.com/way_5261448_nervous-public-speaking-tips.html
http://collegeuniversity.suite101.com/article.cfm/fear_of_public_speaking
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081001165158AAfgqVR
https://www.gsb.org/articles/Nobody_%20knows.htm
What is a Media Kit?
http://ezinearticles.com/?Public-Speaking---Electronic-Media-Kits-For-Authors&id=1554885
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Press_kit
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-media-kit.htm
http://www.startupnation.com/articles/1242/1/media-kit-small-business.asp%27
http://www.ehow.com/how_8794_create-press-kit.html
http://www.planeta.com/ecotravel/tour/mediakit.html
http://www.entrepreneur.com/marketing/publicrelations/prbasics/article57260.html
http://www.microsoft.com/smallbusiness/resources/marketing/advertising-branding/5-ways-to-create-a-media-kit.aspx#waystocreateamediakit
Building an Author's Media Kit
http://www.writersreaders.com/the-author%E2%80%99s-press-kit-%E2%80%93-what-is-it-do-i-need-one-by-carole-barnes/
http://ezinearticles.com/?Building-an-Authors-Media-Kit&id=72567
http://ezinearticles.com/?Preparing-a-Writer-Media-Kit:-An-Outline-for-Professional-Authors-and-Speakers&id=148009
http://www.writing-world.com/promotion/presskit.shtml
http://www.anniejenningspr.com/pages/onlinemediakit.htm
http://allfreelancewriting.com/2009/03/30/freelancing/marketing-pr/author-and-book-media-kit-components-what-should-you-include/
http://www.whizbcreative.com/FREE%20REPORTS/FR005_MediaKit.pdf
http://www.authorinsider.com/article.php?subaction=showfull&id=1150397687&archive=&start_from=&ucat=24&
Creating a Media Kit
http://www.ehow.com/how_4531263_create-media-press-kit.html
http://www.articleslash.net/Writing-and-Speaking/Public-Speaking/90049__How-to-Create-a-Compelling-Media-Kit.html
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/publisher/HA010563171033.aspx
http://www.ehow.com/how_2050389_create-media-kit.html
http://www.mainecreative.com/articles/media_kit.htm
http://www.business.com/guides/creating-a-media-kit-277/
http://zacjohnson.com/creating-a-media-kit-for-your-web-site-or-blog/
http://www.squidoo.com/mediakit
http://mediawebsource.com/bandpresskitsample.htm
http://ezinearticles.com/?Media-What?-How-to-Create-a-Media-Kit&id=73941
http://www.businessknowhow.com/marketing/mediakit.htm
http://www.soroptimist.org/members/publicawareness/PublicAwarenessDocs/ToolsTemplates/MediaKit101.pdf
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/constructing-a-press-kit.html
What Makes a Good Online Media Kit?
http://www.clickz.com/823091
http://www.101publicrelations.com/presskits.html
Sample Authors (as Public Speakers) Media Kits
(I've not read any of these authors works, so I cannot vouch for the quality of their writing nor the moral value. These are simply samples of a wide variety of author online media kits.)
http://www.christopherklim.com/klim_media.html
http://www.eloisajames.com/mediakit/main.php
http://wechoselife.com/pro_life_book/prolife-speaker-and-author-media-kit/95.html
http://www.joanjohnston.com/mediakit.html
http://www.fletcherphd.com/media-kit.html
http://www.ruthklein.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=27&Itemid=48
http://www.galenorn.com/AboutYasmine/index.php?body=mediakit.htm
http://www.cynthialeitichsmith.com/cls/media_kit/media_kit.html
http://www.livingclaybook.com/Clay%20Bio%20Media%20Kit%20PA.pdf
http://press.umsystem.edu/media/gingher.htm
Other Public Speakers' Online Media Kits
(notice what you like, what you don't like, what you feel is missing, what you feel they did well)
http://www.winningman.com/about/press-media/media-kit/
http://www.market-for-profits.com/set_media_kit.html
http://changethatsrightnow.com/seymoursegnit/
http://www.chiposhambare.com/media-kit.htm
http://www.pcbshows.com/webinars/pdfs/Webinars_by_UPMG_mediakit.pdf
http://www.etiquetteexpert.com/special_events.html
http://www.createyourownrealitynow.com/media-kit/
http://www.sfwriter.com/speaking.htm
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/610090/Sitter-City-Sample-Press-Kit/
http://www.speakermatch.com/keynotespeakers/-1983332323.htm
http://s-p-e-e-k.com/about/press_media_kit.php
http://transformationed.com/speaker/
http://www.marioarmstrong.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Media_Kit.pdf
Sample Planning Timeline
http://msl.mt.gov/WhatsYourStory/How-Tos/tl_gn_pressbrief.asp
Miscellaneous Information
http://articles.techrepublic.com.com/5100-10878_11-5034610.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Press_release
Additionally, I'm including information below that I emailed to Elana Johnson who'd had a few more questions after our class at the conference. "One-Sheets" are a visual form of a marketing hook that can interest others in having you come speak. They are typically included in a speaker's media kit:
SUMMARIES of One-Sheet components:
http://www.public-speaking-resource.com/2009/04/speaker-one-sheet-preliminary-planning.html
http://www.macgraphics.net/speaker-one-sheet.php
http://www.articlesbase.com/writing-articles/make-your-speaker-onesheet-get-the-wow-you-want-860107.html
http://www.nationalcenterspeakertraining.com/members/speakers/blog/VIEW/00000037/00000034/Creating-your-first-marketing-tool-as-a-speaker-The-One-Sheet.html#00000034
http://www.speakersuccessonline.com/47/speaker-one-sheet/
http://www.linkedin.com/answers/marketing-sales/advertising-promotion/guerrilla-marketing/MAR_ADP_GUM/200635-22638041
EXAMPLES of One-Sheets:
http://www.barberusa.com/PDF/Jack-Canfield-Onesheet.pdf
http://www.senjula.com/Speakers%20branding.html
http://aspirelifecoaching.org/cms/susanliddyspeakeronesheet
http://competingvalues.com/competingvalues.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/Jeff-DeGraff-Speaker-One-Sheet.pdf
http://www.patrickomalley.com/keynote-speaker-social-media-one-sheet.html
http://www.mypersonalbrilliance.com/cf-inf/cfpagelets/downloadN.cfm?dp=mdp&fn=07
http://www.robincreasman.com/onesheet.html
AND AN EXAMPLE OF A MINI-ONE-SHEET/business card:
http://www.worksmartlivesmart.com/pages/speaker_one_sheet
(Here's an additional one that shows great endorsements at the end: http://sharonmelnick.com/site/sharonmelnickspeaking.pdf)
Hopefully this will give you a broad flavor of different approaches, ideas, and helps for any speaking gigs you'd like to drum up. Again, a successful One-Sheet is essentially a mild form of an elevator speech you can send to organizations without you having to pitch in person.
Additionally, finding speaking "gigs" proceeds generally through a four-step process:
1. You call to see who is in charge of scheduling speakers, simply to get their name from the receptionist and a little bit about their title, responsibilities,etc. Then you hang up.
2. You write a short cover letter introducing yourself with a great endorsement in quotes (a kind of a query letter in certain ways), personalizing your presentation(s) for their business' focus. You mention the enclosed One-Sheet (and/or media kit). Mail the cover letter and One-Sheet. (Eventually, you can put together a fuller media kit with a DVD of you speaking, additional glossy pages with tons of endorsements, business cards, etc.)
3. A week after its receipt, you call to speak with said-person in charge of events, mentioning the introduction you had mailed. The purpose is not to sell yourself but simply to introduce yourself and let them know you are interested in serving their organization when they feel the time is right. (The idea is to always, always, always allow them to feel they are in charge and that THEY can decide when to use you.)
4. Later, you periodically drop them notes of something you found interesting to help their business (truly helpful things like articles, research, etc.), plus a few other things like yearly Christmas cards, etc. This is simply to build the relationship into a true professional friendship. (It also obviously keeps your name in their minds.)
Through these ways you're not just focusing on yourself, but on helping build the world/community you live in. It's a win-win situation and within a year of steady effort, you will have built up a nice assortment of speaking possibilities, in addition to gigs delivered. And it's a totally cool way to make a lot of friends!
Sign up for Cindy's newletter here: http://ymlp.com/signup.php?id=gebjesmgmgj or visit her at http://csbezasbooks.com/. Follow Elana Johnson's great blog online.
If you know of a great resource you recommend to other authors, please email Sheralyn and let her know so it can be listed here!
