SF CHRONICLE TURNS TO GLOSSY PAPER

IN AN ATTEMPT TO REVERSE FALLING SALES 
 

Seeking to improve both readership and advertising levels, the San Francisco Chronicle has begun a program of replacing newsprint with glossy paper stock for its page one and section fronts. Some additional glossy pages may be scattered throughout the sections. 

After losing a little more than half of its circulation over the last eight years, the Chronicle management believes the new “magazine” look will attract more readers and certainly woo advertisers who will take advantage of this more elegant  presentation of their wares. 

The newspaper, part of the Hearst group, posted a 26% loss in weekday circulation during this year’s seven-month period from April through September, the highest loss posted by any major newspaper in the country. Can a simple change in paper stock

turn the bottom line around? We’ll soon see. 

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INDIE-BOUND AND NPR JOIN HANDS

IN COOPERATIVE BOOK PROMOTION 

National Public Radio (NPR) is now working closely with the American Booksellers Association (ABA) on a reciprocal program to offer book lovers greater information and news about books. Each week, NPR will publish four best seller lists, using feeds from the Indie Bestseller List. 

In turn, Indie Bound’s info pages will feature audio content on books presented by NPR. The new program began last week when NPR became an affiliate of Indie Bound. 

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Charlie’s Choice

Weekly Tips to Help You Write,

Publish & Promote Your Work 

USING SOCIAL NETWORKS TO BUILD

YOUR REPUTATION AS AN AUTHOR 
 
 

      Most people are aware of just a handful of social networks, but quite a large number actually exist. Many of them very specialized. The Wikipedia web site lists well more than 100 social networks

      While the subject of your book may dictate adding some of the more specialized networks, three are basic to meet the needs of every author: Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Using them will offer you the maximum exposure for the amount of effort you expend. And never forget that it does take effort to gain a real benefit from your involvement.

      You must keep your postings current and fresh to attract and keep “Friends” (the designation for those who are on your contact lists) and visitors. Your choice of the number of networks that you join will in great part be based on the amount of time you feel you can devote to the task. It need not be an extensive amount. After all, your principal task is to continue writing and turning out new titles.

      Your relationship with a network will be very different from the way the majority of networkers use the magic of these sites. For them, it is the fun of simple interpersonal socializing; for you, this is a business endeavor designed to build your reputation as an expert and to sell more books.

      Despite that, it is important you always remember that networks are mainly social in nature and generally are not the place for heavy promotion. The way you make people aware of your writing and attract them to it is by providing them with information on the topic you write about. That in turn motivates them to buy and read your book(s) as they seek further knowledge.

The Strengths of the Three Choices

      The reasons I have recommended each of these three networks are purely business decisions. I suggest Facebook principally because of its huge popularity and the extent of its reach. It is by far the largest of the networks. Yet along with the diversity of its population, the site maintains special interest groups for readers and writers.

      Facebook offers two types of pages to its members. Smart authors take advantage of both. The basic pages of the site are designed principally for social interaction, but you are able to work in references to your topic and your books as long as you don’t hammer the reader with self-serving puffery. As on most networks, Facebook has an area for your bio (About Me), a photo and a Status Line which should include primarily information about you and your books. Devote approximately two-thirds of the space to describing your work. Use the remaining 25% for more personal, chatty material.

      The site also offers Fan Pages which lean more toward the business and promotional side. It is here that you can demonstrate your expertise on the subjects you write about and also promote your books. At the top of the page, you can invite friends in to become “fans.”

      Since LinkedIn is a site geared more precisely to business people and professionals, you should be able to relate closely to your peers on this site. After all. you are a professional running a small business with the singular purpose of selling your books and any related material. The unique value of participating on this site is making contact with others who can help you achieve your dual goals of recognition as an expert and selling more books.

      People with whom you develop a relationship and trust are called “Connections.” They make up your list of contacts. They are there if you require help, need a contact to open the door to someone else or to a special opportunity or even might be looking for a job to supplement your income. Your can also post questions on the site, and your peers will respond with answers that usually prove quite helpful. Conversely, you can answer any of the questions that others post and in that way extend your visibility and demonstrate your expertise.

      When attempting to establish a new connection, it is essential that you introduce yourself, giving your background and your credentials. Because trust is so important to participants on this network, it functions with a degree of exclusivity and requires that type of courtesy on the part of members. The site can be tremendously helpful to you because of the many valuable contacts you can establish.

      Twitter is the perfect example of the duality in social networking. Because it can be so much fun (and challenging), it attracts many just for the social aspects. But used intelligently, it becomes a significant tool for any author seeking recognition.

      You have heard of users who accumulate a following of as many as 1,000 Tweeters. To get maximum benefit from the site, don’t think in terms of vast numbers. It is far more important to know that the followers you develop are high quality and interested in the subjects you deal with. As an author, you certainly should not forsake your writing to spend your time tweeting and responding to the tweets of others. The average users tweets four to five times a day. And that should be more than adequate to give you a meaningful presence on the site.

      Try to use keywords like “author,” “book,” “writer,” “publishing” and similar ones whenever you tweet. When you see those words in the tweets of others, it makes a lot of sense to investigate who they might be.

       When you sign up as a tweeter, you selected a screen name. Be certain to use a name that reflects your position as a published author. Your user name really becomes your brand. Capitalize on your involvement with this hugely popular site by promoting your tweeting on your blog and web site, and put your tweeter name on your business cards. Use Twitter as a bridge between your own sites (blog and web site) and the social networks on which you participate.

      A remarkable addition to the Twitter world is Twitter Feed. It makes it possible to feed material from your blog or web site. It is estimated that 350,000 people are feeding today and as a result generating millions of responses to their own sites. Used to its maximum, Twitter can serve as an effective bridge between your participation on the other two sites I recommend and your web site and blog, if you have them (and you should).

      Next week we’ll take a look at one of the tried and true vehicles used to promote books  

on the Web: your own newsletter. See you then. 

      Keep Writing!  

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NEW STUDY CONFIRMS THAT 99% OF JOURNALISTS

STARTTHEIR RESEARCH FOR AN ARTICLE ONLINE 

Several new reports demonstrate how critical it is for an author’s web site to include a complete and easy-to-use Press Page. A study by Norman/Nielsen found that while 99% of journalists start researching a new article online, they are able to find only 69% of the info they need on web sites. 

 A recent survey by Middleberg Communications revealed that 70% of journalists use social networks when researching, 69% head to web sites to find the information they need, 66% use blogs to track it down, 51% turn to Wikipedia and 47% search on Twitter.  

Findings like these should serve as a wake-up call for any author who hasn’t included  a Press Page on his/her site or updated one that has been posted for a while, These pages have become extremely important sources  for journalists and others seeking information quickly and accurately. 

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HERE IS PERHAPS THE FINEST BRIEF ANALYSIS

OF HOW BEST TO USE ONLINE RESOURCES 

I was so impressed by an article written by Steve Smith that appeared on Min Online that I have extracted several paragraphs to whet your appetite. Find it on Min Online and read it in its entirety. It is titled “The Relationship Economy: Be Humble—Be of Use,” and speaks so well to the current controversy over pay walls and general use of the Internet by publishing organizations. 

“One of the gross miscalculations media executives made about the Internet was they saw it first and foremost as a publishing platform, while consumers were really embracing digital as a communications platform. Consumers saw something even better and more addictive: a supercharged telephone. 

“The rise of the social networks and social media, the new raw power of person-to-person connectivity online, shouldn’t surprise us—but of course it does. The seeds of this revolution were there from the beginning and, as always, most media companies are frantically playing catch-up. 

“Making ‘friends’ in this weird new world of social media is easy. Making money and real connections? That’s the hard part that takes some new and better thinking. If publishers want to ride the next wave of social media, both online and on mobile, then look to the successful and smart ideas that are making brands genuinely useful or entertaining to users.” 

What great advice for media moguls looking to convert from print to digital and for authors to sharpen up the appeal of their involvement online.  

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HEARST MAGAZINES OFFSETTING LOST NEWSTAND SALES

WITH SUBSCRIPTIONS GENERATED ON THE INTERNET 

Here’s a good example of what Smith was suggesting in his Min Online article. Faced with falling newsstand sales, as are most magazines, Hearst has headed online to fill the gap. The company anticipates it will generate approximately 40% of its direct-to-publisher subscriptions (3.2 million) through its online efforts. 

Tumbling sales at the newsstand have posed a serious problem to magazine publishers in recent years. The Audit Bureau of Circulation reports that single copy sales slipped by 12.4% industry-wide during the first half of this year. 

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AT LAST! REASSURING NEWS

FROM THE MAGAZINE INDUSTRY 

Following month after month of gloom and doom, it was wonderfully refreshing to learn that revenue this year beat last year’s figure for 22 of the leading titles on the list of periodicals tracked by the Magazine Publishers of America.  

The Wooden Horse, Meg Weaver’s excellent weekly report on the industry, reveals that ad pages for the month of December are up in the top U.S. magazines. Even those publications that posted lower figures were not down by percentages as large as they have been during past months in this period of lean advertising. 

For example, while this month’s edition of  Martha Stewart Living was down, the slippage was less than 5%, far better than what had been happening over previous months. 

Despite all of its troubles, Conde Nast can take heart that its December edition of Glamour is 5% ahead of last year. Hearst is looking at a very cheerful holiday with December increases already posted for Cosmopolitan, Country Living, Good Housekeeping, Marie Claire and O. 

It will be interesting to see whether the increases hold up as the first quarter of 2010 grinds along. 

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AN INTERESTING PROFILE OF TWITTER USERS

RELEASED BY THE PEW INTERNET PROJECT 

In a study conducted in October, the Pew Internet & American Life Project released some findings that may prove very helpful to those of you who have been dawdling over the decision of whether or not to take the Twitter plunge. 

Females outpace males by 21% to 17%. Participation plunges drastically when people reach the age of 50. By age 65, only 4% of all Internet users are on Twitter.  

Interestingly, income levels seem to make very little difference. Participation remains very steady from below $30,000 to those earning $75,000 and more. But it does increase as education levels rise. College grads outpace high school alumni by 4%. By far, the highest usage among those of different races comes from African-Americans, well outstripping both White and Hispanic users. 

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AS LOCAL RADIO & TV STATIONS GAIN POPULARITY,

THEY ARE SEARCHING FOR THE IDEAL PLATFORM 

There’s a good deal of disagreement among local radio and TV executives as they cast about trying to find the formula that will help them capitalize on the growing popularity of local broadcasting. Some support copying the combative approach of the cable news stations with ideologues ruling the local airwaves. 

Others worry over backlash from their audiences if they shift the balances of their presentations to the left or the right. They believe that the close identification of listeners with their local stations

puts them at risk if they incorporate any polarizing content into their broadcasts. 

However, that concern doesn’t seem to rule out on-air editorials, particularly as disappearing opinion pages leave a void with more newspapers closing their doors.  

Hopefully the stations won’t miss this unique opportunity. A recent poll by the Pew Research Center found that 44% of the public believes that TV stations are best at uncovering local news stories, while newspapers trail behind at 25% and online news sources at just 11%. 

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Charlie’s Choice

Weekly Tips to Help You Write,

Publish & Promote Your Work 

EXPAND YOUR REACH BY JOINING

THE RAPIDLY EXPANDING BLOGOSPHERE 

      One of the major phenomena of the online world has been the remarkable growth of the blogosphere. Starting as a method of reaching out with tidbits of the blogger’s personal life, it quickly morphed into commentary on news and events. By now it has exploded into a source of information that actually threatens the future of established news and information channels.

      Blogs have become a prime resource for journalists seeking additional commentary and information for stories they are working on. Different surveys report that from 78% to 96% of editors and reporters turn to the blogosphere when researching.

      Blogs exist on every level, but the dominance of the old personal chatter has long been bypassed by the exchange of solid information and meaningful opinion. As an author with much to talk about, you should be an active participant.

      One word of warning at the very outset: Unless you are willing to blog with regularity on a frequency of at least once a week, don’t consider beginning. It takes continuous repetition to build your audience in addition to presenting worthy content in each post.

      That in essence represents the difference between a blog and a web site, a question that I am asked frequently. The web site is a fairly static document. Once created, it remains essentially the same. Yes, a smart web master will tweak portions now and then, adding some new material and perhaps removing outdated text.

      By contrast, a blog is a vibrant, ever-changing document. New posts are added regularly, as the old ones move to the archives. The text tends to be informative, opinionated, newsy or even personal, while the text on a web site generally is factual and educational. There is a great deal more interchange between author and readers on a blog than on a web site.

Participating in the Blogosphere

      In addition to mounting your own blog, you should be reading and posting comments on selected blogs in your specialty. Remember always, the blogosphere is a huge virtual entity, and your personal blog is sitting out there among millions. Unless you make the effort to attract visitors, you will remain unknown and ineffective.

      Select five or six blogs that you feel are of particular relevance and importance in the field in which you specialize. Pick more if you feel you have the time to devote to reading them regularly and posting responses when appropriate. Click on Technorati in your search engine. This unique site lists the top 100 blogs and evaluates others. It will be helpful as you select the ones you plan to reach.

      Also enter “Best Blogs for Writers” into a search engine. You will find several lists of top 10 writer’s blogs. These are subjective choices, so look them over and evaluate them carefully from your own perspective before you leap.

      When you post comments on these other blogs, many people see them who might otherwise not be aware of the existence of your own blog. If the post you make is interesting to the reader, you will motivate that person to visit your personal blog and gradually increase awareness and a cadre of regular followers.

      If you organize your schedule well, this process should take little more than five to six hours a week, an investment well worth while as it expands the readership of your site. The surfers you attract are potential buyers of your book(s) and likely subscribers to your newsletter, if you have one. The links they establish will help boost you to the top of the search engine listings.

Starting Out

      As a writer, you are undoubtedly qualified and willing to produce a blog. But have you thought through what it is you hope to accomplish with this new tool? Are you looking simply to promote your name and perhaps your work? Do you have a cause that will underlie much of what you intend to present? Do you have the time to research, write and post with regularity? Are you tough enough to accept criticism and challenges to your thoughts?

      Your next and very crucial consideration is selecting a topic that has real meaning to you. Will you be able to sustain your interest in it a year or more later? Is there enough to write about week after week? To blog successfully over a protracted period of time you have to be passionate about the subject you select.

      You should also consider the format that you intend to use in your blog. Will you post short articles of anywhere from a single paragraph to three or so presenting the highlight of a topic and possibly referring the reader to additional material? Or will you use your blog to investigate or analyze a single subject in depth?

      It is possible, as you see from my blog, to combine both approaches. I select items about our industry and present them in short blurb form. Sometime I editorialize about the subject. In every edition, I include the Charlie’s Choice column, which explores some facet of our craft in greater depth. It has proved a very successful combination for me.

      If all of the questions I posed above receive an affirmative response, then your next step is selecting the basic platform from which you will work. 

      There is very little to keep you from beginning to blog and every reason to start. Money can be no object. There are a number of free programs that guide you through the startup. If you want to give your blog a more sophisticated appearance, professional help is available to design and launch it. Of course, the more complex it is, the higher the cost of these professional services. Your blog represents you to thousands of people who will never get to meet you in person, just as your web site does, so you may very likely feel it is worth the expense.

No-Cost Design Programs

      There are a number of blog design programs that cost you nothing to participate. Perhaps the best known is www.blogger.com, a product of Google. Simply click on and follow the step-by-step directions.

      www.wordpress.com is another very popular free site. It offers a variety of features such as separate pages for specific uses. Creating your site with www.livejournal.com is also free, and offers you a choice of a private journal or a blog.

      One of the other popular programs is www.typepad.com. This site allows you a free trial with any of the three levels of creation and maintenance it offers: “plus,” “unlimited” and “business” class. The monthly charges after the trial range from $8.95 and up.

      One last thought: We have talked in previous columns about the importance of keywords in boosting your position on the search engines. Be aware that the SEO spiders roam through blogs just as they do through web sites, so be sure to sprinkle appropriate keywords throughout your blog as well.

      Next week, we’ll continue our journey through the wondrous tools available on the Internet. You have heard a great deal about social networking, probably joined at least one program. We’ll look at what I consider the three most important networks for authors and how to become a part of each. See you then.

      Keep Writing!  

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