Pinterest for Book Publishers & Authors

What is Pinterest?
Pinterest helps you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web-- it's sort of a more visual way to bookmark things you're interested in. People use pinboards for things like planning their weddings, decorating their homes, and organizing their favorite recipes. Furthermore you can browse pinboards created by other people to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests.

How can Pinterest help a book publisher or author?
Because it promotes the curation of information in a very visual way, people are using Pinterest as a resource to find things they like. More importantly, Pinterest users aren't restricted to searches information only pinned on their friends’ walls- so you're able to reach more people than on Facebook. As a result Pinterest could drive a lot of traffic back to your site if you're posting relevant content. The network now beats Youtube, Reddit, Google+, LinkedIn and MySpace for percentage of total referral traffic in January, according to a Shareaholic study.

Some ideas for boards you can create:
Books I Love (great reads- your books and others)
Threads for Book Lovers (clothing related to books)
Bookcases (pretty ways to store books)
Libraries (beautiful reading spaces)
Food for Book Lovers (food themed from a book)
Accessories for Book Lovers (jewelry, purses, bookmarks, lights, etc)
Crafts for Book Lovers (diy ideas for book fans)
Gifts for Book Lovers (great books and accessories)
Books into Movies (books that got turned into films, or that should have been)
Book Illustrations (pictures from books, or of books)
Spotted (your books out and about)

For additional inspiration, check out some....
Publishers currently on Pinterest:
Randomhouse
Chronicle
Penguin Australia
Book Bloggers currently on Pinterest:
Stacy Millican
BookRiot
Rachel Krueger
Jessica Shover
Trish Collins
Mandi Ottaway
Sleepless Reader
Swapna Krishna

Innovative Ways Of Building Community Around Books

Book publishers vary widely in their use of Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Pinterest, according to research Blogads assembled in advance of its February 15 #SMWNYC panel on book publishers and social media.

Scholastic has done the most on Facebook. Randomhouse dominates on Twitter. Only three publishers are on Pinterest, the photo curation service popular with women, and five are on Tumblr, a blogging service.

The State of Book Publishers' Social Media (An overview from January 2012)












There is a noticeable correlation between the number of tweets per day or per month and the number of followers (correlation coefficient is about ~0.62). Publishers who tweet a lot have more followers than publishers who are less active which makes sense!








Please join us in NYC for our book panel: Innovative Ways Of Building Community Around Books! Sign up here.

Hosted by Blogads.com at The Gershwin Hotel Wednesday, February 15 at 12:30 PM - 2:00 PM

Publishers and authors are increasingly connecting to their audiences in innovative ways through new social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest and book-based social networks. Join four publishing industry marketers as they discuss specific ways social media is helping them promote books — and what the changes may mean for publishers, authors and readers.

Speakers:
Miriam Parker, Little, Brown, and Company
Emily Lyman, Crown Publishing
Ryan Chapman, FSG
Guinevere de la Mare, Chronicle Books
Henry Copeland, Blogads

Re-inventing the library

According to Good, Occupy Wall Street's "people's library" has helped popularize the idea of book lending that takes place outside of library stacks. As it turns out guerrilla librarians have been occupying street corners across the country with permanent community-curated micro-libraries for quite some time though.

In 2007 Corner Libraries was launched on a New Haven street corner and then evolved to New York City. There, the project has developed innovative ways to distribute books such as via a chained-up sidewalk school desk, a book shed built to mimic a newspaper stand, a doghouse-shaped library living on a hand cart in Williamsburg, and now, micro-libraries built into tree pits on the city's streets.

Another group called the Little Free Library has installed hundreds of micro-lending stations largely on private properties around the United States and Canada.

I've also seen a number of coffee shops and resorts with bookshelves stacked with good reads that encourage patrons to enjoy a title or two- by just taking it, or trading for it.

It's proven that knowledge sharing benefits everyone, so I'm fully in support of book lending in any form. If you could create one- where would you place your pop-up library and what material would be in it?

The Art of Writing

The majority of my time at my job is spent working on a computer, typing. Whenever November comes around and I attempt to write holiday cards, it is not uncommon for me to literally get a cramp in my hand. How pathetic!

I wanted to share this awesome project, because many people are in a similar situation to mine-- the art of writing is slowly dying.

Ecriture Infinie is an art project by Bili Bidjocka: eight giant-sized books made of blank, silent pages placed around the world one at a time. Each installation includes a large writing desk, a lamp, a pen. One by one, people approach the pages and leave their mark. They are invited to write as if it were the last time they could write by hand. The focus is not so much on the words, but on the gesture, the flow of the pen on paper, recorded on video. When each book is completed, it is sealed, wrapped, and hidden in a secret place, as in a time capsule. Will the people who will find the books in thousands of years be able to decipher it?

Track the travel of the current eighth book here.

Borrow Kindle books from your library

File this under "A" for "Amazing" or "Amazon." You can now check out a Kindle book from your local library by grabbing it from their website (already 11,000 libraries are down with the program) and read it on any generation Kindle device or free Kindle reading app. Don't worry, when you borrow a Kindle public library book, you'll still have access to all the unique features of Kindle books. And after it expires, if you check it out again or choose to purchase it from the Kindle store, all of your annotations and bookmarks will be preserved!

Your bed time story just got 100 times cooler

The Infinite Adventure Machine (prototype 01) from David Benqué on Vimeo.

You've got to check out this bedtime story ipad app being funded by Microsoft (called Infinite Adventure Machine). The creators set out to explore the links between imagination and computation. Tales and myths; the core narratives of human culture, have been transmitted for generations through various technologies and media. So they were curious about what new forms might they take through digital formats and artificial intelligence.

This app takes 31 different narrative elements from tons of fairytales to initiate story plots. The user then uses their imagination to fill in the details, or can reload the page for another story plot. Is it really a bedtime story app if you never want to go to sleep?

(Via @brandflakes)

Check out a "living book"

In an effort to combat budget cuts and ebooks, City Centre Library in Surrey, British Columbia, which is scheduled to open next month, has created the first ever "living books" program.

Basically in addition to bound volumes, the library will also provide residents with access to people. The librarian staff will maintain a list of local residents who have volunteered to share their knowledge of any topic, and other library patrons can make appointments for 30-45-minute conversations.

According to Good.is, librarian Ravi Basi told CTV British Columbia that the Surrey library staff initially imagined the living books initiative as a way to break down barriers between people of different races or religions, but people with interesting careers, life experiences, or academic research topics would make good volunteers as well.

The library is connecting local neighbors in a social atmosphere and advocating for open-knowledge sharing. My only question is how long until this hits the US?

Penguin audio book ads- well done

I Believe in Advertising is featuring very unique and intriguing poster ads for Penguin Audio today. Beautifully illustrated classics, in an ear canal- simple yet gets the point across.

How many can you name?

A lot of the greats pictured here! So cute!

10 ways authors should use Tumblr

Why use Tumblr as an author?

*Reach a new demographic and interest them with your material: In the U.S. Tumblr's audience tends to be younger — 56% of the service’s 25.2 million monthly visitors are under 34, and users skew slightly more male (52%). If that sounds like your average reader, you may want to give it a go!

*Tumblr has built-in networking elements that lets you tap into its community.

*It is very fast and easy to get short-form content onto your Tumblelog including video, images, quotes, etc. You can use bookmarklets, mobile apps, phone posting, IM submissions and other tools to post content.

*You can use Tumblr as your main blog, or use it to lead traffic to your real blog.

A few pointers for setting up your Tumblr:

*Use detailed description text for your profile information- make it consistent with your other online profiles

*Spend time selecting a "theme" that meshes well with your internet presence (use the same logo across everything / develop a color palette)

*Cross pollinate – list or link to your blog, Twitter, and Facebook profile urls

10 things you should do on Tumblr:

1.) Make sure you use “tags." When you put together a post, type in a few tags in the "tag" box on the right (these are similar to Twitter's hashtags; you're just indicating what topics your post involves so people can more easily find it)

2.) Find and follow topics and other blogs you enjoy by going to “explore tumblr” or typing a word into the search box on the right (from your dashboard). A good channel to follow is: http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/lit

3.) Favorite other people’s posts (by clicking on the heart icon on the post). The blogger who made the post will get a notification that you indicated their post as a favorite and may start following your blog.

4.) Reblog other people's posts that are relevant to you and your fans. This will help keep your content exciting and these folks will get a notification that you reblogged their post and may start following your blog.

5.) Post only truncated/short posts, or posts that slightly differ from your main site's content.

6.) Tumblr is a very visual network, try to use attractive images that capture attention and will stand out from other posts.

7.) Keep it fun- share cool bookmarks you've found, book tshirts you like, the latest book you enjoyed reading, an article about publishing you can relate to, etc.

8.) Include the "ask" feature on your page, and engage folks with questions in your posts.

9.) Post a contest, which can easily be reblogged.

10.) Include an "about" page where readers can learn more about you, and your books.

Book "Marks"

Haha check out these great book “Marks” (including Mark Wahlberg, Mark Zukerberg, Karl Marx, Mark Twain, Mark Anthony and Mark Hamill) via The Cheeky

The Kindle Million Club gets a new member

Today, Amazon announced that self-published author John Locke, has sold over 1 million books using Kindle Direct Publishing becoming the first independently published author inducted into the “Kindle Million club.” Current members of the "club" include authors like Stieg Larsson, James Patterson, Nora Roberts, Charlaine Harris, Lee Child, Suzanne Collins and Michael Connelly.

Locke, the international best-selling author of seven Donovan Creed novels, all of which have made the Amazon/Kindle Top 20 Best Seller's List, has published nine total works including: “Vegas Moon,” “Wish List,” “A Girl Like You,” and “Saving Rachel.”

Tech Crunch sums up the situation well, "Taking a look at Locke’s works (i.e. Now & Then, which pictures a half-naked woman on the cover), it looks like he may not be in line for a Pulitzer, but the milestone is impressive for an independent author."

The most practical bookmark

New age meets old.

10 ways authors should use their Facebook fanpage

1.) Draw your blog's RSS feed into your fanpage with apps like Social RSS

2.) Show off your book trailer videos or live interviews with the Youtube app

3.) Update with tour info, like location and dates by creating an event. After the event, post your photos in an album on the page.

4.) Expand your network by inviting friends to become fans with a note explaining what value the page will provide, and a link to it.

5.) Encourage folks who land on the page to like it, by creating and implementing a specific landing page, asking them to do so, and giving them something (like a free book chapter) in return. Check out Facebook for Business's fanpage for an example.

6.) "Like" other pages to help build your community.

7.) Hold contests and giveaways.

8.) Include links in the "about" box to places where your books can be purchased.

9.) Respond fast to comments folks leave. When fans are engaging you, it's a good sign!

10.) Ask questions, start discussions and create polls (ex. asking your fans to vote on a topic they'll care about).

10 ways authors can treat their Twitter followers well

1.) Give your followers a shout out by recommending them on #followfriday and #writerwednesday (if they too are authors). And retweet their updates any day, if you relate.
2.) Teach your followers something. Explain the best way to start an outline, to query an agent, how to advertise your book, how to price your ebook, etc.
3.) Give away free books or bookmarks.
4.) Make them laugh. People are on Twitter to be entertained. Nothing captures attention, like something humorous.
5.) Hold contests- for example, literature trivia.
6.) Update with information you've not made available elsewhere- like a tour location you just booked.
7.) Connect your followers with each other- make introductions.
8.) Invite your followers to a chat/discussion around a certain topic, with a specific hashtag everyone can follow.
9.) Give your followers control, let them determine where your next reading will be, or what the name of the next chapter should be.
10.) Spice it up, include pictures (maybe use a popular service like Instagram), ask questions, let them know a personal life detail or two.

Crowdsourced funding for books

A new UK start-up is on the publishing scene, called Unbound, and it's a model worth examining. I'm curious to see how many successful books they're able to launch, and if a singular genre ends up taking off.

Basically Unbound is a program for creating new books, where in folks can pledge money towards publishing titles they enjoy; if the goal amount is raised, the book gets made. It's sort of a combination of Threadless (i.e. focuses on only one product type- books, and only the things the crowd likes actually get made) with Kickstarter and IndieGoGo (i.e. individual people pledge funds towards making the writer's dream happen, get rewards in return, and each writer has their own book page, video, etc.).

It looks like the "rewards" for every book are exactly the same though, which is one difference from Kickstarter's platform. The rewards range from a digital copy of the book to a launch lunch party. This makes the pledging based more on individual's desire for that specific writing style/author than their interest in a unique gift offering-- allowing the authors to concentrate on their true craft- writing.

If the books don't receive enough pledges, they don't get made- the most "successful" campaign posted thus far has only reached 3% of its goal but it has 46 days left, so fear not, perhaps. I read on Adpulp that campaigns with videos raise more money, according to IndiegGoGo and so far all the books featured have made videos, a pitch, an excerpt, and bios.

A unique feature to Unbound is the promoter opportunity. Unbound will reward you with 1 credit (£1) for every supporter you have referred when the books target is met. It's their way to encourage you to do their marketing.

I'm curious what % of the total money raised Unbound receives. I think Kickstarter takes a 5% fee.

Currently Unbound is only adding projects for authors with proven track records, but it looks like they hope to expand and increase their diversity of offerings-- taking submissions from "the public at large."

So at a basic level Unbound plucked a category off of Kickstarter and had a go at it. I'd like to see a similar concept executed for records/CDs. Actually speaking of music, I'd also like to see a platform like this that allows you to basically petition your favorite band to come perform in your area. Does something like either of those already exist?

How do you think Unbound will fair?

Now if I could just look like a book....

Ever awoken wishing you smelled more like a book? No? Me neither. But, the good news is, you can, if you so desire.

Karl Lagerfeld the eccentric creative director at Chanel and Fendi, has developed a new fragrance called Paper Passion, which will smell like books. He's not the first though, as perfumes like Demeter Fragrance Library Paperback, Opus II Library Collection Eau De Parfum by Amouage, have been around for quite some time. Though at $325 a pop, I'd prefer to spend a day in the library for free, hoping to absorb the fumes, rather than spray them on me.

Be a story-teller on the go

Self-publishing company, Blurb, is launching a free mobile app that lets people tell and share creative stories in new ways, reports Mashable. The app will let users create shareable stories using photos, videos and audio sourced from their devices; they'll be able to rotate, crop, scale, sequence events via drag-and-drop, incorporate geotags and otherwise edit mobile story content as they see fit. Resulting stories can then be shared as digital booklets via email, Facebook or Twitter. Definitely a fun tool if you're stuck in an airport with hours of delays and plenty of content on your phone, but beyond that, I believe creating engaging stories is a fine craft that most people won't be able to master on the move.

Book takeover!

Folks, I can't resist pointing it out-- we've (Blogads) got a beautiful skin running on Wonkette.com today for One Nation Under Sex by Larry Flynt, the legendary publisher of Hustler magazine. I love the way skins effectively grab your attention! If you're interested in the book, it's available for purchase here.

Penguin's Book Country

Looking to support and develop writers of genre fiction, Penguin is launching a public beta of Book Country, a free online writing community and publishing services venture, Publisher's Weekly reports. Book Country, which has been in development for over a year, offers writers a place to upload new works and receive feedback and criticism from a community of writers and readers; a place for agents and editors to look for new talent; and eventually the venture will offer a suite of self-publishing services that will offer e-book and print publication for a fee.

So if you're an author, which do you choose: Harpercollins' Authonomy or Penguin's Book Country?

A few pros to Book Country:

• An emphasis on helping authors get valuable feedback
  
• Former literary agent and popular Twitter personality Colleen Lindsay is a Book Country community manager and a moderater on the boards
• It features a Genre Map, an interactive literary “map” of the known literary world, that uses a variety of landmark titles in various genres (say Walter Mosley’s Devil in a Blue Dress for Hard Boiled Noir) to point Book Country members to literary stars as well as literary hopefuls working in the genre

A few pros to Authonomy:

• A focus on getting great books published
• A public scoreboard
• Been around longer, so better established and perhaps a larger community
  
• Clear writing tips in addition to discussion
• Lower barriers to entry as you can upload your works right away without critiquing others first
  

Anyone have any experiences with either community, that they'd like to share?