For some reason, this number can fluctuate wildly. As example, last week searching my name indicated just over 8 million websites; yet, the other day, there were more than ten times that number:

Click image to find out the number of sites today. Search YOUR name.

Here are a few more ways to increase online presence.

1. Post a description of and link to your coming events, products or services online blog, website, calendar, etc.

For instance, asked to speak about my book and personal experiences  to recent immigrants at an event at a local library, I posted the invitation on my website (http://www.ignitingimagination.com/images/MOK_GiftsFlyer.pdf ) and announced the event widely, including on Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin with a link to the invitation. A notice of the event was also sent to media and added to some of their online calenders:

Click on image to link to calendar

2. After the event, post an account and/or upload photos:

Speaking in October, 2011 about about how my parents' immigrant experiences and attitudes led to my new book "Making Opportunity Knock"

In the following photo, I’m posing with recently re-elected Kathleen Wynne (far left,  Provincial Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing and Minister of Aboriginal Affairs), event coordinator Karen Fraser (2nd from right, founder of “Women Like Me” who is featured in Chapter 3,  “Making Opportunity Knock“, which is also the book’s title) and Nawal Ateeq, this event’s co-cordinator.

A few weeks later, I was invited to present books to speakers at a networking event for foreign-trained engineers hosted at the same library:

Presenting a copy of "Making Opportunity Knock" to speaker Mr. Richard B. Jones, Business Counsel at Law

3. Host your own online radio show.

Here’s a link to an article I wrote about researching possible networks through which I’d broadcast my show. Detailed are my considerations and findings before making a decision in 2008: http://nelliejacobs.wordpress.com/2009/01/page/3

Since then, I’ve produced and hosted a series of 35 episodes, all of which are numbered and archived. You can access/download them at your leisure through BlogTalkRadio or iTunes complete playlist.

4. Become a media guest interviewed about your specialty, product or service. Contact media. Send a press release. Ask people in your networks to recommend you.

Here’s one one of  two interviews on the Liquid Lunch online TV show:

Cliclk on image to view interview

For a growing list of interviews I’ve done covering a range of topics, with links to their online television, radio and magazine sites, visit my website page: http://www.ignitingimagination.com/eventsmediasupporters.html

4. Post on YouTube.

Here are two programs/applications I used to create videos. I enjoyed learning how to implement and adapt them to my purposes:

a) Go!Animate> Again experimenting, I created dialogue scripts for the characters  in these three very short animations. Each segment features a point taken from my PowerPoint presentation about boosting creativity. I also learned how to include pop-up call-outs.

Click on image to view the video

Click on image to view video

Click on image to view this video

b) Authorstream> Transfer PowerPoints into movies:

Click on image to watch video

In the next post I will offer free info + links marketing “experts” provided me for big bucks. Really? Really!

For past and future events and their links: go here.

Click here to contact me with questions about becoming an agent for any of my products and services, ordering books for bulk discounts for your organization/business, or to book me for interviews or as a speaker for your group.

A portion of all proceeds will be donated for Kidney Transplantation and Research.

You are welcome to share your experiences, viewpoints, and suggestions in the comment section below.

All the best!

Creatively Yours,

Nellie

Next Post: Building Online Presence: Spilling the Beans3

 ________________

LINKS:

Website: http://www.ignitingimagination.com

Internet Radio Show: http://blogtalkradio.com/igniting-imaginationll episodes are numbered, archived, and available for your listening enjoyment anytime, anywhere.

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/nelliejacobs

Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/nelliejacobs

Twitter: http://twitter.com/nelliejacobs

Become a Friend/Follower on:

Someone I was helping out in Alberta last month told me he’d researched Nellie Jacobs on Google before calling, and was astonished that more than 11 million sites came up. Since I wasn’t in the habit of checking my own name, I was surprised to hear it, too.

Instead, for years since signing onto Google Alerts, I’ve clicked on links whenever I’m emailed notifications that my name, website and “grading the teacher” were mentioned online.

That’s how I found out that an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teacher working in Thailand has used elements of  the report card in my book Grading the Teacher (published in 1996 by Penguin Books) to  improve his teaching.

To read his September 2011 blog post  “A quest to become a better teacher: A blog challenge PART 1″,  click here.

So, after the call with the Albertan businessman was done, I entered my name on Google-search, and this is what I found:

Click on image to Google-search yourself

Not all the sites are related to me.

Sometimes, the spelling of my name is changed. Other times, my first and last names are separated. Some sites are obituaries for a few dead Nellie Jacobs-oh, my!

There’s an award-winning horse-rider Nellie Jacobs who rounds up cattle.  See her doing just that in this video.

Another is a sometimes reviled character in books about the Civil War written by Harry Turtledove. Read about her in his Southern Victory Series.

There’s even one site that offers gold and silver mining stocks, which I think is an appropriate metaphor for the “Mining Your Resources” series of books I’m writing and publishing:

Click on image to go to site.

And yet, many of the 11,700,000 (as of today) sites are linked to me.

These are the result of years spent in the development and cultivating my name, brand, products and services online. Based on my personal research, experiences, and information paid for to “experts”, in this and next posts I’m happy to stimulate ideas and reveal ways that might help you build your own online presence.

I’ve done it by pursuing my different interests. Here’s a visual depiction of those interests-based on my Twitter posts, followers and following-posted on Mirror.me website:

Click on image to see how you are depicted.

Yes, I twitter and tweet (and twirl and swirl).

I’ve learned a lot through my followers and those I follow. Their links have led me to all kinds of knowledge. I’ve connected with fascinating people around the world. I’ve re-tweeted their postings, and they have mine. I’ve supported and promoted their events and products, and they have mine.

There’s a special challenge to getting new followers, and I refuse to pay for it. My aim? To get to a million followers within a year. Ha!!! Only 999,064 to go, as of today.

What are the chances?

For past and future events and their links: go here.

Click here to contact me with questions about becoming an agent for any of my products and services, ordering books for bulk discounts for your organization/business, or to book me for interviews or as a speaker for your group.

A portion of all proceeds will be donated for Kidney Transplantation and Research.

You are welcome to share your experiences, viewpoints, and suggestions in the comment section below.

All the best!

Creatively Yours,

Nellie

Next Post: Building Online Presence: Spilling the Beans 2

 ________________

LINKS:

Website: http://www.ignitingimagination.com

Internet Radio Show: http://blogtalkradio.com/igniting-imaginationll episodes are numbered, archived, and available for your listening enjoyment anytime, anywhere.

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/nelliejacobs

Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/nelliejacobs

Twitter: http://twitter.com/nelliejacobs

Become a Friend/Follower on:

To make opportunity knock in new ways, you must be alert, open to ideas, see possibilities-and take the leap.

The purpose of this current series is to offer you ideas and real, personal examples to inspire you to think more creatively.

Hopefully, you might apply some of this knowledge and experience to your own situation, even your interests fall in a field other than book publishing.

So, in the previous post, I described details of collaboration and cross-promotion with Chris Mallmann for my September speaking event at her Wardrobe Workshop.

Today’s article offers just two of the many opportunities I recently came across and followed up.  Requests were posted online  by members of a Linkedin Group:

Click on image to visit website.

These are results of  my responses:

Collaborate

1. Jerryilynn B. Thomas leads a business for “Helping Companies Collaborate to Increase Their Female Client Base“,  posted a call for participants in a collaborative initiative to promote holiday sales. I quickly responded, filling out an online form, and now …

Click on image to visit the Cross Promotion Holiday Gift site

Click on image to visit the website

Click on image to visit site.

RECENT INTERVIEWS

I was recently interviewed on Internet radio shows. You can listen to the archives by following the links:

October 4th-Prepare for Freedom Show. Theme: “Letting Go”. Click here to listen to last half-hour.

October 20th-Loop of Confidence Show. Theme: “Overcoming Your Fears”. Click here to listen/download.

Upcoming: December 1st-The Never Say Impossible Show by Myra Goldrick. Click here to listen live/archived.

For past and future events and their links: go here.

Click here to contact me with questions about becoming an agent for any of my products and services, ordering books for bulk discounts for your organization/business, or to book me for interviews or as a speaker for your group.

A portion of all proceeds will be donated for Kidney Transplantation and Research.

You are welcome to share your experiences, viewpoints, and suggestions in the comment section below.

All the best!

Creatively Yours,

Nellie

Next Post: Marketing 13 – Cross Promotion 2

 ________________

LINKS:

Website: http://www.ignitingimagination.com

Internet Radio Show (All episodes are numbered, archived, and available for your listening enjoyment anytime, anywhere): http://blogtalkradio.com/igniting-imagination

Become a Friend/Follower on:

Opportunity Knock

@ the Wardrobe

Workshop-Part 2

When Proprietor Chris Mallmann and I discussed my coming talk (see previous post), I decided rather than displaying a slideshow on a screen, I’d offer something way more interactive.

Participants were really keen when I first presented a similar format at my Mining Your Creativity session at the inaugural Creativity Coaching Association conference in Lake George New York in 2008:

My “Mining Your Creativity” 2008 workshop at Creativity Coaching Association

I arrived two hours early on September 20th to help Chris prepare and set out food and drinks for the reception. Then I arranged ten gift packages across the table at the front of area where chairs were set up for the talk. These packages would be distributed to audience volunteers who’d open and share their surprise discoveries and initiate ensuing discussions:

When everyone settled into their seats, Chris warmly greeted the audience:

Click here to visit the Wardrobe Workshop website.

Each person was provided with a clipboard and pen. Everyone was ready for a good time:

All ready to go!

Chris introduced me:

I shared my story, described my work, and outlined the format for activities. The first volunteer came up to get a bag, and with prompting, pulled out its contents to read aloud. The evening fun had begun….

One of the first challenges: “In one minute, write as many nouns as you can that describe who you are and what you do.” One participant jumped up at the end of the minute with a list of  more than twenty five words! We were all amazed, and clapped our appreciation!! (Some of us changed or added to our list after that.)

Each bag’s contents were different than the others:

One point offers an example of a newspaper article comparing workloads of the sexes in the past with the present. That led to a vibrant discussion with many heated opinions expressed.

Reaching into one of the remaining bags, Joanna Mele read its contents:

The very last bag revealed my illustration with its question:

(Click above illustration twice to enlarge.)

Our hostess completely surprised us with her answer:

Chris doesn't just dream about it, she EXPECTS to become a bush pilot in the far north. She's already a glider with thousands of hours' experience.

We wrapped up the presentation and invited all to stay to enjoy food and drinks, and to meet new people. They did!

Many expressed their opinion that a good time was had by all:

Audience members enjoyed each others’ company:

Copies of my books were sold, too:

Songwriter and performer Michele Mele took active part in the evening. Michele was interviewed and sang on the first episode of  my internet radio show “Igniting Imagination with Nellie Jacobs”.  She is also featured in Making Opportunity Knock‘s Chapter 1- “Never to Old to Follow Your Passion”.

Singer/songwriter Michele Mele (left) with her mom, Joanna, sister-in-law Joanne and my mom. Click here to visit Michele’s website.

Thanks again to Chris Mallmann for providing her lovely venue and generous reception. It was a pleasure to collaborate and cross-market with her.

RECENT INTERVIEWS

I was recently interviewed on two Internet radio shows. You can listen to the archives by following the links:

October 4th-Prepare for Freedom Show. Theme: “Letting Go”. Click here to listen to last half-hour.

October 20th-Loop of Confidence Show. Theme: “Overcoming Your Fears”. Click here to listen/download.

For upcoming events: go here.

Click here to contact me with questions about becoming an agent for any of my products and services, ordering books for bulk discounts, or to book me for interviews or as a speaker for your group.

A portion of all proceeds will be donated for Kidney Transplantation and Research.

You are welcome to share your experiences, viewpoints, and suggestions in the comment section below.

All the best!

Creatively Yours,

Nellie

Next Post: Marketing 12 – Keynotes – Part 3

 ________________

LINKS:

Website: http://www.ignitingimagination.com

Internet Radio Show (All episodes are numbered, archived, and available for your listening enjoyment anytime, anywhere): http://blogtalkradio.com/igniting-imagination

Become a Friend/Follower on:

Opportunity Knock

@ the Wardrobe

Workshop

Early this year, when proprietor Chris Mallmann heard about the upcoming publication and launch of Making Opportunity Knock, she immediately offered her Wardrobe Workshop venue for an evening presentation and book signing:

Click here to visit the Wardrobe Workshop website.

Chris is a truly creative entrepreneur in every sense of its meaning. She offers custom clothing designs as well as coats and a myriad of wardrobe accessories to a growing list of clients, now in the thousands. A positive example to anyone who has a product or service to promote, Chris markets her business through clients’ word of mouth, fliers, print media advertising, and newsletter mailings.

She also cross-promotes.

For instance, two or three times a year she invites a speaker to present to an audience at a wine and cheese evening on her premises. Why does she do it? Chris says, “These informative evenings are our way to give back to the community that supports us.”   She generously added that this time she wanted to support my work because, “the main focus is on creativity, and that is such a great complement to our business, which allows our clients to co-create their wardrobes.”

(Click on the illustration to enlarge.)

We agreed on a date and time: this past September 20th, 2011.

To market my talk, Chris and I discussed creating a three-fold flier advertising the event on one side and her fall coat sale on the other. This would be be included with her newsletter in the regular mailing sent to her clients. The person who used to do that work had moved to another job. Over years, using Microsoft Publisher I’d created my own promotional materials, including fliers, so I volunteered to take on the challenge. To learn how to do it, I followed the format of a prototype flier sent by Chris.

It took a couple of days of experimenting and figuring out. Here’s the one I developed, with considerable back and forthing with Chris:

___________________________________________________________

(Click twice on the flier to enlarge.)

Chris loved the final product. Not only did she mail it to her extensive list, she added it as an insert in an issue of the Bayview Post, a free local monthly paper delivered  to tens of thousands of homes in the area. I also created an Evite to send to my personal network – and posted regularly to all my social networks (for those links, see below my signature). The evening was so well attended that the spacious room was packed!

Wardrobe Workshop audience waiting to start Sept. 20th, 2011

(Click on photo to enlarge)

To read about the event itself and how the wonderfully interactive evening unfolded, see the next post.

I love collaborating with others. I enjoy sharing  ideas, participating in the creative process, focusing on challenging issues and brainstorming possible solutions. I find it stimulating and learn a lot. Hopefully, I return the favour to my co-collaborators. Working with Chris was indeed a pleasure.

RECENT INTERVIEWS

I was recently interviewed on two Internet radio shows. You can listen to the archives by following the links:

October 4th-Prepare for Freedom Show. Theme: “Letting Go”. Click here to listen to last half-hour.

October 20th-Loop of Confidence Show. Theme: “Overcoming Your Fears”. Click here to listen/download.

For upcoming events: go here.

Click here to contact me with questions about becoming an agent for any of my products and services, ordering books for bulk discounts, or to book me for interviews or as a speaker for your group.

A portion of all proceeds will be donated for Kidney Transplantation and Research.

You are welcome to share your experiences, viewpoints, and suggestions in the comment section below.

All the best!

Creatively Yours,

Nellie

Next Post: Marketing 11 – Keynotes – Part 2

 ________________

LINKS:

Website: http://www.ignitingimagination.com

Internet Radio Show (All episodes are numbered, archived, and available for your listening enjoyment anytime, anywhere): http://blogtalkradio.com/igniting-imagination

Become a Friend/Follower on:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/nelliejacobs

Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/nelliejacobs

Twitter: http://twitter.com/nelliejacobs

Share this posting with your own networks by clicking on the links below:

A Booking

Determined to connect with groups through speaking engagements, I decided to contact Rotary Clubs:

The very first  email I sent to a local club with a request to speak was answered within the hour by its president. He immediately forwarded it to the program coordinator who books speakers for the club’s weekly lunch meetings held on the premises of a local restaurant. Within the next hour, I was booked for a date in early October.

I must admit spending hours in preparation, creating an illustrated PowerPoint:

I converted it  into a PDF presention for an iPad. When connected to an LCD projector, it would be able to be viewed on an overhead screen. I’d been assured that members who were “techies” would help set it up.

On arrival the day just before lunch, I was greeted warmly and introduced to members as they came in. The techies did indeed work hard to set up equipment in the centre of the room so everyone could see.

A delicious buffet lunch was served (This salad was actually served at my brother and sister-in-law’s wedding. I like the visual, so include it here).

My husband and I sat with the club president who talked us through the program and events as they unfolded. Sitting at round tables, about fifty people obviously enjoyed each others’ company. I was introduced, and proceeded to make my pitch in a manner I’d never done before.

I’m used to getting audiences to interact enthusiatically, answer questions, offer opinions, and share their personal experiences. I’m a former kindergarten teacher, after all!!!

This time , however, I chose to talk about what I’ve done and my current intention which was to ask for their support.  I went about it entirely the wrong way, lecturing without offering opportunity for participation. Audience members watched the slideshow carefully. But during the following question period, except for the president himself, they didn’t participate in any way. It was a very, humbling experience.

Am I sorry I tried something new? I’m embarrassed to have fallen flat in front of a roomful of strangers. I agonized over how I could have, should have …etc. Even now, at this stage of my life, I’m learning lessons:

1. Put a perspective on this. I only ”failed” in front of 50 people, not the tens of millions let down by worldwide companies. A recent example:

Whew!

2. True to the pattern that has continued in my life, one thing can lead to another. The PowerPoint PDFs I worked so hard to develop were used last week in a pitch to an executive of an international company that expressed interest in a collaboration and/or sponsorship.  That very same presentation, shown directly on my iPad, was truely interactive-with lots of questions going back and forth between us. I expect to do this to other organizations as well.

What else did I learn?

3. That I must be true to myself and let the audience lead the way. It’s all about the people, not me. So, the next time I spoke, a week later, I made darn sure that the event as interactive as possible. It was a smash hit. Stay tuned for the next post …

RECENT INTERVIEWS

I was recently interviewed on two Internet radio shows. You can listen to the archives by following the links:

October 4th-Prepare for Freedom Show. Theme: “Letting Go”. Click here to listen to last half-hour.

October 20th- Loop of Confidence Show. Theme: “Overcoming Your Fears”. Click here to listen/download.

For upcoming events: go here.

A portion of all proceeds will be donated for Kidney Transplantation and Research.

Contact me with questions or to book me as a speaker to your group or guest on your show. Make comments below.

All the best!

Creatively Yours,

Nellie

Next Post: Marketing 10 - Speaking

 ________________

LINKS:

Website: http://www.ignitingimagination.com

Internet Radio Show: http://blogtalkradio.com/igniting-imagination

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/nelliejacobs

Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/nelliejacobs

Twitter: http://twitter.com/nelliejacobs

A Mystery …

This summer, with all the media coverage we’d received, the local YIG store owner agreed to take on consignment several copies of my book Making Opportunity Knock.

He entered them into the store’s billing system and placed them on his book shelf:

I went back three days later and found all books gone.

“Wow!”I thought. “They sold out so quickly!” 

Sales records indicated no such luck. But where were the book copies?

It took the staff hours of searching and phone calling for days to uncover the answer …

The book distributor rep for the company that weekly supplied books to the supermarket chain had come in, swept up all the unsold books for that week, packed them in cartons, and returned the whole lot to the distribution warehouse. 

Mine were taken by mistake. They’d been on the shelf only one day.

I returned to the store the next week to take back the copies.

That was another experiment that didn’t quite work out in this rugged road to self-publishing…..

What lessons might someone take?

1. If you have an idea, try it.

2. If the idea works, great!

3. If the idea doesn’t work, ask:

•  why?
• can it be re-formulated?
• should it be left behind for the time being?
• should you just go past it…? 

Sometimes, if  progress is made at all, it’s millimetre by millimetre (we use metrics here in Canada.).

Have you had a similar experience?  What lesson(s) did you learn?

Future Events (book an event for your group..)

Upcoming Internet interview:

October 20, 2011, 11am-12 noon EST/10-11am CT: I will be interviewed re Overcoming Your Fears by Ann Bernard on The Loop of Confidence Show. Call-in: (347) 843-414, or listen afterwards to the archive.

For more events/media interviews that are continually being added to the calendar on my website, go here.

A portion of all proceeds will be donated to the Toronto General and Western Hospital foundation for Kidney Transplantation and Research.

You’re welcome to contact me with your questions or make comments below.

All the best!

Creatively Yours,

Nellie

Next Post: Marketing 9 - Pounding the Pavement cont’d- a Booking

 ________________

LINKS:

Website: http://www.ignitingimagination.com

Internet Radio Show: http://blogtalkradio.com/igniting-imagination

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/nelliejacobs

Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/nelliejacobs

Twitter: http://twitter.com/nelliejacobs

Getting

Traditional

Media Coverage

Obviously, media coverage is great for exposure for your product or service. If you don’t have time or the inclination to look after the steps yourself, hire someone who knows the business well, has a great reputation for results, is recommended by others-and is compatible with you, your ideas and expectations.

Google "Mass Media images" and here's one page you get!

If you choose to publicize on your own, at least at the beginning, here are steps I followed:

1. Results are better if you have some kind of upcoming event attached to the product/service that will be of interest to people living in the area covered by the media.

2. Create a news/press release with a great hook. As it turns out, 2010 provided me with more than enough material for not only a hook but an entirely new book. Media are always looking for good stories for its audience.

3. Research media outlets. Start with the ones in your area. Look up radio, television, magazines and newspapers, what they’re about, what section would be interested, and the contact information. Can you connect with an upcoming holiday or celebration?

4. Check out the lead time needed. Does it broadcast or publish daily, weekly or monthly? How does your information fit in to the deadline?

5. Speak to someone at the particular media office about who should get the release. Often, after a couple of questions, the person answering the phone call can direct you. Should you be speaking with an editor, writer, host, or producer?

6. Be nice and friendly. Follow up, follow up, follow up! To ensure receipt, connect with the recipient of the media release. Give more detail and why what you are offering is important to the audience/readers.

Here’s how I managed – with perseverance – to get coverage for an event in Muskoka.

Press Release

Results in

Full Page Article

Having accepted John Dunn’s invitation to set up a table for his Walker’s Point Marina’s Canada Day celebration on Saturday, July 2nd, I decided to try to attract some publicity. This is how one thing can lead to another.

Following the steps outlined above, I sent out my press release to all the media outlets I could find in Muskoka and surrounding area, and followed up-sometimes several times. Virtually everyone I spoke to indicated interest.

As it turned out, because I’d gone to attend a family wedding in the States, I missed one reporter’s call and returned home too late for that newspaper’s deadline. In the future, I would consider arranging to forward calls from my home office phone to my cell phone.

However, I was indeed fortunate to get amazing coverage throughout Muskoka for the July Canada Day celebrations weekend.

The Muskokan is a  weekly publication widely distributed free in Muskoka during summer months …

Kelly McShane was assigned by editor  Andrew Wagner-Chazalon to write a story about my background, my book,  and my intention. (Look for upcoming interview with Andrew on my talk radio show this Fall.) Kelly’s  subsequent wonderful full-page article “The skills you need may lie within, says author” covers many of the points we’d discussed in a long telephone interview. The issue was published and distributed throughout Muskoka on one of the busiest weekends of the summer, and just in time, too.

As it happened (is it merely a coincidence?), The Moose FM Muskoka radio station set up a booth right next to me. (Yes, I’d sent a press release there, too. This booth was arranged way before that.)

It was a very hot day. When we weren’t busy otherwise, announcer Ryan Griffiths and I shared stories in between his promotions for the ongoing events.

Ryan Griffiths with the author at Walker's Point Marina

Throughout the entire afternoon, Ryan graciously mentioned Making Opportunity Knock on air, inviting listeners to come visit and buy copies of the book.

How One Thing

Can

Lead To Another

With actual media coverage in hand, my next steps were to approach local:

1. non-traditional retailers about accepting my book for sale;

2. specific clubs and chapters of organizations to book me as a speaker.

The next post will describe how this successful pursuit resulted in the Mystery of Missing Books, as well as a speaking engagement.

Future Events (book an event for your group..)

For more events that are continually being added to the calendar on my website, go here.

A portion of all proceeds will be donated to the Toronto General and Western Hospital foundation for Kidney Transplantation and Research.

You’re welcome to contact me with your questions or make comments below.

All the best!

Creatively Yours,

Nellie

Next Post: Marketing 8 - Pounding the Pavement cont’d-A Booking and a Mystery

 ________________

LINKS:

Website: http://www.ignitingimagination.com

Internet Radio Show: http://blogtalkradio.com/igniting-imagination

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/nelliejacobs

Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/nelliejacobs

Twitter: http://twitter.com/nelliejacobs

Approaching

Non-Traditional

Retailers

From the beginning of this journey, I determined to circumvent traditional bookstores, particularly the big box chains. They only take books on consignment, sometimes for a limited time period during which copies are added on shelves with thousands of other books which will never be discovered.

That is, unless their publishers manage to get wide-spread media coverage and/or pay for the privilege of book display on cash register counters, “preferred” tables or facing out at shelf ends. (To watch my interview on the Liquid Lunch show for more about my views re the publishing industry,  go here.)

I must admit, however, that just before publication, I did try to contact self-publisher category buyers of one of the major Canadian book chains re two new books:

Making Opportunity Knock is the first volume of a self-help, inspirational series marketed towards boomers/zoomers and anyone anticipating/experiencing a private or public life change …

Click on book cover for more information, to download book catalogue and to order copies.

Magical MousePainting©: A Tool for Computer Creativity, a guidebook with a twist, offers basic computer functions and design elements. It’s entirely illustrated in colour with my artwork …

Now an ebook! One book. Two covers. Why? For more information, excerpts, and to order-only $12.95-click on book covers.

So, I left messages with the category managers of these box stores and never once received a response. I spoke with independant bookstore owners who had originally indicated interest; they all began waffling near publication date for various reasons (including a block explosion and fire)-without yet seeing a copy.

Yes, I am very familiar with rejection. As example, Grading the Teacher: A Canadian Parents’ Guide was turned down by 29 publishers before becoming a bestseller after Penguin Books published it  …

For more about this book and to order copies, click on above cover.

There is no doubt that the book industry is experiencing enormous upheaval. Rules have not only been changed: they are discarded altogether. So,  wearing my entrepreneurial hat, I chose to follow my own advice, making opportunity knock (ahem) in creative ways!

Several phone calls led to the wonderful venue for my successful book launch this past May 31st and generous sponsorship for its refreshments.

I also began contacting people I’ve dealt with in business over the years. John Dunn bravely suggested I set up a table to display and sell books during his Walker’s Point Marina Canada Day July 2nd celebrations, attended by hundreds, if not thousands, of clientele.

In spite of having a houseful of guests for the weekend, I took him up on his offer …

All set up and ready to go!

Here’s the poster insert created for a signholder that could be used again and again …

A view of Lake Muskoka before the Moose FM Muskoka set up its tent next to my table for broadcast all afternoon (see next blog post about getting media coverage):

All kinds of people who drove, boated, walked and rode bikes to the marina stopped by to chat, ask questions, and even buy books. A world-renown psychiatrist wandered over with her friends and bought several copies to give away as gifts. So did an Ontario Superior Court judge. Whole families visited the display table and posed for photo ops:

I had no preconceived notions about how the day would unfold. It turned out to be an awesome experience, as you can see here. Ross Whytock had just read about us in The Muskokan newspaper (see next post about the background to this article) and came by with his lovely granddaughter Julia to purchase a signed copy:

That weekend, the Barlochan General Store was the first retail outlet to agree to sell copies which co-owner Ruby has already done:

BARLOCHAN GENERAL STORE, WALKER'S POINT, MUSKOKA, ONTARIO

Chris Mallman of the Wardrobe Workshop in Toronto kindly offered to offer a talk and booksigning to her clients and the community at large in Toronto in late September. More about the planning of this event in a future post.

Acknowledging

Supporters

I believe it’s important to acknowledge those who are helpful to us. On my website, I’ve begun posting logos of both supporters and retail outlets where books can be purchased (in addition to online) with links to their websites:

Hopefully, this will bring them more business-and encourage other businesses to do as they have done: support me in mine.

Future Events (book an event for your group..)

For more events that are continually being added to the calendar on my website, go here.

A portion of all proceeds will be donated to the Toronto General and Western Hospital foundation for Kidney Transplantation and Research.

You’re welcome to contact me with your questions or make comments below.

All the best!

Creatively Yours,

Nellie

Next Post: Marketing 7 - Pounding the Pavement cont’d-Getting Media Coverage

 ________________

LINKS:

Website: http://www.ignitingimagination.com

Internet Radio Show: http://blogtalkradio.com/igniting-imagination

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/nelliejacobs

Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/nelliejacobs

Twitter: http://twitter.com/nelliejacobs

Networking

One strategy to raising awareness of kidney transplants and my newest book Making Opportunity Knock is to connect with members of my personal and social networks. I send out press releases and post messages on the Internet.

Presentation at Toronto’s Sunnybrook Hospital

My husband Paul (recipient) and I (donor) were invited to speak to the hospital’s Dialysis Unit Patient Council on June 22nd. For all who attended, a wonderful buffet lunch was served, generously sponsored by Patient Care Manager Nicole Di Paolo.

 

After our presentation, nursing staff came up to chat.

Future Events (book an event for your group..)

For more events that are continually being added to the calendar of events on my website, go here.

A portion of all proceeds will be donated to the Toronto General and Western Hospital foundation for Kidney Transplantation and Research.

You’re welcome to contact me with your questions or make comments below.

All the best!

Creatively Yours,

Nellie

Next Post: Marketing 6 - Pounding the Pavement cont’d …A press release results in a full page article …and “wo”manning a table for Canada Day celebrations in Muskoka …

 ________________

LINKS:

Website: http://www.ignitingimagination.com

Internet Radio Show: http://blogtalkradio.com/igniting-imagination

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/nelliejacobs

Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/nelliejacobs

Twitter: http://twitter.com/nelliejacobs