Archive for the ‘Staff Articles’ Category:

  • May 14, 2016
  • Staff Articles
  • Comments Off on Book Marketing Tip: How Important Is Your Book Cover?

Book Marketing Tip: How Important Is Your Book Cover?

We have had thousands of book covers come through whether they are for blog tours, book blasts, cover reveals, trailer blitzs, and review campaigns to name a few.  One of our most recent things we offer are the book review campaigns.  The book review campaigns are for  authors wanting more reviews at Amazon.  Plus, the bloggers may add your review to your page at Goodreads and your selling page at B&N as well as on their own blog.  Just what the author wants.  But the main focus is Amazon.  This is where books get noticed.  The more reviews your book gets, not only will that make your book look
Read More


How to Become a Tour Host for Pump Up Your Book

Do you love books?  Do you love meeting the authors behind the books?  Would you like to be part of a team of book lovers who would like to help spread the word about these fantastic books and authors? Pump Up Your Book is looking for book bloggers interested in hosting authors of all genres.  We represent fiction and nonfiction, except for porn.  The authors who sign up with us are looking for an outlet to spread the word about their books and they’re seeking bloggers to help.  Why bloggers?  Bloggers – book bloggers in particularly – are looking for traffic.  Most companies who are searching for bloggers to
Read More


The Greatest Benefit of Virtual Book Tours

I’ve been promoting authors’ books with virtual book tours (VBTs) since 2007. I could share numerous benefits of VBTs: promoting a book from the comfort of your own home, the vast audience they reach, and their longevity (I can type the author’s name and book title from one of my first clients into Google and still see results from her virtual book tour.). I might even discuss two detailed articles I wrote on why VBTs work and how to judge your VBT’s success from my own experience promoting Little Shepherd when it first came out. But I’m not going to talk about any of that. Why? Because that’s not
Read More


How State Parks Can Show You How NOT to Sell Your Book

Okay crazy title and I hate it when I see articles titled that way but I’m in a crazy kind of mood so bear with me. I love national and state parks with a passion—mainly national ones, but if you’re traveling and staying in an area that only has state parks, it’s the next best thing.  National parks have more to offer, of course.  They’re usually bigger, advertised heavily and have more to do.  State parks, on the other hand, do have lots to offer just on a smaller scale. I recently returned from a trip to the Poconos.  As I wasn’t familiar with the area, I did Google
Read More


Straight From the Author’s Mouth: Book Selling Secrets Revealed

If it’s one question that is asked more than any other question that authors ask me about book promotion, it’s “How can I make more sales?”  That’s the million dollar question, isn’t it? The problem with finding a direct answer is that it can get complicated.  What might work for one might not work for another.  The best advice I can give is to make sure you have all your ducks in a row before the book is even published.  The cover is one of the most important assets an author can have.  As shallow as that sounds, a book cover can make or break a sale.  The second
Read More


How to Promote Your Book Without Breaking the Bank

Authors are doing it every day – finding ways to promote their books without breaking the bank.  Money doesn’t grow on trees as we all know but at Pump Up Your Book, we offer different ways to promote your book that won’t send you to the poor house. In order to promote your book, the author does everything in his or her power to get the word out about their book but sometimes it’s just not enough.  That’s why they come to us.  Some of them have an unlimited budget and others are watching their pennies and that’s fine.  We let authors know the different ways you can promote
Read More


I Am a Book Buyer: What Will Make Me Want to Buy Your Book?

I Am a Book Buyer: What Will Make Me Want to Buy Your Book? Here are top book promotion tips to make your book mega-sellable. People buy books for all kinds of reasons.  There is no single way to tell how they are buying them, but I can give you tips on how to make yours stand out from the pack.  What makes me an expert?  I love books; I buy books and I handle authors’ books every single day.  Some sell like hotcakes and then some don’t make that bestselling status and the author wonders what they are doing wrong? Word of mouth is the foremost top way
Read More


How much time do I need to invest in my virtual book tour?

Pump Up Your Book answers YOUR questions about virtual book tours.  If you have a question, leave it in the comment section and we’ll answer it in depth in a new blog post. Or you can email Dorothy at thewriterslife (at) gmail.com. We look forward to your questions! When my tour begins how much will I be on call on daily basis?   Today’s question is a really good one.  When an author signs up with us, s/he may or may not be familiar with virtual book tours at all.  Most by now have heard of them but it’s not until they actually embark on one do they realize
Read More


Pump Up Your Book’s 28-point Virtual Book Tour Checklist

Pump Up Your Book’s 28-point Virtual Book Tour Checklist By Dorothy Thompson, CEO/Founder of Pump Up Your Book Going on a virtual book tour?  Here are some things you should know. Your book has just been published.  Or maybe it’s going to be published in the next month or two.  Regardless, authors are signing up for virtual book tours the moment they hear about the exciting ways they can promote their books with them.  There is no better vehicle to sell your books online than with a virtual book tour  so I don’t really blame them. I would like to provide a checklist of things to consider before booking
Read More


  • December 14, 2011
  • Featured, Staff Articles
  • Comments Off on How OK! Magazine Taught Me a Thing or Two About Book Promotion

How OK! Magazine Taught Me a Thing or Two About Book Promotion

How OK! Magazine Taught Me A Thing Or Two About Book Promotion Let’s say I’m the editor of a weekly supermarket tabloid that focuses on celebrities. I’m writing an article on a certain celebrity couple’s relationship that’s been all over the news lately and I need quotes from a relationship expert. And…I’m on a deadline. The few relationship experts I have in my Rolodex are either out of town, won’t answer their phone or are tired of being harassed by weekly supermarket tabloid editors. Whatever the reason, I’m sweating, hyperventilating and don’t have a moment to spare. Then, a light bulb goes off. This isn’t old journalism, I scream!
Read More


10 Things You Need to Know About Virtual Book Tours

10 Things You Need to Know About Virtual Book Tours   By Dorothy Thompson, CEO & Founder of Pump Up Your Book By now, most authors know what virtual book tours are or at least have heard of them.  They’re that wonderful marketing tool that should be a must have in every new book’s campaign.  With each new book I write, I’m making a game plan before the book is even published and a virtual book tour is the first promotional venue on that list. While most of us know what they are, there are still a few new authors who might have heard of them but have no
Read More


Promoting Your Seasonal Book Year Round

Promoting Your Seasonal Book Year Round by Cheryl C. Malandrinos Just for the record, I love Christmas. Ask anyone who knows me and they’ll tell you I embrace the season with all that’s in me. It wasn’t any surprise, then, that my first published book, Little Shepherd, was a retelling of the Christmas story. Books with a holiday tie-in are wonderful because buyers looking for new ways to present seasonal topics are apt to purchase them. That said, when the holiday has come and gone, sales can drift away. This meant when I put together my marketing plan for Little Shepherd, I had to think about what I would
Read More


Susan Kronick to appear in Vienna newspaper because of virtual book tour

A big congratulations goes to Susan Kronick, who has been touring with us since April.  Her paranormal novel, Sarah, They’re Coming for You, takes place in Austria and it seems one of the interviews  or guest posts that she wrote for one of her blog stops appeared last week in the Vienna, Austria, newspaper “Heute” (translates to Today). Not only that, she has been “friended” on Facebook by members of the Vienna Paranormal Society (Ghosthunters) and she’s a hit in Vienna!  They have asked her to meet up with them in Vienna the next time she’s over there and coincidentally she will be in Austria with her sister next
Read More


New Facebook Survey!

I don’t know about you but I simply love Facebook.  In fact, out of all the social networks, Facebook happens to be my favorite for two reasons.  One, I can keep up with what my friends and family are doing and two, I can promote my authors and know that I’m really reaching out to people. There are various stats on just how many people are using Facebook.  In my research today alone, someone is saying 400 million, another 500 million and still a third 600 million.  Either way you look at it, that’s an awful lot of users. According to the Facebook kahunas themselves, they are saying there
Read More


The Social Media Revolution: How the World is Changing the Way You Sell Your Book

Did you know? Facebook gets more traffic on a weekly basis in the U.S. than Google Social media has taken over pornography as the #1 activity on the web YouTube is the 2nd largest search engine in the world Kindle ebooks outsold paperbacks at Amazon last Christmas Pump Up Your Book’s authors ARE selling their books through social media via virtual book tours Our company BELIEVES social media is not the wave of the future… THE FUTURE IS NOW Watch this Video!


Which would you rather review – paperbacks or ebooks?

I was having a very interesting conversation today with one of our blog hosts, Farrah Kennedy of The Book Faery Reviews, over the subject of reviewing ebooks over paperbacks.  Here’s the question she posed to me: “Are authors more apt to provide an e-book vs a paper copy of their books? Depending on the book I’d like to start getting ebook format for my Nook Color if possible. I’d rather save the paper version for a REALLY good book and/or for a giveaway. Your thoughts?” I told Farrah that it was a really interesting question as I just had one of my upcoming authors ask me if I could
Read More


  • January 13, 2011
  • Featured, Staff Articles
  • Comments Off on Guest Posts: 50 ideas for great guest posts for authors on virtual book tours

Guest Posts: 50 ideas for great guest posts for authors on virtual book tours

When an author signs up for a virtual book tour with us, he more than likely will have to write a few guest posts (unless he specifies an all-review or all-interview tour). While it depends on how long his tour will be, he might be asked to write two, three, sometimes more guest posts.  The one thing the author needs to remember is that this is going to be one way to show everyone how well they can write.  Sometimes the reader picks up a certain style which may determine whether they may or may not buy their book, believe it or not.  What pressure! And sometimes the author’s
Read More


What Exactly are Blog Tours, Virtual Book Tours, Online Book Tours, Etc.?

A blog tour, sometimes called a virtual book tour or an online book tour, is an intensive lesson in online marketing that allows others to find out about you and your book through interviews, guest posts, podcasts, or reviews.  Instead of the author leaving her home to tour with her book, she can do it from the comfort of her home which makes it easier for most and economically-wise, you can’t beat it. By now, most of you already know what a blog tour is.  Sometimes I take it for granted that everyone knows and you’d be surprised to this day I still get questions asking what they are.
Read More


5 Tips for Coordinating a Successful Virtual Book Tour by Cheryl Malandrinos

Pump Up Your Book tour coordinator, Cheryl C. Malandrinos, recently provided an article to the Writers and Authors blog. 5 Tips for Coordinating a Successful Book Tour will share some of Cheryl’s secrets for putting together a great virtual book tour. You can read the article in its entirety by clicking here.    Cheryl Malandrinos is a freelance writer and editor. A regular contributor for Writer2Writer, her articles focus on increasing productivity through time management and organization. A founding member of Musing Our Children, Ms. Malandrinos is also Editor in Chief of the group’s quarterly newsletter, Pages & Pens.     Cheryl is a Tour Coordinator for Pump Up Your Book, a
Read More


  • September 10, 2010
  • Featured, Staff Articles
  • Comments Off on What Your Readers and Book Buyers Want to Know About You and What You Need to Know About Them

What Your Readers and Book Buyers Want to Know About You and What You Need to Know About Them

Every now and then, I’ll have an author ask me what they should write about when asked to write guest posts or what emphasis they should concentrate on when answering questions in interviews or just what they should do to create the most impact on their book buying public without becoming overbearing, pompous or downright horn-tooting obnoxious. The first thing I tell them is get out of the mindset that you’ll be getting on peoples’ nerves with all this horn blowing and get on with the matter at hand.  You are out to sell your book.  Without you tooting or someone else you pay to toot for you, you
Read More


How to Write a Bestselling Author Bio

How to Write a Bestselling Author Bio You heard it right – a bestselling author bio.  In order to sell your book, one of the major players in your book campaign is that little bit of text that tells everyone who you are, what book you have written and where to buy it. If your author bio isn’t up to snuff and not creating major author envy and book buying frenzomania, I’d like to offer some tips on how to make that bio sparkle and gleam just like a shiny red penny. To begin with, your author bio needn’t be too short or too long.  You have to aim
Read More


“When tour begins, how much will I have to be on call on a daily basis?”

Since Pump Up Your Book opened its doors back in ’07 (was Pump Up Your Book Promotion back then), we’ve had thousands of questions pour in about our services and about virtual book tours in general. Every Friday, I’ll be posting a new question to help everyone learn more about what we do and what virtual book tours can do for them. If you’d like to submit your question, click here. Vincent asks: When the tour begins, how much will I have to be on call on a daily basis? The most successful tour is when there are team players and with virtual book tours, the team players are
Read More


How to Find the Magic Key to Selling Books

Years ago, before book tours – virtually, that is – and before Twitter and Facebook even – when an author wanted to promote her/his book, they had very few choices in which to do this namely – e-groups, writer’s boards and forums, and wherever else they could find to get their book mentioned. They bought ads in writer magazines (some resulted in little or no sales), they started websites and later, blogs, and they hunted down websites that they could advertise their book, mainly free listings to save them some money. When my first print book, Romancing the Soul, came out, my publisher was very supportive; however I know
Read More


What I Know Now: The Ever Changing World of Online Book PR

As authors and promoters, we need to understand that online book promotion never stops evolving and it’s our job to make sure we stay on top of the latest technologies in which to promote our books.