guest article

Special Guest Article and Blog Share Celebrating July 4th Weekend. By Tony Roberts Who Gives Us Something to Think About.

Catherine Lyon - Expert Marketing & Media PR Consultant A Writer's Thoughts, Author News, Featured Guest, News Around The Web, Posts , , , , , , , , , ,

The Cost of Freedom ~ By Tony Roberts Blog ~ Delight in Disorder

 

I went to a fast food restaurant for dinner the other night. The guy ahead of me had just come home from Afghanistan. He was buying dinner for his son and himself. The total came to over $20.00.  He didn’t have enough. They said they would give him a 10% military discount. Still not enough. He started deducting his order until he could afford it.

Sad.

Then I saw a man who had heard this haggling hand him $100 bill and say, “Thanks for your service.”

The soldier teared up and said, “You don’t know how much this means to me.”

The man smiled and said, “You don’t know how much what you do means to me.”
I posted this story on Facebook and it has gotten nearly 100 likes and 10 shares. It shows that people really want to care about those who wage war in defense of our nation’s freedom. I’ll confess, I was moved to tears watching this happening. There is still hope for human compassion in the face of so much hate.

The soldier could have been a Trump-supporter, the donor a devout Democrat. It didn’t matter at this moment. At this moment, it was one man giving back to another who had given so much to him, so much for all of us.

So what do we do with the hope this engenders?

First, go and do likewise.

There are over two million soldiers in the US. The average income for a front-line private is less than $2,000 a month. Personal gifts (monetary or material) to military men and women you know or can meet is a great place to start. Rather than post a scathing remark against high government wages or benefits of non-US citizens, put your money where your mouth is. Cultivate a culture of caring for those who give so much to us.

Second, watch out for wounded warriors.

Every day, another veteran dies by suicide.

Mental health experts both in the military and in the civilian society desperately scramble to learn more about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and how to treat it. No solutions are at hand. We may think if the experts don’t even know what to do, how am I going to help? Well, it doesn’t take an expert to reach out and be a faithful friend. And that goes a long way toward healing.

Third, stop celebrating war.

Former 5-star General and President Dwight D. Eisenhower knew the cost of war, both on the soldiers who fight, the families left behind, and the society as a whole. He spoke passionately against the military-industrial establishment with these words:

“Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. This is not a way of life at all in any true sense. Under the clouds of war, it is humanity hanging on a cross of iron.” ― Dwight D. Eisenhower

Eisenhower knew better than perhaps anyone how to build a strong military. And he warned gravely that stockpiling weapons of mass destruction was no way to win a battle against enemy aggression. Building a strong military meant investing in the lives of our soldiers and our society as a whole.

 

There is a cost to freedom. What are you willing to give?

.

Image result for free images of tony roberts delight in disorder

.

About the Author: 

I am a man with an unquiet mind who delights in the One who delights in me.

“I  first sensed a calling to be a writer at the age of nine when I composed my first poem, “Ode to My Pet Rock.”

I was born and raised in the Hoosier heartland just south of Indianapolis. I grew up worshiping high school basketball and once had the honor of playing in a televised “game of the week.”

I went to Hanover College (alma mater of both Mike Pence and Woody Harrelson – (go figure). After many detours into sex, drugs, and more folk rock than roll, I wound up at a seminary and became a pastor. It was then that symptoms of depression and mania culminated in a psychotic episode that became pivotal in my life, for better and for worse.

After graduating from Hanover, I obtained a Master of Divinity degree from Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. While there, I did ministry assignments at a state hospital for persons with developmental disabilities, as well as at a women’s prison, and an inner-city hospital.

I served two decades as a solo pastor. I then shifted to writing, speaking, and leading small groups. In March of 2014, I published my spiritual memoir, Delight in Disorder: Ministry, Madness, Mission. Having served in pastoral ministry and gone mad, it’s now my mission to bridge the gap between faith communities and the mental health world.

I now live in Columbus, Indiana, with supportive family and faithful friends who keep me honest and encourage me to be who God created me to be. My greatest earthly delights are my four children and two grandchildren, with one more on the way. “The soul is healed by being with children.” (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)

.

Delight in Disorder: Ministry, Madness, Mission
.

Delight in Disorder was published in part through a successful Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign.

Can You Become an ‘Instant’ or Overnight Media Success Authors?

Catherine Lyon - Expert Marketing & Media PR Consultant A Writer's Thoughts, Book Promotion Tips For Authors, Featured Guest, Marketing and More, News Around The Web, Posts, Updates and More , , , , ,

I just read a great new article by my dear friend and PR expert Marsha Friedman in my newsletter from her PR firm. So, Marsha is back and shares and explains, time matters when it comes to media success. It doesn’t happen overnight and especially for authors and their books. Marketing your brand as an author and marketing your books takes a lot of work! Here is what Marsha says about this topic … Catherine *Cat*

.

Related image


 

The Time And Toil That Lie Behind ‘Instant’ Media Success

 by | May 11, 2018 | General Marketing PR Education 

Have you ever heard actors, singers, or even authors who became “overnight sensations” explain that their success didn’t happen overnight after all?

Instead, it was the result of lots of toil, along with years in which they languished in obscurity before – after much persistence – they rose to prominence and finally achieved “instant” fame.

Building your personal brand works in somewhat the same way. You can’t expect to bolt out of the starting gate one day and end up the next morning on the front page of a major newspaper or on the set of a national TV show.

So, the bad news is that success in the publicity and personal-brand-building world can take time. The good news is, for those willing to put in that time and effort, success does happen – and often in a big way!

Case in point: One of our clients was just featured in an Inc. magazine article that focused entirely on her and her message, along with a mention of her book! That’s not a common occurrence with this publication.

But this was no overnight achievement. She’s been our client for a year, and in that time we steadily helped her build both a stronger social media presence and print media presence. Would Inc. magazine has devoted so much space exclusively to her if she hadn’t built her authority over the last 12 months? Unlikely.

I share her success story for a couple of reasons.

For one thing, this shows what can be accomplished by those who find a message that resonates with the media and who keep at it, realizing that publicity and brand-building must be ongoing.

The second reason I share her story is this: On occasion, we encounter clients who don’t have a strong media presence and yet expect this sort of media attention instantly. They struggle to understand why we don’t just call up journalists or TV producers and explain how great they are or how wonderful their product or service is. They assume the media will be eager to talk with them.

.

The-Brilliant-Game

.

It doesn’t quite work that way. Sorry to say, the media may not be that interested in you – not yet anyway.

But you’re in good company. The top-tier media at one time weren’t into plenty of people who later became household names. No one cared about interviewing Mark Zuckerberg until Facebook started becoming a phenomenon that couldn’t be ignored.

That said, though, there are ways even an “unknown” can start to build a media presence and promote a personal brand, such as:

  • Promote your expertise rather than your product or service. As I mentioned earlier, members of the media likely won’t care about you or what you’re selling. What they do care about is your expertise. Do you have valuable information you can share with their readers, viewers or listeners? If you’re a financial professional, what tips would you offer for retirement planning? If you’re a small business owner, what advice would you give others who want to start a business? The media may not perk up their ears at your name, but they could be swayed by the knowledge you bring to the table.
  • Don’t dismiss the small victories. Everyone wants to be quoted in The Wall Street Journal or USA Today. They want the Today Show to interview them or Entrepreneur magazine to come calling. That’s fine! It’s great to dream big and we help many of our clients enjoy such successes. But don’t fall into the trap of ignoring smaller media opportunities. They help establish your online presence, provide opportunities to hone your message and give the top-tier media greater confidence that you’re a credible and authoritative voice in your industry.
  • Never give up. While a quick dash from anonymity to media darling could happen, it’s not the norm. You may send out pitches and get no response. You might be interviewed for an article, then be left out when it appears in print. Don’t despair. Be persistent. Sometimes it’s a matter of hitting the right journalist with the right pitch at just the right time.

If you’re starting to think this sounds more like a journey than a quick trip, you would be right. And, for those who care about personal brand building over the long haul, it’s a journey that has to be ongoing.

Once your efforts die, so will media interest – and they’ll turn to the next “overnight sensation”!

Instantly yours,

Marsha! (We Help Authors Too! http://newsandexperts.wpengine.com/book-promotion-services-for-marketing-a-book/

 

.

Related image

News & Experts PR Firm
3748 Turman Loop, Suite 101
Wesley Chapel, FL 33544
Toll-Free: 800-881-7342
Local: 727-443-7115

Big Spotlight For “Authors & Writers Beware.” Shining a Light on “Not So Legit Publishing & Marketing” By Victoria Strauss…

Catherine Lyon - Expert Marketing & Media PR Consultant A Writer's Thoughts, Author News, Book Promotion Tips For Authors, Book Review, Featured Guest, Marketing and More, Posts , , , , , , ,

Many of my author clients and writer visitors know I am a stickler when it comes to low cost book promotions and marketing with my business. And that includes finding decent publishing companies if my authors chose to not self-publish or want to use a self-publishing helper for all their written works. As I am stickler about my research on new places as well. I happened to get an email and solicitation from “Legaia Books / Paperclips Magazine” and did my research, and thankfully Victoria’s article popped up about this publishing and marketing business looking for writers and authors to use them.

So, of course, you know me, I didn’t like what I read of her well written and researched article of this publishing company Victoria warns us about. Now, no, it is not about defamation or slamming them, it’s about “Buyer Beware” as many of the costs they are way too high. Like a Press Release for $399.00??? Or a marketing package like their “Facebook Turbo” that goes for $3,499.00 Only…ONLY? I’am charging way to low of prices for just my one Book Promotion Package at $150 which includes setting up 3 new Social Media accounts for my clients! WOW!

So here is what Victoria found about Legaia Books and before you do any buying for publishing and marketing of your books, do yourself a favor and visit Victoria Strauss first!!


#####


Solicitation (and Plagiarism) Alert: Legaia Books / Paperclips Magazine

Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware

.

And The Forecast Called For Rain by Kim Carter INSTAGRAM TEASER

When the late, unlamented Tate Publishing & Enterprises went belly-up a few months ago, I started hearing from Tate authors who were being contacted by self-publishing companies and other for-profit enterprises looking to recruit new customers. Some of these were straightforward, reasonably reputable (if overpriced) businesses. Others…not so much. Very active trying to snag Tate authors was Legaia Books.

Here’s how Legaia describes itself (bolding and errors courtesy of the original):

Legaia is a book publishing company created to aid writers in seeing their works in prints. Whether you’re a beginner or a published author, and whatever is the genre of your work (memoirs, fiction, non-fiction, children’s book, or even poetry collection), it is always our pleasure to be working with you. Legaia has no reservations to anything in particular other than those that contradict what is in the terms and services. With the application of new technology and information, we are able to accommodate our clients and are maintaining this accessibility for a better relationship.


The whole website is written like this, which should be a gigantic clue that things aren’t kosher. If that’s not enough, consider the eye-poppingly expensive publishing packages (which don’t offer anything that’s not available elsewhere for much less money), the hugely overpriced “online media publicity campaign” (based largely on cheap-for-the-provider services that can be sold at an enormous markup), and the nebulously-described “Online Retail Visibility Booster“, which costs $6,499 and wants you to believe that’s a fair price for something called a Booster Tool that supposedly gets you more reviews on Amazon.

You can also buy advertising in Paperclips Magazine, which among other “opportunities” encourages authors to pay $1,999 for a book review or $4,999 for a “Paperclips Author Article.” According to the Legaia website, Paperclips is “a social online magazine that showcases books and author experiences in the publishing industry”; according to email solicitations like the one above, it has “over 2 million subscribers worldwide” (a bit hard to believe, given the mix of terrible writing, puff pieces, and ads that make up most of its content).

What both website and solicitations fail to mention: Legaia and Paperclips are one and the same, a fact Legaia admits on its LinkedIn page. This is the kind of profitable closed loop that allows an author-exploiting enterprise to hit up its victims multiple times.

.


Image result for copy free images of Paperclips Magazine

.

As for Paperclips Magazine, it’s…interesting. Not just for the amount of money that must have been generated by all the author articles and ads. Not just for the insanely awful writing by the “Editorial Team”…

No. For the plagiarism and the intellectual property theft.

The Paperclips website includes short articles with the byline Chloe Smith. Much of this content actually belongs to other authors. For instance, a piece called 7 Active Reading for Students: here it is at Paperclips, under Chloe’s name. Here’s the original, attributed to the real author: Grace Fleming. How about 10 Keys to Writing a Brilliant Speech? Here it is at Paperclips. Here’s the original, by Bill Cole. Ditto These Are the 8 Fundamental Principles of Great Writing. Here it is at Paperclips. Here’s the original (with a different title), by Glenn Leibowitz.
.

.

I could go on. There are lots more examples. And that’s just the Paperclips website. The magazine also includes stolen content. At least Why Print Books are Better than eBooks, and Ways to Improve eReaders bears the name of its true author, Greg Krehbiel…but Greg has confirmed to me that Paperclips published it without his permission. (It originally appeared here.) (I also reached out to two other authors included in the same issue, but as of this writing I haven’t heard back.)

both website and solicitations fail to mention: Legaia and Paperclips are one and the same, a fact Legaia admits on its LinkedIn page. This is the kind of profitable closed loop that allows an author-exploiting enterprise to hit up its victims multiple times.
Any bets on whether Paperclips got permission to use images of Dr. Seuss characters on the cover of its latest issue? Or asked George R.R. Martin if it was okay to re-publish his August 2016 blog post–complete with original artwork from the illustrated anniversary edition of Game of Thrones?
.

   

.

A bunch of other things don’t add up.  Legaia/Paperclips has a North Carolina address, but it’s a virtual office. Legaia’s LinkedIn page claims the company was founded in 2008, but its domain wasn’t registered until late 2015. Similarly, Paperclips’ LinkedIn page says it started up in 2012, but its domain wasn’t created until November 2016 (I also couldn’t find any issues of the magazine earlier than December 2016). I’ve been able to locate only two actual human staff members (neither website includes staff names, and the two names I’ve seen on Legaia’s author solicitations, Emily Bryans and Serena Miles, appear to be wholly imaginary); both are based in the Philippines, and one formerly worked for Author Solutions.

Between these things, the English-as-a-second-language writing, the overpriced and exploitive “services”, the plagiarism, and just the general sleazy feel of it all, I’m strongly reminded of LitFire Publishing, which has a very similar business model and M.O, and was established by Author Solutions call center alumni in the Philippines as a sort of low-rent Xlibris-AuthorHouse-iUniverse-Trafford clone. Are LitFire and Legaia the same operation? Probably not. But it wouldn’t surprise me if Legaia has the same provenance.

“Now Cat has to interject in this last part of Victoria’s article. I received this exact EMAIL Solicitation to my email today! And The same Scout, “Emily Bryans” is used in my Email Below…Keep in mind Victoria shared her post in August of 2017 and a consultant came from Legia Books and even left her a comment! So, it has not stopped them from STILL Soliciting Writers and Authors…And that is WHY I am sharing her article” of Writers Beware…

Needless to say my email reply was “I politely decline at this time”…

 Frank Parker frank@legaiabooks.com
To Catherine Townsend lyonmedia@aol.com
Hi Catherine,
My name is Frank Parker from Paperclips Magazine. I’m reaching out to you because you’re referred to me by our Book Scout Emily Bryans. We are actually looking for authors to feature in our magazine and I was hoping we can touch base sometime this week to talk about your work and see if we can be able to add value to your book’s marketing campaign.
To give you an idea of what our magazine is, we actually write about the book industry. Meaning most of our subscribers are book readers, librarians and even decision makers in the publishing industry looking for aspiring authors in the business. We’ve featured both bestselling and aspiring authors in the magazine and I would love to share with you this opportunity to showcase your book with us.
Please let me know when is the best time to reach you. You can also call me at 1 (919) 914-9856 (Frank Parker).
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Thanks!
Best regards,
Frank Parker
Senior Publishing Consultant
Legaia Books Publishing and Marketing Services
Raleigh, North Carolina, USA 27601
Privacy Policy: This policy covers how we use your personal information. We take your privacy seriously and will take all measures to protect your personal information. Any personal information received will only be used to fulfill your order, and may be used for internal analytical purposes. We will not sell or redistribute your information to anyone.

#####

Lastly, Victoria tells us, “Emily Bryans” is currently soliciting authors for something called Paperclips Magazine’s Author Circle, which is supposedly arriving this October and will feature “celebrity authors and multi-awarded literary contributors” (wonder how many of them know they’re included?) No word on how much it will cost to join up, but I bet it’s a bundle.

Writer beware.

I thank Victoria for granting me permission to share her post/article here on “Cat’s Reading Den” so we can spread the word to as we all are “Authors Helping Authors Helping Writers too!

CAT

baa50927d8f15fd27151bf431cbaa15b

 

 

 

 

My Guest Today – Marsha’s PR Insider! Get Your Brand As An Author Ready For The New Year on Social Media.

Catherine Lyon - Expert Marketing & Media PR Consultant A Writer's Thoughts, Book Promotion Tips For Authors, Featured Guest, Posts , , , , , , , ,

How Social Media Turns You Into A Valuable Media Commodity   by

social-media-results
.

All I can say is I just love Marsha Friedman from The PR Insider! I have learned SO much from her through the years about PR, Social Media, Branding, and Book Marketing. She is well respected and very inspiring to many .  .  .  .

marsha

.

If you’re savvy enough to be using social media as part of your branding efforts – and I know that you are – then you’re also savvy enough to want to get the most out of those efforts.

After all, when you’re using social media for personal or business branding, you’re not out to learn how many of your high school classmates have grandchildren, or “like” the photos of your niece’s wedding.

Instead, your goal – or at least one of your goals – is to build a loyal following and then leverage that following to enhance your marketing and branding efforts as an authority in your field.

Because here’s the thing: the greater your following, the more intriguing you’ll appear to the media gatekeepers you’re trying to attract to spread your message.

Let’s face it, most people in the media are inundated with requests from people who have a story to tell, a product to sell or a service to promote. If you manage to cut through all that clutter and get on the media’s radar, one of the first things they will do is Google your name or your company’s name and check out your presence on social media.

It gives your credibility a strong boost if the media find that you are widely followed on social media sites. Here are just a few ways your social media following can pay marketing dividends for you:

  • A large, built-in following makes you an asset to the media. The bigger your following the more impressive you’ll look when the media take a peek into your online world. As a result, a journalist will be more inclined to interview you, and a TV show or radio show host more likely to want to talk with you on the air. Simply put, the more popular you are, the more valuable you are as a guest or interview subject.
  • Once you’ve achieved some media coverage, your social media following is your doorway to sharing that coverage with an even wider audience. There is so much information on the internet competing for attention that it’s a challenge for any one article or interview to achieve much notice. That’s why you have to give any coverage you receive a little nudge – or maybe even a big shove!

    Let’s say, for example, that you’re interviewed for an article that appears in a national publication. If you share a link to the article on your social media sites, you have immediately broadened the potential audience for that article. But it doesn’t stop there. Many of your followers may share it with their followers, widening the reach even more. If you’re lucky, it could even lead to the article or interview with you going viral! You’ll like that and so will the media outlet you helped shine the spotlight on.

  • If you’re looking for a book deal, that social media following will be influential. Traditional publishers who are mulling the risk of taking you on will be more inclined to do so if you have a large number of people following you.
  • A large social media audience can attract sponsors interested in tapping into your audience because they’re after the same demographics. That could be a deep well of revenue for you.

Building an extensive social media following and making the best use of it is not only smart, it’s essential if you want to take advantage of the marketing and branding opportunities that social media present.

When the media start checking you out, you want them to be impressed with what they find. And at that point, the whole situation could become almost self-perpetuating. A growing audience can help lead to media attention. Media attention can help grow your audience.

What an extraordinary development that would be!

Perpetually yours,

Marsha 

(P.S. If you need professional help with your branding and social media efforts, give us a call at 727-443-7115 ext. 215.)

ABOUT MARSHA FRIEDMAN:

Marsha Friedman launched EMS Incorporated in 1990. Her firm represents corporations and experts in a wide array of fields such as business, health, food, lifestyle, politics, finance, law, sports, and entertainment. She consults individuals and businesses on a daily basis and is frequently asked to speak at conferences about how to harness the power of publicity.

Facebook  ‱ Twitter ‱ Linkedin ‱ Google ‱