April 2007 Amazon Alert
Sharing with Writers
A newsletter that is also a community. Share your ideas. Learn from theirs!
From the Desks of
Carolyn Howard-Johnson and Authors' Coalition Friends
~~~:.~~~.:~~~.:~~~:.~~~.:~~~.:~~~:.~~~.

"Sharing with Writers" is the official newsletter of Authors' Coalition,

http://authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com

an organization of writers who help writers.

To read this letter in plain vanilla text, just scroll down. To read this newsletter with a bit more pizzazz (not much, though!) at Authors Den go to:

http://www.AuthorsDen.com/adstorage/1713/Sharingwithwriters_April_AmazonAlert2007.doc
~~:.~~~.:~~~.:~~~:.~~~.:~~~.:~~~:~~:.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Note from Carolyn:

My fellow AC Members and SWW Subscribers:

Panicky Amazon bloggers (ploggers) are invading the net because their AuthorConnect ™ blogs have disappeared. This is a special edition to let you know that apparently they haven't. Amazon even tried to notify people to avoid the panic but apparently many thought their post was S P A M or they simply didn't receive the notice. So, everyone, see below for a very short newsletter passing on the Amazon news and maybe saving you a heart attack. I mean, I know you wouldn't want to lost track of my blog entry that gave you the recipe for Mormon Funeral Potatoes, right? Just scroll a bit and don't have a heart attack. Instead learn how your blog on Amazon will soon be even more effective.

And yes, this is a very abbreviated edition! (-:

Happy writing and promoting,

Carolyn Howard-Johnson
HoJoNews@aol.com
Websites: http://carolynhoward-johnson.com and www.HowToDoItFrugally.com
http://authorscoalitionandredenginepess.com Blogs: A blog focused on book fairs at
http://redenginepress.com/chjohnson and another blog that is about writing and reading at www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com.

========================================================
Subscribers who have websites or newsletters of their own may be interested in the Free Articles 4 Readers and Writers on my site, www.howtodoitfrugally.com. I add new articles to it each week. If you don't see what you need, just ask. HoJoNews@aol.com.
=====================================================

Letter-to-the-Editor

Carolyn,

Here you go again. I just read your newsletter sent today and Janet Goliger has given me the answer to printing tons of flyers. Girlfriend, if I ever stop reading your newsletter I think I will die. Each one has given me more thoughts on how to promote something frugally. it doesn't
matter if comes directly from you or some who connects with you.

I am on my way to buying a photo printer to print my own flyers at such a
low cost like Janet. Bless you Carolyn!

Sylvia McClain, Author, Writer, Teacher, Speaker
The Write Life: A Beginning Writer's Guide to Writing, Money Management,
Publishing and Marketing
Book Reviewer MyShelf.com http://www.myshelf.com
E-mail: sylmcclain@juno.
Web: www.scribalpress.com / Blog: http://sylviaspeaks.blogspot.com

========================================================
If you enjoy "Sharing with Writers" please nominate it for Writer's Digest's 101 Best Newsletters for Writers. We aren't big, we aren't old. So it would take a huge outpouring from subscribers to make a dent. Send an e-mail to writersdig@fwpubs.com with subject line, "101 Best Newsletters for Authors" and let them know what this newsletter does for you!
=======================================================

News Alert

Your AmazonConnect ™ Hasn't Disappeared for Good

This is the straight dope from the Amazon people:
"Dear Amazon Connect Author,
Some new and exciting changes are happening to our Amazon Connect program, and we want to take this opportunity to share them with you. The two biggest developments are our new RSS capabilities and our change from Plogs to Amazon Daily.
RSS
Amazon Connect’s newest program feature is RSS feeds. Short for Really Simple Syndication, RSS is a technology that enables a web site to publish its content on another web site. If you’re an author who keeps a blog outside of Amazon.com, the RSS feature allows you to surface your blog posts to an audience of known customers on Amazon.com. All you need to do is locate the RSS feed on your existing blog and register that feed in your Amazon Connect account.
If you’re already blogging as part of the Amazon Connect program but also have another blog elsewhere, now is your chance to integrate your blogs. Adding your outside blog into Amazon Connect is simple: When you are on your profile page, you will see a link next to the Post a Message button that says ‘Add RSS feed.’ Clicking this link will take you to a page where you can add your RSS feed. Once you’ve set this up, all of the blogs you post on your outside site will appear in your Amazon Connect blog (your external blog will be credited, and a link will be provided to go there). You can still post blogs exclusive to Amazon Connect, and they will not appear in your outside blog.
Amazon Daily
The program that was Plogs has made way for a new and improved blog called Amazon Daily. This change will not impact your ability to post to your blog and book profile pages, and to customers who’ve purchased your products. What is changing is the presentation of the Plog on Amazon’s gateway.
Amazon Daily is a blog that contains posts from Amazon editors across our site. In the sidebar you will find Topics where posts are sorted, so you can browse one concept at a time instead of taking all of it in at once. A reader who has purchased your books or subscribed to your blog will see your posts interspersed with the editorial content.
Now all customers will see Amazon Daily, instead of just the few who were targeted with a Plog post. Every customer has the chance to go into their Daily and, not satisfied with only our editorial content, start seeking you out. In the upcoming year we will add features to Amazon Connect to make finding and signing up for authors much easier, as well as features that will help increase visibility to the author-side of blogging. We hope you utilize these features and enjoy the changes we have made. The more enjoyable the experience of Amazon Daily is, the better we will all fair!
Please note that starting this Friday (4/13) until the following Wednesday, blogging will be down across the entire site. You won’t be able to do any Connect-related activity during that time; after that Amazon Daily will be up and running. You won’t lose any of your old content.
We appreciate your interest and enthusiasm, and welcome questions and comments. Please contact us at connect-help@amazon.com at any time.
Thank you and happy blogging!
The Amazon Connect Team.
Tyler J. Hill
amazon.com/connectconnect-help@amazon.com

========================================================
Fun and F r * *: If you purchased Promoter in the past, I'd love for you to review it on Amazon or BN.com. Make it simple; just tell what part of it you found most valuable. If you do, send me the review link (URL) and I will send you an excerpt from my soon-to-be-released The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success that includes some sidebars from the book that will help you with some tricky grammar. As a thank you, of course. HoJoNews@aol.com, the Frugal Book
========================================================

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++=
Essential Book and Record Keeping:

This letter is an entity of Authors' Coalition http://authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com

Edited and distributed by Carolyn Howard-Johnson,

http://carolynhoward-johnson.com

author of This Is the Place, Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered, Tracings, and The Frugal Book Promoter: How to Do What Your Publisher Won't, this is a place to share with others and learn from others.

Though I do attempt to verify information used within this newsletter's pages, Sharing with Writers does not guarantee entities or information. Subscribers should research resources

To submit information articles, tips or other information e-mail Carolyn at HoJoNews@aol.com . Please put "Submission: Sharing with Writers" in the subject line.

If you do not care to receive this letter, unsubscribe at HoJoNews@aol.com

Include "Unsubscribe" in the subject line but please, please don't tell me you've given up writing or promoting!

To subscribe to Sharing with Writers send an e-mail with "Subscribe" in the subject line to: HoJoNews@aol.com

Please pass this newsletter on to friends or e-groups. It needn't be pasted in its complete form, but please credit this newsletter, Authors' Coalition and the individual contributors with anything you snip and paste.

Order the Frugal Book Promoter: How to Do What Your Publisher Won't
at stores like UCLA, Dayton University and San Diego State University's bookstores. Order it as an e-book at http://starpublish.com/carolyn_howard-johnson.htm

or paperback at Amazon where it is discounted:
www.amazon.com/gp/product/193299310X/qid=1149015406/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/002-4692447-2218401?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

Tracings, a chapbook of poetry, published by Finishing Line Press may be ordered at www.amazon.com/gp/product/1599240173/qid=1139084827/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/103-7824821-4156653?s=books&v=glance&n=283155