Alexa is the genius (will she laugh when she reads that?) behind the Cheap Eats series based in Toronto and Ottawa. The above player links to the promised .mp3 of our conversation last week, where we talk about social media marketing, and her experience of how that works best for promoting books.

As Alexa states: “The biggest thing about social media that it really is social. The nature of the technology is designed to build a relationship and have a conversation, and by extension, to build a community. It’s about conversing with you, to you and about you. The online community is becoming more rarified around shared experience and attitude.”

This interview turned from a 10-minutes-or-less quickie into a really deep 33 minute discussion about her philosophy around social media marketing. I’ll try to schedule more of these conversations with Alexa, because she’s a true road scholar in the world of book marketing. I hope you enjoy this podcast as much as I did!

I’m very pleased to announce that the 6-Hour Blog Class will be held this autumn in 4 cities: Langley, Surrey, and Nanaimo in BC, Canada, and also in Las Vegas, NV, USA.

For more information about the classes, please click to HumanusPublishing.com/classes. I’m also going to be conducting a few free conference calls about the classes, so that people who are looking for more details can ask me their questions directly. Those will be announced here shortly, so be sure to subscribe to this blog’s feed using the link at the top/right of the page. You’ll not only receive alerts about twice a week when there’s a new article for authors, but also updates about classes and other cool events.

Dates for the classes are: (Please note that the links below go directly to registration – to just get more info, click HERE to hop to my “Classes” page.)

September 6th (Sat), Langley, BC, Canada:
Coast Cascades Hotel and Conference Centre
10am to 4pm

September 22nd (Mon), Las Vegas, Nevada, USA:
(Location to be confirmed shortly)
(To coincide with BlogWorldExpo 08)
10am to 4pm

October 27th (Mon), Surrey, BC, Canada:
(Location to be confirmed shortly)
(To coincide with Surrey Writers Festival 08)
10am to 4pm

October 29th (Wed), Nanaimo, BC, Canada:
Vancouver Island Conference Centre
10am to 4pm

SEE YOU THERE!

My friend Liz Gaige of Market Navigators just released her July marketing newsletter. Her cover article this month gives some excellent tips for real-world direct mail marketing. I find it interesting that her “rules” for direct mail apply equally in the online world when using permission-based eMail marketing [PBeM]. I strongly encourage you to read the entire article.

As Liz states, “It is possible to increase the likelihood of success if the foundation is well laid. The best approach is not to take any of the many variables for granted and to carefully craft each element of your program.” How right she is – and yet how often to do we follow that advice?

Liz gives 5 bullet points of what makes a great direct mail offer, and another 5 specific tips and tricks that cut right to the point. This article reads like a step-by-step for high-class PBeM. Thanks, Liz!

Due to numerous suggestions about not scheduling classes on the BC Day long weekend, the 6-Hour Blog Class is coming to Langley on Sept. 6th instead. The class is still being hosted at the Coast Hotel and Conference centre on the Fraser Highway, just off Glover Rd., in downtown Langley.

The 6-Hour Blog Class includes all you need to setup your own blog, live in class, with me looking over your shoulder the entire time. Hosting for a full year, 2 follow-up group conference calls, and a custom domain name are also included in the one-size-fits-all price of $425.00. (We also throw in a nutritious lunch and a variety of healthy snacks throughout the day.)

For more information, and to register for the class, please see the “Classes” page at this website.

See you there!

I have an opening for an unpaid* intern, starting July 14th and ending August 25th. (6 Weeks.) This position is an excellent opportunity for a success-minded young person looking to have a first experience in publishing, self-publishing, or general business marketing.

Previous interns and casual staff have always formed lasting relationships and networking opportunities through our extensive network of contacts. All are encouraged and supported to develop independent business opportunities for themselves as they arise. There may even be a possibility that this position will progress to a part-time or full-time paid position for the right candidate, as we have a number of projects ramping up this fall.

This position can be virtual to someone anywhere in the world, but preference will be given to applicants in the areas of Vancouver or Vancouver Island (Nanaimo area) of Canada. It is certainly true that being in the area will provide a much more enriching experience than a virtual one. Candidates in the area will be interviewed in person. Candidates out of the area will be interviewed on webcam.

The right candidate should have the following attributes;
- enrolled in or affiliated with a secondary or post-secondary publishing, marketing, or general business program
- excellent language skills in English (not necessary that English is their first language, but they must be well-spoken with a clear and efficient communication style, both verbally and in writing)
- good email and telephone manner
- comfortable working as part of a virtual team
- strong basic computer skills, and experience using functions like downloading and uploading files, importing and exporting, and a basic knowledge of .html tags (we use Open Office as our standard tool for a wide variety of document production)
- comfortable using Skype and other instant-messaging tools

Training and exposure to a wide variety of skills and tools are offered as part of the in-kind compensation for this position. It cannot be understated that the right candidate must be energetic, hungry for success, and eager to learn from a successful team. We love to see people take what we teach them, and use it in their own way! This could be the best 6 weeks of your life.

Please apply by sending your resume to: internapplications@humanuspublishing.com. Please include not only an email address, but a telephone number on this resume. Only candidates considered for the position will be contacted. Contact to candidates will be made by phone.

*Although the position has no salary, all expenses, including telephone, travel KM’s, meal allowances, and all other resources necessary to complete tasks will be provided in advance or fully compensated. Successful candidates will receive an allowance to compensate them for the use of their personal computer.

I had a lovely chat today with Alexa Clark, of Plethora Press in Ontario. Alexa is the clever taste tester behind the Cheap Eats series that has become so popular in Ottawa and Toronto, and she is now also the creator of MiniBookExpo.com.

Alexa recently started to follow me on Twitter, and when I backtracked to find out what she was up to, I was very interested in MBE, and how it works. Essentially, Alexa’s site provides a link between interested bloggers and those who create interesting books. Publishers offer their books through her site, bloggers claim a copy to read (which is then sent to them free of charge), and then once the blogger has finished reading their copy, their job is to talk about what they read. Not a review, per se, but a friendly discussion a la social media. Neato.

Our conversation was cut short by a local power outage, (oh brother) but Alexa has kindly agreed to let me interview her later this month about MBE, and her thoughts on book marketing. This will be an .mp3 of our phone interview, and will be released by July 28th at the latest, here on this blog. Be sure to subscribe at right, and you’ll be updated when it’s available.

OK< I’m going to throw out a wacky idea here and invite comments. I’m getting rather excited lately about my new podcasting setup. It will allow me to become what amounts to a totally portable audio and video podcasting studio. I would concentrate on developing free content that could be downloaded on demand, 24/7. Is this what amounts to internet radio or tv?

Originally, I envisioned this as a promotional tool that would only be used occasionally, but I now recognize how limiting that is. I mean, if it’s easy to do, portable, and low cost, why not just keep the setup in the back of my car full time? If I witness something interesting related to my topic of publishing and web 2.0, I can just jump out of the car and get taping.

What would you like to see podcasts about? Interviews with authors and other noteworthy people? Public events? Live demonstrations by authors and other new media heroes, doing whatever it is that they do best? Or, does this entire idea sound crazy? Tell me what you want to see, and I’ll do my best to deliver it. Just hit the blue bar below and type it in.