How to Launch A Christian Best Seller Book, the John 3:16 Marketing Network Manual

By Lorilyn Roberts

The John 3:16 Marketing Network is a network of Christian authors that launch books to best-seller status on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other book retailer/websites through the use of social networking. This book details the steps and methods which have been successfully used to launch several best-seller books in the Network.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lorilyn Roberts
• Release date: Jul 9, 2011
• ISBN: 9781452477008

Lorilyn Roberts

Lorilyn Roberts is a Christian author who writes for the young and young at heart. The Seventh Dimension Series is now complete. The six books are as follows:The DoorThe KingThe CastleThe CityThe PrescienceThe HowlingThe complete boxed set is available from her website at http://LorilynRoberts.com.When not writing books, Lorilyn provides closed captioning for television.Lorilyn adopted her two daughters from Nepal and Vietnam as a single mother. Read her best-selling memoir, Children of Dreams, endorsed by New York Times best-selling author Jerry Jenkins. Children of Dreams has 135 reviews on Amazon with a four and a half star rating. Be inspired.Visit Lorilyn's website at LorilynRoberts.com to sign up to receive her once-a-month mailing with offers and notices of new book releases.Lorilyn graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Alabama, which included international study in Israel and England. She received her MA in Creative Writing from Perelandra College and is a graduate of the Institute of Children's Literature.Lorilyn is the founder of the John 316 Marketing Network, a network of Christian authors who are passionate about promoting books with a Christian worldview.You can follow her on twitter at http://twitter.com/lorilynroberts. To connect with her personally, you can contact her by email at [e-mail]

Book preview

How to Launch A Christian Best Seller Book

The John 3:16 Marketing Network Manual

Published by Lorilyn Roberts at Smashwords

Copyright 2011 Lorilyn Roberts

Discover other titles by Lorilyn Roberts at

http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/llwroberts

The author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

No libel is involved or intended.

All rights reserved.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter One - A Novel Idea for Christian Marketing – the Very Unnovel Problem

Chapter Two - A Christian Marketing Twist on an Old Concept

Chapter Three - The Nuts and Bolts of a Book Launch

Chapter Four - The John 3:16 Marketing Network Revolutionizes Christian Book Marketing – A Dream is Born

Chapter Five - The Finest Example of Launching Christian Books in the World, Q&A with Lorilyn Roberts

Chapter Six - Are There Secret Formulas or Short Cuts for Making the Best-Seller List on Amazon

Chapter Seven - What it Takes to Have a Winning Team

Chapter Eight - Roaches that Eat Your Best-Seller Dreams

Chapter Nine - What is a Book Launch Anyway – and Slowly Please, I am New at This

Chapter Ten - Why Should I Join the John 3:16 Marketing Network

Chapter Eleven - How Do I Launch a Best-Seller Campaign? The Amazon Factor

Chapter Twelve - It’s All About Relationships

Chapter Thirteen - Where Do I Meet John 3:16 Marketing Network Authors

Forward

I began the John 3:16 Marketing Network in the summer of 2010 and a year later we have grown to the point that I needed to compile the articles that I had written into one document. This e-book contains all the information you will need to have a successful book launch on a website like Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

While the information is directed to help authors in the John 3:16 Marketing Network launch their books, this resource can easily be tailored to fit anyone’s needs.

May you find this e-book helpful and a blessing as you market your book.

Have questions? You can contact me on my website at http://lorilynroberts.com.

Chapter One

Novel Idea for Christian Marketing

The Very Unnovel Problem

I began my talk with the following statement: "You have no platform. You are not famous. You are not an expert in any particular subject. You have no fancy initials after your name. The reality is nobody cares about you or your book."

As depressing as this might sound, it’s how I prefaced my presentation to the First Coast Christian Writers in Jacksonville, Florida, in the fall of 2009. But I ended my comments with the following observation:

"If you were to present Jesus' marketing plan for the Gospel, it would probably go something like this: Jesus had no Internet, no television, no blog, no books, and no public relations people. All He had were twelve disciples whom He loved and on whom He had to depend to spread the Gospel around the world.

"God used those flawed human beings to bring ‘The Greatest Story Ever Told’ to a world way beyond what they could have envisioned, both then and into the future. If God can do that, our books can reach those for whom they were written. We don't need to overstretch our wallets, but neither should we sit idle. We should pray hard and seek His will not only in our writing, but also in our marketing. Ultimately, God will get our book out there if we are good stewards of the gifts He's given us.

I wonder what the marketing people would say today if we told them our marketing strategy was to have twelve people talk about our book to everyone they met and that was all. We had no money to spend either. This is just a thought to ponder as I think about how difficult it is to market.

On December 30, 2009, I wrote a blog, Marketing a POD book in 2009: Reflections on What Worked and What Didn't. I shared what I had learned and my determination to keep on keeping on for what I believed God had called me to do—to market Children of Dreams the best way I knew how. I believed I had written a book that others would want to read if they knew about it. That is the key and the stumbling block for many Christian authors.

A John 3:16 Marketing Network would emulate what Jesus taught His disciples, enabling them to share the Gospel despite persecution, opposition, and hardship. At its heart, a John 3:16 Marketing Network would be one Christian author helping another Christian author, and ultimately, advancing HIS WORD around the world. Let me give some background about myself.

In 2009, I attended a well known Christian writers’ conference in Florida. Before the conference, I worked diligently to complete Children of Dreams, an inspirational and spiritual book about the adoption of my two daughters. Throughout the book I compared their adoptions to God's adoption of us. I spent three months writing Children of Dreams and six months revising and editing it. An English major did the first bit of editing. The second round of editing was done by a high school English teacher. Then I had a professional editor who read it and loved it so much she critiqued it some more. She also gave me tips on how to improve my writing for the future. Before the final version was printed, I had a friend with a Ph.D. in communications take one last look. She offered a few more suggestions.

Twenty two people from different walks of life read Children of Dreams. Some I didn't know personally. Several volunteered when I asked for help from the church’s reading group (which I had never attended). I begged some people. Some sweet souls offered to read Children of Dreams because they knew my children and wanted to read their complete story.

All those who helped in the early drafts are acknowledged in the forward section of the book. I graciously accepted the advice given and looked at every note and comment. I swallowed my pride and learned how much I didn't know, but I also realized how blessed I was to have so many willing to invest their precious time reading the pages.

It is time consuming to read a book and evaluate what you like and don’t like. I don't take it lightly when anybody gives me his thoughts, even when I don't agree. At least he is thinking and processing my words, and usually, if the comments are given in kindness, there is something I can use. It might give me an idea I wouldn’t have thought about otherwise.

After months of going through this process, spending a few hundred dollars making review copies, followed by additional editing, I believed I had a good book to present to an editor at the conference. I expected further revisions. I had attended this conference on three previous occasions and figured someone would recommend more changes. I even spent $50 and bought an e-book about proper etiquette at a writer’s conference—to make sure my heart was right and I wasn't setting myself up for failure.

I sent my submission in ahead of time as per the requirements of the conference. The critiqued submissions from