Cross-Pollination

Many a sage has opined on the value of cross-pollination as a marketing tool, so I decided to try it out.  I’ve been reading Joe Konrath’s blog for more than a year, as well as about twenty other blogs on a daily basis.  And one bit of wisdom I’ve encountered again and again is that the best marketing device for your current book is probably your next book.

In my recent posts, I’ve been discussing my ebook The Mummies of Blogspace9, and my frustrations with finding readers.  Since then, Mummies hasn’t exactly taken off, but when I look at my sales numbers, I can definitely see that I’ve sold more copies of my other titles.  I have ten titles on Amazon now, which can be viewed on my Author Central page.  And as the ball gets moving (it's barely budging), I hope the synergy will propel sales.

Why?  I don’t know.  Maybe its because once people start paying a little bit of attention to you, they start paying more attention to you.  Maybe too, it’s because I’ve aggressively promoted my books in each new book.  The Mummies of Blogspace9 has twenty hotlinks that will take you to my Amazon author page, my blog, my website, and directly to my Amazon Author Central page.  You cannot get through Mummies without learning about American Caliphate.  

So I got to thinking -- one other frequent bit of blog wisdom I’ve come across is that nonfiction is a much easier sell than fiction.  And that never did much for me because I’m a mystery writer at heart, and I don’t want to start writing nonfiction.  BUT, I have been working on a little back-burner project for about three years, and I thought maybe it was time to bring it to the front burner, or maybe even microwave it into fruition.  So I did.

I’ve been a college professor for fourteen years now, and I’ve learned a lot about college, so I’ve been feeling it was high time to write a book about college.  Well, here it is.  If you have any loved ones about to take that trip to college, please consider picking up a copy of How to Do College Right.

And just in case you’re wondering - no, you won’t be able to read through it without hearing about my mystery novels.  And the hotlinks will take you directly to my webpage.  You could have yourself a copy of Grave Indulgence or American Caliphate in no time.

Will this experiment in cross-pollination work?  You can guess I’ll keep you posted.  And if you keep reading, I’ll tell you a little bit about How to Do College Right.

The secrets of college success have been passed down from professor to professor for many centuries. Now, for the first time, these secrets are revealed!

How to Do College Right is a guidebook, providing essential insights on how to navigate the foreign land of college. Without a guidebook, a traveler might wander around for a long time, missing out on some important landmarks, or wasting money by focusing on the wrong things. A student can just as easily wander through a couple years of college without accomplishing much. And that can prove costly. 

Other than the purchase of a home, a college education is the biggest expense that most American families have. With tuition at some colleges approaching $50,000 per year, a four-year education can cost $200,000. Most people don’t think twice about consulting a realtor or a lending consultant before buying a house. They want to be sure that their investment is sound. But those same people will shell out a great deal of money for college tuition without making sure it’s well spent. 

How to Do College Right can help you make the most of your college experience by laying bare some of the expectations that guide professors in educating and evaluating students. College is hard; it’s meant to be. And it’s easy to screw up. I’m a professor. I know what it takes to succeed in college, to make the most of it, and to graduate fully prepared to take the next steps in life. 

And I’ve seen too many students who don’t make it, students who have the ability to succeed but fail anyway, or otherwise waste their time. College is a program of expectations, and you would be wise to learn the rules that underlie those expectations. It doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor, or if you’re headed to the Ivy League or to the local community college. This is an important stage of your life, and you have to treat it as such. 

The secrets revealed in this book can help you make the most of your college experience.

For more information, please visit www.williamdoonan.com