I want to take a minute to tell you about a project I am involved in through the company I work for in my "real" life. You know, that real job that many of us authors and freelancers work to pay the bills. I'm fortunate enough to have a job I love, as a VP for a digital marketing technology company. 

Let me tell you a short story:


Once Upon a Time…
There was a group of passionate readers that saw the need for independent authors to better promote their books. They set to work crafting technology that would help every author reach their audience.

FranticFroggy.com was born.

Who is FranticFroggy?

The world of publishing is changing at an amazing rate. Where authors would once struggle for years to get a manuscript published, they can now successfully do on their own. The struggle now for emerging authors is, once published, how do you promote your book?

That is where FranticFroggy comes in. We've created a tool specifically for authors to use the latest digital marketing trends to promote their books. FranticFroggy.com is the digital marketing destination for any author looking for a better way, an easier way, to promote their own books.


What exactly are digital marketing tools?

Digital marketing tools include:

A personal homepage for your author brand so you are accessible to your audience. This include a contact form to help build your subscriber list!

Where can you manage all those contacts? A Contact Manager (CRM), of course! Anyone on your mailing list or blog will automatically be entered. You can also add any contacts you make at book signings or book trade shows. It makes it really easy to keep track of these contacts, and add them to your email lists. 

Let’s talk about EMAIL. Email marketing is one of the BEST ways to reach an audience for the most affordable price. FranticFroggy includes automated emails as well as the ability to send mass emails to your mailing lists. You can easily manage, sort, and segment your email list to make the most of this marketing medium.

Web pages and direct sales. Landing pages are web pages designed specifically to sell or promote ONE thing. In this case, it would be a book. Retailers the world over use these direct sale pages to successfully run marketing campaigns and sell their products or services. Authors can harness the power of direct marketing with pre-made landing pages, as well as the ability to create custom pages.

Content Marketing. Content is still king. If you've been around any digital marketers lately, you've probably heard of content marketing. It is the most popular marketing technique currently, and NATURALLY FranticFroggy includes content marketing features. A blog is probably the most well-known content marketing tool you’ll get with FranticFroggy, but it isn't the only one!


Success Education. The biggest barrier for many authors in promoting their book is KNOWLEDGE. Authors are busy people, and they may not be marketing pros. That is ok! FranticFroggy includes a complete education system with video and text tutorials and lessons to help authors succeed throughout every stage of writing, editing, publishing, and promoting their book.


Why do we care so much about authors?

We are a technology company, but we are made up of more than just computer scientists and marketers. We are avid readers and former publishing professionals, as well as parents, that are dedicated to importance of READING and BOOKS in shaping and changing the world. Did you know that children who are read to, and read while growing up, perform better in school? Did you know that ADULTS who read often are more open-minded, more empathetic, and are quicker to embrace creative ideas?

Independent authors are full of new, creative concepts. We want to give these world-changing ideas that chance they deserve to reach a broad audience. We don’t want any great author to struggle to reach their audience because they aren't a great promoter. That is why we are building FranticFroggy.

FranticFroggy is a passion project for my company. We care so much about reading, and helping independent authors succeed, that we've begun working on this platform for authors. As self-publishing takes over the book industry, we see a great need for services like ours. 

Because we care so much about reading, we donate all the profits from the book we published with Amy Frazier, Frantic Froggy, to organizations promoting reading and literacy.

Tell me what you think about reading, indie authors, or anything else!

A press kit, or media kit, is what you put together to send to publishers, reviewers, journalists, booksellers, and anyone else interested in promoting or selling your book.

What should you include in a media kit?

Author Bio and Contact Information. 
You should already have an author bio to hand. If not, start working on it right away, whether you’re already published or not. You’ll need it for your blog or website, for guest posts or stories submitted to magazines. Your author bio should be about 200 words, and it should have things that make you sound interesting and professional. You should include your name, your place of birth or where you currently live, what you do (or used to do) for a living, what you've written, perhaps your education (if it’s relevant), quirky hobbies, or interesting travel experiences. Basically, anything that will make you stand out. Don’t forget your contact information!

A Press Release. 
This release should present the facts. Determine your ‘hook’ or newsworthy topic.  (ie War survivor publishes first novel). Include a review or comments. Don’t make it too promotional, but be sure to include where the book is available for sale.

Author Question and Answers.
Make a list of interview questions (and responses) about you and your book. This can include questions about your background, your inspiration for writing this book, why you chose to self-publish, your own favorite writers, future projects, etc. This section is particularly helpful for the interviewer and bloggers who want to help you promote your work, as it’s useful and ready content for them.

Book Information. 
What makes your book stand out? Describe briefly what is special about your book (similar to the hook in your press release). 

Book Excerpt. 
It is also a good idea to include a book excerpt. A chapter or two that really grabs attention or describes your book.