Upcoming Events in January

I will be hosting 2 teleseminars in the Month of January. One for readers how on to start and maintain a book club. The other is for authors on the best way to avoid costly mistakes self publish authors commonly make. I hope you can join me for one of these exciting calls.

Event: “How to Start and Manage a Fab Book Club”  Teleseminar
Date: Tuesday January 25th
Time: 8pm ET
 
Learn how to start and manage a fab book club meeting in this entertaining teleseminar.
 
During the teleseminar you will learn:
How to find members
How to Create by-laws
The Best Places to Host a Meeting
How to Create Book Discussion Questions
Why Should Authors Start a Book Club
How to Expand from a Book Club to Book Reviewers
and so much more….
Join Joy Farrington, The Book Club Expert as she guides you through an exciting hour on everything you need to know to start a book club.
 
Visit http://startabookclub.eventbrite.com  for more information

Event: “7 Costly Mistakes Self-Published Authors Make…and How to Avoid Them” Teleseminar
Date: Tues Jan 18th
Time: 8pm ET
 
Join me as I discuss the 7 costly mistake most self published authors make and the simple tools you can use to avoid them
 
Mistake #1
I spent $1500+ on my website, book cover design, and promotional kit.
 
Mistake #2
I don’t have a Facebook or Twitter account.
 
Mistake #3
I didn’t create a marketing plan because I thought my book would sell itself.
 
Mistake #4
I spent all my money publishing through a vanity press because they offered great marketing packages and I thought they would do all the work for me.
 
Mistake #5
I didn’t think I need an e-book.
 
Mistake #6
I sent all my mass emails through my personal email account and violated SPAM regulations without knowing it.
 
Mistake #7
In order to make a profit, I thought I needed to have my books in bookstores.
 
Visit http://7costlymistakes.eventbrite.com for more information

Lit Event: 3rd Annual Book Clubs Unite

WANT TO BE IN THE COMPANY OF PEOPLE WHO LOVE TO READ?

 

SAVE THE DATE ~ Sat., August 13, 2011

DAVIS ELEGANT EVENTS presents…

3rd Annual Book Clubs Unite
Literary luncheon $45.00 per person
Cost includes Lunch Buffet, name badge, gift bag + comp. book
 
Tinley Park Convention Center
18451 Convention Center Dr., Tinley Park, Illinois @ 12noon
 
DEBUT & BEST-SELLING AUTHORS
~
BOOK CLUB MEMBERS
~ AVID READERS ~
RAFFLES ~ GAMES
Featured Authors line-up coming soon
 
Contact Linda Davis for registration
Linda@DavisElegantEvents.com

Revised Edition on How to Start a Book Club Now Available on PubIt!

For Immediate Release

Miami, Fl October 18, 2010- For women who are seeking an affordable way to socialize with their friends while making new ones, author, Joy Farrington, releases a revised edition of “A Literary Diva’s Guide to Starting a Fab Book Club” (http://www.thebookclubexpert.com) on PubIt! Ms. Farrington is pleased to announce the release of her e-book on Barnes and Noble’s new format as it provides an easy and affordable way for readers to purchase books online. Through PubIt! readers can purchase the book for their Nook as well as view it on other e-book readers. With a retail price of 99 cents, the e-book is available for download at http://www.barnesandnoble.com as well as http://www.thebookclubexpert.com.

Joy Farrington, the Book Club Expert, is the author of other books including “A Literary Diva’s Guide to Starting a Fab Book Club Meeting” and is the president of Nubian Sistas Book Club which has been nominated for various awards including the 3rd Annual Marguerite Press Awards for Best Promoter and Best Website and are the proud winners of the 2004 Disilgold Most Aspiring Breakthrough Book Club of the Year and Best New Book Club.   Her e-book features 7 simple steps a person can take to start a book club including:

• Deciding Your Book Club Focus
• Creating By-laws
• Inviting Members to your Club

Readers will learn how to quickly set up a book club and have their first meeting within a month’s time.  With a focus on African-American book clubs, Joy Farrington hopes to help more people; particularly African-American women start a book club in their community.

About the Book:

“A Literary Diva’s Guide to Starting a Fab Book Club” is a quick reference guide for women interested in starting a book club but not sure where to begin. The book lists 7 simple steps to start a book club, including how to create by-laws, how and when to pick a name for your club, how to invite members to your club and more. The book is part of a series which includes “A Literary Diva’s Guide to Hosting a Fab Book Club Meeting” as well as an upcoming title written for self-published authors.

About the Author:

Since 2003, Joy Farrington, the Book Club Expert, has promoted authors book titles and in 2009, formed Lit Diva, Inc. (http://www.litdiva.com) a company’s that focuses on SEO optimization and online marketing for authors seeking to reach African-American book clubs. Ms. Farrington’s goal is to help authors reach their targeted reading audience in an affordable way. Ms. Farrington also offers free teleseminars for book clubs and is the host of “Between the Sheets” a podcast radio show on talkshoe.com that features well-known and self published authors. Joy Farrington lives in Miami, Fl.

CONTACT:

Joy Farrington

305-400-0718 ext. 101

nubianlit@gmail.com

Featured “Ask the Book Club Expert” Question of the Week

I really enjoyed answering the following question because while I was answering it, I thought to myself, wouldn’t it be great to make your first book club meeting a night on the town with the girls!

So, if you’re looking for a next book of the month, consider “Eat, Pray,Love.” The movie will be out in August and it would be a great tie-in to your next book club meeting.

Below is my pick for Featured Question of the Week.

Book club driving you crazy and you need some advice? Click the Ask the Book Club Expert tab for more information. You never know, your question could be featured right here next week.

From Judy:

I am hosting my first book club next month. How do you kick off your first meeting. How do go about choosing a book topic. Thx for your response. Peace and blessing

My response:

Hi Judy,
You really need to decide what type of books/genre your club plans to read. This will help narrow the field of all the books currently out there and help you select a Book of the Month (BOTM). If you decide that your book club will read a Christian Fiction novel, your first book could be “Sins of the Mother” by Victoria Christopher Murray. If you like to read contemporary fiction, E Lynn Harris’s new book “In My Father House” may be a good pick for you. If you prefer classic, you can never go wrong with The Color Purple. Or even better, read “Eat Pray Love.” Your first meeting could be a trip to the movie theater. Afterwards finish the meeting during dinner at a restaurant where you can discuss the book in more details and even compare it to the movie.

• Once you decide on the type of book your club will read, the next step is to plan the meeting.
  Meetings are usually set up as follow:
  Welcome
  Refreshments
  Club Agenda
  Book Discussion
  Wrap-Up

  My book club, Nubian Sistas, enjoy playing games during the meeting as well. It makes the meeting more entertaining and help keep the club fresh.

  But keep in mind- your book club- your rules. So basically, you could format the meeting any way you like.

  Let me know how you’re first meeting goes,

  Joy Farrington, The Book Club Expert
  nubianlit@gmail.com

Pick a Location, Time, and Date for Your First Book Club Meeting by Joy Farrington

Your location will help set the mood for your first meeting. If you choose to have it in a restaurant, your meeting will have a more social feel. If you choose a library, everyone may be on their best behavior and use there “inside voices.” Consider the type of book club meeting you would like to have when picking a location. If you would like a more social club, go to a restaurant. But if you plan a more scholarly club maybe a book store would better fit your needs. Also, for safety reasons, if your book club is open to the public, have your meeting in a locale like a library or book store instead of your home.

Try to pick a date and time that you think would fit everyone schedule. For example, late Sunday afternoons and 7pm during the week work best for my club, Nubian Sistas. Do a quick survey through my sending everyone a text asking them when they will be available. You can also send them an email with a quick survey by using survey sites like http://www.polldaddy.com and give potential members the option of selecting three or four different times and dates. Use the results from the survey as a way to help pick the best feasible time for the club. However, don’t stress yourself by trying to please everyone. There will always be one person who can’t make the meeting due to a conflict in schedule.

Excerpt from A Literary Diva’s Guide to Starting a Book Club,copyright 2010

Select a Great Book of the Month (BOTM) by Joy Farrington

Pick your BOTM before the meeting and give your potential members enough time to read it by providing at least three to four weeks advance notice. Also, select a book of the month that fits into the type of club you plan to create. If you would like a club that reads mostly urban books, picking a book from Oprah’s Book Club would not be wise. Pick a book that will engage the reader from the beginning. Also, books that are thought provoking will provide the most engaging book discussing. Selecting a book on whim is not a good idea so you’re going to have to do some research here.  A great first BOTM is important because one of the hardest parts of maintaining a book club is motivating members to read the book. If your first selection isn’t interesting, you may not even get people to come to your first meeting because they never even finish the book. A few book titles, my book club and I enjoyed are: Them by Nathan McCall, Fly on the Wall by Trista Russell, The Other Brother by Brandon Massey, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sing by Maya Angelou and Addicted by Zane. For a more thorough list of BOTM compiled by genres and a list of recommended book review sites, read A Literary Diva’s Guide to Hosting a Fab Book Club Meeting. In the book, I compiled a list of books from a majority of genres that will last you throughout the year.

Excerpt from A Literary Diva’s Guide to Starting a Book Club

copyright 2010

The Basics of Book Club Meetings by Joy Farrington

When you start having your book club meetings, they will be one of the biggest highlights of your month. There’s something about sitting down with a group of your girls while discussing a great book that is exhilarating. But what happens when you’re a fresh book club and haven’t created a methodology or the group has become bored with the same type of meeting, month in and month out? Well, shake things up of course. Think outside the box and you’ll be surprised at how you can spice up your meeting or make your first book discussion amazing.

The Host with the Most

Diva Tip: Pre-pick an alternative host in case you have an emergency and can’t make the meeting. Keep her abreast of the agenda you planned for the meeting so she can take over your duties seamlessly.

The first thing you need is a hostess/moderator. A meeting without a moderator can become disorganized and chaotic very quickly, especially when you’re dealing with a club full of literary divas who have strong opinions about the Book of the Month (BOTM). Therefore, a moderator is highly recommended. How to assign hostess duties is up to you. Whether you decide to rotate duties from member to member, or draw names, your club should come up with a method that works for everyone. Regardless of how you decide to choose, picking a hostess may become one of the trickiest parts of the book meeting. You may have members who don’t feel comfortable hosting the meeting or for whatever reason flat out refuse to share duties. Other divas may take offense and before you know it, there is a quiet (or maybe not so quiet) tiff going on among the members of the club. The best solution is to quickly implement a plan as soon as possible.  

Also remind everyone that if any little disagreements arise they should be handled with diva like class.

Some tips for selecting a moderator are:

• Pull out your calendars and have members pick which month they would like to host
• Whoever suggests the next book of the month should host that particular meeting
• Select the next host during each meeting wrap-up
• Break up hosting duty into three month increments

Excerpt from A Literary Diva’s Guide to Hosting a Fab Book Club Meeting by Joy Farrington

Copyright 2010