Shaffer recommends this book as one of the top 15 reads of 2009.  He then goes on to give an in depth review of the book, adding his “top ten takeaways” detailing his favorite components of the book which include the chapters on Podcasting, Facebook and MySpace, Wordpress settings, and blog optimization.

“As you can see, this is a very practical and hands-on book for both the techie as well as the not-so-techie.  If you are looking for a results-oriented read on what you need to be doing to your optimize your web presence for web 2.0, you have found your book.  Needless to say a highly recommended read!”

You can read an excerpt of A Survival Guide to Social Media and Web 2.0 Optimization on Scribd.

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“…this ain’t your grandmother’s Tupperware gathering, prim-n-proper fundraiser, or networking (whining!) event! Instead, this is home-brewed motivation…with a swift kick in the pants!”

Dykeman is also currently working on a Fundraiser for LIVESTRONG wherein she is raising $5,000 this year to help the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

With the success of her SOAPBOX® motivational vignettes, Dykeman was invited to speak at several events in April 2010:

• She will deliver the kick-off keynote speech at the CoreTrac 2010 Users Conference in Austin.

• On 22 April 2010, she will be the featured guest author at the 3rd Annual Taylor Library Board Gala where she will help toast the festive occasion to drive home this year’s “Travel the World with Books” theme for the black tie affair.

• Additionally, she will offer one of her famous vignettes as a toast filled with words of wisdom, reassurance and encouragement to the latest students graduating from the Austin Mentorship Program at St. Edwards University.

You can read an excerpt of Pure Soapbox on Scribd.

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Scribd is a social publishing company, allowing you to see the latest reviews or join conversations on your favorite works. Docstoc serves as a repository of legal, business, financial, technical, and educational documents.

These sites are a welcome addition to the Web 2.0 arena for publishers, as they offer a great way to highlight and sell print books, feature and sell e-books on the spot, as well being a convenient outlet for advanced reviews.

Dalton has published excerpts of all its back titles to Scribd, complete with direct links to many different outlets for purchasing the books. The hope is to get the word out about all of Dalton’s talented authors and their remarkable work in yet another viral market in the Social Web. Dalton plans to do the same in DocStoc and other reputable sites as they emerge.

Next on the social document sharing agenda for Dalton is to directly sell e-book versions of all its titles as they become available in the next couple months. Sites like Scribd and DocStoc offer generous royalties on e-books, and that is refreshing news for struggling small presses. Dalton looks forward to a very prosperous relationship with these services.

Social document sharing sites have something more to offer publishers: A way to easily publish galleys to attract advance reviewers for upcoming titles. Dalton Publishing has placed an excerpt of the advanced review copy of Owen Egerton’s much awaited new novel, The Book of Harold, on Scribd. Potential reviewers are invited to get a sneak peek of the galley and to contact the publisher if they wish to receive the full galley as a PDF or as a regular galley. This is a huge step in the interest of green publishing!

Please take a look at all of Dalton’s excerpts and let us know if you would like to review Owen’s new book. We will keep you posted as we create our presence on other document sharing sites in the future.

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The evening will be emceed by award-winning Dalton author, Owen Egerton, and will also feature Dalton author, Michael Gilmore, reading from his collection of visceral and visual poetry, Restless Astronomy. You can read excerpts of Michael Gilmore’s Restless Astronomy and Owen Egerton’s books on Scribd.

In addition to Dalton’s authors, actress Kelli Bland will read a hilarious piece from American Short Fiction’s newest issue. Monofonus Press will lend their teleporting expertise to the evening and broadcast a reading from renowned author Dan Chaon. And locals Cindy St. John and Bradley Strahan will represent their independent presses with awe-inspiring poetry.

Seth Woods, the Whiskey Priest, will begin the evening with a set of his gorgeous indie-Americana songs. Together, the night will be full of wit, humor, diverse writing, and amazing local music. You won’t want to miss it!

Saturday, March 27, 2010
7 - 10pm

Club de Ville
900 Red River
Austin TX

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The event will take place Thursday, September 17th at 7:30, and will be held at the Writers’ League of Texas Office, 611 S. Congress Ave., Suite 130. More information is available by emailing wlt@writersleague.org or visiting the Writer’s League website.

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Why Shop Indie?

When you shop at an independently owned business, your entire community benefits:

The Economy

• Spend $100 at a local and $68 of that stays in your community. Spend the same $100 at a national chain, and your community only sees $43.
• Local businesses create higher-paying jobs for our neighbors.
• More of your taxes are reinvested in your community–where they belong.

The Environment

• Buying local means less packaging, less transportation, and a smaller carbon footprint.
• Shopping in a local business district means less infrastructure, less maintenance, and more money to beautify your community.

The Community

• Local retailers are your friends and neighbors-support them and they’ll support you.
• Local businesses donate to charities at more than twice the rate of national chains.
• More independents means more choice, more diversity, and a truly unique community.

Now is the time to stand up and join your fellow individuals in the IndieBound mission supporting local businesses and celebrating independents.

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Virtual tour stops typically include a series of relevant book blogs where writers submit guest posts, podcasts, video interviews, and hold reader Q&A sessions regarding their recently published work. Some authors even create video “trailers” for their new books to post online as teasers for interested readers.

Authors can contact blog writers personally requesting they host a guest blog post or interview. The tours have become popular enough that bloggers will oftentimes invite authors they love to guest write on their blogs. By making stops at book blogs and other relevant blogs, authors are finding easy access to a new and rapidly growing audience that may not have attended the bookstore signing.

Another way to promote your book through an online book tour is to use an online book tour agency, like Pump Up Your Book, where, for a fee, an agency will guarantee the book’s appearance on a given number of blogs and online radio shows within one to two months. They even provide book tour home pages and press releases for the authors, and include their own book blogging how-to.

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Read the full story here…

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She recommends the book to readers of all ages and types, and “to anyone who enjoys an amazing journey through a beautiful work of Sci-Fi/Fantasy fiction.”

Read the full review here.

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