How You Can Help Tom - and Help Yourself and Others at
the Same Time
Thank you for coming.
If you might be wondering:
"Why is Tom putting IN THE LONG RUN online free for the reading?"
The answer is simple:
reader feedback.
Of course I am hoping the
feedback will be positive, but any negative feedback would be helpful too. I am
hoping that by offering IN THE LONG RUN online free for the reading, a lot of
people will get a chance to read the book and those that get good things out of the story
for themselves will tell others about it (and me too, I hope). I have already had
enough good feedback personally to have the guts to do put the whole book online. (So I am
very grateful to these people who bought the book or reviewed this website - http://www.melawend.com/reviews1.htm )
I am further hoping that
generating enough reader feedback will help create viable demand for the photo-illustrated
hardcover and trade paperback editions, which are already being planned with one of
Canada’s top book printers. The success of that is what will help me continue
working as a writer. The long-term goal is to be enabled to write more books,
stories, articles, reports, etc. that you will find entertaining and/or helpful.
That is why I need your
help.
Okay, so how can I help you now,
Tom? And how is helping you going to help me and others?
You are under no obligation, of
course, but if you enjoy the story and you would like to help, there are two fast
and easy ways that you can:
1. Help promote IN
THE LONG RUN: A Hopeful World Odyssey - I will show you 10 ways, most of
which can be done in a few minutes at your computer. Your help in my promotions will
help enable me to produce more written works of value to you.
2. Make a
donation - any amount you would like, by snail-mail or instantly by PayPal.
See information and links below. Your donation will help me continue my efforts,
and...
---- YOU HAVE MY PROMISE: 10% of the donations I
receive will be given to charity, and I will provide proof on this
website.
Here is how your help will
benefit you, me, and people in need:
1. Help Promote IN THE LONG RUN
- through WOM
WOM - your Word-Of-Mouth
promotion - it carries far more credibility than anything I can do on my
own to promote my work. (I am just another person blowing his own horn). Your WOM
even beats the hype major publishers provide for their best-selling authors.
IT'S
SIMPLE: If you enjoy the book, please tell others (and me) about it.
If they like it, they will probably thank you
for telling them. And perhaps they will tell
others who might in turn thank them for doing so.
Here are 10 ways
you can tell others about IN THE LONG RUN:
Get
together with, call, or write to family, friends, colleagues, and acquaintances.
Recommend the book to them and let them know they can read the whole
book online for free. Be sure to give them the website address: http://www.melawend.com Then ask
them to spread the word! This is also a great excuse to reconnect with someone you
have had no communication with in a long time by sending a greeting card, e-mail, fax,
etc, mentioning the story and website - in effect, giving a gift of a
story you feel he or she might enjoy reading.
YOUR
FEEDBACK IS VERY IMPORTANT!
Write testimonials about good things you got from reading the book.
Please e-mail or
snail-mail them to me with your permission for me to use them in my promotions. If
possible, please include a digital photo of yourself that I may use with your
testimonial. May I also mention your occupation? For examples, please see
testimonials that have been given by others - http://www.melawend.com/reviews1.htm
So please do express your honest opinions of the book and my writing. If you would
like to share your opinions with others, you can respond on my Blog - "The
Scooter Crusader" - http://www.tomsmith-melawend.blogspot.com/
You can also post your testimonials on appropriate websites. Please do let me know if
and where you post your testimonials.
TIP: The best testimonials describe in one to three sentences a specific
benefit or two that you got out of reading the book.
For example, rather than say simply, "It's a great book!" tell the reader
specifically how it helped you handle a difficult situation effectively, or other specific
ways it helped you. You could also describe its entertainment value - for example,
in what way(s) it is better than other books of its type. Or you could describe the
quality of the writing.
Write testimonials as if you are telling someone who asked you about the book how you
benefited from reading it.
For example, you might say, "After reading IN THE LONG RUN, I successfully used
some of the win/win strategies Tom used during his journey to get the (job,
assignment, sponsorship, girlfriend or boyfriend) I was after." Or
perhaps something like, "Reading IN THE LONG RUN helped me improve my
(health, attittude, career, relationship(s), etc.) by..." Or,
"Reading IN THE LONG RUN gave me new and useful perspectives on..."
(life, love, the world, other cultures, travel, etc.)
Tell the news
media in your town, region, or country, about IN THE LONG RUN.
This works well when something is happening
that can be tied to themes or events in ITLR. Send media people to this page: http://www.melawend.com/pressroo.htm or
copy my press releases into e-mails and send them to anyone who might be able to help
spread the word - or just give the links:
IN THE LONG RUN Home Page: http://www.melawend.com
Press Room (releases, FAQ link, interviews, etc.): http://www.melawend.com/pressroo.htm
Press Release for the Online Book Launch: http://www.melawend.com/online.htm
Press Release for IN THE LONG RUN: http://www.melawend.com/press.htm
Post
notices on bulletin boards.
You can put them up in shopping malls,
universities, hospitals, bus depots, cafeterias, etc.
Here is a notice that has already been prepared for you: http://www.melawend.com/notice.htm
It says that the book is available to
read online free and includes some testimonials about it. Simply print this notice
and post it - and please let me know that you did!
Write to Radio
and TV Talk Show Hosts.
* Oprah Winfrey - http://www.oprah.com/email/email_landing.jhtml
Hey, all the events in my book are TRUE, so help me God - Oprah would not be
embarrassed again by a fictional memoir.
* Ellen Degeneres - http://ellen.warnerbros.com/show/respond/?PlugID=10
* Jay Leno - http://www.nbc.com/The_Tonight_Show_with_Jay_Leno/about/contact.shtml
* Conan O'Brien: - I could not find a contact link on the show's
website http://www.nbc.com/Late_Night_with_Conan_O'Brien/index.shtml
, but this one on the network's site has a dropdown box so you can select the show
you want to send a message to http://www.nbc.com/Footer/Contact_Us/
* David Letterman - http://www.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/show_info/contact
- this page brings up an e-mail link "For all show-related topics,
e-mail us at:" cbsmailbag@aol.com -
with the following message: "We'll direct your comments and questions to the
appropriate departments of the "Late Show."
* Regis and Kelly - http://bventertainment.go.com/tv/buenavista/regisandkelly/feedback.html
* The View - http://bventertainment.go.com/tv/buenavista/regisandkelly/feedback.html
(Hey, why not? You never know, right?)
Got some suggestions? Send me an e-mail.
Write to
celebrities or influential people involved in areas covered by ITLR
Travel. Cultures.
Self-help. Relationships. The environment. World peace.
Charities. Writing. Photography. Motorcycles and scooters.
Diplomacy. Sponsors and sponsorship. Ernest Hemingway.
Movies. People involved in those subject areas might appreciate you telling them
about a story that is not only entertaining but possibly useful to them. How about
Honda motorcycle marketing or corporate communications? (Honda Canada turned me down for
sponsorship, politely. American Honda helped on the home run across the USA.)
How about Steven Spielberg, Clint Eastwood, Ron Howard, or Jerry Bruckheimer?
How about celebrities who love riding motorcycles? (Hey, who knows? You might
even be the one who helps turn IN THE LONG RUN into a movie! Might as well dream
big, eh?)
Talk about ITLR
in your favorite online clubs, blogs, newsgroups, chat rooms, etc.
If something about IN THE LONG RUN is
relevant to discussions in your group, it will not be seen as spam because it is not
something you are selling. Perhaps include a link to the ITLR page that has the
information you are talking about.
E-mail the
webmasters of topic-related websites.
They need to link to content that creates
more value for their websites - so they might put a link to the ITLR website on
theirs. You can also direct webmasters to me for more info and possible reciprocal
linking.
E-mail me with
your ideas!
What would you
do if you were in my shoes? (I mean beyond first spraying them with deodorant.)
If you do
help, it will be much appreciated! So please don't be shy - let me know!
tom@melawend.com
2.
Make a donation to Tom - knowing that 10% of your donation will go
to charity
Though you will give 10% of
my donation to charity, why should I donate to get something that is offered for free?
If
you find enough value in the book for yourself, you might consider giving some value back
through a donation. As a self-published writer I do not have the support of
the traditional book supply system - no publisher, agent, conventional book sellers, etc. As a civil servant, I don't make a lot of money and
I have the usual commitments - mortgage, bills, kids in school, etc. I also help
support family overseas. Without alternative funding, I must bear all the costs in
producing, marketing, and distributing the book, which is the main reason IN THE LONG
RUN: A Hopeful World Odyssey took so long to write, and the First
Print Edition is so crude and expensive.
Here is how your donation will help:
- The maintenance, expansion, and upgrade of this website to provide
helpful resources.
- The production, marketing, and distribution of hardcover and trade
paperback editions of IN THE LONG RUN: A Hopeful World
Odyssey.
- The financial means and justification for Tom to continue writing -
books, articles, stories, reports, etc., that you might find enjoyable and useful.
- Charities. YOU HAVE MY PROMISE HERE AND
NOW that your donation to me will also be used to help people in dire
need as 10% of your donation will go to charities
of my choosing - primarily to children, disaster relief, and health-related aid
and research.
--- I will post on melawend.com bi-annual reports (on
January 1 and July 1) declaring amounts given to specified charities - with digital proofs
of those donations.
--- For your donation of $100 or more, I will, if you wish, make the donation in
your name and send the receipt to you for your income tax return.
So if you do find
value for yourself in IN THE LONG RUN: A Hopeful World Odyssey, please consider
making a donation. You can send a check or international money order (payable to
Thomas M. Smith in Canadian or US dollars) by mail:
- Tom Smith
541 Laren Road
Victoria, BC V9C 2S4
Canada
Or you can
donate instantly via PayPal - it is fast, easy, and
secure, and is used by millions of individuals and businesses. Just use the link
below and send any amount you wish.
I
will acknowledge all donations personally and, if you wish, on this website.
Remember, there is absolutely
no obligation for you to help in any way – the online book is free
for you to read, with my best wishes to you. All
I would ask is that if you do enjoy the story, please tell others about it. (Though you
can tell me too - positive or negative - it would be greatly appreciated!).
All the best to you!
Tom
THOMAS
MARTIN SMITH
"The Scooter Crusader"
Tom & Melawend visit students and teachers
at Khartoum North School, Sudan.
