Tuesday, June 30, 2009

How join the "Tweet the Author" discussion with Andy Andrews

It has been about a week since we announced the first "Tweet the Author" chat with Andy Andrews, which will take place tomorrow on Twitter from 1-2 PM CST and we are excited about the initial reaction.

This is a fairly new concept and we have since received a few questions (even from experienced tweeters) on how to join in on the discussion with Andy.

Here is a step-by-step guide to taking part in the discussion tomorrow:

- To join in on the live discussion with Andy on Wed afternoon, you will need to have a Twitter account.

- Log into your account at 1 PM CST and type in #thenoticer in the right hand search column.

- Once you do that and hit enter, it will bring up the live discussion with Andy and you can view recent questions from readers and Andy's answers.

- To refresh the discussion, type in #thenoticer in the right hand search column again and hit enter or refresh your page.

- To ask a question or make a comment, simply type out your tweet and add the #thenoticer hashtag to the end (this essentially identifies your tweet as part of this specific discussion), refresh the search and it will show up in the live chat.

If you have any questions or issues joining the chat, please contact me at rshelton@phenixpublicity.com or DM us @PhenixandPhenix.

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Thursday, June 25, 2009

Would you like to "Tweet the Author" on Wednesdays?

You've read the book. It's awesome--but you have a question that's been nagging you since the end of chapter five.

What was the author thinking with that plot twist?!

If only the author were dropping by your local Barnes & Noble you could put him on the spot and learn more about the story behind the book.

Sigh--you live in Amarillo and it is unlikely the author is going to appear in person at your local bookstore.

What to do?

For those readers who don't have a chance to meet the author in person, how about "Tweeting the Author" on Twitter?

In an effort to connect readers with some of the coolest authors in the industry, we are pleased to announce the start of a new live weekly "Tweet the Author" discussion where great authors join a live chat with readers on Twitter on Wednesday afternoons from 1-2 PM CST.

Who will we hear from first?
Andy Andrews, best known for his book, The Traveler's Gift and now the The Noticer (Thomas Nelson) which is now sitting on the New York Times bestseller list for the sixth consecutive week.

How can I chime in?
On Wednesday, July 1st, from 1-2 PM CST Andy Andrews will tweet with readers on the #thenoticer hashtag. To join the chat just search "#thenoticer" in the right hand column and hit enter. That will allow you to bring up all of the recent "tweets" in the discussion.

At that point, type in your question or comment to Andy--but make sure you add "#thenoticer" to the end of your question so that it will be added to the current discussion and Andy will be able to respond.

Stay tuned -- a big announcement about the July 8th featured author is coming soon!

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Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Quick Hits

What, no BEA?!

This is the first post Memorial Day Tuesday that I haven't been gearing up for Book Expo America in six years. We made the decision to send a very small crew this year for a few reasons, including a recent trip to NYC for a launch party and a guess that this year's event won't be much of one.

I will miss a few things about BEA, including seeing good friends, getting a good pulse for the fall lists, swiping a few free galleys, the first-ever BEA Tweet-up and, you know, high-fiving the Pope:


I won't miss trying to catch a cab during a Friday afternoon downpour, waiting 20 min for $5 coffee, sore feet from walking the show floor all day or 6:30 AM breakfast meetings.

If you will also be vicariously attending BEA through Twitter, join me in following the BEA 2009 hash tag on Twitter: #BEA09.

For those heading to NYC, check out the Book Publicity Blog's list of things to download before you make the trip.


The Noticer is a bestseller

Late last week we received word from Thomas Nelson that The Noticer debuted on both The New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists. It is #6 on the NY Times Hardcover/Advice list and #15 on the WSJ nonfiction list.

This book has been the subject of a large amount of well-deserved buzz this spring and is one of the best team-based campaigns we have been involved with.

For those of you who have yet to take part in the social media movement inspired by the book, The Noticer Project, you can read pages and pages of notices on the website and begin noticing those who have made the biggest impact on your life there as well.

It has been exciting to watch a campaign that has combined the best of traditional media with social media for the same purpose--to attract readers to a very good book by one of the best storytellers in publishing.

Amidst the shots publishing takes from those who label it slow-to-adapt and too dependent on print media, this launch is a very good example of how the industry is adapting and finding ways to reach readers in new ways.

For those who haven't read the book, through the end of May, Thomas Nelson is running a special where if you buy a copy of the book you can receive it in every format with which it is available. I highly recommend it.

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Friday, April 17, 2009

The Noticer Project: What is all the fuss about?

It has been fun to watch so many people putting the inspiring and perspective-changing message of Andy Andrews' new book, The Noticer (Thomas Nelson), to good use through The Noticer Project.

It is an important movement at a time when many of us can use a pick-me-up amidst the seemingly endless sea of bad news found in the media. Not only is it gratifying to be "noticed" by someone for the impact you have made on their life, but I personally got more out of remembering all the gifts I've been given through the years.

Often we get too busy with our daily lives to think about how lucky we really are. I know I do--this helped put things in perspective. Thanks, Andy!

I thought it might be helpful to provide a central location for those who have blogged about The Noticer Project. Most of the posts are individuals noticing their five, while others feature commentary about the concept itself. For those of you still wondering who you might notice, these posts may give you a good idea.

This is by no means a complete list and doesn't feature the many notes throughout the Facebook universe. Have I missed you? Shoot me an email.

Pages and pages of notices on TheNoticerProject.com

Andy Andrews
Remember that you can send a personal email to those you plan to "notice" directly from The Noticer Project website. By doing so, you also add your voice to the many notices that can be found there and give a more public recognition of your five.

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Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Where social media meets a perspective-changing movement

I must confess: I haven't been this excited about a campaign in a while.

As you will read below, there is an amazing amount of buzz building for Andy Andrews' new book, The Noticer (Thomas Nelson, Apr. 2009).

Thomas Nelson is a longtime client of ours and they regularly bring us great books by leading authors. They also push the envelope with their creativity and willingness to step outside the box. We're happy to be working with them and Andy Andrews on The Noticer Project, which launched yesterday.

What is The Noticer Project?

If you haven't been asked this question already, I hope someone will pose it to you over the coming weeks.

If asked, you can explain that The Noticer Project is a worldwide movement to "notice" the five most influential people in your life and it is inspired by Andy Andrews' new book, The Noticer. The movement started yesterday and I'm excited to see a number of people already taking part.

For more details on The Noticer Project, please visit the offical website here or join the Facebook group here.

You can also read a letter from Andy about why he's so excited about The Noticer Project here.

What is the goal of The Noticer Project?

Every once in a while a book comes along that has the right message at just the right time and proceeds to impact lives around the world. I think many would agree that we are in need of such a perspective-shaping message right now.

Many of you have read the New York Times bestseller, The Traveler's Gift, written by author and speaker Andy Andrews, which walks the reader through the seven decisions that determine personal success. Many people point to this book as a "game-changer" in their lives--a book that put them back on the right track. As powerful as The Traveler's Gift was and is, I think Andy's new book, The Noticer, has the potential to impact even more lives.

To say we're living in challening times is a major understatement--and a bit cliche--but with many struggling to find a new job, pay their mortgage and keep food on the table, it can be very difficult to keep the right perspective on life.

Andy Andrews knows this from personal experience--he not only lost both of his parents at a very young age but also became homeless soon-after, having to resort to living under a pier. Andy has long since gotten back on his feet but he knows firsthand how many are feeling right now.

Andy seems to have known that this book had the potential to not just entertain, but also engage readers to put its principles into action. In The Noticer, he talks a lot about perspective--something that many of us lose grip of as a result of the busyness of our daily lives.

The main question in many of our minds was how to turn the principles of the book into action.
Then an idea--what if we encouraged people to take a minute and notice those people who have impacted their lives--wouldn't that be an experience that put things back in perspective for many people? After all, when we think about the gifts we have thanks to the important people in our lives, it tends to put financial strains and other stresses back in perspective.
Andy decided to launch The Noticer Project out of a hope that people wouldn't wait until it's too late to notice those people that have made a positive impact on their lives. Far too often we take those treasured relationships for granted and end up sending a letter to the family after a funeral to tell them how much of an impact their loved one had on our lives (while hoping the lost loved one knew what we thought of them when they passed).

Why is it so hard for us to "notice" those people before it is too late?

That's where The Noticer Project comes in--it's a movement to push the pause button on our busy lives and "notice" five people that you owe a great debt to thanks to their love and care through the years.

Noticing those people can be as private (a hand-written note or taking an old teacher to coffee) or as public (posting on your blog, joining the Facebook group or posting a note on Facebook like I did here) as you want it to be. Andy's team has also set up a website that allows people to publicly notice their five.

When it comes down to it, the important thing is not how you "notice" your five, but that you take time to say thanks. When you do that, not only do you let them know how they have impacted you, but you also gain a new perspective on the gifts within your own life.

Here are a few public examples of those taking part in The Noticer Project:


Head over to The Noticer Project website for a running scroll of those being noticed.

Why am I so excited about The Noticer Project?

I think The Noticer Project is going to be a great experiment on the power of social media to advance a meaningful agenda. The "25 Things" movement saw great success on Facebook and although The Noticer Project is more focused on others than it is ourselves--as the "25 Things" note was--I'm hoping that people see their various social media platforms (from Facebook to Twitter) as great tools for publicly "noticing" those who have impacted them.

I hope that you enjoy reconnecting with those five on your list as you take part in The Noticer Project.

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