Belleview, Florida - Feb. 8 - 9, 2014 - Southern Outpost Military Vehicle Winter Rally & Author Booksigning

Four months before her mother passed away, author, Cynthia A. Sandor accidentally found a journal written by her mother who was a member of an elite group of young girls in the Hitler Youth program during WWII. 

Ms. Sandor brings history to life in her first published non-fiction book, "Through Innocent Eyes - The Chosen Girls of the Hitler Youth."  "She is significantly breaking new ground by chronicling the hidden history of the emotional toll that World War II exacted on the Bund Deutscher Mädel (BDM) girls who participated in the Landjahr Lager (Country Service Camp) program, and those who loved them. 

Sandor explains the origin of her book:  "In 1941, my mother Gertrude Kerschner wrote a personal journal (complete with photos) when she was in "Landjahr Lager Seidorf," while serving in the BDM, the girls division of the Hitler Youth.  This book captures the self-actualization of 10-year old Gertrude as she progresses from childhood and living in poverty, to adolescence and becoming 'one' with her country."

Gertrude met and married Cynthia's father, PFC Robert Sandor - 1280th Army Corp. of Engineers Battalion, Company "C" - 65th Infantry (Battle Ax), after the war and moved to Greenwich, Ct.

Sandor's book has become a national voice for German/Austrian mothers and grandmothers who have remained silent about their experiences in the BDM and are still in fear of speaking about this time to their daughters and granddaughters.

...."This is such an important, authentic, and engaging piece of scholarly work that it should become a valuable part of WWII history."  Verlagsagentur (Publishing Agency) Mag. Michael Hlatky – Germany

Ms. Sandor will personally be selling and autographing her book at The Southern Outpost Military Vehicle Winter Rally and Swap Meet, sponsored by the First Florida Chapter, MVPA, located behind the Market of Marion on 1288 S.E. US Hwy 441, in Belleview, Florida this weekend February 8 – 9^th, 2014. 

There will be Allied and Axis and 1940's civilian re-enactors, over 100 vintage military vehicles and motorcycles, and 40 vendors.

Vote NOW to help make "Through Innocent Eyes" the #1 Book on Goodreads!  Thank you!  ~Cindy~

VOTE NOW for Best Biography on GOODREADS

"Through Innocent Eyes - The Chosen Girls of the Hitler Youth" is moving  FAST up the Goodreads Biography book list!  Cast your vote NOW!  Thank you!  ~ Cindy ~

CLICK HERE to vote for "Through Innocent Eyes" on GOODREADS

Who is going to buy and read my book? Who is my Target Market?

As an author, it is important that before you write your book, that you need to know exactly who you are writing your book for.  Your Target Market is contained in your Marketing Plan which is part of your Business Plan on your book.  Your Business Plan is what you give to your Literary Agent. When you have a Business Plan, your Literary Agent knows you are serious about getting your book to the major publishing companies.  It shows that you are: 

• A professional author
• You are more serious than the publisher in marketing and promoting your book
• You know exactly who your readers are

Here is a brief outline of points that I would like to share with you when you are targeting your audience for you book.  Take a moment to print this out. Jot down your thoughts you may have.  

Please feel free to post your comments or questions and I will get back with you as soon as I can.  

Good Luck!  ~ Cindy ~

What is a Target Market?

• A group of people toward whom your book is directed to in it’s marketing efforts.
• It is an element of your Marketing Strategy

Marketing Strategy- consists of:

• Target Market
• Marketing mix variables of the product, distribution, promotion and price that are directed towards satisfying the needs of the target market. 
• Size and profit potential
• Level of competition

Focal Point – of all your marketing activities:

• Centers around the consumer
• Need a detailed description of your target market
• Demographic Segmentation – gender, age, income, expenditure patterns,
• Geography – Regions: WE, SE, MW, SW, NE, Calif., Hawaii, Alaska.
• Annual house-hold income

Who is My Target Market and where are they located?

United States	4061
France	2355
Germany	543
Poland	313
United Kingdom	303
Iran	217
Russia	198
Austria	121
Turkey	109
China	102

Age Bracket

Age                         Women %             Men %

13 – 17                        0.6%                3  %

18 – 24                        9%                   13%

25 – 34                        6%                   20%

35 – 44                        8%                   18%

45 – 54                        9%                   20%

55 – 64                        2%                   9  %

65+                              6%                   7 %

Average Hits per Day:  174                              Time of Day:  3:00 pm

Strategies for Reaching Your Target Audience

You need a strategy that will best match your book to the needs of a particular market.

Four Strategies:

• Undifferentiated Marketing- commonly used with authors that produce only one book and market it to all the consumers.  May seem efficient however, here you face the threat of competitors offering a specialized product to smaller segments of the market. 
• Differentiated Marketing- many books with different marketing mixes designed to satisfy smaller segments.  Problems here is that instead of marketing one book with one single marketing program, you market a number of books designed to appeal to individual parts of the total market. 
• Concentrated Marketing – a/k/a niche marketing – you focus your efforts on profitably satisfying only one market segment.  This approach is appealing to small publishing companies that lack the financial resources of their competitors. 
• Micro-marketing- still more narrowly focused than concentrated marketing since it involves targeting potential customers at the very basic levels, such as by zip code, specific occupations, lifestyles, or individual household. May even target individuals themselves.  

 Need to Position Yourself in the Market - Develop a strong local following through:

• Write ups in local newspapers
• Book clubs
• Meet up groups
• Churches
• Libraries
• Radio stations
• Television Stations
• Toastmasters
• LinkedIn
• Word of Mouth

 Broaden Your Market

• Facebook – groups, pages, likes, friends, events
• Web site
• Youtube – videos, interviews, book trailers, stories,
• Google Hangouts – bring your conversation to life with photos
• Goodreads.com - Tell us what titles or genres you’ve enjoyed in the past, and they will give you surprisingly insightful recommendations
• Twitter – instant communication
• Shelfari.com – community based power encyclopedia for book lovers to connect
• Librarything.com – where authors and reviewers meet
• Webinars – build informational platform

 (c) 2014 - Cynthia A. Sandor - Make sure you vote NOW for best biography on GOODREADS

Book Marketing Plan

It is very important for any author who has written or plans to write a book, write a Marketing Plan.  

A Marketing Plan is your road map to the success of your book.  Either, you can spend hundreds of hours going to a business school, college, or a university, go to the library, and read, or buy all the marketing books and study them. I want to give my audience a short-cut.  By using this simple outline, you can adapt it into your specific book's Business Plan.  Any author who wants to be signed up with a major publishing company must have a clear understanding of their Marketing Plan.  Those that include this in their Business Plan have a greater chance of being picked up by literary agents or publishing companies.  Check it out below, study it, print it, play with it, and use it.  Follow the outline below and adapt it for your work.  When you are finished, please contact me and let me know how it goes!  Enjoy!  ~ Cindy ~

Marketing Plan

Components of the Marketing Plan:

I.  Situation Analysis:  Where are you now?

A.  Historical Background: nature of your book, sales, profit history, and current     situation.

B.   Consumer Analysis:

1. Who are the customers you are attempting to serve?
2. What segments exist?
3. How many consumers are in your target market?
4. How much do they buy, and why?

3. Competitive Analysis:  Given the nature of the markets: size, characteristics, competitive activities, and strategies – what marketing opportunities exist for your book?

II.  Marketing Objectives:  Where do you want to go with your book?

1. Sales Objectives:
1. What level of sales volume can you achieve during the next year? 
2. During the next five years?
2. Profit Objectives:
1. Given your sales level and cost structure, what level of profits should it achieve?
2. How are you going to reach those profit levels?
3. What is your structure plan?
3. Consumer Objectives:
1. How will you serve your target market customers?
2. What do you want to present about your book?
3. What do you want potential customers to think about your book?

III. Strategy:  How are you going to get there?

         A.  Product Strategy:         

   1.  What goods/services should you offer to meet the customers’needs?

                     2.  What is their exact nature?

               B.  Pricing Strategy: 

                     1.  What price to set the book?

                     2.  What specific prices & price concessions are appropriate?

                C.  Distribution Strategy

                     1.  What channel(s) will be used to distribute your book?

                     2.  What physical distribution facilities are needed?

                     3.  Where are the distribution facilities located?

                D.  Promotional Strategy

                      1.  What mix of personal selling/advertising/promotional activities are needed?

                      2.  How much time/energy should I spend using what themes with what media?

                      3.  How much money should I spend using what themes and what media?

               E.  Financial Strategy:   
                      1.  What will be the financial impact on my plan during the first year?

                2.  How much money do I have allocated to marketing and promoting my book?

                3.  How does my projected income compare with my expected revenues if I do not implement this plan? 

Well, that's it.  Use it to your benefit.  

How to Track Social Media Traffic with Google Analytics

Being an author, it is very important that I set up a Marketing Plan written specifically for my book.

Part of my marketing plan contains a way to monitor my social media traffic.  

For more information, you can go to the Google Analytics Official Website.


However, I found an easier web site for which all the information is broken down into simple steps on:  Social Media Examiner

Check it out.  Play with it, and let me know how it works for you!

Cindy

*** Update on Austrian Literary Agent ***

E-mail from my Austrian Literary Agent:

Dear Mrs. Sandor!

Thank you for keeping me informed. You are doing a lot of communication and networking for the book. Tomorrow, I have an appointment with a big publishing house in Austria. They have the online version of "Through Innocent Eyes" and maybe there is a chance to get a German version of your story.

best wishes
M.H

Being considered as a contributing writer for a magazine........

I just submitted this to be considered as a contributing writer for a magazine.  I would like to hear your thoughts. 

My passion is writing and my personal area of expertise is the life span development of German/Austrian Country Service girls raised during WWII. With the pervasiveness of television and the proliferation of technology today family role models are continually influenced by forces outside the home.  The main emphasis of "Through Innocent Eyes" focuses on the moral character development which is positively influenced by inductive discipline. This involves the use of reasoning and focuses the adolescence girl’s attention on the consequences their actions have on others within their family, group, and community.  I stress the importance of how their behavior, thinking, and reasoning, contributes to developing their identity.  However, this goes beyond other aspects of character development.  I provide the reader the opportunity to become one with the main character, Gertrude Kerschner, and a look into her behavior and thinking.  My twenty-three years of intermittent research into the European upbringing of children, inclusive as how my mother raised me, is written throughout "Through Innocent Eyes.”  Here, I want to teach self-awareness, self-discipline, self-reliance and to build one’s self-worth and self-confidence with integrity.