A month ago I would have told you that Facebook was a useless website where 15 years olds trash talked each other and otherwise wasted time. As a mater of fact, I originally opened my Facebook account to try to rummage around and see what my 16 year old was up to. Today I am convinced that Facebook should be considered a primary marketing tool by every self-publisher.

Here, some seldom-considered tips on getting more publicity for your book and business, straight from the top journalists and literary agents who participated in our Expertizing Publicity Forum. #1 Be prepared for The New York Times

In some ways, books are like humans. They enter the world as babies, full of potential and opportunity, with proud parents boasting great visions for their children’s success. But as they grow, something happens and very few become the sensation their parents hoped they would be.

Authors and publishers know that reviews and blurbs from reputable sources are the key to book sales. But with literally hundreds of thousands of books being published every year, it is impossible for every book to get the attention that its author and publisher hopes for from the New York Times, Publishers Weekly, ForeWord, and other review publications.

It’s clunky. It’s ugly. It’s flawed. It just may change your life.Amazon’s Kindle rolled out in November as a $399 e-book reader, destined to rule the world. It’s cheesy retro, but loaded with EVDO-connectivity to allow speedy text-based downloads of books, newspapers, and even blogs through Sprint’s network.

Do you often feel rejected because your email messages are ignored? Do you envision a black hole where your outgoing email is swallowed up, never to be read by human eyes? Well, that’s exactly what happens to thousands of email messages each year. And it’s mainly because of what the sender put (or neglected to put) in the Subject Line.

The biggest enemy to sales is the status quo. When sales trainers say that phrase, we are usually referring to prospects. The idea is that most people find it to be very difficult to let go of what they are used to doing (even if it’s not working for them) and so it is frequently difficult to persuade a prospect to make a change. Hence, the biggest enemy to sales is the status quo.