Yes, I'm half a week late on this...but for those of you following our Summer Comedy Event, the second winner has been determined.

John of Learnmegood fame (yes, he's a writer, check out his books...ahem, right hand column ;) ) has picked:

Judi Coltman whose entry was "Johnny Marzetti casserole. Poor Johnny."

Congrats to Judi and to the future winners as we make progress with this contest through the summer!

I mean to make this post yesterday, but things got so hectic I didn't get it done.

I had a great response this week for our Summer Comedy Event and the #finishtheline contest. Thanks to ALL who participated!

I combed through the entries and narrowed them down to four that struck me the most. Then, the task of figuring out which one struck me as the best of those four.

It wasn't an easy choice, let me tell ya. I loved the absolute simplicity of three of these final four. I loved the play on words with one of these final four. In the end, I went with the choice that sounds most like what Jack would say, and since he is the main character in the free book, I felt that was fitting.

So...my line for #finishtheline was:
I jumped over the barbed wire and...
That's when I lost my pants. Honest, Officer!
And the winner is...Mariah from facebook!

Congratulations to Mariah, and follow me on twitter @LATripp2818 for the next contest which starts TODAY!

Meet Jim Kukral. He knows marketing. Below is an interview I did with him. Yes, it looks like he's pimping his own service, but these are actually the questions I asked him. For anyone wanting to market their books more, these answers could help you. So, here you go:

1. How many eyes are typically needed to land on a book for an author to expect one sale?

There's no way to answer that question. The reader might be looking for something different than what they found. They might not really be ready to buy. The best advice for an author is to target potential readers that fit their niche and industry and do a really good job of communicating what the book is about through the title and the cover.

2. What is the typical lag time between a potential reader seeing a new book and actually buying that book?

I believe books are mostly impulse purchases. People go to the Internet for two reasons only. One is to have a problem solved (think non-fiction books), and two is to be entertained (fiction). Either way, people buy books for a specific reason. 

3. How many times does a normal future reader need to see a book advertised before they decide to buy?

Again, there's no way to tell that. Advertising gurus will tell you that repetition is key though. As an online marketer myself, we know that if you can put your message in front of a consumer more than five times you have a much greater chance at them taking an action. That's why email lists and social media follows are so important. You can to continuously market. You can't assume people are going to buy at first exposure. They won't, typically.

4. What should an author do to avoid landing in the category with the books that sell a maximum of 500 books over their lifetime?

Build your own platform. Email list. Social media, etc... There's no way around it. You have to have fans and followers. Or spend a lot of money on advertising. The choice is yours. There is no secret to it. It's all hard work. Boo, I know that sucks to hear.

5. Where are you available for authors to easily hire you?

My firm, www.digitalbooklaunch.com helps authors create and market books for the purpose of driving sales, leads and publicity for their business or brand or career. Got an idea for a book? We'll help you make it a reality, in a way that makes sense and actually provides some return on investment for you. Otherwise, what's the point?

6. Do you offer payment plans?

We'll work with anyone's needs. Contact me for a no-cost, no obligation consultation today. Just visit DigitalBookLaunch.comI hope this interview will help some fellow authors. 

Check him out if you like what you see.

And again, don't forget our Summer Comedy Event. Follow me on twitter for more: @LATripp2818

Welcome all to our Summer Comedy Event! 

Now, I know you're excited about this and for good reason. You're about to meet a few authors you may have never experienced before, plus have a chance to read some GREAT new work! 

Here's how this will work. We'll post a contest on twitter with the hashtag #finishtheline each week. You'll have 5 days to come up with the absolute BEST finish to that line so that at the end of that week, you'll win a copy of one of that author's coveted books! Fun and fantastic prizes, right!? 

Example: "If I just hadn't put the key in the ignition this morning..." You finish that line with the most fabulous thing you can think of and, if you have the best line, that author will give you ONE FREE COPY of one of their titles that week! Simple as that!

This contest will run on twitter every week. We will also promote the contest on facebook. Please join us in finishing the line AND promoting on facebook!

The official kick off to this contest is June 3rd, with the contest running the week of June 4th through June 8th. The last contest will run July 23rd through July 27th. Follow me on twitter @LATripp2818 to join in the fun!

We look forward to meeting a ton of you readers AND we look forward to entertaining you for a few hours of your precious time with one of our books!

Have a great summer!