53+ Sources for Free Images

Issue #818 May 17, 2014
Publisher: Joan Stewart

“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”

In This Issue

1. 53+ Sources for Free Images
2. The Cool Kids Play on Google+
3. Online Media Kits for Books
4. Hound Photos of the Week

This Weekend in the Hound House:

When I left the house at 7:30 last night to get into my car, what do I see staring at me in my backyard? Three giant deer! They were more spooked than I was because the yard is fenced in and they had no way to escape. I got into the car and drove away. That left them free to leave the same way they arrived: via the driveway, not far from a busy state route. I’ll be in the garden today to survey the damage.

1. 53+ Sources for Free Images

Tired of paying a bundle for those horrible, cliche stock photos?

You’ll think you died and went to photo heaven when you see this resource list of 53+ Free Image Sources for Your Blog and Social Media Posts.

These are mostly images in the public domain that you can use freely, or Creative Common images that might require attribution.

As if these are enough, you’ll find several more in the Comments section. Thanks to Courtney Seiter for compiling this list and to Penny Sansevieri, the book marketing expert, for sharing it on Google+.

2. The Cool Kids Play on Google+

Had I not been on Google+ just now, I might have missed that killer tip above about the more than 50 sources for free images.

Google+ and its many Communities rank right up there as one of the top resources for discovering free tools. I’ve shared many of them here in the last few months. Every time I do, you tell me you want more.

Don’t wait for me! Stay active on Google+ and find them yourself.

Other reasons you can’t afford not to hang out here:

–Content you share on Google+ often ranks high in search. If you’ve claimed Google Authorship, that same content will sometimes appear with your tiny thumbnail size photo to the left. That photo lends credibility and encourages people to click on your link.

–In many of the better communities, the cool kids are there to learn, not to look at cute dog photos or gossip about when someone’s cousin had her baby. You can still share that personal content with your Google+ Circles, however, without annoying everyone else.

–You can sponsor free video events on Hangouts and have them appear automatically on your YouTube channel.

Google+ has a learning curve, for sure. Shorten your considerably by watching the video replay of the webinar I hosted with Google+ expert BL Ochman recently. “How to Use Google+ Communities to Connect with Influential People.”

When you buy it you can grab five super bonuses, including a cheat sheet that shows you how to format your Google+ posts so more people notice them, read them and share them. So many people skip this important step!

3. Online Media Kits for Books

Whether you’ve published a print book or an ebook, you need a media kit, especially if you want to sell books–lots of them.

Here are 7 reasons why:

–It’s the major marketing piece that represents you and your book.

–Anyone interested in any aspect of your book can find everything in one place.

–A media kit serve as a crutch for busy journalists. They can cut and paste entire paragraphs from your press release and auth bio into stories they are writing.

–Magazine and newspaper editors can find your high-resolution book cover inside the kit. They don’t have to email you with a special request “because the photo you provided won’t reproduce well.”

–A tidy “sell sheet” can double as a printed order form at live events like speaking engagements and book signings. No need to give people two pieces of paper: One that describes the book and another they can use to order.

–Most radio talk show hosts who will interview you don’t have time to read your book. They will appreciate a list of interview questions. Another big benefit: You can choose the questions you want to answer.

–The kit includes a variety of ways people can contact you: by phone, email, Skype, and on the social media sites. This information is so important that it deserves its own document. Don’t bury it at the bottom of your author profile.

If you can afford a publicist, or if you’ve signed with a big publishing company, don’t worry. They’ll create most of this for you.

But if you’re on your own, help is one the way. You’re invited to a free webinar from 4 o 5 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, May 21, with book publishing expert Joel Friedlander. We’ll explain, step by step, what goes into your book’s media kit. And we’ll show you how to shorten your learning curve by weeks and maybe create your kit in less than one day.

Register here.

4. Hound Photos of the Week

Funny dog signs. My favorite is on the top.