Italian for Tourists

Italian for Tourists  Virtual Book Tour 2011

Italian For Tourists: Pocket Edition is a basic guide to the Italian language covering phrases and words most needed by tourists. It includes all the words and phrases a tourist is likely to need during their stay in Italy as well as a pronunciation guide and a map of Italy.

The phrasebook is divided into 17 chapters including; Emergency, The basics, Common expressions, Learning Italian, Greetings and introducing yourself, Transport, Hotel, Sightseeing, Asking and giving directions, Food and drink, Health, Shopping, Offices and bureaucracy and Signs and notices and more.

Jo Linsdell came to Italy from the UK in June 2001 and now lives in Rome working as a freelance writer. She wrote the book drawing on her own experience. She explains “A tourist doesn’t need to know everything about Italian grammar or the in’s and out’s of buying an apartment. They want to have an easy to use reference book of the language they will need to use and understand during their stay”.

So why do Jo and her book fit so well into the Slow and Steady writers theme?

Writing Tips

This type of planning is ideal for those of us who write slowly. 

• Divide your project into chapter headings
• Give yourself a set time in which to complete each chapter or even each section of a chapter
• Pinpoint your ideal reader. Don't write for the world. Write for that one tourist, that one romance reader, that one individual who is looking for just the information you are providing

Goes without saying, you want that one person to represent hundreds more with the same need to read a book like yours.

Find a hole in the market and bed yourself right in.

Marketing Tips 1

 Jo's main keyword is Italian. It's the first word in her title, the first word in her book blurb and it's used again once in her last paragraph.

That's enough to make her visible in search engines and not overused to flag her as spam.

It's backed up by a couple of references to Italy.

Her secondary keyword--tourists--is again sensibly repeated throughout the text.

Marketing Tips 2

Photographs are great for attracting attention and especially useful at conveying information quickly and easily. This one shows not only the book cover but also Jo looking professional and business-like at her computer.

Extra detail is the insertion of book tour dates and her website URL. A tiny photo but a one-step promotion that's extra branding without being pushy.

 Marketing Tips 3

Make sure your copy is always free from mistakes and that you have made each word count. 

Jo's last paragraph includes a tiny bio which does everything needed to establish her credentials and outline her ideal reader.

Bring Twitter a-LIVE

I'll be interviewing Jo here soon and publishing her information on working with LIVE Twitter. 

First saw that in action with Paolo Coelho answering questions in four different languages.

It's something I need to know more about and I hope you'll join me here next Friday, November 18, to learn from Jo.