| AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT Grass-Roots Marketing Campaign Leads to a Successful Start for BookSurge Author
 In a market where many books exist to opine the political situation in the Middle East, one self-published BookSurge author has surfaced as an authoritative voice and is on the verge of a media breakthrough. Ray Robison was a career military officer who served in the Gulf War. Later, working with the Iraqi Survey Group in 2004, he had first hand access to documents and other media detailing the actions of the Hussein regime. Today, Robison has compiled this shocking information into a new book, titled Both in One Trench: Saddam’s Secret Terror Documents, and with his marketing plan in place, he’s bursting onto the political scene. Being a witness to history, Robison felt that it was his duty to bring the evidence of his findings to the attention of the public, but even with the help of a literary agent, getting a book about Iraq in the door became a challenge. With BookSurge, he was able to publish his book on his terms and reap the benefits. Using the Total Design Freedom publishing program, the BookSurge design team designed the book to his specifications. In the months prior to the release of his book, Ray dedicated countless hours contributing to his online blog and the blogs of others, his subject material ranging from the news of the day to teasers for his book. “The key is to identify the leading media outlets that discuss your subject, determine where they are getting their content, and feed into that media chain from the bottom,” he says. Eventually, his persistence caught the attention of Fox News, The New York Times, Rush Limbaugh and others, and he was regularly asked to comment in debates. With the attention associated with these media contacts, Robison has built what he describes as a “ready-made market.” In the first forty-eight hours of Both in One Trench’s release, his website received over 5,000 hits, and sales rolled in. He attributes the initial success of his book to hard work and good networking practices, “dealing with [contacts] with integrity and openness.” His current marketing strategy focuses on keeping up with his contacts and sending review copies to various media outlets in hopes of receiving a review or endorsement from a notable source. Thus far, his book has put him in touch with an audience with more access to information on the subject of Saddam Hussein’s regime; a second book is not far behind the first. To other self-published authors, he prudently reminds us that “nothing good ever comes easy. Find a passion. Look for something no one else is saying, locate a venue, and go for it.” Though some may find fault with his message, there can be no doubt that Ray Robison has found a unique way to spread a unique message, making Both in One Trench: Saddam’s Secret Terror Documents a textbook marketing success. Read up on other successful BookSurge authors.  Working on big plans or achieved success with your book? Go ahead, brag about it. Tell us your story.
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