Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Virtual Book Tour

Today I’m speaking with author Jo Linsdell who is touring the web over November and December 2011, in a promotional tour for her book Italian for Tourists.

CDB: Jo, what inspired you to write this book? Have you written one about England?

JL: So many people told me I should write it that I decided maybe it was a good idea.... and it was. The Italian for Tourists project started out as a simple e-book and through public demand became available in print, kindle, nook and most other electronic formats.  
Inglese per Turisti (English for Tourists) will be released in spring 2012. Again, lots of people asked for it.  


CDB: What results do you expect from the virtual tour?

JL: This tour is to keep Italian for Tourists 'fresh'. It's been around for a while now and I often do tours to promote it in order to keep sales constant. A tactic that so far has worked well over the years. It's also an opportunity to let people know that the book is now available in various formats. It can even be purchased from the ibookstore on www.itunes.com and downloaded to iphones and ipads now.  
Timing is perfect for Christmas shoppers too ;) 


CDB: Do you know statistically what region or age group is the largest fan base?

JL: The book appeals to all ages (probably because it's simple and easy to use) and as for regions, I'm quite international. A lot of my fans are in India and Japan but the book is selling well all round.

CDB: Although your book is “tourist friendly”, can students and professionals benefit from it?


JL: Definitely! I've even made a homeschoolers kit to be used with it which can be downloaded for free from my website www.JoLinsdell.com. It's a short ebook containing exercises to practice the Italian learnt and all answers can be found within Italian for Tourists.


The book contains a pronunciation guide and takes the language back to the basics making it ideal for beginners learning the language.

CDB: Do you think you’re helping the tourist industry in some small way by promoting Italy in your book?

JL: Italy is one of the worlds top tourist destinations and so doesn't require any help from me ;) That being said, I love Italy (I came here for 3 days and ended up staying... but that's another story) . I try to share my enthusiasm for the Country, culture, people and language in any way I can.
By creating a book that makes it possible for anyone to learn the basics of the Italian language and therefore help them get more from their visit to Italy, I might be helping convince more tourists to come here.


CDB:
Thank you for stopping by and all the best with the virtual tour and your book.
 
For more information about Jo Linsdell and her book, please visit her website at www.JoLinsdell.com or write to her at jo_bins@yahoo.com

Purchasing Links:

18 comments:

  1. Hello Claudia, hello Jo Linsdell! Thank you for the interview and info about this book. Great that it can be used as a general learning tool too for anyone studying the language.

    If ever visit Italy again, I shall definitely look this book up!

    p.s. Jo - hopefully there will also be a memoir of how you went to Italy "for 3 days and decided to stay"! :-)

    Take care
    x

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  2. Thanks for having me here today Claudia and for supporting my book tour.

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  3. What a sign! The only language I've ever had a desire to learn is Italian. I'm definitely going to check this out! Thanks for the interview.

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  4. Hi Jennifer,
    Oh, I agree with you! Jo should write a memoir of how she ended up in this amazing country ;)

    Hi Jo,
    My pleasure! Writers should help each other.

    Hi Raquel,
    And yes, I definitely advise you to do so. I speak Italian and it's a beautiful language. It's so worth it.

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  5. Hi Jennifer, thanks for stopping by. I published a short ebook called 'some risks are worth taking' a few years ago which is about how I ended up here (available from www.lulu.com/jolinsdell but I have plans to write a novel based on it in the future at some point.

    Hi Raquel, thanks also to you for taking the time to join us here. I hope you enjoy the book.

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  6. Very interesting. As a teacher of Italian, I might find this book useful.
    It definitely made me want to travel back to my country.
    Thank you Claudia and Jo for the interview.

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  7. Hi Claudia! I know her from myspace. Her various ebooks are available to buy from http://www.lulu.com/jolinsdell. She writes regularly for newspapers, magazines and websites. Her website http://jolinsdell.tripod.com has samples of some her published articles and information about her books. I hate facebook, but you can reach her on facebook ( http://facebook.com/jolinsdellfeliciani). Thanks for giving information about her.

    ♥Love from Antalya, Turkey♥

    http://antalya-magnificent-city.blogspot.com

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  8. Hi Jacopo,
    Glad to hear this book could be useful. And, going back to Italy is ALWAYS a great idea ;)

    Hi Isa,
    Isn't the blogosphere amazing? We are joined by one network ;)
    Thanks for stopping by and sharing her links.

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  9. Argh! Why didn't I know about this when we went to Rome, Pompeii and Herculaneum last year! Nevermind we had a great time, though it was so hot I'd have swapped any number of guidebooks for a bottle of water. Seriously though, good luck with the book

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  10. Hi Jacopo, thank you for your comment. Claudia couldn't have said it better, going back to Italy IS always a great idea :)

    WOW! thank you Isa. I really appreciate your support and I'm happy that you like my various projects. I don't check myspace very often anymore but have met some great people there. I'm on so many social media sites but tend to spend most time on my twitter and facebook accounts now.

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  11. Thank you Mike. It does get pretty hot here in the summer months. This year was particularly hard going for me as I was pregnant. Giving birth in Rome in August was a nightmare!

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  12. Hi Mike,
    Ah, no problem there! Just go to Italy again and you'll have the book then, ;) LOL!

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  13. Wonderful interview. Italy is on my list of place I'd like to visit. :)

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  14. Thanks Sharon!
    Yes, you have to visit Italy on your next vacation. It's a beautiful place and people are warm. That's why I keep going back (plus I'm married to an Italian) ;)

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  15. Yes, Sharon you should come here. It's a wonderful country. I feel in love with it instantly.

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  16. What a great idea. Congratulations to Jo. If I ever go to Italy, I'll surely keep this book in mind. :)

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  17. We have just returned to Canada after a two week trip to Turkey that far exceeded our expectations. We hired Kusadasi Tours and we were thrilled with the results. Ender, from privatetoursinistanbul.com, arranged an itinerary for us at a reasonable price that included domestic flights, all hotels, breakfast and lunches and a guide and driver, as well as all entrance fees. He responded to every email promptly, and assured us that we could call him anytime before and during our trip.

    http://www.privatetoursinistanbul.com

    We had 4 days in Istanbul, flew to Cappadocia for 3 days, went south to the Mediterranean and on to Kusadasi and Ephesus. our guide was very professional and before each site, he would give us an overview of the history of the area, and as we toured, he would fill in details of the site.

    We can’t say enough good things about our guide. If a problem developed – passports forgotten in a hotel safe, for example - he quietly took care of it and we depended on him for everything.

    We loved the Turkish people. They are kind and welcoming and go out of their way to make sure that people enjoy their beautiful country.

    we highly suggest !!!

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