Membership Requirements and Guidelines

Benefits

1. The benefits of becoming an Apple Pie author include, but are not limited to the following:
   1. Increased Publicity: A team of Apple Pie authors will promote your books online and off. Why? Because you are promoting theirs.
   2. The Apple Pie Brand: We are rapidly gaining a reputation of promoting good quality children’s books. This brand will immediately boost your appearance as a self-published author.
   3. A Team of Professionals: Two heads are better than one, so several must be a gold mine. Apple Pie authors will collaborate periodically, reviewing the pros and cons of marketing techniques and tools.
   4. SEO: All Apple Pie authors increase traffic to the Apple Pie Books site through blogs, link building, social media, posters, business cards, etc. Five authors equals five times the promotion for your books. Ten authors equals ten times the promotion. One hundred authors…
   5. Content: It’s not easy to build good quality content, while writing books, while promoting websites, while selling books, while trying to live some sort of life. As a team, we will fill the Apple Pie Books website with good quality content that will attract and retain good customers.
   6. Professional Quality Marketing Material: We design professional marketing material for our members. You save money!
   7. Access to our Author’s Headquarters were we are building and sharing tools and tips.

Guidelines and Selection Criteria

1. Authors must submit a copy of their complete manuscripts or articles to Margery Phelps and Denise Mistich for review prior to being accepted as an Applie Pie author. Submission of materials indicates you own all rights and/or have the legal right to promote, sell and distribute said material. Authors/publishers maintain legal rights to all material submitted. Articles submitted for the Storytime Blog must be original and cannot have been previously posted on the internet. Apple Pie books will retain exclusive rights to all articles for no less than 12 months after publication date.
2. We are currently accepting the following:
   1. Children’s books and articles that present Christian morals in a fashion that doesn’t exclude children from all backgrounds and beliefs.
   2. Children’s Bible lessons and stories.
   3. Activity books and storybooks presenting positive and healthy habits
   4. Fun, wholesome stories and articles for the StoryTime blog, intended for children.
   5. Articles on parenting from a Christian perspective for the Get Patriotic blog.
   6. Note: Articles can contain one link to an outside site, located near the bottom of the article.
3. All articles submitted are subject to review prior to publication.

Membership Levels

Authors who wish to exchange links

1. Please send a request, including a simple statement (about two sentences please) about your site, which includes the embedded link.  Your statement should clearly state your mission. We will only exchange links with sites with comparable quality and morals
   1. Example: Apple Pie Books, Great Books for Great Kids provides fun, positive educational material for kids.

Free Membership

1. Authors who have submitted three original articles (via email at first) for the Get Patriotic or Storytime blogs will receive:
   1. A free full-page listing on the Apple Pie Books website with links to their promotional site, if applicable.
   2. An introductory post in the Story Time blog.
   3. Your listing will be  shared with social media, such as facebook,  google+  and twitter.
   4. You will have access to promotional materials for printing. (You are responsible for print costs.)

Paid Membership

1. $100.00 annual fee for one book.
2. Same requirements as Free Membership.
3. Same listings as Basic author.
4. You will be listed as a featured author on the Apple Pie Site as long as you are submitting content at least once a month, up to a period of 12 months.
5. One book will be listed a featured book for no less than three months.
6. We will add your books to our professionally designed Apple Pie Books book list, distributed by all authors.
7. We will design an author bio, brochure and and sell sheet for one book.  ($25.00 for each additional book.)
8. You will have access to our promotional materials for printing. (You are responsible for print costs.)

What’s Your Role?

To maintain your membership at Apple Pie Books, you will need to play an active role.

About 1 hour  per week:

1. Promote the Apple Pie Books website in your normal channels such as Facebook and Google+.  We promote you, you promote us.
2. Contribute to Apple Pie Books social media by liking, commenting and sharing as much as possible.
3. Work the net for links to the Apple Pie Books website (or to your specific book page on our site.)

About two hours per month:

1. Submit content for the Apple Pie Books Story Time blog - minimum of once article per month.
2. Participate in bi-weekly conference call to discuss best practices and Apple Pie Books marketing strategies.
3. Share best practices in our discussion forum. What works?  What doesn’t?

As much as possible:

1. Carry your Apple Pie Books book list, sell sheets for all Apple Pie books, business card, author bio sheet and sample books with you every where you go.