Creating a Book Promotion Website Using Joomla

Digger's Story

Digger's Story

The latest website created by Webilicious ® is to promote "Digger's Story", a book by David Barrett and Brian Robertson and published by Five Mile Press. The book is David's own true story of his experience as a young soldier and prisoner of war of the Japanese and his subsequent journey in seeking and gaining reparations for all Australian prisoners of war.

As with any type of website I haven't tackled before, I usually follow these or similar steps:

  • find out about best practice from experts in the particular field
  • find inspiring website examples of the same type
  • draw up a list of essential and desirable features
  • find suitable Joomla extensions to implement essential and desirable features
  • create the website and then evolve in consultation with the client

From research undertaken about book and author promotion websites, it appears a common complaint is a lack of contact details for the authors and/or the publisher. To address this, I have included contact details at the bottom of every page to ensure I don't make the same mistake.

From research and discussion with the client, it became clear that essential features would need to include some exclusive content to encourage visitors to subscribe to the mailing list, author biographies and photos, an events calendar, a press kit to make it easy for media folks to help with publicising the book, a way for visitors to interact, some inside information about the book, ordering information and social networking links.

Book Promotion Features

A summary of the features that were chosen to be implemented together with the corresponding solutions are as follows:

'3D' Book Cover Image:
Created '3D' book cover image using the free online tool at http://3d-pack.com
 
Author Biographies:
Joomla Article
 
Author Photos:
 
Book Signing Events:
JEvents "Events" page with "Latest Events" module in sidebar
 
Contact Information:
Author and Publisher contact details are included at the bottom of every page
 
Countdown to the Launch Date:
Sourcerer and custom code
 
Exclusive Content/Subscription:
ChronoForms Subscription Form for PDF Book Excerpt with subscriber details collected in AcyMailing Mailing List
 
Feedback:
JComments are enabled on the home page to enable feedback from visitors. Feedback is moderated so that commends are reviewed before being published.
 
Inside information about the book:
Video interviews created by the authors are displayed using a customised version of RokTabs that displays the videos in articles using the AllVideos plugin
 
Ordering Information:
Joomla article
 
Press Kit:
A "Press Kit" Joomla article is included with numerous downloads such as a book synopsis, book covers, author photos, press releases etc to make it easy for media folks to help publicise the book
 
 
Social networking:
"Share" buttons implemented with PGT SocialWeb are included on every page. "Follow" buttons for the Author's Twitter and YouTube channels implemented with Social Media Icon Links and are included on every page.
 
Twitter Feed:
 

Web Design

The "Momentum" template from RocketTheme has been installed and customised with an appropriate background image, transparent main and module areas.

Search Engine Optimisation

Basic on-site SEO has been implemented using sh404SEF and an off-site SEO campaign is planned to drive traffic to the website. This will include some or all of the following:

  • posting on forums
  • promoting via social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube etc
  • blogging
  • seeking book reviews and publishing these on the website
  • press releases
  • niche marketing such as an advertisement in veterans affairs newsletters / magazines or similar etc
  • promotional speaking and book signings

Useful Book Promotion Websites

http://wordpreneur.com/12-great-author-websites-for-book-promotion-ideas
http://www.writers-free-reference.com/promotion.htm
http://www.ehow.com/how_4785122_write-short-author-bio.html
http://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2012/03/11/18-top-websites-to-promote-your-book-for-free

AcyMailing Migration from Joomla 1.5 to Joomla 2.5

AcyMailing Logo

This is the fourth article in a series of Joomla component migration instructions. Published so far are:

AcyMailing Migration

AcyMailing is the undisputed best newsletter / mailing list extension for Joomla with most features available for free with more advanced features available in the paid versions.

Before starting the migration:

  • upgrade the source website to the latest available version of the component
  • backup the source and target websites

Migrate core functions with JUpgrade or SP Upgrade or similar so that user ids are preserved.

Copy the media/com_acymailing folder from your J1.5 website to your J1.6 website.

Export the Joomla 1.5 AcyMailing tables using phpMyAdmin with the "Quick" and "SQL" options (Note: you can multiple select tables and export them as one file).

If necessary, amend table prefixes by searching and replacing all of the old prefixes e.g. jos_ to j25_ inside the file(s).

Import the Joomla 1.5 Acymailing databases into Joomla 2.5.

Install the latest version of AcyMailing on the Joomla 2.5 website.

If required, update image locations in templates from images/stories to /images

You may also need to update the "View Online" links in your templates.

Reference:http://www.acyba.com/en/forum/5-how-to/15106-migrating-to-joomla-v16.html

Migrate My Joomla Website

Migrate from Joomla 1.5 to Joomla 3.x

The cost of migrating from Joomla 1.5 to Joomla 3.x depends on the number of third party extensions and whether there are Joomla 3.x equivalents, whether there is an equivalent Joomla 3.x template and other factors. A straightforward Joomla 1.5 to Joomla 3.x migration typically takes at least five hours and costs from around $450.

Migrate from Joomla 2.5 to Joomla 3.x

The cost of migrating from Joomla 2.5 to Joomla 3.x depends on the number of third party extensions and whether there are Joomla 3.x equivalents, whether there is an equivalent Joomla 3.x template and other factors. A straightforward Joomla 2.5 to Joomla 3.x migration migration typically takes at least three hours and costs from around $250.

Migrate from Joomla 3.x to Joomla 4.x

The cost of migrating from Joomla 3.x to Joomla 4.x depends on the number of third party extensions and whether there are Joomla 4.x equivalents, whether there is an equivalent Joomla 4.x template and other factors. A straightforward Joomla 3.x to Joomla 4.x migration migration typically takes at least four hours and costs from around $350.

Upgrade from Joomla 4.x to Joomla 5.x

The cost of updating from Joomla 4.x to Joomla 5.x depends on the number of third party extensions and whether there are Joomla 5.x equivalents, whether there is an equivalent Joomla 5.x template and other factors. A straightforward Joomla 4.x to Joomla 5.x update typically takes at least one hour and costs from around $88.

Contact me for a quote.

Kunena Migration from Joomla 1.5 to Joomla 2.5

JEvents Logo

This is the third article in a series of Joomla component migration instructions. Published so far are:

Kunena Migration

Before starting the migration:

  • upgrade both the source and target websites to the latest available versions of the component
  • backup the source and target websites

Migrate core functions with JUpgrade or SP Upgrade or similar so that user ids are preserved.

Export the 24 x Joomla 1.5 Kunena databases with "Quick" and "SQL" options (Note: you can multiple select tables and export them as one file):

  • jos_kunena_announcement
  • jos_kunena_attachments
  • jos_kunena_attachments_bak
  • jos_kunena_categories
  • jos_kunena_config
  • jos_kunena_config_backup
  • jos_kunena_favorites
  • jos_kunena_groups
  • jos_kunena_messages
  • jos_kunena_messages_text
  • jos_kunena_moderation
  • jos_kunena_polls
  • jos_kunena_polls_options
  • jos_kunena_polls_users
  • jos_kunena_ranks
  • jos_kunena_sessions
  • jos_kunena_smileys
  • jos_kunena_subscriptions
  • jos_kunena_subscriptions_categories
  • jos_kunena_thankyou
  • jos_kunena_users
  • jos_kunena_users_banned
  • jos_kunena_version
  • jos_kunena_whoisonline

If necessary, amend table prefixes by searching and replacing all of the old prefixes e.g. jos_ to j25_ inside the file(s).

Delete the 22 x Joomla 2.5 Kunena databases.

Import the Joomla 1.5 Kunena databases into Joomla 2.5.

Copy across files in /media/kunena/attachments/

In Category Manager, reapply the permissions as these don't seem to be copied across.

References:
http://www.kunena.org/forum/159-K-17-Common-Questions/111394-Transfer-kunena-17-with-joomla-15---in-joomla-17
http://www.kunena.org/forum/159-k-16-and-k-17-common-questions/103459-merged-topic-how-to-move-my-kunena-forum-from-one-site-to-another#103539

Migrate My Joomla Website

Migrate from Joomla 1.5 to Joomla 3.x

The cost of migrating from Joomla 1.5 to Joomla 3.x depends on the number of third party extensions and whether there are Joomla 3.x equivalents, whether there is an equivalent Joomla 3.x template and other factors. A straightforward Joomla 1.5 to Joomla 3.x migration typically takes at least five hours and costs from around $450.

Migrate from Joomla 2.5 to Joomla 3.x

The cost of migrating from Joomla 2.5 to Joomla 3.x depends on the number of third party extensions and whether there are Joomla 3.x equivalents, whether there is an equivalent Joomla 3.x template and other factors. A straightforward Joomla 2.5 to Joomla 3.x migration migration typically takes at least three hours and costs from around $250.

Migrate from Joomla 3.x to Joomla 4.x

The cost of migrating from Joomla 3.x to Joomla 4.x depends on the number of third party extensions and whether there are Joomla 4.x equivalents, whether there is an equivalent Joomla 4.x template and other factors. A straightforward Joomla 3.x to Joomla 4.x migration migration typically takes at least four hours and costs from around $350.

Upgrade from Joomla 4.x to Joomla 5.x

The cost of updating from Joomla 4.x to Joomla 5.x depends on the number of third party extensions and whether there are Joomla 5.x equivalents, whether there is an equivalent Joomla 5.x template and other factors. A straightforward Joomla 4.x to Joomla 5.x update typically takes at least one hour and costs from around $88.

Contact me for a quote.

JoomGallery Migration from Joomla 1.5 to Joomla 2.5

JEvents Logo

This is the second article in a series of Joomla component migration instructions. Published so far are:

JoomGallery Migration

Before starting the migration:

  • upgrade both the source and target websites to the latest available versions of the component
  • backup the source and target websites

Option 1: Manual Migration

If you only have a few categories and images, it may be easiest to install the latest version of JoomGallery on your target website and recreate the categories, images and configuration manually.

Option 2: Migration Tool

JoomGallery provide a migration tool that does all the hard migration work for you. This is how I use the tool to migrate from Joomla 1.5 to 2.5, preserving the galleries on the Joomla 1.5 website so that the source website is unchanged:

November 2013 Update: JoomGallery have provided a new script for migrating JoomGallery from Joomla 1.5 to Joomla 3.x and the following procedure works equally well for migrating JoomGallery from Joomla 1.5 to Joomla 3.x including Joomla 3.2.

Preparation

  • First use the jUpgrade or SP Upgrade tool or similar to migrate user ids from 1.5 to 2.5, if needed.
  • Copy the three JoomGallery image folders from the source website to the target website using cPanel File manager or FTP or similar. This step is important if you wish the Joomla 1.5 version of the website to retain a copy of the images in the meantime as the migration script moves rather than copies.
  • For example:
    • components/com_joomgallery/img_pictures to images/joomgallery/details
    • components/com_joomgallery/img_originals to images/joomgallery/originals
    • components/com_joomgallery/img_thumbnails to images/joomgallery/thumbnails
  • Transfer the JoomGallery database tables from the source website to the target website using PhpMyAdmin export/import or similar:
    • Export tables from source website using "Quick" method and "SQL" format
    • Import tables into target website using "SQL" format
      • jos_joomgallery
      • jos_joomgallery_catg
      • jos_joomgallery_comments
      • jos_joomgallery_config
      • jos_joomgallery_countstop
      • jos_joomgallery_maintenance
      • jos_joomgallery_nameshields
      • jos_joomgallery_orphans
      • jos_joomgallery_users
      • jos_joomgallery_votes

NOTE: Import the database tables into the target database using a different Joomla prefix to the target Joomla database.

Migration

  • Download and install the migration script via the standard Joomla installer: http://www.en.joomgallery.net/downloads/joomgallery-for-joomla-25/extensions/migration-scripts/migration-from-joomgallery-157.html or there is an equivalent script when migrating to Joomla 3.x.
  • In the target website Site -> Global Configuration -> Site, set the website to offline mode.
  • In Components -> JoomGallery -> Migration Manager, select Migrating JoomGallery 1.5.7 to JoomGallery 2 and complete the form:
    • Database prefix of Joomla 1.5: jos_ (or similar)
    • Path to Joomla 1.5: -
    • Path to original images: /home/sitename/public_html/images/joomgallery/originals (or similar)
    • Path to detail images: /home/sitename/public_html/images/joomgallery/details (or similar)
    • Path to thumbnails: /home/sitename/public_html/images/joomgallery/thumbnails (or similar)
    • Check owners: Unchecked
  • Click on 'Check' for the migration tool to check whether a migration is possible. Address any problems.
  • Once all entries are green you can start the migration by clicking the 'Start' button. A "Please Wait" message is displayed.
  • This may take some time. Don't interrupt the process, but wait for an error or success message.
  • Errors are written to the migration log at /logs/migration.mvc2acl.php.

Completion and Testing

  • Create a menu item for the gallery in menu manager so you can check that categories and images etc have migrated successfully.
  • Reset any non-default configuration options (especially upload permissions which is different in Joomla 2.5) as configuration is not migrated.
  • Check the migration log file at: /logs/migration.mvc2acl.php
  • You may need to transfer some images manually.
  • Once successful:
    • Take the website out of maintenance mode.
    • Uninstall the migration script from the target website.
    • Delete the tables with the different prefix imported into the target website database.
    • Delete the image folders of the old gallery.

Reference: http://www.en.joomgallery.net/documentation/common-information/migration-from-jg-157-to-jg-2/all-pages.html

Migrate My Joomla Website

Migrate from Joomla 1.5 to Joomla 3.x

The cost of migrating from Joomla 1.5 to Joomla 3.x depends on the number of third party extensions and whether there are Joomla 3.x equivalents, whether there is an equivalent Joomla 3.x template and other factors. A straightforward Joomla 1.5 to Joomla 3.x migration typically takes at least five hours and costs from around $450.

Migrate from Joomla 2.5 to Joomla 3.x

The cost of migrating from Joomla 2.5 to Joomla 3.x depends on the number of third party extensions and whether there are Joomla 3.x equivalents, whether there is an equivalent Joomla 3.x template and other factors. A straightforward Joomla 2.5 to Joomla 3.x migration migration typically takes at least three hours and costs from around $250.

Migrate from Joomla 3.x to Joomla 4.x

The cost of migrating from Joomla 3.x to Joomla 4.x depends on the number of third party extensions and whether there are Joomla 4.x equivalents, whether there is an equivalent Joomla 4.x template and other factors. A straightforward Joomla 3.x to Joomla 4.x migration migration typically takes at least four hours and costs from around $350.

Upgrade from Joomla 4.x to Joomla 5.x

The cost of updating from Joomla 4.x to Joomla 5.x depends on the number of third party extensions and whether there are Joomla 5.x equivalents, whether there is an equivalent Joomla 5.x template and other factors. A straightforward Joomla 4.x to Joomla 5.x update typically takes at least one hour and costs from around $88.

Contact me for a quote.