Writing and Publishing News

My webmistress sent me a print-out this morning reflecting the number of visitors to my website and my blog. It seems that 347,843 people have visited my website during the last two years and I’ve had over 25,000 visitors to my blog. I’m happy and I want to thank all of you for your interest.

However, I can’t help thinking that if each of those 347,843 site visitors had bought one of my books, I’d be a millionaire today. Sigh! But it seems that millionaire status is not in my chart for this lifetime. And that’s okay. Money may have kept me from reaching out to help all of you through my site, blog, books, articles, online courses, workshops, affiliation with SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) and the work I do with clients. Instead, I’d be out spending money like Paris Hilton.

Are you blogging? Does your blog site attract an abundance of visitors? If not, why? Are you familiar with the concept that abundance brings about abundance? As I see it, the key to a successful blog site and web site is…well, abundance.

Advertise abundantly. I’m not talking about paid advertisement, although you can certainly do some of that. But, if you want people to visit your website or blog, you must promote. Here are some ideas:

1: Talk it up. Mention your site to people you meet in line at Starbucks, while returning Christmas gifts to the department stores, at work, during meetings and conferences, at your class reunion, in the neighborhood. And be sure to hand out your business card or promotional brochure with your site address on it.

2: Leave comments at related blog sites. Visit appropriate sites regularly. Sign up for Google Alerts ( http://www.google.com/alerts) and use keywords related to your topic/genre. You’ll receive alerts telling you about pertinent blog entries at key sites.

Note: My blog shows up every day in my Google Alerts list because I blog every day and I always use key words in my blog that relate to authorship, writing, publishing and book promotion.

3: Regularly submit articles or stories related to your topic/genre to magazines, newsletters and websites, and always include your website/blog addresses.

4: Send occasional notices to your email list letting people know about special topics you’ve covered at your blog, lately. Help fans establish a habit of visiting your blog regularly.

In addition, you need to blog often. If people visit a couple of times a week and see the same blog entry each time, they may get discouraged and stop visiting.

Provide abundant value/benefits to your readers in your blog entries. None of you really care that I’ve had over 25,000 visitors to my blog and 347,843 to my website, but many of you are interested in how to increase interest in your site and blog, right? Brag a little if you must–it’s your blog, after all, but focus on giving, teaching, sharing. This is what will keep your readers coming back.

Learn more about building an effective website and blogging as well as practically everything else you need to know about the publishing industry through my outstanding book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. If your book project is stalled, be sure to order the companion book, The Author’s Workbook. If you diligently complete the exercises in the workbook, you’ll have a much greater chance of experiencing publishing success. Order these books together at a discount at http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

Your website and your blog should represent only a portion of your book marketing plan, but your attention to detail and your willingness to promote them as outlined above could greatly increase your reach, thus your book sales.

What do you see when you look at your book sales ledger? When you review those figures, do you feel like celebrating or do you want to cry? If the latter fits your situation, maybe it’s time for a change in tactics. You know the concept—if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it; but if it isn’t working, it’s time for a change.

Following are some common book promotion failures and potential remedies:

1: Your book didn’t win any of the contests you entered in 2007 and you’re discouraged.

This year, forget about contests. That sticker on your book that says, “5th place pick at the Timbuktu Literary Arts Society” probably won’t draw many customers, anyway. Instead, promote your book as a premium item. Banks, mortgage companies and other large corporations sometimes purchase books to give as customer gifts or as incentives for their employees. Sometimes companies will purchase thousands of copies of a book to use as an in-house training tool or a give-away at a conference or convention. Generally, they want discounts for bulk orders.

What type of books might qualify? Novels or historicals related to local or regional history; personal finance or marketing books; self-help or how to books on a variety of topics—employee relationships, for example or even a fairy tale with a meaningful message. Scrutinize your book from various points of view and see if you can determine a slant you can pitch to companies and corporations in your area.

Here in Ojai, the realty board keeps copies of my local history book on hand for new realtors coming into the valley. Various local businesses purchase it occasionally as employee gifts. I’d probably get more such sales if I’d promote it in this way. The key is, don’t wait for these prime customers to find you—get out there and solicit sales.

2: Your book was reviewed at a few book review sites, but you didn’t notice much return from this effort.

This year seek reviews at topic/genre-related sites and appropriate publications. For your fantasy, thriller, science fiction book, solicit sites that focus on these genres. This is where you’ll find your readers. Contact editors of appropriate magazines and newsletters and ask for a review or offer to submit a short story. For a book on parenting, contact some of the many parenting sites and publications related to this subject. You see, here is where you will find your readers.

3: You did a book signing and no one showed up.

Yeah, that’s typical, unless your name is recognizable OR unless you actually invite people to come. In my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book, I devote 6 pages to how to have a successful signing. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html Read a condensed version at http://www.matilijapress.com/articles/booksigningtips.htm

4: Your newspaper press releases were ignored.

Maybe that’s because you neglected to make the right connection. This year, consider tying your book to a theme or a season or an event. Send press releases about your relationship book or your romance novel for publication around Valentine’s Day. Pitch your historical novel during appropriate historical events. My book on how to present a Hawaiian luau on the mainland is popular around Fathers’ Day. And the one I wrote on long-distance grandparenting always gets press in honor of Grandparents’ Day in September.

Make news. Start a volunteer organization related to an aspect of your book. Maybe your novel reflects the life of a homeless family. Get friends to help you make sandwiches every Sunday and hand them out to the homeless in the park. I know a young woman who got national press doing exactly this, only she didn’t have a book to promote. If your book features the new wave of businesswomen on motorcycles, establish a charity ride and be sure to tell the press about it. Perhaps your’s is a children’s book. There are oh, so many children-related charities that you could become involved in—corral a group of teens to read to homeless children, collect books for group homes and children in foster care. Then be sure to tell the press about it.

If you’re unhappy with your 2007 book sales, don’t give up. Use your imagination to come up with new ways to promote your book this year. The key is to put yourself in your target customer’s head. What sites do they visit? What publications do they read? What newspaper stories pique their interest? What are they passionate about? Where do they purchase their books? Gather this information, compile it, study it and then go out and introduce your book to them through the avenues most likely to reach them.

Yesterday, Angela Hoy, editor of Writer’s Weekly, passed along an email from a reader. Josie (not her real name) had read my recently published piece on establishing a platform. She wanted to know how to establish a platform for a poetry book.

It always surprises me when authors of fiction, poetry or children’s books seem to miss the points I attempt to make loud and clear in my articles—points designed to include them. Any author should be able to take the instructions and information in my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book or one of my articles and immediately begin to build their author’s platform. I’ve decided that their stumbling block isn’t ignorance, it is denial. Most authors of creative endeavors simply do not want to face the reality of promotion.

Here’s what I wrote to Josie:
Platform is not just about nonfiction hooks and expertise. You can also establish a platform related to your genre. Here are a few ideas for establishing a platform for a book of poetry:
• Get involved with appropriate poetry sites—become acquainted with the hosts, participate in message boards, write letters to the editors, submit your poetry to be posted at the sites, see about promoting your book at these sites, etc. Do everything you can to become known in the world of poetry.
• Submit your poetry to magazines, newsletters and sites in order to establish yourself as a poet.
• If your poetry focuses on a specific topic or theme, promote your work and yourself through related sites, magazines, newsletters and venues. Promote inspirational poetry through religious/spiritual sites, for example, poetry featuring parenting moments through parenting and baby sites, mags and so forth.
• Build a website and advertise (announce) your book widely at other sites and through newsletters and magazines related to poetry and literature.
• If you are involved in a church or club or you help edit a newsletter, talk up your poetry book there in and through these venues.
• Get your poetry book reviewed at as many literary, poetry and fiction sites and through as many magazines and newsletters as you can.
• Enter poetry contests.
• Run poetry contests.
• Participate in poetry slams.
• Teach poetry classes to adults or children and be sure to tell the local newspaper editor about it.
• Create a newsletter about poets and poetry for those interested in writing and/or reading poetry.
• Collect contact information and build a huge mailing list you can use in promotion.

A platform is your means of getting your name and your work out there. What you’ll notice is that this list, which is designed specifically for poets, is really no different than the list of platform-building activities suggested for authors of nonfiction books. As I said, most poets and many novelists and children’s book writers either don’t want to face the reality of promotion or the concept of promotion just doesn’t compute in their creative brains.

If you are writing a book—it doesn’t matter the topic or genre—you should also be building your platform as you go. Let these suggestions guide you in this effort. And for additional information, instructions, education and resources to see you through the writing, publishing and book promotion process, read the revised edition of The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book and use the companion book, The Author’s Workbook. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

As an author, you’re quick to tell others about your fabulous book. You beg and bribe your friends, reviewers, site hosts, magazine/newsletter editors and everyone else you meet to promote your book. And you expect radio personalities, librarians, educators, bookstore managers, newspaper columnists and mere acquaintances to spread the word about your upcoming signings and readings. This is all good. But what do you do to help other authors along their book promotion journey?

Do you try to give other authors a boost—a leg-up? Do you sometimes network on behalf of your author friends’/colleagues’ books? If not, why not?

Some authors are afraid that if they put energy into someone else’s project, it will minimize the worth of their own. Others just don’t feel they have the time to promote other books. Some of us simply don’t think about helping someone else or don’t quite know how to do it. The truth is, that by reaching out to help others, you are actually bringing attention to yourself and to your book. You are making friends, creating comrades and possibly helping yourself in the process.

Here are ways you can help your fellow authors that might result in benefits to you and your project:

1: Talk to your customers about his or her book. If it is a book similar to yours, promote it as a companion book to yours. Tell readers if you think that this book would enhance or add to the information in your nonfiction book. If readers love your novel, generously tell them about other novels with similar storylines or formats. When you come out with a sequel to your novel or another nonfiction book on your topic, you’ll have a strong base of potential repeat customers.

This gesture may be rewarded in other ways, as well. Let the other author know that you’ve been recommending his book and suggest ways that he can promote yours.

Tip 1: Piggyback marketing can be an effective way to promote books to a wider audience. Arrange with authors of books similar to yours to include your promotional material with his when doing email or postal mailings. You can do the same for him.

Tips 2: Exchange promotional material with other authors who have compatible or companion books. Include his material when you ship your book orders and ask him to do the same.

2: Create a recommended books section at your website or in your newsletter. Make sure that you inform the authors when you recommend their books and encourage them to do the same for yours.

3: Spread the word when an author is coming to town with his book. This morning, I sent an email to over 40 friends and acquaintances who I thought might be interested in meeting an author that I know through SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network). He will be signing books at a local bookstore and he asked me if I knew anyone to invite. Hopefully, he will have a full house and I will get additional kudos from him over time because of it.

4: Promote non-competing books when you lecture, do signings and present workshops in your topic or genre. Of course, your main promotional effort is your book, but you can mention books of others while speaking and in your handouts.

I met an author of a spiritual book in Atlanta last year. I noticed that she was recommending some writing-related books to some of the people she spoke with. I made it a point to have a conversation with her and discovered that she travels extensively promoting her book and always responds to questions from hopeful authors. She likes to have books to recommend. Of course, I gave her a copy of my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. I asked her to read it and then let me know if she would like to recommend it in her travels. She loved it so much that she bought 5 copies before the Atlanta seminar was over and places a new order every few months. I give her a booksellers’ discount of 40 percent.

5: Offer to take other books to book festivals with you. Again, this would be non-competing books and books that would enhance yours. When you are selling books for someone, be sure to negotiate a percentage of the profits for yourself. And encourage other authors to take copies of your book to the bookselling events they attend. Promotion is tremendously time-consuming and all-consuming. We can’t be everywhere. This is why it is so helpful to have others spreading the word about your book in venues that you might not reach.

Some authors actually believe that when they give to someone they lose something. I’m here to tell you that it is just the opposite. The gesture of giving always comes with a generous payoff. Give and you shall receive.

Now that the dust of Christmas has settled, don’t stop giving. Consider how you can contribute to someone else’s success. If it is publishing and book marketing guidance they need, be sure to tell them about my hallmark book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. and the companion, Author’s Workbook. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html Your friend or colleague WILL thank you and, most likely, reciprocate in a meaningful way.

Contact me at PLFry620@yahoo.com

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