Archive for March, 2011

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Refresh Those Submission Guidelines You Collect

Monday, March 21st, 2011

I started a project I’d been putting off yesterday and I was reminded of a few things along the way.

I keep a log of writing/publishing newsletters and magazines that accept articles and try to keep it updated by writing in the margins when I become aware of changes. Once a year or so, I revise my list completely by typing in the changes and rechecking the submission guidelines.

I suggest that you periodically revisit submission guidelines for the magazines, newsletters and even publishers you like to work with because I can tell you that things change. Here are some of the changes I discovered yesterday, and I’m only halfway through my project:

• Publications fold.

• New editors are hired or appointed.

• Requirements change—word count, pay scale, types of articles/stories wanted, etc.

• Contact info is different.

I have recommended to those of you who are freelance writers to print out submission guidelines. I say this to hopeful authors, too. “Print out publishers’ submission guidelines and study them/compare them.” But this is a reminder to refresh those guidelines regularly so you always have up-to-date information.

Some editors do not post submission guidelines at their websites. Contact them periodically and ask for any changes.

That’s one thing we try to do in SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network)—keep members informed as to changes with publishers and in the world of magazines and ezines. Consider joining today and you will have access to the SPAWN Market Update: one of the meatiest enewsletters around. You will also have access to our huge archives. http://www.spawn.org

Would you like to receive a sample of the SPAWN Market Update? Just let me know: Patricia@spawn.org.

I’m speaking tomorrow on publishing and book promotion at the Ojai Library in Ojai, CA at 3-5 in the afternoon. It’s a free program and it is open to the public. The program will be directed at authors from beginners who are just thinking about publishing to published authors who could still use some pointers—especially when it comes to book promotion. Contact me for more information about tomorrow’s program: PLFry620@yahoo.com.

Is there anyone reading this who plans to attend the Carolinas Writers’ Conference April 2? I’ll be there.

Posted in Article-Writing, Writers' Conferences, Writing | No Comments »

The Book Festival—What Works/What Doesn’t?

Sunday, March 20th, 2011

Yesterday was the Ojai WordFest Book Festival. It was nice. Rain was expected, so they had tables grouped under canopies in little vendor communities. It was quite attractive, actually. I’m more accustomed to seeing rows of vendor/author tables. But this was a creative way to use a smaller space and give everyone pretty much equal exposure.

I was told by the organizer that everything that could go wrong went wrong that morning. However, everything seemed to be on schedule and all volunteers and organizers were beyond gracious. Impressive.

But that isn’t what you came here to learn today. You want more information about how to work a book festival so it works for you. I told you that I would share my observations—what works and what doesn’t work at book festivals.

I watched as one couple used a most effective sales tactic. After sitting behind their books for a while and with few sales occurring, the gentleman came outside their booth—book in hand—and began handing it to passersby.

He explained to me later that their book has the wrong cover and maybe the wrong title. They know it now, after the fact. And folks, this is a good reason why a test product is a good idea. And this is also why authors should consult professionals and listen to them. But we (authors) can be a stubborn lot. We become attached to a cover design or a title and changing is out of the question. In some cases, as with this couple, your attachment can come back to bite you.

So knowing that their cover gives pretty much the wrong impression of their book, these authors will open a copy of the book to the table of contents and ask passersby to read it. They show the cover and then point out the table of contents. I kid you not, after reading through these pages, many people would come up with a reason to buy the book.

I have to say that at some organizers of book festivals, such as the upcoming major Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, do not permit what I call “hawking”—standing outside the booth to hand out or hand-sell anything. You can ask passersby to take a closer look at your book, though. You can reach out to visitors as long as you do it from inside the booth.

About the book cover: I sat in a booth with an author once who did not have one expression of interest from the crowd at all. While others were selling books, talking to potential customers, etc., this author sat alone… all day. I took a closer look at her book and boy was it drab. There was nothing about the book to make anyone want to take a second look. The title was buried in the drab brownish shades of the cover. Not only was it uninteresting and uninviting, it was almost repulsive to look at. I do not think that anyone even picked up that book. Books are many times judged by their covers—so keep that in mind when you are choosing yours.

Yesterday, I saw many author/vendors doing the right thing—engaging visitors, handing them promo pieces and/or engaging them in conversation. And I saw some of them doing everything wrong—sitting quietly behind their books, looking unfriendly and unapproachable.

Here’s what I do, I greet everyone walking by if they even glance in my direction. I may comment on something they’re wearing, their dog on a leash or the weather. If someone expresses an interest in one of my publishing-related books, I ask, “Are you a writer?” If they pick up my book of cat stories, I ask, “Do you have a cat?” Their response generally opens up the opportunity for me to talk about my book.

But it is important to know how to talk about your book. I try to address the individual’s concerns or interests. If he tells me that he has a book and is having trouble promoting it, I will talk about the section in my book on promotion. If she says she has a mom who loves cats, I might suggest that Catscapades would make a lovely Mother’s Day gift.

Aside from observing, I also asked a few vendors/authors their selling secrets. Some give a free gift with each book purchase—a related pamphlet, a hand-designed note card or a calendar, perhaps.

Visitor give-aways are always a draw—stickers that say, “I love books” or that are shaped like hearts, for example. Give away bookmarks, candy or advertising pens. I give away magnets with the cover of my Catscapades book on it. One author of a poetry book offered home-made brownies to browsers, yesterday.

Some people are attracted to interesting booths—those with posters or collages using old-timey photographs, sparkly suncatchers, a video or slide show going on inside or some sort of challenge like adding to a color-by-number picture. They like drawings, too.

I think the second most important thing you should keep in mind when working a book festival is your attitude. First, you need a good product for which there is a wide audience base. An obscure scientific tome or your road-to-recovery memoir might not be of interest to the general public. Even a book of poetry is a hard-sell. But if you maintain an outgoing persona and you express a genuine air of friendliness, you’ll have a greater chance of engaging visitors to the point where they might possibly purchase even your obscure book.

I’d like to hear your book festival stories. What worked for you, what didn’t? What mistakes did you or someone else make? What would you do differently next time?

http://www.matilijapress.com
http://www.patriciafry.com

Posted in Book Promotion | 2 Comments »

What Can a Book Festival Do For You?

Saturday, March 19th, 2011

Book festival season is upon us. Most book festivals are held in the spring and fall. The first one on my 2011 schedule is today—here in Ojai, CA. It’s part of the Ojai WordFest.

Have you ever sat behind a display of your very own books at a book festival, greeting visitors in hopes that they will make a purchase? How many times have you walked away after a book festival despondent because you are toting most of the books you came with? How many of you have vowed never to pay for space at a book festival again? It doesn’t have to end this way.

Book festivals present great opportunities for authors. But you have to do your part. I suggest that you change your approach and your outlook.

What is your main objective when you reserve space at a book festival? Most authors would say, “To sell enough books to make it worth my while.” They want to break even financially and then some. And that pretty much sums it up.

Have you ever considered the side benefits to participating in a book festival? There’s exposure, of course. If you stay in the game and continue promoting your book to your audience, exposure can lead to sales. Exposure is more valuable than many authors know. There are people who purchase books on the spot. But there are many others who don’t buy a book until they’ve seen it, heard about it and/or read about it numbers of times.

And exposure can garner other advantages, as well—some that the author may not consider as such even in the face of the opportunity. Let’s say that your book features unusual gifts you can make for under $25. You might meet a stringer for a home and garden, country or craft magazine who would love to interview you for an article. A librarian might want to include your children’s book in their summer reading program. A small business owner might see your book on office organization and hire you as a consultant.

Likewise, an organization or corporate leader might take your card and call you several weeks or months after the event and order two boxes of your local history book or business management book for an upcoming conference.

Exposure is not typically a one-shot opportunity. Very often, there are ongoing and far-reaching effects resulting from exposure.

Authors often say to me, “I did a book festival once. Didn’t sell any books, so I won’t be doing that again.” I will sometimes ask the author, “Did you meet anyone interesting at the book festival?” She might say, “Not really.” I’ll say, “I almost always meet someone who offers me an opportunity of some sort.” The author might then reply, “Oh yes—there was this guy who came by my booth. He gave me his card—what did I do with that? He said that he was in charge of buying goodie-bag gifts for conventions coming to town and he wanted me to give him a bulk discount price. I guess I forgot to contact him.”

Hellllooooo! That’s called an opportunity.

Some authors recognize the opportunities that occur at book festivals and still don’t consider book festivals worth attending. I know one author who met the producer of a syndicated radio show who wanted to put him on the air with his book. And another who met a man who later filmed a documentary around the theme of his book.

New authors ask me what to expect at a book festival. I have attended around fifty book festivals over the years—large ones like the upcoming Los Angeles Times Festival of Books and small ones. And each of them seems to have a personality of its own. The thing is, you just don’t know what to expect at a book festival. You might sell numbers of books and meet up with many opportunities or you may sit alone for most of the day and sell nothing.

I’ve seen authors turn what could have been “nothing” days into good days. How?

• The author engages people as they walk past their booth. If she has a children’s book, she might say, “Do you know a child who likes to read?” She may also ask parents with children, “May I read a short story to your child?” Try this and you will sell copies of your charming children’s book.

• When someone seems interested in his book, the author talks to the visitor about benefits not features. (What can the book do for the potential reader?)

• The author knows how to listen. Sometimes the visitor just wants to tell his story or rant about his experiences related to the theme of your book. If your book addresses some of the issues he brings up, let him know this and he may become a customers.

• If there is nothing happening—it’s a really slow day—the author might walk around the event with his book and show it to other book festival participants. I often sell copies of my publishing/book promotion-related books to other authors at book festivals. And I buy books, as well.

• Authors who maintain a good attitude even when they aren’t selling many books will sell more books than those who appear disgruntled.

Tomorrow, I will report on the flavor of today’s book festival, the type of visitors, the organization of it and the opportunities I received or observed others receiving. I’ll also report on the challenges. Oh my, the challenges.

Today, for example, there is a chance of rain. Yes, the event is being held outside. I have attended book festivals in all kinds of weather, except snow. The wind is a real problem for these events. I try to have my booth placed away from entertainment. It is difficult to pitch a book over the sound of loud music. This is a fact that escapes many event organizers. One year at a usually well-attended book festival, the advertising brochures did not arrive from the printer until the day of the event. These were supposed to be available in stores throughout the city all week. Attendance was very weak that year. That was a shame.

Wish me luck!

And if you would like to attend a major, major book festival next month, there is still room in the SPAWN booth for authors who want to get exposure for their books before a crowd of 140,000. Contact me at Patricia@spawn.org.

Posted in Bookselling | 1 Comment »

Dissecting Writers’ Groups Part 2

Friday, March 18th, 2011

Guest blogger: Sandra Murphy
(Read part one of this post March 17, 2011)

Reading complete works
At WUTA (Writers Under the Arch), when a member chooses to read his or her novel to the group, it can take over a year—four pages at a time. In Big Books, a subgroup, the writer distributes the full novel or screen play. We don’t line edit but read for continuity and plot, dialogue and description, pacing and placement. After reading, we can say, “You had three fight scenes in a row and then four nights spent at his desk—mix it up. Repetitive words are more obvious —the character spouts her signature line of ‘oh jumping jelly beans!’ every fifteen pages, lose 75 percent of them.

What is the goal of the group?
BIW’s goal is to make me write. WUTA’s is to make me write better. And Big Books is to get a book agent/publisher ready.

What is your goal?
Chris said, “I needed intelligent criticism from those who have actually written something in a workable format. WUTA provided it. Every story I ever published had WUTA input.”

“WUTA officially started in1994 when Robert Hazel put a note in the suggestion box at the independent bookstore. Forty-one people showed up the first night. The setup of read aloud and then critique started from the very first,” Cindy remembered. “With an average of fifteen people showing up week after week, even on holidays and during bad weather, we must be doing something right.”

Edwina thinks it’s the intelligence, sharp wit and the banter, not to mention the reciprocal respect. Erin agrees, “My writing has gotten stronger. The group not only helps the piece get better but sharpens my skill as a writer.”

The summation
To get the best results from a writer’s group, find one whose goals meet your own. Look for constructive criticism, a mix of genres so you can learn other styles, and varying levels of experience. Steer clear of a group that returns your copies in shreds or with smiley faces and “I love everything you write” at the top. Neither will help you improve.

Remember,
1. BIC HOK TAM (butt in chair, hands on keyboard, typing away madly)
2. Critique with kindness—they’ll read yours next.
3. Lose that jelly bean saying. It’s annoying.

http://www.matilijapress.com
http://www.patriciafry.com

Posted in Writing | No Comments »

Dissecting Writer’s Groups

Thursday, March 17th, 2011

Guest column by Sandy Murphy, editor of SPAWNews, freelance writer for numerous animal-related magazines and member of two writers’ groups in St. Louis, MO:

Writing is a solitary pursuit—unless you have cats. I have four such critics, always trying to re-type what I’ve written or comment on what I’m reading aloud. BB sneezes on the screen, Reilly subtly steps on the power button, Kitty looks at me in puzzlement and Louie can’t be bothered to listen, too many words in his opinion. Is it any wonder I went looking for critiques outside the home?

Finding a writer’s group
According to Jeff, there are two types of people looking for a group—the stumblers and the researchers. He and I are stumblers. At Barnes and Noble, he overheard Writers Under The Arch (WUTA) in action and ferreted out the particulars. He said, “I sat in for a session before I brought my stuff. My first impressions were good. I read the next week. The dynamics of the group were much as they remain: critical in the precise sense, but supportive, with a range of informed tastes and styles my own could fit into.”

I stumbled across the group on the Barnes and Noble calendar of events—no research or trial and error. Pat is just the opposite. She Googled, tried a group or three and worked her way to WUTA. Divine intervention led Joe to his first meeting when a friend referred him to a minister who knew and recommended the group seven years ago.

How are groups set up?
Groups vary in every aspect. Membership can be limited or open, in a specific genre or a mixed group, emphasize journals and essays or murder and mayhem. One group requires the writer listen, not rebut, while another asks, “Why did you do this?” and demands an answer.

Reading aloud is a good way to find where writing stumbles and where it flows. At WUTA we hear science fiction, crime, screen plays, novels, short stories, poetry and non-fiction like food articles for magazines. Writers read four pages of work. Copies are distributed so the group can make notes on the good, the bad and any ugly.

What writer’s groups do
“I feel WUTA excels at constructive critiques. Members praise what they like, are able to say what doesn’t work, and give suggestions on how to fix the problem. It’s left up to the author to sift through it all and decide which ideas are best. I’ve seldom returned home disheartened that what I wrote was beyond repair,” said John who joined in 1996.

The telling of the good first and a mostly gentle, sometimes spirited, critique that follows appealed to Jennifer. “Even though I wasn’t required to read on my first night, I figured the best way to measure if I fit was to cannonball into the pool. I read, and got positive feedback. Chris told me to try to sell my story. I felt like the Ugly Duckling who finally found all the swans.”

When do they meet?
Groups meet morning, noon and night, weekly, monthly or online. Charles told me, “I went to the Writers’ Meetup, which was pretty good, but they only met once a month. I wanted more.”
I belong to Book-In-A-Week online writers group. The first week of every month is devoted to BIC HOK TAM (butt in chair, hands on keyboard, typing away madly). Research and plan but come Monday morning, write! Set a goal number of pages for the week and check in three times as a way to keep track, motivated and prevent edits. For the March 2011 BIW, the top ten producers wrote over fifty pages and as many as one hundred and fifty. That’s some serious chair/keyboard time. http://www.book-in-a-week.com

Part two of Dissecting Writer’s Groups will appear in tomorrow’s blog. In the meantime, please chime in if you have tips or want to share experiences related to belonging to a writers group.

Posted in Writing | 3 Comments »

Where to Go for Publishing Resources and Information

Wednesday, March 16th, 2011

I’ve been working on the April edition of the SPAWN Market Update this week. And I located some new job sites you might be interested in. Perhaps you would appreciate knowing about magazines that publish book reviews and book excerpts—I’ve listed 20 of them. I am also listing a dozen or so magazines with editorial calendars and instructions on how to find more. I came across a few new publishers our members might be interested in, too.

Yes, the monthly Market Update is a treasure trove of information and resources. Sometimes it leans more heavily toward the needs of the freelance writer, sometimes I write it with the published author in mind. There are issues that feature resources and opportunities for poets or novelists. And I almost always include something useful for scriptwriters, artists and/or photographers.

Here are the job sites I discovered this week. You’ll find numerous other job sites in the SPAWN Market Update archives.

Behance Network has a job board. http://www.behance.net.joblist On the day when I checked it out, I found jobs for copywriters, web designers, graphic artists, a lecturer, an art director, photographers and more.

Simply Hired is another new-to-me job board I want to report on this month. They list jobs in many industries, including graphic artists and writers. http://www.simplyhired.com

First Writer also has a job site. Here is the link by industry. http://www.1st-writer.com/job_sites_by_industry.htm

Are you a freelance writer who is looking for work? Maybe you’ve just finished writing a book or you are a published author with a book to promote. Do yourself a favor and join SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) at http://www.spawn.org

Announcement
A have invited a guest blogger to share her take and her experiences on belonging to a writers’ group. She should have something for me to share with you within the next few days. So stay tuned.

Posted in Resources | No Comments »

Your Writing Motivation

Tuesday, March 15th, 2011

I remember when writing was a solitary activity and writers were mere figures in the background of the story. The relatively few people who wrote for publication, did so with passion and commitment. And there were thousands more who wrote in secrecy for pleasure.

Today, everyone writes for publication or knows someone who does. There were over a million books published last year and I would guess there are millions more manuscripts in the works—some that will never see the light of day.

Writing is no longer lonely. And we don’t have to wait for gratification from our efforts. We can write faster using computer technology and complete our projects in record time. We can produce a book in weeks—or even days. We can share our writings instantly—via our blogs, by posting articles online, through our websites, in discussion groups, etc. If you want to be published, there is nothing stopping you.

Yes, practically everyone is writing or plans to start a writing project. But what has happened to the passion in this writing frenzy we’re experiencing in America? Is there anyone out there who still loves the process of writing—who is infatuated with the written word—who must write? Or are we all simply writing to air our grievances, to soothe our damaged psyches, to establish credibility, to make money?

I have been writing for publication for over 35 years. And I’ve seen the world changing around my profession. As a board member of SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) for 16 years, I’ve met writers and authors in every category of writing interest and pursuit. I’ve watched writers soar and I’ve watched them fail. A common denominator for those who don’t make it in this field seems to be lack of passion, purpose and drive.

Are you thinking about entering into the highly competitive publishing field? Do you have what it takes? Are you blessed with a real enthusiasm for writing, are you realistically motivated and do you have the drive to do what it takes to succeed?

Maybe it’s time to evaluate your motives. Here are two important questions. Try to answer them this week:

Why do you write?
What motivates you to keep writing?

Posted in Writing | No Comments »

How to Design a More Lucrative Article-Writing Career

Monday, March 14th, 2011

I often develop my daily blog post from a writer’s question or a conversation I’ve had with a student or client. Well, this morning, I offered advice to a student in my article-writing course and I wanted to share that with you.

She, like many writers starting out, is stuck on wanting to write within her comfort zone. Unfortunately, our comfort zone is usually quite narrowly focused. She likes to write personal opinion and personal experience pieces. And why not? These are easy. They require no research and no interviews. You do not have to go anywhere to validate or verify anything. You just write from the head or the heart. Nice work if you can get it.

The problem is, there’s not much of a market for this type of writing, unless, perhaps, it is a spicy op-ed piece on a controversial subject.

So what did I suggest to her? Here’s the gist of my response:

I have to say that the piece you wrote from the heart is cute, but you aren’t going to get very far earning money with personal stories. If I were you, I’d move away from that for now (come back to it after you have established yourself within the world of magazines). Use some of the techniques we’ve discussed in the course to locate article ideas that are timely, things that are on people’s minds now, unique ideas that others are interested in and that haven’t been overused. For example,

“What to do if you get a tsunami warning” (for magazines related to coastal living).

“How dogs are helping with the rescue and recovery effort in Japan.”

“How to teach your children to be givers—to develop an altruistic attitude/behavior” (for any number of parenting/religious magazines).

“Profiles of teens who are helping others in major ways.”

Read newspapers and magazines and watch the news for story ideas.

Find magazines that have editorial calendars and study them to discover article ideas. Wooden Horse Publications publishes a lot of magazine editorial calendars along with their expansive database of magazines. http://www.woodenhorsepub.com or use Google to find magazines with editorial calendars.

I would advise that you stay away from the personal piece for now. As you proceed within the world of article writing, you will become more and more familiar with magazines and you will get to know editors. Then you will have a better chance of getting some of your more fun things—things that are close to your heart—published.

When I started my article-writing career, I wanted to write about parenting (from a parent’s point of view), and I loved writing personal experience pieces. But I knew these pieces were harder to place. (Besides, I was not a celebrity or a parenting authority.) So I chose to write about something I knew well and that I knew wasn’t being covered adequately at the time—things related to horsemanship and amateur horse showing for horse magazines. I think you’ve heard me say that I sold the first article I wrote and quite a few subsequent pieces to horse-related magazines.

Around that time, I got a job with a local newspaper writing a business column. This meant I had to go out and interview people. I found interesting stories throughout my community and I submitted some of them to magazines. I wrote about a woman who made exquisite batik dolls and a man who built guitars from scratch. I wrote a how-to piece on drying flowers (based on the instructions of a local florist), and one on how to cook using flowers—which flowers are edible, etc. I featured a fabric store owner who packages her quilting fabric pieces to look like food—salad, milkshake, sushi, etc.

I suggest that you check into your regional magazines for ideas and for possible opportunities.

I hope this gives you some ideas and some encouragement to step further outside your comfort zone, which, in my opinion, is going to be necessary if you truly want to establish and build a lucrative article-writing career.

For more about article-writing, visit my websites and look at some of my articles.
http://www.matilijapress.com
http://www.patriciafry.com

If you want more help with your article-writing career, sign up for my article-writing course:
http://www.matilijapress.com/course_magarticles.htm

Posted in Article-Writing | 1 Comment »

Which Publishing Option Should You Choose?

Sunday, March 13th, 2011

Should you self-publish, go with a pay-to-publish company or sign with a traditional royalty publisher? Would you be better off to produce a print book or an ebook? Will you hire a print-on-demand printer or find someone who still does offset printing? Shall you have your book printed in the US or overseas? Is your book worth producing at all?

There are a lot of considerations when you decide that you’d like to publish the manuscript you’ve been working on all these months (or years). How do you decide which roads to take—which choices to make?

Authors often come to me in a confused state—having just completed the writing on their masterpiece in the calm and comfort of their homes. When they start to look into the task of publishing, it’s like opening their front door and finding major chaos raging outside their peaceful world. Everything has changed. It’s all confusing. They don’t know which direction to go or who to follow.

Authors often ask me, “Which is the best publishing option?” I tell them that it depends on the author and it depends on the project. If you are in such a quandary, maybe this will help.

1: If you are writing your memoirs or the story reflecting your uncle’s military experiences or your ancestors’ migration to Texas, for example, it would probably be of interest to a small circle of people—family and close friends. In this case, you might hire a credible pay-to-publish company to produce twenty-five or fifty copies to handout. Depending on the size of the book, you might have it copied and saddle-stitched or spiral bound at a local business center. (Read Mark Levine’s book, The Fine Print of Self-Publishing before choosing a pay-to-publish company.)

If you believe you have a real gem of a story in the caliber of the rare memoir that has hit the big-time, show your book around and see if you can excite a publisher about it. If publication and widespread distribution is your goal, then turn your manuscript over to a good book editor before you approach a publisher. Listen to what he or she says about the quality of your writing and, if need be, let them help you to improve it.

2: If you’ve done your homework and you know you have a good book that will fill a niche or that is in a popular genre, well-written and could attract a large audience, hire a good book editor and start studying the publishing industry to learn the best way to approach it with your amazing manuscript. Spend some in this study before launching out with your book.

3: If you are a strong marketer, you are familiar with your audience and have ideas for promoting your book, you might want to establish your own publishing company and manage the project on your own. If you would like the assistance of a professional in the business, then consider signing with an appropriate publisher. Remember, however, that it is still up to you to promote your book even if you land a major publisher.

Not every publishing option is for every author. And I’ve known authors who have made some bad decisions with regard to their book projects. What are some of the most common mistakes?

• An author will go with the first pay-to-publish company who expresses an interest in his book without considering his options—or even discovering what his options are.

• Authors start seeking publication before their book has been professionally edited.

• Authors do not understand enough about the publishing industry to make good choices.

• An author will write the wrong book for the wrong audience.

• Authors often have unrealistic expectations—again, due to the fact that they don’t take time to learn something about the publishing industry. They treat publishing as if it is an extension of their writing and not the serious business that it is.

Most of these authors fail. Don’t be one of them. There are numerous books and sites with information to help you learn more about the publishing industry and how to navigate it with your amazing project. Here are three sites with tons of resources and opportunities for new authors:

http://www.spawn.org
http://www.matilijapress.com
http://www.patriciafry.com

Posted in Publishing | No Comments »

Sell Books at Book Festivals

Saturday, March 12th, 2011

Let’s talk about book festivals today.

I enjoy book festivals. I attend three or four a year—sometimes more. Most are fairly lucrative for me and almost always fun. I used to travel to attend book festivals and sometimes still do attend festivals in other states when they are connected to writers’ conferences where I’m giving a presentation. But mostly, I participate in local Southern or Central California events, such as the big Los Angeles Times Festival of Books coming up next month.

So what is the key to selling books at a book festival?

Connect with the potential buyer. When someone looks at one of my books on publishing or book marketing, I ask, “Are you a writer?” Invariably, we become engaged in conversation which affords me the opportunity to give my sales pitch.

I once watched a man with a children’s book ask everyone who walked by, “Do you know a child who likes to read?” Many people did and many of them bought his book. In fact, he sold out before the day was over.

Poetry is not easy to sell. Yet, a SPAWN member once sold thirty copies of her book of poetry from the SPAWN book at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books by engaging passersby and getting permission to read to them from her book.

But book festivals are not only about selling books. An author must think exposure!!! The more exposure you get for your book, the more sales you will ultimately make and the more opportunities you will have.

I’ve seen people get speaking gigs as a result of their participation in a book festival. One SPAWN member was invited to be interviewed on a radio show. And one author I know met up with someone who was so interested in his book that he helped him to have a documentary made on the topic.

I’ve also observed authors avoiding contact with people who, with a little nudging, might have bought their books. Here are some tips to use when bookselling at a book festival or anywhere else.

• Know how to talk about your book.
• Practice your sales pitch.
• If you need help with any of the above, join a Toastmaster’s club.

If someone expresses an interest in your book, but doesn’t buy it, make sure they walk away with one of your professional quality promo pieces.
Make it easy for people to purchase your book. Have plenty of change. Accept checks. Accept credit cards. Provide bags for their purchases.

Book festivals can be worthwhile endeavors, but you have to be well prepared and willing to stretch and grow.

To locate book festivals and book fairs throughout the U.S., go to
http://www.abebooks.com/books/RareBooks/book-fairs.shtml or do a Google search using the keyword book festivals or book fairs and your city or state.

http://www.matilijapress.com
http://www.patriciafry.com

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