Writing and Publishing News

You promote as you write. By this I mean, if you wrote sporadically—just when you felt like it or when you had a few minutes here and there—that’s probably the same kind of time and energy you will put into promoting your book. If you stuck to a strict schedule from the time you started writing your book until you finished it, you may approach promotion with the same sense of discipline.

You might think about this as you establish your writing schedule this week and from now on. Think ahead to the time, energy and attention you must put toward book promotion and set a good writing schedule. If you can’t discipline yourself to write, how in the heck will you discipline yourself to do the hard part—promote your book?

Maybe you don’t quite understand what book promotion entails. None of us do until we are faced with books that aren’t selling. I suggest to anyone who is writing or even thinking about writing a book that they study the publishing industry before getting involved.

For a highly informative study of the industry, your publishing options, the possible consequences of your choices, your responsibilities as a published author and the whole publishing and book promotion process, read my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. It’s discounted now at my website. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

Join SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) http://www.spawn.org. Or start by signing up for our FREE monthly enewsletter (on the home page). You’ll also receive a FREE ebook on promoting yourself.

Download the FREE ebooklet at my website, 50 Reasons Why You Should Write That Book. http://www.patriciafry.com

Disregard this advice and avoid reading or studying anything about the publishing industry, how it works, what it entails, how to navigate it and you will be one of over 76 percent of authors who fail each year.

Publishing is not an extension of your writing. You must approach every aspect of it, from choosing a publishing option to book promotion and everything in between with knowledge. Enter the world of publishing without educating yourself and you will fail.

Do you ever wonder why some authors get all of the breaks? They are always out doing book signings, getting press, participating in events and announcing big sales figures. Could it be that they’re the lucky ones? They happened to bring their books out at the right time and seem to stumble into sweet deals. It could be.

But most likely these authors are constantly seeking opportunities, recognizing them and accepting them. They are making their luck—creating their “good fortune.”

I’ve been in contact with most of the SPAWN members who participated with us in the SPAWN booth at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books a few weeks ago. And opportunities stemming from that event—that exposure—are still manifesting for some of them.

One children’s book author is talking to the owner of a small chain of restaurants about book signings or some other activity that would bring recognition to both the restaurants and the author.

The author of a novel was contacted by a librarian she met at the book festival. The librarian had read her book, was impressed and invited her to participate in a large event the library is holding soon. She also said she will be recommending this book to patrons.

I had dinner with a SPAWN member this week who is speaking to a group of his book’s audience this morning at a private school. The school purchased copies of his book for each member of the audience. This opportunity came about when he sent a copy of his book to someone who later became a counselor at this school.

Do you recognize opportunities when you see them/hear about them? Are you taking advantage of them?

A SPAWN member contacted me recently asking if I knew how she could get her book reviewed. Well, I write about getting book reviews often in the SPAWN Market Update (in the member area of the SPAWN website) and I frequently provide strong leads for magazines, sites, etc. that publish book reviews. If this member had been reading the newsletter and studying the archives, she would have more opportunities at hand than she would know what to do with.

An opportunity is useless without action. But the first step in successfully using an opportunity is to discover it. You must go in search of opportunities. Seek them out. Know where to look for them and then pursue them.

Next, you must recognize an opportunity. I see authors look opportunities right in the face and not see it for what it is.

Once you identify the opportunity as such, and you know it is a good fit for you and your project, embrace it. Pursue it. Challenge it. Conquer it. How?

Join that writers’ or publishing group. If you are a member, partake of their offerings. Read the newsletters, follow the leads, attend the meetings, get involved in their activities. Follow up on leads that you learn of. Pursue avenues of potential exposure for your book. You cannot take this sort of action on behalf of your book project without being confronted by the opportunity to learn and to grow.

http://www.matilijapress.com
http://www.patriciafry.com
Sign up here and receive a FREE copy of my “50 Reasons Why You Should Write That Book.”

Imagine that you are an author. You’ve just received a shipment of your first published book from your printer or POD publisher. You admire your book, hold it, fondle it and do your best to keep from dancing around the room. Some of you do dance around the room—I did. I even broke out a bottle of champagne.

You head for the nearest mega-bookstore to experience the thrill of seeing your books shelved there next to America’s bestsellers. You search and you search, but your book is nowhere to be found. As any savvy marketer would do, you approach the store manager.

“I’m sorry,” he says. “We don’t carry self-published.” WHAT? That’s certainly not what your pay-to-publish representative told you. In fact, as you recall, he claimed that your book would be sold in all major bookstores throughout the nation.

Think about it, is that really what she said? Or did she say, “We will make your book available to all major bookstores throughout the nation?” Translated, this means, “If a bookstore manager comes to us looking for a book of this type, we will be sure to tell him about yours.”

I meet numerous disillusioned and disappointed authors each year at conferences, book festivals and online. They are shocked to learn that bookstores will not carry their books and they don’t know where to turn for sales. It might surprise you to know that even some of the small and medium-sized publishing houses do not have access to bookstores as an outlet for their authors’ books.

My advice to these authors is, “If the entrance to the bookstore is closed, go through the backdoor.” I tell them, in essence, “Instead of whining and griping, expend your energies making your book irresistible to booksellers.” How? Promote. Promote. Promote. When customers come in droves requesting your book, bookstores will stock it.

Demonstrate to the powers-that-be at Barnes and Noble and Borders that your book can attract hundreds or thousands of customers and they will carry it. Here’s how:

Please read the rest of this informative article here: http://www.matilijapress.com/articles/GettingBooksIntoBookstores.htm