Writing and Publishing News

Here are more book promotion mistakes that authors make. Do you see yourself in any of these scenarios?

4: The author has unrealistic expectations. Many first-time authors (we’ve all been there) expect to sell their books by the truckloads through mega bookstores. They believe that any good book will be eagerly welcomed by bookstore owners and managers. The reality is that few people outside of traditional royalty publishers with track records can get new books into bookstores. And space on bookstore shelves does not guarantee sales. In fact, books that are not selling will be returned—sometimes within the first six months.

As the author, you can get your books into bookstores. How? Make a big enough splash with your book that readers are swarming to bookstores asking for it by name. This might mean appearing on TV and radio with your book, presenting large seminars related to your book all over the U.S. and getting tons of press by creating news and submitting press releases to newspapers everywhere. Become high profile and get enough exposure for your book and, even if you are self-published or went with a fee-based self-publishing services, your book will be accepted for sale by bookstores everywhere.

5: The author gives promotion just a lick and a promise. Authors need to understand that book promotion is ongoing. It should start before you write the book and continue for as long as you want to sell books.

I watched some of our members sell books from the SPAWN booth at the enormous Los Angeles Times Festival of Books a few weekends ago. (That’s Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network). Some sat quietly, speaking to visitors only when being spoken to, and they sold a few books. Others engaged visitors enthusiastically, put the books in visitors’ hands, excitedly described their story, asked questions and listened intently, got the potential customers laughing and even took pictures with some of the children holding their books (with parental permission, of course). These authors sold many more copies of their books than did those who just sat quietly.

I share this as a reminder to authors that bookselling is not a passive activity. You must become and remain creatively involved as an enthusiastic agent for your book and constantly reach out to your audience.

6: The author gives up. I can’t tell you how often I hear, “I can’t sell my book, so what’s the use?” You won’t achieve the level of success you desire if you quit

There’s a lot to consider when entering the huge and competitive publishing business. And promotion is a major consideration. Whether you land a traditional royalty publisher, self-publish (establish your own publishing company) or go with a fee-based POD publishing service, it is up to the author to promote his or her book. And the time to start thinking about promotion is before you ever sit down and put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard.

Here’s a reminder, Patricia Fry is the executive director of SPAWN. She is also a full-time freelance writer and the author or 33 books (with three more in the works). Several of her books relate to writing and publishing. If you have a book to promote or a book in the works, you must add Patricia’s upcoming book, Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author, to your collection of reference books. You can pre-order it at Amazon.com NOW. It will debut in July of 2011 from Allworth Press/Skyhorse Publishing.

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

You wrote an amazing book, designed it to perfection and even managed to get it published. But it isn’t selling as well as you thought it would. What went wrong?

As the president of SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) and an international speaker, I meet many authors who are disappointed in their book sales. I think it’s fair to say that 100 percent of the time the fault lies with the author and he or she has the power to change the situation. Here are three common mistakes first-time authors make and tips for how to avoid or repair them:

1: The author doesn’t know that he is responsible for promotion. Obviously, this author didn’t take the time and initiative to study the publishing industry or he would have known that his job isn’t over once the book is published. Hopefully, the author will turn to informative sites, newsletters, forums and books where he’ll quickly learn that authorship requires a commitment beyond the proper dotting of i’s and crossing of t’s.

He can still launch a marketing plan. He might solicit book reviews for publication in appropriate magazines and at related websites, submit press releases to newspapers and set up a speaking tour to promote his book, for example.

2: The author doesn’t take the opportunity to build promotion into his book while he’s writing it. Savvy authors think about their target audience while they are writing and designing their books. If yours would make a good reference book, for example, you’ll want to include a complete index. For a novel, choose a setting that is conducive to promotion—a town that others want to read about and that would welcome your promotional appearances locally.

You could build promotion into your how-to book by involving a lot of experts and/or organizations. These individuals and organization leaders will promote the book to their contacts. For a novel, give a character a popular ailment and present it in a positive light and related associations might just agree to help with promotion.

If you didn’t think to build promotion into your book as you were writing it, dissect it now in search of possible promotional opportunities that are imbedded within. Does your young adult novel feature a girl with a horse? Perhaps horse and riding magazines, newsletters and Web sites would review it, publish excerpts or welcome your targeted article on an aspect of horsemanship. Maybe you could get some press related to your self-help book for women with phobias through health columns in newspapers nationwide, women’s magazines or on radio talk shows such as “The Satellite Sisters.”

Did you interview a high profile individual for your book? Ask her to promote the book to her audience. Request an interview with her for a major magazine. Do you have some impressive expert testimonials in your book? Play them up in your promotional material.

3: The author neglects to establish a platform. Many new authors don’t know what a platform is. It’s the author’s following, his reach, his way of attracting his target audience, his connections and skills. Most successful authors today have a platform in place before they produce a book.

My platform for my writing/publishing-related books revolves around my experience in this field, my exposure through previously published and distributed books and articles on these subjects, my affiliation with SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) and my active and far-reaching speaking and workshop schedule.

Your platform for your book on phobias might be the fact that you’re a psychologist in this area of study, that you suffered a severe phobia for years, that you work with women with phobias, that you’ve written about this for years.

Even as a novelist, you’ll need a following and this can be established through published stories, popular/active Web site, the fact that you are accustomed to traveling around and speaking or are involved in storytelling. Maybe you are getting ready to retire and plan to travel and promote your book throughout states.

How can you play catch-up with regard to your platform? Start now getting exposure. Establish credibility in your field. Participate in forums on your topic, write letters to the editors of appropriate magazines and articles for magazines, speak to groups locally and beyond and create news.

I will share additional book promotion mistakes and remedies in tomorrow’s blog. In the meantime, check out my offerings here:
http://www.matilijapress.com
http://www.patriciafry.com

We’ve been talking a lot here about publishing—studying the industry, choosing a publisher, writing a book proposal, etc. But there is another aspect of publishing that you need to consider. It’s the huge task of book promotion.

Please do not discount the importance of your role in promoting your book. And this responsibility starts in the writing stages. That’s when you will determine, is there an audience for your book?

Before writing (or at least before completing) your book, do the research necessary to discover how extensive your audience is and determine how you will reach them.

Write a book proposal and concentrate on the marketing section. Do you have a platform (a following, connections, a way of reaching your readers)? What skills do you have that will contribute to promoting your book? Do you have a budget for travel, promotional items, etc?

There are a couple of facts you should know about book promotion:

• Book promotion is the hardest part of publishing.

• Your book will sell only for as long as you are promoting it.

• Most authors can sell more books face-to-face than any other way.

• There are countless methods of promoting a book, but not every promotional activity is right for every author and every book project.

One reason why I teach and preach that authors study the publishing industry, is so they understand the overwhelming task of book promotion, learn about some of the activities and so that they will begin formulating their promotions plan early in the writing/publishing process.

I’ve developed an online course for authors who need a greater understanding of book promotion. I offer a smorgasbord of promotional activities and challenge authors to try them all and see which ones fit best.

This is a 6-week course and you can sign up when you are ready.

If you are clueless about book promotion (most new authors are), or you have a book that isn’t doing well in the marketplace, sign up for my Book Promotion Workshop. If you follow-through and do the work, you won’t be disappointed.

http://www.matilijapress.com/course_bookpromotion.htm

Here’s the continuation of my blog on how to work a book festival so it works for you.

I have attended around fifty book festivals over the years—large ones like the 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. Likewise, I once saw the author of a poetry book sell 30 copies in a day by asking passersby if she could read a poem to them.

• 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 things seem slow will sell more books than those who appear disgruntled.

• I typically stand to face booth visitors rather than sitting during a conversation.

• I make sure visitors walk away with a handout—a postcard, brochure or business card, for example.

This spring why don’t you seek out a book festival near you or where you will be traveling and plan to take full advantage of the exposure and opportunities in the experience.

To locate book festivals, do an Internet search using key words: “book festival” and your city/state. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a reliable directory of book festivals in the US. If you know of one, please let me know: PLFry620@yahoo.com.

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

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 say, “To sell enough books to make it worth my while.”

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 they actually want until they’ve seen it, heard about it and/or read about it numbers of times.

And exposure can garner other advantages, as well. 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. An organization or corporate leader might take your card and call you several weeks or months after the event to order two boxes of your business management book for employees.

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 many 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 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 will talk about that in tomorrow’s blog post. I’ll also provide some tips on how to make your book festival experience a good (and profitable) one.

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