Archive for December, 2012

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Resources and Opportunities for Authors

Wednesday, December 19th, 2012

Look for my article this week in Fran Silverman’s Book Promotion Newsletter: “Sell More Books by Listening to Your Readers.” To subscribe to this almost free enewsletter, go to: http://www.mailermailer.com/x?oid=12216r. It’s $9.95/year for a subscription.

Here are a few other enewsletters I recommend for authors—all FREE:

Brian Jud’s Book Marketing Matters
http://www.bookmarketing.com

Publishing Basics
http://www.publishingbasics.com

SPAWNews
http://www.spawn.org

For a good education on the publishing industry and how to successfully navigate it, read:
Publish Your Book by Patricia Fry

If you have a book to promote, be sure to order a copy of: Promote Your Book by Patricia Fry

Get help learning how to present workshops, give live presentations, participate more successfully in an interview for radio/TV, etc., and sell more books through book signings and festivals by reading Talk Up Your Book by Patricia Fry

All available at http://www.matilijapress.com as well as Amazon.com and most other online and downtown bookstore.

I have another very satisfied editorial client this week. If you have a book ready to go or a book proposal that you’re working on, contact me—Patricia Fry—to give you a sample edit and estimate. If you are just starting a book, begin saving now to pay a good book editor to fine tune it for you before it goes to print.

Learn more about my services here: http://www.patriciafry.com

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Write For Your Peeps

Tuesday, December 18th, 2012

We talked about developing a good marketing plan for 2013. Today, we’ll talk about creating a successful book.

Some of you are in the writing process and aren’t thinking about promotion. You should be. But you probably aren’t. You are too focused on writing, finding time to write and worrying about what you’ll do once you are finished—how you’ll go about getting it published.

While you are enjoying the process of writing, you really should step outside of yourself and consider your audience—your readers. A book, in order to be successful, needs readers. Sure, as we discussed yesterday, marketing is a way to let people know about your book. But when they learn about your book, it had better be something they want to read—a book that is appealing to them. The thing is, you may have to promote to a whole lot of people in order to make even a minimal number of sales.

Unless you are known, the only people who will look forward to reading your book are your close family and friends, perhaps those who are curious about what you might write and those who are definitely interested in your topic/genre. Are there people interested in reading about your topic or books in your genre? Are you writing a book that is wanted/needed? This is the place where most successful authors start. They recognize a need or a trend and they follow it with gusto.

Those authors who end up failing, are generally those who wrote a book for themselves—something they wanted to write.

If you hope to produce a successful book, consider your readers throughout. While you’re writing it, make sure that readers can follow the story, that you aren’t making it too complicated, that your sentences and the concept is clear and well-organized. Use words that the reader can flow through rather than get stuck on. Some writers like to use obscure words to impress. Most casual readers are not impressed by obscure words and foreign phrases. They are irritated by them.

Readers don’t like to have authors talk down to them, either. They like a reading challenge as long as they are reasonable.

There are many types of books and writing styles. Before you write your book, if you hope to sell more than a handful of copies, it is wise to make sure you have an audience. And then spend the next several months writing specifically for that audience. Make sure you are speaking their language, educating them or informing them in areas of their interest, filling a void and, if warranted, touching their core.

Posted in Authorship, Writing | No Comments »

How Authors Prepare for 2013

Monday, December 17th, 2012

Where do you want to be a year from today? What do you hope to be doing with regard to your writing career this time next year? The decisions you make now may have a direct correlation to whether you reach your immediate or long-term goals.

Successful people—that is, people who are where they want to be (or heading that way) in life—usually have a plan. They know what they want and they take steps to achieve their goals.

For example, you might see yourself with enough money in the bank by next December to afford you the luxury of writing another book. So how will you get from point A (having just published a book, perhaps) to point B (being able to spend most of your time writing)? Here are some possibilities:

• Create a serious book marketing campaign so you can sell enough books to bring in enough money to help support your future efforts.

• Write articles for paying publications as one of your promotional activities. This is a good way to promote your book while making a little money.

• Hone your public speaking and communication skills so you can more effectively talk about your book to groups and one-on-one. This may mean joining a Toastmasters club and/or signing up for a college speech course. Certainly read books on the topic such as my, “Talk Up Your Book.”

• Study the topic of book promotion so that you come to understand what it entails in general and how to best promote your particular book.

• Sign up for webinars and other programs related to book promotion.

• Consider hiring a publicist to help you get publicity and to get organized.

But do all of these things and more using a plan and a timeline. As we exit 2012 and approach 2013, this is a good time to look to the future and set a plan in motion.
Let me know how you proceed. It might help others. You can leave a comment here or contact me at PLFry620@yahoo.com

Tomorrow, we will talk about your basic plan if you hope to produce a potentially successful book next year.

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Change: For the Better or Worse?

Sunday, December 16th, 2012

What does a writer do when she comes to the end of a project? Many of us panic. We feel pangs of fear and we wonder, “Will I ever have another writing job?” “Will I be inspired again?”
Has the well run dry?” “Am I washed up as a writer?”

What is a writer to do when he or she is flooded with writer’s doubt? I say, get back on the horse…er, the office chair.

I have a love/hate relationship with my writing projects. Once I get involved in the writing or editing, I am completely immersed. I am usually also completely in love with the work. But when the job is over—when I finally finish the book or the commissioned work and there’s nothing else on the horizon, I feel an annoying void.

I must say that it is rare that I don’t have back to back projects lined up as far as the eye can see. As with most freelance writers/authors, there’s always book promotion to do, that unfinished book waiting for attention, the new client waiting in the wings and a filing cabinet brimming with article ideas.

Yes, there’s always work to do, but it requires starting over and that’s not always easy. I guess this is a type of Writer’s Block. When you’re involved in a project there’s a sense of comfort involved. Each day you walk into your home office knowing that you will spend the day working on Chapter Twelve, editing a client’s memoir or finishing up the research on a major article. Once it’s finished, you have to start fresh. If there are no priorities among the projects on your shelf, you must decide what to work on. You have to determine which new project will pay off in either earnings, satisfaction or as a career move.

Starting anew is sometimes hard to do. It takes a shift in your consciousness. You must develop a new habit, make a new commitment and create a new comfort zone. It all boils down to change and I don’t think we humans are very good at change—whether it comes upon us or we facilitate it on purpose.

Will you be starting a new project soon—maybe in the New Year? Are you having trouble finding a good stopping place with your current project? Is ending it becoming as difficult as starting it was? How do you overcome or come to terms with the annoying insecurities that sometimes come with change in your writing world?

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Book Promotion—Where to Start

Saturday, December 15th, 2012

I get questions from authors and hopeful authors. As you can imagine, many of them relate to book promotion. Some of those who contact me have read my book, “Promote Your Book,” and still feel lost when it comes to promoting their books.

Some of them are resistant to the concept and the process of marketing. They find it distasteful and/or overwhelming. They contact me in hopes of learning an easier way or to have me give them a step-by-step diagram that will lead to major sales.

In some cases, the author should have stepped back BEFORE producing the book, hired a good book editor and studied the genre/topic of their proposed book to learn if it was one they could sell. And they really should have studied the concept and process of book promotion before ever deciding to produce a book.

Too many authors approach publishing from the wrong angle. They come up with an idea or an idea takes over their senses and they must write and publish this book—it becomes an obsession. When they finally get in touch with reality, it is often too late. They have poured a lot of money into having their book produced and now they discover that they don’t have a market for it. Or they realize that the best methods of promotion for this book go totally against their grain. Sure they will promote it, if they really have to, but only within their comfort zone and only for as long as they want.

And they wonder why nearly seventy-eight percent of authors today sell fewer than 100 books total.

Read “Publish Your Book” by Patricia Fry before ever deciding whether or not to produce a book. You will have the opportunity to see the big picture. You will understand how to write the right book for the right audience and market it to them. If you will also accept the fact that the author is responsible for promoting his or her book and that book promotion is seriously intense work, you may be one of 2013’s more successful authors.

I write books for you. I have learned over many years in this industry what you need to know before you launch out with a book of your own. Give yourself a gift this holiday season. Purchase or ask for “Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author.” Available at amazon.com and most other online and downtown bookstores. You can also purchase it at http://www.matilijapress.com

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Exercise Your Author’s Voice

Friday, December 14th, 2012

This is a revised repeat of a blog I posted within the first few months of this blog site—December 2005.

Promotion can be a silent and lonely activity. As an author with a book to sell, you spend quite a bit of time each day/week trying to find readers. (If you aren’t doing this, you should be.) You are building mailing and emailing lists; writing and rewriting promotional material; searching for appropriate newspapers, magazines and websites to solicit; mailing free copies of your book to reviewers; sending out press releases and so forth. But sometimes it feels as though you are all alone searching the vast earth for another human being. You are out there shouting accolades for your book and no one seems to hear you. Yes, promotion can be lonely work.

I speak to a lot of lonely authors throughout the year. All they want is a little feedback and some sales. They need to know that there’s someone at the other end of their efforts. Maybe it’s time that we change our promotional tactics. How? Go out and speak about your book. Go face-to-face with potential customers.

Our neighborhood, like many in America, is representative of the historic cottage industry era. One neighbor sells jewelry from home and another one makes and repairs jewelry. Another neighbor does quilting for customers in her garage. There’s a bookkeeper up the street, a dog trainer and a part-time realtor who all work from home. But the most successful woman of all in our neighborhood is the one who goes out and talks to people about her product. She contacts appropriate outlets for her line of clothing. She sets up booths at flea markets and seasonal festivals throughout California.

We’ve all become fairly comfortable communicating through the Internet. Most of us don’t want to bother trying to reach people by phone or in person, anymore. But I maintain that it is more difficult for someone to ignore you when you have a solid voice. They might receive your email and click you into the trashcan. But if you speak to them in person, they will listen to what you have to say.

Those of you who have relied on the Internet to promote your book and who aren’t selling as many as you would like, make 2013 the year you take our voice back and became more visible. This may just be a unique and effective way to increase our book sales.

In the meantime, do yourself a favor and purchase your copy of Talk Up Your Book. This is your toolkit for using your voice and your personality to sell many more books. http://www.matilijapress.com. It is also available at amazon.com and most other online and downtown bookstores.

Posted in Book Promotion, Public Speaking | No Comments »

How to Promote More Effectively to Your Discussion Group or Forum

Thursday, December 13th, 2012

Yesterday, a SPAWN member promoted her new book to our online discussion group. The fact that she promoted her book was not unusual, it was the way she did it.

You probably notice that most authors simply talk about their books—“My young adult novel, Baling Wire, is currently for sale at Amazon.com. This is a riveting tale of…blah, blah. Order your copy now!”

This SPAWN member, however, started her post by complimenting the director of the organization. In this case, it was ME! She wrote a little about the benefits of the organization and then she eased into the fact that she has a new book out and told a little about it. She then offered members a free peek into her book—five free chapters. I thought it was a generous, gracious and clever promotional idea. I certainly read the entire spiel, which I may not have had it been straight promotion.

Another effective way to promote through a discussion group or forum is to provide something of value to members. If your book is a self-help or how-to, share something from the book, attempt to start a discussion on a topic related to the topic of your book and also of interest to the group.

In case you don’t notice, let me point out that this post has a couple of messages:

1: Don’t forget to make use of those discussion groups and forums you belong to and/or that relate to the theme/genre of your book.

2: Give something when you promote your book to a group—be gracious and generous. Your post is more likely to be read and remembered if you use compliments, give something away and/or provide some insight into the process of producing your book or the information in your book, for example.

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How to Market Your Book During the Holiday Season

Wednesday, December 12th, 2012

Are you discovering interesting new ways to promote your book this season? If you’ve had a published book for more than a year, you probably notice that there are opportunities in each season to promote it. During spring and summer, you are out and about more—doing outdoor book festivals, maybe stopping at bookstores to place books while traveling and such. In the fall, perhaps you are doing more public speaking. When the weather turns cold, we tend to stay indoors. Take advantage of the winter season to explore speaking opportunities for next year, appropriate conferences, book festivals and so forth.

But you can also be writing articles and submitting them to magazines and newsletters related to the theme or genre of your book. Most of you are blogging only once a week. Now, start posting every day. The process of coming up with blog ideas will help with your article work and vice versa.

If you want seasonal prompts for book promotion, visit the following sites. They are a kick! You’ll find ideas for seasonal marketing that you never knew existed. In January, for example, we have National Hugging Day, Thank Your Customer Week and Financial Wellness Month. January second is Happy Mew Year for cats. In July, there is Make a Difference to Children Month. Other seasonal prompts are, National Tooth Fairy Day and Read in the Bathtub Day.

http://www.brownielocks.com
http://www.holidayinsights.com
http://www.gone-ta-pott.com

If ever you need a reason to promote your book or want some sort of tie-in to use in promoting it, these sites will help. Enjoy!

And don’t forget that everyone you meet this holiday season is seeking just the right gifts for those on their holiday lists. This is a good time of year to carry your book with you, to leave promo lying around and to talk about your book every chance you get. You may just make some sales.

While I’m at it, don’t forget about my array of books. You can see them at http://www.matilijapress.com There’s still time to get them in time for holiday giving. Here’s a rundown:

Books for Authors
Publish Your Book (for the new and struggling author)
Promote Your Book (for any author with a book to promote)
Talk Up Your Book (for all authors with books to promote)
Catscapades, True Cat Tales (for anyone who loves reading about cats)
Creative Grandparenting Across the Miles (For long-distance grandparents)
Quest For Truth (a riveting metaphysical memoir)

Available at http://www.matlilijapress.com, Amazon.com and most other online and downtown bookstores.

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Author Endorsements and Testimonials

Tuesday, December 11th, 2012

I’d like to discuss endorsements today. What is an endorsement and who needs them?
Most authors, at some point, find themselves asking for endorsements and maybe even giving endorsements or testimonials.

Your first experience with this might be seeking endorsements for a book proposal. Some publishers require that authors include comments of support from credible authors in their genre, professors and/or professionals in their field.

While you are finishing up your book, you might go in search of testimonials or positive comments from colleagues and experts to go on the back cover. These would be statements designed to entice people to purchase the book. Someone seeking a good nonfiction book on nearly any topic might purchase yours if you have a comment from a credible expert on the back (or front) cover.

I suggest that authors request more testimonials than they need. That way you can pick and choose the better ones. And you’ll be more likely to get enough comments in time for publication. Comments that don’t make it on the cover can go on an inside page and/or at your website.

How do you approach people for testimonials and endorsements? Often, you will send a draft of your manuscript to the people you request testimonials from. Or send the chapter(s) that represents that person’s expertise.

Some professionals who already know your reputation might ask you to write a few possible quotes for them to read and they’ll either choose one or make a few changes on one for you to use.

I tell authors to consider other authors with books when requesting testimonials or endorsements. The reason being that authors generally make time for anything that will publicize their own books. They are more likely to respond within your deadline than an expert without a book or service to promote. But you want to make sure that the authors you contact have credibility in your field and or they are popular authors with a following. This might be organization leaders with books on the topic, bestselling authors, well-known professionals or businesspeople with books, etc.

Successful people are busy these days. So if you are going to want a testimonial or endorsement for your upcoming book, be sure to put your request in early. And then follow up.

For more about getting and giving testimonials, read Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author. Available at Amazon.com in print and Kindle as well as most other online and downtown bookstores.

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A Writer’s Creative Outlets

Monday, December 10th, 2012

When you aren’t writing, what are you doing? I mean aside from those things you have to do such as work, clean house, prepare meals, run errands, pay bills, exercise and so forth… When you take a break from your writing project, what activity are you most likely to pursue?

If you spend any time writing, you surely experience an occasional case of writer’s block. You need to step back from your novel or an intense article sometimes for perspective. Or you may just need a break from writing. If you’re like most writers, I doubt that you spend that time in front of the TV, unless it is for research. Many of you read, right?

I’m at my computer writing, researching for writing projects, working with clients, organizing an activity/event for SPAWN, preparing for a speaking engagement or… on average, 10 hours per day, five or six days every week. Generally, on those days when I do leave my home office, I work 4 or 5 hours. And when I need a break from the writing process I will choose another creative activity. Gardening is one of my creative activities of choice, as is photography. I also enjoy sewing and needlework. Occasionally, I’ll feel like engaging in culinary creativity rather than just throwing a meal together because it is time to eat. Sometimes my break involves meditation walking—a brisk walk during which I quiet my mind and either contemplate or open myself up to answers from the universe.

So my question today, especially since we’re in a creative season, what creative endeavors do you pursue when you have taken a step back from your writing?

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