Writing and Publishing News

Yesterday, I listed 22 things you will learn by reading Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author. Here are two dozen more:

• How to determine which “self-publishing” company is best.
• How to build and add to your platform.
• How to build marketability into your book—make it more salable.
• How to get your book into bookstores.
• How to work with booksellers.
• How to locate specialty stores to display and sell your books.
• How to work a book festival so it works for you.
• The benefits of blogging
• How to come up with ideas for your blog
• How to make sales using your massive email list
• How to get on radio and TV
• How to sell books through articles and excerpts
• How to use seasonal prompts to sell books
• Why you should donate books.
• How to ship books.
• How to boost sales through spin offs.
• How to get book reviews
• How to sell your book as a premium or incentive.
• Why you should involve others when writing your nonfiction book.
• How to have a successful book signing.
• How to locate and approach book reviewers
• How to get an ISBN,
• How to launch a virtual book tour.
• How to promote your book through social media.
• How can you get a merchant account?
• A dozen ways to build a more successful website.

Well, I lied—there are twenty-six more things you will learn when you read Publish Your Book—that is 48 things in all. And this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Do you have questions about publishing or book promotion? Sure you do. Order this book and keep it at your elbow throughout the writing, publishing and book promotion process as you will refer to it over and over again.

Purchase this book at amazon.com in print, Kindle or audio. You can also order it from my website. http://www.matilijapress.com/PublishYourBook.html

News From the Cats
The ranking for Catnapped is up, up, up this weekend. That could mean that people are buying it. If you enjoy a cozy mystery involving cats, be sure to order your copy for your Kindle reader. http://amzn.to/14OCk0W If you have read it, please leave a review. For more about the progress of this book and for cute pictures of cats, follow my Catscapades blog here: http://www.matilijapress.com/catscapades

Today, I’m going to attempt something I’ve never tried with this blog before. I’m going to try to insert an image. I have been including images in my Catscapades blog for a couple of years, but did not know I had that option in this blog. If it appears, you’ll be looking at the cover image of Promote Your Book. I talk about this book often in my blog posts. That’s because this is the book you should read before you launch out and publish a book. This book will give you much more than an inkling about the complex publishing industry and it provides the tools and information you need in order to take the next step after you publish your book. As you will soon learn, promotion is the hardest part of the publishing business. And when you publish a book, you’ve entered into a fiercely competitive business.

If there is anything about book promotion that you are not well-informed about, that you know nothing about or that you wonder about, order this book today.
Promote Your Book is available in print, Kindle and audio at amazon and most other online and downtown bookstores. Or order it here http://www.matilijapress.com

My books and information are getting noticed. Some of you may have seen my article on getting testimonials for your book in the Book Promotion Newsletter today. It’s a newsletter I recommend for authors who have books to promote.

How many of you also received an ad from Amazon this morning with a list of recommended books? Catnapped, a Klepto Cat Mystery was at the top of the list. I heard from a few readers who received this. Let me know if you got it. In the meantime, you can order your Kindle copy of Catnapped—a cozy mystery involving cats (no talking cat). http://amzn.to/14OCk0W

I had a conversation with an author/friend last week about book promotion. She wondered how early one should start promoting his/her book. I told her that it is never too soon to start some promotional activities. She has been speaking on the topic of her upcoming book, she has a dynamite website up and running, she is handing out brochures…and she started all of this about a year ago. Only thing is, she still doesn’t have a book. People keep asking her, “When?” And all she can say in response is, “I don’t know. I’ll have to contact you.” Hopefully, she has their contact information.

This author has read my books, attended some of my lectures and even invited me to do a segment at her writers club meetings. And she’s heard me suggest that it is never too early to start promoting your book. However, I would further recommend some activities over others. Here’s what I suggest for authors in any genre/topic:
• Collect email addresses and amass a huge email list.
• Build a website and offer freebies related to your book. Have them sign up.
• Submit articles/stories in your theme/genre to appropriate publications.
• Join a Toastmasters club to hone your public speaking and conversation skills.
• Talk about your book everywhere you go. Ask for business cards.
• Arrange for a publicity photo to use at your website, on promo material, etc.
• Start designing your promo material.
• Get on social media sites—facebook, twitter…

Once you know your book will be published:
• Solicit pre-publication reviews for the library journals.
• Solicit pre-publication orders, but not until the book is just weeks from being published.
• Start setting up speaking engagements.
• Sign up for booths at book festivals.
• Start communicating with those on your email list.

For a nonfiction book, engage in the activities above plus:
• Conduct workshops related to the theme of your book, where appropriate.
• Do a little public speaking, but don’t cross any bridges. In other words, save the most impressive gigs where you have only one shot to speak until after the book is published.
• If your book is an informational book or how-to, consider establishing an enewsletter. Use it to announce the progress of your book as well as provide useful information and resources for your followers.

Yes, there is quite a bit that you can do before your book is a book, but try to be reasonable in your timeline. Make eager readers wait too long and they will forget all about you. And don’t use up the best opportunities—such as important speaking gigs with large audiences until you actually have a book to sell.

Purrrsonally Speaking
I’m revising my brochure to include Catnapped. I’m also rewriting some of my bios—such as the one going in the program for the Public Safety Writers Association (Police Writers) where I’ll be the keynote speaker at their conference in Las Vegas in a few weeks. Many of the members are mystery and crime writers/readers. Can’t wait to see how Catnapped is accepted among these professionals. News of a contest for animal writers just came across my desk. I may enter Catnapped. Busy, busy.

What happens when you get tired of promoting your current book and decide to spend all of your time writing your next one? Virtually nothing. Sales for your current book begin to dwindle. Soon it is dead in the water. But you’re having fun writing again, aren’t you?

When you finish book two, then what? Will you publish it and promote it until you lose your enthusiasm for marketing? Is this any way to run a business?

Oh, you didn’t expect to go into business, did you? You don’t consider publishing a business? Well, it is. And your book is a product. In order to succeed as a published author, you must embrace this concept and understand that your book will sell for only as long as you are willing to promote it.

Not only is publishing a business, it is a highly competitive business with thousands of companies and individuals trying to get their books noticed. Those authors and publishers with the longest reach, the largest following and the most energy, creativity and persistence will get the most attention for their books. It all boils down to this: As an author, you must understand something about the publishing industry and be willing to take responsibility for your project.

Sure, it has to be a well-written book within a popular genre or one that is wanted/needed by a segment of readers. But even the best books—if no one knows about them—will not sell!

Marketing a book in today’s fiercely competitive publishing climate is tough—really, really tough. It takes knowledge, time, follow-through and more time than ever before in the history of publishing to successfully tame the book marketing tiger. Yet, there are many, many more options and opportunities for promoting books. It is the clever author who knows who his/her audience is, where they are and who understands that it is his/her responsibility to approach them with a tantalizing sales pitch.

Start (or continue) your education here: Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author. It’s at amazon.com in print, Kindle and audio as well as at many other online and downtown bookstores.

The Cat’s Meow Mystery
If you are one of the many who has downloaded my new cozy mystery, Catnapped, to your Kindle, I want to say, Thank you! Have you read it? Did you enjoy the story? Please leave a review at the Amazon Catnapped page: http://amzn.to/14OCk0W

Yesterday, we talked about cross promoting. Here are a few more ways that authors can promote two or more books of different genres/topics

Plan ahead. If you’re still in the process of writing your first novel, for example, consider including a story reflecting the theme of your nonfiction book. Whether the focus of your book is investments, beekeeping, hiking safety or business/organization management create a scene around this topic so you have a legitimate reason to promote both books in tandem.

Cross-promote to your live audiences. Perhaps people came to hear you speak on wise investments, beekeeping, safe hiking practices, management styles, etc. Use your imagination to discover ways to mention your new novel briefly during your presentations. You might share something that happened during the writing process—something you learned about your field of expertise while developing one of your characters, for example.

Maintain an email list and use it to promote each of your books when appropriate. Certainly some of your staunch followers for your nonfiction books will be eager to read your first attempt at writing in a new genre.

Design nonfiction articles to promote your fiction books. See if you can you come up with creative ways to mention your novel in an article featuring the topic of your nonfiction book. And certainly, use the space allowed for your bio to promote your novel. I might say, for example, “Patricia Fry is the author of 38 books, most of them designed to guide authors through the publishing and book promotion process. She has recently produced the first in her fiction series, The Klepto Cat Mysteries. Available at Amazon.com and http://www.matilijapress.com

Use these prompts I’ve offered over the last two days to come up with your own ideas for cross promoting your books when they happen to be on different topics or in different genres. I would also be interested in your own stories of cross-promotion. plfry620@yahoo.com

We’ve talked recently about the challenges of promoting two (or more) books of different topics/genres. I decided to devote this post to crossover activities—promotional activities during which you might include your nonfiction how-to, self-help, informational book and your novel or children’s book, for example.

1: Take all of your books to a book festival. While observing and/or chatting with visitors to your booth, you can easily determine which of your array of books they are interested in. But after they buy your book on parenting the autistic child, your memoir on finding yourself in the Bahamas or your how-to on weaving baskets, don’t let them leave without a bookmark touting your new romance novel.

2: Create a blog for each book topic or genre. I write books for authors. I established a blog to support these books back in 2005. A few years ago, I produced a book of cat stories and I created a blog related to cats. Since I started writing my mystery series that involves cats, I’ve begun using the cat blog to promote the first in the series, Catnapped. And I use each blog site to promote the other—as you’ve no doubt noticed. I may eventually start a blog dedicated to my fiction writing. If you decide to manage two (or more) blog sites, representing your different book themes/genres, cross promote. In other words, mention the fiction blog when writing your nonfiction blog and vice versa. You’ll see an example of that in this blog.

3: Always carry promotional material for both categories of your books. This might be bookmarks, postcards, etc. Let’s say you’re speaking to a group of dog owners about grooming techniques. When setting up your display of grooming books, also have a few copies and promotional material related to your WWII novel or your children’s book.

4: Design a catalog or 3-fold brochure displaying all of your books and hand it out at book festivals, offer it to audience members when making public appearances, mail it with book orders and so forth.

5: Maintain an email list and use it to promote each of your books when appropriate.

Use these 5 prompts to come up with your own ideas about how to cross promote your books that happen to be on different topics or in different genres.

Do you need help promoting your book, order Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author.

Are you confused and overwhelmed about the whole publishing scene? Which publishing option is best? Which company should you go with? How do you arrange for distribution? How do you find an agent? If these are some of your questions, you must read Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author. These and other books for authors are available at Amazon in print, Kindle and audio. Also available at most other online and downtown bookstores as well as at the author’s website: http://www.matilijapress.com

Cat Chat
I’ve revived my Catscapades blog. Today, I’m talking about seasonal prompts you can use to promote your book of cat stories, your cat picture book, your how-to or informational book related to cats or your novel featuring a cat or two. http://www.matilijapress.com/catscapades

Promoting one book is time-consuming, energy-draining and takes tons of creativity and thought. Promoting two or more books in the same genre or within the same theme is even more demanding. But many of you are also writing and producing books in very different genres/on varying topics, requiring very different audiences and promotional tactics. For you, effective promotion is almost impossible.

How does one successfully promote a children’s book, books on woodworking and books related to writing and publishing all at the same time? How do you successfully promote books for authors and a cozy mystery? How do you appropriately promote a situational memoir, books on family finances and a fantasy novel? It certainly takes a lot of thought, planning and almost constant activity. It takes knowing two (or more) very distinct audiences and learning how to locate, approach and market to each of them. It takes study and research to come up with marketing ideas that will work for each title/segment of readers and it takes creativity to implement these ideas. More often than not, it means stepping outside your comfort zone.

Whether you have written one book for a well-defined audience or two or more books for a variety of readers, you must do something to bring the book(s) to the attention of your audience. Way too many authors and hopeful authors do not understand that it is up to them (the author) to promote his or her book. One of my missions as a public speaker, author, blogger, article-writer is to educate authors in this truth.

Whether you go with a pay-to-publish (self-publishing) company, establish your own company to produce your book or land a traditional publisher—whether you go digital only or print—it is up to the author to promote his or her book.

While you have more promotional options than ever before in the history of publishing, you also have more competition. Book marketing is a complicated, complex process that, in order to be successful, requires your full attention. I guess my most important piece of advice for you today is—before bringing out a book, make sure you have the time and information you need in order to appropriately promote it or that book will be dead in the water.

If you have a question about book promotion, please bring it to me here or email me here: plfry620@yahoo.com

I would also like to hear your stories of challenging, interesting, successful, etc. book promotion activities.

Cat Notes
Those of you who read cozy mysteries and/or who like cats, be sure to follow my Catscapades blog at http://www.matilijapress.com/catscapades This blog allows photos—and I have some really cute ones of cats helping me to promote my books, an award-winning pix of a cat leaping after a bee and more.