September, 2013 - Writing and Publishing News

Archive for September, 2013

Every Author Needs a Website

Saturday, September 14th, 2013

Why should authors have their own websites? The answer is simple—in order to be visible and approachable. Someone seeking a speaker for a conference or a club meeting; those wanting contributors to their books and articles; those wishing to interview you or review your book for their website, blog, a webinar, etc., need a quick and easy avenue to your contact information. If they can’t find you and your contact information, they will move on to another author. There are thousands of you out there.

Sure, your publishing company or service may feature your book at their website. You are on Twitter, FaceBook and LinkedIn. But you need your own website or blog site under your name or the title of your book—and this part is vital—with an easy-to-locate and access contact button—so anyone can locate you easily and quickly.

Sure, you’ll get some unwanted emails, but you’ll also receive some invitations and opportunities that will help you sell books.

Now, what can you do to bring the right people to your website? One way is to offer something of value to your readers for free. I create lists of 50 resources, ideas, tips, etc. for authors in order to bring attention to me and my books for authors. Currently, at http://www.patriciafry.com I’m giving away mini ebooks featuring “50 Ways to Establish Your Author Platform.”

You could do something similar. What if your book is a memoir or a novel? Do some research and come up with some interesting or maybe humorous facts about the area you grew up in or the place where your novel is set, resources for those interested in additional books and movies on this topic or place, for example. Write related stories and offer them for free from your site.
Have an extensive resource list at your site for those interested in the topic of your book. Run a video on a topic of interest to your readers—a scene from your book, various people talking your book up or something else interesting or entertaining that will bring visitors to your site and hold their interest.

I could post a video at my websites with one of our cats doing something cute in order to promote my latest novel, Catnapped or my book of cat stories, Catscapades. One author I know has an adorable child pitching his book at his site. A friend has a great professionally orchestrated trailer to entice readers to her true crime book.

Once you have something of value to your readers at your site and an obvious contact button, advertise your site far and wide to bring people to it.

Tomorrow, we will talk about how to promote your amazing, useful, information-packed, entertaining website. In the meantime, if you need help finding a publisher or promoting your book, be sure to order your copies of Publish Your Book and Promote Your Book this weekend. You can get both books in print, Kindle and audio. They are also available at most other online and downtown bookstores. Or do as some authors do, order it here: http://www.matilijapress.com (I’ll tuck in a copy of my book, “How to Write a Successful Book Proposal” OR “Over 75 Good Ideas for Promoting Your Book” FREE if you order one of these books from me this weekend—September 14 or 15, 2013.)

If you like mysteries with some romance and if you enjoy interesting cats, be sure to read Catnapped, the first in my Klepto Cat Mystery. It’s on Kindle only at http://amzn.to/14OCk0W It’s $2.99. If you can show me that you have bought the book by responding to a question about the story, I’ll send you a copy of my hard cover book, Catscapades, True Cat Tales as a gift. plfry620@yahoo.com

Posted in Authorship, Book Promotion | No Comments »

Are You Frazzled and Bedazzled About the Publishing Industry?

Friday, September 13th, 2013

Often a client, a SPAWN member or an author I meet at a conference will contact me and ask, “How do I find a publisher?” or “Which publishing option should I choose?” or “I have someone interested in publishing my book, but what about my first choice of publishers—the one who’s still reviewing my proposal? Should I keep waiting for his response or should I accept the new publisher’s offer?”

These authors are usually frazzled and bedazzled about the big, wide world of publishing. Most are not prepared or equipped to make these executive decisions.

Yes, I said executive decisions. While writing is a craft, publishing is a business—a hugely competitive business with many options, hundreds of possible contracts and many hundreds of newcomers trying to break in as publishers, booksellers, editors, book shepherds and so forth.
It truly is a jungle out there with giant tangles of vines creating opportunities and roadblocks; great breaks and obstacles. It’s all rather confusing.

This is why I strongly recommend that if you have decided to write a book, whether a novel, a memoir, a business book or a how-to or self-help book for publication, consider yourself the CEO of your book from the moment of conception. I mean, as soon as you decide to write that book!

What would a CEO of a company do differently than what most authors do? Well, most authors follow this path: They spend weeks or months writing the book, then they emerge from their writing room into the bright sunlight and start seeking publication. Once they run headlong into the reality of publishing, they might sit back and hold back in hopes that someone will do something to make sure his book gets published. Or the author might blindly embrace the first offer to publish his book.

No, this is not how a sharp CEO would behave. He would do his homework even before he launches a project. He would study everything he could get his hands on within his industry, listen to the professionals, ask questions, evaluate the responses and, when it came time to launch his project, he would do so with the knowledge and resources he needs in place.

If you want to become an author and sell a few books and you don’t care how much it costs, then you can do what approximately 78 percent of authors do and dive into the industry blindly and let the tide take you where it will. You’ll live your dream of seeing your book published.

But if you want to experience a level of success as an author—you want to sell more than a few copies of your book—you want to make a difference—you want to establish yourself within the publishing community, then you have some work to do. You need to take your job as CEO of your book seriously. How?

Learn about the industry you are eager to enter. Become educated as to how the industry operates. What are your options? What are the possible consequences of your choices? What are your responsibilities as a published author?

Take charge. If you don’t, you will likely make some expensive decisions that lead you away from your goals.

Study the publishing industry. Find out how you can best navigate the industry on behalf of your particular, unique project. Start by reading “Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author.” It’s at Amazon in print, Kindle and audio and at most other online and downtown bookstores. Or order it here: http://www.matilijapress.com

If you have a published book and are struggling, like so many authors, to promote it, read, “Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author.”

Not only are these books designed to educate, they are brimming with resources to further your education.

Sign up here for my bi-monthly enewsletter: http://www.patriciafry.com Also be sure to download your FREE copy of “50 Ways to Establish Your Author Platform.”

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Authorship Then and Now–What You Need to Know

Tuesday, September 10th, 2013

It used to be that we became authors because we loved the writing process. We had to justify the time we spent writing, so we began publishing our work. It was once a rather simple process. And each person within the process had specific responsibilities. There was the writer and then there was the publishing company. Within the publishing company was the publisher, an editor and a publicity or marketing team. Oh yes, and booksellers. There were bookstores. That’s how books were sold. At some point, distributors came into being.

I think it was in the ‘70s or ‘80s when I first heard the statistic that 81 percent of Americans claim they have a book in them. Few of those books ever saw the light of day. I’d been a published author for years by then and I didn’t know another author. Now, everyone you meet either is an author or has a close relative or friend who is. Now at least that 81 percent of wannabes are published authors. And the publishing industry has become what I would call chaotic.

It used to be fairly easy to transition from serious writer pursuing a labor of love to published author. Publishing contracts were pretty straightforward. All that was required of the author after publication was a few book signings. Now, an author must have a business degree, a law degree and a marketing background in order to successfully navigate the publishing industry. Oh yes, it doesn’t hurt to know a little psychology, either. And if you weren’t born with a thick skin, grow one, because you’ll need it in this business.

Are you planning to write a book? Maybe you’re in the process of writing your memoir, a novel or a nonfiction book you feel is needed. Stop! Don’t take another step forward until you have studied the publishing industry. There’s an enormous amount that you need to know and understand before you get involved. Without this knowledge, you are setting yourself up to be yet another statistic. Did you know that nearly 78 percent of all authors fail?

You don’t want to go there. And you won’t, if you will study the publishing industry before you launch out with your book. There are many books as well as articles in magazines and newsletters on publishing and book marketing. Here is the book that I recommend.

Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author by Patricia Fry

Do you know what makes for a successful book? What your publishing options are? What are your responsibilities as a published author are? Do you know how to make your book more salable, how to choose the best publisher for your book and what book promotion involves? Do you know the process of setting up your own publishing company? Do you know when is the best time to find all of this out? BEFORE your book is a book. Publish Your Book is at Amazon in print, Kindle and audio and at most other online and downtown bookstores. Or order it here: http://www.matilijapress.com

Posted in Authorship, Book Promotion | No Comments »

Do You Need Help Promoting Your Book?

Monday, September 9th, 2013

Many authors go through the process of writing a book and getting it published, then run into a major roadblock when it comes time to selling it. They don’t know how to find their audience, approach them and make the sale.

Few authors come into the world of publishing with the experience, aptitude or skills for promoting their books. Some of those authors decide to hire someone to help.

There are companies and individuals who offer marketing services. “Self-publishing” companies sell marketing programs to their authors. But in many cases, what the author gets isn’t quite what he or she needs in order to launch them on a lifetime of success. Often, what the author receives from these programs, companies and individuals (if anything) is a temporary boost in sales. What they need is a hand to guide them. It’s the old, “give a man a fish” versus “teach him to fish.”

When I started this blog post this morning, I didn’t intend promoting my books to such a degree. But it occurs to me that these books are designed to teach and educate so that the author can continue to eat fish. Of course, my books are not the only game in town. While they have helped hundreds of people—maybe thousands—over the years, there are other professionals also providing the information, resources and education you need in order to learn to fish so you can sustain your project and yourself forevermore.

Read books on book promotion. Subscribe to newsletters, join organizations, attend conferences. And sure, you can hire someone to do a little hand-holding and guiding along the way if this is part of your comfort zone. You can even hire a publicist or book marketing company to help launch your book. But if you don’t take responsibility for promoting your book yourself and if you don’t realize that book promotion is ongoing for as long as you want your book to sell, you could easily become one of the nearly 78 percent of authors who sell fewer than 100 books total.

Start NOW, wherever you are in the writing, publishing or promoting process and take charge of your project. If you lack skills, confidence, resources or even a platform, start now educating yourself. You won’t get far in this competitive industry without it.

Join SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) http://www.spawn.org

Read my books, “Promote Your Book,” and “Talk Up Your Book.” Available at Amazon.com in print, Kindle and audio and most other online and downtown bookstores. Or order it from me: http://www.matilijapress.com

Subscribe to any number of enewsletters related to book promotion. Mine included: http://www.patriciafry.com

Posted in Book Promotion | No Comments »

An Apology to Readers

Saturday, September 7th, 2013

To those of you who were so kind as to purchase a copy or read a review copy of my first novel, Catnapped, A Klepto Cat Mystery, I apologize for the less than clean Kindle version you received. First, I jumped the gun, broke my own rules and published the book too soon. But I learned a lot from critics and reviewers and did a revision. Had the book proofed. In early August, we resubmitted Catnapped to Amazon for the Kindle Direct Publishing. I checked the sample text on the book page at Amazon and was convinced it was ready to go. I had no reason to doubt it.

So I promoted far and wide–sent an enewsletter out to two thousand people, etc. It came to my attention this week that the old version of Catnapped was still being sold at Amazon. While they had updated the book page, they were still sending the original version to customers–over a thousand customers, unfortunately.

I have two things to say–if you have revised a book for the KDP program, make sure that Amazon follows through in all areas or your old version might still be going out to customers. And that’s downright embarrassing. How do you find out? In at least some cases (such as ours), Amazon won’t allow you to purchase the revised edition for your Kindle if you’ve already bought the original. We scrambled to find someone with a Kindle who had not purchased the book so we could check it to make sure it is right this time. It appears that they are selling the revised, updated, corrected version. If anyone knows of another way the author can get a copy of the current version of his/her Kindle book once they’ve already purchased another version, please let me know. plfry620@yahoo.com

I appreciate your interest and support as I attempt to shift from a life-time of nonfiction writing to potential novelist and, again, I apologize for letting you down by allowing Amazon to sell a book that wasn’t quite ready for you.

If you haven’t read Catnapped, you can order a copy for your Kindle here: http://amzn.to/14OCk0W

Posted in Announcements, E-Books, Publishing | No Comments »

Embarrassing—Disturbing and All My Fault

Friday, September 6th, 2013

I’m reeling from the residue of a snap decision I made a few months ago. Going against everything I teach and preach, I published one of my books before it was ready. Without hiring an editor or proofreader, before listening to reader reviews, I published Catnapped, the first in my Klepto Cat Mystery Series as a Kindle book at Amazon.com in June.

I sold something like 800 copies within a few weeks. And I contacted dozens of book reviewers. Some of the reviews were not all that favorable. I took readers’ and reviewers’ comments to heart and hired a proofreader. I also spent many more hours revising the novel. And we resubmitted it to Amazon in August.

After submitting, I checked the book page at Amazon—took a look at the sample text and was convinced that the revised copy was now for sale and being distributed by Amazon. So I went into full-attack with my promotional efforts. I contacted tons more reviewers, I sent a newsletter to nearly 2,000 people, I amped up my cat blog, placed announcements with my affiliations, submitted articles with the book mentioned in my bio. Oh yes, I was in high-marketing mode.

Well, around 800 more sales later, I learned yesterday that the original book is still being distributed to Amazon customers. Big bummer. Big embarrassment. I guess they changed the copy they showcase on the book page when we submitted the new version, but they neglected to queue it for distribution.

We have resubmitted the revised edition of Catnapped to Amazon in hopes that it will get pushed all the way through the system and find its way to customers.

In the meantime, lesson learned. Never release a book for publication until all of your ducks are in a row. And then find a way to follow all the way through when you have made a submission of any sort. Trust has to go out the window when you’re not in control. As soon as you turn your amazing manuscript over to someone for editing, publication, review or whatever, make sure the other person or company completes their obligation.

As an aside—not only is my face red over this, it is swollen. You’ve seen that commercial where the actor hits himself on the head saying, “I should have had a V-8.” Well, I got a slap on the head of a different kind yesterday. While out walking early before the heat settled in for the day, I had a head-on collision with a bee. I had a terrible head-ache for a while, then the swelling started. Is the itching, discomfort and awful image I see in the mirror my slap-on-the-head telling me, “I should have been more well-prepared before launching out to become a novelist.” Sigh.

I have learned a lesson. I hope my experience will keep you from making an embarrassing mistake. You don’t want to have a bee slap you on your forehead.

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Repeated Words Versus Habit Words

Wednesday, September 4th, 2013

Yesterday, we talked about using habit words and phrases—those comfortable, familiar terms we depend on to move our stories forward. This is not the same as repeating words in your text or stories. Habits phrase might be, “he looked over at her and said,” “and then,” (one of the habits I’m trying to break), “she shook her head back and forth,” “he watched her for a moment before speaking,” “she glanced in his direction,” and so forth. You may not even notice you’re using the same transition words and phrases over and over again, for example, until an editor or proofreader points it out or until you go through your manuscript with a fine-tooth comb.

Oops, there’s another no-no in writing—using clichés, when you should be coming up with fresh words, terms and phrases for your audiences. It’s okay to have your characters use clichés, if that’s the way they typically speak.

Repeating words is another issue. When editing, I often suggest to the author that he find new words to use in place of those he uses over and over again. Instead of saying, “I took my dog to a dog show during the dog days of summer and he had a blast watching the other dogs perform,” how about, “It was a sultry day in August when I took Ruff, my beagle mix, to a dog show. He had a blast watching all the different breeds perform.”

Instead of, “I went camping last week. I really enjoy camping. I can relax in camp. I enjoy getting out and hiking, but always look forward to coming back to camp every afternoon,” try, “I’m an avid camper. I went up to Pyramid Lake just last week and pitched my tent. What a great way to relax and enjoy nature.”

There are many, many things you have to watch for in your writing—the right tense and person, meaningful transitions, that your story flows nicely, grammar, punctuation and more. But, once you’ve put your story or information on paper or in the computer, also be sure to go back and check for those annoying habit words and phrases. While you’re at it, make sure your writing is interesting by expanding your vocabulary within your story or text.

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What Are Your “Go-To” Words

Tuesday, September 3rd, 2013

Do you use certain words and phrases over and over in your writing? Do you have pet expressions that you use when writing fiction or nonfiction? Have you checked your finished manuscripts—even blog posts—for repeats? You should do it. You might be surprised.

You know that you probably shouldn’t use an interesting and unusual string of words more than once in a manuscript—unless it is the way of talking for a character, for example. But what about those connecting words we use—words we choose to move our story along or to create transitions? Are you overusing some of them?

My proofreader for the second in my Klepto Cat Mystery series suggested I reconsider my use of “and then.” When I began paying attention, I was astounded at how often I used this duo of words in my manuscript. They were invisible to me until my proofreader pointed them out. Now they stick out like–well, you know–a sore thumb. The last time I read through the manuscript, I wrote down other words, terms and phrases that appeared often. Yesterday, I searched for these to make sure I wasn’t overdoing it with some of them. What a wake-up call! I had no idea that I had these habit terms—phrases and words—that I clung to as a way to hold my story together—to move it along. This week, I will be working to eliminate and change them, thus, to streamline the story.

I challenge you to do a search on your current project. Are there words you use over and over again? How do you introduce characters? Introduce their next line? Set up a scene? Give a character personality? Give a character an action? Transition from one scene to the next? Are you using fresh words and terms or is your manuscript filled with the same, tired phrases?

When I write nonfiction, I tend to use, “of course” too often. I remember deleting dozens of instance of “of course” from one of my most recent book manuscripts. What are your habit words–your go-to phrases?

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Your Readers—You Can’t Succeed Without Them

Sunday, September 1st, 2013

Do you even know who your readers are? Who is your target audience? Before you start writing that book, you should know exactly who you are writing it for and why. If your answers to these questions—who and why—are vague and frivolous, I wouldn’t even bother producing that book. On the other hand, if you are writing a book for a specific audience because you know this is a popular genre or because you know there is a need for a book on a particular topic presented in a certain way, then you are more apt to be one of the minority—a successful published author. Yes, successful authors are in the minority—nearly 78 percent of authors fail.

So why do you need to know who your audience is? So you have an inkling as to who to promote to—who to direct your marketing efforts toward. You need to know where to find your readers—what they read, which sites they visit, where they congregate, how they buy books and so forth. If you don’t take these things into consideration, you are going to have a miserable few months of disappointment with your book and probably quit before you figure out how to succeed in this hugely competitive business.

Here’s what I advise authors:
• Identify your target audience before writing the book.

• Make sure you have a large enough audience to support a book on this topic or in this genre.

• Keep this audience in mind throughout the writing process, so you are giving them what they actually want.

• Study the publishing industry early on—particularly focusing on promotion.

• If you don’t have a platform—if people don’t know you as an expert in your field or as a novelist, start developing one. If you have a platform, build on it.

• Create a marketing plan based on your strengths, skills and opportunities (to travel and speak to your readers, for example). And develop new skills and aptitudes.

• Start implementing your marketing plan even before your book is a book. (Build a website, collect a massive emailing list, start blogging and so forth.)

Your audience is your key to your book’s success. So many people today write books for personal reasons—to fulfill a dream, to heal, to get something off their chest or to change minds, for example. Authors who write for themselves without regard for their audiences seldom succeed. Just keep that in mind.

To learn more about promoting your book, read “Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author,” (Allworth Press). It’s available at Amazon.com in print, Kindle and audio and at most other online and downtown bookstores. Or order it here: http://www.matilijapress.com