Was yesterday’s blog post encouraging? Inspiring? You read about four people who are doing well with their books. Or maybe yesterday’s column was discouraging because you now feel that, in order to sell books—to succeed as a published author—you must be somebody, have a strong platform, be an expert, have money to spend. Certainly, all of the above helps immensely.
If you are writing a book and you don’t have a platform or any ideas for enticing readers, perhaps you should stop and think about that for a while. Can you achieve success without paying your dues? Probably not. Is it possible to succeed in some moderate or even major way without getting involved in all of the preliminary work related to marketing and developing a platform? Sure, it can happen. Statistics show, however, that it is mighty unlikely.
What if you want to change your crummy odds of achieving some level of success? Here’s how:
Your Platform
Begin taking steps designed to create or build upon your platform. Become known within your topic or genre. If you are writing a young adult fantasy, for example, start submitting articles related to writing fantasy, writing for young adults, reporting on various fairy events throughout the world, for example. Submit fantasy stories to numbers of appropriate magazines, newsletters and websites in order to become known in this genre. Start participating in forums and in other capacities at websites dedicated to writing for young adults, fantasy sites and so forth. Attend events, programs and places where your audience is. Establish your own website and make it interactive.
If you are writing a self-help, how-to or informational book, for example, you probably have some expertise in the topic. Flaunt it and build on it. Do whatever you can to become known as an expert and to discover more about your audience (what sites they visit, what they read, where they congregate, etc.) Again, write articles for appropriate magazines, newsletters and sites. There are websites soliciting experts to write columns and blogs on particular topics. Perhaps you could find your niche. There are magazines and newsletters on every topic imaginable. Go out and speak on your topic. I can’t stress enough the value in putting your name out there even before you have a book.
As you noticed when reading about my four clients yesterday, all of them entered into the publishing field with solid platforms. They worked for years to establish their platforms. Here’s an idea, if you have expertise in the area of finances, but you want to write a novel, create a story around a financial theme. OR write a book related to your expertise first—maybe just a little how-to. Once you’ve gotten your feet wet in this industry, then finish your novel.
I have a great article on why you should write a how-to first. Let me know if you’d like me to send it to you: PLFry620@yahoo.com.
The Cost of Publishing Success
Yes, sometimes you have to spend money in order to make money. While I have a book featuring over 75 no and low-cost ideas for book promotion ( http://www.matilijapress.com), there are times when it is appropriate and necessary to spend money on your book project. Here are the areas where I think your money is best spent:
• Have your book professionally edited before you publish it. (From $300 to $3,000, depending on the size of the book and the quality of your original work. Most of my clients pay between $500 and $1,500.)
• Hire a good cover designer. (Anywhere from around $500 to $1,500.)
• Hire a publicist. (?)
I wish I could give you a ballpark figure that you might pay a publicist. My gosh, there are a lot of them and I couldn’t find one who publish their fees. I can tell you that a few years ago, a good publicist would cost you around $3,000/month and you really need to hire a publicist for at least one and preferably three months for the best results. And then, if it is a good publicist, expect to be kept very busy.
I couldn’t believe it when I visited the website of one publicist this morning. The print on her site was so small and so light (a light gray tone) AND it was in script—very difficult to read. If I was looking for a publicist for my book, I would immediately discount this one. If she can’t even effectively promote herself to her potential clients, how in the world is she going to be able to promote you and your book?
I intended writing a simple, quick, brief post this morning as I have tons of other work to do. But here I am rambling, again…doing my best to provide you with information you can use in hopes of steering you in the best direction for you to achieve the success you desire as a published author.
And this is why I wrote my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. It is going to be a rainy weekend in Southern California and it is down-right cold in other parts of the US. It’s a long weekend for many. How about using this time to plan your publishing strategy? First on your agenda—sit down at your computer and read through my blog archives. You’ll learn a lot. Read some of the articles at my website. Then order my book: http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html
You’ll have it by the end of the week. You’ll keep it close by for as long as you are writing, publishing and promoting your book.
And start NOW writing articles and stories in your book’s topic/genre and submit them to appropriate venues. This book, which you will be ordering this weekend, will help you to get started. (See pages 267-270.)