I spoke to a group of serious writers yesterday in Woodland Hills at the Motion Picture and Television Fund Complex. The writers group is the California Writers Club/West Valley. It was a good group. And among them were a few writers I knew a dozen or so years ago. Fun to catch up with them.
We talked about book promotion—specifically, what I consider the top ten book promotion activities authors really must pursue. Some of the 30-some people were taking notes as fast as they could. Many asked great questions. Others contributed their book promotion experiences and shared resources.
Do you attend meetings to hear speakers on topics related to freelance writing and authorship? Do you listen to what is being said and make notes? Do you check out some of the resources mentioned, ponder some of the new concepts and advice? Or do you continue doing what you’ve always done?
With any activity, project, business worth pursuing, one really must be open to new ideas, possibilities and potential. It might not make sense to change your entire approach to book promotion, for example. But there may be things you’ve avoided or neglected to attempt that you really should at least try. There are most certainly resources that you haven’t examined—some of which might move your project up a notch or two as far as sales or exposure. It could be that you need a bit of an attitude adjustment—a greater awareness of an aspect of publishing or book promotion. And you can only receive these gifts if you approach your project with greater awareness.
Yesterday, two people came up to me after the meeting and stated, “So promoting a book is actually like a business.” Yes! They’ve heard it before. I said it in my presentation. They’ve read it in articles and books. But, until that moment, they were not ready to accept the fact that their book—their baby—is a product and that they need to establish a business around it. Now, perhaps they will take the steps to more actively and seriously promote it.
Are you writing a book? Are you seeking a publisher for your book? Do you have a published book that you are promoting? Wherever you are in the process, I urge you to study the publishing industry by reading books like The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book and books by other industry professionals. Join organizations such as SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) http://www.spawn.org and participate! Attend conferences and meetings where you can hear speakers with varying points of view and experiences.
Subscribe to as many newsletters as you can read—and READ them! SPAWNews is free. The SPAWN Market Update is an amazing benefit for SPAWN members. Also read Book Promotion Newsletter, Publishing Basics, Marketing Matters, A Marketing Expert Newsletter, Publishers Weekly enewsletter. Let me know if you need help locating any of these. PLFry620@yahoo.com
Visit my websites: http://www.patriciafry.com
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