Archive for the ‘Publishing’ Category

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Resources and Options for Authors

Monday, January 14th, 2013

Do you have questions about publishing and book promotion? Most likely, when you ask your questions about publishers, agents, writing a book proposal or marketing your book, you are not fully satisfied with the answers. Do you know why that is? Because there are sorry few (if any) pat answers when it comes to the process of publishing and book promotion.

First, depending on who you ask, you may get very different responses. Who should you believe? And then sometimes the person you have chosen to trust most will leave you with more questions than you had when you approached him or her. All you want is some guidance and some definite answers to your questions so you’ll know exactly what to do with regard to your project.

The thing is, there are choices in publishing—extenuating circumstances, varying goals, different levels of understanding and interest. There is no one size fits all. The reason why you may get different answers from different professionals is because we come from different backgrounds. And we might not “hear” and assimilate your questions the same way.

So, while one professional or published author says, “You’ve gotta get an agent,” another might says, “I suggest you check out some of the hundreds of publishers that don’t require an agent,” and yet another advises, “For your first project, go with a ‘self-publishing’ company.”

One professional may tell you to promote your book through intense Internet advertising and another might advise checking out all of the free avenues of publicity. One professes that personal appearances is the best way to go, while another says, you can sell more books more consistently using clever promotional tactics throughout the Internet.

The fact is all of the above is true but not for every author and every book and not, generally, exclusive of the other options. So how do you weed through the information and recommendations in order to make the best choices for you and for your project? Be your own best resource center. Ask questions, certainly and scrutinize the responses with regard to your project carefully. Keep an open mind, but be critical, too.

Study the publishing industry. Yes, do an independent study by reading books, subscribing to and reading appropriate newsletters and magazine, joining organizations such as SPAWN and attending writers conferences—many of them lean toward publishing and book promotion rather than the craft of writing these days. This is not where you end up—this is where you START!!!! Read about the industry, how it works, what it entails, your choices, the possible advantages and disadvantages of your options, specifically how to pursue the various options and so forth.

I will dedicate my next four (or more) posts to specific resources for hopeful and struggling authors. I will list the books I recommend you read, the newsletters and magazines you should be subscribing to, the organizations you should join and why and how to locate conferences and glean from them what you need in order to succeed. So stay tuned all week. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Tell your friends about this Writing and Publishing Blog. And visit my websites for additional information about me—Patricia Fry.
http://www.patriciafry.com
http://www.matilijapress.com

And visit the organization I lead—SPAWN (Small Publishers Artists and Writers Network)
http://www.spawn.org

Posted in Authorship, Book Promotion, Publishing | No Comments »

Review of Presentation to Authors

Monday, January 7th, 2013

I’m back from a great weekend in Rancho Mirage. I spoke to nearly 100 members of the Palm Springs Writers Guild on the psychology of a book proposal. I saw several people in the audience there at the beautiful Rancho Mirage Library taking notes as I spoke. I got some great questions after the presentation—and some from people who clearly did not understand my message.

I hope most of those in attendance picked up the importance of taking charge of their book project and writing a book proposal before ever showing their manuscript to a publisher or considering self-publishing. Here are some of the points I hope I left them with:

• Think of yourself as the CEO of your book from the planning stage throughout the marketing process.

• Make sure you are writing the write book for an audience who needs/wants it.

• Understand exactly who your audience is, where they are and how to approach them.

• Learn all you can about the publishing industry so you know what your publishing options are and how to choose the one that is best for you and your book.

• Have a serious understanding of what it takes to sell copies of your book. Book promotion takes skill, time and effort in large quantities. You cannot sell a book that no one knows about and it takes enormous effort to get the publicity you need in order to sell even 100 copies.

• Book promotion is a full-time job for as long as you want your book to sell and this is true no matter which publishing option you choose.

If you are a new or struggling author, read and study hard, my book, “Publish Your Book.” If you are fairly successfully published, but need additional help with book promotion, “Promote Your Book” is for you. If you don’t understand that personality sells books and you would rather stay in the shadows or you want to know more about how to promote your book using your personality, order “Talk Up Your Book.” All available at Amazon.com and at my website http://www.matilijapress.com

Posted in Book Promotion, Publishing | No Comments »

Are You Prepared for What Comes After Publishing?

Friday, January 4th, 2013

An author takes on quite a bit of responsibility when he or she decides to publish. Maybe more than you realize. First, you spend months or years in intense writing mode. Then you enter into the complex process of sorting through publishing options. You decide on a publisher and maybe barely come out of that process scarred and penniless. You’d think it is now time to relax. You got what you wanted—a published book in your hands.

If you’ve been following this blog and reading my books and articles, you know better than that. Now is the time to shift into high gear promoting your book. What many new authors don’t realize is that, while you may have a great book that people truly enjoy reading—that touches hearts, challenges minds or offers pure entertainment—you still must find ways to let your audience know the book exists. Make sense? No one will buy your book if they don’t know about it.

So your job is to get word out about your book—to appropriately and adequately introduce your book and become somewhat known to your potential readers.

There are many avenues of promotion and many venues for your promotional activities, whether they are signings, demonstrations or entertaining or informational presentations. There are hundreds of large and small book festivals held throughout the world in all seasons. There are conferences held all year round on every topic imaginable. And you might be able to get a speaking gig at some of those related to your book. There are scads of opportunities to speak to your audience via the Internet and through air waves. You should also be writing about and on behalf of your book, announcing it through your clubs and organizations, showcasing it on your website and more.

As you can see, there are many, many ways to become known and to introduce your book using a wide variety of mediums and processes. My favorite and one of the most successful is the personal appearance. I’m talking to around 150 authors tomorrow in the desert community of Rancho Mirage about the psychology of the book proposal. I’m excited because this is 150 more people who I get to help and inform. It is also 150 more authors who will know about me and my services and books.

But the benefits to me don’t stop there—the Palm Springs Writers Guild has done remarkable promotion online and locally—so, perhaps, another thousand or so people have become aware of me as a result of this publicity. I’ve been promoting it myself. The event is posted at my website and I will blog about it after the fact. And then there is the trickle-down effect. The people I meet may talk about me to their author friends—show the books they bought from me to others, write about something I said in their blogs and so forth.

If you are not currently involved in the more personal side of book promotion, be sure to order my latest book: “Talk Up Your Book, How to Sell Your Book Through Public Speaking, Interviews, Signings, Festivals, Conferences and More.” http://amzn.to/ZMJndK

Posted in Book Promotion, Publishing | No Comments »

Graphics or No Graphics?

Wednesday, January 2nd, 2013

Talk Up Your Book has been featured as a “Recommended Book of the Month” at the Writers-Editors website. Check it out: http://www.writers-editors.com/Writers/Contests/contests.htm

You’ll also find a plethora of contests for writers here. Maybe you can arrange to become an award-winning author in 2013

Graphics and Illustrations
This morning, a client asked whether or not she should use graphics or illustrations in her upcoming book. Here’s basically what I told her:

When considering whether it would be better to have graphics or just text, think about the books you read on this topic or similar in topic. Do you prefer seeing graphics? Do you wish there were graphics to illustrate various points? Are graphics sort of superfluous in this type of book? How do you feel about them when you are studying a book similar to yours?

Sometimes charts, graphs and/or illustrations greatly enhance a how-to book. Photographs might be just the thing you need in order to add clarity and interest to your story. On the other hand, they might tend to give your book a cluttered look. They may not be required or useful if the material you are presenting is simple and easily understood.

When you write about real people and situations, certainly readers want to see what the principals look like. They want to see before and after photos of the refurbished town and a photo of the antique jewelry you mention in your story. Memoirs generally call for photos. Books featuring complex issues might need graphs and charts to add clarity. You might want to help create a certain mood or emotion using drawings or photographs with your collection of poetry, for example.

When considering whether or not to use graphics or illustrations, think about the word count of your book project and the size the book will be. You may not want to produce a huge book that would intimidate readers. Maybe graphics or illustrations would help to create a substantial book from what may have been destined to pamphlet size otherwise. What is a good size and page number for a book on your subject—in your genre? Consider this when trying to decide whether or not to use graphics.

And then there is the cost of producing the book. The more pages in the book, the more it costs you or your publisher to produce. And if you go with color inside—color photos or graphics, for example—the cost will go up.

I suggest (nag) regularly that you keep your readers in mind throughout the writing and publication of your book. Here is another decision you should make at least partially with on your readers’ behalf.

I’d like to hear from those of you who found this post timely and helpful. As we proceed through our book projects, we discover many things we need to consider throughout the writing and production process. I hope that the blogs I post each day help you to make the best decisions with regard to your book project.

Posted in Books, Publishing | No Comments »

Books, Books and More Books

Saturday, December 1st, 2012

Talk Up Your Book has a new review at Amazon.com That’s 7 five-star reviews. Those who are reading it see the value in it—especially authors who have “been there/done that.”Check out the reviews and then order your copy from Amazon.com, http://www.matilijapress.com or any other online or downtown bookstore.

I’m gearing up to present a new blog series for you. I don’t have the bugs worked out yet, but I’m planning to provide a step-by-step guide to what you should—need to—do as soon as your book goes to the printer or publisher and how you must proceed once your book is a book. Many authors grasp their newly published book in their hands and say, “I did it!” High fives all around. Maybe they pour the bubbly and celebrate their accomplishment. And then they go to work on the sequel or turn away from writing/publishing altogether and put their energy into their job or take a vacation. Wrong! So wrong! That is if you hope to sell copies of your book.

Most authors don’t know quite what to do once their book is published. Some are well informed about book promotion and marketing, but they don’t know where to start and how to proceed. Many have never even considered life after a published book—they just figured things would fall into place or, as a few authors have actually told me, they expect the book to “sell itself.”

If you are writing a book or plan to write a book and you have every hope and desire of earning your investment back or of making some money—in other words, if you want people to read your book—this is an excellent opportunity for you to learn how to make that happen.

Let me suggest that you start your education by reading “Publish Your Book.” I wrote this book in order to educate and inform hopeful and struggling authors so they understand their options and their responsibilities as a published author and so they can learn how to more successfully navigate the highly competitive publishing industry. This book is considered a must-read for anyone who aspires to be a successful published author. If you are confused about your publishing options, this book offers an explanation of your options and a guide for helping you choose the one that is right for you and for your particularly project. And it is full of anecdotes and resources.

If you are well-informed about publishing, and you have a book or will soon, read “Promote Your Book.” This is your complete guide to what comes after publication. It is an overview of book promotion and a serious guide for anyone with a book to promote.

“Talk Up Your Book” teaches and encourages you to use your personality to promote your book through public appearances as well as everyday communication. You’ll learn more about speech-writing, rehearsing presentations, deliveries, how to handle hecklers, the question and answer period, how to sell more books at book festivals, signings and such, radio/TV interviews and more. This is the book that will help you to refine your communication and speaking skills and learn how to use them to your advantage in promoting your book.

All of these books are available at Amazon.com and most other online and downtown bookstores. They can also be ordered at http://www.matilijapress.com

If you are seeking an interesting book for someone special on your gift list, check out some of the other books by Patricia Fry at http://www.matilijapress.com

“Quest for Truth,” a metaphysical memoir—quite an adventure.
“Catscapades, True Cat Tales—Illustrated
“Creative Grandparenting Across the Miles,” how to bond with grandchildren who live far away.

Posted in Announcements, Publishing | No Comments »

How to Prepare for Publishing Success

Sunday, October 28th, 2012

Are you planning to write a book for publication? Are you in the process of writing a book? How are you preparing for this event?

Learn what you should be doing now to prepare for publishing success. Download my FREE ebooklet, “50 Ways to Prepare for Publishing Success.” http://patriciafry.com

Perhaps you have a book to promote and it isn’t going very well. Yesterday, we talked a little about what can happen when you don’t promote your book. Not only can you lose the money you put up to produce it, you can lose out on opportunities.

Are you aware that traditional publishers will accept books produced by the author or a pay-to-publish company? But do you think one would take on your book if you haven’t been promoting it—if you don’t have a marketing plan—if you don’t have a platform? You can’t approach a publisher and say, “I self-published this book and couldn’t sell very many copies. Would you be interested in publishing it?”

If you want to share your thoughts with readers, teach or inform or entertain them; if you want to sell tons of books and make a lot of money; if you want to become known as an expert in your field, it is up to you to promote your book and make those sales. And this is true whether you self-publish, go with a pay-to-publish company or land a traditional publisher.

This is not news to you. But many of you are resisting this truth. If you come out of your writing room even briefly to find out what’s going on above ground within the publishing industry, you hear and read that you will be responsible for promoting your book. But it doesn’t mean much to you at this point, does it?

All you are interested in right now is finishing your book. You’ll deal with the rest of it when the time comes. I maintain that no matter where you are in the writing or publishing process, the time to start promoting your book is now. And what is the most effective way to sell books? Through your personality.

Order your copy of my brand new book for authors: Talk Up Your Book, How to Sell Your Book Through Public Speaking, Interviews, Signings, Festivals, Conferences and More.

And then read Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author.

Order them both here:
http://www.matilijapress.com

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How to Land a Traditional Publisher

Saturday, October 20th, 2012

Yesterday, we talked about how to locate a publisher. I’m sure that those of you who formerly bought into the rumors that publishers will not publish books by first time authors and that it’s impossible to get a publisher and so forth, found the post encouraging.

Today, we’re talking about how to land one of those publishers. And surely you know that this is going to depend entirely on you.

It’s easy to locate and sign with a pay-to-publish company. But if you want a regular publisher’s name on the spine of your book, it will require a measure of effort and professionalism from you.

1: First, write a nonfiction book that matters to a large segment of people, one that isn’t overdone (the market isn’t saturated with books on this topic) or a fiction book in a popular genre.

2: Begin now building or adding to your platform and compiling your marketing plan. No matter which publishing option you choose, you are responsible for promoting your book.

3: Write well. If you aren’t sure if your writing is up to par, join a good writers critique group.

4. Edit, edit, edit that book. And then turn it over to a professional book editor before showing it around to any publisher.

5: Approach only those publishers who produce books like yours. But first, study their submission guidelines and follow them. You’ll generally find submission guidelines at the publisher’s website. If not, contact them and ask for a copy. If they want to see a query letter and a synopsis, do not send your entire manuscript, for example.

6: Always, always present yourself and your project in a professional manner.

7: If you are presented with a contract, hire a publishing attorney to look it over before you sign it.

8: If your book is accepted, expect to be asked to make some changes or to thoroughly proof the book after it goes through their editing process.

9: Put your marketing plan into action as soon as you receive your copies of the finished book.

10: Work with the publishing company’s publicist to promote your book. And plan to promote it for as long as you want it to sell.

The time, energy and effort you pour into your book from start to finish will be rewarded by, perhaps, a publishing contract and impressive sales.

If you plan to promote your book through presentations and other activities that require clear communication, you really ought to read my brand new book, “Talk Up Your Book, How to Sell Your Book Through Public Speaking, Interviews, Signings, Festivals, Conferences and More.” Order it through Amazon.com. Type in “Talk Up Your Book,” in quotes, like this or Talk Up Your Book and my name, Patricia Fry. While you’re there checking it out, “like” it.

It has a unique cover—what do you think? PLFry620@yahoo.com

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How to Find a Publisher 101

Friday, October 19th, 2012

Few authors seek out a traditional publisher as a first step any more. They hear how hard it is to get a publisher interested in a manuscript, so they opt for the easier, quicker way and sign with an eager pay-to-publish company.

Folks, there are hundreds and hundreds of traditional royalty publishers out there right now hoping for a book that will make them some money. They are not in the market of rejecting manuscripts. They actually want to receive good projects from astute and conscientious authors.

So why do so many authors choose to go the pay-to-publish route as a first option?
• They don’t think their project measures up. It’s not good enough.
• They don’t want to go the extra effort to improve their manuscript.
• They don’t want to have someone tell them to make changes.
• They don’t want to take the extra time it would take to locate and work with a traditional publisher.

And some of them simply aren’t aware that there may be a publisher out there for their project.

So how does one go about finding a traditional publisher?
• Use directories such as those listed at the end of this blog post.

• Check out books similar to yours to see who published them.

• Do an Internet search using keywords: “mystery publisher,” “publisher nonfiction pets,” etc.

• If you belong to SPAWN or another organization or writers group, check with members to find out who they would recommend. If that organization or club has a newsletter that features publishers in every issue (as SPAWN does), be sure to study each issue carefully.

• Subscribe to a magazine or newsletter that focuses on publishers and their current needs.

• Attend book festivals and visit publishers’ booths.

• Attend writers conferences and sit in on sessions presented by publishers, pick up their literature, have a conversation with some of them.

• Likewise, sign up for meetings with editors from publishing companies and agents at writers conferences and pitch your project.

• Volunteer to help the organizers of a writers conference. You may have the opportunity to socialize with publishers.

• Join publishing organizations, such as SPAWN, IBPA and some of those formed locally in your area. Publishers belong to these organizations.

So there are ten ways to meet and connect with publishers. Below I’ve listed a few directories you can access to locate the right publisher for your project.

Tomorrow, we’ll talk about how to land a publisher.

Writers Market is a print directory of publishers and much more. If you are writing a book or if you submit articles or stories to magazines, you must have this directory. It comes out annually around August/September.

Database for Writer’s Market
http://www.writersmarket.com

Additional publisher directories:
http://www.acqweb.org/pubr.html
http://www.publishersglobal.com/directory (worldwide

If you haven’t done so already, be sure to check out my latest book, Talk Up Your Book. It’s unique and it is incredibly important to the author who is in the least hesitant or adverse to go out and speak about his or her book. If you haven’t discovered it already, personality sells books. Talk Up Your Book helps you learn to speak in public with confidence, communicate with potential customers more easily, come up with presentation ideas for your fiction or nonfiction book and so much more. Order it at Amazon.com today. To locate it at amazon, type in the title with quotation marks around it. It’ll be up on my own website by next week.

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Who’s to Blame for Your Failed or Struggling Book?

Saturday, September 15th, 2012

Over the years, I’ve met hundreds of authors. Some of them are experiencing varying degrees of what they consider success. Many more of them are struggling. Some believe that the publishing system has failed them.

In reality, it is the author himself who has failed all on his own. How? First, he entered into a serious business that he knew nothing about. Let’s use Bob as an example. From the outside looking in, Bob thought he could see all he needed to know about the industry and how to participate as a published author. There were people eager to take his money and produce his book. Bob had met other authors with books, read about them, heard them speak at his church group and civic group meeting about their books. He had attended signings and book festivals. He believed that the book he was writing was every bit as good as some of those he saw on the market and better than many he had bought recently. He was sure that he had more on the ball than most of the authors he met.

Not only that, when he told people about his book, they appeared interested. He had every reason to believe that thousands of people would want it once he published it.

Unfortunately, Bob would most likely end up in the majority group of authors who sell fewer than 100 copies of their books. The number now is right at 78 percent. Why would Bob find himself among the 78 percent of authors who fail? Not because the system failed him, but because he did not take the time and effort to understand the system, his options and his responsibilities as a published author.

Bob remained on the outside looking in. The only involvement he had with the industry, was deciding to go with the first pay-to-publish company he found on the Internet. Soon he had a book to hold in his hands. Turns out it was not a well-written book. Bob was an accountant not a writer. He didn’t know how much better an experienced book editor could make it and why it was important to produce a well-written book. He didn’t have a clear understanding of his audience. In fact, he hadn’t given his audience any thought while he was planning and writing his book. This was simply a book he wanted to write. If he liked it, surely others would, too. And he didn’t know that it was his responsibility to promote his book to this audience. It didn’t occur to him to connect the dots from the process of producing a book to the ultimate end result—people purchasing it. He had no idea how to take his product from point A to point B. In fact, he didn’t even know to consider his book a product.

Just as there is an enormous amount of skill, talent, knowledge, time and energy that goes into becoming an Olympic swimmer, an expert equestrian, a successful restaurant owner or a sought-after actor, for example, so it is with successful publishing.

There’s more to this industry than what you see on the surface. If you want to become a successful part of it, you must invest and immerse yourself in it. The number one recommendation from any expert or professional worth his or her salt is to study the publishing industry.

Here’s my contribution to that end:
“Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author.” Order it from Amazon.com or any other online or downtown bookstore. Also available at my Matilija Press website. See below.

PLF620@yahoo.com
http://www.matilijapress.com
http://www.patriciafry.com

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Can You Publish Without Money?

Thursday, September 6th, 2012

I get this question from a hopeful author every once in a while: “I am an author, but I don’t have any money. Is there any way that I can get my book published?” Here’s how I typically respond to that question:
Sure you have a chance of getting published without spending money. Here are my recommendations:

1: Study the publishing industry so you know how it works, what your options are, the possible consequences of your choices and your responsibilities as a published author. There are good books on publishing and book promotion in the library system. There are many FREE enewsletters you can subscribe to, blogs by successful authors and professionals you can visit regularly and useful articles and resources at the websites of professionals and publishing organizations. There are writers’ groups and free programs for hopeful authors in most communities. Sometimes you can get scholarships to writers’ conferences, which provide great opportunities to learn more about writing and publishing as well as to meet author’s agents and editors from publishing companies.

2: Become the best writer that you can be. Practice, practice, practice. And attend critique groups to find out how your writing is affecting others—because it is others that you are, presumably, writing for. Sign up for free or inexpensive writing workshops through your community college or arts program.
3: When you are ready—you have done your work well—approach some of the many, many traditional royalty publishers with your project. A traditional publisher will invest in your book—no need to put out any of your own money. Your studies will help you to approach publishers in an appropriate manner with the appropriate material—a book proposal, for example.

4: If the publishers you want to approach require that you engage a literary agent, locate an appropriate one through Association of Author’s Representatives. A legitimate agent does not charge you. They take a percentage of what you negotiate with a publisher.

5: Some authors can find investors for their projects or advertisers. If you book is a local history, for example, you might be able to get a local bank or another business to advertise in the back of your book, thus help with the production of it. If it is on a topic or has a theme of interest to thousands (or millions), you might be able to get funding from an appropriate entity (organization, agency, institution, or even individual, for example). In other words, if your book focuses on caring for feral cats, going green or how to feed a family healthy meals for less, you might find an advocate or group that is interested in spreading this message to fund your project. A college or university might help you get a book on astronomy for beginners, cancer research, job search tips or parenting for the single mother produced and help you distribute it.

Can you get published when you don’t have any money? Certainly, but you’d better rely heavily on other attributes, such as creative-thinking, ability to think outside the box, persistence, patience, and the willingness to be proactive on your own behalf. Here are some additional suggestions:

• Read this blog regularly.
• Ask for the information you would like to see included in this blog.
• Visit my websites for information and resources.
• Sign up for my FREE ebooklet at patriciafry.com
• Read my books—you’ll find them in the library system.
• Sign up for SPAWNews. It’s FREE at spawn.org.

For those of you with a little money and a huge desire to succeed, order my latest book today: Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author. Available at Amazon.com and most other online and downtown bookstores. Or order a copy here: http://www.matilijapress.com

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