Writing and Publishing News

If you are new to the term and premise of a blog tour, refer to my February 21, 2015 post.

This post is for those who are ready to move forward with their tour. It’s all about the details.

Planning a blog tour can be a fun activity. But there are a lot of details to keep track of, so it can be time-consuming and a little confusing at times. That’s why it is vital that you keep excellent, clear, concise records!

Do not rely on your memory because, as you communicate with each blog host and work out the details of each stopover, things can become convoluted—did she want a story from the cat’s point of view? Is she doing a review or does she want me to write a post? Which one of these hosts asked for three photos? Who has the cover images and who requested them? Oh my!

I log each date of the tour, note the name of each host, name of the blog, and the exact, correct link. Leave enough space for your comments and notes. Post the date when you sent the requested material. Then, if you need to double-check on something, you can locate the email trail more easily.

I find it helpful to note the titles of my guest posts because some of them might be similar. And include the name you saved it under in case you need to reference it again. I said that some of your posts might be similar—yes, in a general way. However, it will be worth your time and energy to make your guest posts as different and diverse as possible. For some of you, this can be a huge challenge. It’s also an excellent exercise for an author who is serious about promoting his or her book.

Why? You want your promo material to be fresh. Many of your potential readers will see your marketing efforts in a variety of places. Creativity and diversity will attract them sooner than will the same mundane advertisement.

Learn more about my upcoming blog tour (March 9-15) here: http://bit.ly/1M4Ckld And be sure to journey along with us.

I’m planning another blog tour in order to promote my Klepto Cat Mystery series. I’ve shared with you before, the process of setting up and managing a blog tour. In case I missed some of the important points, or you missed that post, here’s a rundown.

Why launch a blog tour?

It’s a good way to get publicity for your book. When you contact bloggers who maintain blog sites related to the theme/genre of your book, they become aware of your book. If they choose to be a part of your blog tour or not, they will surely review your book or mention it in a post or two. They might feature your book at their blog site. If they participate in your tour, they’ll provide even more exposure for your book or series, as both of you will promote the blog through your social media accounts the day your review or guest post is published. It surprises me how many people who visit blogs related to the theme of my book series are not aware of my books. I find the blog tour a great way to spread the word to a wider audience base.

How do you find bloggers?

I do an Internet search seeking those who blog about cats and/or cozy mysteries. When I visit a blog site, I check out a few posts to learn whether this blogger posts book reviews or guest blogs. I also check to see how active their visitors are—does this site get a lot of comments? Does it appear there are a lot of visitors? If so, and if their audience seems to be my audience, I contact the blogger to invite them to be a part of my blog tour.

Some bloggers list links to dozens of related sites at their sites. Now this is an easy, albeit sometimes time-consuming, way to locate other potential stops on my blog tour.

How do you approach bloggers?

I locate their contact information. Sometimes it’s a contact form, other times they provide an email address. I tell them about my book or series, inform them of my blog tour, and ask if they’d like to participate. I generally ask for a review of the book. If that isn’t possible—the blogger doesn’t do book reviews or she is booked up through the dates of my tour—I’ll have a few ideas to offer in the form of a guest post. Typically, I’ll write about writing with cats, how I came to write the Klepto Cat Mystery series, my process for developing my characters or the plots, a post from one of my characters’ points of view, or I might even write from my cat character’s perspective. It depends on the nature of the blog site and the type of audience they attract.

What can you expect?

As it is in life and other business dealings, some bloggers are savvy, organized, and easy to work with. Others are not familiar with the blog tour or they aren’t good at returning emails. Some are welcoming and others prefer doing their own thing. Your job is to be clear in your intentions and expectations and hold up your end of the discussion or agreement. When you really, really want to connect with a blogger who hasn’t responded, respectfully follow up. If the blogger wants something you didn’t expect, be willing to supply it.

For example, I’m setting up my tour for the second week in March, but one blogger plans to travel during that time and needed the post this week. Of course, I dropped everything and wrote my guest blog for her that day.

What’s your role?

The two most important things on your plate, once you’ve set up your tour—you’ve filled each day of your tour with a suitable blog stop—are organization and follow-through. Organizing a blog tour is not always easy, especially when bloggers want to make changes in their day or they ask you to write something that’s outside your comfort zone. Keep good and thorough records. I made a mistake this week. I confused two bloggers with similar names and sent the wrong one my early blog post. No harm done—the one I sent it to loves it and will use it on her day of the tour. The other one didn’t actually need the post early. Somehow I got my wires crossed. It is important to include in your records, the name of the blogger, title of the blog site, link, and contact information. Also note the date of their stop-over and your planned contribution, whether it is a free copy of your book to review or an original post.

Miscellaneous Notes.

I would start planning a blog tour a month in advance—especially the first one. Start promoting the blog tour two weeks ahead. The day of each stop-over, talk about that post and the host blog in your own blog, on your facebook page, at twitter, etc. And suggest that the blogger host do the same.

Some authors typically offer free copies of his/her book to someone who comments at the site the day of your stop-over. Check with each individual blogging host about doing this. If you will offer a print book, you might specify that the winner must live within your home country. For me, it would be the US.

A blog tour can last a few days or a couple of weeks. I play safe and run mine for a week. Since I typically contact more than 7 bloggers, if 10 of them come back wanting a spot on my tour, I will run it for 10 days. It’s easier to be flexible after that first blog tour. I’d suggest keeping it simple at first—3 or 4 days, perhaps.

Let me know if you have any questions about launching or managing a blog book tour. Leave a message here or contact me here: PLFry620@yahoo.com

In the meantime, check out Mansion of Meows. This is number 9 in the Klepto Cat Mystery series. The book is getting great reviews. Even my mother said she couldn’t put it down. Naw, she doesn’t love everything I write. But she sure liked this one. http://amzn.to/1kAI8I2

Yes, I’m in promotion mode again. Well, an author who wants to sell books should be in promotion mode all the time—handing out bookmarks, talking about your book, dropping copies off in hospital lobbies and doctor office waiting rooms, for example. But there are times when an author must shift his/her promotional efforts into high gear.

My latest Klepto Cat Mystery, Mansion of Meows is out! It debuted last week. So I am contacting my email list to make the big announcement. I’m getting in touch with those who have reviewed at least some of the other eight books in the series. I’m setting up a blog tour for a week in March. A blog tour is where you schedule visits to a different blog site each day where either the blogger writes a review of the book or the author is guest blogger. Sometimes you offer a free book to one of the visitors. That generally attracts more comments—folks who comment are automatically in the drawing.

During this sort of promotion blast, you might leave comments at appropriate blogs. I don’t use this opportunity to simply announce my new book. I find a topic I can legitimately comment on and maybe mention the book in passing or note it along with my name at the end of the comment.

I used to try locating some of those who leave positive reviews of my books at Amazon. But that turned out to be a go-nowhere proposition. Such a shame. There are sometimes negative remarks I’d like to follow up on. If there’s a problem for a reader, I want to see if I can fix it—but I can’t fix it if I can’t have dialog with that reader. These negative reviewers often just hit and run.

As for those leaving positive reviews, even though they might leave a name, it is usually impossible to locate them. What do they do—use a fictitious reviewer name? I know that some of them are legitimate reviewers with websites and blog sites. But locating them is a mostly impossible chore.

But, alas, Amazon, for the most part, has our back. If you—the author—are promoting your book and sales are substantial, the folks at Amazon will promote your book to those who have bought your other books. That’s the beauty of the series.

Authors use their social media sites to keep potential readers informed about their books.

Another way you can promote your new book is to blog about it. I have two blog sites. One is devoted to cats and cat books. http://www.matilijapress.com/catscapades I’ve already posted an announcement there. Why not also bring it up here? Some of you might be interested in cozy mysteries and cats. So what is the premise of the Klepto Cat Mysteries?

Description

The Klepto Cat Mysteries are light, fun cozy mysteries full of adventure, intrigue, and a little romance. They feature Rags, an ordinary cat who just can’t keep his paws off other people’s things. Often, the treasures he finds are clues in a mystery. Follow Rags’s fascinating life path from when he and Savannah were single and he roamed the neighborhood stealing everything from toys belonging to large dogs to jewelry and bathing suits. Rags and Savannah don’t stay single long. After meeting Michael, a handsome veterinarian, Savannah settles down, but the cat doesn’t change his thieving ways. Even though his kleptomaniac habit is annoying and embarrassing to his family, he has earned the respect of the local sheriff’s department and he was even asked to star in a documentary.

Mansion of Meows is number 9 in the series. This is probably the most eerie of the stories. The Iveys take Rags to the premiere of his documentary, which is held at a mansion in San Francisco. This mansion has a deep, dark secret; and leave it to Rags to discover it. What kind of guests accept your hospitality and, in exchange, reveal your dirtiest secret which sends the lord of the manor to jail? If you like adventure and drama, with a little fun and lightness along the way, you’ll enjoy Mansion of Meows. Available for your Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Mansion-Meows-Klepto-Mystery-Book-ebook/dp/B00TJ9D7T4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1424273448&sr=8-1&keywords=mansion+of+meows

I just ran another free promotion for one of my Klepto Cat Mysteries through the Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) program. It was The Colony Cat Caper Kindle version. During the three day promotion, there were nearly 12,000 downloads. WOW! That’s almost 12,000 mostly new potential readers.

Now the theory is that a good percentage of those people will love the book and BUY some of the other 7 Klepto Cat Mysteries. Although some will just continue to troll for free ebooks.

My growing collection of reviews might increase once all those new readers enjoy The Colony Cat Caper. However, not all of those readers will LOVE the book. Many of those who download free ebooks seem to do so randomly, not paying attention to the type of book they’re getting. Then, when it isn’t their cup of tea, they write a negative review.

Some authors maintain that I just threw $20,000.00 in the toilet by giving away all those ebooks. But I also may have gained a percentage of new readers. If only 1/3 of them purchase even half of the other books in the series, that’s a profit of $30,000 to $40,000. And remember, the promotion didn’t cost me anything in time or money.

If you dream of publishing a novel, have it edited before making any publishing decisions. Then consider publishing through the Kindle Direct Publishing program and promote, promote, promote—using KDP promotional opportunities and every means of publicity you can manage.

It may seem more prestigious to imagine readers sitting in airports, lounging on exotic shores, etc. happily reading from the hard copy of your beautiful book. But if you want to sell more books to more readers, consider producing an ebook through KDP.

Learn more about my Klepto Cat Mysteries here: http://www.matilijapress.com/Klepto-Cat-Mysteries

Order copies here: http://amzn.to/1kAI8I2

Learn more about the Kindle Direct Publishing program here: http://kdp.amazon.com

Many of you know that I’m sold on Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). This is an Amazon program for Kindle books. While I was in the process of writing my first Klepto Cat Mystery novel, I heard from a friend whose husband had published his first novel through this program. This unknown author had sold 2,000 copies within the first few months (as I recall). I was intrigued. So I became a KDP author from the get-go and have NOT been disappointed.

I’ve steered other authors in this direction, however, and they are not experiencing the success that I am. Why? Even though Amazon does a lot to promote your book for you, it is still—always has been and always will be—up to the author to promote his/her book. Those unknown authors who do not understand the concept that no one will buy your book if they don’t know it exists, are walking away from this program disappointed.

Some don’t think of an ebook as a valid book that you can easily promote. So they choose to publish print books. And this may be good and well for nonfiction. But I can tell you that my novels as ebooks are selling hundreds of copies more per week than the print versions of the same novels—it’s something like 50 or 60 to one most weeks.

Now let’s talk about promoting your ebook using some of the more traditional methods—public appearances, for example. You can still engage in public speaking, have booths at book festivals, etc. Here are some pointers:

• Create strong promotional material—a really nice brochure or bookmarks representing your ebook(s), maybe a professionally done mock-up of the ebook, and/or a book trailer showing on an electronic device for potential readers to view.
• Have a QR (Quick Response) Code placed on your promo material. Potential customers can scan the code with an app on their cell phones and use that information to order your ebook (or print book).

There are hundreds of additional methods of promoting your ebook. In fact, I’ve written a booklet called, 50 Ways to Promote Your Ebook. It sells for $1.99 here: http://www.matilijapress.com/50WaysToPromoteEBook.html Order your copy of this useful book today.

Whether you are the author of ebooks and need help with promotion or you are contemplating publishing one, this ebook is for you.

Some of you are familiar with my book, “Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author.” Throughout this book, I stress that it is for all authors of any type of book. I even provide examples for promoting many different genres. But more importantly, I clearly outline the principles of book promotion.

Yet, I still hear from my readers who ask, “Does your book apply to fiction?” “What about a book of poetry?” And so forth.

So let me lay it out for you again. Here are the principles of book promotion:

1: Before writing the book, identify your potential audience and write the book for that audience, whether it is students wanting to learn how to live on a budget, people who adore reading good poetry, folks who devour true crime stories, or children who enjoy adventure stories, for example. Again, identify your audience and write for that audience. Those thousands of authors who fail every year don’t have a clue as to who their audience is or how to reach them. They’re either not promoting their books or they’re using a scattershot method of trying to make book sales.

2: Hire a good book editor to help you tie up any loose ends. We all need an editor. Authors are too close to their own words. I also recommend, in some cases, to have others read your book. Astute readers will let you know if you’ve lost your reader, if the book drags in places, where you might offer more suspense, and so forth.

3: Outline your marketing plan even before your book is finished. Where are your readers? Where do they buy books? What entices them to buy books in this genre/topic? What’s the best way to approach them? There are several things you can do before your book is a book. For example, start a blog, establish a facebook page, build a website and start promoting these to your audience. Also create a massive email list of potential readers.

4: Once the book is a book, implement your plan. Announce your book at your social media accounts, your website, etc. Start contacting appropriate book reviewers. Visit websites and blogsites related to the theme or genre of your book and suggest a cooperative activity. You might be guest blogger, do a blog tour, ask to have your book featured at the site, etc. Locate groups relevant to your book’s theme/genre and arrange to speak to them, provide articles for their newsletter and so forth.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. There are hundreds of ways you can promote your book to your particular audience. All it takes is an understanding of the marketing culture when it comes to selling books and the willingness to step up on behalf of your book.

Read my book, “Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author.” (Most of the entries are actually NO-cost.) You’ll find this 200-page book at Amazon.com in print, audio, and on Kindle. It is also sold in bookstores everywhere. Or purchase your copy from the author here: http://www.matilijapress.com/PromoteYourBook.html

As authors, the more we put ourselves and our books out there, the more we subject ourselves to criticism. In fact, we even ask for it. A major method of promoting our books is to solicit book reviews. If your book is at Amazon.com and it is doing well, Amazon helps you out by asking your readers to comment about your book. If you buy books (and other items) through Amazon, you’ve probably received emails from them saying, “How many stars would you give such-and-such a book (or item)?”

And this is a good thing, right? Sure! Except for the fact that you don’t know what sort of response you’ll get from the reader or the reviewers you contact. One possibility is the “book report.”

Some readers don’t know the difference between a review (a critique—a personal opinion) and a book report (a summary of the book). You don’t need reviewers to summarize your story; you’ve done that in your book description at Amazon. What you’re seeking is the reviewer’s impressions—their evaluation of the book.

I had a reviewer (probably a reader) give one of my Klepto Cat Mysteries a 5-star rating recently and, in her accompanying comments, she revealed one of the main mysteries in the book. In the story, I carefully and purposefully keep readers in the dark about one of the mysteries until the 80% mark. But one reviewer felt it was her duty to expose this mystery thread to my reading public. What’s up with that?

Rather than a critique or impression of this book, she wrote a summary, including a fact that was carefully hidden until the last ten pages of the book.

Have any of you had a similar experience? Maddening, isn’t it?

What fun it is to be an author. This morning, I woke up to a treat! I’m guest blogger at Jenai’s Bookingly Yours Blog, talking about how I came to write my Klept Cat Mysteries. Check it out here: http://www.bookinglyyours.blogspot.com

This is actually one of many blogs where I’ve posted or where my books have been featured or reviewed. I’ve participated in many other blog sites over my career. If you’d like this sort of publicity for your book, just do as I do–seek out appropriate blogsites related to your book topic/genre, study the format–what opportunities do they offer authors–and contact the blogger with an idea that will benefit you both.

Researching appropriate blogsites can be time-consuming, but often worthwhile. You may find some helpful directories of blogsites (also try book reviewers), but mainly you’ll be using search tools to locate blogs appropriate to your topic/genre–aviation, dogs, rodeo, cozy mysteries, grandparenting, parenting multiples, crafting, suspense, etc.

Remember, you can’t sell a book no one knows about. Being featured at appropriate blogsites can help to spread the word.

Good luck!

This is the last in my publishing series. See others in this series posted at this blog site November 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 14 and 17.

Today, we’re discussing book promotion. But what you read here in this small space is only a snapshot of the reality of the topic. There are entire books written on the subject, including mine, Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author. Order your print copy here: http://www.matilijapress.com/PromoteYourBook.html or purchase a print, audio, or Kindle copy at www.amazon.com.

So you’ve been reading each post in this series and you have a much better understanding of publishing and your responsibilities throughout the process. Perhaps you’ve chosen a publishing method and have started production with your book. (Hopefully, you took time out to have your manuscript edited first.) Now it’s time to start promoting the book. You must spread the word; let your particular audience know it exists. Here are the steps to promoting a book:

• Know who your audience is.
• Know how to approach this particular audience and be willing to do so.
• Understand the concept of enticement—sharing the highlights and benefits of your book in order to pique consumer interest.
• Be consistent and persistent in promoting your book.

What is the best way to promote a book? It depends on the author and the book. It also depends on the audience. It is vital to know your audience, their habits, their interests, where they hang out, how/where they purchase their books. You need to offer them something they want—that, perhaps, they can’t get anywhere else. Then you must find a way to reach them and tell them about your book in such a way that they take a second look. For genre fiction, you want to offer your readers a story similar enough to those they’re familiar with so you satisfy the aspects they crave.

Your promotion material should be in alignment with the theme of your book—crisp, clean, and to the point or light, fun, and enticing, for example. When promoting a book, it’s important to share benefits rather than features. Sure, some features are important, too. A cook will appreciate a cookbook that lays flat, a hiker will be more interested in a book of hiking trails that fits in his pocket. So mention those features, as they can also be considered benefits. What other benefits do you provide for the author? Will the reader learn something new, be entertained, laugh out loud or even become thinner, richer, prettier, sexier, etc after reading your book? What’s in it for the reader?

I’ve met authors with amazing promotional material and creative handouts, which they distribute helter skelter. As I said above, it’s imperative that you write your book for a specific audience and then approach this audience with your promotional message. Too many authors simply email a few friends and family members to tell them about their book, then rely on their publishing company or service to spread the word. The author might create a website or blog site around the theme of their book, but neglect to promote it.

So what are some of the best ways to locate and approach your particular audience?

• Connect with organizations and clubs related to the topic or theme of your book. Speak at their meetings and conferences, run ads and/or articles in their newsletters, get involved in their discussion groups, ask to have your book featured at the organization site, use the member list to contact members individually and so forth.
• Likewise, submit stories/articles to magazines and newsletters published for your audience.
• Visit appropriate blog sites. Ask to be guest blogger, leave comments, ask to have your book reviewed, etc.
• Contact book reviewers and ask for book reviews.
• If your audience is among the general public—readers of historical fiction, caretakers of an elderly relative, parents of toddlers, pet owners, etc., go out and speak at civic club meetings, have a booth at local community events and, certainly, have your book for sale in local bookstores.

Book promotion today means reaching out. People buy books from authors they know and trust. So it is important that you mingle among potential customers.

I’m participating in a small neighborhood holiday boutique next month. I’ll have my Klepto Cat Mystery books (cozy mysteries) for sale. Although I talk about my books everywhere I go, I’m sure there are neighbors who don’t know about this series or who know about them, but haven’t had the opportunity to come face-to-face with the author (me) in a shopping environment. This is a good opportunity to sell books and to get additional exposure.

Now, go out and get that book of your dreams published. Remember the following:

• Choose a topic, theme, or genre that is salable. (Do you actually have an audience?)
• Study other books on this topic to make sure yours has something new and important to offer. Study other books in your genre to make sure you’re on track with your story.
• Hire a good book editor. (Contact me for a free estimate and sample edit.) PLFry620@yahoo.com  http://www.patriciafry.com
• Research your publishing options and choose carefully.
• Read a good book and follow blogs related to book marketing.
• Create your marketing plan early and expect to promote this book for as long as you want it to sell.

Most authors today sign with a pay-to-publish (or self-publishing) company. These companies have various options for authors, including the publication of a book in paperback and extra services for a fee, such as, editing, and various promotions packages. Some of those extras coming from these companies can be expensive and worth little or nothing.

I’ve talked to authors who said the editing services they paid for through their self-publishing company was nothing more than a mechanical spellcheck. Likewise, the promotions packages might consist of a generic press release sent to a generic list. Without a personal touch and without efforts to target the specific audience for a particular book, your marketing efforts can easily go astray. Turn this vital task over to a company whose primary purpose is to produce books, not market them, and you’re in for a huge disappointment.

So how much should you pay for a promotions package from your pay-to-publish company? Nothing. Marketing is not their business. If you want to pay for these services, hire a publicist, sign up with a book marketing company, hire someone you know who is a Cracker Jack promotions person, or manage this aspect of your business yourself (preferred).

I’ve spent a good portion of my career teaching and writing about how to promote a book without spending a lot of money. You might be interested in my most recent book on the topic, “Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author.” I maintain that the best marketing agent for your book is you and that you don’t have to spend a lot of money in order to promote a book.

Here are the basics:

• Know who your audience is and where they are.
• Write the book for your intended audience.
• Discover the best way to approach this particular audience.
• Put your book in front of them often.
• Make it easy for them to purchase your book.

In looking over this list, I can see that each of them could be developed into stand-alone articles. Those of you who have been following this blog series and who have been studying the publishing industry know what these points mean. Authors new to publishing may not. Let me know if you’d like me to flesh each of these topics out in future blog posts.

So what is the message I want you to walk away with today? If you want to become a published author, I urge you to take full responsibility for your book, including the marketing aspect. If you are clueless, read my book, “Promote Your Book,” available in print here: http://www.matilijapress.com/PromoteYourBook.html. Also at Amazon in print, audio and for your Kindle. It’s $19.95.