Few of the authors I meet online or in person even blog at all. Some are not on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or the myriad of others. Sadly, they are missing out on amazing promotional opportunities we did not have twenty or even ten years ago. And, because of this, they may be missing out on sales.

I’m not saying that an active blog or frequent posts at the most popular social media sites will result in immediate and continuous sales. But these activities afford the author exposure they cannot get any other way. Social media and an active blog should be part of your author’s promotional toolbox.

Have you even established a toolbox, yet? Some authors have an entire tool chest full of promotional ideas and activities they pursue. Others might simply rely on the tools that will fit into a simple tool belt. But I meet authors often who have not collected any tools or who have only a few scattered here and there.

Do you have a marketing plan? Builders work from blueprints. Landscapers draw up a plan before starting to plant. Authors without a marketing plan are often at a loss for how to proceed.

Many authors neglect to even think about their book’s future—they focus only on writing it and then finding the cheapest way to produce it. Once their book is in hand, they may contact their friends and family, tell their fellow parishioners about it, announce their book at the next meeting of their genealogy, garden, investment or RV club. Hey wait, there’s going to be a flea market in town. So they sign up for a booth and offer their books for sale there. And then they wonder, “Now what?” They discover that their tool belt is empty.

Your book is not going to sell by some magic that occurs just because this book exists. And, you should know that, book promotion is not a one-time proposition. In order to sell copies of your book, you’re going to have to tell people about it—lots and lots of people. Your book needs all of the exposure it can get. You must begin the process of branding yourself—becoming known as the author of this book—perhaps, an expert in your field. And this takes constant exposure.

That’s why I urge you to get involved in social media. Start blogging and be consistent. If you are blogging regularly on topics related to your book topic or genre, Google will bring people to your blog site. If you are speaking at conferences related to the theme of your book, giving talks at a variety of organization meetings, presenting workshops on your own, contributing articles/stories for publication, commenting or posting on other blogs, you have a presence at various social media sites, you have a great website and advertise it widely, you attend book festivals with your book and pursue other activities designed to capture the attention of your audience, you have an impressive author’s toolbox and you will sell books.

Visit my websites:
http://www.matilijapress.com
http://www.patriciafry.com

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
http://wwwmatilijapress.com

I started thinking about this strange (to me) phenomenon of wanting to write—even having the skills—but just not doing it. While it is foreign to me, I actually get similar questions from others, occasionally. Authors will say, “I just can’t make myself sit down and finish my novel.”

Here are my suggestions for those who are suffering from any form of writer’s block. This might include those who are temporarily blocked as well as those who haven’t written a word in years.

I believe that there has to be a strong enough motivation for a writer to write. For me, initially, I had to justify the time I spent doing what I love—writing. And I did so by pursuing publication. I guess that, while I’m driven (it’s 4:45 a.m. as I write this, for example), I felt that writing for writing’s sake was a bit frivolous, so I was motivated to get my writing published in order to prove (to myself) that I was spending my time doing something worthwhile.

Other writers might have different motivations:
• a strong desire to help others through their stories.

• a need to be heard/read.

• a longing for greater understanding of self and others through the process of writing.

• a need to earn money through writing.

I tell people who feel stuck—who can’t seem to focus on their projects at hand—to write something else. And this is what I told the writer yesterday. Maybe you’re trying to write your memoirs or some other emotionally-charged story. If you find yourself procrastinating, perhaps it is because you are not ready to relive an event of your past. Instead of quitting, take a break from your primary project and write something else—a humorous piece, poetry, a how-to based on something that interests you or a companion booklet to your primary project. For example, you could come out with a booklet of family recipes and tell a story about how they each came about. Compile a booklet of resources for something related to your initial story—resources for parents with an autistic child, for people who own handicapped pets, for caretakers of the elderly, etc.

If you are stuck on a book project, write a few articles or stories in your genre. This is highly recommended as a way to build your platform, anyway—for when you finally do produce your book.

Start a blog and post to it regularly. Imagine that there are visitors who depend on the wisdom or frivolity in your blog every day. Write for them—so as not to disappoint them.

Likewise, maybe if you think about your audience instead of your own emotions, weariness, disinterest or whatever, you will spend more time writing. Don’t you owe it to your audience to provide them with the information in your book? Wasn’t your primary reason for writing this book to help people or to entertain them? By not writing it, you are letting them down. Perhaps this mindset will help you to break through the tendency to procrastinate.

Everyone procrastinates sometimes. We all avoid projects, at least for brief time periods. We all experience minor blocks. But if you haven’t written anything in months or years and you truly have a book you want to write, consider my message this morning.

If you need more strict guidance, I would suggest the following:
• Join a writers group and participate fully.

• Set aside one hour per day to write and follow through.

• Engage a writing buddy or mentor.

• If you can’t work on your project, write something else—a children’s story, a poem, an account of a recent outing or trip.

• Purchase a book of writing prompts and use it every day.

• Locate writing prompts online—use keyword, “writing prompts.”

Visit my websites:
http://www.patriciafry.com (sign up for a free book.)
http://www.matilijapress.com

While we typically think of branding for companies—Ford, McDonalds, Purina, etc.—individuals can also brand themselves. Here are a few ways that authors and freelance writers can create their own brands—brand their own names.

• Write books under your name in the field in which you want to be recognized or associated.

• Submit articles/stories to a variety of appropriate publications on your topic/in your genre, in order to become more well-known.

• Get out and speak to your peers and others who are interested in your topic/genre.

• Create a website.

• Blog regularly at your own blog site and comment and be a guest blogger at other sites.

• Sign up for accounts at Facebook, Twitter and other appropriate social media sites and keep them active.

What? This is the same stuff I suggest that you do in order to promote your book, build your platform, gain credibility in your field or genre. That’s right. It’s a matter of putting yourself out there before your audience—becoming known and respected as an expert, as an author, as a freelance writer.

Is it starting to make sense? So what will you do today toward building your brand?

http://www.patriciafry.com
http://www.matilijapress.com

These are two questions I invariably get from people I haven’t seen in a while. My response to the first question typically generates a polite smile. When I answer the second one, the weak smile turns into a blank stare. It seems that the only people who “get” the concept of writing for a living are others who write for a living or dream of doing so.

When I excitedly tell folks that a publisher just picked up my book on book marketing, they totally lose interest—unless I’m talking to another author.

Sometimes I wish I wrote fiction because everyone understands fiction-writing. Everyone I meet would be interested in hearing about my upcoming novel. Fiction is more universally accepted than niche nonfiction. Actually, I thought that I would get a different response from people when I told them about my cat stories book. And there were some who seemed to care.

When I was writing that book and someone would ask, “What are you working on?” I’d gleefully say, “I’m writing a book of true cat stories. They are fun, quirky and delightful.” Sometimes folks would say, “Oh, I know someone who would just love that book.” Others gave me the familiar blank stare.

As authors, we know that the audience for our books—no matter the topic/genre—is not everyone. And we also know that the writers’ life is a mystery to most. Non-writers see us as highly emotional people who write only when inspired. The rest of the time we are waiting for inspiration. Not so! At least not so for those who consider writing as a business, like I do.

When people ask what magazines my articles have appeared in lately, they hope to hear a familiar title. But, alas, even if I were to start reciting names, there would be no sign of recognition from my non-writer friends and acquaintances. Who, among them have heard of, “Publishing Basics,” “Book Promotion Newsletter,” “Writer’s Journal?” Sigh!

What they do understand is when I tell them how many books I have produced over the years. Most are aware of maybe one of my books and figure that is my one and only. When I allude to “31 and counting,” they are often blown away.

How do you represent your writing career to others? How do others respond when you tell them you are writing a book or that your article was accepted by “Dishpan Hands Journal,” or “Wayward Youth Magazine?” Do you get the blank stares?

I’ve come to realize that if that person tried to explain to me what they do in their job as property manager or technical advisor or food products supervisor, they would be getting a blank stare from me. It seems that, in order to “get it” you really have to live it—experience it.

So what’s the point of my post today? Simply that the writing career you have carved out for yourself or the book project you are involved in is probably a valid undertaking and that it doesn’t matter how other people respond when you tell them about it. Most likely, you will get the blank stare because they just don’t understand the concept of your lifestyle or your dream—just as you would have trouble comprehending theirs. So keep on keeping on and enjoy the journey.

http://www.patriciafry.com
http://www.matilijapress.com

This is a good way to meet members of your audience—your readers. You can engage in dialog with them and, perhaps, prompt them to purchase your book. You can add their names to your mailing list and contact them whenever you have something to announce—a new book, for example.

I had my webmaster add a sign-up feature at my new PatriciaFry.com website recently and it has been a worthwhile business decision and lots of fun. I’m meeting other authors, finding out who is stopping by my site and why and selling products and services to new customers.

Site visitors are more apt to sign up if you are giving something away. I prepared an excerpt from my ebook, The Successful Author’s Handbook as my free give-away. And that might change over time—I’ll come up with other reports, excerpts, booklets, etc. to offer those who will take the time to sign-up at my website.

Do you have a sign-up feature at your website? I’d like to hear what you offer those who sign up and how this option serves you.

http://www.patriciafry.com
http://www.matilijapress.com

You see, beyond the topic and genre of the book—beyond the proposed audience—beyond the author’s limitations, capabilities and skills—book promotion is a rather variable concept. It is not an exact science. So what works for one author and one book, might or might not work for you.

I liken book promotion to gardening. From my own experiences and those of my clients and SPAWN members, I find the task of book promotion to be a pretty much an experiment. And the experimentation may go on for the life of the book.

In my garden, I am constantly trying new plants and moving plants to new spots. Amazingly, while something might struggle and even die in one flower bed, it may thrive in another. One year, I might prune a plant to keep it healthy and two years later, it grows better without pruning. There are constant questions: to mulch or not to mulch; what type of fertilizer should be used and how often; whether to start plants or plant seeds; to plant in the ground or in a pot and then there’s the issue of watering—when, how much, how often… There are thousands of plant choices and landscaping designs.

And there are wide varieties in how people approach their garden spaces. While some homeowners choose to neglect their yards—leave the plants to die and the weeds to take over—others spend hours each week tending their expertly manicured gardens. The care of these yards is not left to chance. The owners experiment and they study. They are in a constant state of activity and nurturing. And the results of their efforts are noticeable.

It’s the same with book promotion. As an author, you must study the world of bookselling and book promotion. In order to hit upon the promotional activities that work best for you and your book, you may need to try many different things. And once you hit upon those that work well for your book, it’s a matter of continuing along this vein, maintaining your momentum.

It seems, sometimes, that my garden is in control. The various plants have their specific needs and requirements. It’s up to me to discover exactly what they need and provide it. If I don’t get it right, the plant will not thrive—it may not even survive. It’s the same with a book. As an author, you may not be absolutely in control. Your idea of promoting your book might be to get it into bookstores or to promote online, only. But if your primary audience is not looking for books like yours through these avenues, that book will not thrive.

In order to succeed in gardening, you must do what’s in each plant’s best interest. The same is true of successful authorship.

For more words of wisdom, author services and books on publishing and book promotion, visit my websites:
http://www.patriciafry.com
http://www.matilijapress.com

One solution is to hire someone to help. Of course, you could pay a hefty sum and get a lot of help and expertise from a publicist. But you’d better be ready to go out and do a lot of speaking and signings and other activities he or she will arrange for you.

Or you can hire a friend, colleague, acquaintance, intern or even a high school student to take on some of your book-related tasks. So what can others do for you to help with your workload? Plenty!

1: Have your helper email and/or mail news releases and press kits, requests for book reviews, and even compile and distribute your monthly newsletter, etc. You can create the template or train him or her to.

2: He or she can research various speaking venues for you and contact the program chairmen to set up a presentation schedule for you. This could include conferences related to your topic, book signings and so forth.

3: They can keep your website updated with your list of speaking engagements, news to report, posting new articles and resources, etc.

4: Have someone handle your shipping responsibilities, including sending out review copies.

5: They can research review opportunities for your book and other opportunities for your book.

6: Ask this person to follow-up on review copies sent, your requests to give presentations, etc.

7: Have this helper set up radio show interviews and invitations to be a guest blogger at appropriate blog sites. They can also comment for you at appropriate blog sites.

8: They can seek out contests you can enter with your book.

9: The right person can post to your blog every day or several times each week.

10: Have them seek out article-writing opportunities related to the theme/genre of your book and send queries.

11: Following up is one of the tasks authors tend to neglect. But a paid helper can take over this job. Wouldn’t it be nice to have someone else make those mundane, but all important, phone calls to book reviewers, reporters, editors and others who might need prodding with regard to promoting your book?

12: This person could also make sure that reviewers post their reviews at your amazon.com page and they can post them at your website.

13: Perhaps he or she can go through the process of getting you set up at amazon and other online bookseller sites.

14: She can collect and keep track of favorable comments from readers and post them where appropriate.

15: This person could also do your filing and keep your office more organized.

Doesn’t the idea of having these things taken care of without actually having to do them yourself sound heavenly? Just imagine the time you would have to use in writing those articles you should be submitting, developing and presenting presentations, being interviewed on radio/TV, writing your next book and maybe even taking a stroll along the countryside occasionally.

How much is this liable to cost you? Not nearly as much as it would cost if you neglect to pursue these promotional activities at all due to lack of time or organizational skills.

Think about it. I’ve hired people to help in my office over the years and I’m seriously thinking about doing it again. While I am so busy editing and coaching, my promotional efforts are being sorely neglected. I could use some help keeping up my Catscapades blog, promoting the Catscapades book, doing follow-up work and keeping up with my attempt to organize my office. How about you?

http://www.patriciafry.com
http://www.matilijapress.com

You put everything you have into writing this book. It’s darn hard work—harder than you thought it would be. But you feel an obligation to your audience. You definitely have something they need and you must get it to them.

Finally the manuscript is completed. You are thrilled. You feel that awesome sense of accomplishment. You’re almost to the finish line with your dream. Now it’s just a simple matter of getting it published.

Things bog down a little now. You had no idea how confusing this phase of producing a book would be. There are so many options. And you are more eager than ever to get your book into the hands of those who need it. So you just close your eyes and point. Now you’ve chosen a publisher. It costs you some money and the rules of the publishing game are different than you expected. But, hey, you are going to be a published author and your book will be available to people who can definitely use it.

Fast forward six months. You are bordering on depression. You are a published author, but things aren’t going as you dreamed they would. People are not scrambling to buy your book. In fact you haven’t sold enough copies to pay off your publishing debt. You have tried to do a little promotion, but you are pretty much at a loss as to how to reach your audience. Being a published author is a lot different than you thought it would be. You’ve had a few book signings locally, but hardly anyone showed up. You announced your book in your club newsletter and at a friend’s website, but that didn’t spur any sales. Your “publisher” said he would put your book on amazon.com and get it into bookstores, but that hasn’t happened. You wonder, “What now?”

And you set out to seek answers and camaraderie from other authors and publishing professionals. You learn fairly quickly that you made some mistakes—the first one being that you entered a major business with little or no knowledge of the industry. What were you thinking?

Sure there are people out there who can help you to repair your mistakes. I’ve written a book for this purpose. Check out The Author’s Repair Kit here: http://www.matilijapress.com/author_repairkit.html

You can start over by studying the publishing industry and writing a book proposal. You may or may not realize that you’ve written the wrong book for the wrong audience. Perhaps it is a bulldozer book—a book designed to change minds. Perhaps you should have your manuscript evaluated by a good editor to make sure the writing is clear and your book well-organized. And, while you’re at it, you’ll want to more clearly outline a marketing plan. Who is your true audience, why would they care about your book, what would entice them to buy it, where will you find these customers and what is the best way to approach them?

You wish you’d thought of these things before writing the book.

I can almost see some of you nodding your heads and hear you murmuring, “I resemble her remarks. I jumped into publishing with both feet before actually realizing what I was doing.”

If you are just starting out with your dream of becoming a published author, let this blog post interrupt that dream long enough to help you more successfully pursue it.

The publishing dream in America is not dead. It’s still possible to experience success as a published author. But the path may be much different than you envision and it may be necessary for you to change some of your preconceived ideas about your dream project.

All I’m asking of you today is that, before you start writing that book—definitely before you pursue a publishing contract—study the publishing industry. This means subscribe to industry and organization newsletters AND READ THEM, read books by the professionals—Patricia Fry, Dan Poynter, Brian Jud, John Kremer, Penny Sansevieri and others. Attend writers/publishing conferences and writers’ group meetings. I highly recommend my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

Write a book proposal. And then run it by a professional. Most authors write weak proposals. Someone with experience can help you to write one that is more meaningful, which will point you in a more realistic direction.

Have a marketing plan in place before launching a book.

This whole publishing arena can be confusing. But if you take it one step at a time—choosing the right steps—you are more likely to succeed as a published author.

Visit my websites for lots more information:
http://www.patriciafry.com
http://www.matilijapress.com

Nothing is as valuable to a new author who is seeking even minor success, as the assistance of a seasoned publishing professional who will guide you through the process.

Your publishing success depends on you. You must,
• Create a worthwhile product that is needed/wanted.
• Make the right choices on behalf of your project.

Depending on your choice of professionals and what you are willing to pay for, a book editor, book shepherd, professional mentor, etc. can potentially edit your manuscript and even teach you some important lessons in how to revise your own text. He or she can instruct you in writing a more powerful book proposal, show you how to navigate the publishing industry, assist you in creating a marketing plan and advise you in actively pursuing the appropriate promotional activities. It is your job to learn as much as you can through the guidance of your editor/mentor.

It does you no good to pay for help developing a book proposal, for example, and not take advantage of the learning experience. You may plan never to write another book and feel that you do not need to fully understand the concept of creating a strong marketing section, fleshing out the chapter summaries, etc. But even if you don’t produce another book in the future, what you learn from the book proposal process can go a long way toward your understanding of the whole book promotion process and mindset. What you learn through the book proposal process can assist you greatly in your marketing endeavors.

It’s sort of like when I quit smoking many years ago. I didn’t think I could do it. But when I did, I realized that I was strong enough to overcome any habit I chose to stop. I gained a huge new boost of confidence in my abilities and I certainly acquired some tools I could use in many situations over time.

Getting through your first book proposal is sort of like overcoming any other obstacle, block or challenge. But if you don’t get professional help with it, you may miss out on major learning opportunities. And if you don’t pay attention to what the professional is trying to teach you, you will lose out on something of value that could ultimately affect the success of your book.

Visit me at my websites. Sign up for a free book:
http://www.patriciafry.com
http://www.matilijapress.com