Archive for March, 2013

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Author Publicity Pays Off

Tuesday, March 5th, 2013

Does it sometimes seems that you are out there all alone with your book—that no one else really cares about it? You’re partly right. No one cares about it as much as you do. And that’s why you are the best and most effective person to promote it.

But doesn’t it sometimes seem as though you spend a lot of time for little return? You promote, promote, promote and your effort doesn’t compute into the return you expect. Making a sale is like pulling a tooth from an angry lion or gorilla. Sure, I sometimes question the effort I put in. We all do.

But I have to tell you that, if you are effectively promoting your book, if you are constantly spreading the word and getting tons of publicity, you are making an impression. And I can tell you this—if you stop promoting, your book will die.

Often, we don’t know which publicity tactics are working for us. It used to be that you could provide a code in your return address when advertising or promoting and, when you got a book order, you could tell from the code how the customer heard about your book. Today, it seems that most people order their books from Amazon or another favorite online or downtown bookstore and there is no way to know which of your publicity efforts are most effective.

Most of you know that I am the executive director of SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network). While I’m out promoting my books, I also promote SPAWN at my presentations/workshops, at book festivals, in my blog, in my bio when I’m guest blogger and at the end of my articles. We have a section on our membership form asking “How did you hear about us?” And we’ve learned that our promotion is effective. People do hold onto the promo material we hand out at events. They follow recommendations in the books they read (generally my books). They pay attention to my bio.

While some new members find us by doing an Internet search, it seems that the majority are responding to our strategic publicity.

Remember this message. If you want to connect with and attract your audience, you must go where they are, interact with them, make sure they walk away with something either through an article, book or blog or, when in person, a handout. If you are addressing your true audience with your promotional material, publicity, spiel, they will respond. If not now, later.

Learn more about using your personality to promote your book by reading my latest book, “Talk Up Your Book, How to Sell Your Book Through Public Speaking, Interviews, Signings, Festivals, Conferences and More.” It’s at amazon.com and most other online and downtown bookstores. In print, on kindle and now audio. Planning a road trip? Buy the audio version and learn as you drive.

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Sell More Books Through Your Personality

Monday, March 4th, 2013

If you’re not going out and speaking to groups about your book, you could be missing out on sales. I’ve heard authors say, “I’m not doing any more signings, I don’t sell enough books to make it worth my while.” Or “There’s no sense in spending my time speaking to groups, they never buy many books.”

Well, how many books do you sell when you stay home and watch television?

It’s true, you don’t always sell as many books as you hope when you go out and speak. On the other hand, sometimes you sell more than you expect to. And have you ever considered the other benefits of speaking to groups about your book? Here are a few:

• You get practice talking about your book. This is important if you want to stay on top of your marketing game.

• You get ideas for future presentations, blogs, articles/stories, your elevator speech and even additional books.

• You meet people with connections to library or bookstore sales, media, other groups that need speakers, conferences and so forth.

• It’s usually a fun, inspiring and interesting way to spend a few hours.

This week, why not start seeking new speaking opportunities through a local bookstore or library, at a specialty store related to the theme or topic of your book, at a church, for a civic group or organization, at a school or at a planned community event. If your presentation is conducive to the corporate sector, connect with hotels in your area and perhaps you can get on their list of programs to consider for their next big conference or convention. Locate clubs and organizations in the front pages of your phone book or at your Chamber of Commerce of city website.

Sure, you might only sell three to three dozen copies of your book at each event you schedule. But that’s still more than you would sell if you did nothing. Here’s a challenge: Plan three signings this year, speak at an event at your local library, have a booth at a flea market or book festival, present programs for three civic groups and you could sell dozens or hundreds of copies of your book. You could make meaningful connections that would result in additional opportunities and sales. And you could just have a really good time.

To learn more about promoting your book through your personality, order your copy of “Talk Up
Your Book, How to Sell Your Book Through Public Speaking, Interviews, Signings, Festivals, Conferences and More.” It’s at amazon.com in print, Kindle and audio. You’ll also find it at other online and downtown bookstores. Or order it here: http://www.matilijapress.com/TalkUpYourBook.html

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A Passion for Writing

Sunday, March 3rd, 2013

I heard a radio interview with a policeman last week. He said that serving as a peace officer was his passion. He couldn’t imagine doing anything else with his life. I realize that some of us are “called” to do certain types of work, such as nursing, fighting crime, volunteering within the community, building things, preaching, teaching… But it hadn’t occurred to me that there would be “passion” involved with something like police work.

Most of you reading this are authors. And you probably feel a passion for writing. If you’re like me, you can’t not write. It’s your creative outlet. The desire to write just bubbles out of you and it’s something that haunts you until you actually sit down and start writing. Only, there is no end. Your passion continues on after you finish your novel, write a few poems or complete your memoir. Is this you? Do you have a passion for writing?

Or are you writing simply to pass along information, share a concept or a story or preach, teach and nag on a topic of importance to you? Is your passion tied into the process of writing as it is for some of us or is it the passion for your topic or cause that excites you down to the bones?

I have been writing for over forty years. Early on, I discovered that I enjoyed composing stories and structuring articles so much that it felt almost sinful to spend time doing it. I was so in love with the process of writing that I had to find a way to justify doing it as often and for as many hours as I wanted. That’s why I started writing for publication. Well, then I got hooked on being published. The thrill and the challenge became almost as exciting for me as the process of writing. I guess that’s one reason why I was able to push through the constant rejection and keep on keeping on. (Well, there were many acceptances amidst the rejections—but as a writer, as many of you know, we do face rejection along the writing journey.)

I remember times when I was sitting at my electric typewriter composing a story or constructing an article and I would suddenly feel giddy because I was enjoying the work so much. I’d get a thrill from the creative process and watching the project come together. This still happens on occasion.

Forty years later, I still wake up eager to get to the computer and start my day of writing.

Over the years, however, my hands-on work requirement has changed somewhat. As an editor and teacher working with clients and students, a speaker and the head of SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network), I have a variety of responsibilities that are not writing-related. That’s why I enjoy writing this daily blog. I’m also currently working on a new ebooklet for you to download free from my website. I’m writing a few speeches for upcoming events. And, when I have time, I work on my latest novel—number four since last summer. What a joy this process has been.

So why do you write, is it your calling…spurred by a passion within your soul? I do meet authors who claim, “I am not a writer. But I just had to write this book.” The process of writing is more drudgery than pleasure for these people. But they are, no doubt, spurred on by their passion for their purpose.

Which author are you?

No matter where your passion and how strong your creativity urge, if you are writing or have written your book for publication, please educate yourself so you are prepared to succeed in the highly competitive publishing climate we’ve developed over the years. Read the book I wrote for you: “Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author.” It’s at Amazon.com in print, Kindle and audio as well as at most other online and downtown bookstores.

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Tough Love For Authors

Saturday, March 2nd, 2013

You’ve all heard of “tough love,” related to an errant teen. If your book isn’t performing as you had hoped, you might consider using tough love with it.

Sure, you want to coddle your wonderful book. You hope millions of people will buy it and love it as much as you do. But you don’t particularly want to put in the effort required—you don’t want to cause ripples or bother people. You expect interested readers to recognize the value in your book and rush to purchase it without your interference. Perhaps you find promotion distasteful. You really dislike hawking your book. The reality of today’s publishing climate, however, is such that you must be involved. Your dedicated, persistent attention is needed if you hope to sell more than a handful of copies of your fiction or nonfiction book.

In other words, you can’t just create it and then expect others to find it, recognize the value in it and grab it up all on their own. You must stand strong beside your book, confidently introduce it to the world and continually strive to convince your potential readers to buy it.

A meek author who does not wish to participate in marketing his or her book, who doesn’t have the time to do so and/or who doesn’t understand what it takes to sell books today, will be among the nearly 78 percent of authors who sell fewer than 100 books total. If this describes you, I suggest that you do one of two things:

1: Start training NOW for the marathon marketing program you must engage in if you want to sell books by the hundreds or thousands. Read “Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author” and “Talk Up Your Book, How to Sell Your Book Through Public Speaking, Interviews, Signings, Festivals, Conferences and More.” Read them, study them and constantly refer to them.

OR

2: Give up the idea of writing a book for publication. If you aspire to succeed without knowledge of the publishing industry and if you enter into this competitive industry without a clear understanding of marketing, you will be wasting time and money.

Order Patricia Fry’s books at Amazon.com and other online and downtown bookstores.
Publish Your Book
Promote Your Book
Talk Up Your Book

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Be Proactive in Promoting Your Book Events

Friday, March 1st, 2013

Here’s another concept that I’ve included in my book, “Talk Up Your Book, How to Sell Your Book Through Public Speaking, Interviews, Signings, Festivals, Conferences and More.” I’m also touching on it in the new freebie I’ll be posting at my website soon.

Did you know that I offer a free ebooklet at my site: http://www.patriciafry.com Right now the ebooklet is “50 Ways to Prepare for Publishing Success.” I’ll announce the new one once it is posted. Here is an excerpt from the new one:

If you are speaking before an organized group such as a civic club with regular meetings or at a conference or convention, the organizer/program director will promote your presentation. But you’ll want to promote it, too. Let everyone on your email list know when and where you will be speaking. Some might not live in the area, but they may know someone who does and who would like to attend. So one reason for promoting your presentations is to entice people to come, but also to remind everyone on your list that you are credible in your field and available to speak.

Post your list of speaking engagements and other activities related to promoting your book at your website. Blog about upcoming events. Post this information at your FaceBook, LinkedIn, etc. pages. Mention it in your newsletter.

Stay in close communication with the program director or organizer to make sure they are doing the publicity they promised. In fact, you’re going to want to know exactly what they plan so you can make up the difference. If you learn in the beginning that the organizers aren’t going to promote, in order to get good attendance, you need to pick up the slack. Send press releases and notices to appropriate newspapers, newsletters, blog site and websites, for example.

If you are doing a signing or demonstration at a place of business that doesn’t generally have this sort of event, discuss publicity with the owner/manager. Perhaps they can promote your signing in their regular monthly advertisements. Suggest they make posters to put in their window or you do this for them. Create flyers and ask the clerks to place them in bags with purchases.

For added publicity for your speaking engagement, post the press release at your blog site, at your website, on your facebook page, etc. Make small posters and get permission to post them at the library, bookstores and other places related to the theme of your talk. If your presentation will be on model airplanes and held at a local hobby shop, by all means put posters on the hobby shop window, at any local small airports, at craft stores and other places where model airplane hobbyists shop or hangout. You get the picture.

Many authors neglect to take into consideration the exposure at hand. You might be surprised at the type of publicity available if you would just reach out a little farther. While many authors focus on those who will attend the activity and buy books, you should also consider the dozens to hundreds of others who will become aware of you, your book and the presentation through these publicity efforts. Don’t discount this opportunity. While these dozens or hundreds of people may not be able to attend the event, some may go to Amazon and purchase a copy of the book. They might see you later at a book festival and buy the book. They might stumble across it on your website and purchase it. When you promote a book, always, always keep in mind the residual effect as well as the immediate effect. This is what we call exposure. Honor it, create it, rely on it.

Order your copy of Talk Up Your Book at amazon.com or any other online or downtown bookstore. It will teach you volumes about how to promote your book using the most effective tool in your toolkit—your personality.

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