Writing and Publishing News

Yesterday, we talked about the cost of publishing and the importance of hiring certain services along the way. Today, let’s consider your role as the promoter of your book. Should you hire a publicist or buy into the marketing plans offered by your publishing service?

I urge my clients to take as much responsibility as they can for the marketing of their books. As I often say, “No one knows your book like you do and no one cares about it as much as you do.” You are the ideal marketing agent for your book. By the time you finish writing your book, you should know who your audience is, where they are and how to approach them.

As an author who is writing a book for publication, your focus throughout the writing process should be your audience—your readers—and not you. I heard a commentator on the radio yesterday talking about art and artists. He said that artists do not paint or draw for others. They typically produce work that expresses their own joy or pain or whatever. Far too many authors write from the same perspective. They write what they want, what makes them feel good, what they believe others should be exposed to or what others should know or think. And these books are hard sells.

I urge you to write what is wanted/needed, not what makes you feel good. If you can love writing what others want, all the better.

So should you hire help to get word out about your book? As I indicated, I prefer that you approach your audience in person and using your own instincts and knowledge (about your topic/genre and about your readers). Go out and talk to them, submit articles on your topic to the publications they read, provide resources at your website, conduct workshops on your subject, solicit reviews and so forth.

Where you might need help is in writing your promo material. Many authors I meet have difficulty describing their nonfiction book or their story so that it entices potential readers. They miss the mark when it comes to creating press releases and back cover copy. They either give their promotional material too much of a hard-sell for the type of book they’re promoting or they leave the reader out of it. It’s important to speak to the reader when writing promo copy, for example.

Here’s my suggestion.
• Study hard to understand the psychology of book promotion.
• Create a viable marketing plan.
• Do as much of the legwork and actual promotion as you can.
• Possibly hire someone to help create your written promotional copy.
• After about a year of hard marketing, consider whether a publicist could help you to generate more sales through the media, for example or landing more prestigious presentations, perhaps.

Book promotion can be all consuming. There’s a lot of competition out there for authors. So it is imperative, if you want your book to succeed, that you study the process. Read “Promote Your Book” and “Talk Up Your Book” by Patricia Fry. Both available at Amazon in print, Kindle and audio and at most other online and downtown bookstores. If you are new to the publishing industry, please read “Publish Your Book.” It covers all publishing options for both fiction and nonfiction, helps you to choose the right one for you and your project and also goes into self-editing, marketing, distribution, etc.—everything you must consider before entering into this fiercely competitive publishing business.

All of these books are also available here: http://www.matilijapress.com

I’m working on another speech—this one is for the Cat Writer’s Association conference in Dallas the first of November. http://www.catwriters.org/annual.html

This is my fourth time speaking to the Cat Writers and this is one of my favorite annual gigs. What a great group of writers. And most of them also share another love of mine—cats. Among the members are cat behaviorists, veterinarians, cat rescuers and just ordinary people who share their homes with one or more cats. Some of them are authors and some write for pet-related publications.

This year I’m speaking on book promotion activities you can pursue in your pajamas and kitty-cat slippers. Should be a fun presentation. And I can tell you that it will also be enlightening and educational. I’ll reveal some of the content of my talk once I return in November. But I do want to make a point today. I teach, preach and nag about the importance of using your personality to sell books. There are ways to use your personality without actually meeting your audience face-to-face. And I urge you to do so. How? Here are a few ideas:

• Build a website and share something personal about yourself there. Give your site a professional appearance, of course, but also make it friendly.

• Post a photo of yourself at your website. I like to see at least one shot of the author in a casual pose—you know, hugging a cat or a child, hiking, gardening, biking…

• Learn to write messages and posts in a friendly tone.

• Respond to people who comment at your blog, follow you on social media sites, etc. Communication is so important in our world.

• Visit other sites related to the topic/theme or genre of your book and communicate with the owners.

• Give when you can—everyone likes to get something for free. It might be a chapter from your book, a separate mini-ebook, a copy of your book as a prize in a contest, etc. I give free manuscript evaluations and I have a free ebook for download at my website and I send out free bimonthly enewsletter.

You use your personality when you do a radio interview or webinar. Your personality comes through in your articles, in your posts at forums and discussion groups and in the way your website is designed.

If you want to sell books, you need to first identify your audience, locate them and understand how to best approach them. Just remember that if your readers like your book, they’re going to want to know more about you. Don’t hide out. Even when you’re cozy in your home office wearing your favorite robe, you can still reach out to people, communicate, portray a persona and even make friends.

I want to thank all of you who have purchased Catnapped, the first in my Klepto Cat Mystery series for your Kindles. Sales are way up and I am a happy writer. If you haven’t read it, check it out here: http://amzn.to/14OCk0W It’s a quick, easy and fun read, especially if you like mysteries and cats. The second in the series, Cat-Eye Witness, will debut any day now.

To learn more about the publishing industry and book promotion, sign up for my FREE enewsletter, “Publishing/Marketing News and Views” here: http://www.patriciafry.com You can also download my free ebook, “50 Ways to Build Your Author Platform.”

Check out my array of publishing and book promotion books here: http://www.matilijapress.com If you want to know more about how to use your personality to sell books, I highly recommend Talk Up Your Book, How to Sell Your Book Through Public Speaking, Interviews, Signings, Festivals, conferences and More.