Matilija Press
Book Titles



Media Coverage and Reviews


Reviews for Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author and
Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author

See media coverage for earlier books.

Testimonials for Publish Your Book

“Patricia Fry does a great job of providing both realism and encouragement to authors who are enthusiastic about publishing their books. I believe in good planning in the publishing process, and Chapter One alone is worth the price of admission.” (Scott Flora, vice president, About Books, Inc.)

“Patricia Fry has written an eye-opening book that tells it like it really is. Would-be authors who want to make their book a commercial success should read this for an insurmountable head start over all other others. It is comprehensive, well written, up to date, and highly informative. I believe it is one of the most helpful publishing books out there.” (Brian Jud, author of How to Make Real Money Selling Books and Beyond the Bookstore )

“Patricia really knows about publishing! Her book offers years of wisdom and powerful insights on writing, publishing, and marketing your book for anyone serious about book publishing success.
(Debbie Allen, international business speaker and bestselling author of Confessions of Shameless Self-Promoters )

“This book provides generous doses of insider information about the publishing process.” (Jeff Herman, literary agent and author of Jeff Herman's Guide to Book Publishers, Editors, and Literary Agents )

Reviews For Publish Your Book

A Superb Navigation Guide to Publishing, March 12, 2012

"This review is for: Publish Your Book: Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author (Paperback) With Publish Your Book, Patricia Fry provides a road map for publication, then holds our hands and walks us along the various routes to reach the desired destination. She explains what we can expect to experience with each leg of the itinerary--the speed bumps, hairpin turns and alluring dead-end detours inevitable in the publishing industry.

While Ms. Fry has published traditionally, she also has extensive experience with her own publishing company. Yet she makes no recommendations for one path over the other. Nor does she dictate which of the many forks in the road to take. She does explain the benefits and repercussions of following each of those forks so we can make our own informed decisions. Along the way, she liberally sprinkles additional resources, research options and reading materials as well as examples from her own and other authors' experience.

By the final chapter of Publish Your Book, we feel as if we have completed a full semester in publishing orienteering with a master navigator. Unlike the majority of hopeful authors, we now recognize that the four-lane interstate freeway to authorship is, in fact, a narrow dirt road full of potholes, steep grades and potential ambushes. Thanks to Ms. Fry, we have maps, a compass and a realistic view of the destination. It is up to each of us to select, plot and negotiate our own best route to publication."

Kathleen Ewing

++++++++

“If your publishing strategy is to follow the traditional route, or you plan to pay-to-publish, this book is a must read. Patricia Fry tells it like it is. Hard work. Rewarding and hard work!

Action steps offered by Fry will save you time and energy whether you have an idea for a book or if your manuscript is ready to be submitted.

Writers frequently believe their job is finished once their book is published. The reality is that if you want to sell copies you have to do the promotion. Dozens of ideas on how to promote your book are given.

Patricia Fry's words are inspiring and encouraging. Following the suggestions in her book Publish Your Book: Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author will support you on your writing journey.” Mary Ellen Warner

**

“To navigate the Publishing World you need a compass. Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author, by Patricia Fry, is that compass. Not only does the author practice what she preaches, she wants you to succeed and gives you the tools do to it. The presentation is clear, well researched and very thorough. Well done!” Chantal Kelly, author of Gelato Sisterhood on the Amalfi Coast.

**

“Read this book before you start to write that award-winning, best-selling novel. Actually, that is just what Patricia Fry says in the first chapter of her book. Many writers start by writing what they think readers will like without deciding upon a marketable topic. This author offers a guide for checking out the competition and provides sample market analyses. Ms. Fry devotes the first nine chapters to the preliminary work that is so important if you are trying to attract a publisher. This book includes many great ideas for promotion and creative bookselling and is written in a format that is easy to follow.

Ms. Fry urges readers to consider such questions as the following:
1. How important is it that the book be published?
2. How much control do you want and how much are you willing to relinquish?
3. Do you have a head for business?
4. Can you afford to take a financial risk?

This book was written by someone who not only writes about what you should do, but who also has established credibility through her numerous books and magazine articles. This is a "must read" for anyone wanting to learn more about how to get published in this increasingly complex industry.” Lola Brown, author of Joyful Mondays

**

“Once again Patricia Fry has captured the essence of what fledging writers must become comfortable with before they can ever expect to be a distinguished guest on TVs "Book Life," or make the short list of any award for written achievement. Such recognition, whether in the form of an acceptance check or a literary prize, must be preceded by hard work. That's really what I think Ms. Fry's latest work, "PUBLISH YOUR BOOK: Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author" so thoroughly and expertly covers. If you're just thinking about becoming a writer, or have already completed your work and want to make the leap from an unpublished writer to a published author, this is definitely the book for you! This author, a highly successful writer of over three dozen published works, is an editor, teacher and motivational coach of extraordinary talent. She knows her stuff: just ask anyone who has been blessed to have had her on their team. Everything you'll need to know, and really must know about getting published, is in this smart, energizing and rewarding book.” Jerry Malugeon author of The Black Dog and the Cyclone Racer: Helping Loved Ones with Depression and Bipolar Disease


Testimonials For Promote Your Book

“Patricia Fry's advice is outstanding and this book is packed with hundreds of tips that will save you thousands of dollars. As a professional of many years, I highly encourage any author to get this book, highlight it and use it well.” Penny Sansevieri, CEO Author Marketing Experts, Inc., and adjunct instructor at NYU

**

“Patricia's book provides a fantastic overview of book promotion and should be on every author's "must-read" list. It is the perfect springboard for creating 250 book marketing strategies and then some.” Mark Levine, author of The Fine Print of Self-Publishing (4th ed.), CEO of Hillcrest Media Group

**

“The most expensive parts of book publishing are the mistakes. Patricia Fry's wealth of experience will save you time and money. Highly recommended.” Dan Poynter, The Self-Publishing Manual

**

“Patricia Fry knows the truth in this famous quote from one of the greatest promoters, P.T. Barnum. He said, "Without promotion, something terrible happens--nothing!" Too many book authors fail to take complete responsibility for promoting their books. Throughout this well-done book, Fry validates her claim in the subtitle, ‘over 250 proven, low-cost tips and techniques for the enterprising author.’ This book is loaded with a gold mine of ideas and resources.

Pointed personal stories are combined with practical tips and website references for even more action steps for the savvy author. If you want to sell books, you need to study every page of this book then apply it to your book promotion.

While this book is packed with insight, I loved the idea: Design A Hotfile. She writes, "Life has a way of racing past us while we're busy trying to keep up. And if you are promoting a book along with everything else that you do, it can become overwhelming. Think about it, how may good promotional ideas have escaped your grasp and been tossed aside simply because you are too busy or too preoccupied? That's why I suggest you grab each promotional idea you stumble across, without judging it, and file it in your hotfile. When things calm down, your speaking circuit has slowed down, you've sent out your quota of press releases for the month, you've made several cold calls, open up the hotfile and see what's in there." (page 166-167) This concept alone is brilliant and an example of what you will find in PROMOTE YOUR BOOK.

If you have a book to promote, get this title today and begin taking action on the ideas. It is never too late.” W. Terry Whalin, publisher, editor, writer

**

“The cover of Patricia Fry's newly-released writing/reference book boldly proclaims its intent in four-color, inch-and-a-half block letters. The title contains enough meta tags to send it straight to the top of the search engines, but if this isn't proof enough that the author knows her stuff, the content should make PROMOTE YOUR BOOK a marketing classic.

Patricia Fry has almost forty years as a career writer. She has authored more than thirty books and has contributed hundreds of articles to magazines and newspapers. She established her own publishing company, Matilija Press in 1983. She knows of what she speaks. The book is written in a straight-forward, easy to follow style that gives novice and expert advice straight from the hip of a marketing guru with our best interests at heart. The long-time Executive Director of SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network), she has presented her advice at conferences and writing classes for years. Now she puts it all into a 200-page reference book that walks the reader through every phase of the marketing process.

If there's a downside to PROMOTE YOUR BOOK, it's that the wide variety of free, low cost and advanced techniques eliminates our fondest marketing excuses. Whether we have ten cents or ten minutes to invest, there are ideas on every page to fit the budget. I love her no-blame approach. She's a ‘you-can-do-it’ Personal Trainer for all of us flabby, out-of-shape writers who want to make a big change.

PROMOTE YOUR BOOK contains twenty-four chapters, each loaded with ideas for both inside and outside "the box." If this isn't enough, it has an index. The book lives up to its "Low-Cost" promise to save time, money and energy. I read her book in three days and managed to empty a highlighter on it. Now I'm going back, section by section to plan my strategy. This is the book I wish I'd had when my first book came out.

My advice--skip lunch. Skip dinner and buy this book. It will pay for itself in the first three pages or I'll buy you lunch, myself.” Ann Schroeder, SLO Nightwriters

**

“This book is so much more than promotion. If you follow Fry's suggestions, you'll be thinking about building promotion into your book before it's even written.

More than a list of places to go, things to do, people to see, this book maps out a successful marketing plan that won't cost you all your profits. Everywhere you go, everyone you talk to, it's an opportunity to tell about your book, without being annoying about it.

From mailing list to publicity photo, cover art to back cover blurbs, getting reviews and getting into libraries and book stores, this book has a chapter to help you do it. Join email groups to increase word of mouth, the best and least expensive promotional method. Run contests at your blog or website so the winner gets a free copy of your book--and tells friends about it. Look for specialty stores so you'll have a targeted audience but not a lot of competition. Guest blog and be sure to put your book's title in your signature line.

This book delivers no-cost and low-cost ways to promote your book and increase sales. Who else better to do it? Writing a book and sitting back to collect the profits is no longer a viable plan, if it ever was. Now you're responsible for getting your book noticed--it will be harder than writing the book, but just as rewarding when you see it in the hands of your reader.

Fry draws on her thirty-five year career as a writer and includes tips from other authors as well. She's the author of over thirty books, self and traditionally published. Her article writing skill from magazine days translates well into daily blogging at [...] A member of Toastmasters, she's a sought after speaker for all manner of groups, another way to promote book sales.

Follow the tips, suggestions and step-by-step instructions in Promote Your Book and without spending all your profits, sell more books.” Sandra Murphy, editor and writer

**

“Promote Your Book is packed with practical tips for authors. I especially liked the section on what authors should do before the book is published and the creative ideas for offline promotions. I have read a number of books about book publishing and promotion, and I find new ideas in each one. Promote Your Book is a worthy addition to any author's collection of book marketing know-how.”
Dana Lynn Smith, author of How to Get Your Book Reviewed

**

“Promote Your Book by Patricia Fry is a detailed and well explained outline to promoting any author's book. What most new authors don't realize is that book marketing is a must even if you get published traditionally. Patricia Fry has written numerous books and has been published traditionally as well as doing it herself. She has generously offered her vast knowledge with the rest of us by offering 250 proven marketing tips and with low-cost techniques that any author can apply in pitching their own books. What I like most about Patricia Fry's books are that you get contact information, an outline of steps to follow and most importantly, when applied accordingly, you get results.” Laura Dobbins

**

“Just when you think there is nothing more you can possibly learn about promoting your book - recently published, or published a year or two ago or longer - along comes Patricia Fry's terrific new book, and I do mean terrific: "Promote Your Book," and you realize here it is: EVERYTHING YOU COULD POSSIBLY WANT TO KNOW about getting that book of yours out there in the public's eye and mind without selling everything you own to do so. I read "Promote Your Book from cover to cover" during a car ride home after spending a week babysitting my grandson (no, I wasn't the driver!) and I had the strangest feeling as I read it. It was as if Patricia was inside my head, because even though I have had a number of books published (none of which have made the N.Y. Times bestseller list -- yet!), I had a number of questions I would have liked to ask Patricia if I had the pleasure of meeting her in person, and one by one, she answered them for me in her book. Just to give one example, for a year, I have been trying to decide whether I wanted to spend the money to include my book in a certain catalogue - whether the royalties I might receive for sales from including the title and a brief description in the catalogue would warrant the rather high cost of doing so. Lo and behold, in her book, Patricia discusses the exact same type of catalogue that would cost me $15.00 to include my book instead of $150. I felt like she was reading my mind! There were so many instances like that, and I couldn't help thinking that a good subtitle for her tome of wonderful tips could have been "things you never thought of doing, but it's never too late." I can't think of a better gift to give beginning writer friends and, seasoned writer friends, than this incredibly helpful, most valuable treasure chest of a book. Truly, this is the best, most complete book on how to promote a book that I have ever read - and I have read many!” Arlene Uslander Co-author of The Mystery of Fate: Common Coincidence or Divine Intervention?

**

“If you're looking for a combination road map, recipe and shopping list for developing a marketing plan for your book, this is it. Be prepared to take notes. The information will be coming at you rapid-fire like popping corn in an open skillet.

The book dishes up pre-publication promotion, recipes for local marketing, news releases, mailing and social media recommendations, written in the voice of a friend explaining how she did it. My favorite chapter is Promote Your Book Without Changing Your Lifestyle, which includes advice on promotional materials, "piggyback" marketing and how to get your book listed in catalogs.

Ms. Fry doesn't go into excessive detail on how to apply each promotional tool. What she does do is provide you with the benefits and drawbacks of the option as well as suggestions based upon her own and other authors' experience, followed by a list of powerful resources it might take you weeks to dig up on your own. She also provides links to helpful online articles that go into greater detail and list even more resources.

If you don't emerge from reading Promote Your Book with at least a couple dozen new ideas on how to market your book, you haven't been paying close enough attention.” Kathleen Ewing, freelance writer

**

“WOW - Patty Fry has done it again with her latest Promote Your Book. This publication is stock full of practical things that every author, no matter what their level of expertise in marketing, can do. Ms. Fry not only explained how a book can be promoted, but also uses specific examples illustrating each of her points. Of course, because of her extensive background in the writing game, she has the knowledge and expertise that is required to pull off a book like this. Additionally, she relied on other authors to "speak to the reader" about the many techniques they have used in order to promote their writings.

I especially liked the websites that Patty referenced. In order to check their acccuracy, I went to several of them and reviewed what they had to say. Ms. Fry had obviously done her homework since every web site I checked contained the information that she indicated they would. No small feat in today's world.

In short - this is a ‘must have’ book for all authors in today's publishing world.” Jim Barrett
Author of: Ma Duncan, Steady Your Spooky Horse, A Manual for the Mounted Officer

**

“As a professional freelance writer, what impressed me most about Patricia Fry's PROMOTE YOUR BOOK: Over 250 proven, low-cost tips and techniques for the enterprising author is that I learned much more than I expected. Fry packed such a wealth of information in this how-to book, featuring her own experiences and those of other authors, that I found myself making notes while reading so that I could fully utilize these ideas for my recently released mystery novel. She offers up these tips in a way that's matter-of-fact and homey, as if you are having a discussion with a friend, but from the point of view of a long-time professional who's been there, done that, and adjusted her technique to suit every situation. PROMOTE YOUR BOOK encourages authors to use their current resources, as well as create and discover new ones to sell their books, whether they are traditionally published, self-published, or published by a small press. It doesn't matter if you write fiction or nonfiction as the tips listed within can be adapted for virtually any genre. As the subtitle says, the ideas--garnered from Fry's nearly four decades of writing--are truly low-cost or even no-cost for publicizing one's book, from making use of mailing lists to chatting up your book to garnering invites to conferences and conventions, and so much more. PROMOTE YOUR BOOK is well-organized, easy to read and lists numerous online organizations and reference websites. All you have to do is take the tips in PROMOTE YOUR BOOK and run with them! Wendy Dager, author of I Murdered the PTA, a novel

**

“Patricia Fry is a writer's best friend. Her many other books guide you on the way to writing a sound book proposal, recovering quickly from mistakes, publishing ebooks, and living the life of a successful author. But we know books don't get very far without good promotion.

"Your book won't sell itself. Its success depends on your ability and willingness to promote it." As Fry says, this is true whether you land a traditional publisher, you self-publish, or use a pay-to-publish service.

While the author recommends you first read "Promote Your Book" cover-to-cover, you will want to keep a highlighter and a pack of Post-It notes nearby. You won't be able to resist flagging all the good ideas Fry shares. She has clearly learned the tricks of this mysterious trade and is generous in her desire to help you succeed, as she has helped hundreds of authors.” Helen Gallagher. Release Your Writing: Book Publishing, Your Way

**

A Superb Navigation Guide to Publishing, March 12, 2012

By Kathleen Ewing

This review is from: Publish Your Book: Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author (Paperback)

With Publish Your Book, Patricia Fry provides a road map for publication, then holds our hands and walks us along the various routes to reach the desired destination. She explains what we can expect to experience with each leg of the itinerary--the speed bumps, hairpin turns and alluring dead-end detours inevitable in the publishing industry.

While Ms. Fry has published traditionally, she also has extensive experience with her own publishing company. Yet she makes no recommendations for one path over the other. Nor does she dictate which of the many forks in the road to take. She does explain the benefits and repercussions of following each of those forks so we can make our own informed decisions. Along the way, she liberally sprinkles additional resources, research options and reading materials as well as examples from her own and other authors' experience.

By the final chapter of Publish Your Book, we feel as if we have completed a full semester in publishing orienteering with a master navigator. Unlike the majority of hopeful authors, we now recognize that the four-lane interstate freeway to authorship is, in fact, a narrow dirt road full of potholes, steep grades and potential ambushes. Thanks to Ms. Fry, we have maps, a compass and a realistic view of the destination. It is up to each of us to select, plot and negotiate our own best route to publication.

Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author and
Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author



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