Writing and Publishing News from

Yesterday, we explored your publishing options. Are you convinced about which one is right for you? Or are you still unsure about the option to choose?

It’s a difficult decision for any author. Yet, hopeful authors frequently ask me to make that choice for them.

When they ask me, “Which publishing option is best?” I respond, “It depends on your project and it depends on you (your goals and your ultimate purpose for your book).”

So they ask me, “Which one should I go with?” I remind them of their options. I suggest that they review the pros and cons of each option, reconsider their purpose for the book and their goals and then make their choice based on this. Of course, they must also be painfully realistic. It is unlikely that a narrow niche book will interest a major publisher. A memoir by an unknown is generally not going to be a New York Times bestseller, thus probably of no interest to Random House.

Likewise, if you have no intentions of or ability to promote your book once it’s produced, you might as well give up the idea of landing any size traditional royalty publisher. But why spend the money to have a book published at all if you aren’t going to promote it?

Let’s go at this topic from a different angle.

Who should approach the major traditional royalty publishers?

• Those who have studied the publishing industry and understand its competitive nature.

• Those who have researched dozens of books similar to theirs so they know what’s out there and what’s selling.

• Those who have read those dozens of books so they recognize good writing.

• Those with extraordinarily good novels that have passed an evaluation by a publishing professional and have been professionally edited.

• Those with a well-written, professionally edited nonfiction book on a cutting edge subject or with a new, interesting, useful twist on an evergreen topic. Something that is needed/desired by a large audience and that has not been overdone.

• Those who are committed to marketing their books and who have the ideas, connections, time and energy to promote, promote, promote.

Who should seek out some of the hundreds of smaller publishing houses?

• Those encompassing the criteria above, but who have been turned down by the majors.

• Those with excellent books that, perhaps, have a smaller audience.

• Niche books. Approach a publisher who specializes for your books related to academics, history, art, biography, travel, business, astrology, religion or hiking, for example.

Who should self-publish (establish their own publishing company)?

• Those who will take the time to study the publishing industry before getting involved.

• Those with excellent nonfiction books on marketable topics in areas of their expertise.

• Those who understand their niche and the audience.

• Those who are committed to the huge task of producing and marketing their books.

• Those with connections, ideas, energy, money and time to promote their books.
Who should go with a fee-based, “self-publishing” (vanity) company?

• Those who study the publishing industry before getting involved.

• Those who will learn everything they can about this branch of the industry and who will understand the various offerings and contracts.

• Those who have realistic expectations.

• Those with books fitting into a narrow niche.

• Those with books of interest to friends and family only.

• Those who, if they want to sell a lot of books, are willing and able to promote their books.

• Those who don’t have the willingness or ability to promote their books and who have only the most realistic expectations with regard to book sales. (Your book won’t sell if you aren’t promoting it.)

Who should produce an ebook?

• Those who have studied the publishing industry.
• Those who want to test the waters with their books.
• Those who want to offer the ebook option for their customers.
• Those with the willingness to promote their ebooks.

I hope this puts things in perspective for you and helps you to make that huge decision you’ve been contemplating. If only you can look at your project realistically—from the publisher’s point of view (he’s in the BUSINESS of selling book) and the reader’s (know what people are reading). And, before making any choice (even before you write that book), honestly answer these two questions:

• What is the purpose of this book?
• Why am I writing it?

Your next assignment is to read The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. The earlier in the process, the better. Order it here:
http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

This book is designed to educate hopeful authors about the publishing industry, their publishing options, the possible consequences of their choices and their responsibilities as published authors. It will help you to make the hard decisions and to adopt realistic expectations and perspectives. And if you are already published and you have questions about distribution, wholesalers, working with booksellers, getting book reviews, writing a press release, bookkeeping for authors, how to work with Amazon.com, the steps to self-publishing and book promotion ideas, for example, this book addresses it all.

Need an editor? Want a manuscript evaluation? Contact me at PLFry620@yahoo.com.

You’ve been working diligently for months on your amazing manuscript. Finally, you’re nearing the finish line. The book is almost completed. Now what? How will you go about getting it published?

I make sure that my editing clients know their options early on. You should, too. They are:

1: You can approach a traditional royalty publisher. There are more than the famous big 6 publishers and their subsidiaries. There are actually hundreds of smaller traditional royalty publishers seeking good projects. And many of them prefer to work without the involvement of an agent.

The traditional publisher chooses book projects and authors that he wants to invest in. His bottom line goes beyond whether or not your book is well-written. He is interested in making a profit and he needs to know that you can and will participate in making that happen.

You do not pay the traditional publisher. He puts up the money to produce your book and he pays you usually 7 to 15 percent royalties on books sold. When you contract with a publisher, you become part of a team. He will do some promotion, but it is your responsibility to use whatever celebrity, credibility, creativity, contacts and/or skills you have to promote and market your book.

2: You can self-publish. Self-publishing means that you set up your own publishing company. You design the book and cover (or hire someone to do it). You choose a printing company and pay for printing, the ISBN, the bar code, etc. You make all of the decisions, pay all the bills and reap all of the profits. You are also totally responsible for promoting your book. It could cost anywhere from $3,000 to $25,000 to produce a book.

3: You can create an ebook. An ebook or even a comb bound or saddle stitched hard copy produced at a business center might be a good way to test the waters with your amazing book. If you get a lot of positive feedback from reviewers, booksellers and other strangers, it might be worthwhile to go ahead and approach publishers or to invest in your project and self-publish.

4: You can go with a fee-based, POD, “self-publishing” company, such as AuthorHouse, iUniverse, BookPros, Infinity, etc. You pay their fees and get any variety of services. Most authors today use these companies to produce their books and more and more of them are walking away extremely disappointed, disillusioned and broke. This is not necessarily because the company ran a scam. It is because the author did not take the time to truly learn about the publishing industry, his options, the possible consequences of his choices and his responsibilities as a published author.

Secondly, few authors actually understand the contract they signed. They read, for example, “We will make your book available to booksellers nationwide.” And they interpret it to mean that their book will be in major bookstores nationwide. No! This simply means that if a bookseller comes along and asks for a book like this one, the “self-publishing” company will tell them about yours. Believe me, this is NOT going to happen.

Where the big problem comes in, even with the most reputable “self-publishing” company, is that the book costs so much to produce that the author goes in the hole if he wants to make an agreement with a bookseller. With shipping charges on top of the purchase price for his books, he can’t even afford to sell books at book fairs, for example. There is a fee for a booth, you know.

Sign with a “self-publishing” company only after studying the publishing industry so you understand how things work and after having a copyright or intellectual properties attorney explain the contract to you. And then work with YOUR editor and publishing consultant to make sure that your manuscript is in perfect publishing shape before signing any contract.

Whether your manuscript is horribly flawed or professionally edited, the publisher will recommend that their editorial staff edit your manuscript. Most authors say that the “editing” service amounts to nothing more than a quick proofreading.

Read more about your publishing options and the pros and cons of each in The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html You’ll also learn more about the publishing industry and how it works. And we all know how important education is.

Contact me for a free editorial evaluation of the first 25 pages of your book. PLFry620@yahoo.com.

Yesterday, I wrote about how authors sometimes join organizations and they don’t fully participate. They miss the point of the organization and neglect to become involved in (or even aware of) all of the offerings that could possibly benefit them and their publishing projects. I want to continue with that theme today.

Of course, this occurs within every club, association and group. There are people who join without truly understanding the premise of and the offerings of the organization. Some of them want a specific benefit: to get feedback for their manuscripts, to land a publisher, to sell more books… When they don’t get what they want from the group, they typically blame the organizers for failing them.

In reality, some have joined the wrong organization. This may be an organization that does not offer what they want/need. Others join the right one, only they don’t know how to tap into the information and resources they need. They expect their questions to be succinctly addressed in some automatic fashion just because they are members. Some don’t even know the right questions to ask in order to get the answers they need. And, unfortunately, even when they are presented with the answers they need, they don’t recognize them, so they reject them.

Here’s an example: Jonathan joins ABC organization because he wants to know how to go about getting his manuscript published. He is presented with newsletter articles and he is encouraged to visit the archives to locate earlier articles and resources related to publishing. He has the opportunity to communicate with other authors and publishers through an online forum and he is told about books featuring the basics of publishing, but he doesn’t have (or take) the time to pursue any of these things to any degree. Finally, one day he sends an email to the executive director of the organization asking how to get a book published.

She explains that becoming published is generally a process that takes some understanding of the publishing industry, enormous specific preparation and plenty of involvement. Then she points him in the direction of some excellent resources, recommends that he write a book proposal and, when he is ready, suggests that he attends a writers’ conference where agents and publishers are present. She puts the ball in his court, where it belongs and he fumbles.

If he writes back at all, he might say, “Thank you for your time, but all I want to know is how to find a publisher for my book.” He wants to transition from the craft of writing to the business of publishing without a proper introduction. He doesn’t understand what I tell you periodically, that publishing is not an automatic extension of your writing. You can’t move from writer to published author easily, uniformly and without a major shift in your perspective and your activities.

So you can see how an organization may not benefit someone with preconceived ideas about what he or she needs and a tightly slammed shut mind.

If you are on the brink of joining a club or organization, please do so with your eyes wide open. Know what your ultimate goal is, of course (developing a salable manuscript, getting your book published, selling more books, establishing a career as a freelance writer…), but take some time to understand what you need in order to achieve this. Once you know what your responsibilities are in the process and what the steps toward success entail, you will be more well-prepared to choose the right organization.

One way to make the right choice is to know who its members are. Are they mainly authors—at what stage or level? Are they freelance writers? Are they hopeful authors still working on their manuscripts? An organization with members who have aspirations and accomplishments similar to yours will most likely address your specific concerns in their materials.

Study the website and/or the material coming from this organization. Does it include plenty of information and resources related to your situation? Without having done some preliminary research, you might not actually know what you need. So I strongly urge you to attend a course related to your interest (publishing, freelance writing, etc.). Read at least one good book on the subject. Join a local writers’ club and listen to what the guest speakers and members are talking about.

And for goodness sakes, once you decide to join, partake of the benefits. They will do you no good unless you do.

An organization rarely fails its members. It’s the members who fail themselves by not preparing themselves properly for the field of their choice and then entering into a membership agreement without doing the appropriate research.

In order to learn more about what is involved in publishing, please read my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book.
http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

If you are interested in knowing more about freelance article-writing, order my $6.50 book, A Writer’s Guide to Magazine Articles
http://www.matilijapress.com/writingpage.html

If you are (or aspire to be) a freelance writer or published author, consider joining SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) http://www.spawn.org

And if you have any questions about resources to help you learn more about your field or if you want counsel with regard to which organization is right for you, contact me at PLFry620@yahoo.com.

We all have first impressions. We judge situations, people and organizations and we form opinions based on these judgments and impressions. Sometimes, however, we are wrong. And that’s the focus of my blog post today.

I often question SPAWN members who have decided not to renew. I ask them why they have made this decision. And quite often it is because of their misperceptions about what we offer and who we cater to. “Your members are freelance writers who write for a living,” one woman told me. “I’m an author and I need information about marketing my book.”

Oh my gosh, how could she possibly miss the point that the majority of our members are authors and a huge focus for SPAWN is book marketing. Every newsletter we produce and those in our archives have information and resources related to book promotion. Most of the articles posted at our site are for authors who are facing or involved in marketing a book. How could anyone miss this fact?

Several members have told me that they wanted to find a publisher and that SPAWN wasn’t helpful in this endeavor. Some of them were upset because they had made some poor decisions on behalf of their books. We, here at SPAWN, are fully aware of the multitude of decisions an author must make and we know what authors need most in order to do the right thing by their projects: Education, information and resources. And we provide all of these things in many forms in hopes that our members will recognize it as useful and pursue it. Unfortunately, some authors don’t understand that they must be alert to the sources available, participate, get involved and actively pursue the offerings.

Maybe they see the recommendations and warnings, for example, but choose to ignore them. They believe that these are for meant for others—not them. Some authors hope for explicit guidance directing them to their personal pot of gold. They don’t want to sort through the maze of possibilities. They want someone to show them the quick and easy route to publishing success. Their heads are turned by the folks at the first “self-publishing” company (or fulfillment company or agency) who issue them a contract. And, not only do they read what they want to read into the contract, they believe the verbal promises. When things go bad, they figure that SPAWN failed them.

In reality, they failed themselves. If these authors were to backtrack, they may realize that everything—EVERYTHING—they needed in order to experience publishing success, was in-their-face available through SPAWN. Let’s examine what opportunities these members might have missed—in fact, dissed:

• They didn’t even read the free gift book they received when they joined SPAWN.

• They didn’t read some of the books we’ve reviewed for SPAWNews even though they contained information that might have helped them avoid several mistakes.

• They didn’t take the time to read the SPAWN Market Update each month (for members only), nor did they use the nifty search function to seek information in our massive archives.

• When they did read or scan the Market Update, they neglected to heed the warnings and recommendations or to pursue the information we offer.

• They didn’t take seriously the wisdom in any of the articles they happened to read at the website, in SPAWNews or in the SPAWN Market Update.

• When they were uncertain about a company, agency, publisher or distributor, for example, they didn’t bother to check them out using the warning sites we provide.

• They signed contracts based on verbal promises instead of seeking legal advice as we recommend. (We also list low and no cost sites offering legal advice for authors.)

• They didn’t use SPAWNDiscuss (to communicate with other members), nor did they contact the professionals at SPAWN when they had a question or concern about a pending decision. And when they did—and they didn’t like the answer (too much work), they disregarded it and chose to make mistakes, instead.

The fact is, there are no magic potions or wands that will help you to succeed as a published author, a candy maker, a boot repairman, an investor or anything else. In all cases, it takes knowledge in order to make the right decisions and choices. And that’s the piece of the puzzle that is missing for many authors who fail. They just didn’t educate themselves about the industry and their responsibilities within it. They didn’t acknowledge the variety of options or learn the possible consequences of their choices. They joined SPAWN hoping for a quick and sure entrance to publishing success and experienced, instead, heartbreak.

If you have a book in the works or you’re promoting one and you are ready to take advantage of an enormous resource in SPAWN, join now at http://spawn.org Click on “Join SPAWN Now.” If you are a renewing member, click on “Renew Now.” If you’d like to start out slowly and just subscribe to our free monthly SPAWNews (which is separate from the SPAWN Market Update), click on “Free Newsletter.”

Did you attend my Open House for Writers and Authors, yet? Did you visit my updated website? What do you think? If you’re a writer and/or author, you’ll especially discover value at my “For Writers” pages. There, you will find “Words for Writers” with 13 tidbits of information such as, “The Art of Shipping Books,” “Clean Up Your Muddy Writing,” “The Anatomy of an Online Class,” “Don’t Write that Book…,” “Surefire Ways to Get Your Book Proposal Rejected,” “Watch Out For Burnout,” etc. http://www.matilijapress.com/forwriters/wordsforwriters.html

Note: Words for Writers has evolved into this Publishing Blog. I post to this blog site almost every day—so tune in often for fresh advice, perspective, resources, ideas, leads, recommendations and news you can use.

The Resource List at my website now includes around 200 freshly updated entries and links for writers and authors of all genres, disciplines, interests and needs.
http://www.matilijapress.com/forwriters/resources.html

On the articles pages at my website, I have posted over 100 of my articles. Study the 75 or so articles related to writing, publishing and book promotion. But also read some of my articles on business topics, public speaking, health/fitness, children/parenting, animals and more. This will give you an idea of the type of work I’ve been doing for magazines over the years. And it may give you some ideas for approaching some of your favorite topics.
http://www.matilijapress.com/articles.htm

Talented Author, Sandra Cropsey, Writes in Favor of Standardizing Self-Publishing
Congratulations go out to my friend, SPAWN member and talented writer, Sandra J. Cropsey whose article appears in the May 7 edition of Jerry Simmons newsletter, Tips for Writers from the Publishing Insider. The title of her piece is “The State of Publishing: Who You Gonna Call?”

If you have ever questioned the state of self-publishing today and wondered when someone was going to establish some sort of standards for this sub-industry, you’ll find a sense of camaraderie within Sandra’s article. I can’t find a link to this issue at Simmons’ website, so if you want to see this article, contact me and I’ll send it to you. For more articles like this, sign up for Jerry’s free enewsletter at http://www.writersreaders.com

Contact me at PLFry620@yahoo.com for a copy of Sandra’s article. Learn more about this talented writer of children’s books and hilarious novels at http://www.sandracropsey.com Maybe some of you will want to team up with Sandra and other professionals to devise a plan for standardizing self-publishing, somehow. Be sure to include Mark Levine, author of The Fine Print of Self Publishing. He has actually taken a step in that direction with this book. If you are thinking about getting involved with a “self-publishing” company or you are struggling within the boundaries of a contract with one, you MUST read this book. Levine rates, ranks and analyzes 48 “self-publishing” companies—helping authors to set some of their own standards.

Are you a hopeful, new or seasoned author? Are you seeking information and resources to use in accomplishing your publishing goals? You’ve just been given a huge gift and many opportunities in the form of hundreds of resources, perspective and information. Don’t walk away without sampling the offerings.

Patricia Fry is the author of 29 published books, including The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. Order your copy today and start your journey toward publishing success. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

My first experience with an online course was several years ago when a colleague asked me to teach one through her company. I enjoyed it so much and the students seemed to get so much out of it that I began teaching my own online courses.

Currently, I teach 4 courses for writers and authors:

• Book Proposal Workshop
• Book Promotion Workshop
• How to Write and Sell Articles to Magazines
• Self-Publishing Workshop

How Does an Online Course Work?
It’s as easy as emailing a friend, but much more rewarding and beneficial to your writing/publishing career. It’s like going to school in the comfort of your home. You receive weekly lectures and assignments that you can work on at your convenience. Your instructor will respond to your questions and provide individual feedback. Plan to participate fully and you could complete a successful book proposal for submission by the end of the 8 week course, have an article ready to submit to an appropriate periodical in 6 weeks, start selling more books or self-publish your book by the end of the 6 or 8 week course.

And if you want to complete the course faster—there’s certainly that option available, too. I will work with students who want to move at a faster pace as long as they complete the course within the 6 or 8 week period.

What Does an Online Course Cost?
I see courses and classes advertised on the Internet at a variety of prices. I charge anywhere from $125 to $200 per course. That’s $20 to $25 per class.

I typically charge $50 for editing work and consultations. But, when you take one of my courses, you get individual attention, benefit of my editorial and industry knowledge and plenty of guidance throughout the duration of the course at no extra charge.

Depending on your level of participation, my $125 Article Writing course could result in $500 worth of benefit to you. You might receive as much as $800 worth of value from my $200 book proposal course.

Yes, the value is significant for anyone who wants to establish a career or promote a book by writing articles for magazines, who needs help promoting a book, who wants to establish his/her own publishing company and who needs to develop a book proposal.

We’re all trying to cut corners and save money these days. I read a commentary at a book review blog over the weekend. The reviewer said that she has reviewed many, many self-published books in recent years and that there are very few of them that she would recommend. I think she said it was 2 out of several dozen. She said that a huge majority of the self-published books she reviews are poorly written and in bad editorial shape. And this trend is getting worse because authors are unwilling to spend the money and the time to do the right thing.

Authors, hear me: If you are going to bring out the book of your dreams and you have serious hopes that it will compete with books from traditional publishers—those books you see stocked in bookstores—you MUST do what those publishers do.

• Understand something about the publishing industry before getting involved.
• Determine, before writing it, if there is a market for this book.
• Determine your target audience and write it for that audience.
• Have the book professionally edited.
• Run it by a proofreader.
• Produce a professional-looking product.
• Have a marketing plan for this book.

How do you achieve a level of knowledge about the publishing industry? PLEASE read Patricia Fry’s book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

How do you learn about marketing a book, locating the appropriate market for your book, writing for that market, what is a professional-looking product and so forth? Hire a book shepherd, take several months or a year to learn your way around in this industry and/or go back to school. Yes, sign up for appropriate courses presented by professionals in the industry and cut down significantly on the learning curve as well as the money you spend.

Check out the courses we offer at Matilija Press http://www.matilijapress.com/courses.htm. If you don’t see a course that you feel applies to you, let me know and maybe we can create one within your specifications: PLFry620@yahoo.com.

If someone offered incentives to join an organization, what would work for you? What would make you choose to renew your membership in that organization? What sort of enticement would move you off dead center if you were trying to decide whether to join or renew your membership in a writing or publishing organization?

Are you a member of SPAWN, SPAN, IBPA? Maybe you belong to a regional publishing organization or a local writers club. Which one(s)? What made you join? What kept you coming back?

Here are some additional questions:
What caused you to get involved and participate in the organization?
What made you avoid getting involved and participating?
What are you looking for in a publishing or writing organization?

Respond to these questions and get an ebook of your choice:

Catscapades, Tales of Ordinary and Extraordinary Cats
The Successful Writer’s Handbook
How to Write a Successful Book Proposal in 8 Days or Less
The Author’s Repair Kit

PLFry620@yahoo.com or leave a comment here or contact me through my website: http://www.matilijapress.com

Yes, times are tough financially. We’re all experiencing job layoffs, work slowdowns, loss of customers/clients, losses in our investments and so forth. There’s no pretty picture painted in our wallets or on our bank statements. But is this any reason to set your dream aside—to skimp on your amazing book project?

I am concerned about some of my clients who seem to be bypassing important steps in order to save some money. While some are deciding not to pay to have their books edited, others are scrapping their projects altogether. It’s sad.

It has occurred to me, lately, that maybe there is something we, as citizens, can do to help ourselves, each other and the economy. Rather than holding off getting that book edited, going to the printer with it or even having your bathroom upgraded, getting that paint job on your house, having the fence built around your property or having your sofa reupholstered, do it now! Hire someone to do a small job and encourage him to hire someone to do something for him. Talk to your neighbors and family members about hiring that gardener or that dog groomer. I’m not talking so much about going down to Starbucks and paying for a cup of coffee or buying a new dining room table from a name brand store.

I’m suggesting that we help one another out at the grassroots level by hiring entrepreneurs who are running one-wo/man businesses, mom and pop stores, home-based businesses, etc. Help out that tree trimmer who has done good work for you before, the contractor who replaced your roof, the laborer who dug your leach line, the petsitter who helped you out last summer and don’t forget the editor you love.

And think of how much better you will feel after having received a service or product while also helping a fellow wo/man. You’ll really enjoy your home more when your bathroom walls are covered with fresh paint or when you drive up and see flowers instead of weeds. Think how happy you’ll be when you find a publisher for your book because it is actually ready for publication.

Maybe you’re already hiring independent workers to handle various projects for you. If you are, I’d like to know how it’s going. If not, try it and see how good you’ll feel.

If you’ve been putting off signing up for one of my courses because the economy has you frightened, let’s talk about a possible discount. Maybe there’s an aspect of the course you don’t need and I can omit it and drop my fee. Talk to me: PLFry620@yahoo.com But what I don’t want you to do is put off getting the education you need or want in order to write a successful book proposal, sell more books, start a serious freelance writing business or self-publish your book. Check out my array of courses at: http://www.matilijapress.com/courses.htm

Do you engage in bartering? Perhaps you trade your abundance of home-grown squash for your neighbor’s profusion of tomatoes. Or maybe you watch your cousin’s kids in exchange for a haircut or home-cooked meal. I know someone who bartered with a photographer for some family photos in trade for tickets to a theme park. Last year, I traded editing work for a week at a beach house.

There are numerous bartering opportunities out there for authors, if you are willing to seek them out or create them.

Before Publication
What do you have that you could trade for editing, typing or printing services, for example? Maybe you could barter for business cards, brochures and other promo material. How about offering something in trade for a website or lessons in web design so you can create your own?

After Publication
Offer something to friends throughout the country in exchange for promoting your book in their cities, college communities, on their website, to their newsletter list, etc.

Get FREE Publicity
Write articles for key publications for free.
Be guest blogger for related blog sites.
Speak without charging, for the opportunity to sell books.

What is Your Bartering Power?
This question is what stops most people from engaging in the bartering system. They wonder, “What do I have of value to trade?” Think about this long and hard. Do you have automotive skills? Can you teach beginning quilting, skiing, dog grooming, gourmet cooking, hip hop dancing, violin or fencing?

Do you raise puppies, do sewing alterations, do catering or have a lovely home with a view? Do you have a knack for planting and growing a garden? Could you become a personal trainer for someone who wants motivation to move? Are you a super typist, proofreader or graphic artist? Do you own a restaurant, dress shop or petting zoo?

Maybe you know someone who can get you cheap airline or Broadway show tickets, who would give you a discount on a parachute jump or who operates a whale watch boat.

Times are difficult and don’t seem to be letting up. Don’t give up on your excellent, timely book due to the economy. If you can’t afford the necessities such as editing and a promotional campaign, consider bartering.

Share your bartering stories here. Just leave a comment at this blog site or contact me a PLFry620@yahoo.com.

For more about me and my work, go to: http://www.matilijapress.com

I often receive emails from authors who have read my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. They start their message by thanking me for writing the book and telling me how much it helped them and then they proceed to say one of the following:

• I published my book through ______ “self-publishing” company and things aren’t going well.
• My book isn’t selling and I don’t know what to do.
• I made some mistakes by not following your advice and now I have a poorly edited, poorly designed, poorly targeted book that I can’t sell.

They ask me:

• “What can I do now?”
• “How can I promote my book?”
• “What’s the best way to promote this book?”

Now what am I supposed to do with that? The author neglects to take the steps necessary for the success of his project and now he/she wants a quick fix. What are some of the mistakes that authors make? I can think of 10!

1. They don’t bother to study the publishing industry before getting involved.
2. They slap a crummy title and a poorly designed cover on the book.
3. They don’t have their manuscript edited (BIG MISTAKE).
4. They don’t research the market for their particular book before writing it.
5. They don’t keep their readers in mind while writing it.
6. They neglect to build promotion into the book while writing it.
7. They neglect to really research their publishing options.
8. They don’t check out the reputation of their “self-publishing” company.
9. They avoid even thinking about book promotion until after the book is published.
10. They give up when promotion gets too tough.

How many of these 10 sins have you committed? If you are working on a book or are contemplating writing a book, give your book a chance by avoiding all of these mistakes. Read The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book and follow it to success. Order it from me (I get more of the profit) http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html. Or buy it through any of the online bookstores—Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, etc.

If you have a book that is faltering in the market, order my ebook The Author’s Repair Kit. The only place you can get it is from my website at http://www.matilijapress.com/author_repairkit.html.

This is the only book I know of that will help you to revive a failing book. It’s short (27 pages) and to the point and extremely insightful and useful. It’s only $5.95 (no shipping involved).

I have a few possible students for my online Book Promotion Workshop. If you need help promoting your book and can spare a couple of hours per week for the next 6 weeks, this may be a good time for you to sign up for this course. How many books have you sold during these last few months? 100? 10? 0? Are you running out of promotional ideas? Are the activities you are pursuing only minimally successful? Does your marketing plan need a shot in the arm? Could you use some new promotional ideas? Consider joining in on my Book Promotion Workshop and get individual attention to help you find new ways to sell more books. Check it out at: http://www.matilijaperss.com/course_bookpromotion.htm

Questions? Contact me at PLFry620@yahoo.com.