Writing and Publishing News from

This is the first day of my blog tour for the Klepto Cat Mystery series. Be sure to stop in at the WV Stitcher site today: http://www.kittycrochettwo.blogspot.com Host Brenda has presented a lovely review and she’s given quite a bit of insight into the 5^th in the series—the latest Klepto Cat book—The Colony Cat Caper.

I’ve had a lot of interest from authors with regard to the blog tour concept. Today, I’d like to respond to the questions about promoting a blog tour.

I’d say just promote a blog tour the same way you would promote any other promotional activity. For example:

• Post your stops in your blog and at your social media pages.
• Send out an email blast to your enormous email addressbook.
• If you publish an enewsletter, include your blot tour in the next issue.
• Send announcements to all of editors of newsletters associated with the organizations you belong to.
• Write articles for or send short stories to newsletters and magazines related to the theme or genre of the book you’re promoting on the tour and mention the tour in the bio section.
• Get a podcast gig and make the announcement to listeners. Do an Internet search to find podcast opportunities within your book’s theme/genre.
• If you plan a signing, presentation, or you’ll be attending a conference related to your book, have bookmarks made promoting the blog tour and hand them out.
• Leave comments at other blog sites promoting your tour.
• Talk it up—talk about it everywhere you go.
• The day of each stop on your tour, promote it through your blog and social media.

If you’ve done a blog tour and have something to add to this list, please leave your comment here.

Yesterday, I shared my upcoming blog tour schedule. I hope you’ll stop in and enjoy the fun and frivolity. If you’re a published author, who is trying to drum up readers, you might want to plan your own blog tour. I’ve written about how I set up a blog tour. Refer to the blog posted February 15, 2014. Today, I’ll share some successful blog tour strategies from other authors.

Are you aware that there are blog tour services? That’s right. You can get professional help scheduling, promoting, and managing your blog tour. One author I know uses CLP Blog Tours because they specialize in her genre.

She tells me that, while the service made all of the arrangements, the author was required to write some guest blogs, send the cover image to those who requested it, etc. But the blog tour service did the promotion. This company offers several packages from $20 to over $200. Check them out here: http://www.clpblogtours.com.

This author said that she thinks people often overestimate the affect of blog tours on sales. She says, “If you go in thinking it’s going to drive a gazillion sales of your book, you’ll be disappointed. It’s just one way of raising awareness about you and your novels online.”

However, I shared with you after my first blog tour in February, that the week of my tour, sales for my Klepto Cat Mystery series doubled!

I spoke with another colleague who does blog tours to bring attention to her two novels. She said she does ongoing, informal blog tours. She doesn’t use a service and she doesn’t necessarily book a regimented tour.

She says, “I line up blogs and get permission to post.” She told me, “I don’t pay attention to the order of things. I don’t do tours over a certain day or week. I just do them as often as my schedule allows, sometimes I binge with them, aka, a tour.”

Here are links to a few blog tour services. If you use them, report back to me and, not only will I share your experience with my readers, I’ll give your book a plug.

http://bewitchingbooktours.blogspot.com/

http://worldwindvirtualbooktours.weebly.com/services.html

http://sizzlingpr.com/services/

Many people today are writing books with a message. That is, they write to share a perspective, information, an opinion, or knowledge with the reading public (or a selected portion of readers). The message might be in the form of a story, a memoir, a how-to or self-help book, or even an informational or inspirational book. Poetry and children’s books are sometimes vehicles for messages.

Perhaps you have produced a message book. You want to show people new ways of being/living or thinking/believing, for example. If you’re like most such authors, you aren’t selling very many books. And for some of you, that’s because you didn’t know it was up to you to promote it.

How does one promote a message book? Here are some ideas:

• Locate websites of organizations related to the theme of your book. Study the sites to discover how your book might fit in. Do they have a newsletter where you could announce your book? Do they review books like yours? Do they feature books at their website?
• Locate blogs related to the theme of your book. Do they interview authors, review books, seek guest bloggers, etc.? Contact the bloggers and set up appropriate methods of getting exposure for your book.
• Study magazines and newsletters that your proposed audience would read. Remember, your audience is made up of people who are interested in the topic of your book, not people you think you can change.
• If you want to reach the general public, as well as your primary audience, contact the program chairs for local clubs and organizations. Ask to be put on their speaker roster. If you are not a public speaker, join a Toastmasters Club and gain the tools you need. Also read “Talk Up Your Book, How to Sell Your Book Through Public Speaking, Interviews, Signing, Festivals, Conferences and More.” (By Patricia Fry, publisher, Allworth Press.) http://www.matilijapress.com/TalkUpYourBook.html
• Check into conferences related to the theme of your book—health, mental illness, writing, behavior, psychology, cooking and so forth. Choose the conferences that your audience will attend. Apply to be a presenter or workshop leader. Note: The point of speaking to your readers is not to sell your book, it is to demonstrate your expertise on this topic. Once potential readers feel confident in your credibility, they will be more open to purchasing your book. Here are some directories of conferences:

http://www.allconferences.com

http://www.bventes.com

http://shawguides.com

• Write articles for appropriate publications. Mention your book in your bio at the end of the article.
• Build your own website and begin blogging. Advertise your sites at every opportunity—through social media, during interviews, in your bio following articles you’ve written for publications, etc.
• Solicit reviews for your book’s Amazon page. If you know people who have read it, ask them to post a review. Contact reviewers of books on this topic. Here are a few directories of book reviewers:

http://acqweb.org/bookrev.html

http://dir.yahoo.com/arts/humanities/literature/reviews

http://www.stepbystepselfpublishing.net/free-book-reviews.html

The point is to go where your readers are. Become visible. Get exposure for yourself and your book.

For more about book promotion, be sure to order your copy of “Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven. Low-cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author.” http://www.matilijapress.com/PromoteYourBook.html

Today, we’re continuing our discussion about getting book reviews for your book. Yesterday, I explained how important it is to make your book the best that it can be in order to attract more of the right kind of reviewers. We talked about finding the hooks in your fiction or nonfiction book that could attract reviewers. I also touched on reviews in magazines and other periodicals.

The most revered reviews of all, however, are those posted at amazon.com. How do you get those reviews? Here are a few ideas:

1: Beg and plead for them. Well, at least ask politely. Put out an all points bulletin at your website or blogsite asking for reviews. If a friend or colleague mentions having read your book, say, “Cool. I’d love it if you’d review it at Amazon.com.” Send out emails or post a note in your monthly newsletter reminding people to post a review.

2: Contact book reviewers who review books like yours. You can check to see who has reviewed other books similar to yours. However, most reviewers are either readers whom you’ll never be able to find or they’re reviewers who have hidden their identity. Occasionally, a reviewer will use their real name or the name of their website and you can trace them down. The best method of finding reviewers, though, is through book reviewer directories. Here are a few:

http://www.stepbystepselfpublishing.net. They also have a book that comes out every other year—The Book Reviewer Yellow Pages. It contains over 775 pages of reviewers in every category, and the majority of them review self-published books.

Here’s a list of book review sites: http://writersresourcedirectory.com/Book_Reviewers.html

Here’s a list of 352 book reviewers http://www.theindieview.com/indie-reviewers

Most (or all) of these do not charge for reviews, but they will give honest reviews.

If you’re an author, you’ve heard the term Book Review. Some of you consider a book review to be an honor bestowed ony on the most famous and the very lucky authors.

Some of you are aware of the pre-publication book reviews, but have been duly warned that these reviewers will NOT review books by unknown authors. Is this your belief?

Okay, let me say that you are right and wrong. I’ve certainly known of the coveted pre-publication reviewers, such as the editors of Kirkus Review and Library Journal, to review books by unknowns (without a fee). In most cases, it seemed to be because the books were well suited to the public library system. Think about that when you plan your next book!

As for the rumor that, if you miss out on getting your book reviewed by a pre-publication reviewer, you’ve lost your chances of a review forever—hogwash!

Here’s another myth I’d like to expose: You can get your book reviewed, but you’ll have to pay for it. No, no, no! Well, let me say that there certainly are review sites cropping up that require payment for reviews. But I have to tell you, they are not the only reviewers in town!

There are hundreds of FREE book review opportunities for books in all genres and topics. Here are my suggestions:

1: Write a book that reviewers will want to review. Now this sounds like a big fat no-brainer, doesn’t it? But think about it. What more could you do to make your book in progress more appealing to reviewers—more appropriate for a larger number of reviewers?

I advise authors to build promotion into their books—in other words, to add wider dimensions to attract a larger audience. This practice will also attract a greater array of reviewers.

2: Seek out magazine book reviewers. Not every magazine runs book reviews, but many of them, too. Editors of some literary magazines and others that publish fiction, review books. Some genre fiction magazine editors publish book reviews—this might include science fiction, romance, horror, young adult and children’s.

Likewise there are hundreds of consumer and association/trade magazines that run book reviews on appropriate books. My book on presenting a Hawaiian luau on the mainland was reviewed in dozens and dozens of cooking and foods magazines. My writing/publishing-related books have been reviewed in numerous writing and publishing magazines and newsletters. There are magazines in every category imaginable—business, child-rearing, pets and animals, public speaking, fitness and health, education, sports, hobby and craft and on and on and on.

Again, the more aspects you have skillfully worked into your novel or nonfiction book, the more potential you have for having your book reviewed.

Here’s an example: Write a book about a run-of-the-mill factory worker and his life after divorce and your book will likely appeal to a relatively narrow audience of reviewers. Add the fact that he (or another character) is dealing with an affliction such as deafness or ALS, for example, and they have a therapy dog that saved someone’s life, and you’ve expanded your options. Now you may get a review in fiction and relationship magazines as well as those related to handicaps, ALS/deafness, therapy dogs and animal heroes.

3: Make the most of what you have. Okay, your book is a done deal. How can you maximize your book review options? Get personal with your book. Dissect it and jot down what you find. For example, what city is the story set in? Pursue reviews in regional magazines in that area. Do you have a section in your budgeting book for teaching children money-awareness? Parenting magazines might be a good secondary review option for this book. Is your book clean and honorable? Consider reviews in religious magazines. Maybe your novel has a séance scene. This may provide an opportunity for a review in a metaphysical or New Age publication.

Secrets number 4-7 will be revealed in the next blog post.

I’m Patricia Fry, the author of 45 published books including many for authors. The most recent 3 books are Publish Your Book, Promote Your Book and Talk Up Your Book. All 3 are available here: http://www.matilijapress.com. And at Amazon.com in print, audio, and for Kindle.

Also enjoy my Klepto Cat Mystery series on your Kindle. http://amzn.to/1kAI8I2 Catnapped, Cat-Eye Witness and Sleight of Paw are now also in print.

It’s a busy time in the offices of Matilija Press and Patricia Fry. This week, we produced a new book and a new version of an older book. I’m also writing a book on contract for a publisher on how to write a book proposal. I got my bi-monthly newsletter out this week. You can view it along with all the other newsletters in the archives here. http://www.matilijapress.com/publishingblog/?page_id=3081

The new book is The Colony Cat Caper, number 5 in the Klepto Cat Mystery series. It’s formatted for your Kindle here: http://amzn.to/1kAI8I2 If you haven’t read any of the other books in the series, check them out on this same Amazon page. This is the order, but each book can stand alone.

Catnapped,

Cat-Eye Witness

Sleight of Paw

Undercover Cat

The Colony Cat Caper

The cover artist for these books is Bernadette Kazmarski. Each time she creates a cover for me I like it even better than the last. The Colony Cat Caper cover is the most charming, yet. Love those cats!!!

The other bit of company news is that Sleight of Paw is now in print (or will be probably within hours). All of the Klepto Cat books are formatted for Kindle. The first 3 are also now in print form for those of you who still like to hold a real book.

Now that the latest book is a reality, how am I spending my time? Marketing, of course. Contacting my email list, reviewers of cozy mysteries and those who like cats; planning another blog book tour (my first one was a smashing success); getting a mention in colleagues’ and association newsletters; setting up a local signing; designing new promo material to include the new book; and so forth.

When you’re in the process of writing a book, you are rather singly focused. You have to consider your story as you write—make sure it flows, makes sense, isn’t repetitive, is believable, etc. You have to stop and conduct research at least occasionally—what is a small handgun called, what flowers in the northwest in the fall, what kind of trees lose their leaves in the south, for example. But when in the writing phase, you are generally alone and all is quiet.

When you shift into the marketing phase, things get kind of wild. You are communicating with a lot of people and there are a lot of details to keep track of—who to send review copies to, which blogger offered you a guest blog spot, who were you supposed to contact about an interview, who reviewed your other books, etc. The research involved in promoting a book can drive you crazy and it’s hard to keep track of who you contacted and who you didn’t. You have forgotten which reviewers hated your last book. You have to visit a lot of sites to find those that relate to your project.

And that’s just day one and two of your efforts to get word out about your new book.

I promote a lot of books in one way or another. I’ve launched over 40 books and spent the first weeks of each launch scrambling to locate as many promotional opportunities as I could. As you may or may not know, book promotion is an ongoing activity. When people ask me how long you have to promote your book, I always say, “For as long as you want it to sell.”

So what I’m doing this week is just the preliminary blast to introduce the new book. Sure I’ve kept a record of those I promoted to when each of the others in the Klepto Cat Mystery series came out, and I have contacted them. But there are always new kids on the block and sites I didn’t notice when I last pursued the marketing activities.

I’d love to hear some of your experiences when launching a book. There are so many methods. I’m sure you’ve thought of something or stumbled upon an idea  that I, and my readers, would love to know about. Leave a comment or contact me here: PLFry620@yahoo.com

I’m working on a book on how to write a book proposal. Yesterday, I put together a list of ideas for promoting a travel book and I thought you might be interested in seeing it. Perhaps you can read between the lines and see the gems in this list as they relate to you and your project. It should be helpful whether you are the author of a novel, a memoir or a self-help, informational, business or children’s book.

If you are paying attention, you’ll realize that these ideas can be tweaked to fit any type of book you are promoting. Use your imagination and report back to me with your own book promotion ideas based on this list. Remember, I compiled this with travel book authors in mind.

• Contact travel agents through an email blast or a targeted mailing.
• Visit and participate in blogs and websites directed at travel agents and travelers.
• Attend travel shows throughout the US and hand out your promo material to agents.
• Secure a booth at travel shows where you can sell your book.
• Secure a booth at book festivals.
• Participate in events related to your book’s secondary theme—a particular country, boating, seniors, families, etc.
• Contact columnists for newspaper travel columns and ask for an interview or a review.
• Get a list of travel book reviewers. Send each of them your promo material and ask for a review.
• Contact editors of travel magazines about reviews and/or offer to write an article for them.
• Do a blog tour of travel-related blogs and those related to your secondary theme—parenting, pets, photography, etc.
• Get involved in travel clubs and organizations.
• Arrange a speaking schedule locally and where you’ll be traveling.
• Establish your own website and blog site and offer daily or weekly perks for visitors (contests, prizes, resources, etc.)

Happy marketing.

A blog can be many things and serve many purposes. When you have a book to promote, it makes sense to turn your blog into a promotional tool. Whether your book is a historical novel, a how-to gardening book, a memoir or a book of poetry, let your blog entries spread the word and you will sell more books. Here are eight ideas for using your blog to promote your book:

1: Stay focused on your topic. Make sure that you are providing the information your audience wants in a way that makes it palatable. Stay on track when adding to your blog so that you are always addressing your target audience. Sure you can write about something personal if you want, but try to tie it into your primary topic.

2: Participate at other blog sites. Search out blogs on your topic. Leave comments, ask to be interviewed, offer articles and other information.

3: Offer freebies. Do you sometimes wonder if you’re being read? Offer free items or run contests from time to time. I know one author who offered a $100 prize to the 100^th person who purchased her book. I sometimes offer a free report—something that includes information or tips that may or may not be included in the book that I’m pitching.

4: Turn your blog entries into articles. Either submit them as is to appropriate sites and publications or tweak them to fit. Most of my blog entries are suitable for publishing, as I’m mindful to create stand-alone articles. Sometimes, however, a newsletter or magazine editor wants a longer piece or a more condensed version. Not a problem—I just rewrite the blog to fit their submission requirements. Of course, articles sell books. How? In a word: exposure.

5: Create handouts. Use specific blog entries as handouts when you promote your book through presentations, workshops or at book festivals.

6: Compile a booklet of blog entries. If you’re a dedicated blogger, you could actually produce a booklet every six months or once a year and offer them free to anyone who purchases your book.

7: Write a book based on your best blog subjects. Review your blog entries. If you’re like me, you may occasionally hit upon a topic that would make a good book. So start writing. With thought and research, your blog on the feral kitten you rescued over the summer might become a book featuring how to successfully raise a feral cat. If your current book features an aspect of pet care, this new book would make a great spin-off product. Your blog entry on how you created curb appeal that sold your home, could become an entire book for others who want to make an excellent impression when selling their properties. And what a great companion this would be for your book on family financing.