Writing and Publishing News from

It’s tempting to just push on through and write that book without coming up for air until it is finished. Then, while your book is with your choice of POD “self-publishing” companies, you relax a little and decide to take this time to learn something about the publishing industry. You purchase a good book on the subject, such as The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. And you start listing all of the things you maybe could have done better, smarter, wiser… Your confidence drops and you wish you could start all over.

If you are thinking about writing a book or you are currently in the process of writing a book, STOP! Study the publishing industry, first. Read my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book.
• Learn how the modern-day publishing industry works.
• Discover your publishing options, the possible consequences of your choices and your responsibilities as a published author.
• Learn some writing techniques.
• Find out how to self-edit.
• Discover the value of hiring a good editor for your manuscript no matter what your publishing choices.
• Find out why it is important to write a book proposal and receive guidance in producing one.
• Learn about distributors and wholesalers, and library and bookstore sales.
• Learn how to locate, approach and work with an agent or publisher.
• Discover what the big world of book promotion entails.

Folks, this is all stuff you MUST know if you want to successfully navigate the publishing industry, and the best time to start your study is before you decide to write a book.

Read books like mine, of course. But also join publishing organizations such as SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network), SPAN and IBPA (formerly PMA). Read their newsletters. Subscribe to additional newsletters and magazines within the industry. Did you know that you can get the highlights from Publisher’s Weekly, for example, sent to your email box FREE. Sign up for Google Alerts using keywords related to your topic, genre and publishing, in general. Every morning, you’ll receive lists of appropriate articles, sites and blogs you can check out. Here are some links for the above-mentioned organizations and services:

Order The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book at http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

SPAWN. http://www.spawn.org
SPAN. http://www.spannet.org
IBPA. http://www.pma-online.org
Google Alerts. http://www.google.com/alerts
Publishers Weekly FREE daily news. http://www.publishersweekly.com

And don’t forget to sign up for my online book proposal course which starts September 15, 2008. For $200, you’ll have the opportunity to complete your book proposal within this 8-week period with professional assistance and feedback. If you want to work with me outside of the course, the fee, from start to finish, could be more like $500 to $1,500.
Sign up today at http://www.matilijapress.com/course_bookproposal.htm

You must visit Terry Whalin’s July 26, 2008 blog. It features the 5-star review for my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. And Terry has posted my article on the post-publication book proposal, as well. See it all here: http://terrywhalin.blogspot.com/2008/07/write-publish-and-sell-your-book.html

Some of my clients are suffering something that others only dream of. They’re experiencing overwhelm. Some of them have crashed. They feel exhausted. They don’t know what to do next? Why? And why would anyone want to suffer this way?

These clients have completed their books. Their books have been published and they’re holding copies in their hands. Some of these authors have boxes of books stored in their spare rooms, garages or storage sheds. They feel a sense of completion and accomplishment after months or even years of solid work. Others don’t have stored books, but they can order as many books as they want/need from their POD publishing service for a price.

Both groups of authors are stuck. They don’t know what to do next. The initial, “I’m an author,” realization is waning and book orders are not coming in by the thousands. What next? What now? Some wonder, is this what Patricia Fry meant when she kept telling me, “Enjoy the process because, as hard as it was writing the book and as difficult and foreign as the process of publishing might be, it will only get harder. Book promotion is not for sissies.”

And it’s not only my clients who are suffering. Others contact me through SPAWN, my articles and my blog or come up to my booth at book festivals. They ask for answers and hope for miracles. “Please, do you have an easy quick fix for me? Tell me how to sell my books. I only need to sell a few hundred to get my money back.”

What happened to, “Sure, I’ll promote this book. I should be able to sell thousands. The market is huge and I’m willing to get out there and promote, promote, promote.”

Struggling authors want me to chart a course for them or at least give them some ideas for promoting their books. When I do, some of them begin reciting all of the reasons why they can’t spend the time promoting. A typical response is, “Oh, I tried that. Yes, I went out and spoke to my daughter’s preschool PTO (or my husband’s poker club, or my neighbor’s tai chi class) and sold only a few copies of my poetry book. That didn’t work.”

Authors, before you decide to write a book for publication, please think it through. Read my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book from cover to cover. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html. Study, study, study until you understand what book promotion is all about. Here’s what it is not:

• It is not a one-time shot proposition.
• It is not a one-week, one-month or even one-year commitment.
• It is not usually a one-activity process&#8212send press releases and call it good.
• It is not a task you can push off on someone else. No one else cares as much about your book as you do. Even if you decide to invest in a publicist, you will be expected to participate a LOT!
• It is not for the short-sighted, timid, reserved individual.

Book promotion, for those who want to sell more than a few copies of their books to friends and family, is a time-consuming, long-term commitment which requires plenty of energy, creativity and dedication. It’s darn hard work!!!

I had a conversation yesterday with an author who said he is sure eager to get his book manuscript completed and published so he can&#8212get this&#8212write his next book. I attempted to reason with him&#8212advising him that after publication comes promotion: lots and lots of it for many, many months/years. At that point, his eyes glazed over, I could read the writing on his pupils. It said, “I’m in complete denial and I can’t HEAR you!”

You used care in writing your book. You worked hard to find the right publishing option and to see it through. Now you must work ten times harder to make your book a success in the marketplace. Let me help: Sign up today for my online, on-demand Book Promotion course. http://www.matilijapress.com/course_bookpromotion.htm Read my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book, http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

This week, I’ve been responding to a lot of client questions related to publishing and book promotion; details involving the all-important book proposal, the query letter and publishing in general. It occurred to me that not every editor from every editorial service could fill the needs of my clients or those of most hopeful authors.

Oh my gosh, is there ever a difference in editors! First, if you have a book manuscript that needs editing, you must understand that an editor who works exclusively with business materials such as reports, in-house manuals, ad copy or who edits dissertations or web pages probably knows nothing about book editing. You might be surprised to discover how the inexperienced, non-book editor can mess up a manuscript.

Sure, a good editor is a good editor and any good editor can certainly catch grammatical, punctuation and syntax errors, for example. But, if he or she has no or little personal experience in the publishing field, there’s a great deal that this editor can’t do for you. She may not understand the concept of “reader-friendly” copy. He probably isn’t aware of current punctuation rules and how to handle dialog, for example. And he or she definitely cannot help you navigate the murky, competitive, shark infested publishing waters.

Just imagine how much more valuable an editor can be to your project if he/she is a published author who understands the publishing industry, who knows how to write a book proposal and a query letter, who is accustomed to approaching publishers and who has experienced self-publishing and book promotion over a period of years.

My clients come to me for help editing their manuscripts and organizing them or reworking them so that they are more reader-friendly. I can also help them write a more engaging query letter because I’ve been writing query letters for umpteen (well, 35) years. They can rely on me to help them formulate an effective book proposal. And they have to go no farther than my email address in order to get answers to their burning publishing and book promotion questions.

My suggestion to those of you seeking an editor for your manuscript (and that should be all of you who want to publish a book), make sure you get the most for your editing dollar. Choose an editor who is not only editorially sound, but who can guide you successfully throughout the entire publishing process.

Notes From Patricia Fry’s Office
I’ve been knee deep in query letters and book proposals for clients, lately. Sometimes I wonder how I can keep the details of each story straight. I’m not sure that I always do. And I’m working under a handicap this week. I tripped myself with a rolling stick while speed-walking down a hill Sunday and skidded palms first on the pavement. Ouch! I sprained my right wrist badly enough that I can’t wash the iron skillet or take out the trash, but I can still type. YES!!! I’m also impaired when it comes to styling my hair, so I have an excuse for looking a bit rough around the edges (and for spending more time writing). Vacuuming, sweeping and raking are definitely out this week.

I have a booth at the Ventura Book Festival Saturday and I’ve figured out that I can put my books in canvas bags. I’ll be able to lift them with my left hand out of the car and into an empty box placed on my wheelie dealie. I may have to make several trips, but I know I can manage on my own.

Come visit me at the SPAWN booth Saturday, July 26, 2008 at the Ventura Book Festival at the Crowne Plaza in Ventura (near the pier) from 10 until 4. I’ll be promoting SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) and my own books and editorial/consulting services. Learn more about SPAWN at http://www.spawn.org

Visit my website: http://www.matilijapress.com For a great chapter on “Self Editing” order my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

Contact me at PLFry620@yahoo.com

You’ve heard me and other professionals urge you to write a book proposal. I suggest that you write one before you start writing the book. But no matter where you are in the writing process, it’s never too late.

I’m working with 4 hopeful authors on writing their book proposals now in a workshop format. Each of the authors has a book fleshed out&#8212most have done quite a bit of writing, already. But each of their projects has definitely been at least slightly reshaped since we started working on their proposals. It’s important to define your book’s purpose and to determine your target audience early on so you are writing the right book for the right audience. Right now, the authors are trying to hold the reader in their minds as they write. They are attempting to write their stories for their readers more than simply as their own ego trip.

Basically, a book proposal helps you to discover your book’s purpose; determine who your target audience is, where they are and how you will reach them; evaluate your competition and develop your marketing plan. Last night, we discussed that marketing plan. One author said, “So I want to tell the author where all of the bookstores are in the Los Angeles area&#8212airports, malls, and so forth.” She asked, “Is that what my marketing section will contain; information about the bookstores where the publisher can place my books?”

“No,” I responded. “He knows where the bookstores are and how to get your book into them. He wants to know how you plan to bring people into those bookstores to buy your book.”

Your marketing plan should reflect your skills, talents, abilities, connections and ideas with regard to actual promotional activities you can and will pursue on behalf of your book. Do you know someone or do you have an affiliation with an agency within your field (the topic or focus of your book)? Do you have a following? Are readers familiar with your name as a magazine contributor or in this field of interest, for example? Have you been presenting seminars in this area of interest for many years? Are you a friend of Oprah’s producer? Do you have a massive mailing list? Are you planning to retire soon and spend a year traveling with your book?

The publisher will handle the traditional booksellers. He can get your book into bookstores. He wants an author who can entice the reader to buy it. He is looking for a savvy, energetic and creative marketer.

Learn more about writing a book proposal, locating and working with publishers and agents, promoting your book and much more in my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

“Does a cabbie need a car?” “Does a carpenter need a hammer?” A better analogy might be, “Does a butcher, baker or candlestick maker need a storefront?” The answer to all of the above is YES.

Your website is an extension of your business card. It’s a showcase for your book(s). This is where your potential customers can learn more about you and your book. But don’t limit the usefulness of your website. Also make it a place where customers can read a sample chapter, purchase your book, enter contests, read related articles, peruse your newsletter/blog, comment on your blog entries, locate related resources, play games, view photos of your recent book signings, sign up for courses, learn of your upcoming appearances and more. In fact, the more you have going on at your site and the more often you add to it, the more attention it will get from the popular search engines and the more traffic you will have.

If you’re thinking about creating a website, spend some time visiting those of other authors. Note what you like about them and what you don’t like. For additional considerations, you might be interested in reading my article, “Websites for Writers.” Contact me at plfry620@yahoo.com and request a free copy.

In the meantime, book sales for The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book are UP. Thank you for your business. I’m well into my second printing now and feeling awfully good about being able to help so many otherwise floundering, uninformed authors. It’s interesting; people look at this book from different angles. Those who read it before getting too involved in the publishing process are thrilled to have discovered it. Those who read it after they’ve already made a bunch of disastrous mistakes, however, have a love/hate relationship with this book. On the one hand, they wish they had found this book before they began making uninformed decisions. On the other, they hate learning that they have messed up. It’s depressing.

It’s never too late to start going down the right path toward publishing success. Which means it is never too late to order your copy of The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

Don’t forget that I produced The Author’s Workbook this year as a companion to The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. And it is helping a number of hopeful authors to work through the process toward successful publishing. One aspect of that process is an appropriate mindset.

I’m currently working with a group of authors on writing a book proposal and each student is using the Author’s Workbook religiously. They are amazed and quite pleased with the results. Order The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book and The Author’s Workbook together at the discounted price of $28.00. http://www.matilijapress.com/display.php?sku=combo_rightwaywkbk

I met with the Yes I Can writers’ group last night where I presented the 2nd class in my 8-week Book Proposal Workshop. What a group! Each of the four members is a serious author and they’re each highly motivated to write their first publishable book. They say that they are learning a tremendous amount from me. I have them working in my Author’s Workbook and they are discovering things about themselves as authors, storytellers, businesswomen and people. But I am learning from them, as well.

Last night Marsha asked if I could outline some questions that must be answered when writing a synopsis. What a good approach, I thought. And I told her I would attempt to put together the questions that one should answer while writing the book proposal synopsis. Here’s what I came up with:

1: What is your book about?
• Describe your core story or the premise/purpose of your book.
• What genre and/or topic category does this book fall into?
• What are the focus, scope and point of your book?
• Why did you write (or are you writing) this book?

2: Who is your target audience?
• How many people (what percentage of the population) comprise your audience?
• What other segments of people would be interested in this book?
• What will this book bring to your audience?
• What are the benefits to your audience?

3: Why did you decide to write this book?
• Why do you think people will be interested in this book?
• What makes your book different than anything else out there?
• What makes your book useful and/or entertaining?
• What makes this book as desirable/valuable as similar books?
• What makes your book better than what’s out there?
• Why are you the person to write this book?

4: Why will people want to read this book?
• What is your platform—your way of attracting readers?
• What are some of your promotional ideas?
• Realistically, how will you implement these ideas?
• How many books do you think you can sell?

5: Why should your book be produced?
• Can you establish a need or desire for this book in the marketplace?

Let me know if this helps you write your book proposal synopsis. And if you need additional assistance with your book proposal, be sure to purchase your copy of The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

Or sign up for my on-demand, online book proposal course at http://www.matilijapress.com/course_bookproposal.htm