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It’s encouraged. It’s sometimes necessary. Authors often engage in public speaking in order to promote their books. But not all authors are prepared and trained for this activity. And not all authors even want to participate.

Let’s look at the scope of authors’ attitudes and aptitudes when it comes to public speaking. There are authors:

• who are absolute naturals in the public speaking realm.
• who absolutely hate the thought of standing before an audience.
• who are game speakers, but have poor skills.

Is speaking one of your book promotion activities? Do you hope to start speaking to large and small groups as a way to gain exposure for your book? Please, before you launch out on the speaking circuit, heed the following advice:

1: Join Toastmasters and actively participate for at least a year. You will benefit in ways that you can’t even imagine. Go to http://www.toastmasters.org for a list of clubs near you.

2: Volunteer for opportunities to speak. Take leadership of a project at work or for a charity. Offer to go around and educate citizens on a political issue or to raise funds for the local library expansion, for example.

3: Attend other speakers’ programs. If you are observant and alert, you will learn volumes about public speaking by listening to others. How does the audience respond to the speaker? What techniques seem to work (and what don’t work) for this speaker? What would you do differently to put the audience at ease, make this a more pleasing or educational experience for the audience, etc?

4: Get involved with a storytelling group. This is a particularly fun way to improve your speaking skills. You’ll also get some training and practice in using vocal variety.

5: Hire a voice coach. If you have a soft voice that doesn’t carry well or a voice that is rather unpleasant to listen to, a voice coach might be able to help. You’ll find voice coaches listed under music teachers in the Yellow Pages.

6: Find a mentor—someone who’s speaking abilities you admire. Ask him/her to coach you.

7: Start locally. Before heading out to parts unknown to speak about your book before huge crowds, plan speaking gigs locally. Speak to the women’s group at your church, your local Optimist or Rotary Club, a gathering at the museum or bookstore or even a group of neighbors, for example.

While we each have a unique way of speaking and we don’t want to be carbon copies of one other, there are some public speaking rules that always (or almost always) apply. First, let me share with you some of the most common and most obnoxious mistakes I’ve observed among people attempting to speak in public:

Public speaking rule breakers.

• Many speakers let their voices trail off at the end of every sentence. The audience can hear the first part of their sentence, but they have no idea what pearls of wisdom might be lost in the whispers at the end. Sometimes this speaker will deliver complete sentences inaudibly while looking down—obviously not interested, at that moment, in engaging the audience.
• Some speakers are not good readers. If you are not skilled at reading something out loud, don’t do it while speaking. Especially avoid doing this secretly. In other words, if you plan to deliver your speech by reading all or part of it, and you do not have good out loud reading skills, forget it.
• Mumbling is not cool. Inexperienced speakers will often speak at conversation level, not giving any thought or consideration to the people in the back of the room. Recently, I sat in on a panel discussion at a workshop. The panelists chose to sit instead of stand to address the standing-room-only crowd, which I thought was rude. And one man, whenever it was his turn to speak, would rest his elbows on the table and fold his hands in front of his mouth during the entire time that he was speaking.
• Inexperienced or thoughtless speakers leave some members of the audience out. When an audience member asks a question, it is rarely heard in the back of the room. I’ve seen many speakers respond to the question by engaging in a one-on-one conversation with this person while the rest of the audience is left wondering. Speakers, repeat the question so everyone is on the same page. And then respond to the question so that everyone in the room can hear it.
• Some speakers choose to sit down on the job. In a very small, intimate group or when the audience is sitting in a circle of chairs or on the floor, for example, speaking while seated is generally okay. But if you have a room containing six rows of chairs or more, you really should express respect for those in the back of the room by standing so that you can be seen as well as heard.
• Many speakers have trouble staying within the time allotment. Most programs or presentations are carefully organized. Each segment is designed to fit into a specific time slot. I’ve seen speakers completely disregard their time constraints and foul up the entire evening’s program. Not cool.

I’ve written many articles on the topic of public speaking—many of them for The Toastmaster Magazine. The following is excerpted from one of those articles. This list offers specific tips to help get your started on your way to successful public speaking:
Make eye contact. Move your attention around the room as you speak, making eye contact with each person

Don’t apologize. Avoid sabotaging your presentation by making excuses for not being well prepared or for poor speaking skills. Stand tall, appear self-assured and you will gain the confidence of the audience.

Use vocal variety. Make your talks more enjoyable by using an assortment of vocal tones and pitches rather than speaking in monotone. If you need help developing vocal variety, practice reading to children. Use your highest and lowest voice and everything in between.

Eliminate non-words. Inexperienced speakers generally use so many filler words that Toastmasters actually have an “ah counter” at every meeting. This person counts the number of filler words each member uses throughout the course of the meeting. Filler words include uh, ah, um, er and so forth. I’ve seen new Toastmasters, who use filler words in nearly every sentence they speak, learn to speak without filler words at all after only a few months time.

Eliminate poor speaking habits. Rid your vocabulary of stagnant verbiage. Break yourself of those mundane phrases you like to repeat, such as, “yada, yada, yada” or “know what I mean?” Likewise, watch the overuse of words like “really.” Saying “I was exhausted.” is a stronger sentence than saying, “I was really exhausted.” You can explain how exhausted you were by saying, “I was exhausted beyond anything I’d ever experienced before,” or “I was so tired I could have slept for a month.”

Speak out. Many inexperienced orators speak too softly or they allow their voices to drop toward the end of their sentences. Practice speaking up and speaking out. Whether addressing a large audience or a small group, always speak so that you can be heard even in the back of the room.

Repeat audience questions. When someone asks a question during your presentation, always repeat it before answering it. This ensures that everyone hears it.

Be prepared. You will be more at ease if you know what to expect. Find out if there will be a lectern or microphone, for example. How many people do they expect? How will the room be set up? Also, have your props or notes organized so there will be no annoying fumbling during your presentation.

Know your audience. And gear your speech to the needs and interests of this particular audience. When I talk about the local history, I give a completely different talk to students at local elementary schools than I do when addressing civic organizations or historic society members.

Anyone can get up in front of an audience and speak. How well you do it is what counts.

Learn more about public speaking and how to locate and land speaking gigs in my latest book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. Order today at http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

What are you doing to promote your book(s)? Are you still trying to figure out a way to get them into bookstores?

I field a lot of questions for freelance writers and authors each week through SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network), through my Web site and via links from some of my published articles. The majority of these questions relate to book promotion. Most of the authors want to know, “How can I get my book into bookstores?”

Typically, these authors have spent the last several years writing the book of their dreams and then they take just a few days to search for a publisher. They gleefully and gratefully sign up with the first fee-based publishing service that issues them a contract and assume that their book will be available in bookstores nationwide. Of course, they envision copies of their book flying off of bookstore shelves into the eager hands of thousands of readers. Their job now is to sit back and rake in the royalties, right? Not even.

Tell me now, at some point in the process of writing your book, did you ever look around a mega bookstore and consider the vast competition? Visualize your book in that bookstore. Think now—what would cause readers to find and purchase your book among the tens (or, in some cases, hundreds) of thousands of other books?

Few authors realize that booksellers rarely carry books produced through fee-based publishing services. I know, I know—this isn’t what the publisher told you. Likewise, booksellers avoid carrying self-published books. Some legitimate, traditional royalty publishers even have trouble getting books into bookstores. I’m telling you, the competition for space in a bookstore is stiff. And books that are accepted by these mega booksellers had better fly off the shelf or else… What happens to books that don’t sell well? They are promptly returned to the publisher for a refund and I mean promptly. You might only have a three to six month window of time to prove your book worthy of bookstore status. Unfortunately, this is true whether you have paid a publishing service to produce your book, you’ve self-published or you managed to land a major publisher.

You can prolong your book’s place on a bookstore shelf by bringing in customers. This does not mean soliciting your friends and family members to order the book over and over again. Publishers/authors who have been caught doing this sort of thing usually have their books banned from the bookstore thereafter. What I suggest is creating a buzz, getting exposure, establishing a name for yourself (your book), getting publicity… Do whatever it takes to attract customers to the bookstores that carry your books.

But don’t rely totally on bookstores to sell your books. Sure, pursue bookstores if you wish, but be aware that bookstores are not the be all, end all answer to book promotion. Upon your first inkling to become an author, start planning your book promotion strategy. There are many countless avenues for promotion outside of the bookstore. Discover them, study them and, if they are appropriate for your particular title, pursue them.

Again—publishing is a business and your book is a product. In order to put your book into the hands of readers, you must stop dreaming and start thinking like a businesswo/man. You’ve heard people say, “Think before you speak.” Or “Think before you act.” Well, an author must think before s/he publishes. And your thoughts really should reach beyond the bookstore.

Try this exercise: Can you come up with five (5) ways to reach your target audience outside of the traditional bookstore? I’d love to hear your promotional ideas. Send them to me at plfry620@yahoo.com. Here are five of my ideas for promoting my writing/publishing-related books:

1. Write articles for writing-related magazines and newsletters.
2. Participate in writing/publishing online bulletin boards.
3. Solicit book reviews and interviews in magazines and newsletters and at Web sites for freelance writers and authors.
4. Seek out book festivals and writers conferences and offer to give workshops.
5. Keep adding to and improving my Web site so it continues to attract my target audience.

If you need more book promotion ideas, help writing a query letter or book proposal, information about finding and working with a publisher, steps to self-publishing, hints for better writing, distribution and shipping info, resources or other information related to authorship, purchase my latest book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book http://www.matilijapress.com

I’m back home again after a week of travel to the far off land of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates—yes, in the Middle East. And what a trip it was. Even the thirty hours in travel mode at both ends of the trip were an adventure, beings that I made the seventeen-hour flight each way in Business Class. What a treat! I didn’t even suffer a minute of jetlag and I’m sure that it was because I was able to get plenty of sleep in a plush seat that tipped back flat into a bed. What luxury. I don’t know what the difference is between First and Business Class. I can’t imagine First Class being any finer. You have all of the privacy you want in the First and Business Class sections on British Airways 747 planes. From my seat, I could not see the face of a single passenger. I had my own individual TV set with a nice selection of movies and programs. And I had more legroom than I needed.

I received a toiletries kit upon boarding that included slipper socks and a sleeping mask. Hot, moist clothes were distributed periodically for freshening up. Drinks and food were served FREE nonstop on the plane and in the First Class airport lounges. The food was served in courses on real dishes and we were given real silverware and cloth napkins. I particularly enjoyed the cream puff and shortbread cookie we got with our coffee just before landing for a stopover in London.

I had a four-day stay in a 5-star hotel in Dubai. Why was I there? I was invited to give the keynote address at a Toastmasters Conference for District 79. This included about 800 Toastmasters from the UAE as well as Kuwait, Behrain, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Oman and Qatar. And I was invited because of my writing. The Toastmasters there had become accustomed to seeing my articles published in The Toastmaster Magazine. Freelance writers and authors, do not underestimate the power and the scope of your writing.

What an experience. I thoroughly enjoyed the people. They are warm and gracious. They treated me like a celebrity. I went there expecting to speak in front of strangers. By the time I spoke—on my third day there—I felt as though I was speaking to friends. My topic, How to Present a More Creative Speech.

This was my first trip to the Middle East. The most exotic place I’d ever been before this was the Caribbean. What struck me most about the people is the diversity and the acceptance. I saw people of all cultures interacting most warmly with one another. One of the most surprising things I witnessed was a young woman in a burqa (covered in black from head to toe with just her eyes visible between a full head covering and a heavy veil) participating in a humorous speech contest. Her subject was, Men are from Mars and Women are From Venus.

I had time for a little touring and I saw the famous 7-star hotel, the Burj al Arab. I saw the outline of the manmade Palm Island in progress and photographed the twenty-four 5-star hotels that are under construction there. I saw the site of the tallest hotel in the world and I shopped in the largest shopping mall in the world. I saw the outside and the inside of the amazing indoor ski slope. Much of the city is currently under construction on land and at sea. Yes, they have an underwater hotel in the works. I understand that one-third of the world’s cranes are in Dubai because they currently have the largest area of construction anywhere in the world. They are also building the world’s largest manmade harbor.

They certainly do things up bigger and better in Dubai. They even have what I would consider the largest creek in the world. They call it a creek, but it is so wide that they have a fleet of boats to get people from one side to the other. And crime is practically non-existent there, according to anyone you talk to. The people there don’t even know what graffiti is, for example.

What an experience! I got a henna tattoo—the women there like to elaborately decorate their hands and sometimes their feet with henna. The design lasts for about two weeks. I went on a desert safari. And I even danced a little with the people of the Middle East.

I met several authors in Dubai. I took copies of my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book and sold out within minutes of putting them on display. I gave away about 150 brochures. And I had the most interesting conversation with a librarian who approached me to say she was glad to finally meet me. She said that she has been checking my books into the local library for years. What? My books are in a library in a foreign country? Who knew? I can tell you that I will be reaching out to the foreign market from now on, especially to those areas that are predominantly English-speaking.

Well, I’m back home in California pursuing my life with fond memories of a travel adventure like no other. For more about my journey, read the June edition of SPAWNews at www.spawn.org. The June issue will be posted June 1.

In the meantime, if you are an author or you are thinking about writing a book, don’t forget to order your copy of The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. This book is for you no matter what stage of authorship you are currently in. It is for you whether you hope to land a traditional royalty publisher, are contemplating going with a fee-based publishing service or you want to self-publish (establish your own publishing company). http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

And don’t forget to sign up for my Focus on the Masters Workshop in Ventura, CA. This is a series of 3 workshops on June 3, 10 and 17. http://www.focusonthemasters.com

I’m traveling a lot this year. And everywhere I go, I’m required to “speak for my supper.” I’m leaving for soggy Honolulu this week to give a workshop at the Pen Women Conference there. They want to know how to prepare a book proposal. April 6, I’ll give a brief talk at the Book Publicists of Southern California monthly meeting on how to work a book festival so it works for you. April 29/30 is the huge Los Angeles Times Book Festival at UCLA. I’ll be there in the SPAWN booth. That’s Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network). In June, I’m doing a 3-week workshop in Ventura, CA for Focus on the Masters. I might also do a writing workshop for a group of local home-schooled kids. In July, I’m scheduled to give a presentation at a writers’ event in Seattle. I’ll be in Wisconsin talking to writers in September and I am hoping to be invited back to St. Louis in October.

My biggest gig this year is in May. I’ve been invited to give the keynote speech before a group of 1,000 Toastmasters in Dubai. Yes, that magnificent city in the Middle East.

Do speaking engagements sell books? Absolutely. And I encourage you to hone your speaking skills, boost your courage and get out there and speak for your supper, too.
You get to experience new places and meet lovely new people. I love collecting memories from the various places where I’ve presented workshops. I was wined and dined quite extravagantly in Jacksonville, Florida a few years ago. I had a great time meeting women writers in Arlington, TX when I spoke before the National Association of Women Writers. I have made some wonderful friends in St. Louis, MO. In fact, it’s almost too much fun to be considered work.

Today, I’d like to offer you some suggestions for honing your speaking skills so you will feel more comfortable applying for the many speaking gigs there are out there, accepting those that come your way and creating new opportunities to speak in public as a way to promote your book.

If public speaking gives you noodle knees and sweaty palms, I recommend:

• Join a Toastmasters Club. Go to www.toastmasters.org or call, 800-993-7732 for the one nearest you.
• Join an organization of your choice and gain speaking experience by participating in meetings.
• Get involved with a storytelling group.
• Hire a voice coach. (Generally listed under music teachers)
• Observe other speakers. Note what techniques work and which ones don’t.
• Take on leadership roles at work.
• Find a mentor—someone who’s speaking abilities you admire.

Here are some specific tips to get your started:

Be prepared. You will be more at ease if you know what to expect. Find out if there will be a podium or microphone, for example. How many people do they expect? How will the room be set up? Also, have your props or notes organized so there will be no annoying fumbling during your presentation.

Know your audience. Gear your speech to the needs and interests of this particular audience.

Speak out. Many inexperienced orators speak too softly or they allow their voices to drop toward the end of their sentences. Practice speaking up and speaking out. Whether addressing a large audience or a small group, always speak so that you can be heard even in the back of the room.

Make eye contact. Move your attention around the room as you speak, making eye contact with each person

Use vocal variety. Make your talks more enjoyable by using an assortment of vocal tones and pitches rather than speaking in monotone. If you need help developing vocal variety, practice reading to children.

Eliminate non-words. Inexperienced speakers generally use filler words such as ah, er, um, and (where unnecessary), and so forth. Practice speaking without filler words.

Don’t apologize. Avoid sabotaging your presentation by making excuses for not being well prepared or for poor speaking skills. Stand tall, appear self-assured and you will gain the confidence of the audience.

Eliminate poor speaking habits. Rid your vocabulary of stagnant verbiage. Break yourself of those mundane phrases you like to repeat, such as, “yada, yada, yada” or “know what I mean?” Likewise, watch the overuse of words such as “really.”

Don’t apologize. Avoid sabotaging your presentation by making excuses for not being well prepared or for poor speaking skills. Stand tall, appear self-assured and you will gain the confidence of the audience.

Repeat audience questions. When someone asks a question during your presentation, always repeat it before answering it. This ensures that everyone hears i

Anyone can get up in front of an audience and speak. How well you do it is what counts.
You can’t sell a book that no one knows about. You won’t get writing jobs unless people are aware of your writing skills and services. One way to spread the word is to go out and talk about it.

Find additional tips such as these in my books, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book, The Successful Writer’s Handbook, Over 75 Good Ideas for Promoting Your Book, How to Write a Successful Book Proposal in 8 Days or Less.
http://www.matilijapress.com

It used to be that when someone called and invited me to talk about my latest book at their club meeting I would think about it for only a few seconds before responding. And, usually, I would say, “No.” Well, it was a safe answer. I wasn’t comfortable speaking in public. What if I messed up? Yes, it was the right answer. However, later, I often regretted my snap decision.

So I started handling things differently. Now, when someone called and asked me to do something that was outside of my comfort zone, I’d say, “I’ll think about it and call you back.” Invariably, I’d talk myself out of it and end up missing a worthwhile activity or an interesting event. Obviously, that wasn’t the solution to my decision-making problem, either. So, I developed a new tactic.

The next time someone called to ask me to speak or to attend a writers’ group meeting or to help organize a group, I said, “Yes.” Then I figured out a way to do it. Instead of focusing on the negative possibilities and my perceived short-comings—rather than dreading failure—I began a self-improvement regimen. I started meditating and using positive self-talk. I joined Toastmasters and improved my public-speaking skills.

Now, when I say, “Yes,” to a speaking invitation, I spend my days preparing for a positive outcome rather than dreading failure. Consequently, book sales are up, I’m getting more client work and I’m having a lot of fun traveling all over the place. April 1, I’ll be in Honolulu presenting a workshop on how to create a book proposal for the Pen Women’s Conference. I’ll be speaking before the Book Publicists of Southern California in Studio City, CA April 6 and I just accepted a gig for May 10 as the keynote speaker for the area Toastmasters conference in Dubai—yes, that amazing city in the Middle East.

I learned my lesson: Make snap decisions based on your fears and insecurities and you could miss out on some exciting adventures and great book-selling opportunities. Just say, YES.

And don’t forget to say YES to my suggestion that you purchase and study my latest book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

For suggestions on how to find speaking engagements through which you can promote your book, read the previous entry posted in this blog.

I do quite a bit of public speaking. I present writing/publishing-related workshops at writers’ conferences and book festivals throughout the U.S. And I’m frequently asked, “How did they find out about you?” or “How did you find out about them?”

While some authors sit back and wait for opportunities for book promotion and exposure to present themselves, I go out in search of those opportunities. Of course, my expertise is in the area of authorship, freelance writing and publishing. So I read writers’ magazines and newsletters in hopes of finding out about upcoming events. I do a Google Search in order to locate pending events for freelance writers and authors. If I want to locate an event in a certain area, I might type in, “book festival” or “writers’ conference” and “Arizona” or “California” or “Seattle.”

I study the information related to this event and, if it seems appropriate, I’ll email the director and ask how to apply to be a speaker or workshop leader. I have a resume already prepared listing my qualifications as an industry professional as well as a speaker and I’m always ready to make workshop or speech topic suggestions.

Sometimes I fall into a sweet speaking deal with little effort on my part. Someone reads one of my articles somewhere, they’ve heard me speak, they stumble across my Web site or they read a review of one of my books and they contact me with an invitation to speak before their group. Sometimes they contact me because of my affiliation with SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network).

So you see, there are two main ways to get speaking gigs: you can go out in search of an opportunity or you can grab the opportunity that unexpectedly comes your way. If opportunities are not knocking at your door, perhaps you aren’t getting out enough. Still, I meet authors who prefer to hole-up in their offices; never venturing out where they will be noticed.

What are the benefits of speaking in public? I think they are many and far-reaching. It’s an opportunity to sell books on the spot. If your message is clear, concise and useful, members of your audience will buy books. It is good exposure for you as a professional in your field and for future sales of your book(s). Also, not only will you be in front of an audience of, presumably, anywhere from two people to 200, you potentially reach thousands more by placing announcements about your presentation in newspapers, magazines, newsletters, your blog, on related Web sites and so forth.

Where do you find speaking opportunities for books like yours? Just about any author, who has some public speaking skill, can land speaking engagements at local civic club meetings, in bookstores and libraries and venues related to your book. If your book is a how-to on making living wreaths, for example, you could probably arrange to give demonstrations at nurseries throughout your state and beyond.

Maybe you’ve written a book on animal behavior. I’d suggest that you contact pet stores, animal shelters, veterinarians’ offices and breed clubs everywhere and offer to speak.

If you have written a historical novel based in early Pennsylvania, for example, contact the various Chambers of Commerce in that state as well as libraries, museums, schools, civic organizations and historical societies and volunteer to come and tell your story.

Once you’ve landed some engagements, be sure to alert local newspapers of the event so you’ll have good coverage and draw a large audience. And be prepared to sell books on the spot. Bring change and open a merchant account so you can take credit cards or you may lose potential sales.

We’re marching toward spring. If you start now contacting appropriate venues for your speeches, you’ll begin the new season with plenty of reason to celebrate: sales and exposure.

If you are not comfortable speaking in public and you would like some motivation, guidance and skills, join a local Toastmasters Club. Find a club near you by visiting: http://www.toastmasters.org Or look in your phone book or contact your Chamber of Commerce to locate a local club.

I’d love to hear from those of you who are actively speaking on behalf of your books or who are motivated by this blog entry and are taking the steps necessary to start seeking appropriate speaking venues for your book topics.

SPAWN had a booth at the first Ventura Book Festival in Ventura, CA yesterday and it was a big success. I gave a workshop on book promotion while there. Why? Because they offered this opportunity and I took advantage of it. They had readers and workshop leaders. I met one exhibitor who was disgruntled when he didn’t see his name listed as a reader. He wondered why. I asked if he had signed up to do a reading. He said, “No. I didn’t know we could.”

About two dozen others knew that they could because they read the application and the exhibitor information. This is another good lesson for authors—search hard for those opportunities; don’t just assume they don’t exist.

My latest book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book is getting excellent reviews. Look at the new ones that are posted at my listing at Amazon.com. Readers are also taking the time to compliment me on behalf of and thank me for writing this book.

Be sure to order your copy at http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

I know authors who sit in front of their computers all day, except for when they’re checking the mail, just waiting to receive reviews for their latest books.

When someone reads a review for one of my books, they will often say, “Wow, that’s great. I’ll bet you were surprised to see this review.”

Getting book reviews is not a chance happenstance. You get book reviews by going out after them—not by waiting for your book to be discovered.

When The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book debuted, I sent out dozens of letters inviting reviewers to read this book. And I’ve shipped around 30 books so far. Of course, I continue to contact book reviewers and send review copies. And I am beginning to reap the benefits.

So far, my book has been reviewed, showcased or introduced in nearly two dozen venues. Dehanna Bailee was the first to review The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book and she posted the review at her Web site—dehanna.com. She has also posted this review at amazon.com and several other sites. Thank you, Dehanna.

A reviewer for Midwest Book Review wrote a fantastic review and posted it at their Web site as well as my book page on amazon.com.

Amazon.com finally got the book image up at their site. No one knows why it took them eight weeks to post it. But we kept persisting and sending fresh images, in case there was something wrong with the original. It’s up! Check it out at the book page on amazon.com. Type in the book title or my name, Patricia L. Fry. If you use my name, you’ll find it on the second page of books listed. If you type in just Patricia Fry, you’ll have to flip through four pages before you find The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. My book, Over 75 Good Ideas for Promoting Your Book is listed number one and that might be because that’s the most popular of my books as far as amazon.com is concerned.

Francine Silverman at Book Promotion Newsletter, was among the first to acknowledge and recommend The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. It has also been showcased and/or recommended through WritersBreak.com, Simon Tea Kettle, Writing-World Authors’ Bookshelf, Book Views (it is a pick of the month), Writing Road Newsletter, DabblingMum.com, Writers Services (in England), Worldwide Freelance Writer, Freelance Writers’ Report and Boomer Women Speak.

I did a fun radio interview with Catherine Franz who does a show called, Let’s Talk Marketing, on a public radio station in Virginia. Catherine also posted information about my book at her Web site, AbundanceCenter.com.

I’ve had a lot of activity related to this book in a rather short period, but there is much to be done. Now that I’ve finished my two most recent editing jobs (two full-sized book manuscripts), I need to follow up on the other review books I’ve sent out and locate additional potential reviewers and venues for this book. I’ll also be activity promoting in person.

This month starts a busy promotional season for me. I’m flying to Hawaii next week and will do a little book promotion while vacationing. I’ll be signing my luau book: Entertaining Hawaiian Style (Island Heritage Publishing) at Native Books in Honolulu. I’ve also been invited to come into Barnes and Noble and sign the copies they have on their shelves. I plan to bring along copies of The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book to show bookstore managers. My book is already in the Barnes and Noble system through their Distribution Center Extended Title Base Program.

When I return from Hawaii, I must prepare for my first Focus on the Masters Workshop which begins on the following Saturday. I will teach three classes based on, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. On March 11, I will take a break from the Focus on the Masters series and wo/man the SPAWN booth at the first ever book festival to be held in Ventura, California. I’m also scheduled to do a workshop on book promotion. April 1, I’m flying back to Hawaii to do two workshops for the Pen Women Writers’ Conference at the Tokai University in Honolulu. My subject: Book Proposals. And April 6, I’m speaking on how to work a book festival so it works for you for the Book Publicists of Southern California.

The next stop, of course, is the Los Angeles Festival of Books. SPAWN will have a booth there and I will be there talking about SPAWN and my writing/publishing-related books to some of the 100,000+ book lovers who happen by our booth.

Just when you think you might have a little time to yourself, another project comes along. I have a group of homeschooled kids who are hungry for a writing workshop. And SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) is ready to sponsor one. So I have tentatively scheduled one for June.

Are you still waiting for someone to discover your wonderful book? Stop waiting and start putting yourself and your book out there. But first, read The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. Order through amazon.com or from my Web site:
http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

Do you ever feel as though you’ve been up and down every promotional street, avenue and pathway in every world city and you’ve come to that dreaded dead end? You wonder “Where do I go from here?” You feel as though you’ve tapped into every possible promotional opportunity available for your particular book and now you’re stuck. You’ve run out of ideas and resources. You don’t know where to turn or how to proceed. STOP! Don’t start burning books or throwing your computer out the window. Take a break. Breathe… Breathe… Breathe…

There, now don’t you feel better?

We all hit that brick wall of hopelessness once in a while. Sometimes it’s just a matter of exhaustion and stress. It’s nothing more than a strong signal that it’s time to step back and get a fresh perspective. Go take a walk, reorganize your office, putter in the garden, play with your cat, take a nap… You’ll come back to your office feeling a bit less frazzled and ready to resume the task of book promotion.

I didn’t hit the wall, yesterday, but I was beginning to feel as though I was headed in that direction. It seemed as if I was running out of ideas for promoting my new book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. Now, already having several writing/publishing-related books under my belt, I pretty much know my way around the promotional block when it comes to this topic. I contacted my extensive mailing list. I’ve sent review copies to those who typically review books of this type. I’ve signed with Quality Books, have entered my book into the Amazon Advantage program and Barnes and Noble is considering my book for inclusion in their program. I’ve submitted numerous articles to dozens of writing/publishing-related magazines and newsletters to bring attention to this book. I contribute to my blog every few days and I’m noticing that it’s showing up fairly often at Google. And I’m in the process of setting up workshops. I have one coming up in Ventura in February/March. I’m flying to Honolulu to participate in a Pen Women’s writer’s conference in April. I’ll have my books in the SPAWN booth at the L.A Book Festival. I’m also working on getting gigs in VA, FL, TX, OK and AZ this year and probably MO. That’s a lot, but is it enough? What more can I do, I wondered? And I put on my thinking cap.

I thought about all of the authors I meet who have no idea where to start when it comes to promoting their books. Most of us, when we enter into this field, believe in the concept: “Write it and they will come.” We also rely on bookstores to distribute our books to all of those readers who are out there searching for a book like ours. Once this idea is exposed for the fallacy that it is, the author suddenly feels alone, confused and as if he has been deceived. This is why I wrote, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. And this is why I urge hopeful authors to read it BEFORE putting pen to paper.

Yes, I know, I started out talking promotion. No, I’m not off track—promotion should be one of a hopeful author’s first considerations when he/she feels that inkling to write a book for publication. Build promotion into your book. Create a following before you begin to write the book. Have a solid promotional plan in place before you ever start writing. Then when you hit the wall—feel as though you’ve run dry of promotional ideas–it won’t be nearly as hard to pick yourself up and move forward.

Here’s what I did this week to jumpstart my slightly diminishing promotional energy:
I contacted a writer friend and asked her to read my book, write a couple of reviews and submit them to a list of magazines and newsletters. (She’ll get the writer’s credit and fee.) In the meantime, I did the research. I located some known and some obscure writing/publishing magazines and newsletters that publish submitted reviews (as opposed to doing the review in-house).

I was surprised by the number of newsletters I found. I printed out several of them and I subscribed to some of them. How did I find them? I started by searching for a directory of newsletters for writers and authors. I found a couple. I also found resource lists on major sites that listed magazines and newsletters that I didn’t know about. Then I did something that I don’t think most of us do very often. I went to the back pages that came up in a Google search. After viewing the first 2 or 3 pages, I clicked on page 10, page 16, page 23. It’s a whole new world back there—a valuable new world for someone who is promoting a book.

I also like to occasionally use search engines other than Google for a fresh look at what’s out there in cyberspace. I love the SPAWN MetaSearch (in the member area of the SPAWN Web site). Yahoo has a pretty good search system and there’s AltaVista.com.

My little visit into the back pages of Google and to some of the other search engines yesterday has given me a huge new load of resources through which to promote The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book and my other writing/publishing-related books.

Another thing that I do when I feel the promotional well starting to dip near the panic level is to open my promotional file. As an author, you do have a promotional file, don’t you—a folder that contains every book promotion idea you’ve ever had? Maybe now is the time to build a Web site or start blogging. Perhaps you can plan a book signing tour or go ahead and rent a booth at a major book festival this spring.

Book promotion is an all-consuming activity. If you are an author, you probably already know this. If you are thinking about producing a book, you need to know that writing is the easy part. It’s what comes after that will keep you busy, test your creativity and stamina and sometimes drive you crazy. So go ahead and write that great book, but also take the time to develop a promotional plan. And create a backup plan. Be prepared so that the next time you see the brick wall coming swiftly toward you, you can leap right over it without missing a promotional beat.

If you’re running out of promotionl ideas, be sure to read my new book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

Most authors put a lot of time, energy and money into book promotion during the first year after publication. And then what happens? Some of us get involved in writing and promoting other books. We get back to our paying jobs. We take a little well-deserved time off. We sit back and hope to enjoy the fruits of our intense promotional labor.

Over time, you may experience flurries of book selling success—Barnes and Noble orders a few books for customers, someone reviews the book and there are some sales, you’re invited to speak at the Downtown Lion’s Club where you sell a few books. But for the most part, you have moved on to other things feeling as though the shade has been drawn on your window of time in which to promote your book.

Not so. Of course, the best time to promote a book with gusto is when it is brand new. But there are plenty of opportunities to promote your book even when it is a few years old. That is, unless the information is time-sensitive. A medical or technological book on the latest discovery might lose its appeal over time. But most novels, children’s books and nonfiction titles should keep on entertaining, teaching and informing through several incarnations.

So how do you keep an older title fresh in potential customer’s minds? Let me count the ways:

• Get book reviews. Some Web sites and magazines will review good books no matter the vintage. Locate book review Web sites and magazines, but also seek out those that relate to the theme of your book.
• Contact libraries. Some of my books are with Quality Books and Baker and Taylor—both of which distribute books to libraries. I spend a couple of hours every few weeks emailing press releases to libraries telling librarians about a particular book in my published collection and suggesting that they order it from one of these distributors. Inevitably, I notice an increase in sales with my next accounting from Quality and B&T. Tap into an extensive library directory at: http://www.ala.org or < a href=http://www.librarydirectory.com> http://www.librarydirectory.com
• Promote in tandem with world/country/county events. Maybe you have a book related to weather patterns. Certainly, this nation’s people have an increased interest in weather with all of the freak and unusual weather occurrences in recent months.
• Think seasonal. If you have a book of stories about famous mothers and daughters, consider promoting it in time for Mother’s day. Convince your local newspaper (and maybe those in other communities) to run a piece featuring your book or write something for the newspaper suggesting a variety of gifts for Mother, of course, including your book. I accelerate my promotional activities for my book, The Mainland Luau: How to Capture the Flavor of Hawaii in Your Own Backyard in time for Father’s day and even throughout the summer months.
• Think regional. A book that is of regional interest can sell in that region forever. I can attest to that. I produced the first edition of my Ojai Valley history book in 1983. I revised it in 1999 and it is still sells steadily in Ojai, CA. And I sell this book nationwide, as well. Just yesterday, I got a call from a bookstore owner in Massachusetts with a PO for that book. If I want to experience increased sales, I do additional promotion—go out and speak at various service club meetings and other gatherings, do something newsworthy in order to get some fresh newspaper coverage, etc.

There are plenty of other ideas for promoting an older book. What can you add to this list? I’d love to hear your ideas.

In the meantime, don’t forget to order your copy of my latest book, which gives an incredibly generous helping of ideas for promoting your books: The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book.
http://www.matilijapress.comrightway.html /a>

My new book is out!! I don’t think that an author ever gets so blasé as to not feel excited when she sees her new book for the first time. And I got to be excited this week. Wednesday morning at 10:30, we got the call from the business center where I pick up my mail: “Your shipment is here,” said the cheerful voice on the other end of the phone.

There was no time to change from my walking sweats. I just grabbed my purse, keys and dolly and drove the two miles to meet my new book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. Once we had the books loaded into the back of the car, we did it—we took a pocket knife to the tape on one of the boxes, removed the cardboard packing and there, glistening in the sun were copy after copy of bright gold and red books staring back at us. “They’re beautiful,” I whispered breathlessly. And I smiled as I imagined how this book will stand out on a crowded bookstore shelf or book festival table and grab the customers.

As any author knows, the precious time spent holding and admiring your new book lasts scant few moments. Because now you have to put that book to work earning it’s keep.

And that’s what I’ve been doing every minute of every day since for 12 hours each day—promoting the book. Of course I had shipping to do first—sending out all of those prepublication orders I collected. There were darn near 100 of them to ship. We were not the most popular people in the post office the day we arrived with all of those packages.

What is my course of promotion action? First, I am soliciting book reviews for The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. I’m also placing a few ads for the new book. I’m negotiating some workshops and other presentations across the states (yesterday, I got an invitation to do a book festival in Hawaii the weekend before the Los Angeles Book Festival in April). I’m posting announcements in the writing-related newsletters that allow this. I wrote a dozen or more articles in recent months promoting this and my other writing/publishing-related books, but will be producing more in the coming weeks.

If anyone reading this blog has an idea or two for promoting The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book or can steer me in the direction of a writers/publishers organization or group, please let me know.

In the meantime, I checked the status of my Web site last night and notice that this blog is getting quite a bit of activity. How about letting me know you were here by leaving a comment.

And be sure to order your copy of The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. You won’t be sorry. In fact, it could just be the best professional decision you make this year.

http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html