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September 10, 2012

How Fame as an Author Could Change Your Life

Filed under: Authorship — Patricia @ 3:58 am

Do you adore the process of writing? Are you happiest when you are in your writing room creating a book, fleshing out a story or revising something you wrote? Maybe you are contented, but you still yearn to make it big as an author.

Have you ever thought about how your life could change if this happened?

Look at some of the big name authors—in particular, those that seemed to become overnight successes with their first books. Now they are wealthy and popular, but imagine how their life has changed. No longer are they free to sit quietly and write what they want. There are constant demands being made on their time. They have responsibilities toward their readers, fans, publishers. They must live up to an image that has been created and they have a percentage of critics to go along with fans.

Sure they can afford to travel, buy things, move into a lovely home with a view. But do they still have the freedom to do that writing that once brought them so much joy?

I want to let you all know that I’m going to have the comments aspect of this blog turned off due to an extremely high instance of spam messages coming through. I am scheduled to do some traveling soon (some for pleasure—some for work) and it is especially annoying to have to spend time either while traveling checking and deleting thirty to eighty spam comments per day or hundreds of them by the time I get home. Occasionally, I get a legitimate comment—I love it when you comment—and that’s why I go through all of the comments that come in so carefully—so as not to miss yours.

From now on, however, I invite you to contact me through one of my websites or my email address. Comments will be closed—at least for a while.

http://www.patriciafry.com
http://www.matilijapress.com
PLFry620@yahoo.com

September 9, 2012

7 Secrets to Getting Your Book Reviewed, Continued

Filed under: Uncategorized — Patricia @ 3:43 am

Yesterday, we talked about how to make sure your book is one that reviewers would want to review. Today, let’s consider reviews for books that are already written:

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.

4: Locate appropriate publications and websites. You probably have magazines in your genre or topic on your own book shelves. Start there. Scan magazines at your local library and bookstores. Study Writer’s Market to find additional magazines related to your book’s theme. Do a Google search to locate even more magazines and newsletters. Here’s a link to one newsletter directory. http://www.newsletteraccess.com

Likewise, there are hundreds of online review sites. Seek out those related to the theme/genre of your book. Here is an online review directory to get you started: http://www.acqweb.org/bookrev.html

You’ll find additional book review directories on the resources list at http://www.matilijapress.com and also in my latest book: “Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author.” This book is available at Amazon.com and most other online and downtown bookstores. Or order it and many other books for authors at: http://www.matilijapress.com

5: Contact appropriate reviewers with your review package. I suggest sending a query/introduction letter or email asking if you can submit your book to them for review. Include some quality promo material related to your book—in particular, a color cover image. Some magazine websites post book review submission guidelines. Adhere to them.

If you are invited to send the book, package it carefully along with your brochure, promo postcard, business cards and a cover letter. In the letter, remind the book reviewer that they requested the book for review. Be sure that your contact information is included.

Most online review sites offer a submissions page. Follow the instructions there.

6: Keep accurate records. Log every review package and book that goes out—when, to whom and be sure to log the contact information.

After two or three weeks, if you have not heard from a reviewer who requested your book, contact him/her and ask if they received the book and when they have it scheduled for review.

7: Express your gratitude. Once the review has been posted, send a thank you note to the reviewer.

Unless your book is seriously obscure, you should be able to land book reviews in dozens of publications. And the book doesn’t have to be hot off the presses. Maybe you neglected to solicit book reviews when the book was fresh. Don’t let that stop you from trying to get some publicity now. Go ahead and contact appropriate book reviewers. If it is a worthwhile book, most of them will say, yes.

How much will this cost you? Absolutely nothing! It is a rare reviewer that will charge for a book review in a magazine or newsletter. Sure, there are book review site where they charge. There are publications devoted to book reviews that charge. But, magazines and newsletters that include a book review section, rarely charge for a book review. They offer them as a service to their audience.

September 8, 2012

7 Secrets For Getting Your Book Reviewed

Filed under: Book Promotion — Patricia @ 3:34 am

Every author has heard the term Book Review. Many of them consider a book review to be an honor bestowed only on famous and lucky authors.

Some 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. In most cases, it seemed to be because the books were so 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 are certainly a lot of 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 do. 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, finance, 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 getting 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) are 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.

To find publications and sites where they post reviews, study Writer’s Market and other directories of publications. Do an Internet search to locate directories of book reviewers.

Watch for more secrets to getting your book reviewed in tomorrow’s post.

September 7, 2012

Subject Line and Press Release Titles

Filed under: Authorship — Patricia @ 4:09 am

We’re back to titles again today. Why? Because some authors really struggle with them. One problem authors often express to me is, “I emailed such and such publisher/agent/editor and received no response.” Many times, the subject line is the problem. The author has used a rather generic lead to his email. Most of us have learned not to respond to or are suspicious of emails from strangers that come with a subject line saying, “hi,” “Need your help,” “Please help,” or that have the title of the book, the name of the author (if it is unknown) or is blank, for example.

If you are trying to sell your book, you would not put in your subject line or your press release, “Great book for sale” or “Announcing a new book.” Not in this competitive bookselling climate. Instead, list a benefit to your particular readers. “A gripping story of struggle through the depression,” or “A suspense story that will keep you on the edge of your seat,” or “Learn how to be happy every day, no matter what,” or “1001 free things for every household.”

Learn more about your subject line, your title and writing press releases and web copy and sooooo much more in my book, Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author. It’s at amazon.com and most other online and downtown bookstores. Can also be purchased from my website: http://www.matilijapress.com

September 6, 2012

Can You Publish Without Money?

Filed under: Publishing — Patricia @ 4:20 am

I get this question from a hopeful author every once in a while: “I am an author, but I don’t have any money. Is there any way that I can get my book published?” Here’s how I typically respond to that question:
Sure you have a chance of getting published without spending money. Here are my recommendations:

1: Study the publishing industry so you know how it works, what your options are, the possible consequences of your choices and your responsibilities as a published author. There are good books on publishing and book promotion in the library system. There are many FREE enewsletters you can subscribe to, blogs by successful authors and professionals you can visit regularly and useful articles and resources at the websites of professionals and publishing organizations. There are writers’ groups and free programs for hopeful authors in most communities. Sometimes you can get scholarships to writers’ conferences, which provide great opportunities to learn more about writing and publishing as well as to meet author’s agents and editors from publishing companies.

2: Become the best writer that you can be. Practice, practice, practice. And attend critique groups to find out how your writing is affecting others—because it is others that you are, presumably, writing for. Sign up for free or inexpensive writing workshops through your community college or arts program.
3: When you are ready—you have done your work well—approach some of the many, many traditional royalty publishers with your project. A traditional publisher will invest in your book—no need to put out any of your own money. Your studies will help you to approach publishers in an appropriate manner with the appropriate material—a book proposal, for example.

4: If the publishers you want to approach require that you engage a literary agent, locate an appropriate one through Association of Author’s Representatives. A legitimate agent does not charge you. They take a percentage of what you negotiate with a publisher.

5: Some authors can find investors for their projects or advertisers. If you book is a local history, for example, you might be able to get a local bank or another business to advertise in the back of your book, thus help with the production of it. If it is on a topic or has a theme of interest to thousands (or millions), you might be able to get funding from an appropriate entity (organization, agency, institution, or even individual, for example). In other words, if your book focuses on caring for feral cats, going green or how to feed a family healthy meals for less, you might find an advocate or group that is interested in spreading this message to fund your project. A college or university might help you get a book on astronomy for beginners, cancer research, job search tips or parenting for the single mother produced and help you distribute it.

Can you get published when you don’t have any money? Certainly, but you’d better rely heavily on other attributes, such as creative-thinking, ability to think outside the box, persistence, patience, and the willingness to be proactive on your own behalf. Here are some additional suggestions:

• Read this blog regularly.
• Ask for the information you would like to see included in this blog.
• Visit my websites for information and resources.
• Sign up for my FREE ebooklet at patriciafry.com
• Read my books—you’ll find them in the library system.
• Sign up for SPAWNews. It’s FREE at spawn.org.

For those of you with a little money and a huge desire to succeed, order my latest book today: Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author. Available at Amazon.com and most other online and downtown bookstores. Or order a copy here: http://www.matilijapress.com

September 4, 2012

What’s Your Excuse for Not Selling Books?

Filed under: Uncategorized — Patricia @ 5:01 am

What are some of the excuses that keep authors from succeeding? Here are a few I’ve heard over the years and some I continue to hear.

1: “I don’t need to develop a marketing plan because this book will sell itself.” Promotion is about getting exposure, having your book become known, putting it before your audience… And if you don’t do that, no one will know about it, which means they certainly will not purchase it.

2: “I don’t feel like being around that many strangers.” An author told me this when I suggested a bookselling opportunity to him. It’s hard to sell books when there aren’t very many people around.

3: “You can’t sell books at book signings.” Of course, I’ve also heard, “Publishers don’t buy books from first time authors,” “You have to have an agent in order to get a publishing contract,” and other fallacies. The truth is, you can’t sell books at signings if you don’t attend them. Plus, sales aren’t the only thing you should consider when you are promoting a book. What else is there? Exposure, exposure, exposure!

4: “I don’t like getting up in front of a group.” I also hear, “I don’t want to mess with building a website,” “I hate approaching people to review my book, give me testimonials, publish my article, etc.” I tell these authors that personality sells books. In fact, personality is probably the most important factor in selling some books. An author who wants to sell books, should definitely become more proactive and more people oriented.

5: “I have publishers interested in my book so I don’t want to promote it.” I got this response after asking an author if she’d like to participate in a book festival. I think I convinced her that she could be selling some of the copies she has in her garage and making some money while continuing to wait for a publisher to commit to publishing her book. As a matter of fact, impressive sales might just tip the scale in her favor.

Authors who make these excuses—who prefer to stay within their comfort zone and out of the limelight—can probably expect to be one the over 78 percent of authors who fail every year.

Instead, I urge you to stop making excuses that interfere with your publishing goals. Educate yourself about the publishing industry and become proactive and assertive on behalf of your project.

Learn more about book promotion by reading my book, Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author. If you still don’t quite “get” the world of publishing, purchase Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author. They are both available at Amazon.com and most other online and downtown bookstores. You can also order it from my website: http:www.matilijapress.com

September 3, 2012

Apologies, Explanations and Dilemmas

Filed under: Authorship,Editing — Patricia @ 4:54 am

I’ve been working on things that take concentration and time—lots of uninterrupted time. And I’ve given up a few things in the processes. One is my daily walk (I’m definitely walking this morning before the heat sets in) and another is my daily blog. I’ve missed a few lately—breaking my “daily” record.

What am I doing? This weekend, I’ve been writing the index for my upcoming book for Allworth Press, Talk Up Your Book. And for the last few weeks and now sporadically when I absolutely must have a break from the tedium, I work on my novel. (Working title, The Klepto Cat Mystery.)

I thought I did the final proof for the nonfiction book a month or so ago and actually started working on the index then. One of the experts who received a galley in order to write a testimonial, however, suggested a format change that the publishers’ editors accepted. Without consulting me, they made major formatting changes which increased the book by around 30 pages. Now all of my preliminary index entries are off from about page 40 to page 300. Not only that, the spacing is off in many areas because they didn’t do a thorough job in making these changes. In what should have been a clean proof this time (the 3rd pass), I have located approximately 40 problems—all resulting from their attempt to make a major change midstream. And one that was not necessary, in my opinion. It would have been fine the way it was. It was one of those close calls—an either/or situation. It was right either way. And I would have suggested they leave it the way it was. If it ain’t broke…you know…

When my mind isn’t so cluttered with the proofing and the index, which I’m eager to get out the door to make room for an incoming editing job, I want to discuss how to handle authors of poorly written published books. I have two authors in mind at the moment whose novels I have tried to read, but couldn’t because there were so many problems. One of them even had some decent reviews.

I guess I read books partially from an editor’s point of view. If it is full of clichés and mistakes and doesn’t ring true, I am not interested in reading it. If it is sappy, predictable, trite and written as if by a third-grader or for a third-grade mentality, I am totally turned off by it. Last night, I started reading a light mystery novel and I kept laughing out loud. My partner, Dennis, said, “Funny story, huh?”

I said, “No, I’m just blown away by the triteness of this writing.” It was unbelievably dull and uninspired. Last year, I bought a book by someone I’ve known professionally for a while. I thought I’d read it while traveling. I ended up leaving it on the plane on the first leg of my trip because I couldn’t read comfortably past the errors. The writing was decent, but OMG, the grammatical mistakes were so distracting, I couldn’t read the thing.

Now, what I want to talk to you about is this—do I contact these authors and gently suggest that they bring their next manuscript to me (or another qualified BOOK editor) before publishing it or do I just stay out of it?

September 1, 2012

How Does an Editor Work?

Filed under: Editing — Patricia @ 5:27 am

I had a question from a potential client yesterday about how I work with authors. He wanted to know if I would be available for consultation after I do the editing in order to discuss my edits. He wondered if this was included in the fee.

I explained first off that I charge by the hour. This includes editing work, consultations, responding to questions and proofing the manuscript once the author has revised or corrected based on my editorial suggestions.

I do, however, provide a free sample edit (a page or 3) and free estimate.

Additionally, I said that while some clients have a few questions after I edit their manuscripts, generally they go through each edit and either accept it or not. As a matter of course, while I edit, I write my suggestions and, where appropriate, my reasoning. So typically, there is little to discuss. It’s a matter of the author either understanding and accepting or having some reason to discard my suggestion. I also told him that I will not defend or debate my work.

I said, “Certainly, if you have a question, I will do my best to respond. And email is absolutely the best way for me to do this since I will often need to go back to the manuscript to refresh my memory as to the phrase or storyline you are asking about. Once I’ve finished editing a manuscript, I go on to the next one and have pretty much put the one before it out of my mind. While I am close to the manuscript while I am working on it, I do not establish the sort of relationship with it that the author has, as you can imagine. I see several manuscripts each year.”

If you would like a free editorial estimate for your manuscript, contact me here: PLFry620@yahoo.com. Learn more about me and my work here: http://www.patriciafry.com

August 31, 2012

Guest Blogging for Authors

Filed under: Book Promotion — Patricia @ 3:33 am

I’ve been asked to contribute regular posts to the BookBaby blog. So watch for my posts at http://www.bookbaby.com

Do you have one or more books to promote? Do you address, inform, educate and entertain your audience through your own well-targeted blog? Do you comment at other related blogs? And do you seek out guest blog opportunities? Whether your book is fiction or nonfiction, or a print or ebook, you should be doing all of the above in order to increase your exposure, thus sales.

How do you know whether or not your blog posts are being read? Yesterday, just since my post appeared at BookBaby, I have received 9 new requests for the free ebooklet I offer at my site. This means that 9 new people have visited my site, are aware of who I am, and know about my books for authors. This also means that, since they must sign up for my ebooklet, I have added 9 names of potential customers to my growing list of around 1,000.

If you haven’t done so, try it. If you have tried it and it didn’t work out for you, come at it from a different angle. Maybe you aren’t clear, yet, about who your target audience is, for example.

I’m going to talk more about this in tomorrow’s post.

To learn more about my books, visit: http://www.matilijapress.com (You can tour this site now on your mobile phone.

To sign up for my FREE ebooklet: 50 Ways to Promote Your Ebook and to learn more about my editorial services, visit:
http://www.patriciafry.com

August 30, 2012

Information for Authors

Filed under: Announcements — Patricia @ 2:52 am

Good morning. Did you miss me yesterday? I had jury duty. While I was off doing my civic duty (I didn’t get chosen to sit on a jury), a lot was going on in the Matilija Press and SPAWN office.
My guest blog was posted at Book Baby. Here it is:
http://blog.bookbaby.com/2012/08/personality-sells-ebooks

Also, Pubslush is featuring SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) at their site. Check it out here:
http://blog.pubslush.com/post/30452945180/workshop-wednesday-spawn

Here’s one of my thoughts as I work on my first ever novel. I can see that there will be a whole lot of back tracking to make sure I’ve been consistent and that everything works. For someone who has spent a good portion of her life writing nonfiction, it is an interesting process working with lies (fiction)—making things up. You know how someone who lies has trouble maintaining his/her story. It seems to be that way when writing fiction. You have to remember what you lied about so you don’t get crossed up. But you still have to make it believable. I think what I’ll struggle with most is devising this story so it isn’t predictable.

I’m really enjoying the process. I’ve always enjoyed my work. But I think I sit at my computer with a smile on my face more, lately.

I still have time to edit your manuscript. Bring it to me when you are ready.
http://www.patriciafry.com

I still have books to sell—many of them useful to your writing and publishing projects.
http://www.matilijapress.com

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