Writing and Publishing News from

December 25, 2010

How to Get Just What You Want

Filed under: Writing — Patricia @ 5:10 am

Merry Christmas. I hope you all get exactly what you want most today. There’s only one way to make this happen, isn’t there? You must make it known what you want.

I remember those years when I would only hint at what I wanted for Christmas. I spent months hoping that my husband would notice my desire for a particular gift—that he would express his love by bringing me the item that would fulfill whatever dream I had at the moment. But would I tell him what it was I wanted? No. I expected him to do the romantic thing and guess right. It never happened. I guess he did listen, though, because he did respond to my off-handed comment one year that I needed vacuum cleaner bags—a size that was hard to find. The package that he told me to open last—the grand finale of that Christmas morning around the tree—was those damn vacuum cleaner bags—two packages of them. Watch what you ask for, ladies.

I finally learned one of the laws of human nature. Ask for what you want and make sure that’s what you want. Oh yes, and ask for it really close to the big day (Christmas, birthday, etc.) because guys, especially, shop at the last minute.

This “law” holds true in our business dealings, as well. In order to make the sale, you need to ask for it. If you want to write a column for a particular ezine, you must make a request. You certainly won’t land a publisher for your book if you don’t let your desires for a publisher be known. Do you want to publish an article in a certain magazine, all you have to do is ask—well, and make sure the piece is well-written, timely and appropriate.

I’ve had writers come to me and say, “I want to publish this article in such-and-such magazine, but they keep rejecting it. What’s wrong?” After looking at the article, I give the writer some pointers. In one case, the article was an essay and the magazine only publishes how-to pieces. I explained this to the writer. The next time I saw him, he asked me again how to get this article into this particular magazine. No, he hadn’t made any changes to it. He wants to have it published as is and can’t see any reason why he should rewrite it. Sure, he asked for what he wanted, but he wasn’t willing to bend or change in order to make it happen.

Opening your holiday packages today could be like looking in a mirror. The gifts, in some cases, reflect what you project to others. You’ll notice that some gifts are the results of what you’ve been putting out—what you’ve asked for, what you’ve hinted at, what you’ve talked about. Others reflect what you express an interest in, how you live, what you do without or must have in your life. The gifts you receive are telling. They reveal what you portray and say throughout the year. But some gifts may also suggest more about the giver. Some gift-givers present the same gift to everyone without regard for the individual. Of course, that tells more about the other person than it does you. So if you are known vegetarian who receives a huge box of Hickory Farms meats for Christmas, it’s not you it’s them.

Try peering into yourself this day by scrutinizing the type of gifts you receive and see if there is a common thread. It could be a fun exercise—and, hopefully, one that is somewhat revealing. At the end of the day, if you haven’t received what you truly want, whether it is precious bobbles, a landscape makeover, a book by your favorite author or simply a peaceful day, look to yourself to discover why. And think about making necessary changes in YOUR approach to the holidays and to your writing work in 2011.

I would love to receive a report.

http://www.matilijapress.com
http://www.patriciafry.com

December 24, 2010

Google Yourself

Filed under: Book Promotion,Writing — Patricia @ 4:37 am

When is the last time you Googled yourself? Have you noticed something different?

I run a search on my name every once in a while. I believe it is good to know who’s talking/writing about you, which links are most prominent in a search using your name, how you are being represented—as an author of such-and-such a book, as an expert on a certain topic, etc.

What are the first few things that come up in a search using your name? What do you find when you search several pages beyond that first page? What comes up when you type your name and “warning,” or “scam?” Well, it doesn’t hurt to keep a check out for negative comments. You want to know who your friends and your enemies are.

Things have changed in my search in just the last two or three years—you’ll probably notice something similar. It used to be that I could do a Google search using my name and almost every listing related to me and my books. There were three other Patricia Frys—the author of a children’s book, a professor and an attorney. Now there are 1,860,000 listings and many of them are generated from the relatively new, wildly popular social media sites. Now there are more people with my name making themselves known throughout the Internet than ever before. You may find the same is true when you Google your name.

I am pleased, however, that my websites are listed first on the first page of my Google search. I also show up in some of the listings on page 8, 14, 27 and 55. If I had kept pursuing some of the 1,860,000 listings, I’m sure I would have found myself on the last few pages, as well.

While you’re studying the listings that come up when you Google your name, you will, most likely, discover some surprises. I was surprised to see that I have been referenced on Wikipedia. I was quoted in a college essay on freelance writing. I found my books on many “Recommended Book” lists. And here’s a surprise—there’s a site out of New Zealand where one of my pending books is listed for sale. This book won’t even be out until July of 2011, but they are listing it for sale at their site—at a discount! I even found copies of articles I wrote way back in the 1980s. And I found reviews that I did not know existed for some of my books.

Give yourself a special gift this holiday season. Take time to review your professional life as it appears on the Internet. Why? It’s kind of fun to see who’s talking about you and what they’re saying. It’s interesting to discover how widespread your promotional efforts have taken you. This sort of a search is useful in planning future promotional activities. If you see a problem brewing—you have been misquoted, for example—you can act on it before things get out of hand.

You can also use Yahoo, Alta Vista or other search engines to do a search. I found it interesting that my ranking was different with each search engine. Using Yahoo, Patricia Fry the SexyMomma ranked higher on the first page than I did.

But you don’t have to look me up to find me. You know that I am here every morning with a new blog post and you can find me here: PLFry620@yahoo.com
http://www.matilijapress.com
http://www.patriciafry.com

December 23, 2010

Competition for Authors, Not What You Think…

Filed under: Publishing — Patricia @ 5:43 am

We talk about the publishing industry being highly competitive. There are a couple of reasons why we use that term and they might not be what you think.

Definitions of “competition” include “opposition,” “rivalry,” “contest,” “war.” And this isn’t exactly the tone I intend portraying to new authors. I don’t actually see authors fighting with one another for a chance to succeed. In my mind, it isn’t a matter of authors dueling it out in order to become the winner.

I use the term “competition” inferring that an author who doesn’t educate him/herself, who doesn’t enter publishing armed with knowledge and a valid project won’t make it—won’t have a chance at success—won’t be able to compete. Sure, there may only be room for a couple of titles on your book’s topic on Random House’s list in 2011 and you may be vying for a contract against several other authors. In this case, you are competing for a publishing contract. And your book may have to compete with other books for space in bookstores. And there may be competition involved where readers/consumers are concerned—which book will they buy on this subject, yours or the other guy’s?

But when I talk about competition in publishing, I am trying to get you to realize how important it is that you take steps to put yourself in the running. There are beyond numerous opportunities for authors. Every book written in 2011 has a chance to be published. And every one of them could become a success. But they won’t. Most will not. And it has more to do with whether the book meets a standard, not whether it is better than the others. It has to do with whether the author is savvy, not whether he is more savvy than others.

In my mind, competition, for authors, is about meeting publishing standards. What does this entail?

• Understanding the industry and what consumers want.

• Producing a valid product at the right time.

• Being knowledgeable about the market for your book and being willing to take responsibility for promoting it.

Competition in publishing doesn’t necessarily mean being better than others. It means being the best that you can be and producing a book that best fills a particular need or niche.

Now that the pressure is off and you don’t have to go out and try to do better than someone else, here’s a thought: Forget about competing with others and focus on how you can best yourself. Here are two tips for doing just that: Educate yourself about the publishing industry and the process of publishing and, in order to evaluate your book project and prepare for presenting it to the world, write a book proposal.

I have two spots left in my free online book proposal course. It starts December 27, 2010. Learn about the course here:

http://www.matilijapress.com/course_bookproposal.htm And then contact me here: PLFry620@yahoo.com

December 22, 2010

The Professional Life of a Writer

Filed under: Writing — Patricia @ 5:32 am

Do you remember when writers were not well-respected because it was believed that no one could make a living as a writer? I was there—making a living with my writing at the time. Writers weren’t taken seriously because, after all, writing is an art—something that you do when inspiration strikes, not on demand. In those days, few people had ever even met a writer during their lifetime.

A lot has changed. Now writers and authors are everywhere—among your church congregation, in your office at work, living down the street, carpooling your kids, selling you bakery goods downtown, walking your dogs and teaching at the local high school. You have friends who have authored a book. And many of you reading this are writing, have written or are thinking about writing a book.

In the 1970s—‘80s, I did not know another writer. Today, I know hundreds of them. Isn’t this the case with you?

And you are probably finding that the craft of writing is still not taken seriously among your acquaintances and friends. Surely, this has happened to you: You’re announcement, during conversation, that you are a writer, is met with a rather blank stare, right? Just what is the other person thinking? I’ll tell you what:

• Humph, a writer, you say? You can’t be serious. Writing isn’t a profession, it’s a pastime.

• So why haven’t I heard of you?

• Yeah, my sister-in-law claims she’s a writer, too, but all she did was write a book, give copies to everyone she knows and tuck the rest away in her garage.

• Everyone can write. What’s the big deal about being a writer?

Few people know what goes into the writing profession. They aren’t aware of the multitude of writing-related jobs, careers in the corporate world. And they can’t imagine that anyone could create a business writing from home.

Yes, the stigma still exists—even among fellow writers. Writers and authors just starting out and even some that are slightly seasoned, really have a hard time with the concept of paying another writer to evaluate or edit their books, for example. Some just don’t have the money. They plan to make their fortune with their book. One author even told me a few years ago that he would have his book edited at some later date, but he needed to get it out now as is in order to start generating some funds. Once he has money in the bank, he’ll consider hiring an editor for a later revision.

There are few constants in writing and authorship. There are as many stories and scenarios as there are writers. I guess that’s why I’ve been able to keep writing new books and articles on writing and authorship. That’s why I’ve managed to post over a thousand blog posts during these past five years. But one thing that is true for every writer and author everywhere is this: If you plan to publish a book or have your articles/stories published, you really must study the publishing industry before getting involved. In order to succeed, you must have an enough of an understanding of publishing in order to make the right decisions for your project.

Publishing is a business—a highly competitive business. And the most important thing you can do for yourself before entering into the competition, is to become informed.

Competition—hmmm. I think I’ll say something about competition in tomorrow’s blog post. If anyone has comments they’d like for me to include, just email me: PLFry620@yahoo.com.

By the way, I have 2 spots left in my free online book proposal course scheduled to begin December 27, 2010. Read the course description here: http://www.matilijapress.com/course_bookproposal.htm Then contact me here: PLFry620@yahoo.com.

December 21, 2010

Land a Publisher for Your Previously Published Book

Filed under: Publishing — Patricia @ 5:42 am

I’ve talked some recently about landing a publisher for a previously published book. Today, I’d like to discuss when you should start approaching publishers with your book.

Some of my clients self-publish their books expressly in order to eventually pique a traditional publisher’s interest. They want to spend some time proving the value of their book and then find a publisher to take it over. Others, like me, simply produce a book and promote it for a few (or several) years. Then decide to seek out a traditional publisher for the second-printing or revision. Why? In my case, I thought I had gone just about as far as I could with the book on my own and wanted the credibility, connections, etc. that a traditional publisher could bring to the table.

So when is the right time to start approaching publishers with an already published book? I’d say after you’ve definitely found your niche audience and proven that your book will sell to them. After you have received numerous good reviews. After you’ve developed a wide following at your social network and blog sites. After you’ve sold a reasonably high number of books—and this would be based on the type of book it is.

For example, experts say that a nonfiction book can be considered successful if it sells 7,500 copies and a successful novel might sell as many as 5,000. These sales figures would surely impress most publishers.

However, if your book is a niche book with a smaller target audience, these figures won’t apply. In this case, a small publisher of craft books might be highly interested in your book featuring macramé for autistic children even though you’ve sold only 500 copies on your own. A publisher of Western fiction might want to add your book to their list even after you’ve sold just 1,000 copies in a year, if they see that you are actively promoting it.

One of the biggest mistakes we make as authors is trying to second-guess publishers. And sometimes we do this based on what others tell us about publishers in general. Have you ever heard, for example, “Publishers won’t accept books by first-time authors,” “Once you’ve self-published, forget about ever landing a publisher,” and other such remarks? Don’t let these broad statements, usually by authors with little experience, rule your publishing decisions.

Here are the steps that I recommend to successful publishing:

• Study the publishing industry.
• Come up with an excellent idea.
• Write a book proposal to test the idea.
• Write a good book.
• Hire an experienced book editor.
• Study your publishing options and choose wisely.
• Promote, promote, promote.

Please learn more about me and my work here:
http://www.matilijapress.com
http://www.patriciafry.com

December 20, 2010

This and That for Authors

Filed under: Announcements — Patricia @ 5:02 am

I’ve had so many nice comments from well-wishers acknowledging my 1000th blog post. People have come forward to tell me how much this blog is helping them or has helped in the past. Nice to know.

And my free book proposal course, starting December 27, is almost full. We have some people signed up who are serious about writing their first book proposal. Among them, could be an author who lands that sought-after book contract from a major publisher. If you are interested in being guided through the book proposal process, learn more about the course here: http://www.matilijapress.com/course_bookproposal.htm. To sign up, contact me: PLFry620@yahoo.com. The course starts with or without you on Monday December 27, 2010.

I am about to sign another publishing contract. The same publisher who is publishing my book promotion book, will reproduce my revised and updated book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book (under a new title). Yeah!!! More details as they emerge.

I have an editing job to finish off the month (thus the year) with. I am truly enjoying the story and the writing. I’ll tell you more about this book once it is published.

For those of you who missed my announcement yesterday, my webmaster has just posted over thirty new articles for authors and freelance writers on my Matilija Press website. This brings the total of articles I offer for authors and writers to over 130. http://www.matilijapress.com/articlespublishing.htm

Here, you’ll find articles on writing for a living, publishing, book promotion, writing a book proposal, public speaking as a way to promote your book, navigating the publishing industry, getting book reviews, dangers to avoid in publishing, designing your back cover copy, and gobs more.

My Patricia Fry website is new this year, too. I designed it myself, but I sure didn’t build it. Be sure to check it out and let me know what you think. Perhaps you or someone you know needs extensive or minimal editing for a writing project. If you’ve been reading this blog and following other publishing experts, you know the dangers of going it alone with your book—of not hiring a book editor. If you’re still on the fence about hiring an editor, you don’t think you need one or you don’t believe you can afford one, read this article: “What Can You Expect From an Editor?”

I was once criticized by someone who visited my blog site one time—she said that I used my blog to promote myself and my books. (I guess I posted an announcement blog sort of like this one that day.) Well, that is my prerogative, isn’t it? But those of you who follow this blog, know that the information, resources, tips and techniques rule here. Occasionally, however, I like to remind you of the services and products I offer to complement the information in this blog. Anyway, do visit my Patricia Fry site: http://www.patriciafry.com

And enjoy your week before Christmas.

December 19, 2010

Does a Blog Sell Books?

Filed under: Book Promotion — Patricia @ 5:35 am

Yesterday I shared with our SPAWN Discussion Group that I had posted my 1000th blog post. One SPAWN member asked me if I have noticed any benefit from my blogging efforts. After all, we all do what we do for reasons, right? We hope to get something back. And one pleasure I derive from blogging is knowing that I am helping new and struggling authors and freelance writers. I also enjoy the process. Most days, I look forward to sharing something of value with you. Like many of you, writing somehow soothes my soul. And writing a blog post is as much a morning ritual for me as is pouring a tall glass of orange juice upon rising.

This woman asked if I was selling more books or if I had more traffic to my website as a result of my blog. I will respond to her questions this morning and I plan to answer her in this way:

There is really no way to precisely track your book sales or even your web traffic when you are promoting in many different directions. It used to be that you assigned different codes to your mailing address for the various advertising that you did. This helped you determine whether someone ordered your book through an ad in Woman’s World Magazine, your article appearing in the Los Angeles Times, from a book review in Publishers Weekly or from a radio gig. This is how you tracked sales. You can still use little tracking tricks, but it is more difficult since so much of your promotion and many of your sales are done online.

If the only way you are promoting your book is through a blog and your website, and you display your books at one book festival per year, then you pretty much know what is and what isn’t working for you.

A savvy author/publisher today, however, will promote much more widely than that. I post daily to my blog. I have two websites—one introducing me and my services and another displaying my books and offering them for sale. But I also post comments on other appropriate blogs, write many articles for magazines and ezines and solicit book reviews. I go out and speak on publishing and book promotion, I hand out brochures and business cards wherever I go, I attend several book festivals each year and I run a networking organization for authors. I review books related to writing, publishing and book promotion and I write a newsletter for the member area of the SPAWN Website. When I produce a new book, I contact my extensive mailing list and make an announcement. Oh yes, and I also have a Facebook page and Twitter account.

So, unless someone tells me they visited my website or bought a book because of my blog, I really don’t know what inspired them. All I do know is that, in order to be heard, be read and be helpful to your audience, you must put yourself out there in as many ways as makes sense to your project.

You Have Access to Over 125 Articles on Publishing and Book Promotion
We’ve just added over thirty new articles to my Matilija Press website. You’ll find articles on writing, publishing, book promotion, writing a book proposal and public speaking. Here’s a sampling of article titles:

“When the Book Promotion Well Runs Dry”
“Writing and Promotion Go Hand in Hand”
“How to Give an Awesome Author Interview”
“Novel Ways to Promote Your Novel”
“How to Turn Your Book Idea Into a Product”
“What Can You Expect From Your Editor”
“Guarantee Your Publishing Success”
“Write a Better Book: Produce a Better Product”
“Are You Writing for the Right Reasons?”
“Five Reasons That Publishing Might be a Bad Idea”

http://www.matilijapress.com/articlespublishing.htm

December 18, 2010

Patricia Fry’s 1000th Blog Post

Filed under: Announcements — Patricia @ 4:47 am

Well, there you have it—1000 (one thousand) blog posts brimming with information, resources and tips for freelance writers and authors at any stage of their publishing career/hobby. One thousand mornings since November of 2005, I have posted a blog designed to help you write a better book or article, make better choices on behalf of your writing projects and sell more books and articles.

I’ve shown you how to locate, approach and work with publishers, editors, distributors and booksellers. We’ve discussed the anatomy of an article, how to approach a magazine editor with your idea, query letters, cover letters, book proposals and more!

If it relates to publishing, we’ve covered it here over the last five years. Together, we’ve observed the changes taking place within the industry. And I’ve tried to help you better prepare for the results of those changes—those things that will affect (in fact are affecting) you.

Together with my books on publishing and book promotion, and the numerous articles I have scattered all over the Internet and in your favorite print publications and this blog, I’ve attempted to keep you from making some of the common mistakes that most new, unaware authors make. Those of you who have been following this blog know what it takes to succeed as a freelance writer or published author—knowledge. And I appreciate you coming here for a healthy dose of it every day.

People ask what motivates me to so diligently write a blog post each and every morning. My answer is “You.” It is painful to watch authors crash and burn after diving into the shark-infested publishing waters without a life vest. And I am one of many professionals who is passionate about helping where I can.

I appreciate those of you who value my work enough to follow this blog and to use my services and wares when you need an editor, a publishing consultant or an excellent book to read on the subject.

Tomorrow starts our journey together toward another 1,000 posts. As I see it, my job is to give you the information and resources you need in order to succeed. You can help by letting me know, periodically, what you need.

Patricia Fry is the Executive Director of SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) http://www.spawn.org. She began writing for publication in 1973 and supported herself for many years through article-writing for a wide variety of magazines. She is the author of 32 books (Allworth Press—recently purchased by SkyHorse—will release her 33rd book in May and they issued her a contract for her 34th book yesterday). Most of her books are on publishing and book promotion. Patricia also offers her services as an editor and publishing consultant. Check out her books and services here:

http://www.matilijapress.com
http://www.patriciafry.com

December 17, 2010

Your Manuscript Editor

Filed under: Editing — Patricia @ 6:02 am

I do editing work and I don’t use Microsoft Word’s Markup system. I started out—way back when—using my own system. It works for me and it seems to work for my clients, so I have not changed.

I like to get personal with my clients’ work. In other words, I write messages throughout their text—telling them, “Good job. I like the way you handled this,” or “This is confusing, can you clarify?” or “Earlier in this section, you said it was noon and now you indicate that it is early morning. Please fix.” or “Is the horse brown or white? Be consistent.”

I put my messages and my suggested corrections/changes in red.

This morning, I wrote some text and demonstrated my editing techniques using red print. But when I copied it over into my blog, the red all turned to black. It appears that I am unable to give you a demonstration. Bummer.

Let me just say that this process works for most of my clients. However, I had one who is colorblind and can’t see red. After I used red throughout the entire manuscript, she told me this. I found a way to change the red to blue, which saved me a whole lot of time. Now, I sometimes ask clients if they have any problems with my using red as I edit. One client said, “Could you use blue or green. Red is so in your face, like it’s yelling at you.” Funny.

Learn more about Patricia Fry at her websites:
http://www.matilijapress.com
http://www.patriciafry.com

If you would like a demonstration of my editing style on something you wrote, send a few pages to me at PLFry620@yahoo.com and I’ll show you my technique.

December 16, 2010

Prepublication Book Reviews

Filed under: Publishing — Patricia @ 6:32 am

Yesterday, I wrote about one of the major prepublication book review journals. I thought that you might like additional information about these important review journals.

The reason you want to have a good review in one of these journals is so that your book will be noticed by librarians and booksellers who will decide to buy it in bulk. But these journals can review only a limited number of books per year, so there is not a whole lot of opportunity unless you have the prestige of a well-known publisher on your team.

If you are an independent publisher or you are having your book produced by a pay-to-publish service, submit your book to the editors weeks prior to publication in case it has some quality or worth they are seeking. But don’t hinge your future on getting a review. The major review journals receive anywhere from 100 to 300 galleys per day and they can only publish a fraction of reviews.

Prepublication book reviewers require that publishers send bound galley copies of their books anywhere from two to three months prior to publication. And they are generally fussy about the type of books they receive. Here are links to the submission guidelines for three of the major prepublication reviewers:

Booklist: http://www.booklistonline.com/generalinfo.aspx?ed=65

ForeWord Reviews : http://www.forewordreviews.com/get-reviewed/submission-guidelines

Kirkus Reviews: http://www.kirkusreviews.com/about (Click on Submission Guidelines)

Kirkus Reviews offers their Kirkus Discoveries program where you can pay to have your book reviewed.

ForeWord Reviews has a program whereby they will review books online for $99. They will let you know if your book is eligible for this. They also offer ad space in their magazine for $275 to $1165.

I’d like to hear from authors who have had their self-published or pay-to-publish books reviewed in any of these prepublication journals. I know of one self-published book in the science category that received a great review which generated quite a few sales. I know of other self-published books that were ultimately picked up by traditional publishers and landed reviews in Publishers Weekly and other prepublication review journals. It can happen. Did it happen to you?

Leave a comment here or email me at PLFry620@yahoo.com.

Visit my websites: http://www.matilijapress.com
http://www.patriciafry.com

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