Writing and Publishing News from

Don’t you love it when your efforts start paying off—when you start actually seeing the fruits of your labor? And this is especially true when your efforts are going toward book promotion.

As you may recall, I’m in the process of promoting my newest book, Catscapades, True Cat Tales. I’ve spent a lot of time these past weeks contacting pet/cat book reviewers, cat newsletter editors, cat website owners, cat-related gift shops, independent bookstores and so forth. It’s time-consuming work. First, you have to find the appropriate opportunity and contact info. Then you must devise a meaningful email/letter. And then you wait. It’s a joyful day when you stumble across a directory or listing of merchants, reviewers, etc. But beware, many of them are outdated.

I think I told you that I came across two large lists of cats only gift shops. I checked each one online to see if I could find out their current contact information. Even so, I am now getting letters returned with notes stating, “No such address…” It has been my experience over the years, however, that you really do have to sift through a lot of bad leads in order to find the gems. And those gems can be worth the effort.

I belong to the Cat Writers Association (CWA). And I have announced my new book to their discussion group in a variety of ways. Most of you probably use a “signature,” right? This is a sort of mini-bio or promo that is automatically added to the bottom of all of your email. Here’s how mine reads:

Patricia Fry, freelance writer, author and editorial consultant.
www.matilijapress.com
Executive Director of SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network)
www.spawn.org

Patricia is the author of 31 books including,
The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book
The Author’s Repair Kit (e-book)
The Successful Author’s Handbook (e-book)
and her newest book, Catscapades, True Cat Tales
www.matilijapress.com/catscapades.html

Visit my informative writing/publishing Blog often:
www.matilijapress.com/publishingblog

Well, many CWA members saw this and other less subtle mentions of my new book in the discussion emails, but no one responded. Last week, I located the member directory for CWA. During the last several days, I’ve been contacting those members who review cat books, those with newspaper pet columns, those with cat newsletters and those that recommend cat-related books at their sites and I’ve been telling them about my book. Guess what? The response has been astounding. So far, I have enthusiastic promises of four reviews and one member has already posted news of my book in her newspaper column.
http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-9729-Cats-Examiner~y2010m5d6-Catscapades-offers-a-collection-of-40–true-cat-stories

Now, I am going through the CWA list to locate other members with cat books and I’ll check their appearances and book tour pages as well as their press releases and book review pages. How will this information help me in my promotional pursuits? I may discover new book review opportunities for my cat stories book. I might get some new ideas and leads for promoting this book.

If you’ve been involved in book promotion, you know that there are ups and downs. You feel defeated and depressed one week—when nothing seems to be happening—no one is noticing—no one cares. And then you’ll hit upon a goldmine of resources or a brilliant idea and your efforts begin to spark some definite interest in your book. Has this been your experience?

Or have you given up on promoting your book. Over 75 percent of authors do, you know. They sell maybe 50 or 100 copies mostly to people they know. And then, when sales slide or become nonexistent, and promotion gets harder, they quit.

I hope to encourage you, through this blog, my writing/publishing books, my many articles posted all over the web, the resources and information at my website, my online courses and my presentations, to properly prepare yourself for your publishing adventure. And I hope that by telling my blow-by-blow experiences promoting Catscapades right out of the chute is helpful to your project. And, for those of you who are still in the writing stages, I hope it gives you some idea about what comes after you finish writing that book.

I met a writer recently who expects to be published by a traditional publisher because then they will take care of promotion. But I’m here to tell you, it does not work that way! The author is responsible for promoting his/her book no matter which publishing option they choose.

Okay, now that you are becoming a believer, maybe it is time that you did a more in-depth study of the publishing industry, your options, how to choose the best option for your project, the possible consequences of your choices, your responsibility as a published author and so much more. Go to http://www.matilijapress.com. Seek out the mode of learning there that most appeals to you. Contact me with questions: PLFry620@yahoo.com

I speak and write often about the benefits of getting your book reviewed many times over. I encourage authors to get proactive and submit their books to numerous book reviewers. And that’s exactly what I’m currently doing with Catscapades, True Cat Tales.

What I forgot to tell you and what I am relearning as we speak is how much patience and persistence it can take during the book review period. I’ve contacted dozens and dozens of potential reviewers of cat-related books. This includes editors of cat magazines and ezines, owners of websites related to cats, pet newspaper columnists and so forth. Sixteen of them requested the book and only one of them, so far, has reviewed it.

Are any of you aware of pet columns in your local newspapers or regional pet mags or ezines? Maybe you frequent a pet blog or know about a cats only gift shop. I would love to receive contact information. If the contact turns out to be useful—if it results in a good review and/or sales, I will send you a copy of the book. How about that? Contact me here: PLFry620@yahoo.com.

I did hear back from the editor of one well-known national cat magazine yesterday. She asked me to send a review copy of the book. Well, she had already requested the book and I’d sent it two weeks prior. She said that it must be in the office somewhere and that there sure are a lot of people writing cat books these days.

I will be following up with her and each potential reviewer in a few days.

I review books related to writing and publishing for SPAWNews. Even subscribers who know this rarely think to contact me with their books. Mainly, I stumble across books, contact the author or publisher and request a copy. And then the author may wait for several weeks or a few months to see his/her review posted. That’s because SPAWNews is a monthly e-newsletter. If I happen to receive two or three books at once to review, the third review won’t appear until three or four months down the road. I imagine this is the case with some of the reviewers I’ve contacted to review Catscapades.

But I always ask before sending review copies. And I recommend that you do, too. People send me review copies of their books without permission and sometimes they simply are not appropriate for our readers. We do not review mysteries, memoirs, science fiction or children’s books, for example. We review only books of interest to authors, writers and artists who want to sell their work.

Book reviews can sell books. But, as with every other aspect of book promotion, the process of getting your book reviewed can be time-consuming, in fact, all-consuming. You must first locate appropriate reviewers and then, in so many cases, follow through with them. The hardest part might be the waiting. Sometimes it seems that no one is working but you. I can tell you that no one cares about your book as much as you do. And no one is going to go to any lengths to promote it, review it, recommend it or sell it without some incentive. Maybe that’s why some book reviewers charge for reviews now.

Do you have a book review story? Have you attempted to get numerous book reviews for your book? Have you landed book reviews—how did this affect your bottom line? I can tell you that the book reviews I solicited for my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book, when it came out in 2006 (revised in 2007) really affected sales. I noticed an upsurge in sales with every new book review. So I am definitely a fan of getting book reviews. And I enjoy helping other authors of writing/publishing-related books by reviewing them (let me know if you have a book in this category). But holy cow, is it ever getting more and more difficult to get meaningful, timely reviews. Has this been your experience?

Frankly, I keep expecting the volume of books on the market to dwindle. With over 75 percent of all published books failing, it seems that only the strongest books and the most savvy, persistent authors would remain. But there are so many more people encouraging authors and offering services to help them enter into this fiercely competitive field of publishing whether they are ready for it or not. I guess hopeful authors will continue to live out their dreams of holding their published book in their hands even though most are not at all ready.

It’s like allowing grade school kids to adopt babies. Many authors are no more near ready or qualified to see a publishing project through than a child is to become a parent. Authors need more education and more experience than most typically enter into this profession with. That’s why I wrote The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book—which, by the way, received at least thirteen 5-star reviews. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

Why did I write Catscapades, True Cat Tales? This was my treat for myself as well as my audiences. I’ve been working hard to earn a living through my writing for many years. When hopeful authors began coming to me asking for help with their publishing projects, my focus shifted to working with others on their books. After 35 years, I decided that I wanted to do some fun writing—write something light, but meaningful—entertaining, but enlightening and also informative. And Catscapades, True Cat Tales, which had been on the backburner of my mind for a long time, was finally given wings. Learn more about this delightful book here:
http://www.matilijapress.com/catscapades.html

Do you blog—keep a web log? Why? How often do you post?

It’s not at all uncommon for writers to maintain one or more blogs. It is a reason to write, after all—and, perhaps, even be read. And a blog is a perfect way for writers to justify spending time writing. Right? Some writers simply can’t not write

A writer might not have any writing jobs lined up, no books in the works and no assignments on the horizon. But if she has a blog, she has a reason to write. Thus, her life has meaning.

Writers use their blogs in different ways—for different purposes. Some ramble and/or philosophize. Some share their love of words in any number of ways—through poetry, a discussion about word use, lessons for other writers. Some writers actually use their blogs in order to write a book. And I’m told that publishers are following some of these blogs (what in their spare time?) and actually issuing contracts. How’s that for a slap in the face?

Here you have been shopping your book manuscript around to publishers for eighteen years without a bite and other writers are quietly blogging and being discovered??? I guess it really IS time to toss out everything we old-time writers cut our teeth on and start viewing the world of writing and publishing anew.

As most of you know, I blog in order to share and teach what I know and what I’m still learning about writing and publishing. My daily blog also keeps me focused and sort of balanced. Writing a new post each day is so much a part of my routine that I don’t know if I could function without it.

This publishing blog is also a way for me to promote my books and services.

Why do you blog? Or have you given up on blogging in favor of some of the social media choices out there? And speaking of Twitter, Facebook, etc., how do these sites serve your purposes to promote your book and to become known as a writer?

I’m now on Twitter and Facebook and I have two blogs. I don’t see much benefit from the social media craze—but, perhaps, I’m just not fully invested in it, yet. My second blog is Catscapades, designed to share stories and information about cats and to promote my newest book, Cascapades, True Cat Tales.

By the way, you have barely enough time to order copies of this charming book of cat stories for Mother’s Day gifts.
http://www.matilijapress.com/catscapades.html

There’s probably no other industry where so many people have become self-appointed CEOs as in the publishing industry. What other field has become so seriously infiltrated with mom and pop operations as publishing? Where have you seen as many start-up businesses as within the publishing industry?

If every published author in your city had a storefront downtown, your town leader would be inclined to rename your shopping district, “Publishers Row” or “The Authors’ District.”

Publishing is HUGE and authors are not your grandmother’s or even your older sister’s authors. Back in the early days, we recall hearing about and reading about (not actually knowing) authors. Authors were placed on pedestals to be admired. They were mysterious, bright, creative and, of course, wealthy celebrities. It was rare to meet one. They all resided in gorgeous estates behind carved gates. And they all relied on their New York or London publishers to promote them and their books.

My, how things have changed. Now anyone, whether they can write or not; whether they can think or not, can become a published author. And today, every author is also a businessman/woman. Some modern day authors don’t even know the names of the major publishing houses. And they live in all states in every kind of neighborhood and housing.

Instead of a few hundred, authors number in the thousands. And new books are flying off of printers everywhere daily! There are currently way more books than there are readers. Where do they go? You might think you have seen every book available when you visit your local mega-bookstore. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Those bookstores have room for just a percentage of all published books.

If you are an author, you’re probably nodding your head as you read this. And you’re reading it in hopes that I’m leading up to a solution to sluggish book sales—that I will reveal a miracle key to bookselling success.

The thing is, long-time authors and publishers and modern day authors and publishers are all scrambling to find that key. Everything has changed and many things continue to change. Each new author must, to a degree, reinvent the business as it relates to their project and their skills, energy level, time-commitment and so forth.

The one constant is that the author must promote his/her own book and the more well-prepared he is for this incredibly difficult process BEFORE he becomes an author, the more successful he (or she) will become.

As you look out over the sea of authors in your community, throughout the Internet and so forth, you will see a wide range of successes and failures among them. You’ll observe authors who are hiding away in their writing rooms selling 0 books in hopes that someone will find them and their wonderful book. And you’ll notice authors who are highly motivated to sell books and highly skilled in marketing who have branded themselves, created impressive companies around their books and are selling books like crazy.

What is the difference between these two very real examples? Knowledge, education and preparation! Successful authors are also willing to stretch and grow rather than stagnate in strictly familiar territory.

There are many ways to become educated about the world of publishing and authorship. It’s a matter of scouring the Internet and being discerning as to the models and proposed professionals/experts that you choose to follow.

Here are my recommendations: Read The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book by Patricia Fry, 30+ year veteran in the writing/publishing business. I learned about this industry from the trenches. Order this book through amazon.com or here:
http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

If your book needs a boost, read my ebook, The Author’s Repair Kit. http://www.matilijapress.com/author_repairkit.html

Join SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network)
http://www.spawn.org

Sign up for one of Patricia Fry’s online courses:
http://www.matilijapress.com/courses.htm

Two new courses added this year!

Catscapades Update
There’s still time to order your mother, mother-in-law, grandmother or someone who has been like a mother to you a copy of Catscapades, True Cat Tales for Mothers Day.
http://www.matilijapress.com/catscapades.html

What are you doing today? If you are an author, you’d better be doing something to promote your book.

Those of you who have a published book know what I’m saying. If you want to sell copies of your book—whether it’s fiction, nonfiction or a children’s book—you must promote it. With the competition out there for readers and for their money, authors have had to shift into even higher gear in order to sell even a minimal number of books. Is this your experience? Or are you experiencing something different? We’d like to hear your story.

Among my clients and colleagues, book sales are slow. For those who are not out there regularly promoting, sales are non-existent. Is this what you are experiencing or observing?

So what will make the difference? What can you do to increase book sales? That depends on what you are currently doing. If you are just sitting around waiting for customers, there’s a whole lot more you can do. If you are doing a minimal or a moderate amount of promotion and you are selling a few books, do more of what you are doing and add a new promotional activity or two periodically.

With 31 published books and most of them still in circulation, I’m always in book promotion mode. But I have a brand new book out and I’ve had to kick my efforts up a bunch of notches in order to introduce this book to my audience and convince them to purchase it.

Every day, I seek out new avenues of promotion—new reviewers for pet-related books, new resale outlets, opportunities for submitting articles on the topic of this book, appropriate sites where they feature recommended books of this type, book signing opportunities, book festivals and so forth. Is this how you spend your day? Do you enjoy it?

Most of the time it is pretty tedious work. But there are small rewards—such as a flurry of sales, a good book review, orders from stores that want to carry it and so forth. Yesterday morning, I had my first review of Catscapades, True Cat Tales. Yeah! The review went on a cat-related site and even Google noticed. It will also be posted on my Amazon book page. Yesterday afternoon, Barnes and Noble contacted me to let me know they have accepted this book into their warehouse program. I’ve only had one other book accepted by Barnes and Noble. I appreciate that they see merit in this one, too.

I have a poster ready to deliver to Noah’s Apothecary where I will be signing Catscapades May 22. I’ll be sending out press releases for that event today. I’ve already alerted my emailing list of my signing and will send reminders a week in advance of the event.

It’s just about time to contact my initial list of book reviewers. I want to find out if they received the book, if they plan to review it and when. I’ve found that follow-up is important—we need to hold people accountable. Sometimes folks need a little nudge—a gentle reminder.

I figure that, to date, I’ve made a total of 150 or 175 contacts with regard to the Catscapades book. Now, logically, this effort should result in thousands of sales. Think about it—if each of these contacts leads to a book review read by at least 1,000 members of my audience or 1,000 viewings of the book online or in a bookstore, I should expect thousands of sales. And it could happen. Only these things take time. I know that I need to stay on task, follow up and continually work to locate new opportunities to promote this book. Tedious? Yes! Necessary? If you want to sell books, I’m afraid so.

If you are working on a book for publication, please don’t go into publishing wearing blinders. Study the publishing industry before you decide to make this commitment. Fully understand your responsibilities as a published author BEFORE you get involved in this highly competitive field. I’m telling you, it is not enough to produce a good, well-edited book. This is part of publishing success, but there’s so much more. Talk to any successful author and he/she will tell you the same—promoting the book is way harder and much more time/energy-consuming than writing it.
And it’s not always fun.

I wrote The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book in order to help educate hopeful authors about the publishing industry, their options and their responsibilities as a published author. This 300+ page book also guides authors through every process necessary for successful publishing—writing, editing, getting published, distribution, promotion, and so much more.
http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

Do you need help writing a book proposal? Do you want to know more about self-editing? Perhaps you would like assistance promoting your book or self-publishing your book. Do you want to know more about writing and submitting articles to magazines as a way to earn extra money or to promote your book? Patricia Fry offers courses in these topics. Sign up for one of Patricia’s 6 online courses.
http://www.matilijapress.com/courses.htm

Order Patricia’s new book of cat stories—Catscapades, True Cat Tales. http://www.matilijapress.com/catscapades.html

They say that any publicity is good publicity. I am wishy washy on that concept. Sure, it’s true to an extent. But an author still wants to produce the best product possible and hopes for great reviews. More people are going to purchase a book that others like than one that they harshly and negatively criticize.

I’ve had a lot of book reviews—probably over 100. And I notice that few reviewers seem to really delve into the meaning or concept of the book and give a really profound review. Some reviewers do no more than simply copy the back cover matter or pluck something from the Introduction or from your website and call it a book review. That’s okay—at least the review is positive.

Have you ever had a negative review for one of your books? I’d also like to hear about your positive reviews. I do not recall ever having a bad review, although I did have someone refuse to review one of my books because they found a typo. And I’ve had reviewers reject my books because they are self-published through my own publishing company. (This was before the onslaught of pay-to-publish companies).

What good are book reviews? Depending on where they are posted, they can definitely alert your particular readers to the fact that your book exists. A lot of positive reviews stacked up at Amazon.com looks good to potential customers. People who love or need books like yours often look for them at various sites related to this topic/genre. For example, someone seeking a book on astronomy or astrology will visit sites dedicated to these subjects in hopes that there will be a recommended book page. People who are interested in a particular topic or genre will read magazines and newsletters in kind and may respond by purchasing books reviewed in this venue.

I’ve found pointed book reviews to be most beneficial to the sales of my books. Book reviews for my writing/publishing books published at writing/publishing sites and in writing/publishing publications definitely attract customers. But I’ve discovered that book review sites do nothing for my bottom line. It could be that readers of fiction check these sites for new book recommendations. But this is no way to sell targeted nonfiction—at least that has been my experience.

Catscapades Update
I got my first book review for Catscapades, True Cat Tales. Check it out at http://www.theproblemcat.com/misc/catscapades.html.

So I am pleased to have a review that is so insightful and thorough. RJ Peters at The Problem Cat site did a lovely job. Visit her site to see what this cat lady is all about. And get help for your cat problems.
http://www.theproblemcat.com

I also have a new blog post at
http://www.matilijapress.com/catscapades Visit the Catscapades blog and meet our 5-year-old grandson as he interacts with our kitten, Lily. It’s a match made in heaven.

I’ve had some inquiries, lately, from authors in need of assistance with their book proposals. The book proposal can be a puzzle the first time around. Let me help you make sense of it through my online Book Proposal Course.
http://www.matilijapress.com/course_bookproposal.htm