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What have you done to promote your book today? This week? During the past month? If you haven’t had many sales recently, your answer is probably in the form of an excuse, “I’ve been working a lot,” “I just haven’t had time to promote,” “My grandchildren are living with me now,” “My husband is out of work,” “I don’t know what to do next—I sent announcements to my email list earlier this year and had a book signing in June.”

I can’t tell how many authors I talk to who bemoan the fact that sales are down—that their book isn’t selling as well as they had hoped—but they aren’t prepared to or don’t have a desire to make any changes. Many of them entered into the world of publishing ill-prepared and they are unwilling to do anything to repair their original mistakes.

I have devoted the last fifteen years, or so, to helping authors make better choices on behalf of their books. It’s sort of like preparing young mothers for the advent of parenthood. I’ve experienced authorship myself. I’ve been enmeshed in the world of publishing for nearly forty years personally and as an organization leader, speaker, teacher, consultant and more. I’m also a keen observer of trends in authorship. And, folks, I am seeing way too many authors floundering and failing. Some of them won’t even reach out for a life preserver—for a chance at saving their books—especially if it means expending energy, putting in any time or spending any money.

I often compare authorship to business ownership. I say, “You wouldn’t open a retail store without knowing something about the business, the product you’re offering, distributors, suppliers, your competition and your customers.” And I stress that authorship is a business and should be approached as such.

It’s well known that people who go into business without enough information and preparation, generally don’t last long. Look around your community. You’ll see successes in business and you’ll see failure. If you were a fly on the wall, you would probably see the successful businessperson studying the industry before getting involved. He’ll have some investment money or strong collateral for getting a loan. He’ll survey his potential customer base in an attempt to find out who his customers are and what their needs/desires are with regard to his product/service. You’ll notice him checking out his competition and, perhaps, deciding to offer services or products that are not currently available in that region. He’ll become acquainted with service and product suppliers, costs, regulations, etc. He’ll study consumer demographics to determine the best location for his particular business. And he will develop a marketing plan in order to get word out about his new business.

If you could take a peek into his counterpart who either never gets his business off the ground or who promptly fails, what would you see? Someone who decides, on a whim, to start a business doing something he loves. He’ll rent the cheapest place he can find and hope he can make the rent with his meager savings just in case the first few months in business are slow. He hears that there are a couple of other businesses offering the same product/services in the vicinity, but he doesn’t care. He’s following his dream—besides his friends and a few people at the club he frequents say they will become customers as soon as he opens. He just hopes that others will find him in the cubbyhole behind the tattoo shop where he has set up his business because he sure doesn’t have funds for advertising. His enthusiasm for his products/services should be enough to carry him through the rough spots.

How many of you recognize yourself in one of these scenarios? For those of you who are currently working on a book and hope to publish, does this open up a new way of viewing what’s ahead for you? Are you preparing for success as a published author or do you plan to enter into the publishing arena with nothing more than unrealistic expectations?

As with most things in life, your future success as an author (whatever success means to you) is in your hands.

What’s a hopeful author to do?

• If you are in the process of writing a book, start studying the publishing industry now. Read my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. It’s discounted at: http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

• Save up some money—or go out and take a temporary job to earn some money to use in hiring a good editor. If you’re ready for a free evaluation of your manuscript, a sample edit and an estimate for editing, contact me today: PLFry620@yahoo.com. Learn more about me and my work here: http://www.patriciafry.com (Save money by self editing. Section on self-editing in the book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book.)

• Write a book proposal (complete instructions in the book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book). A book proposal will help you determine whether you have a viable book at all, who your audience is and how you will reach them.

There’s a lot more to successful authorship, but this is a good start. I’ll elaborate more in the coming week. Perhaps there are aspects of this topic you would like to see me cover. PLFry620@yahoo.com. Or leave a comment here.

When you schedule a book signing, workshop, demonstration or other presentation, how do you promote it? Or do you expect the bookstore manager, specialty store owner, publicity chairman or program director to do the promotion?

Most of the time, there will be some publicity for your scheduled talk, but you should not leave this entirely up to the host. In order to get a full house, you need to be a proactive promoter. Here’s what I suggest:

• Post an announcement at your blog a few times prior to the event.

• Place an announcement at your website.

• Send an email to acquaintances, friends, colleagues, customers, clients, etc.

• Contact the list of names you’ve collected at local book festivals, workshops, etc.

• Announce it in appropriate online forums.

• Place announcements in your member newsletters.

• Suggest to your colleagues that they tell their customers/clients.

• Hang posters at the venue (where appropriate).

• Create fliers to be included with customers purchases (such as in a bookstore).

• Post fliers at libraries, bookstores and others appropriate places related to the theme of your presentation.

• If the program chairperson will not do so, arrange for press in your local newspaper and newsletters.

It’s not easy to get people out for book signings, workshops and other presentations these days. You’re competing with many other activities and interests. So, if you want to attract a crowd, it is important that you do what you can to get word out.

By the way, for those of you who live in Southern California, I’ll be teaching a one-day workshop at the Ventura College on Writing Magazine Articles for Fun and Profit Saturday, December 3 at 9:00 to 12:00 pm. The cost is $49. Sign up here:
http://www.communityed.VenturaCollege.edu or call 805-654-6459

Yesterday I wrote about procrastination in this blog. It’s something I’d been doing to avoid tackling a workshop I needed to write. But after I finished that post, I went back to my documents file and actually found an old workshop I had presented on the same topic. I didn’t have to outline a whole new program, there it was. All it needed was a few updates.

A friend pointed out to me that sometimes there’s a reason for procrastination. If I’d launched right into writing the new workshop, I would have spent hours of time unnecessarily. I would have been Johnny-on-the-spot, but it would have been wasted time and energy. So, while yesterday, I considered procrastination a negative, today, I’m glad I dragged my feet on this project.

Thinking back, I can recall other times when taking immediate action was not appropriate. If I’d gone with my first instinct, it would have been the wrong decision. In some cases, things transpired during the time I was procrastinating that meant I had to change my approach. In these situations, if I’d jumped in with my usual enthusiasm to complete the projects at hand, I would have found myself backtracking to catch up. In fact, I have had that very thing happen. Haven’t you?

It certainly pays to be organized and to stay on top of the things that come across your desk or that you commit to. But there’s also a lot to say for being flexible. Sometimes it is wise to stop and think before taking action. And the fact that I did this with regard to my freelance writing workshop I’ll be presenting at Ventura College in a few weeks, afforded me extra time to spend writing and promoting my books.

Speaking of books, my latest book, Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author, seems to be doing well. My only gauge at this point is the Amazon rating. I’ll get an accounting from the publisher next month. Order your copy at amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, IndieBound.com, at the publisher’s website http://www.skyhorsepublishing.com or at my website http://www.matilijapress.com/PublishYourBook.html.

I heard from my publisher this week—Allworth Press, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing. They are putting the final touches on my next book, Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author. We are in the process of getting expert quotes for the cover. It has gone to the typesetter, so I will get a copy to proof any day now. I’ll also be creating the index at some point. Publication is set for February. It’s going to be a busy holiday season here in the Matilija Press/Patricia Fry offices.

You can learn more about the new book at Amazon.com

In the meantime, if you need an editor for your novel or nonfiction book, check out my credentials and experience here:
http://www.patriciafry.com

I offer free manuscript evaluations and free estimates for editing. PLFry620@yahoo.com

Now that’s an oxymoron, isn’t it? Procrastination indicates lack of action—putting off tasks, postponing duties that you know need to be done. To procrastinate is to ignore and neglect things you are planning to do, right? You say, for example, “I’m going to get my shopping done before the holiday rush,” or “I will write a page a day until my book is finished.” If you find yourself making excuses for not going to the mall or you fill your time with things other than writing, that could be procrastination in action.

Do you tend to procrastinate? Do you ignore deadlines? Or maybe you are keenly aware of your deadline, but you keep finding other things to do. Most of the time when we procrastinate, we also suffer with some level of guilt. We know that a project needs to be completed, and we really want to do it, but we can’t bring ourselves to turn away from our self-proclaimed freedom in order to buckle down and commit to a long-term (or even short-term) task we’ve accepted responsibility for.

I don’t consider myself a procrastinator. I am fairly well organized and I generally get things done. I’m one of those who handles most things as they come across my desk. If it is something that will take more than an hour of my time, however, I tend to put it off until I have a clear slate, a larger pocket of time, less chance of interruption and so forth. Can you see the procrastination in my logic? Or is it logic in my procrastination?

I’ve been procrastinating this month, but I feel I have some perfectly good excuses. Hmmm, I guess that’s what even the worst procrastinator will say… “I have a good excuse for not getting that done.” I wonder if a true, hardcore procrastinator ever finishes the project—or maybe he doesn’t even start it. I like to think there are levels of procrastination. But then that’s the way my mind works. Everything can be measured. There are different levels of good, bad, enjoyment, attentiveness, caring, knowledge, trust and so forth. So it follows, for me, that there are different levels of procrastination. Let’s explore that concept:

• There are those who procrastinate forever on a project—it never gets done.

• There are those who procrastinate a little bit on a daily basis—putting off various tasks throughout the day, but often finally completing most of them.

• Some people set aside a project until they have the appropriate mindset, knowledge and time allotment and then they dive in and quickly complete the job.

• Others procrastinate only on certain things. They get their housework and paying work done, but are slow at taking care of what they actually want to do—the writing they dream of doing, or the gardening they love doing.

I guess a psychologist could see the underlying causes in the way an individual procrastinates (or doesn’t). It might be an interesting study and one that has probably been done before.

Do you procrastinate? Which category do you fall in? I guess there is no real problem with procrastination except when it harms the procrastinator or someone else. For example, if you are so stressed by the time you decide to take care of business, you probably won’t do a very good job of completing it. And you may make yourself sick in the meantime. I think some of you can relate to this. You put something off, feeling guilty with every excuse you make. And when your deadline is looming, you dive in, rush, work impossible hours, possibly do a lousy job, complete the task and then come down sick with a cold. Ever have that happen to you? I believe I have.

Sometimes we wait so long to do the job that we can’t get it done and we end up letting someone down. That stings. Even our creative excuses can’t sooth our feelings of shame and disappointment. Shudder, shudder.

Today, I am taking on a project I’ve been putting off. Well, at least that is my plan. Every week for several, I have written into my schedule that I would outline the freelance writing class I’m teaching at the local college weekend after next. And every week, I get involved in other things—always with that class outline project in the back of my mind nagging me. Yesterday was finally the day I designated to work on the class outline. But that morning, my publisher contacted me with a request that took priority and most of the day to complete. I decided to procrastinate with regard to the class project just one more day. But today is the day I will stop procrastinating, at least on that project. Wish me luck.

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