Writing and Publishing News from

September 25, 2011

Tips for Maintaining Your Author’s Website

Filed under: Authorship,Book Promotion — Patricia @ 5:08 am

Do you keep your author’s website up-to-date? It’s easy to just let it ride—assume that it is doing its job of showcasing your book, introducing you and your qualifications/attributes, offering ordering options, etc. But wait—is what you posted three years ago or even last year still accurate? Is there anything new there to attract visitors and more search engine activity?

Here are some tips for maintaining a viable author’s website:
• Use dates in your bio instead of years/time spent, etc. Then you won’t have to change the text every year. Say, for example, “I published this book in 2001 in order to…etc.” rather than, “It was 10 years ago when I produced this book…”

• Keep your appearances page up-to-date. Continually add book festivals where you will be exhibiting your books, book signings, conferences and other venues where you’ll be speaking.

• Add to your media page regularly. Include published press releases, announcements and book reviews.

• Post testimonials at your site as they come in—or once a month or so.

• Create and maintain a resources page listing other materials on this topic or in this genre, organizations, news, trends, etc.

• If you don’t have a blog, establish one and post to it often.

• Establish an articles/stories page and add to it every three months or so. Not only are you providing something of value to visitors, you have links where you can send people to view specific articles that might be particularly useful to them.

• Offer something FREE to site visitors—an e-booklet, for example. Ask them to sign up for the free download. This will give you some concrete idea of how many people are visiting and who are interested in your offerings. Change your offering from time to time.

• You might even change your home page message every few years. Or change the design of your website. I just established a second website a year or so ago. My Matilija Press website now is a showcase for my books and my Patricia Fry website focuses on me and my services.

Check my sites out at http://www.matilijapress.com
http://www.patriciafry.com (Order your copy of 50 Reasons Why You Should Write That Book here.)

Order your copy of Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author at http://amzn.to/oe56Ia
Or you can order it at http://www.matilijapress.com or http://www.BN.com or http://www.IndieBound.org

September 24, 2011

Why is Your Book Bombing in the Marketplace?

Filed under: Authorship,Book Promotion — Patricia @ 4:35 am

What good is promotion? You may sometimes wonder why you spend so much time promoting your book when it seems for naught. You create press releases and send them out, sit for long days at book festivals, talk about your book all the time and you even have a few copies in book and specialty stores downtown. But sales are sluggish and you are discouraged. Is it time to stop the madness? Should you just forget about becoming a successful author?

Welllll, let’s see. Is that what you really want to do? Or would you rather open your mind and try to discover WHY your book isn’t selling? Here are some possibilities:

• It isn’t a subject or angle that is of interest to very many people. I met a doctor a while back who is working on a book on vital organs. He told me the book would be for the layperson and he planned to market it to a general audience. I think this author will have more success if he creates booklets—one on each organ and then makes them available through doctors’ offices, pharmacies, online health/medical sites and so forth. If he comes out with the book he plans and tries to market it to the general public, I think he will be terribly disappointed in the results of his efforts. This is a case of the wrong book marketed to the wrong audience.

• The cover is blah and uninteresting. I’ve read many books by authors I’ve met through SPAWN, at book festivals and at writers’ conferences that I would probably never have bought, but I very much enjoyed reading. Why wouldn’t I have purchased the book? Because the cover was not enticing. I’m working with an author now who had someone (obviously not a professional) design a cover for his upcoming book. I was able to convince him that the cover was pretty awful. He had a cartoonish style for a book on a rather serious topic. The design gave absolutely no indication of the book’s true purpose or focus. Fortunately for him, he listened to reason and created a much crisper, more simple design for his book before publication—one that is conducive to the theme of the book. A good cover designer might charge up to $3,000, but, if you have a quality book on a topic or in a genre that is wanted/needed, and you promote adequately, you will earn that money back in a year or so—maybe less.

• The book has not been professionally edited. Way too many authors skip this step or hire the wrong editor. This is usually because they are in a hurry to get it published. Think about it, what is your impression when you start reading a book that’s riddled with spacing, typing, spelling and grammatical errors? Isn’t it distracting? It takes away from the story. And when the story doesn’t flow nicely or the material in a reference book isn’t organized appropriately, the reading experience isn’t as enjoyable or productive. A good book editor might cost you anywhere from $500 to $3,000, depending on the shape of your manuscript. If you skip this step, you will certainly regret it as reviewers refuse to review it or they point out the clutter of errors; readers won’t recommend your book and it isn’t accepted in book clubs, libraries, school districts, etc.

You have a huge responsibility as an author. And I can tell you that the effort and, yes, money you put into your book during the production phase is almost as important as the energy and time you pour into the promotion of your book.

Some of you have run businesses before. Many of you know people who are successful in business. Do you know of anyone who was successful in business and who went into that business without knowledge of the industry, a plan and funding? You need these three things whether you open a restaurant, a pet spa, a computer repair company, a nursery, a daycare center, a tax service or a retail store. And your business, like your book, must have a welcoming and professional persona about it.

Cut corners with your business—neglect to have the necessary equipment or space, show up to work in your upscale retail store wearing dirty sweats and flip flops, slap up a hand-painted sign made of butcher paper identifying your business—and you are not going to attract the clientele you hoped for.

How many ways have I attempted to make this point in this blog, books, articles and presentations over the years? Yet, I still see authors making the same mistakes. Why? Some of them do not study the industry until after they’ve produced a book. And some just don’t have or don’t want to spend the money to do their book up right.

Folks, don’t cut corners with your magnificent masterpiece. If it is worth publishing, it is worth publishing it in its full splendor.

Whether you are just starting to write a book, you’re almost finished or you have been involved in book promotion for a while, order and read my latest book: Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author. http://amzn.to/oe56Ia

Read all 19 reviews at the Amazon book page. And contact me if you have any questions: PLFry620@yahoo.com

If you need additional assistance jump-starting the promotion of your book or if you’d like to learn how to build your author’s platform, sign up for the appropriate online course at http://www.matilijapress.com/courses.htm

For my FREE ebooklet, “50 Reasons Why Your SHOULD Write That Book,” go to: http://www.patriciafry.com

September 23, 2011

What Kind of Author Are You?

Filed under: Authorship,Writing — Patricia @ 5:31 am

There are different types of authors. I had a little fun in my workshop conducted at the writer’s conference in Alaska a few weeks ago when I labeled writers. Here’s what I presented.

• There are those who write purely because they have something important or amazing to share and plan to do so in a one book blast. Often, writing is a struggle for them. They don’t consider themselves writers. They are simply using this means to get their message or their story out. I call them One Book Blasters.

• Then there are those who just want to write. They love to write. And they hope to write numerous novels or nonfiction books. How about if we consider these authors Writing Fools?

• There are also Niche Authors—they might write just a few or many books in the same genre/topic. They are attached to or passionate about saving trees, elder care, establishing new FDA regulations or finding a cancer cure, for example, and they produce books in order to do so.

• There are those who are practically plagued by a story or a perspective and they just have to put it in a book and get it published. This might be a children’s book with a message, a memoir they want to write as therapy or an amazing story of survival. The story (true or not) rolls around in the author’s head practically every waking hour and he decides he just must write it. We could call this person an Author Obsessed.

• How about the author who writes books simply to add credibility to the type of work he or she does. An accountant might write books on family budgeting, how to teach kids money-awareness and tips for skirting the mortgage scams, for example. Maybe you’re a job consultant, photographer, veterinarian, plastic surgeon or even hairdresser and you write a book designed to help promote your work or your business. If so, you could be considered a Career-Driven Author

This is fun, isn’t it? Where do you fit in? Do you have another category you’d like to add?

For more fun and for additional assistance with your writing and publishing efforts, check out my websites. Read my articles, sign up for my online courses, purchase some of my books, consider using some of my services and/or ask me to speak at your conference or to your writers’ group.

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

September 22, 2011

Tips for Writers and Authors

Filed under: Book Promotion,Writing — Patricia @ 4:06 am

Things are hopping here in the offices of Patricia Fry and Matilija Press. My most recent interview—related to book promotion and my new book, Promote Your Book, is live. Listen here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/acmedia/2011/09/20/250-ways-to-promote-your-book–patricia-fry

Also, the book is reviewed in the October 2011 issue of Freelance Writer’s Report.

I’m receiving inquiries as to my editing work from all over the world—several are from authors I met in Alaska a few weeks ago. I had a booth at the Central Coast Book Festival Sunday. I will speak in Camarillo, California next week. I will take my books to a book festival in Ojai next month and I will sit on a panel of authors later in October. I teach a freelance writing session at the Ventura College in November. And I still must find time to spread the word far and wide that Promote Your Book is now on Kindle. This means doing an email blast to my list of hundreds of clients, customers, colleagues, acquaintances and so forth.

Is your book promotion dance card also full? If not—and if you want to sell books—you really do need to start reaching out and promoting your book. If you need help with that, sign up for my online Book Promotion Course. Check it out here: http://www.bookpromotion.htm

I want to share with you a really clever and useful article I read yesterday in my recent copy of Freelance Writer’s Report. This article was written by a savvy freelance writer/author whom I happened to meet a few years ago in Arizona. We’ve stayed in touch. She is quite prolific and professional—I see her writing-related articles everywhere. Often, they appear in the same issues as mine do. The writer’s name is Kathleen Ewing. If you are doing your homework and studying the world of freelance writing (if that’s your field) and publishing (if you are an author), you are probably familiar with this name.

Her recent article is called “The Writer’s Toolbox.” She wrote that she found herself recently in a situation where events and activities were happening all around her that were article-worthy or, at least, that rated a photo account in a local publication and she was caught without her writing tools.

She has since created a writer’s toolbox which she keeps in her automobile. I’d like to urge you to read the article yourself, but I can tell you that her suggestions are excellent. She recommends, for example, that you put together some items to keep with you in your purse, backpack, glove box… They include a disposable camera, a lens cloth, a photo-release form, a small tape recorder, mechanical pencils (she says that pens stored for long periods can be unreliable), etc. And she even explains how to safely store some items and which brands of some items are best.

Now there’s a writer with ideas, imagination, grit and she is a self-starter. I’m impressed. We should all be so clever and disciplined. Way to go, Kathleen.

September 21, 2011

Promote Your Book by Spying on Other Authors

Filed under: Book Promotion — Patricia @ 6:33 am

Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author is getting lots of attention. I did a podcast yesterday—I’ll let you know when it is available. Writing for Dollars published my piece on “8 Tips for Successfully Promoting Your EBook” this week. And the numbers at Amazon are looking good. The rank for Promote Your Book was in the 200,000 range a few weeks ago. Yesterday it was up over 1,000,000 and now it’s down around 400,000.

Don’t forget, you Kindle owners—Promote Your Book is on Kindle now. Yay! Order your print or Kindle copy here today: http://amzn.to/oe56Ia

Do you have a book to promote? If you have come out with a book, it is your job to promote it, you know. How do you get your book promotion ideas? Do you read books on the subject? Articles? Do you get ideas from speakers and members of your writers’ group? Do you attend writers’ and authors’ conferences? Perhaps you’ve received some tips for promotion through this blog. These are all good activities for any author.

Here’s one of my favorite book promotion tips. Snoop on other authors. Visit the websites of authors of books similar to yours and find out how they’re promoting their books:

• Where are they being interviewed?
• Where are they submitting articles/stories?
• Where are they speaking?
• Who is reviewing their books?
• Who is writing about them and their books?
• Which book festivals are they attending?
• Where do they have their books displayed/stocked?
• What unique promotional tactics are they using successfully?

Find out by studying their media pages, appearances pages, blog posts and reviews posted at their websites and at their Amazon book page, etc. You’ll also want to keep your finger on the pulse of your industry by joining appropriate organizations, reading periodicals related to the theme or genre of your book, subscribing to newsletters on this topic/genre, etc.

Promote Your Book is brimming with book promotion ideas such as this great one and it also helps authors to organize their ideas so they are pertinent and manageable. Buy your copy today in print of Kindle. I believe it is also on the Nook—not sure how to find that out. Anyone got any ideas?

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

September 20, 2011

Is it Time to Get Help With Your Writing Project?

Filed under: Book Promotion,Publishing — Patricia @ 4:00 am

Are you working on a book? Do you hope to get it published? When should you emerge from your writing room and start seeking the information you’ll need in order to make the best decisions on behalf of your project?

I tell authors that they should start learning about the publishing industry as soon as they decide to write a book for publication. Those of you who have been reading my books, articles and this blog, have probably “read” me say, “Publishing is not an extension of your writing.” In other words, you cannot expect to enter into the world of publishing with the same knowledge, mindset, tools and skills as you used in the writing process. Writing is a craft and publishing is a highly competitive business. Writing is a solitary activity. When you shift over to the publishing side, you’ll be required to don hats of many different colors and shapes in order to handle the tasks involved. You’ll likely become involved in research while writing your book. To understand the world of publishing so that you can successfully navigate the raging waters and avoid the sharks, also requires heads-up research. Some authors must learn how to write good copy, good dialog, clear instructions, etc. There’s much to learn about the very different and very complex publishing field, as well.

You may not want to stretch and grow and learn about publishing while you’re in the process of writing your book, but this is the best time to begin your study of the publishing industry. Why? I meet way too many authors with finished books who are so eager to get published that they dive into the unknown world of publishing without nearly enough knowledge. Most of them fail. Why?

• They don’t know all of their publishing options.

• They don’t understand the possible consequences of their choices.

• They don’t accept that the author is responsible for promoting his/her book.

• And they certainly don’t fully grasp the magnitude of book promotion in today’s competitive publishing climate.

So what do I suggest? What is the best way to ensure publishing success? My responses are based on three decades of experience within the publishing industry, my involvement with an international networking organization for authors for sixteen years and my interactions with hundreds of authors every year:

Start studying the publishing industry even before you start writing the book. The direction of your book could change as you gather the information, comprehension and level of awareness
you need. And this can be a good thing. The book you want to write might not be the book that is wanted or needed. If there is no audience for this book, how will you find a publisher? How will you sell copies of it? Who will you promote it to?

An author, in order to be successful, must develop a business head as well as a writer’s heart. And those who don’t, typically won’t flourish.

Start now reading books about the publishing industry, subscribing to and reading newsletters and magazines related to publishing and book promotion and attending authors’ groups and appropriate lectures related to aspects of publishing and book promotion.

Don’t go into publishing without the necessary knowledge. You won’t survive.

For more about the world of publishing and how you can succeed within it, read my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. It’s discounted at my site: http://www.matilijapress.com.

Also order my newest book, Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author. http://amzn.to/oe56Ia or http://www.matilijapress.com

Download my FREE ebooklet and find out if you are ready to become an author: 50 Reasons Why You Should Write That Book. http://www.patriciafry.com

September 19, 2011

Tools and Tips for New Authors

Filed under: Authorship,Book Promotion — Patricia @ 6:03 am

There are many ways that you can promote your book. Some of them require that you go out into the world—attend book festivals where you showoff your book to browsing visitors (mostly readers), present workshops in your topic or genre, speak to members of civic organization groups and other groups, do book signings and visit bookstores and specialty stores for consignment deals, for example.

There are many book promotion activities that you can do from home, as well. I like having options. I enjoy going out and meeting and greeting my reading audience. But I also relish my time at home promoting books with a cat on my lap. With my latest book now on Kindle, I have a lot of people to notify. I’ll be doing that through my email list (including customers, clients, colleagues, writers’ group leaders, conference organizers…), this blog, Facebook and Twitter, articles for appropriate magazines and ezines, etc.

I met people yesterday at the book festival in San Luis Obispo who are planning to write a book. When I questioned them, few of them had even considered their audience for their books. A couple of children’s book writers were not sure what age group they were writing for. Several authors of nonfiction books had no clue as to their audience. Like so many first-time authors they just expected to put their book out there in downtown and online bookstores and see who might buy it. I hope I convinced them that they need to be writing for their target audience now and planning now for how to reach that audience once the book is a book. Now is the time to be thinking about the business aspects of producing a book. Those many authors who do not follow this advice often fail. In fact, you’ve heard/read me say that over 76 percent of authors today fail in the marketplace. And lack of business sense with regard to their books is one reason.

Don’t just become an author, become a savvy author. Study the publishing industry early on in the process of writing your book so you know what to expect and how to navigate the competitive, complicated publishing industry. How?

• Read books by professionals. I recommend my The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book and Promote Your Book. Both available at http://www.matilijapress.com and amazon.com.

• Attend a writers’ conference and participate in all of the sessions related to writing, publishing and promoting your book.

• Join publishing organizations such as SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) and participate in the offerings. http://www.spawn.org

• Subscribe to newsletters related to publishing and read every one of them. SPAWNews, Book Promotion Newsletter and Publishing Basics are a few I recommend. You’ll get a lot out of the SPAWN Market Update and the IBPA Independent, as well. These are free to members of SPAWN and IBPA (Independent Book Publishers Association).

I also offer online courses on book promotion, how to write a book proposal, how to build on your author’s platform and other topics of interest to writers and authors. http://www.matilijapress.com/courses.htm

September 18, 2011

How to Work a Book Festival so it Works for You

Filed under: Book Promotion — Patricia @ 4:36 am

I’m heading off to San Luis Obispo this morning—2.5 hours north—to participate in a book festival.

Do you ever take your book to book festivals? It really is a cool way to promote your book, meet people, get feedback on your book—what are people’s first reaction to it when they see it/hold it? Book festivals get you out of the office. If you pay attention to the people you meet at book festivals, you’ll learn a lot about how to promote your book—how to best represent it to others.

Here is a link to my article, “How to Work a Book Festival so it Works for You.” If you have a book to promote, I recommend that you read this article and consider signing up for a few local book festivals.

http://www.matilijapress.com/articles/promo_bookFestival.htm

Stop by my Patricia Fry website and download a free copy of my ebooklet, “50 Reasons Why You Should Write That Book” http://www.patriciafry.com

And don’t forget, my newest book—the one you need NOW whether you are thinking about writing a book, are in the process of writing it or you have a published book—is on Kindle. Order your print or Kindle copy of Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author at http://amzn.to/oe56Ia

September 17, 2011

Reasons for Promoting Your Book

Filed under: Book Promotion — Patricia @ 3:29 am

It’s here! My new book is on Kindle!! Yes, those of you who have been waiting for the Kindle version of Promote Your Book, here it is. You can order your copy today! http://amzn.to/oe56Ia for $9.99.

I’m excited. This is my first Kindle book. And it’s another reason for me to do a book promotion blast.

Do you take advantage of events, news, activities and other occurrences as opportunities to promote your book through your blog and to your mailing list? What are some of the reasons why you could send announcements and information related to your book? Here are 10 ideas:

• Your book comes out on Kindle, Nook, etc. (YAY!)
• Your book has been reviewed.
• You’ve scheduled a book signing or other event.
• You’re speaking on behalf of your book topic/genre.
• Your book won an award.
• You’ve done a reprint/revision.
• Your book is chosen as a featured or recommended book.
• You hit an impressive sales mark.
• There’s a newsbreak related to the theme of your book.
• Your book is discounted or you’re running a special.

Are you taking full advantage of opportunities to promote your book? This week, how about examining reasons why you could send out announcements to your addressbook, blog about your book, etc. And then follow through.

In the meantime, for hundreds more book promotion ideas, order my book, Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author. It’s in print and on Kindle at Amazon. It’s also available at B&N, my own website and other places throughout the web and beyond.

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

September 16, 2011

Five Article Types That Sell

Filed under: Article-Writing — Patricia @ 4:32 am

How many different types of articles can one write? The answer hovers somewhere around a dozen. There’s the essay, opinion, bulleted piece, how-to, informational/research piece, Q & A, article with expert quotes, interview article, photo feature, review, book excerpts, profile piece and the personal experience article, for example.

But which article types are most popular? And which style should you choose for your subject? You can take almost any topic and create a valid article using any one of these styles. Of course, your choice should reflect the needs and requirements of the magazine you wish to write for. You’re not going to offer a magazine that thrives on hard news an article featuring your viewpoint. Nor would you submit a personal experience piece to a magazine that publishes only how-to and research articles. Before you write that article, be sure that you are writing the right piece for the right magazine.

So which article types are the most popular; the most often used? I suggest the following:

1: How-to. We all want to learn new things—as long as the learning process isn’t too complicated. You’re reading this article in hopes of learning how to write the types of articles that will sell. We read books and articles in order to learn how to prepare certain meals, groom our dogs, make a quilt, tend a garden, get along better with our spouses, take better photographs, travel to exotic places for less and so forth. The how-to is probably at the top of the article chart when it comes to popularity among editors and readers.

2: Research piece with expert quotes. This piece is generally formed through research and interviews. The article typically consists of facts and information with quotes from experts in the field to validate the material. Always get written permission from anyone you interview for an article of this type.

3: The profile piece is not the same as one in which you quote experts. A profile piece features usually one individual related to a specific aspect of his or her life. You might profile a celebrity who owns several dogs for a dog magazine. So your focus will not be her celebrity status as much as it will be her interest and interaction with her dogs. Perhaps you’ll profile the head of a major company on the topic of management for a business management magazine or on his thoughts about working past retirement age for a senior magazine.

4: The personal experience piece. We all like to talk and write about ourselves. This is an easy, slam dunk sort of article to write. But make sure that your experience is truly worth writing about and that it fits with your target magazine’s theme. Here are some areas that you might consider when writing the personal experience article: travel, healing/fitness, recovery from a severe illness or accident, adopting children from other countries, a brief and unusual encounter with a celebrity, a truly unusual wedding or birthday celebration or an identity theft experience, for example.

5: The essay or opinion piece. We all have opinions. I love to write the essay—there’s no (or little) research involved. You don’t have to conduct any interviews. It’s strictly your thoughts—your words—your perspective. And many magazines publish essays or opinion pieces on the topics of their publications.

The key with the Essay or Opinion piece is to write skillfully, make it interesting, stay on topic without too many sidebars and leave the reader with something to think about.

Don’t avoid submitting articles to certain magazines because they want article types that you are not familiar with. Practice writing the How-to, Profile piece or Expert Quote article, for example, and you will expand your earnings considerably.

Many of us are writing articles as well as blog posts designed to promote our books. For more about how to do this along with hundreds of other book promotion ideas, purchase your copy of Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author at Amazon.com TODAY http://amzn.to/oe56Ia

« Newer Posts — Older Posts »

Powered by WordPress