Happy Valentine\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Day. I hope that all of your sweetest wishes come true. I came into my office this morning to find a card with one of my favorite cats on the front\u00e2\u20ac\u201da shaded silver Persian all dressed up in a ruby and diamond necklace. She was guarding a box of chocolates AND a new baby mouse for my laptop. I am loved. <\/p>\n
Love spilled over me last night when I attended an intimate writers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 group meeting at the home of a client. What a delightful group of serious writers\u00e2\u20ac\u201deach writing poignant stories. The doggie guest greeters added perfectly to the ambiance. <\/p>\n
I learned something new today\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthe visually-impaired are buying ebooks. As long as they are in PDF format and without a Signature, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153assistive technology\u00e2\u20ac\u009d can access the document and the visually impaired person can hear the text. I understand that the MS word format is also conducive to a program for people who need assistance reading the typed word. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been lukewarm about ebooks, but am beginning to see that they have value beyond my world. We should all be thinking about offering our books in formats and in venues that suit each of our customers.<\/p>\n
Isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t that what our job is\u00e2\u20ac\u201dto facilitate our customers? We can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t help, educate or entertain anyone through our books if they sit in a corner of our office while we write more books. Our books do no good for anyone when we don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t make them available through the right channels. Those who only purchase books through Amazon won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t buy your book at the corner gift shop. Those who read only large-print books won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t benefit from your book in 10-point type. Those who buy books on a whim while shopping downtown, won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t find your book if it is only online. <\/p>\n
As authors, we attempt to write for the widest possible audience. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s up to us as booksellers to also make our books available to the widest possible audience. So let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all make a vow to add at least one new dimension to our books this week. Here are some ideas:
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2\tInclude something in the book you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re writing that will appeal to another segment of people\u00e2\u20ac\u201danother ethnic group, young people, men or women, those who are suffering a loss, those with a specific problem, etc.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2\tOffer your book in another form\u00e2\u20ac\u201debook, large print, audio, for example.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2\tOffer your book in a new venue\u00e2\u20ac\u201dlibraries, independent bookstores, at your website (get a merchant account), through Amazon and other online bookstores, kitchen stores nationwide, garden, pet, auto parts or health food stores, perhaps.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2\tTry a new way of reaching people:
\no\tgo out and speak
\no\twrite an article for publication
\no\tgo door-to-door with a wagonload of books
\no\tsend promotional bookmarks in all of the no-postage-needed envelopes that arrive in your junk mail
\no\treserve space at a book festival
\no\tdo a reading at your library<\/p>\n
If your book is stagnating\u00e2\u20ac\u201dsales are down\u00e2\u20ac\u201ddon\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t despair. Do something to reverse the situation. Seriously seek and try to accommodate customers and you will find them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Happy Valentine\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Day. I hope that all of your sweetest wishes come true. I came into my office this morning to find a card with one of my favorite cats on the front\u00e2\u20ac\u201da shaded silver Persian all dressed up in a ruby and diamond necklace. She was guarding a box of chocolates AND a new […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t