Fall and spring seem to entertain many writing and publishing conferences. So this is the season. I notice that the majority of authors who attend my workshops and those of others are open and eager to receive the generous helping of information that is so expertly communicated. There are also people in attendance who close their minds to the possibilities which lie outside their realm of understanding, who block concepts that don\u2019t fit within their comfort zones, who refuse to consider some ideas that might actually increase their opportunity for publishing success. <\/p>\n
There are usually a few closed-minded authors in attendance at the seminars, conferences and book festivals I attend. I occasionally receive phone calls and emails from authors in this category. They come for help and information and then they argue with everything I suggest.<\/p>\n
Is this you? Have you developed such a strict agenda that, even though you show up at conferences and seminars and read books by professionals in the field, you are closed to new, pertinent information? Do you just want to be validated? Do you want others to say that you have an excellent book that will sell well and that you\u2019re making all of the right decisions, even though:<\/p>\n
\u2022\tyou claim that you are writing a book for wide distribution, but refuse to consider your audience?
\n\u2022\tyour approach to your subject is likely to turn off the very readers you hope to reach?
\n\u2022\tyour topic is unpopular, outdated or will appeal to only a very small segment of people?
\n\u2022\tyou don\u2019t have a promotional plan?
\n\u2022\tyou haven\u2019t bothered to research your publishing options?
\n\u2022\tyou have entered into publishing with a writer\u2019s heart rather than a business head?<\/p>\n
I can only hope that my presentation, my books and my consultations will open minds and save at least a few rigid authors from making these mistakes. <\/p>\n
If you\u2019re in the process of writing a book or you are just thinking about doing so, here\u2019s what you need to know:<\/p>\n
1: Publishing is a business and must be approached as such. Once you decide to publish your book for wide distribution to the masses, you really must stop thinking of it as your baby or as your amazing contribution to the world. Once you decide to publish your book, it becomes a product and you are its business manager.<\/p>\n
2: Is there a market for your book? Is it a viable product? Is it a genre that is popular and\/or a topic that is current? Before writing that book, make sure that it is needed\/desired. If it is a subject that has been overdone, can you come up with a fresh twist, a new angle or a different solution to an old problem? Study the market for books like yours. Check out the competition. And the time to do this is BEFORE you start writing it.<\/p>\n
3: Who is your audience and how extensive is it? Some authors hope to change minds with their books. They envision their audience as folks who need to be educated or informed for their own good. These authors believe that smokers will embrace their stop smoking book, that junk food junkies want to learn healthy eating habits, that Christians will eagerly read their book on atheism. But there is a difference between a self-help or how-to approach and cramming an unwanted book down readers\u2019 throats. Consider who WILL read this book, not who SHOULD read this book.<\/p>\n
4: How will you locate your audience? As I point out in my presentations, most first-time authors plan to sell their books by the truckloads through bookstores. I did. This was my expectation the first time I produced a book for distribution to a national audience (as opposed to a regional audience). While bookstores might comprise a small piece of your distribution puzzle, they probably won\u2019t provide your bread and butter\u2014not in the beginning\u2014not until your book has proven itself. <\/p>\n
You\u2019ve heard it before: the author must promote his\/her book. But this is impossible unless you know who your audience is and where they are. <\/p>\n
5: What is your platform? What can you contribute to making your book a success? Platform means your following\u2014your reach\u2014your way of attracting your audience. What are your credentials, what\u2019s your expertise? Do you have experience in this field?<\/p>\n
6: What promotional opportunities can you build into your book? Here\u2019s another good reason to stop, look and listen before you plan your book. If you just play on through and write it without considering the previous five points, you will miss out on the opportunity to build promotion into your book. What does this mean? How can an author build promotion into his\/her book? Here are some examples of how I built promotion into my local history book, \u201cThe Ojai Valley, An Illustrated History\u201d (a 360-page comprehensive history of the area where I live in California). <\/p>\n
\u2022\tI interviewed about 100 people for this project and listed them in the book. Don\u2019t you know that most of them bought at least one copy of the book?
\n\u2022\tI profiled many early pioneer families and included as much statistical information as I could find\u2014birth and death dates, number of children, when they arrived in the village, etc. This made the book valuable to descendants of these folks as well as genealogists and other researchers.
\n\u2022\tI featured interesting sites, annual events and businesses. This made the book appealing to tourists and locals with some connection to or interest in these places and activities.
\n\u2022\tI created a massive index and a bibliography. Thus, the book is convenient for librarians and other researchers.<\/p>\n
For a novel, you can build promotion into your book by giving a character a disease such as diabetes. Show this character in a positive light and you might be able to get the American Diabetes Association (for example) to finance the publication, to promote your book or to purchase thousands of copies to use as premiums. Widen your audience base by giving your heroine a horse, twins, a motorcycle or lupus, for example.<\/p>\n
Go ahead and write a book your way and hold to your outdated, unrealistic belief system and you may soon find yourself stuck with a book that nobody will buy. Or seriously consider the 6 points I\u2019ve outlined here. Really do your homework like any professional would do and you have a much greater chance of experiencing the success that is possible as a published author.<\/p>\n
For more detailed information, instructions and resources, please read \u201cThe Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book.\u201d Fall and spring seem to entertain many writing and publishing conferences. So this is the season. I notice that the majority of authors who attend my workshops and those of others are open and eager to receive the generous helping of information that is so expertly communicated. There are also people in attendance who close […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"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
\n http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/rightway.html<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"