Yearly Archives: 2014

Book Trailers

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I’m constantly looking for ways to help fiction and nonfiction authors, public speakers, business executives and thought leaders reach a broader audience. I’ve searched for a long time for someone to recommend for trailers, and I’ve found him.

A. Tomov, Jr.  makes a pilot to upload on YouTube so the client can see how it looks. After making any adjustments, he uploads the final trailer. Here’s the first link to one of his trailers. Here’s a second link for a trailer that really evokes the emotional resonance of the book.

I’ve shopped around for pricing. A lot of folks charge more than authors can justify considering all the other things they’re handling. Tomov charges between $70 and $100. He can handle only a few trailers each week, so be sure to talk to him about scheduling. Tell him Laine sent you, and then tell me whether you like the work he did for you!

Opportunity for Authors

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The Blotter, a free, monthly nonprofit art and literature magazine, seeks part-time ad sales representatives. Commission only, 20%.  However, reps who bring in $200 per month or more can be promoted to Distributor.

Distributors develop a distribution route in their area, locating places to leave the magazine, then servicing that route every month.  Distributors are paid $125 per month in addition to ad commissions.  The magazine provides downloadable / printable ad packets and business cards, and ships magazines directly to Distributors.  Contact Marty at m_k_smith@yahoo.com.

Worst Reviews

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School Library Journal rounds up the worst reviews authors have received for their juvenile projects.

The individual who put together the roundup notes that mean reviews often say more about the reviewer than the book. Mean reviews should of course be separated from reviews that pan a work for reasons that are thought out and argued in a logical manner.

In the end, the roundup is at the least proof that even award-winning authors of high-quality literature are not immune to people who have nothing better to do than pan works for reasons that have nothing to do with the book’s quality.

Goodreads Tops 100K Authors

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Goodreads, one of the top reader review sites, now has over 100,000 authors in their author program. Authors who join their program create their own author page, which enhances readers’ ability to discover their fiction and nonfiction books. Even if your work is out of print, if it’s available as a used book in hard copy, make sure you join their author ranks today!

Book Publisher Info

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Reader’s Digest Children’s Publishing has changed its name to Studio Fun International. The change reflects the evolving direction toward reaching new audiences and diversifying their product line.

They’re still looking for innovative, fun projects, so check out their submissions guidelines to see if your juvenile project fits the bill.

Book Publisher Info

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Simon451 is a new imprint from Simon & Schuster. The imprint will release sci-fi titles in both print and digital with an ebook-first approach well suited to this target audience.

Norway’s Free Books Pay Authors

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Norway has placed over 135,000 books online for free.

The books cannot be downloaded but they can be read in their entirety online. The website is only accessible by citizens of that country, and every book on the site offers payments to publishers and authors.

The project is intended to help boost print sales for books that were published before 2000. The country feels that titles need to be given more exposure over a longer timeframe than is usually allowed by publishers.

This experiment hits all the right notes: authors and publishers are paid for their work, readers get to sample an author’s work without worrying they won’t like the book, and readers are then driven to buy the print book (and more recent ones from the same author), which further supports publishers, authors, and of course bookstores.

Put Your Writing First

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On a typical day, I work on my own novels and novellas, ghostwrite or revise a business book or novel for a client, edit a memoir or collection of essays for a client, write back cover copy and query letters, research publishing trends, and perform administrative tasks like answering email and filing.

Often fellow authors ask me how I get everything done…but most often they ask how I keep my own novels on track considering that I’m basically working three jobs (writing novels, writing/editing clients’ books, and marketing my own work and the works of clients).

My answer is simple: Do the most important work first. That means I write my own books for the first hour of every day.

The rest of the morning is dedicated to high-level client projects (ghostwriting, rewriting, and editing, all of which require a fresh mind and a sharp focus).

After lunch, I research and market.

By the end of the day, I can clean up all the administrative items like filing that don’t require a lot of mental acuity.

What is your most important task? Put it first!

S&S has International Appeal

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Simon & Schuster’s president and CEO Carolyn Reidy said the company’s top growth is coming from international sales. Foreign markets are hungry for American books of all types.
To take advantage of this trend, submit to S&S. If you have any works self-published, make sure you’re offering them on digital platforms that have a presence in foreign countries. You don’t have to have a translation; it’s possible to make sales in English-speaking countries as well as India, Scandinavia, and other areas where English is spoken widely as a second language.

Indie Distribution

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One of the biggest issues facing self-published authors is distribution. IRIS is a new service from IndieReader that helps resolve this problem.

The service gets the books onto the shelves of indie brick-and-mortar stores. In tandem with other marketing efforts, this might be a big step forward for authors of every genre.

Book Review: Seven Sisters, Messages From Aboriginal Australia

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Here’s a very nice book review for my nonfiction book. Click on the link below to read about it.

Book Review: Seven Sisters, Messages From Aboriginal Australia.

Traditionally Published Authors Moving

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The 2014 Digital Book World survey found that among 9,200 authors surveyed, those that had been traditionally published were moving in number to self-publishing.

The authors felt their experiences with publishers were less than anticipated, and so felt the publishers had underperformed with their books. This might of course be a case of authors who don’t understand the industry expecting too much of any company that offers marketing services but is more likely due to a number of factors like lack of creative control, the long production schedule, and the short shelf life publishers are willing to offer.

For those who turned to self-publishing, only about 16% regretted their decision and decided to return to traditional publishers. For the rest, the trade-off they made in lack of distribution and marketing support was made up for in other ways…including the amount of royalties they gained.

Book Agent Info

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Meet over 50 agents at the Writer’s Digest Conference East. Held Aug 1-3 in New York City, the Pitch Slam allows you to connect one-on-one with a number of high-level agents.

Book Agent Info

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Meet Carlie Webber of CK Webber Associates at the Southeastern Writers Conference June 13-18. Held at St. Simon’s Island, GA.

YA Author Opportunity

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If you write for young adults, check out the YALITCHAT group at yalitchat.ning.com. The site supports reading, writing and publication of YA literature.