Category Archives: Marketing

Positive Trend for Christian Authors

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At the BEA this year, a panel looked at Christian titles. They agreed that nowadays, the obstacles that used to be present are far less daunting.

It used to be that Christian titles were primarily distributed through the CBA, the Christian Booksellers Association. Now, however, Christianity has gone mainstream. Folks who don’t attend church regularly still want guidance, and they turn to books for that. The demand is growing steadily and sales are strong. They’re so good, in fact, that Christian titles are often now distributed through the ABA, the American Booksellers Association, which handles nearly all topics and categories.

If you’re working with a Christian title for adults, young adults or juvenile readers, let’s talk about your pitch today!

Marketing Assistance Overseas

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Authorbuddies.com is a new website that connects authors with other authors and interested readers around the world. Everything from which bookstore to book a public reading to where to stay when you visit on your book tour can be found through these connections.

If you’re building your own tour or want to reach into foreign markets digitally, check out this site. And let me know how your experience went!

Branding for Authors

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Branding…it’s a word we hear all the time associated with everything from baby food to high-end automobiles. Why would authors need to create their own brand?

Because readers read not only for the content but for the person who creates that content. Experts writing in nonfiction fields have known this forever. In fiction, it has long been called “the story behind the story,” and includes everything from the author’s journey to why they write specific novels or children’s stories.

Branding can seem complex and downright bizarre for authors. It actually is quite simple. Answer these five questions to find the core of your brand:

1. Why do you write?

2. What do you write about most often?

3. Why do you write about that topic/s most often?

4. Who will be helped by reading your books (fiction or nonfiction)?

5. How can you best tell the story behind the story?

If you need help, Writer’s Resource is only an email or phone call away!

McGraw-Hill Deal Will Help Authors

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McGraw-Hill is well-known for its strength in academic (educational and professional) content. It is partnering with Follett to expand sales of ebooks into K-12 schools.

This will have a good impact on authors. The availability of ebooks allows for more readers to find authors they might otherwise never hear about. Ebooks also provide publishers with a way to monetize their backlist, which means that authors whose works are out of print can derive fresh income when their books are re-released in electronic form.

The disruption is doing its job. Things are looking up for publishers and for authors, and this is just one example!

Eink on Phones

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Midia Inkphone is not the first on the market to offer eink on a phone. It is, however, an indicator that people are reading more on their phones than ever before.

I have been waiting for a device like a phone or an iPad to allow for both internet browsing and eink displays for American readers (both devices now available are for foreign markets). I don’t particularly enjoy reading on a full digital display. It just isn’t the same. And studies comparing the impact between digital reading and reading on the page prove that the brain retains more with print.

So eink is a good midway point. It will help readers engage more with the story or content. It also is much easier on the eyes!

Hachette-Perseus Deal Includes 400 Indie Publishers

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Hachette recently bought Perseus books. What hasn’t been discussed widely in the media is that the deal included 400 indie publishers. The indies represent $300 million in distribution sales volume of the total value represented in the deal.

This is great news for authors. Although the merge hasn’t been without its issues for the indies, it does signal that traditional houses are taking indies seriously…and that they value the products they produce. In time, we are likely to see more mergers like this with traditional houses and indies teaming up to revitalize publishing…and reading.

BookTrack’s Twist on Audiobooks

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BookTrack, at BookTrack.com, offers a unique marketing option. Authors can log onto the site and, using audio they find themselves or audio clips from the library, generate a sound track for the first section of their books.

This doesn’t have any voiceover, so it’s not an audio book. It is, however, a way to evoke a stronger response in potential readers to your work. And anything that can help pull in more readers is worth a try.