Tag Archives: marketing

Query Letters

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I work on query letters for a variety of fiction and nonfiction book authors. Every query has to have the following:
1. A great tagline. This is a single sentence that sums up the conflict and the protagonist’s journey. It’s one of the toughest things to get right…but it’s the grabber that keeps agents and publishers reading your query.

2. A short description of the book. This is 2 or 3 paragraphs long. Although it contains some plot highlights, it’s really about the character’s journey. The conflict and any antagonist come into play enough to enhance the protagonist’s journey…and you have to give an idea of how it ends.

3. A paragraph about you. This of course includes your credentials like other publication credits (even if unpaid) and editorial work at a newspaper or magazine. It should also include any awards your work has won. Also tell them why you wrote the book. The human connection is important!

4. Information on the current market trends that support your book, the manuscript’s length, it’s category and/or genre, and the fact that it’s finished. If you have a sequel or are already working on the next unrelated novel, they need to know that, too. They want to sign career authors, not flashes in the pan!

Let me know if I can help with your query letter.

Set Your Novel in a Famous Place

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Here’s another article from Writer’s Digest. Author Josh Pahigian shares the reasons why.

All are valid for different reasons. One of the best is the fact that your marketing machinery will be built in. Tourist boards, local shop owners, and travel advertisements all help to keep your book in people’s minds…or to spark that important first interest in your story.

5 for the Writer’s Bucket List

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Here’s a list from Writer’s Digest listing 5 things for your bucket list.

When I posted this to Facebook (find Writer’s Resource under CreationToContract), I noted that I liked the “Do something bizarre” tip best.

Also of interest is the “Self-publish something” tip. They’re not necessarily talking about a book, either. Blog posts, ezine submissions, and other short bits can be great for the author’s soul. And enhance your platform. And provide potential readers of your books with another way to find out about you.

An unbeatable combination!

Ebook vs. Print Trends

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In this article from Publisher’s Weekly, the growth of ebook sales is compared to print versions.

Ebook growth continues to be enormous just like it has in past years. But don’t let one important statistic slip away in the comparison. The 5% growth quoted for print exceeds the industry wide growth rate seen in recent years.

Also remember that these are Amazon’s statistics only. Be aware of what’s going on in the larger arena to get a real picture of what these numbers mean.

Marketing: Talk Radio

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Talk radio is a perfect medium for connecting with readers. The shows have loyal fans, hosts talk in-depth about topics related to your books (even fiction), and you don’t have the expenses involved in physically attending signings.

Consider these stats from the 2013 Talk Radio Research Project and compare them to your target readership:

    • 72 percent of listeners are ages 35 to 64.
    • 70 percent are college graduates or have attended college or graduate school.
    • Men comprise 58 percent; women 42 percent.
    • Almost three-fourths of listeners earn $30,000 to $79,000 a year.
    • 79 percent of those eligible to vote do.

Self-Publishing

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Here’s a rundown of points to consider when you’re thinking about whether to self-publish.

I would add one additional point: What are your book’s changes in the traditional market? That is, if you were to approach a traditional publishing house, what are your changes of being picked up by an established publisher?

Having a traditional publisher on your team means you don’t have to handle certain types of marketing, manage distribution, or fork over up-front investment costs for creating the book.

Self-publishing offers you much more control over artistic decisions and messaging, regional and niche marketing, and timeliness.

Compare and contrast the benefits and pitfalls of each before you decide.

And remember that you can also take BOTH paths at once!

Book Sales/Giveaway

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Here’s a blog post that offers a free book. It lists 11 ways to help other authors increase sales. This is a very important activity for all writers.

Years ago, I was a member of a very active writer’s group. Monthly meetings often packed 25 to 35 people into a very small home. There were perhaps 150 people in the group, and at least half a dozen critique groups run by different members.

One very talented poet had released a chapbook and asked everyone to attend the book launch. When I arrived, I and my boyfriend counted for two in the crowd of four.

I was embarrassed for the poet professionally. I was more embarrassed for the other members of that writer’s group.

Yes, it’s tough to make time in our schedules to attend book signings. And yes, it’s important to our community that we take the time to do it.

Make a commitment right now to attend one signing for a local artist every quarter. That’s once every three months. You might be surprised by who you meet, what you hear, and how it affects your own writing. At the very least, you’ll feel good about having supported a fellow author.

Book Proposals

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Book proposals aren’t just for nonfiction authors.

I know, shocking. It’s not a tip you’ll read in most writer’s magazines or books. But here’s why:

Fiction authors need to present themselves as professional, capable individuals. Writing fiction is as much a career choice as writing nonfiction. Show agents and publishers that you’re serious about your work. They will respond with respect!

Every time one of my fiction clients goes out with a book proposal, they hear very positive feedback about their efforts. Since most agents and publishers will gather the exact same information that’s in a proposal from their fiction authors at some point, having everything already prepared means you rise to the top of the stack.

In this business, every little bit helps!

Here’s a look at Book Baby’s take on the same topic.

Book Reviews

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Just to prove that no reviews are bad reviews and bad reviews can be good, check out this article. 

I can’t tell you how many of my clients have called right after reading a bad review of their books. Some are mildly bad while others rip through every word as if the reviewer was bullied too much in high school. In every case, I say:
–Take a deep breath.

–Cut out the review.

–Add it to your file.

–Forget about it…or think only about how ANY coverage is good coverage.

If people never see the title of your book, they won’t remember it. Marketing studies tell us that people have to see something 15 times before they pay attention to it. They do NOT remember a bad review here or there…they only remember the book title or your name.

And that’s GREAT news!

Trend: Self-publishing

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Great advice, thoughts and comments on self-publishing.

The best is the new trend toward artisanal publishing: controlling every aspect from creation to publication for the highest quality.

I did this with my sole nonfiction book Seven Sisters: Spiritual Messages from Aboriginal Australia. The interior has full color on every page with graphics designed to reflect Aboriginal symbols, themes and meanings.

More of my clients, even those who are in the stables of traditional publishing houses, are taking the same steps with single titles. The end results are about the love of books…and that is its own reward.

Ebook Trends

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Here’s a literary magazine that has become a publisher of ebooks.

In the past few years, I’ve noticed several kinds of organizations entering the ebook arena. Most notable are the handful of book agents who have opened publishing companies.

This is one of those indicators of how large the shift is in traditional publishing these days. When agents, and some of the nation’s top agents at that, are shifting where they spend their time, nearly anything can happen.

Keep this in mind as you consider whether to approach traditional publishers, self-publish through print and/or ebooks, or do both at once. These days, it pays to play your cards across a wide spectrum.

Trends: Publication figures

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This from a PR rep:

In 2011, the most recent numbers available, there were 347,178 printed books published in the United States. That was up 6 percent from the previous year, according to Bowker, which provides book industry statistics and trends.

For those of you in the book-planning phase, it may be helpful to know which categories saw an increase in publications. They were education, up 20 percent; music, and psychology and philosophy, both up 14 percent; religion, up 12 percent; juvenile, biographies, and business, all up 11 percent; and fiction, up 13 percent.

 

Those are just the numbers for printed books. E-books are harder to gauge, but they’re a large and growing share of the market. For those I could find only sales numbers.  For 2011 they were $1.1 billion to $1.97 billion, according to two different counts.

 

 

Marketing: Blogs for Writers

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Here’s a round-up article on why it’s all right for individuals to blog about topics that are covered in other people’s blogs.

I want to point out the third point in this article. Authors of nonfiction know they should be recognized as experts in a specific area. But fiction authors often are never told that they, too, should present themselves as experts!

This can be a key component in your marketing. A mystery with a cat as the protagonist means the author can blog about everything cat related. The author of a medical thriller can write about how to avoid the next flu epidemic. Works set in exotic or unique locations allow the author to write travel articles for different sites.

And every time you write an article, blog, essay or service tip about that topic, your bio can mention that you cover the same topic in your book. Yes, it’s unconventional and yes, it works!

Marketing with Multimedia

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To wrap up this week’s thread on marketing with different kinds of content, check out this article. It wraps everything together nicely.

Blogs for Writers

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Here’s a pretty good overview of how to approach blogging as an author. Of course, it’s equally valuable to anyone who blogs for any reason!