Since it's New Year's Eve and all of the news casts and news channels are doing their obligatory year-end "Top Five" lists, I thought I would post a few of my own. Today, it's the Top Five Free (or Cheap) Online Marketing Tools for Authors. These are things that you might already be doing, but there may be an idea or two here you haven't considered before.1. Your own blog. Do you have your own...
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
I had a conversation with an author yesterday that went something like this:"Ugh! Terry, I am just too busy to do anything to help market my book. There is just too much to do. How can I possibly do it all?"First of all, I think they were overlooking the fact that they are not in this alone. As their marketing representative, I'm here to help authors create sales and promotional opportunities...
Monday, December 28, 2009
Reader question: Hi Terry. I was just curious...Is it common or helpful at all for an author to contact bookstores (local or not) and request that they order your book at that store? Basically, what is the regular criteria for why a certain store puts a book on their shelf or not? Thanks! I enjoy...
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Most authors aspire to become a "bestselling" author. What exactly does this mean? You might think it means that your book has sold millions of copies and that it nets millions in royalties. The reality, however, is quite different.Sheila Kelly, also known as Lynn Viehl, is a New York Times bestselling author, and she blogged about the reality of hitting the NYT bestsellers list. Her first NYT...
Monday, December 21, 2009
I get involved with authors when their books are ready to go to print and receive their release date. When I make my first introductory phone call to the author, one of the most common things I hear them say is "I love writing, but I don't know a THING about marketing books." Sure, I'm there to help the author and assist them with the marketing and promotion of their book, but authors must be involved...
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Quick: without Googling it, which novel won the National Book Award for Fiction this year?Chances are, you don't know the answer. I have to admit; I didn't, and I work in the publishing industry. I had to look it up, and the winner was announced just last month. Yet, many authors are convinced that...
Thursday, December 17, 2009
During my last post, I pointed out some ways of how NOT to sell your book. These are ideas that have been tried, and in my experience, really don't produce results. Some of my readers then asked, "OK, so where SHOULD I sell me books?"There are bookstores, of course, but we have already talked about the tremendous amount of competition there is for space on a bookstore shelf. That doesn't mean the...
Monday, December 14, 2009
So far, each of my posts have dispensed advice about the nature of the industry and the best way to move your books in a very competitive market. Now, a few words about how NOT to sell your books.Each month, an author approaches me with what they think is a new and innovative way of selling books....
Sunday, December 13, 2009
When an author first publishes their book, they have visions of walking into a bookstore on their book's release date...any bookstore...and immediately spotting their book on the shelf, right there at the front of the store. There may even be a stack of their books in a point-of-purchase display or...
Friday, December 11, 2009
Many authors just starting out will more than likely sell their books on consignment through one or more bookstores, and they may even conduct book signings at bookstores on a consignment basis. These can be great sales and promotional opportunities for authors, if handled properly. One of the areas where some authors get in trouble is record keeping.At least once a month, I receive a phone call...
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Many authors have an idea of what it takes to become an overnight success. They slave away over their keyboard producing the next Great American Novel, then they get a literary agent or publisher interested in their work. The publisher immediately rushes the book to press and the book flies off the shelves on its release date. Let me just say right now, this rarely, if ever, happens. Many bestselling...
Thursday, December 3, 2009
"I had a great book signing. I talked to a lot of people and I sold 5 books!" the author states enthusiastically.Well, that's good. I'm always glad to hear the author had a great time at their book signing event. Is five copies sold a good result for a book signing event? Probably not. If the bookstore...
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
When it comes to marketing and promoting your book, do you use a shotgun or a rifle? I'm not really talking about firearms, of course. I'm talking about the approach you use to marketing your book.Many new authors make the mistake of trying everything under the sun to try to promote their books. Even though their book may only appeal to a very narrow, particular audience, they throw everything...
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
One of the tools that many authors use to promote themselves, their book and their writing is a blog. I use my blog to pass along marketing information to authors to help them sell and promote their books. You can be the Stephen King of blog-writing, but if nobody is reading your blog, it won't really matter. Your blog has to have traffic. Traffic is the number of readers who check in and read...
Saturday, November 28, 2009
At least once a week, I speak with a new author who tells me "I don't really use a computer. I don't see the need for a (fill in the blank) web site, Facebook/MySpace page, blog, etc." Ten years ago, it probably didn't matter if an author had an online presence. That certainly isn't the case anymore. Think about the number of books sold on Amazon.com, BN.com or Borders.com, and you'll quickly realize...
Friday, November 27, 2009
At some point during your career as an author, you will likely be asked to do an interview with a member of the media, a reporter or book reviewer who works in radio, television or print. These are great opportunities to raise awareness for your book, and to help generate some sales, too. However, this only works if it is done properly.
Believe it or not, some authors get so excited to get the...
Monday, November 23, 2009
As someone who works with authors and helps them market and promote their books, I get this question every day. "When should I start promoting my book?" the author asks.When the manuscript is finished?When it is sent off to print?When it is released?When the publisher schedules a book tour?The real answer is...none of the above. An author should start promoting their book before they start writing...
Sunday, November 22, 2009
When you schedule a book signing event, bookstores have the option of ordering books from the publisher or distributor, or scheduling something called a "consignment" event. What does it mean to do a consignment event?Basically, it means that the author is providing and selling their own copies of their book. Ideally, the author has purchased their copies at wholesale (or below wholesale) cost. The...
