Why Your Book Isn’t Selling (Part Two)

May 17, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Why Your Book Isn't Selling

A continuation from Tuesday’s post. For Part 1, click HERE.   6. Your Efforts are Automated & Lack Flavor So many authors see marketing as a nuisance that they hire a publicist to “just do it.” Or they’re so busy with other things, they put their marketing on auto-pilot so they can feel good. The problem is, competition will kick your ass if you do this. And readers can see right through it. Avoid the spam approach to marketing through email, Twitter, and Facebook (we’ll discuss this more in latter points). Likewise, avoid the generic press release distribution service (it won’t work), and the one-size fits all marketing package purchased online. You wrote an amazing book — it contains purposeful content that… [read more]

Filed Under: Authorpreneur, Book Marketing, Planning Tagged With: , , , , ,

Why Your Book Isn’t Selling (Part One)

May 14, 2013 by 5 Comments
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This week Amy and I are on cloud nine. The launch of Wise Ink as a full-service publishing option for authors is going swell. We’re working with authors and doing what we do best. In the process we’ve encountered more book marketing questions than ever. Let’s just say this right off the bat: It’s hard to market anything. Book marketing is especially challenging for two reasons. 1. Competition is steep and 2. The road to “success” is long (and slow) One author I talked to recently was particularly frustrated that her marketing efforts weren’t working. “I’m giving up if something drastic doesn’t happen this year,” she said to me. I understood where she was coming from. There’s that point when… [read more]

Filed Under: Authorpreneur, Book Launch, Book Marketing, Planning Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Is Your Book a Magic Wand?

February 11, 2013 by 1 Comment
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If your book was a magic wand, what would it do when you waved it? Maybe you have great culinary abilities AND you’re a super-cool nerd. So you went to culinary school and used that knowledge to develop a cookbook for all the other Trekkies of the world. Maybe that cookbook got you a table at Comic-Con, where you made connections that led to an introduction to Peter Jackson, who hired you to become his live-in chef.  Maybe you’ve written a book on time management (be sure to send me a copy!) that led you to giving speeches to college students, corporations, and entrepreneurs on how to manage time to optimize success. You created the world’s best time-management program and… [read more]

Filed Under: Authorpreneur, Motivational, Planning, Self-publishing, Thought Leader

5 Things on the New Year’s “To-Do” List for Every Purpose-Driven Author

December 19, 2012 by 2 Comments
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I know–you’re not even through the “holidays” yet, and you’re just feeling like you finally have a grasp on your “to-do” list for the next week and a half. Me too. I’m not necessarily looking forward to working on my next to-do list that comes after the holidays–specifically writing my thesis on the Fifty Shades of Grey phenomenon (what it means for publishing versus the present state of feminism–thanks for letting me ramble for a minute) and editing two manuscripts–because I’ve finally gotten around to prioritizing my current to-do list! However, I actually am looking forward to the rewards of engaging with the projects on my to-do list. This is because the holidays provide such a wonderful, cleansing, refreshing time… [read more]

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Serious Advice for Serious Independent Authors from Author M. Elias Keller

November 26, 2012 by 8 Comments
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This is a guest post from M. Elias Keller, author of Strange Case of Mr. Bodkin & Father Whitechapel.  Having recently independently published a novel, I’ve come upon plenty of “how-to” or “what-not-to-do” articles about the process. Most of the advice is sound enough—yes, you must proofread your work until your eyeballs vomit—but I haven’t found many articles that target serious writers who are trying to accomplishing more than seeing their name in print.  An author published by a large publishing house is, in a way, an employee. The company has invested in the author’s work and the author is compensated based on product sales. If sales meet certain benchmarks, the company continues to invest in the employee—if not, the author… [read more]

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3 Easy (and Cheap) Ways to Self-Publish Right Now

October 24, 2012 by 3 Comments
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As I (Dara) sit here at the San Diego airport waiting for my flight, my head is spinning. I couldn’t wait to get this post to you because I have learned amazing things at a conference I just attended for entrepreneurs. I’m an even firmer believer in self-publishers seeing themselves as entrepreneurs! I spent three days in the company of experts, small business owners, and coaches who all need a book, have a book, or are in the process of writing one. Most are going to self-publish, which was very cool to see. Several asked me how they could get moving sooner rather than later. I got the feeling that many of them had their content ready (or were close),… [read more]

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At First Draft: The 6 (Minimum) Steps to Revising Your Manuscript before Submission

October 17, 2012 by 17 Comments
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Congratulations on your first draft! Ready for the real work? Here’s your in-the-trenches Wednesday post! As I’ve said before, writing tens of thousands of words is not hard. Sorry, it’s just not. And like the last time I said that, the muffled sound you just heard was a herd of angry authors setting their laptops down to come pummel me to the ground. But it’s true: the ACT itself of writing is not difficult to do. What IS hard is having the time and discipline to write. Harder yet? Having the skill to do it well. And the hardest? Being able to distance yourself enough from your manuscript to truly face what sucks about it—being open to changing even your most beloved sections… [read more]

Filed Under: Beta Readers, Editing, Planning, Revising, Writing, Writing Tips Tagged With: , , , , ,

Five Books to Read Before You Publish

September 10, 2012 by 6 Comments
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As you know, and as we love to talk about all the time, the best and worst thing about self-publishing is that the author has all the decision-making power. While this is fantastic for a number of reasons–(e.g. authors get all the profits)–it can be detrimental for other reasons–(e.g. the editor wasn’t properly screened because the author didn’t know the right questions to ask). As we also say all the time, the time has come for authors to stop making mistakes in the publishing process! There are too many beautiful, well-made, movement-making self-published books out there that are still being discredited by the stigma perpetuated by the shortcuts of other authors. It’s time for YOU, the author, to take the… [read more]

Filed Under: Authorpreneur, Book Marketing, Branding, Indie Publishing, Literary Trends, Planning, Self-publishing, Writing, Writing Prompts Tagged With: , , , , , ,

A Simple Marketing Plan Outline for Indie Authors

August 24, 2012 by 4 Comments
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Recently on the phone with a buyer for a large bookstore retailer, she very casually mentioned a major pet peeve she has with ALL authors. She asserted that most authors would do much better in sales if they only had one thing. A marketing plan. Though we think authors need other things too: distribution, a good book to begin with, an unlimited supply of coffee and Advil…we get it. Authors need a marketing plan. Why? Retailers want to see that you’re at least thinking about promotion ideas and have plans in the pipeline. Marketing plan align your book to a strategy and help keep you focused. Every marketing plan is different, but here are the nuts and bolts of what… [read more]

Filed Under: Book Marketing, Planning Tagged With: , , ,

10 Signs Your Indie Publishing Expert is Not a True Expert

August 13, 2012 by 2 Comments
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We often meet authors who have spent pretty pennies getting their books published only to be disappointed by the end results. It’s usually the case that the author trusts a person or service to deliver on the promise of publishing a book and bringing it to market. In the end, the company doesn’t deliver—in one way or another. Sometimes the book is put together haphazardly and doesn’t look professional. In other cases, companies don’t follow through on promised services such as customized printing or adequate distribution, leaving the author with a product that’s nearly impossible to sell. Sometimes, sadly, companies inadequately advise an author about the quality of his or her manuscript, and bring a poorly written and unedited (or… [read more]

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