While it’s many an author’s dream to have their book published, it’s unfortunately, also a rarity. Not only is the process of querying agents and publishing companies a lengthy and daunting one, it’s also one that ends in rejection 95% of the time—even for some whose writing is on the level of best-selling authors.
To avoid rejection and delays in getting their book to their audience, some authors choose self-publishing. You can contract with a company who specializes in self publishing books such as LuLu.com or Amazon.com’s CreateSpace, but in doing so, you’re still giving up some of your profit and handing over the success of your manuscript to someone else. But, did you know that it can be faster and more profitable to publish your book on your own? That’s why some authors are placing their manuscripts in their own hands and starting their own publishing companies.
If you’re a first-time author or the author of several books, the benefits of owning your own publishing company can be well worth the effort involved. There are certain skills which will be necessary, but many authors have successfully mastered the publishing industry. To determine whether you would benefit from owning your own publishing company, let’s look at the skills and steps involved.
1. Are you a good writer, one who is skilled at editing and proofreading? Can you learn the technicalities of formatting a book for print? Getting your manuscript print-ready is an important part of book publishing. If you don’t know how, you’ll have to learn or hire someone to help you.
2. Do you have the marketing skills necessary to give your books the publicity they’ll need to reach your audience? You’ll need a media kit and plenty of time to contact the media, bookstores, newspapers, and radio and television stations. The Internet has also defined itself as a marketing phenomenon and you’ll need to strive for massive exposure there, as well.
3. Do you have the time and desire to make public appearances? To be a successful author, you’ll need to book plenty of signings and interviews to receive maximum exposure and sales.
4. Are you a good businessperson? A publishing company is a business and it will require a financial investment, bookkeeping, inventory, and marketing skills. In return, though, you get to reap the rewards, keep the profit and enjoy the tax deductions it can bring.
5. Do you have an image? Your book cover is a big part of your image and the initial appeal which attracts your readers. Your name is also part of your image and brand, as is the name of your publishing company. Note: Naming your publishing company after yourself isn’t always a good idea. It’s a red flag that your book is self-published. Make your company’s name memorable, but professional, if you don’t want people to know that your book is self published.
6. Your publishing company will need to be licensed with government agencies, so you’ll need to fill out the appropriate forms and request a taxpayer identification number for it. This step will go a long way in establishing your publishing company as a professional entity. While you’re at it, don’t forget to open a business bank account, something that you’re surely going to need for tax purposes and expenditures.
Once you’ve set up your publishing company, you’re ready to get started. Here’s how:
1. Even great books won’t sell if they don’t attract customers. Design a book cover or hire a graphic designer who is experienced in book cover specifications and design to create an eye-catching cover for your book.
2. Purchase an ISBN, which is the publishing industry’s unique identification for your book. It’s also required if you intend to sell books at retail establishments, or independent or major bookstores. To get yours, visit www.isbn.org.
3. Decide how much you will charge for your book. A good rule of thumb is to compare your book to similar books on the market and price it competitively. Pricing it too high will turn off buyers, and pricing it too low might give the impression that your book is inferior. Also take into consideration your costs and how much profit you need to make from each book sold.
3. Hire a printer—look for quality print and good references. You can choose traditional printers or print-on-demand printers, such as LightningSource.com, depending on how many books you initially want printed and the financial investment you’re willing and able to take.
4. After your book is printed, review the galley print, which is a draft of the interior of your book. This is an important step in making sure your manuscript is polished and print ready and the last chance to make any corrections or revisions.
5. Develop a marketing plan and hit it hard. That plan can include interviews, book signings, press releases, virtual and physical book tours, affiliate marketing campaigns, and advertisements. It takes a lot of work to receive the exposure you need to sell a lot of books, but it can be done. You should also know that while you may not sell as many books as an author published with a high-profile traditional book publisher, you also won’t be sharing your profits with them.
6. Last, but not least, your publishing company must have a professional website which promotes its authors. Purchase a domain name and spread the word, driving traffic to your website with updated information, blogs, events, and links to social media like Facebook and Twitter.
As you can see, publishing and promoting a book takes a large investment. The biggest investment you’ll make will be required when publishing your first book. There is a learning process which you’ll have to master, but when it comes time to publish your next book, you’ll be experienced and more efficient.
Running your own publishing company isn’t for everyone. But for those who are dedicated and willing to learn, it’s an investment that can produce rewards down the road. You’ll enjoy full ownership and say-so in your book and how it’s marketed. You’ll also get to stake claim to all of your book and company profits. And, if you’re lucky, you’ll enjoy every author’s dream and have a successful publishing company which will guarantee that you’ll never have to read another rejection letter again.
Filed under Blog, Book Publishing and Marketing by .
Before we get started, I want to collectively send out our thoughts and prayers to the people of Haiti. Despite all the challenging times many of us faced in ‘09, we are still blessed enough to be able to “pay it forward” and give back - just like these two authors, Kristof and WuDunn, who really mean business when it comes to women’s rights worldwide. Also, my dear friend, who is also an author, informed me of her ‘100 Days of Gratitude’ stance, and challenged me to come along for the ride.
Guess what! Wanting to help other people is an even better reason to SUCCEED OUTRAGEOUSLY in 2010. When you succeed today, you are not only helping yourself, but you are helping others, and they, in turn, can help others as well - I call it the ‘circle of hope.’ Think about all the great organizations, such as Kiva.org and Women for Women International, that you can support financially when you are on your ‘A’ game back at home.
Yes, I did say ‘A’ game. That’s right, the pity party of 2009 is over, and it’s time to step it up a notch and massively achieve your personal and business goals in 2010. Why? Because the world is depending on y(our) success.
Always remember, we are empowered with greatness, and it’s truly in y(our) hands to change the world. Forget about your mortgage payments, it’s your civic, rather global, duty to succeed, give back, and be grateful (not necessarily in that order!)
Here’s to y(our) success and Happy New Year!
Alicia Dunams
Filed under Book Publishing and Marketing, General Business, Personal by .
Daniel Pink, who I consider to be the most significant business author and thought leader of our time, started the new year of right – he hosted an exclusive teleseminar for the launch of his new book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us (not an affiliate link).
The teleseminar was exclusive to people who purchased the book before Christmas. I felt lucky to be on the call! First of all, Daniel Pink is a marketing genius, because he used this teleseminar to drive (no pun attended) pre-order sales of his book. Additionally, he gave callers the low-down on what resources, blogs, newspapers, et al. he will be watching in 2010 and I wanted to share this exclusive list with you.
1. An inspirational video with the two questions (http://www.danpink.com/archives/2010/01/2questionsvideo).
2. The 10 publications, books, and blogs to watch are:
– Springwise (http://www.springwise.com)
– The Week (http://www.theweek.com/home)
– NBER Digest (http://www.nber.org/digest/)
– Arts Journal (http://www.artsjournal.com/)
– New Scientist (www.newscientist.com/)
– Pop URLs (http://popurls.com/)
– Seth Godin blog (http://sethgodin.typepad.com/)
– Employee First book (http://bit.ly/5KF7F2)
– Different book (http://bit.ly/5bVAvd)
– The Thing (http://www.thethingquarterly.com/)
You can get more information about the content of the call if you search #drivebook on www.Twitter.com.
Filed under Blog by .
As a business owner, you have many jobs, and one of the most important ones is to determine the costs of your products or services. The number you stamp on them will greatly impact your sales, income, and your success.
Yes, ultimately you have control! But that control has to rely on several other factors when it comes to determining the worth, the value, and the asking price for your goods. If you overprice, nobody will buy them. In essence, you’ll price yourself out of the market. However, if you underprice them, potential customers might be reluctant to invest in what they psychologically deem to be an inferior product.
In our current economy, I am finding that people are willing to spend money on experiences - possibly, life altering services (such as joining Michael Jordan’s Basketball camp in Vegas, learning how to sail a boat in the South Pacific, and writing a book, perhaps! ) - rather than spending money on products that teach you these things (Why read about sailing in the South Pacific, when you can just go do it!). 
Case in point, sales of info-products have steadily decreased for the past few years (The last thing people want is another DVD binder product to place on the book shelf!), while the percentage of people working one-on-one with coaches (dating coaches, business coaches, marketing coaches, life coaches) has been increasing massively. The latter can obviously be more expensive, but people are willing to pay more for quality experiences if they see them as valuable.
So, how do you determine your value? Well, there are several things you can research to determine a realistic price range for your product or service—a price a customer is likely to be willing to pay for the value they will receive. Let’s take a look at them:
1) Do your homework and find out the price of similar goods and services in your area. What are your competitors charging their customers? Is their product or service selling at that price? And, last, does your product or service have more or less value than their offerings? If either, adjust accordingly.
2) Ask previous clients to give you feedback. Did they find value in your product or service? Was it worth what they paid? Did they get more than they expected for the price, or less? If they had to do it again, would they pay the same price for the same product?
3) Test your market. Perform telephone surveys, distribute questionnaires, and try to find out how much your target market is willing to pay for the goods or services you offer. Find out what they like or don’t like about your business, and how they compare it to others within the vicinity. Then, set your price based on their honest feedback.
4) Ask yourself this question, Is your product or service scarce? Let’s face it, there are so many hours in the day. If your coaching practice is keeping you on the phone 40+ hours a week, and you have a wait list of clients wanting to work with you, you are obviously not charging enough for your time. In this case, raising prices will not only make you more money, but will ‘buy’ some of your time back!
Do one or more of these four things and you’re likely to establish an asking price for your product or service that is within the expected range that potential clients will pay. If you overprice, you’ll lose customers to the competition. If you set your price too low, they’ll assume that your product has less value or worth. As you can see, this is one area that’s far too crucial to your success to leave to guesswork. Do your research, do your homework, and you’ll find your answers.
Filed under General Business by .
The reality of traditional publishing...
A writer/editor contractor, whom I often work with often, sent me this comic from The New Yorker magazine. The reality is, whether you self-publish, or publish through a Vanity publisher or traditional publisher, you will have to market your own book. Period! Actually, traditional publishers are only interested in authors (specifically non-fiction authors) who already have a built-in audience, a following, prospects, basically a list of people who are interested in your message.
Did you think writing the book was the hard part? Well, the reality is that marketing is the true challenge….
Filed under Blog, Book Publishing and Marketing by .
The book publishing industry is extremely competitive, so many authors turn to self publishing to market their books to potential readers. However, self publishing can also be a time consuming and expensive endeavor because it requires printing fees, shipping, handling, storage and marketing costs. That’s why it’s a great idea for authors to take a closer look at another option—Ebooks.
Most people who write a book and are successful with it are already experts and have also established credibility in their fields. But if that’s not you, you can still enjoy tremendous success with an Ebook. In fact, Ebook sales have been consistently rising, while traditional book sales have been on the decline. So, if you choose to author an Ebook, you’re already one leg up on the competition. It can bring you a great deal of exposure and success, but only if you known what not to do.
That’s why I’m sharing with you what I learned from the Ebook coach, Ellen Violette, on the most common mistakes people make when writing and marketing Ebooks.
1. They think their Ebook is going to bring them wealth. Actually, it can, but most Ebooks don’t have that measure of success. The success and revenue don’t come mainly from the Ebook itself. They come from using the Ebook to market yourself and your product or service. Let the Ebook be the window that opens the opportunity for more people to want to hear, see, or buy more of what you teach and know. The Ebook can do that if it’s a subject that you’re passionate about, includes knowledge about your skills and authority, appeals to your market, gives them the information they want, and tells them what they want to know.
In short, don’t expect the Ebook to make tons of money (although this has been done) —let the Ebook be your business card so that people come to you for other products, services, or insight.
2. Being afraid to market or sell their Ebook because they’re worried that it need work or isn’t very good. Obsessing over whether or not your Ebook will appeal to people and sell is one of the biggest reasons most authors don’t do well with their Ebooks. Do your best, but don’t waste time on the ‘what if’s’. Timeliness is a factor in Ebook sales. If you want any measure of success, you’ve got to get it out there.
3. Being worried about perfection. Nobody’s perfect, even bestselling authors. They have editors and proofreaders, too. So stop obsessing over every word in your book. Quit letting your need to create perfection stifle your productivity. Just pound out that book. Then if you’re still worried about those things, hire an editor or proofreader to look it over and correct the obvious errors before it hits the Internet. Every delay is a lost sale and additional time which might affect your book’s relevance to today’s market.
4. Not using a proven system to write your Ebook. Nobody said you were an author, experienced in writing books. Nobody expects you to be. But if you’re not, writing an Ebook can be a laborious task. Not knowing how to go about it can make the process unpleasant and painstakingly long. Get a quick education in writing effective Ebooks by investing in a system that really works and provides you with real, credible information on how to compose an Ebook that flows and contains valuable content. That system is like a blueprint or a step-by-step guide that takes you from start to finish in a painless way.
5. Not knowing what you want your Ebook to do or teach. If you don’t know the purpose of your book and ultimately what you want it to accomplish, how can you write it? It’s like building a house, but not yet knowing what you want the final structure to look like. You have to have the end in mind before you can start with the beginning. Then, you can connect the dots between the start and finish lines.
6. Delaying writing an Ebook, even though you know that you and your business need one! There are many excuses—I don’t have the time, I’ll start next week, I don’t have a large enough following yet, etc. No matter what your excuse is, it delays your success! You end up focusing your energy and time on a lot of other things that are less effective. The Ebook will bring you the customers and clients you don’t have…so don’t put it off.
7. Not understanding the benefits of leveraging their book. If you want your book to market you and your business, you have to leverage the tools you have. Give away a chapter or two—whet their appetite, if you will. Use it to build your client database, offer another product or service for free or at a discount with the purchase of your Ebook. There are so many things you can do, but your Ebook shouldn’t stand alone—it should be a tool to create further business and interest in you and what you have to offer.
Your Ebook will sell. It will create interest and bring in new clientele. But it won’t do any of that if you don’t take the time to write it, delay its release, or use its potential to the fullest by leveraging your final product to bring in even more speaking events, clients, or sales. It’s potential can be unlimited, but you’ll never know unless you start writing!
To listen to the teleseminar, go here: http://tinyurl.com/ebookcall1119
Filed under Blog by .
What’s their secret? They use public domain material. It’s something I teach in my 17 Day Book Challenge Program. It’s a well kept secret, too. Virtually very few people know how to use public domain content as a way to write a book. That concept consists of taking previously written material and repackaging it in a different book.
Before we go any further, though, you need to know what public domain really is. It’s an intellectual property designation for the range of content that is not owned or controlled by anyone. These materials are “public property” and available for anyone to use freely for any purpose. For instance, the words “public domain” float around in computer lingo often to describe software code. These are programs that anyone can use at no cost—no purchase necessary. The social network site Facebook has public domain software called Dolphin which they make available for anyone to use. There are also books which in the public domain—books you can access for free, and you can repackage and repurpose them to meet your needs and call them your own. One historic book that has joined the public domain catalogue is Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.
How do you use public domain books and legally repurpose them? Well you can use programs which help you accomplish exactly that—one that comes to mind is a program by Yannick Silver which teaches what you need to know. Note, though, that using public domain books to write your own does not mean that you can copy or plagiarize anyone else’s writing and call it your own. But, you can take the message, the thoughts and the ideas and reword them so they’re in your voice. And believe me, that takes a large bulk of the work out of writing a book. First, though, I always advise and strongly encourage everyone to make sure they follow all legal channels when doing so, and that means consulting an attorney who specializes in intellectual property law.
If the idea of repurposing public domain books to jump start your own sounds like something you’d like to explore further, consider the advantages you’ll get when you follow this path.
1) It saves time. You do not have to write a book from scratch. Instead you can take the content as a base and add an introduction. You can adapt the work, copy it, and sell it. You can be really creative and make it your own. In this way, you have the ability to do more than personalize it, you can even make it better, more interesting, or more in-depth by adding your message, ideas, stories, and suggestions.
2) You can copyright the adapted version. This is really cool. Although other people can go to the original source material and do the same thing as you, they cannot adapt your material because it’s not in the public domain – it is copyrighted material that’s protected. Keep in mind though, that only new portions of your book can be copyrighted. Any use of the public domain material will not fall under the copyright and you have no true ownership over that.
3) You can create derivative works based on the public domain, and profit from those. You can create audio, video, DVD, and coaching programs based on the original public domain material. So what your doing is using the public domain material and repackaging it in another format with your name on it, and, of course, any variations or additions you choose to make to the content. You’re creating a totally new product on the foundation of someone else’s writing.
Using public domain books to write your own is like building a house - rather than taking individual boards, cutting each of them and nailing them all together to frame your house, you’re starting with the complete framework totally assembled and ready to go. What a timesaver! You know what it’s going to look like and how to build on it but you don’t have to invest the time and the labor to get it there. Imagine how much faster you can complete your manuscript when the thoughts, ideas, and words have already been pre-assembled for you!
The biggest challenge you’ll have is finding the right material to use, but the search is worth your effort. You can find some really useful information and sources in Yannick Silver’s program. To get more detailed information on using public domain books, check out Public Domain Uncovered: Discover exactly how to find and use copyright-free works without fees or permission. It tells you how to “borrow” an almost endless source of content (on practically any subject you could imagine).
Filed under Blog, Book Publishing and Marketing by .
On November 19, 2009, I will be presenting how to Boost your Business and Increase your Profits by Writing (a Book). The Rotary Club of Pacifica is hosting the event, so bring your business cards for a night of networking. Below are the event details and the phone number to RSVP.
Rotary Means Business in Pacifica Presents:
Come Meet Other Coastside Business Professionals and Promote Your Own Business. All Attendees Get to Give an Infomercial. Bring Plenty of Business Cards.
| Host: | Kevin Casey |
| Location: | Nick’s Restaurant at Rockaway Beach
100 Rockaway Beach Avenue Pacifica, CA 94044 US |
| When: | Thursday, November 19, 6:00PM to 7:30PM |
| Phone: | 415-643-1271 Kevin Casey |
Filed under Blog by .
An ISBN (International Standard Book Number) is a book’s identifier, much like a social security number. It’s a 13-digit number which is applicable worldwide and unique to your book. The ISBN system uses a 13-digit number on the copyright/information page, and it also uses a bar code and number on the back cover.
But what’s it for? I have a lot of people who ask me that question. Do you really need an ISBN?
That depends. Sometimes you do, and sometimes you don’t. It depends on where and how you intend to sell or distribute your book.
The ISBN provides a standard way for publishers to number their products so they cannot be duplicated by other publishers. You need an ISBN if you are going to sell your book in bookstores, through retailers, or online storefronts, like Amazon.com. There are no exceptions—if you’re going to sell your book in the traditional marketplace, you must have an ISBN.
That’s the big advantage to having an ISBN, and one that is usually the driving force behind acquiring one.
However, if you don’t intend to sell your book through any of the avenues mentioned above, you don’t really need an ISBN. For instance, if your book is a free promotional item that you’ll give away or package with another product, it doesn’t really need an ISBN. Or, if you use your book as a business card, distributing it free to potential clients, it’s not necessary to have an ISBN. Also, if your book will be sold solely at the back of the room during your speaking events, you won’t need an ISBN.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of an ISBN?
1. Advantage: You can sell your book in brick and mortar stores. By scanning the bar code, retailers identify the book title, publisher, and author, ensuring that you are credited with the sale and that their inventory is updated with each purchase.
2. Disadvantage: ISBNs, both the numbers and the bar code, cost money. Getting both in a package costs around $150, but you can check for current prices at Bowker.com
or BowkerLink.com, who is the exclusive supplier of ISBNs.
3. Advantage: An ISBN gives your book credibility to others. It’s viewed as a symbol of prestige to your book. By the way, the absence of an ISBN is one sign that your book is not published through a traditional mainstream publisher.
4. Disadvantage: It takes up to six weeks to receive your book’s ISBN, so if you’re not going to sell it through retail stores or on line sites which require it, it might cause an unnecessary delay in your book’s release.
5. Advantage: Purchasing an ISBN for your book puts it in the worldwide catalog of published books. You must be included in this catalog if you want your book available in libraries.
Given those points, the determining factor in whether you need an ISBN is how you intend to distribute or market it. Even if you aren’t going to sell your book through online or retail vendors, you might want to order an ISBN anyway, leaving the option open later should you change your mind. It’s your call—only you know the value that an ISBN will give to your particular book. Only you can determine the advantages it will bring to you in terms of sales and credibility.
Filed under Blog, Book Publishing and Marketing by .
In my business, I encounter many people who want to go from being an author t
o being a bestselling author, particularly on Amazon.com. One of the most frequent inquiries I receive is how to become one. Well, there are ways. For starters, you can hire an expert at the rate of $20,000 plus to orchestrate a bestselling campaign for you, or you can do it yourself. The downside of doing it yourself is that most people simply don’t know where to begin or how to direct their energies to make it happen. That’s why I have provided the following three essential tips to become an Amazon.com bestseller. While there are no guarantees, following these tips, along with the support of a coach or mentor, have given many authors the level of success they’ve been looking for. So, let’s get started:
1. Ensure your book is appropriately placed in the correct browse and sub-categories.
Certainly, if you want your book to be a bestseller on Amazon, you’d love to see it ranking in the ‘Top Twenty overall category. But, you’ll see much more progress and have more success if you strive to become number one in a specific topic or sub-category. It’s also much easier to achieve bestselling status within a specific category than it is to hit the top 20 ceiling.
By categorizing your book correctly, people who are interested in books on your topic will be steered your way. When they review your book, they’ll see that it ranks number one in that category. Wow, that’s just what they were looking for! A bestselling book on a particular topic that is of interest to them. Besides that, becoming number one in a certain category will contribute toward raising your book’s sales rank in the “overall” category, as well. And even though your book is a bestseller only in one category, you still get the boasting rights of being an Amazon.com number one bestseller.
2. Ensure your book is available on POD (with a guarantee of 100 on stock) or there is at least 500 books on site at the Amazon warehouse.
If your book is not available and in stock at Amazon, or available via print-on-demand (POD) through a reputable POD company or Ingram distributor, your book will read OUT OF STOCK. Of course, when a book is out of stock, people don’t purchase it—it’s not available. Thus, you want to avoid the “out of stock” notation because it really discourages sales. Unless you’re famous or already have achieved notoriety as a bestselling author, Amazon.com will only keep on hand minimal numbers of your book. When they witness a steady sales flow, they’ll increase that number. Amazon.com makes it difficult for self-publishers or Independent publishers to provide stock-up requests, so you want to make sure you research this thoroughly before conduct your campaign. You don’t want to send 200 people to Amazon.com to buy your book if they only have 12 books on hand.
3. Select an appropriate Amazon.com bestseller date.
Amazon.com uses a formula to determine your book’s rank. The fastest and easiest way to move up the sales rank is to select one date to market to the masses. Heavy sales on one day will move you past the competition into bestseller status. However, you don’t want to pick just any day out of thin air. Other authors are using this strategic tactic, too. Look at your competition. Find out when their books are going to be released and choose a different day. It will not serve you well if your campaign push falls on the same day that the next Harry Potter book is released. Choose dates wisely - do your research.
There’s more to becoming a bestselling author than writing a great book—you have to know the inside tips to creating sales. Following these three tips are critical in achieving that status.
Want more help becoming an Amazon.com bestseller, listen to this.
More information about Amazon.com Bestseller Program, click Amazon Bestseller Homestudy Program.
Filed under Blog, Book Publishing and Marketing by .
My good friend, Sally Shields, and I recently held a teleseminar on Publicity Secrets Revealed: What Every PR Firm Doesn’t Want You to Know About! It was so successful that I want to share those secrets with even more business owners, entrepreneurs and authors, showing them how they, too, can navigate the world of publishing and marketing and get the publicity they need and deserve.
If you’ve already written a book, that’s great! But by now, you know that getting book sales and publicity takes work—and a lot of it. Well, we understand—we’ve been in your shoes, but along the way we’ve found some shortcuts and secrets that will help you to spark interest in your book and get free publicity—yes, free publicity! Sally Shields has used these very same tips to become a number one best-selling author on Amazon.com with her book, The Daughter-in-Law Rules.
One of the biggest obstacles authors have is getting publicity, so it’s not unusual for them to hire a PR firm. More often than not, they invest a heavy chunk of money in a PR firm, only to be disappointed with the results. You can actually get the same, and better, results on your own, and for little or no money. I’ve had tremendous success with these tips with my book, Goal Digger, and we already know the amazing results Sally got from them. However, while we encourage you to market yourself and your book on your own, we also encourage anyone who’s doing so to get media training first. Invest in learning how to deliver your message so when you get the publicity you want, you know what to say and how to use it wisely.
So, without further ado, here are the top ten things you can do to market your book and brand. Now, you don’t have to do all of them, but if you do several really well, you’re going to get some very surprising results.
1. Print business cards with your book cover on them. This is an inexpensive, but effective, way to reach a mass of people. Give them out to friends, drop some on the counter at the beauty shop, the bagel store, the corner deli, or even at doctor’s offices, clothing stores, and restaurants. You never know who will pick them up and who they might know.
2. Make sure you have a website and it can capture people’s email addresses. You can do this by asking them to sign up for your emails or your newsletter. Just get their addresses and build that client list and friend database. You can even entice them to sign up by giving all new members an opportunity to download a free chapter of your book, which will spark more interest in your book.
3. Create a book trailer. You can create your own 30-second book trailer for free at Animoto.com. Do it and put it on your website and post it on YouTube. This does generate publicity and a great deal of interest.
4. Fine tune your elevator pitch. HelpAReporterOut.com is free, and it’s a wonderful way to create and perfect your elevator pitch. Simply stated, your elevator pitch is a three-sentences giving: Your name, the title of your book and your vision and how you and your book can help others. Short and sweet, it’s an introduction to the media letting them know about you, why they should be interested in interviewing you, and why their listeners, viewers, and readers will tune in. Make sure you tell what’s in it for their listeners and readers…make it short and make it good.
5. Create a media-ready release. Now, don’t confuse this with a press release—it’s different. Your elevator pitch will help you. You’ll need a headline or a hook that is timely and which ties into the news or a specific time of the year or holiday. Your media ready release is going to lay out the main points that you can talk about. It’s actually going to make it easier for you to get on radio and TV shows because it shows you’re prepared and does most of the work for the producer.
6. Prepare letters and emails in an effort to get at least five celebrity testimonials. Now, you don’t have to solicit testimonials from mega big-screen stars, but that would be nice. By celebrities, we mean you can contact authors, athletes, radio hosts, and actors, as well as famous business people. Well-known names respected in their fields are always a plus. In your letter, include a few sample testimonials for them to choose from. By making their job easier and already providing the testimonial, you’re more likely to get a quick and favorable response. How are you going to find these celebrities? I like ContactAnyCelebrity.com. Visit that site and you’ll find contact information, as well as their PR firm, agent information, etc. Be kind, courteous, complimentary, and thankful.
7. Create a media calendar. One of the easiest secrets, this one is effective. Get a calendar and fill in the months and days where your message is pertinent. For instance, if your book is about mothers or parenting, Mother’s Day is a focal point, as are other holidays like Grandparent’s Day, etc. You could take advantage of the exposure of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, etc. Use your imagination and fill in the dates when your expertise could be relevant to that day or time of year. Then, write a media release when that time of year comes around, using a hook or headline which relates your book to that time of year. This catches a great deal of attention, showing why they should be interested in you and your book right now. Make sure the release contains the most popular keywords (you can find those on Google.com/alert.
8. Prepare articles and get them posted on five or more blogs in the next 60 days. Prepare one to three articles, and if you don’t feel confident doing that, use an article template. There are some free ones through Jeff Herring who is known as the article guy. His website is TheArticleGuy.com. Write an article or use a template, then google your keyword plus the word “blog” to find the highest-ranking blogs for your area of expertise. Pick five blogs and contact them. Introduce yourself, give the elevator pitch you prepared earlier, and volunteer to submit content or be a guest on their blog. Offer them a Question and Answer session, and of course, a giveaway, which will help promote your book. To curb costs, you can send electronic books, what we all know as ebooks, which are very inexpensive promotional giveaways.
9. Book a local speaking engagement at a library, bookstore, or event. Prepare a PowerPoint and a little speech, and do a book reading. You’ll be surprised at how many people buy your book when you’re done. If you’re afraid of public speaking, practice—attend Toastmasters—write note cards to help you stay on point. The hosts of these events often buy your book in bulk beforehand, giving you sales right away. If you’re speaking for a charity event, partner with that charity. It’s an excellent marketing tool and will give you sponsorship and a great deal more exposure. Plus, you’ll be helping a cause that’s important to you.
10. Always, always carry copies of your book with you. Tuck a few in your purse, your briefcase, wherever, but always have a copy of your book on hand, ready to give to the first person who can help you. You never know who you’re going to meet every day, and you don’t want to miss an opportunity. If your book is on parenting, the person you start talking to might know a radio host, a prominent pediatrician, or even a corporate retailer of children’s products. By giving them your book and talking about it, you’ve just made an inside contact to some influential people who can help you. So, always, always carry your book with you and don’t be shy about flaunting it!
Those are the top ten secrets that you need to know to get your books out of the garage and into the hands of people who can give it the exposure it deserves. Do a few of these, and do them very well, and you’re going to find that you are the best PR firm your book and your business will ever know.
To listen to the replay of this info-packed call, click here.
Filed under Blog, Book Publishing and Marketing by .
As a new author, you’re going to have to determine how much to charge for your book. What should be your selling price? That’s a question you can’t take too lightly and there are a lot of factors which come into play. You want people to buy your book, so you must price it attractively enough that they believe it’s worth the cost. In addition, if your book is part of your brand, and it should be, it’s your calling card and as such, is a tool for creating business and sales. So, don’t look only at how much money book sales will bring in. If you do, you’re probably going to be disappointed. Very few people get rich from writing and selling books. However, they can get rich from the exposure that book gives them. That should be your goal, not trying to create wealth one book at a time.
Yes, I know, there are expenses involved in writing, printing, publishing, and marketing a book. Don’t try to recoup all of them, because you simply cannot. Like I said earlier, your book is a tool and the interest it generates in you and your business are going to be the ways you get your money back.
That said, what factors should you consider and what role do they play in your book sales? Here’s a list of the main points which should be considered when establishing the retail price for your book:
1. The costs of competitor’s books of the same size and topic. It’s a given that people compare costs, and someone looking for a book on your topic is probably looking at similar books, as well. The price tag could be the one deciding factor in
determining which book they’ll actually buy. Don’t discourage potential customers by pricing your book too high, but do remember that pricing is below market could cost you significantly. Can you afford that? When comparing competitors’ books, take a look at the content, the graphics, the number of pages, and use those factors to determine if your book is in line with theirs. If so, set your price competitively. If your book has perks and other obvious enhancements, you can probably price your book a little higher than the competition. You need to be careful, though, that setting your price lower than the competition in an effort to win over the buyer can actually hurt sales. Set the price of your book too low, and potential buyers might determine that it’s not worth as much as theirs-meaning that they’ll interpret the lower price as a sign that your book will hold less value to them. They want to buy a book which provides them with valuable information, so make sure your price reflects the value of your message.
2. Your financial investment in the book. While you might not recoup all of this, try to figure out how much each book cost from inception to the shelf. Take into consideration printing and shipping costs, as well as cover design, artwork, editing, proofreading, etc. If you’re using a print on demand service, your fees for printing will be higher. If you’re printing in bulk, it’s going to cost you more upfront, but the per unit price of your books will be less because the charges are lower per book when you print in larger quantities.
In addition, expect to be responsible for the shipping costs when you send your books to retailers, bookstores, and organizations. Generally, you’ll be expected to pay for the freight.
3. Discounts. If your book is listed on Amazon.com (and it should be) and other online retailers, you’ll be required to provide them with a discount. Amazon.com generally takes 55% of your sales. That’s a high percentage which leaves you
with only 45%, so consider the discount when you’re setting your price. Distributors take a big cut, too, so get your figures together and determine how much you’ll have left after giving distributors and retailers their discount. Then, deduct the per unit price it cost you to bring that book to fruition. Discounts also include quantity discounts, which you might be expected to provide to groups or retailers who order your book in quantity. This discount is usually set as a percentage off and often rises with the number of books ordered. Consider, too, that sometimes you’ll be expected to offer a lower price to charitable organizations, events, etc.
4. Promotion and PR. How much is it going to cost you to promote and market the book? To get posters, media kits, and press releases ready? These are all factors which will reduce the profit you’ll make from your book. However, they are factors which also have the capability of increasing exposure and the profit you’ll make.
5. Reductions in price for promotional events and sales. At some time, you’ll probably lower the cost of your book, either to clean out your inventory or to offer incentives to people to buy it at a particular time. This is great, however, take that likelihood into consideration when you set the asking price for your book.
Because of this factor, you might not wish to print your book’s price on the cover, which will give you more liberty and flexibility in changing it down the road.
So, there are a lot of factors which will determine just how much money you should ask for your book. Be realistic. Unless you sell millions, you’re not going to make a ton of money from the sale of the book alone. Your price tag should be large enough to help you recoup some of your costs but low enough that your book will attract the exposure and sales which will make you an expert or authority in your field. It’s a little give and a little take. You want to make sure you come out on top in the end.
Filed under Blog, Book Publishing and Marketing by .
