Isn't it interesting?

Isn't it interesting that so many authors do not understand why their books are not selling well? I receive calls on this topic every week. My standard response is, "Do you have an ongoing publicity campaign?"

Just having your book on the book store shelves is no guarantee of sales. Have you seen how many books are in a book store? Have you seen how many books there are in your genre? Why should someone buy your book? What makes it stand out? What makes it better? Those are questions that you need to answer before you even write the book, let alone print it.

Who knows about your book? If no one knows about it, no one will buy it. People need to go to a book store in search of YOUR book, and YOU need to send them there to buy it. The key to sending people on a quest for your book is publicity. Other than the minimal cost of the creation of a media kit and some review copies, publicity is FREE if you manage your own publicity campaign. FREE!! It doesn't get any better. You can't buy that kind of advertising.

The media is in constant need of stories that will catch their audience's attention. All that you need to do is provide them with a good story, one that suits their audience, and you are in.

There are many things to know about running a publicity campaign, but they are not rocket science - you can learn how to do publicity with a little help. First and foremost is the creation of a killer news release and a professional media kit. You also must zero in on the most appropriate media outlets and the correct editors or producers.

Getting yourself into the public eye can be a bit intimidating, but when you know what you're doing it can be a lot of fun - and you will see your book sales soar.

Denise

What should I write about?

Here is a question that we received recently from a client:

Q. I would like to sell large numbers of books. What should I write about?

A. What are you qualified to write?


You cannot just write about anything. In order to be credible you need credentials. It is soon apparent to a reader if your information is superficial. You must write about something for which you have great passion or considerable experience and/or education. You "can fool some of the people some of the time but not all of the people all of the time".

As an author, your goal is definitely to sell books, but primarily you have to write with your reader in mind. After all, that is the person who will buy your book, and the primary question in that buyer's mind when looking at the book is, "What's in it for me?" If the book doesn't offer something life changing, the buyer moves on to another book. The buyer is looking for the solution to a problem, so he or she will buy the book that has the solution. Incomplete or inaccurate information just won't sell.

The age old advice of writing about what you know is so true. Follow that advice and you are on the right track to many book sales.

Denise

Life gets in the way

It has been a while since I blogged, but I guess that I've been too busy just living life to write about it. However, that is no help to readers of this blog.

So, where do I start? People call and email every day asking if we can recommend an editor or a designer. The short answer is, "No."

Certainly you don't want us to give you a generic referral to someone who just is not a match with you. Editors and designers must be as passionate about your book as you are - their job is just to make it better. You need to find professionals who can work with you to produce a stellar book.

It is important to find an editor who understands your book's genre. An editor has to make your ideas flow in a grammatically correct manner, and to ensure that the writing still sounds like "you". A good editor can keep your "voice" while improving the readability of the material. It is also important that your personalities complement each other. You want the editor to suggest changes in a way that you can accept and you must be able to communicate your wishes clearly to the editor.

A good designer can change the appearance of the pages in your book from hard-t0-read to clear-as-a-bell and easy on the eyes. I recall taking some of my book to the designer who said, "OK. Just leave it with me for a few days." When I returned to look at her work my response was, "Oh. That's what it should look like." The difference with her subtle changes was amazing.

Good editors and designers are defintely "worth their salt" as my mother used to say. Make sure that you hire good ones because after all, they are working on your "baby".

Denise