#World'sWorseNewsReleaseHeadline

AUTHOR WRITES NEW BOOK


Who cares??? It seems to bear repeating and repeating and repeating...  The media does not care if you wrote a new book. So what? You and countless thousands of other people have done the same thing and the numbers are increasing with the advent and the popularity of e-books.


Your job, when contacting the media for reviews is to make the news about your book exciting. That you have a new book is boring and no one wants to write about a boring subject. Pay attention to what is going on in the world and demonstrate to the media how you are the solution to the problem (of course a problem relevant to your book). What can you solve? Do you have a new approach to something? Do you have new, exciting information on a subject? Do you have a great novel on a subject that no one else has written about? - Harry Potter has been done. 


Anyway, I can help you with your news release if you pay attention to the advice in our Ultimate Book Marketing Kit.


Denise


www.inktreemarketing.com
www.publishacookbook.com 

#TimeToFeelGood

It is so nice to receive a compliment.


People seldom take the time to give positive feedback when they have received good service. Complaints - oh, yes. We don't hesitate to let others know when they have annoyed us, and I must confess that I am guilty of the same thing. However, I do attempt to compliment as often as possible meaning that it must be a conscious thing to do. I have to stop, take a moment, and say, "Thanks for the great job."


Sometimes, though, we just feel shy about telling someone that they have done good work. Perhaps we feel embarrassed about drawing attention to ourselves. You know, the warm fuzzy feeling that results is even greater for ourselves than it is for the recipient of the compliment, so I don't know why we just don't praise people more often. 


Anyway, I have been helping an author with his news release. He sends me his latest update and I edit it for him. It has been a real pleasure to work with him as he actually listens to advice. Not everyone does. Although we have not met face to face, I feel that he has become a friend. We appreciate each other and we communicate well.


He sent me a very nice endorsement which will appear in our next newsletter. That is my way of thanking him.


Don't be shy about telling people that you appreciate their efforts. The good feelings flow both ways.


Denise


www.inktreemarketing.com
www.publishacookbook.com

#Again-AboutWriting

I just tossed out a book that I tried to read - really, but the first chapter just did me in. It bored me silly. It was as though the author was speaking to me in a monotone. 


Honestly, who was the editor? Where was that person's honesty? Don't tell the author what he/she wants to hear. Tell it like it is. If the writing is poor, say so. That's your job. Help the author create a piece of work that holds the attention of the reader.


And authors - get several opinions on your writing - and not from people who know you. Again, they will tell you what they want to hear because they are trying so spare your feelings. How will your feelings be spared when your book just sits on book store shelves before being returned to you?


Anyway, when you write a book, work on it and work on it. Don't listen to people who say they can teach you to write a book in a month. Good grief. Can you build a solid house in a month? No. any great work takes time. It must evolve at a pace that allows for excellence.


I wish you much success in your writing and I hope that you are the next great author.


Denise


www.inktreemarketing.com 

www.publishacookbook.com 

#WritingThatGrabs

I'm continuing the subject of good writing Currently I am reading a book that I recently picked up. It is called The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs. Rarely do I read "chic" books but this one, for some reason, caught my eye and so far it has proved to be a good choice.


The writing grabbed me immediately and it has kept my attention on every page. The writing is good. That's all there is to it. Of course, the story line interests me, but if the writing was poor, the book would have been tossed long ago. 


So, that is why you need to focus on your writing skills before you write a book. It's important - very important.  The Friday Night Knitting Club will come up in conversations that I have with friends because it has been worth my time to read it. My time is precious.


Your time is precious too. Make it good. As my Dad always told me, "Anything worth doing is worth doing well."


Denise


www.inktreemarketing.com
www.publishacookbook.com 

#AreYouAWriter?

In my work, I make contact with many people who want to write/are writing/have written a book. Writing a book is a tremendously difficult, satisfying exercise which requires passion and dedication.

Writing a book also requires expertise and talent. Many people have brilliant ideas to share with the world and thank goodness they do share. We learn from books: they solve our problems, they inform us about topics that interest us and books entertain us. Books are a vital element in our society, but only the good ones succeed.

Why do some books appeal while others are one hit wonders that sell a few copies and then disappear? The simple answer is: quality. A book must be well written in order to have lasting power and to outsell its competitors.

Authors must be able to communicate, which is a special skill. Some people have a natural affinity for language and grammar, but others must learn language skills. Yes, you can learn to write with power and clarity. Good writing grabs the reader and then keeps the reader riveted. Boring writing, or writing with a poor understanding of the structure of grammar, loses the reader's interest very quickly. There are many books written on almost any subject, so the books that resonate with the reader are the most appealing.

So, before you embark on the writing of a book and expect to have it published with success, make sure that your writing skills fall into the excellence category. Yes, you will still require an editor because no one can successfully edit their own work, but you will elevate your book into a more-likely-to-succeed category.

And, you will definitely make our lives at Ink Tree, more pleasant. It's not fun to inform someone who is glowing with pride about their book that it just does not make the grade.

Denise

www.inktreemarketing.com
www.publishacookbook.com

#WhereDoISellMyBook?

So, we offer free coaching by email to our clients. Why? Because the coaching allows us to address individual  issues for publishers. There is no way that one course can address marketing strategies for each and every book. How would that be possible?

Imagine if we told the publisher of a book on fishing to target the same audience as the publisher of a cook book or the publisher of a novel. Obviously, that would be pointless.

The trick with book marketing, or any other marketing for that matter, is to accurately target your audience. There is no point in focusing on getting women to buy a book that relates to men or vice versa, and so on with all genres.

Today I received a rant from someone who complained that I did not direct myself to his book. Well hello, I have no idea what his book is about. How does he, in his wildest imaginings, think that I would write a course specifically for him? As I replied to him, why don't you send me your questions? That is what the FREE consulting is for.

Now I will wait for his reply. Hopefully he has taken a deep breath and given his head a shake.  :-)

Denise

www.inktreemarketing.com
www.publishacookbook.com

#TheRightWaytoWriteaNewsRelease

Oh, help. How many times do we have to say it?

- Do not make a news release headline about you launching a new book.
- Do not make it more than one page.
- Do not add photos.

I swear that people buy our Ultimate Book Marketing Kit, do not read it, but proceed to send us questions that have been addressed in the Kit. Neither do they use the templates that we have included to make their lives easier.

Aaaagggghhhhh!!!!  Sometimes you just have to place your face into a pillow and scream.

Now I've had my rant and I feel much better.

Denise

www.inktreemarketing.com
www.publishacookbook.com

If you are not already signed up for our newsletter, now is a good time. The latest issue of the newsletter was just released (you can read it on our website at www.inktreemarketing.com). It's an important one.

Before you ever write a news release, read what our Publicist, Debbie, has to say. A news release has to be exceptional in order to attract editors and producers who are inundated with them. If yours doesn't immediately create an "Aha" moment, it will be trashed. Don't let that happen to you.

Denise

www.inktreemarketing.com
www.publishacookbook.com

#ChangesinBookStores

On the weekend I watched a movie called You've Got Mail starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. As many movies are, it was a social commentary that spoke to the demise of small book stores and the impact of the phenomenon on people's lives. From the small business owner, to kids, to people who lost the feeling of belonging that developed as they made shopping at the book store a part of their routine, the loss of the privately owned book store has been deeply felt. Books are so personal that it seemed fitting to go into your book store to discuss your favorites with the staff - who recognized you. It was fun.

Most book stores are now big box-style and are part of a national chain. Much of the personal touch is gone, sadly, but there are positive features about mega stores. The selection is vastly improved and service on special orders is speedy. Computers are readily available for customers to search titles and staff is generally helpful and well trained. The addition of specialty coffee shops, and sometimes gift and music sections, has broadened the book store experience. Book stores are still fun.

As with most things in life, change is the only thing that we can count on with certainty. At this time we have a choice - small store or mega store. I hope that the choice remains but if not, we have to understand that books are a product that we sell to consumers. The sellers need to make a profit. That's business.

The book store market is an important part of your business plan so learn how to deal with both the small and the big market.

Wishing you much success in your publishing business,

Denise

www.inktreemarketing.com
www.publishacookbook.com

#OldBooks

Yesterday I purged my book shelves. It has been a long time coming because I feel possessive about my books, but there comes a time when some books are no longer relevant to my life. It was time to face facts - I needed space for new books. Treasures come and go. When something is no longer treasured it is time to pass that something along to someone else who will love it and value it. So went my old books - to the used book store shelf at my supermarket where customers can trade books. I love that feature of the store. It tells me that people are valued.

Anyway, my shelves needed space for me to uncrate the store of classic children's books that have been waiting for my grandchildren to discover. The oldest grandchild is now six, which is a great age to begin reading books that are no longer primarily colored pictures. She can now follow a story more with her ears than with her eyes. We are on to new adventures, seeing the story in our heads as I explained to her.

Our first venture into books with no pictures was Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne. It does have some illustrations (by Ernest H. Shepard), making this an excellent transition book. Having read the commercialized Winnie-the-Pooh stories, my granddaughter had no idea how funny Pooh is. She giggled often and repeated the comicial parts over and over. What a great time we had.

So while I sadly said farewell to my old books, I can't wait for the adventures that await on the children's section of my book shelves.

Denise

www.inktreemarketing.com
www.publishacookbook.com

#Punctuation

I enjoy receiving newsletters from various sources. Editing is an important part of writing so it seemed worth while to share some tips in the latest edition of the newsletter from www.EzineArticles.com. What you write is "out there" forever. Edit carefully.

Here are some reminders of correct grammar:

Possession

The apostrophe is used when indicating ownership. For example:

• Singular Nouns: "Fred's house is around the corner."
• Indefinite Pronouns: "That's someone else's gum."
• Compound Nouns: The Duchess of Cambridge's hats are made by a milliner.
• Hyphenated Nouns: Her mother-in-law's car was due for maintenance.
• Two or More Nouns (Share Possession): Lenny and George's store is closed.
• Two or More Nouns (Don't Share Possession): They washed Bob's and Sue's pants.
• Plural Nouns (End in S): The gorillas' habitat has a lot of vegetation.
• Plural Nouns: The children's toys were all over the floor.

Additional possession and plural tips to bear in mind:

• Don't use an apostrophe with pronominal possessives: "'Are these cupcakes yours, hers, theirs, ours, or its?' she asked as she pointed to the dog."
• Don't use an apostrophe to show the plural of proper nouns: "The Smiths are coming over for dinner."
• Idiomatic or special expressions, e.g. "my heart's desire," "a year's wages," etc., are often written with an apostrophe s.

Contractions

In contractions, an apostrophe is used when omitting a letter (or letters). For example:

• "It's a lovely day." vs. "It is a lovely day."
• "Don't touch the hot stove." vs. "Do not touch the hot stove."
• "You're the wizard?" vs. "You are the wizard?"
• "I should've gone to sleep." vs. "I should have gone to sleep."

Tip: If you choose to use contractions in your articles, don't mix and match, e.g. "I could have used contractions in my article, but could've, should have, would've."

Denise

www.inktreemarketing.com

www.publishacookbook.com

#BackToWork

I have just spent a wonderful time at a fabulous resort in Mexico with my son, his wife and my favorite little grandsons. Following the Mexico trip my husband and I visited son and family at their home for 10 days. It was wonderful and I miss them all like crazy.

As usual, though, regular life takes over and so here I am sitting at my computer, feeling a bit lonely but also feeling good to be home. My garden is now planted and I am sitting in a sunbeam, looking at the results of my hard work.

I turn my interests again to publishing, particularly selfpublishing. It is my passion to help other publishers to be profitable, so in the coming days I will continue to focus on pushing you to excellence. Don't ever settle for publishing a mediocre book.

As much as you write with dedication and enthusiasm, so should you put those same principles into the publication of your book.

Write to me at info@inktreemarketing with your comments.

Denise

www.inktreemarketing.com
www.publishacookbook.com