Author Entrepreneurship Magazine How to Be a Bestselling Author 4 Ways to Move Beyond Discouragement
The #1 Tool You Need to Succeed Why Knowing Your Target Market is Everything
Your Marketing and Sales Department is You
By Dave Sheets
Spring 2013, Issue 9
About Us
Credits
Author Entrepreneurship Magazine is published quarterly by Barany Consulting, an education and consulting firm located in Oakland, California. The magazine goes out to nearly 1,200 subscribers via email and is also distributed via Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to reach over 10,000 people. For information on advertising please contact the editor at beth@ bethbarany.com, or call her at (510) 333-7320.
Publisher & Editor-in-Chief: Beth Barany Designer & Layout: Ezra Barany Editorial Assistants: Michelle Geary, Virginia Geilow Contributors: Dave Sheets, Carolyn Howard-Johnson, Catharine Bramkamp, Stacey Aaronson, Ezra Barany, Matthew Ashdown, Beth Barany Cover Photo: Wagner Cesar Munhoz
Feel free to forward this to your staff, colleagues and clients. If this magazine was forwarded to you, you can receive free future issues by signing up here: www.AuthorEntrepreneurshipMagazine. com. If you’d like to use one of our articles in your newsletter or blog, please contact the respective author for permission. All materials and photos in this magazine are copyright protected. Publishers, Writing & Book Professional Associations: Interested in advertising with us? Contact Beth Barany at Beth@BethBarany.com or call her at (510) 333-7320 to find out how you can reach your audience and save money over print publication advertising. Š 2013, Barany Consulting, Oakland, CA. All rights reserved to the respective authors. If you wish to use any materials in this publication you must contact the author first for written permission. Thank you for protecting our copyrights.
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Letter from the Editor Thanks for reading our ninth issue! I created this magazine to help authors, especially novelists, create sustainable and successful careers. Instead of a March issue, this is our Spring 2013 issue. I’m moving the magazine to quarterly, starting with this issue, because my fiction, and that of my husband’s (our graphic designer) is taking up more of our time. Yippee! But it wasn’t always this way. I used to feel that my writing competed with my business of coaching writers, but now I’ve come to realize that taking care of myself, that is working on my fiction regularly, is top priority. When I do take really good care of myself, my business flows. That was my big Aha recently. What’s your big Aha around your author career? Please share it at our blog: www. authorentrepreneurship.com. Thanks for joining us on this wonderful author entrepreneur’s adventure that we share. Please support our advertisers who make this publication possible and free to you! Click on their ads for more information, and forward the magazine to your clients and customers so they can read this magazine, too! Thanks! Beth Barany, Creativity Coaching for Authors The Torah Codes 6 Short Stories of Suspense Authors Broadcast Henrietta the Dragon Slayer
How to Run a Successful Blog Tour MCG Administrative Services Overcome Writer’s Block Stacey Aaronson, Book Doctor The Writer’s Adventure Guide Twitter for Authors Newbie Writers Podcast Day of the Book The Frugal Book Promoter Book Print on Demand Grail Quest Coaching
Some links in this magazine (“Magazine”) may be affiliate links (“Affiliate Links”), including links to Amazon.com. From time to time, the Magazine includes featured books and/or product giveaways. Should AE Magazine receive compensation as a result of featuring any such books or giving away any such product, that fact will be disclosed. AE Magazine earns a commission from the Affiliate Links which commission is based on the number of sales that are made as a result of readers of the Magazine clicking over to the Affiliate Link and purchasing from the Affiliate Link a product and/or service.
Spring 2013 AuthorEntrepreneurship.com | 3
Featured Story:
14Sales Department is You Your Marketing &
By Dave Sheets
6 10
It isn’t about Book Sales
Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Talking Trash Catherine Bramkamp
22 26
Why Knowing Your Target Market is Everything
4 Ways to Move Beyond Discouragement
18
How to Be a Bestselling Author Ezra Barany
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Stacey Aaronson
32
Matthew Ashdown
The #1 Tool You Need to Succeed Beth Barany
Spring 2013 AuthorEntrepreneurship.com | 5
It Isn’t About Book Sales: It’s About Career Building
Image by Ben Sutherland
By Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Adapted from the multi award-winning book, Frugal Book Promoter
I
n a writer’s world sharing is sometimes as important as the creative aspect of building a book. The trouble is sharing— for many—translates into selling books. Of course, we all want to do that, but we tend to lose sight of the fact that we will eventually sell a whole lot more books and, in doing so, share with a whole lot more people, if we concentrate on building our careers.
“We tend to lose sight of the fact that we will eventually sell a whole lot more books and, in doing so, share with a whole lot more people, if we concentrate on building our careers.” Besides, what many authors think of when they think of book sales is the
kind of hardsell that most would rather eschew. When they decide to do it anyway because they know they should, they may skip learning something about marketing first and their efforts backfire on them.
“Marketing isn’t about selling. It’s about finding the people who will benefit and appreciate what the author has to share.” And here’s the surprise. Marketing isn’t about selling. It’s about finding the people who will benefit and appreciate what the author has to share. And there is a lot of writing that goes along with it and that’s what we do. There is real pleasure in seeing our marketing efforts succeed and seeing our careers build as we do more of it and learn more about it. Here are some ideas of the giving-sharing kinds of marketing activities from my Frugal Book Promoter. • Meet new readers by running a contest on your Web site, on Twitter, or in your newsletter. Use your books for prizes Continued on pg. 8
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or get cross-promotion benefits by asking other authors to share their books; many will donate one to you in trade for the exposure. Watch the 99 Cent Stores for suitable favors to go with them. Hint: Any promotion you do including a contest is more powerful when you call on your friends to tell their blog visitors or Facebook pals about it. • Barter your books or your services for exposure on other authors’ Web sites. Other authors tend to understand your need to build your career to sell your books. You’ll make long lasting friends doing it.
“Read that word ‘networking’ as ‘making friends who want to work with you.’ ” • Offer classes in writing to your local high school, college, or library system. Students become valued friends and fellow writers. Publicizing the classes is easy and free and helps build your author-name recognition. When appropriate, use your own book as suggested reading. Use your teaching experience in your media kit to show you have presentation skills. • Send notes to your friends and readers asking them to recommend your book to others. Or offer them a perk like free shipping, gift wrap, or small gift if they purchase your book for a friend. That’s an ideal way to use those contact lists you’ve been building and to let personal friends share in your exciting publishing adventure. • Some of your reviews (both others’ reviews of your book and reviews you’ve written about others’ books) can be networking experiences. Read that
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word “networking” as “making friends who want to work with you.” Check the guidelines for the free review service blog I started to help fellow authors extend the life of their favorite reviews. It’s at TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com. • Connect and reconnect. Start reading blogs and newsletters you once subscribed to again. Subscribe to a new one. Join a writers’ group or organization related to the subject of your book. Offer to help with guest articles and blogs. • When you ship signed copies of your book, include a coupon for the purchase of another copy for a friend—signed and dedicated—or for one of your other books. Some distributors insert fliers or coupons into your books when they ship them for a small fee. • Adjust the idea above to a crosspromotional effort with a friend who writes in the same genre as you. She puts a coupon for your book in her shipments; you do the same for her in yours.
“When you ship signed copies of your book, include a coupon for the purchase of another copy for a friend.” • Explore the opportunities for speaking on cruise ships. Many have cut back on the number of speakers they use, but your area of expertise may be perfect for one of them. I tried it, but found ship politics a drawback. Still many authors like Allyn Evans who holds top honors in Toastmasters and Erica Miner have used these venues successfully. For help with the application process from beginning to end, contact Daniel Hall at speakerscruisefree.com.
Carolyn Howard-Johnson has been promoting her own books and helping clients promote theirs for nearly a decade. Her marketing plan for the 2nd in the HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers, The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success (www.budurl.com/TheFrugalEditor) won the New Millennium Award for Marketing. The second edition of The Frugal Book Promoter is New! Expanded! Updated! And already a USA Book News award-winner! (http://budurl.com/ FrugalBkPromo). She has been a journalist and publicist, and learned about entrepreneurship as founder and owner of her own chain of retail stores. Learn more about Carolyn and her books of fiction and poetry at www.howtodoitfrugally. com. Š2013 All rights reserved.
Talking Trash By Catherine Brankamp
W
e know, we know. Fake it until you make it. Feel the success, be the success, just do it, all that. One activity that can trip up authors on our way to wild and crazy success is public speaking. Writers are not notorious for our brilliant lectures and presentations, yet by the very nature of our business--words-we are called upon to utter them in public, in person, without a net. If you are serious about increasing your readership and your own social currency, you’ll need to embrace public speaking.
“If something goes wrong, just smile and move on. The audience will not remember the mistake if you don’t reference it.” I hear you saying, “I’d rather die than speak in public.” I know, but that’s only number two on the most feared list. (Death is number one). To help you with the number one fear-here are some dos and don’ts to help you execute a successful presentation--good for any occasion.
Newbie’s Guide to a Great Presentation Do: • Memorize your 30-second elevator speech. In other words, consider the three compelling and interesting points about your book or your business, memorize and then and repeat them when asked, “What do you do? What did you write? Do not tell the interested person HOW you write, just give them the highlights about why, and what’s in it for them.
2012 Green Heart Schools public speaking competition
• Create and memorize a brief story that illustrates how your book is the best solution for a problem. “Hi, my name is Mary and I wrote a book titled Sybil the Dragon Queen, it’s a book that focuses on girl empowerment and agency, but with more magic and explosions. One reader recently wrote me that the heroine Sybil inspired her to try out for the boy’s soft ball team.” • The listener will be so impressed they will ask you to speak to their service Continued on pg. 12
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John F. Kennedy University presents
Day of the Book Saturday April 20, 2013
u
JFK University Pleasant Hill Campus Morning Sessions Free and Open to the Public
u
10 am – 4 pm 100 Ellinwood Way
Lunch and Afternoon Sessions General: $35 Student: $20 Faculty/staff/alumni: $25
10:50 – 11:50 am
MORNING SESSIONS
Free & Open to the Public
Beth Barany, novelist and creativity coach
What is Your Big Idea? Write Your Book NOW Catharine Bramkamp, author and writing coach
LUNCH AND AFTERNOON SESSIONS
Paid Registration Banned & Recovered: Artists Intervention Required Panelists: Adrienne McGraw, Mary March, Hanna Regev, Milton Bowen, and Jan Wurm Lunch: noon – 1 pm
Writing and Self- Publishing as Personal Expressions of Liberation and Autonomy K. Tutashinda, author, activist/consultant, and chiropractic physician
Building a Vibrant Fictional World Session I: 1:15 – 2:15 pm
Tanya Egan Gibson, author, freelance editor, and writing teacher
Session II: 2:30 – 3:30 pm
Women in the Air
Wrap- up: 3:45 pm
What’s Your Story? The Heart and Craft of Memoir Writing Linda Joy Meyers, President of the National Association of Memoir Writers and Co- President of the Women’s National Book Association, SF Jeane Slone, Board member of the California Redwood Writer’s Club and a member of Military Writer’s Society of America
GALACTIC EXODUS: A Science Fiction Documentary or History of the Future Michael Somers, author and college professor
Inheriting Identity: Fiction as Emotional Autobiography Elizabeth Rosner, prize- winning novelist, poet, and essayist
The Art of Spiritual Writing Charles Burack, Ph.D., award- winning poet, scholar, and teacher
For more information or to register, visit
www.jfku.edu or call
club. You have an average of 25 minutes. Here’s what to do: • Have an emergency story or two that ties into the theme of your presentation. Use this when something goes wrong, or the PowerPoint fails. “Did I tell you about how I came to write Sybil the Dragon Queen?”
will NOT be happy if you stumble or fail, know they are rooting for you and do your best to tell them what they need to know! • Before you arrive at the networking social, or the book signing or your keynote speech: o Sing in the car – to happy music. o Listen to music with a strong beat
“If you can’t make real eye contact because it’s unnerving, then make eye contact with foreheads.” • Stay on message. If you feel you are wandering, just look at your notes and say, “I was so excited about this theme, I lost track of time, let me check my notes to make sure I’m delivering all the information you need.” • Craft a strong intro and outro and memorize them. If you always introduce yourself using your standard introduction, it will give you something to say in those first awkward seconds and make you look immediately confident. • If something goes wrong, just smile and move on. The audience will not remember the mistake if you don’t reference it. Ever. • Remember to gesture. It helps draw attention to an important point or product feature. • Make “eye” contact with foreheads. If you can’t make real eye contact because it’s unnerving, then make eye contact with foreheads. It looks like you’re terribly sincere, and you won’t derail yourself. • Remember, your audience is very happy that you are standing in front of the group, and they’re not standing in front of the group. They want you to succeed and
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Image by Steve Bowbrick
Don’t: • Worry about nerves. Channel that nervous energy into your talk. • Don’t open your talk with a politically or emotionally charged comment. • Don’t open your talk with a joke unless you are very, very funny. • Vocalize your pauses. Just pause and allow for a nanosecond of silence. According to authors Antonakis, Fenley and Liechti in the Harvard Business Review: “Pauses are also important because they convey control.” • Before you arrive at the networking social, or the book signing or your keynote speech: o Don’t listen to break up songs o Don’t listen to news/talk radio
“According to authors Antonakis, Fenley and Liechti in the Harvard Business Review: ‘Pauses are also important because they convey control.’ ” When in doubt, make your presentation short. If you have a few extra minutes, take questions, or wrap it up early. Ironically, audience members love to be released early from any presentation, even one they paid to hear. With some practice, you may even move public speaking a couple notches below death and taxes; at least it’s something you can control!
Catharine Bramkamp is a writer, podcaster for Newbie Writers Podcast, and blogger at the Newbie Writers Guide. Her new book is Trash Out, a Real Estate Diva Mystery. More on her site at www.YourBookStartsHere.com. ©2013 All rights reserved.
The Rough Draft of the Podcast world With hosts Damien Boath - the Newbie Catharine Bramkamp - the Writer Available on NewbieWriters and iTunes
Spring 2013 AuthorEntrepreneurship.com | 13
Your Marketing & Sales Department is You! By Dave Sheets
Y
ou are the marketing and sales department. This may not be a popular topic for many authors, but authors are responsible for marketing and sales. Let’s get that out there right from the start. Whether you are publishing your book with a traditional publisher, or you are publishing your own book, the ultimate success of the book’s sales relies on the efforts that you put in. I spent years taking author’s books from traditional publishers and pitching
them to buyers from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and independent stores across the country (among others). The authors who took their marketing and sales roles seriously, outperformed other authors almost every time. What did they do that added to their success? Here are seven things that successful authors do well. What authors must do: 1. Start early. The successful authors that I worked with knew who Continued on pg 15
their audience was before they wrote their book. Sometimes an author can get caught up in the message they are trying to communicate, and forget that writing and publishing is a business. Books must sell, and they sell much better when there is a defined market. Your book needs to be crafted to reach a specific audience and market.
“The ultimate success of the book’s sales relies on the efforts that you put in.” 2. Build your audience, or tribe. Before you embark on creating the manuscript you want to write, it is your responsibility to engage your future reader. You know who the audience is. You have learned how to find them, and are starting to build a relationship with them. This may include speaking engagements, teaching, social media, etc. Before Seth Godin wrote a book, he built a very successful blog presence where thousands of fans were ready to go out and buy his book when he published it. 3. Learn how to be a marketer. Authors write because they want to write. Authors market because they have to market. There are plenty of online resources with advice from other authors who have learned how to do this successfully, and are willing to share their experience with you. The publishing industry also has lots of resources, from conferences and trade shows, to writing groups. If you are so inclined, you could even take product marketing courses from your local community college. 4. Learn about how to impact traditional retail sales, but spend a
majority of your time “selling” to consumers/readers. The cold, hard reality is that there are more books entering the market each year than can ever make it to the bookstore shelf. Using round numbers, Bowker reports that 350,000 new titles are published each year by traditional publishers. The average Barnes and Noble might stock 100,000 book titles, which encompass both front and back list titles. The average independent bookstore might stock 15,000 titles. This means that a high percentage of books don’t make it to bookstore shelves. If you add the hundreds of thousands of self-published titles to this list, you can see the challenge for both authors and publishers. If your book does not make its way to a traditional bookshelf, you will need to create opportunities outside of that sales channel.
“The authors who took their marketing and sales roles seriously, outperformed other authors almost every time.” 5. Build an online presence. People on the information super highway need to find you, and this means building a website, using a blog, and having a presence on social media. There is much written on each of these topics, and I won’t parrot those ideas here. 6. Drive your readers to the bookstore. Whether you are selling your books through traditional retail, or selling your books on your own website, the key is that you are selling them. Buyers need Continued on pg. 16 Spring 2013 AuthorEntrepreneurship.com | 15
to know about your book, and they need to know where to find it. Make it easy for them to make the purchase. Traditional retailers are much more likely to stock your book if they see a demand. Driving buyers to retailers has become the responsibility of the author with increasing regularity.
“The successful authors that I worked with knew who their audience was before they wrote their book.” 7. Look for special markets to sell your books. If you have done your homework, you know the market you are writing for, the profile of your ideal reader, and where you can find them. More and more books are being sold through nontraditional sales channels. Businesses will buy books to give to employees. Churches and other non-profits will buy books for donors. Conference attendees will buy speakers books as souvenirs. Be creative with your sales. When I worked for a large publisher, we had a book with a special message everyone wanted to give away. We sold books to car dealerships, large corporations, catalog companies who didn’t normally sell books, and the list goes on. It takes hard work and creativity, but these can be some of the most rewarding sales. Finally, I want to encourage you. I recently hear Michael Hyatt, the former
CEO and Chairman for Thomas Nelson Publishers, speak to a room full of authors and aspiring authors. He shared his inspirational message with us. He said today was the most exciting time to be an author. Even in the midst of all the retail and publishing changes, authors have an unprecedented opportunity to create and market their content. Learn how to market and sell, and you will set yourself up for success.
Dave Sheets is Chief Sales and Marketing Officer for Outlaw Sales Group, a consulting group for authors and independent publishers. OSG operates two business units for authors: www.christianebookpublishing.com and www. bookprintondemand.com, a high tech printon-demand company helping authors and publishers with their printing and distribution needs. For more information, contact Dave direct at dave@outlawsalesgroup.com. ©2013 All rights reserved.
Image by Moyan Brenn
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How to Be a Bestselling Author By Ezra Barany
I
f you think this is about what steps to take to become a bestselling author, it’s not. But I will give a million-dollar tip on how to drastically improve your chances at becoming a bestselling author somewhere in this post, so put on your detective hat and read on! Are you ready to be a bestselling author? The question is far more significant than it seems. I’ve known for years what it’s like to want to be a bestselling author. But until recently, I could only imagine what actually being a bestselling author feels like. My idea of being a bestselling author was a lot different than the reality. I thought it meant that everyone would recognize me in the streets. It doesn’t. I thought it meant I would make a lot of money. It doesn’t. I thought it meant I would sell tons of books. Nope. Not even that.
“When you become a ‘bestselling author,’ don’t knock it.” In August 2011, I looked up my self-published book’s listing in the UK. By selling just a handful of copies of my suspense novel, The Torah Codes, on Amazon, I ended up #82 in the “Torah” category! I made it! When I realized that I had become a “bestselling author,” how did I feel? Well… I noticed that I still needed to make the bed.
There was no fanfare, no huge check in the mail, I didn’t get a call from President Obama congratulating me. And what did I do? Sell a couple of books to outsell all the other books that aren’t selling (much) in that tiny category? But here’s what’s important. Write this down. (You are taking notes, aren’t you?) I didn’t ask myself the most important question. And that was, “Why am I beating myself up?” Here I was, actively searching for a reason why becoming a bestselling author was no big deal. I was still putting myself down as someone who wasn’t a successful author. Do you ever do this to yourself? When you become a “bestselling author,” don’t knock it. I had to tell myself that all the steps that led to this moment-the research, the writing, the learning, the rewriting, the incorporation of critiques, the layout, the cover design, the social media marketing, the press releases-all of these steps deserved more than just a pat on the back. I put years into this! I mean, come on! When I walk into a grocery store, how many people there can say, “You can find my book up on Amazon”? If/when you have your novel up Continued on pg. 20
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on Amazon, I bet you’ll be the only one in your grocery store that can say such a thing. The point is that I have reason to celebrate! So I shifted my mindset and now my email signature says: Ezra Barany Author of the Award-Winning Bestseller The Torah Codes (The Torah Codes won honorable mention in the Hollywood Book Festival, too.)
I’m going to milk that title of bestseller status for all its worth! Get the momentum going! Yeah! But was there any benefit to the way I put myself down? Actually, there was. Feeling like I wasn’t a successful author gave me the drive to push myself further. I told myself, “Just a little more marketing. Just a few more phone calls. Just a few more press releases.” And having that drive helped turn the word “success” from a noun into a verb. So, I still hold onto that part of me. That voice in my head that says, “I can do more.” And as long as I recognize that 20 | AuthorEntrepreneurship.com Spring 2013
success is not a goal but an ongoing process, I don’t need to be down on myself. I’m already successful, and now I must do what it takes to continue being successful.
“Feeling like I wasn’t a successful author gave me the drive to push myself further.” So what’s a great way to become a bestselling author? I just made a video post giving a tip that I thought was so important: (See the video here: h t t p://w w w.w r i t e r s f u n z o n e .c o m / blog/2011/08/17/qa-with-book-mentorezra-barany-what-do-you-wish-you-hadknown-before-you-started/ ) Here’s the million-dollar tip: Get a short story published in a compilation. Instead of being the only one promoting your work to your friends and family, you’ll have all the other authors promoting your work to their friends and families. Your marketing list literally expands to, say, ten times as many people as you started with! And if it’s an e-book, it’s easy to lower the price on a specific day and have an Amazon campaign where you and your entire marketing team lets everyone know to purchase the compilation on that specific day. Instant bestseller.
In the compilation of short stories, there will be a page or space for your bio. In your bio, you can mention your other writing, either novels you’ve published or works in progress, so the readers who like your short story will know how to buy your other works. Remember, you are already successful. Now take the next steps to continue your journey of success.
Ezra Barany is the author of the award-winning bestseller The Torah Codes. He started writing suspense and thriller stories in college and met his wife Beth Barany at a writers critique group. The Torah Codes is Ezra’s first novel. Ezra has been a high school physics teacher, fiction writing teacher, songwriting teacher, ESL teacher to French children and pop performer. In his free time, he writes mushy love songs inspired by his wife and book coach Beth Barany. Ezra now lives in the San Francisco Bay Area where he is working on his next book. ©2013 All rights reserved.
Image by Moyan Brenn
Spring 2013 AuthorEntrepreneurship.com | 21
Why Knowing Your Target Market is Everything look at three main components in reverse order from what you might expect: • Sales Strategy • Interior Layout & Cover Design • Tone & Writing Style Sales Strategy We all know that every book—whether in a bookstore or online—is put into an appropriate category and/or subcategory, and that’s how customers find it. But the strategy goes deeper than that when we’re dealing with the online world. While brick-and-mortar bookstores break down categories like Parenting into sections labeled Babies and Toddlers, Education, Special Needs, etc., online retailers are governed by every keyword imaginable.
By Stacey Aaronson, Book Doctor
“W
ho is your audience?” may seem like a fairly easy question for writers to answer with regard to their labor of love, but as I’ve discovered more and more when talking to potential clients, authors aren’t always exactly sure. When posing this question over the phone, I imagine the writer’s eyes widening as his or her mind races to come up with the perfect answer, and many times it’s “Anybody, really,” or an equally vague answer like “Women.” Okay, I think, I now know precisely where we need to begin. If you’re wondering why answering this question holds more importance for the production and success of your book than probably anything else you’ll address, let’s
“Knowing your best keywords as early as possible in your writing/ production process is vital to packaging it for sales success.” If you don’t know the keywords that would lead a potential buyer to your book, it could languish in the invisible “can’t be found” category, and that’s certainly not what you want. Ambiguity in this area may lead you to beneficially change your angle or idea for your book; it may likewise help you to realize that your intended market is already saturated. This is why knowing your best keywords as early as possible in your writing/production process is vital to Continued on pg. 24
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packaging it for sales success—you don’t want to discover after the book is written that it may be nearly impossible to sell. If you’ve written a novel or memoir, this can be an even bigger challenge as your keywords may not come to you quite so readily. If that’s true for you, try using these simple questions to draw them out: • What subject(s) do I focus the main story on? • Do I attempt to solve a problem or give direct or indirect advice from experience within this topic? • Where is the book set (country, city, island, etc.)? • What pertinent organization(s) is/ are involved in the story? • What hot-button issues exist in the story? Now take the list you’ve made and decide which of the items are most relevant to what readers may care about in seeking out a book like yours. After that, narrow it down to the seven most linked to your story, examine them in the Google Keyword Tool (www.googlekeywordtool. com) to see how often they’re searched, and then plug them into Amazon to see if your book seems compatible with the others that result in that particular search. If it doesn’t, you may need to refine your keyword list until the search results for your chosen words/phrases place your book in front of your specific audience.
Cover Design & Interior Layout The biggest mistake authors make from a design standpoint—besides trying to create these elements of their book themselves when they’re not qualified to do so—is to create a cover that isn’t strategically and thoughtfully designed for your target audience. What you think is a fantastic cover concept won’t amount to sales if it doesn’t attract the reader for whom you’ve written the book. Independent book cover designers worth their salt must research and understand your market, then design for that market accordingly for you as a self-publishing author.
“What you think is a fantastic cover concept won’t amount to sales if it doesn’t attract the reader for whom you’ve written the book.” As the interior layout and design is the “back seat” while the cover is the “driver” —simply because it wields much more power due to its exposure—it is no less important to your book’s quality and presentation. Even in fiction where layout is fairly straightforward, you need a designer who understands how to reflect the story well with befitting typography and custom chapter headers, first letters, and flourishes or graphics. All front and back matter must be laid out beautifully as well. Bottom line: The feel of your content should be present in every visual interior element to enhance the reading experience for your specific audience. Tone & Writing Style It may be the most obvious of the three that the tone and writing style of your book
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must appropriately impact your particular reader, but authors sometimes forget to give attention to this. If you don’t know who you’re writing for, it can be very difficult to categorize your book, which affects all the steps involved as you produce and market your book. With fiction there’s more flexibility because originality in narrative voice can be your lynchpin, but you do need to be careful with non-fiction. You don’t want to be irreverent in tone, for example, if your audience would expect something more formal and traditional. Feel free to go outside the box, but make sure you’re clear on the audience who will receive it well, then market to that segment with savvy.
“You don’t want to be irreverent in tone if your audience would expect something more formal and traditional.” Understanding your specific audience clearly dictates every aspect of your book’s production—beginning with the larger outreach you envision to draw interested buyers to your book’s existence, to the outer and inner design that brings your words together, to your particular writer’s voice and connection to the reader—and
by keeping your target market at the forefront of every decision you make, you’ll be leaps and bounds ahead of those who don’t ... with book sales and grateful fans to prove it.
Stacey Aaronson is a professional book doctor who takes self-publishing authors by the hand and transforms their manuscript into the book they’ve dreamed of—from impeccable editing to engaging cover and professional interior design. She is the author of the blog “The Self-Publishing Scoop: Keeping Authors in the Loop on All Things Indie Publishing” and produces the monthly newsletter for writers “The Book Doctor Is In.” Feel free to reach out by email at sjaaronson@gmail.com to schedule a complimentary 30-minute phone chat, or visit her comprehensive website at www.creative-collaborations.com.
Image by Flicker’s “Wonderlane” Image by Flicker’s “Wonderlane”
Spring 2013 AuthorEntrepreneurship.com | 25
4 Ways to Move Beyond Discouragement in Your Author Career
Image by Jason Dooley
By Matthew Ashdown
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any self-published authors will move full steam ahead on their marketing path in the first three months after their book is released, with their passion and enthusiasm stoking the fires of their engine. But after this initial period they inevitably start to find themselves slowing down, not selling as much, and it is here that many become discouraged. This is common once we have exhausted our inner circle’s support, and the honeymoon period is over. But how we meet discouraging events is critical in our willingness to go on.
Three years ago, I had a publishing contract with a major publishing company. I was set for book tours for the next couple of years, while my business partner and I were set to speak in front of a large audience of 10,000 people alongside one of our icons. It all came crashing down, though, just before we were set to go to print, and our contract was retracted by the publisher. Our dream seemed to slip away from our grasp. The next two years were a great challenge, but in time I was able to realize that while it lasted, that opportunity was probably one of the greatest gifts in my life. This gift helped me remember what really makes me happy because it Continued on pg. 28
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brought me to writing, which truly means something to me. In this article, I want to share how you can move beyond the discouragement that comes along the path to success.
“How we meet discouraging events is critical in our willingness to go on.” These are things that kept me going when the future seemed bleak and little was happening. “Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success.” --Dale Carnegie 1) Just because you have a low number of retweets or comments does not mean that people are not reading your blog. Many authors get discouraged because they are not seeing interaction on their blog page or hearing from readers. It does not mean that people are not talking about you. With time, you can learn ways to enhance interaction on your blogs and social media pages, but you may still have people talking about you in coffee shops. Keep writing, keep posting on social media sites, and keep doing your best to improve your skills in marketing through learning from the leaders. 2) When things don’t seem to be going well, there is always gold waiting to be mined. There is a gift within the situation. The gift could be as simple as knowing who not to market to. Or it could be as great a gift as knowing that you have chosen to do something that is not what you wanted to do. When I lost my publishing contract I was in the
process of launching a self-help book. The novel that I am currently working on brings me far more joy in my daily life. It took time, but I was able to find the gift. We can either beat ourselves up, or forgive ourselves and ask, “What is the gift in this situation?” Ask that question daily until you find the gift—it is there, I promise. 3) Focus on Performance Related Goals (PRGs) instead of Outcome Related Goals (ORGs). ORGs are goals such as the number of books you sell, or being on the New York Times Bestseller list. PRGs are ones such as how many press releases you will send out each day, how many phone calls you will make, or how many book signings you will set up. You have much more control over these goals. By studying sales, and learning how to persuade people (two more examples of PRGs) then you will be able to sell better while focusing on what really counts–the little things. 4) Most people give up just before the moment of success because there is some lifetime fear that is about to be conquered. When you stay focused on your “why”—the reason you published your book in the first place—then you can find the inspiration to challenge any fear. Fear becomes “Feeling Excited And Ready.”
“Take some time to write out your motivations and your ‘why’ that made you decide to write and publish in the first place.” Take some time to write out your motivations and your “why” that made you decide to write and publish in the first Continued on pg. 30
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place. Maybe there is a generation of children that need the wisdom you offer, or perhaps the money you make from writing your book will be to support a worthy cause. Print off a copy of your “why,” and keep it close at hand. In those moments when you are feeling discouraged, bring out that statement and read it aloud to yourself. “The most essential factor is persistence–the determination never to allow your energy or enthusiasm to be dampened by the discouragement that must inevitably come.” --James Whitcomb Riley
With a background coaching hundreds of authors, working as a Book Promotion Specialist for a self-publishing company, promoting the YouTube phenomenon “The Gratitude Dance” (featured on Good Morning America), and 10 years as a public speaker who has spoken across North America, Matthew Ashdown spends his days empowering authors to become the champion and voice for their books. He can be reached at matthewashdown@gmail.com. His site is: http://www.grailquestcoaching. com/. ©2013 All rights reserved.
Image by Myan Brenn
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The #1 Tool You Need to Succeed: Shoot for the Stars, Hit the Moon
Image by Randy Robertson
By Beth Barany
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ouldn’t it be cool if there was one tool that you could learn that would insure your success as an author? I think there is. While such things as talent, goals, an awesome kick ass plot, money, and connections all contribute and add to our success, they are not the One Thing. In my opinion, what authors really need to succeed in this business of writing their books and making money from it is persistence. In other words: •Tenacity •Stick-to-it-tive-ness •Gumption •Stubbornness
•Pigheadedness •(Consulting thesaurus now...) and… •A constant •Play the game to the last •Indefatigable •Indomitable •Industrious •Persisting •Pertinacious •Plodding •Sedulous •Solid •Staunch Today, I’m an award-winning novelist, a full-time writing coach, and an international speaker. But it wasn’t always this way. I had desire, though I had no idea how to be a writer, nor what I really wanted. Continued on pg. 34
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At least though I wrote--the whole way I knew how. When I was little I scribbled on pads, filling them page after page. When I was in college, I’d do tons of free writing in my journal not knowing why, only knowing that I needed to move my hand across the page. Then fourteen years ago, at age 30, I realized I wasn’t getting anywhere with my writing beyond short journalistic pieces, when what i really wanted was to be a novelist.
“While such things as talent, goals, an awesome kick ass plot, money, and connections all contribute and add to our success, they are not the One Thing.” So, even though it was the scariest thing in the world to me, I committed to writing novels--no matter how long it took. Fast forward to present day: I’ve written five novels, three nonfiction books, and one novella, so far. More books are in the works as we speak. I’ve published a novel that became an award-winner, and I’m about to publish another novel. I’ve had to learn how to write, edit, self-publish, and market and sell my fiction and nonfiction, and my writing coaching services. When I started my business in July 2006, I didn’t know how to run a business, nor how to market or sell, at least not consciously. I only had my innate chattiness and my willingness to dive into the mix. Boy, did I crash into hopelessness, confusion and fear. Now, with the guidance of some amazing coaches, courses, books, and friends, I have a thriving business. I understand the nuts and bolts of sales and marketing 34 | AuthorEntrepreneurship.com Spring 2013
--and volia!--I’m more committed than ever to doing what it takes to reach my goals, both in my business and as an novelist. It hasn’t been easy, but I had and have the one ingredient I believe in the most: persistence. I will keep going, learning, trying new things, forever, until I decide to stop. What keeps me going? That’s the real secret. I know my reason for sticking to it may not be yours; I’ll share it to you anyway, by way of a story. On that day the world came crashing down around us--September 11th 2001--I was living in Paris, France, struggling to make ends meet by working two jobs and going to school to maintain my visa. With such huge loss of life at the hands of those who only wanted death and destruction to Americans, I had to examine what I could do in the face of such destruction and the helplessness I felt. I hated feeling helpless. Thankfully, living daily life faded some of the shock. Then I realized that my best course of action was to live my creative life to the fullest. That meant writing my books, my novels. That also meant taking a stand to help others step into their creative expression--although that evolved later.
“I realized that my best course of action was to live my creative life to the fullest.” When the world gets black and I fall into helplessness and hopelessness, when I hit the bottom of the well, I look up to see where to go. That’s when I see the stars I set for myself. I find that place in me that remembers 9/11, that remembers that day I saw the darkness and decided
to go for the light. Each day I sit down to work on my novels, I’m taking a stand to be true to myself, my creative vision, and my gifts to the world. Each of us has to discover the why--the motivation--for ourselves. I could lend you mine, but at the end of the day, you’ll need to discover your own motivation for getting to your writing, publishing and selling it, and starting again each day.
“Each of us has to discover the why -- the motivation -- for ourselves.” You can’t borrow my motivation, but you can run alongside me for a while. We can keep each other company. Happy to! Onward and forward! (Adapted from an article that first appeared on Beth Barany’s Writer’s Fun Zone blog, http://www.writersfunzone. com/blog)
Beth Barany is the award-winning author of young adult fantasy, Henrietta The Dragon Slayer, book 1 of the Five Kingdom series. She runs a coaching and consulting company for authors, and is the Editor & Publisher of the AuthorEntrepreneurship.com magazine and blog Her latest book for writers is Twitter for Authors: Social Media Book Marketing Strategies for Shy Writers. More information about Beth Barany’s products and services here: http://www.BethBarany.com. ©2013 All rights reserved.
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Event Listings April 20, 2013. Day of the Book. JFK University. Walnut Creek, CA. http://www. jfku.edu/Events/Day-of-the-Book.html May 2, 2013. Women on the Publishing Frontier: A Celebration of She Writes Press and Its First Wave Authors. 7-9.30 pm, Bancroft Hotel (The Great Hall). 2680 Bancroft Way Berkeley, CA 94704 510-5491000. Admission: FREE May 11, 2013. Festival of Women Authors, Irvine, CA. Irvine Marriott Hotel. http:// www.lgoc.org May 18-19, 2013. East Bay Writers Conference. Oakland, CA Theme: Author Success Academy. 10+ speakers. Hands-on tools. Networking with your peers. get the support you need to create a success business as an author and author entrepreneur. http://eastbaywritersweekend.com/ June 20, 2013. Redwood City Library, Redwood City CA Beth Barany presents on Start Your Writer’s Adventure: Write Your Book in 2013. http://www.redwoodcity.org/ events/
WRITING ASSOCIATIONS Romance Writers of America (RWA) http:// www.rwanational.org/ Mystery Writers Association http://www. mysterywriters.org/ Sisters in Crime http://www.sistersincrime. org/ Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America, Inc. http://www.sfwa.org/ California Writers Club http://www. calwriters.org/ Broad Universe http://www.broaduniverse. org/ National Writers Union http://www.nwu.org/ Horror Writers of America http://www. horror.org/ The Authors Guild http://www.authorsguild. net/ International Thriller Writers, Inc. http:// www.thrillerwriters.org/ Society for Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators http://www.scbwi.org/ American Christian Fiction Writers http:// www.americanchristianfictionwriters.com/
July 28 - August 2, 2013. Napa Valley Writers’ Conference. Rolling admissions open March 1 for the 33rd annual Napa Valley Writers’ Conference! More at: http:// napawritersconference.org. Events are listed for free, space permitting. For more in-person writer’s events and support groups, check out http://www. meetup.com, and your local writer’s organization. Become a part of a writing community. Find the right organization for you. **For an extensive listing of writers conferences throughout the nation, visit: http://www.writing.shawguides.com.
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