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Publisher’s Corner
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his month, we discuss a topic about Amazon that most people don’t understand. Have you ever seen that listing with your book in it and the price is not where you set it? It looks like someone is selling your book at bargain price. This annoying gem is called a “Buy Box.” There can be a couple reasons for this, some good and some not so good. The not so good kind can be a nuisance if you don’t know what it is and how to get rid of it if the company behind it is not legitimate.
Our life is the creation of our mind. ~Buddha
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Part of publishing a book is understanding the industry and having the right tools to solve problems. Most amateur publishers have no idea how to get expanded distribution or an understanding of why books are not selling. Larger publishers have the tools to solve problems and figure out why people are looking at your books and then buying someone else’s. These same publishers, like we here at SuperBrand Publishing, also have the tools and resources to figure out why your book has been reduced and why a Buy Box may be attached to your book. This month’s issue also highlights Mark Herschberg, author of The Career Toolkit. The twist is that we are not celebrating Mark’s book as much as looking at his ability to get himself booked on podcasts. Mark will share the secret to his success as a serial podcaster. Love and Gratitude, Juliet
How to Get Your Back Cover Copy to POP!
By Kristy Boyd Johnson
Authors always ask me what needs to go on the back cover of their books The answer is that it depends on your genre.
Here are some simple tips to peak a reader’s interest and invite them to open up your book and read it.
Fiction The simplest way is to take a blurb right out of your book.
Non-Fiction The simplest way is to write a one-to-three sentence “hook” and then fill in with testimonials.
• DO use a catchy, hightension scene from the beginning of your book for your blurb. • DO include your main character in the blurb. Secondary characters can be in the scene, but should not be the main focus. • DO keep it to 100-150 words. There is limited space on the back cover. • DON’T try to summarize your book. It reads “boring” which is the kiss of death for fiction. • DON’T use a scene from the end of your book. No spoilers! • DON’T put your author bio on the back cover. Instead, create an author bio page (for placement in the back pages of your book). This allows you more space for your headshot and interesting details about you.
• DO grab your reader with your hook. The hook should include the main theme of your book. You can ask a provocative question, make a statement that gets your readers to start thinking, or turn an existing paradigm on its head. • DO use your best testimonials. If you have highprofile authors, celebrities, or experts in your field, definitely place them on the back cover. (TIP: you can also place one testimonial on your front cover, especially if it is from an exceptionally well-known person.) • DO make a big promise. Tell your readers what concrete results they can expect by reading your book. You can easily do this with bullet points. (TIP: tie this in with your title, and you will create gold.) • DON’T put your author bio on the back cover. Instead, create an author bio page (for placement in the back pages of your book). This allows you more space for your headshot and interesting details about you. • DON’T use hard-to-read fonts or light colors in the wording. Always make it easy for your readers. Giving them a headache from trying to read something difficult will cause you to lose your readers. (TIP: it is the mark of an amateur to use fancy fonts. Keep it professional and you can’t go wrong.) • DON’T try to summarize your book. It’s not possible, and you will just frustrate yourself.
AUTHOR BIO Kristy Boyd Johnson is an award-winning children’s author, and has ghostwritten over 30 books for entrepreneurs over the years. She is a sought-after developmental editor and transformational book coach. She recently launched Starseed Journey Retreats because she can’t imagine anything better than being a beautiful location with beautiful people who want to reconnect with their deepest selves through writing.
That’s the essence of good back cover blurbs. Your goal is to capture the attention of your readers and persuade them to open your book and start reading. After all, that’s why you wrote your book. Happy writing!
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Understanding the Impact of the Buy Box on Amazon We get calls from our authors every week about the buy boxes competing with their books on Amazon.
or may not be a bad actor. Most of the time, it is a bookstore that has purchased inventory and is liquidating. If your book has sold well in the past, sometimes it is Amazon who has purchased inventory and is liquidating. What Can I Do About It? If you are with a medium to large publishing company, they more than likely have reports to tell them there is a problem. Here is what the reports will allow them to see:
What is a Buy Box? Amazon supports a third-party marketplace that allows anyone to sell new and used products. The Buy Box refers to the “Add to Cart/ Buy Now” option a potential purchaser sees when viewing the product on Amazon. For most print titles, Amazon is considered the distributor and default seller of your book. In 2017, Amazon allowed third-party sellers to sell books. This created two scenarios for your book: 1. A “won” Buy Box, which means a first-party vendor sale (Amazon). 2. A “lost” Buy Box, which means a third-party seller sold the book (other than Amazon). 80-90% of the time, Amazon “wins” the Buy Box. That means that the third-party vendor “wins” the Buy Box only 10-20% of the time.
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Larger publishing companies have software to combat this situation. Most of the time, individuals who sell books don’t understand what is going in and have no way to counter the problem. Why Did I Lose the Buy Box? Typically, it means that Amazon’s algorithm has decided that the third-party seller provides a better experience than the publisher. That could include a lower price or faster delivery. This also could include a book being out-of-stock. Print-on-Demand books should NEVER be out-of-stock. Most of the time, the publisher hasn’t done anything wrong. Something has gone wrong on the distributor end of the deal. This is why having a publisher with accurate reports comes in handy. One thing to know about third-party transactions is that the seller may
1. How often they are losing the Buy Box. 2. Recurring patterns to determine the fix for losing the sale. 3. Utilizing reports and data to point out the problem to Amazon with specificity (they will not fix the problem without accurate data). 4. Identifying fraudulent or otherwise illegitimate sellers who may be selling new books, used books as new, counterfeits, or imported books under the US ISBN. If you can show Amazon that these sellers are gaming the system, they will be investigated and removed. Remember, some of these conditions may mean that there is theft of your copyrighted material, and you are not getting paid. Understanding these concepts is oftentimes much too complicated for the average author and can feel like an overwhelming task. It is one of the most important reasons that using a reputable self, hybrid, or traditional publisher is essential. Asking the right questions before hiring is one of the ways authors gain more control over their work.
The Benefits and Challenges of Book Trailers
Jared Rosen - CEO DreamSculpt Books and Media
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ne of my favorite experiences going to a movie theatre was to watch the trailers of the forthcoming films. The movie studios did not randomly select the trailers to play before a film, but rather it was strategically placed to appeal to the specific demographic of the audience. Movie trailers are highly effective because they give you a brief experience of what is to come, and you may decide to watch a movie based on the impression of the trailer. Although, not as familiar to most as movie trailers, book trailers can be equally effective in creating a buzz about a book. That said, trailers for fiction books are more challenging than non-fiction books. Translating the words of a fiction book to moving images is not easy. The point of reading fiction is to allow the imagination to create the pictures. A low budget moving picture trailer for a novel can diminish the literary merit of a book. Movie trailers edit scenes from the film. If you are not hiring actors and building a set, you might have to rely on stock video. Essentially, the trailer would highlight the narrative arc of the book mirroring the synopsis of the book. A better strategic solution for a novel might be a powerful short form interview with the author and relevant reviews and endorsements.
Trailers for non-fiction books are more effective because you can tease the audience by offering them a distillation of the didactic wisdom inherent in the book. A book trailer offers a deeper sensory experience than a graphic meme to communicate your book’s purpose. Social media has evolved from text and graphic memes to video. When someone is scrolling on a social media site and videos are on auto play, just the kinetic experience of moving images will grab people’s attention more than a photo and text. So how do you make an effective trailer for a non-fiction book? Making a pitch to buy the book without giving something of value is not going to connect with most people. Instead, create a 30-40 second experience that achieves these three goals: 1. Make it authentically emotionally engaging, so that after 30 seconds you have touched them in some way. 2. Make it socially relevant, connecting to what is going on in the world. 3. Peek their curiosity. Don’t tell them too much inspiring them to click further and explore. A non-fiction book is written to share information, knowledge, wisdom, and inspiration. Even in thirty seconds you can share something that will provoke thought and capture them, compelling them to take a deeper dive.
AUTHOR BIO Jared Rosen is the founder Of DreamSculpt. As an innovator in digital media publishing, he has published over 50 media enhanced e-books for many best-selling authors and filmmakers and has published dozens of books in print. Jared is the author of three books including the groundbreaking book The Flip. As a thought leader he has presented in venues ranging from TED X Malibu, to McKinsey and Company, Sydney, Australia. In 2000, Jared co-created the Children’s Emotional Literacy Project endorsed by Mayor Richard Riordan and Norman Lear.
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The Granny Panties of
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Marketing Why market your book? You get to show off the amazing work you’ve created and have people get really excited about it. Then these people follow you on social media, buy your book, join your program, and watch you speak on stage. But many authors I work with get stuck on the marketing part of the publishing journey because they don’t know what to say to their audience or how to say it.
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And let’s face it, when you don’t know the strategies, marketing your book can be hard. You certainly deserve to share your message and
your mission with the world, so I’m here to reveal to you how your book marketing can make you stand out from the rest. Are you ready?
It’s a two-pronged approach. The first part is you need to have a content marketing strategy in place. A content plan will set you up for success because you won’t be throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks, you’ll know who your ideal reader is and where they’re hanging out online, and you’ll have the messaging down and know what content to create. The second part is equally as important but it’s arguably the unsexiest part of marketing. I often refer to it as the granny panties of book marketing. Drum roll please...it’s consistency. Being consistent with your marketing is what will set you apart from the rest of the authors who think they’re promoting their book online but are really just posting whatever comes to their mind on a whim and have no plan in place for their messaging. My client Lynsi is a great example of how consistency changes everything. Before we worked together, her team members were posting on Instagram in an effort to grow her influence as a hypnofertility specialist, but they weren’t sure what to post, how
often to post, and why all their efforts were having little impact. As I worked with Lynsi and her social media team, they began to implement important changes. They were mindful of their messaging and posting regularly. They also began engaging consistently with their audience using the engagement strategies we discussed. We even used her book as a lead magnet and have been steadily growing her audience. Like any habit, it takes a while for it to become second nature for you to be consistent with your marketing. But showing up each and every week for your audience will have a huge impact on your ability to be the thought leader you deserve to be. Your audience will get to know, like, and trust you. They want to buy your book. And, when it’s time for them to hire someone who does what you do, they’ll think of you first.
Being consistent with your marketing is what will set you apart from the rest of the authors who think they’re promoting their book online but are really just posting whatever comes to their mind on a whim and have no plan in place for their messaging.
If you’re ready to step into thought leadership and get the support you need to stay consistent with your book marketing, I invite you to join me on a complimentary call at contentstrategycall.com.
AUTHOR BIO Melanie Herschorn wants to make your book and brand sparkle online. As a content marketing strategist for coaches, consultants, and speakers worldwide, she’s on a mission to support and empower her clients to create clear messaging and content that shines a light on their individual experience, skillset, and books. With her unique combination of entrepreneurship, awardwinning journalism and PR experience, Melanie guides her clients to attract and nurture leads and position themselves as industry experts. She also loves to provide book marketing tips on her show, AUTHORity Marketing LIVE!
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Five well-known tips boost a book’s visibility and increase sales.
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here’s no doubt that writing a book is a huge undertaking and an even more extraordinary accomplishment. Simply writing the book isn’t enough; authors must be just as resourceful in opening up the aperture to widen the audience’s reach when researching sources for the book’s content. Keep in mind that promoting a book is an ongoing process, so they must not give up if results aren’t seen right away – Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither will an audience be amassed overnight. With hard work and dedication, however, an author can definitely increase the viewership of their book. Here are five tips to help boost a book’s visibility and increase sales. 1. Start by building a platform and audience before writing the book. Getting started early will help the author connect with potential readers who are already interested in what they have to say. 2. Use social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to share excerpts from the book, post about upcoming events, and engage with the audience. 3. Get involved in online communities related to the topic area and start discussions around the book. 4. Contact bloggers, journalists, and media to share the story. Help a Reporter Out at www. HelpAReporter.com is a free subscription and
full of opportunities to be showcased and share a writer’s expertise. 5. Look for and speak on podcasts, radio, and T.V. A great resource to find opportunities to get booked is www.RadioGuestList.com. This site has been used to secure hundreds of shows using their free subscription. Authors have access to various tools at their disposal, usually found on the internet, to help them market and sell their books. However, by engaging with Superbrand Publishing, businesses, authors, products, events, or services can achieve the recognition and publicity they deserve by getting coverage in major media outlets like AP News or MarketWatch. The professionals at Superbrand Publishing know how to deliver wellpolished content, whether in print or on social media and effortlessly reach large audiences on their behalf and incentivize them to inspire others that they need to have or be a part of what is being announced. Further, press releases are key when getting the word out, and those releases get picked up by major news outlets, guaranteeing their message reaches the widest audience possible. For more tips on how authors can successfully market and sell their books, download a free copy of Media Magic: Instantly Get Radio, TV, Print, and Internet Press to Give You Limitless Publicity at www.MediaMagicBook. com or contact Shannon Procise today at www. MeetShannon.com.
AUTHOR BIO Shannon Procise has successfully attained over $3.2M in FREE publicity and is notorious for being the owner of the “Million Dollar Rolodex” and teaching others how to do the same. She has trained and coached thousands of individuals in marketing, event production, business development, and personal growth. Shannon is the creator of a magnetic community - the Business Acceleration Network, where she guides businesses to build a successful enterprise while having fun and making lots of money.
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The Menopause Millionaire Carole has been featured o ABC, NBC, and Fox. She is a passionate speaker and advocate for women entering the second half of life emotionally, physically, and financially fit. Carole Hodges brings a depth of experience to her first book, “The Menopause Millionaire.” In addition to being a mother, she is a Master Results coach, entrepreneur, financial professional, musical theatre performer and speaker. After the death of her eldest daughter, bankruptcy and divorce in a single year, Carole became passionate about helping women navigate mid-life change with wisdom and self-awareness.
Buy Menopause Millionaire at www. themenopausemillionairebook.com
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hink menopause means your life is ending? Think again! It’s just the beginning of a new adventure of empowerment, fun and meaning. When author, Carole Hodges, was approaching menopause, her world fell apart which drove her deep into discovering who she truly was. She chose to be inspired rather than defeated and created a roadmap to personal fulfillment. This book presents a variety of financial choices: sound investments, safe money options, tax considerations, as well as a perspective that will allow you to prosper in the second half of your life.
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Confessions of a Serial Podcast Guest
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hen you hear Mark Herschberg guest on a podcast (something he’s making a serious habit of) you would never guess that his current trade is CTO or that he began his career tracking criminals and terrorists on the dark web. Each step of his career, Mark’s analytical mind took him to a place where he could reverse engineer strategies by building processes and clarifying the processes for each step of progress.
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Which is exactly why I wanted to chat with Mark about how to be the best guest, whether you’re promoting your own show, a book, or sharing your authority and expertise with a like-minded community. It’s important to go into any guest situation just like you would an on-air interview. You are creating soundbites that will live online forever, which makes it incredibly important for you to put your best foot forward.
Mark has now guested on over 200 shows, so buckle up, for confessions from a serial podcast guest – the things you really need to know to be a great guest.
1 Tell me about yourself. This phrase can kill an interview before it begins if you haven’t come up with a well thought out answer. It’s common for a guest to be caught off guard by this completely basic question because they skipped this during their prep. Then you’re caught, on air, rambling for 4 or 5 minutes, and at the end of your response, listeners still don’t have a clear idea of who you are. Your bio, in spoken form, should highlight a few things you really want listeners to know, things that are relevant to the show you’re on and the topic you’re going to discuss that day. It’s your highlight
reel. Where have you been? What have you been doing? What are your proudest moments? Anything interesting happen to you lately? And where can we find you? Answer these questions and then use those bullet points to build out a response, an elevator speech for guesting. Keep it short, direct and not boring. You want to be rehearsed enough that you know what you’re going to say but not so much that you sound like a robot.
2 Get to know your host. A good guest has done some legwork, just like a good host. Mark admittedly is a numbers guy. His quantitative
mind means he loves numbers, data and fooling around with Excel spreadsheets. Take that to a show where the host thinks differently, and you can easily kill the chemistry by bringing in too much data or numbers. “Mental diversity is a term I use often, and I distinguish this from a similar term called neurodiversity. One of the trends in hiring is people talking about neurodiversity. The most common example is hiring that Asperger quant person, whose skills are a little off but brilliant. They say, “Great, let’s put them in front of an Excel spreadsheet.” Mental diversity is recognizing that we all think and act differently. I am not surprisingly a very quantitative person in how I approach things. I like numbers and formulas and graphs and charts, and I love playing with Excel spreadsheets. There are plenty of people who don’t. When I’m engaging with those people who aren’t sharing my love of numbers and graphs, I can’t overwhelm them with numbers and charts. They tune out and we lose the energy of our conversation.” Understanding the best way to engage with whoever is on the other side of your conversation is so important. Take 10-minutes and listen to a few blurbs of previous episodes. Google is your friend and can easily give you great background into the host of the show you’re going to be guesting on. The time commitment, because of the unending supply of resources online, is not much. We’re talking about 10-20 minutes of research and the time is worth it. Imagine the surprise of a host when you can tell them something about themselves, adding an element of surprise and authenticity to the episode you’re creating.
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Anyone can create a show, anyone can guest on a show – that doesn’t make it great. A great episode has great elements, a great host, a great guest and a great focus.
earns you new clientele. “If you want to work on the strategy part of leadership, that is spending a lot of time listening, learning, and digesting what you’re taking in.”
3 There’s more work after the show. A good guest shows up, does their job and maybe promotes the episode after the fact. A great guest preps, shows up, engages on many levels, follows up and always (always) promotes their episode. I see so many guests who do not support the shows efforts to promote their episode once it’s live and I cannot figure this out. Why waste your time to guest on a show that you have no intention of sharing? Entrepreneurs, authors, coaches – your time is spread thin, your responsibility list a mile long – so if you are committing an hour to a conversation, that must be worth something to you. And we know that it is because data tells us how guesting on shows secures your authority, boosts your online ranking and potentially
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4 The Plan + The Emotional Connection = A Very Dynamic Duo. For analytical minds, they want a plan, they want to see the course of action before it happens, they want guarantees and numbers, and they want a baseline so they can prepare for the show they will guest on. For more creative types, they want to know their host and the show, they want to make sure there’s a personal connection, so the engagement is authentic – and success on a show really happens when both elements come together. The plan
without the emotional connection is lacking. And the emotional connection without the plan can sometimes seem messy. Finding this middle ground is the sweet spot, it’s where episodes reach peak value. Where listeners feel energy and charisma along with well thought-out content that makes them feel like they are a part of the conversation. Anyone can create a show, anyone can guest on a show – that doesn’t make it great. A great episode has great elements, a great host, a great guest and a great focus. There you have it – the formula, if you will – what is required of a guest, direct from the source of over 200 episodes as a guest. Prep, rehearse the parts you want the audience to know about you, get to know your host, stay engaged to build up that emotional connection and don’t forget your follow-up steps of promoting and networking.
Peggy Matheson
Book Description
#1 Bestseller
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eggy Matheson has always loved to sing and dance. She drew a few sketches when she was a young woman, but had such a love for the performing arts that drawing quickly fell by the way side. Earning a BFA in Music Dance Theater from Brigham Young University was a jumping off point that punctuated years of performances on stage and on screen. Her tenacity to create the most impact with a performance has informed her ability to create poetry and drawings that not only resonate but also delight. After college, a parallel path was forming as her desire for freedom from pain drove her to do deep emotional healing work. She eventually found a modality that transformed her life and subsequently became a Certified Journey Practitioner helping others heal their pain through restorative guided meditation.
Above all Peggy is a believer. She is a believer in the power to become our best selves and that life and relationships have meaning and purpose. For years, she felt her mission was her successful marriage. When it ended abruptly, she began to put the pieces together and discovered she’d been living in an emotionally abusive relationship. Now she’s an APSATS trained Partner Coach (CPC-c) and trained Family Life Coach (BCC-c) working with those seeking to transform themselves beyond their doubts, negative beliefs, trauma and especially betrayal trauma.
This stunning new coloring journal by Peggy Matheson takes readers on a witty and whimsical journey of letting go of self-doubt, feelings of not being good enough and healing from emotional abuse. Each drawing is based on an original poem included in the journal. What she discovered is yours to discover as well: through our relationship to our creative self, a healing path is opened and we step into our personal power. Color, read, write or draw; these pages will invite you into new possibilities of self-discovery and lighthearted awakenings. Oh, the places we’ll go when we dash those pesky voices in our head and start dancing with the little girl inside of us instead. Come and play, relax, de-stress and maybe, just maybe, those grumpies will go away!
Her vision is to inspire, teach, and ultimately create space for others to become their best selves. Peggy facilitates creativity workshops using guided meditation, movement, and music as well as supporting individuals on their healing journey. Connect with Peggy at peggymatheson.com or support@peggymatheson.com.
Buy Book: https://www.amazon.com/She-Said-Peggy-Matheson/dp/1513677357/ ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Peggy+matheson&qid=1627584484&sr=8-1 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ peggy-witbeck-matheson-526ba310/
Website: https://peggymatheson.com/
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