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 by: Jay Johnson Be sure to check out: The Aton Project Newsletters at: http://www.self-publishinghelp.com/TheAtonProjectNewsletters.html. This newsletter, by author Tony VanSluytman, has been receiving rave revues despite it not being directed to writers. and FREE Writing Course http://creativewritingworkshop.info. We are quite proud of the contributions of these two dedicated authors and wish for you to learn more about them. *** Moonspinners Writer's Page (http://www.maureenmcmahon.com), the website of Maureen McMahon, has been voted one of the 101 Best Websites by Writer's Digest 2006 - specifically her Ask The Experts section, created in collaboration with fellow author Fran Silverman (http://www.maureenmcmahon.com/bookmarketing.html). The Experts Site is composed of 150 subscribers to Fran’s newsletter, Book Promotion Newsletter (http://www.bookpromotionnewsletter.com), who answer book marketing questions at no charge. Download: 10 Ways to Promote Your Book... Welcome our two (2) sponsors... ADRdomainsPlus.com for Your Domain Names and Internet Products  BOTH have GREAT rates and EXCELLENT service.  You are the Box Office Smash: The Personal Screenplay by Gordy Hoffman Right this very second, in the heart of every struggling, undiscovered screenwriter, in the dark, hidden corner deep within, there is a voice, a clear whisper, saying one thing: You're never gonna figure this out. And this is not referring to the story with its gaping hole, the finale missing a payoff, the hit and miss humor, the flat title. I'm talking about freedom. The freedom to work as a screenwriter. Compensation for a home for family and a life. The resources to wake up and ply your craft and pay the freight, without obstacle. The chance to see your writing made into pictures, to work with the industry's best, to fulfill this goal of professional screenwriter. Hollywood success. Behind this voice is the idea that somehow, some way, you'll find the hero, or the hook, logline or pitch that will punch your golden ticket. If you could only figure out what the studio wants, if you can only get a solid bead to this game, you know you can write and execute. What is the script I should write to get an agent? What is the one that will sell? It's not that I don't know how to write, I know how to write screenplays, I just need to know what they want, even though I think I know what they want, but I don't think I have the idea that they want. Yeah. I'm not gonna figure this out, whispers the voice. Why this uneasiness? Does it originate within ourselves? I don't think so. But where does it come from? The daily obsession with box office grosses? The news of the seven figure deals to newbies? The endless procession of boneheadedly conceived franchises-in-waiting arriving in the theatres every Friday? People winning Academy Awards for movies you would not be caught dead writing? Recognizing an idea you came up with years ago on your couch, produced with a $130 million budget drowning in CGI? All these things are but a few of the possible reasons why this seeds unhealthy doubt and confusion in the modern screenwriter. Tracking these forces outside us and beyond our control in an effort to trudge the path to a successful screenwriting career will prove to most to be unproductive and corrosive. Basically, trying to figure out what Hollywood wants will land us in a resentment that makes "giving up" a sane response to the very challenge which used to inspire us. In short, we cannot chase a perceived trend and remember our dreams. You cannot look at the marketplace and find your voice. You can find ideas, trends, and inspiration there, perhaps, but you can find these things driving in traffic as well. But listening to your voice is the key to creating original, compelling stories. Your life is your own story. You have a completely unique thread of experience. By allowing yourself to express these emotional experiences, your screenplay, your story, will be different from any other and powerful, as original as your fingerprint. Why is it powerful? When we have the courage to be specific about what we know about living, we create an authentic world an audience recognizes as the life they are living on planet Earth. This connects your audience to your story. This connection is the foundation of the phenomena of story. Why does story mean so much to us? We recognize the triumphs and tragedies of our lives, with all the hilarity and tears. By seeing it, we are validated and it underscores meaning and purpose to living. If we don't use what we've collected in life in our hearts and spirits, then our story loses its authenticity and the connection the audience should make fails. They do not see themselves, and when they leave the theater, they do not call their friends. When people do not call their friends after seeing a movie, the movie bombs. When a writer opens their person to their work, when they allow themselves to be vulnerable, to risk exposure of the secrets of their life story, they take a huge step towards creating a screenplay of substantial value, a screenplay with a greater potential of a large number of tickets sold. This is precisely why art and commerce have remained bedfellows for thousands of years. To look at the relationship between art and commerce as adversarial or incompatible is just plain foolish. Art happens when people invest their spirits in their work without fear, and story is artful when the writing is truthful and the writer is authentic. And what do we have to be honest about? We can only lie about what we know, and we can only tell the truth about what we know. And that is what has happened to us, our life story. This is what we share. This is not a pitch to write "what you know." This is not about writing stories about where you work or where you live. This is about writing about what you felt. You can imagine characters and worlds and actions and speech you've never personally experienced, but if you remember to infuse your choices with your emotional and spiritual struggles and victories as a human being, your screenplay will be different in the very best sense of the word. The question you have to answer is not what does Hollywood want today. The question is how honest of a writer do you want to be. I guarantee you can write a blockbuster, you can write a box office hit. This will happen when you find an audience. And the correct path to this crowd of people is listening to yourself. If you practice, you will develop an inner ear for who you are and what you know and you will become masterful in loading your work with your fingerprints. Writing is personal work. You are the guitar. You are the box of paint. Give of that and your audience will remember why life is good and they will talk of you. About the Author Winner of the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the Sundance Film Festival for LOVE LIZA, Gordy Hoffman has written and directed three digital shorts for Fox Searchlight. He made his feature directorial debut with his script, A COAT OF SNOW, which world premiered at the 2005 Locarno Intl Film Festival. A COAT OF SNOW made its North American Premiere at the Arclight in Hollywood, going on to screen at the Milan Film Festival and the historic George Eastman House. Recently, the movie won the 2006 Domani Vision Award at VisionFest, held at the Tribeca Cinemas in NY. A professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, Gordy is the founder and judge of BlueCat Screenplay Competition. Dedicated to develop and celebrate the undiscovered screenwriter, BlueCat provides written script analysis on every script entered. In addition, Gordy acts as a script consultant for screenwriters, offering personalized feedback on their scripts through his consultation service, www.screenplaynotes.com. For more articles by Gordy on screenwriting, visit http://www.bluecatscreenplay.com. A new radio show devoted to book marketing made its debut on Tuesday, March 21, 2006 on Achieve Radio, noon to 1 p.m., MST. Host Francine Silverman will talk with authors, publishers and publicists, providing listeners with a unique perspective on book promotion. To access Book Marketing with Fran, go to http://www.achieveradio.com and click “Click to Listen” at top of page. Should you miss the show, click “Shows & Hosts” on the left and scroll down to Fran’s show and click, “More-Click Here” for the archives. Patricia Fry, president of SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists, and Writers Network) and author of 24 books, will be Fran’s first guest. Patricia’s latest book is The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book (Matilija Press 2006), a comprehensive guide for hopeful and struggling authors. Fran is author of Book Marketing from A-Z and editor publisher of Book Promotion Newsletter, http://www.bookpromotionnewsletter.com Issue 114: July 4, 2007 ISSN 1545-5599 BOOK PROMOTION NEWSLETTER Issue 114: July 4, 2007 EDITOR: FRANCINE SILVERMAN http://www.bookpromotionnewsletter.com http://www.nystatetravel.com Issued every other Wednesday since 2003 INTRODUCTION I've got an agent!! Since I never used one before, I didn't know you could send proposals to more than one at a time. So I decided to write a column called "Waiting To Hear Back from a Literary Agent," which you can read at http://mysite.verizon.net/resockeb/e-zine/id22.html I turned to three subscribers who I knew use agents. All responded with good information, although I could not follow Anne Fletcher's advice since my book can become dated if I wait too long. Anne, whose latest book is Weight Loss Confidential: How Teens Lost Weight and Kept It Off-And What They Wish Parents Knew (Houghton Mifflin 2007), believes authors should create a relationship with an agent before sending anything out. "I've had two different agents during my 20-some year book-writing career," she wrote. "And I never sent a manuscript 'blindly' to an agent. Both times, I met with the agent, either in person or by phone." http://www.annemfletcher.com Marlene Shyer, a novelist and children's book author, has two agents and didn't know how long a response should take. But she would not wait to hear. “If I were doing it, I think I'd send the proposal simultaneously to a few agents," she said. "After all, agents send ms to six or eight editors at a time these days, so why not?" http://www.marleneshyer.com Julia Buckley, author of The Dark Backward (Midnight Ink 2006), suggested searching for agents at http://www.agentquery.com, which is where I found mine. Another good site is http://www.writers.net/agents.html Waiting six to eight weeks to hear back from an agent is not for me. I emailed this agent one day and the next she wrote back. From day one, even before signing me on, she made suggestions on improving the table of contents and showed great enthusiasm for my project. Now she wants me to provide her with numbers, numbers, numbers, i.e., size of potential audience, number of competing titles, how many people I expect to reach with my new book. This is not an easy task, but something we should all do before writing our books. In This Issue: 1) Feature Article 2) Promotional Coups 3) Progress Report 4) Kudos 1) FEATURE ARTICLE 5 Ways to Promote Your Book Through Your Blog By Patricia Fry A blog can be many things and serve many purposes. When you have a book to promote, it makes sense to turn your blog into a promotional tool. Whether your book is a historical novel, a how-to gardening book, a memoir or a book of poetry, let your blog entries spread the word and you will sell more books. Here are five ideas for using your blog to promote your book: 1: Stay focused on your topic. Make sure that you are providing the information your audience wants in a way that makes it palatable. Stay on track when adding to your blog so that you are always addressing your target audience. Sure you can write about something personal if you want, but try to tie it into your primary topic. I write about writing and publishing in my blog - http://www.matilijapress.com/publishingblog. I might share something about a recent trip I took or a concept that caught my attention, but I always connect it to the subject of writing and/or publishing and I always pitch one of my books in my blog entries. 2: Turn your blog entries into articles. Either submit them as is to appropriate sites and publications or tweak them to fit. Most of my blog entries are suitable for publishing, as I'm mindful to create stand-alone articles. Sometimes, however, a newsletter or magazine editor wants a longer piece or a more condensed version. Not a problem - I just rewrite the blog to fit their submission requirements. Of course, articles sell books. How? In a word: exposure. · When you publish informative articles on the topic of your book, this adds to your professional credibility. · You can usually add a few lines at the end of the article in which to promote your book and your blog. 3: Create handouts. Use specific blog entries as handouts when you promote your book through presentations, workshops or at book festivals. If yours is a local history book and your blog follows suit, your audiences would enjoy receiving those blog entries containing historical information that doesn't appear in the book. Hand out your blog entries featuring additional tips, resources and information related to your self-help or how-to book. If you are promoting a novel or a book of poetry, delight your audience by handing out some of the short stories or new poems you post at your blog. 4: Compile a booklet of blog entries. If you're a dedicated blogger, you could actually produce a booklet every six months or once a year and offer them free to anyone who purchases your book. Maybe you've written a novel featuring Americans who've chosen to live in the Middle East. Your blog, then, might follow some of the innovative things happening in the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Oman and Bahrain, for example. Report on positive accounts of the people, some of the amazing historical and newer architectural sites and interesting tidbits about the culture. Wouldn't that make an interesting promotional tool? 5: Write a book based on your best blog subjects. Review your blog entries. If you're like me, you may occasionally hit upon a topic that would make a good book. So start writing. With thought and research, your blog on the feral kitten you rescued over the summer might become a book featuring how to successfully raise a feral cat. If your current book features an aspect of pet care, this new book would make a great spin-off product. Your blog entry on how you created curb appeal that sold your home could become an entire book for others who want to make an excellent impression when selling their properties. And what a great companion this would be for your book on family financing. You started blogging because you heard that blogs sell books. Use these five tips and you'll reach even more people and sell even more books. Patricia Fry is the president of SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) http://www.spawn.org and the author of 25 books. Read her latest book “The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book.” http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html. Visit her informative publishing blog often at http://www.matilijapress.com/publishingblog 2) PROMOTIONAL COUPS Max Elliot Anderson, author of numerous books for boys, illustrates how tying your book to a bestseller can help sales of your book. He has tied in his action-adventures & mysteries for boys 8 - 13 to the wildly successful book, THE DANGEROUS BOOK FOR BOYS. "I'm continuing to get responses which include review requests, inclusion in newsletters, mentions on web sites, and comments to various blogs. There have been a couple of phone calls too. This promo resulted in a publisher asking to take a look at two of my manuscripts for middle school age kids. In all, it's generated a LOT of response. In addition, my promo has resulted in negotiations to do my first seven published books as audio books, and I'll have a flier in the conference packets for the Boys and The Boy Crisis conference in Washington, DC in July." http://maxbooks.9k.com Reviews: http://maxbookreviews.blogspot.com Read his press release at: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2007/06/prweb532684.htm Here's an example of the old adage - it's not what you know but who you know - Stacey Kannenberg is a self-published author of two children's books who does all the marketing, public relations, advertising and distribution. "I sell directly to schools and my largest single order at this time is with Green Bay Public Schools," she says. "It all started with me giving a copy to my children's dance teacher who had a sister who was a teacher in Green Bay. She donated 90 copies to her sister's school. The next year, I had an order of 600 and this year 1300 for that school district. They were quoted in a local paper as saying my books are helping improve testing for incoming Kindergarteners. I am now working with a foundation who is interested in donating 14,000 copies to Milwaukee Public Schools. Keep your fingers crossed!" Stacey's book's are Let's Get Ready for Kindergarten! and Let's Get Ready For First Grade!, both published by Cedar Valley Publishing in 2006. She is working on Let's Get Ready for Second Grade! Her goal is to become the "Good Night Moon of Kindergarten and First Grade" by continually revising the books and keeping them "in the mix." http://www.cedarvalleypublishing.com 3) PROGRESS REPORT David Spero was a guest on Health Radio on Monday, June 11, 2007. http://www.healthradio.net David is author of The Art of Getting Well: Maximizing Health When You Have a Chronic Illness (Hunter House 2002) and Diabetes: Sugar-Coated Crisis: Who gets it, who profits, and how to stop it (New Society Publishers Sept. 2006), winner of the 2007 Eric Hoffer Award for best small-press book from Writers' Digest [hofferaward.com] and a Silver IPPY in the Health category from Independent Publisher [independentpublisher.com]. http://www.davidsperoRN.com http://www.art-of-getting-well.com Sharon Gilchrest O'Neill was a guest of Brad Richard on Odeo.com on June 20, 2007, when she discussed her bereavement gift book, Sheltering Thoughts About Loss and Grief (Tate 2005). http://odeo.com/audio/13314853/view http://www.shelteringthoughts.com Penny Leisch will be a guest speaker on Dog Cast Radio with Julie Hill (UK) on July 10, 2007 and on Animal Talk Naturally with Kim Bloomer in August discussing domestic cats. http://www.pennyleisch.com http://www.petsbypenny.com Joy Turner was the guest of Julie Hill on DogCast Radio and Julie wrote her after the interview: "Thanks for a wonderful interview. It was absolutely fascinating. I found it emotional when you communicated with Buddy, it's like having a translator with someone you haven't had a common language with before!" A spiritual teacher and a renowned communicator and energetic healer for animals and humans, Joy hosts the radio show, "Joy Turner's Talk With Your Animals," on KKNW 1150 AM in Los Angeles every Wednesday 12-1 PM, PT http://www.talkwithyouranimals.com http://www.dogcastradio.com Monica Ricci spoke about time management on A Fresh Start with Sallie Felton on June 27, 2007 on Contact Talk Radio. http://www.salliefeltonlifecoach.com Monica is author Organize Your Office In No Time (Que Publishing 2006) and host of “Organization Nation” on 1620 AM in Atlanta and on the web at http://www.RadioSandySprings.com. http://www.catalystorganizing.com Taffy Wagner was a guest on The Future of Real Estate with Darryl Baskin and Neil Dailey on 740 KRMG, Tulsa, OK aired in Tulsa and northeast Oklahoma, on Saturday, June 30, 2007 discussing a subject she thought of: "Furnishing Your Home without Inviting Foreclosure." Taffy is the author of the Amazon.com bestseller Debt Dilemma (2005), Homebuyer's Helper - How to Have and Hold on to your House (2006), and Discharged Into Debt (for military troops) (2005), all published by JTW Publishing. http://www.taffywagner.com 4) KUDOS Shirley Cheng, a blind and physically disabled 24-year-old motivational speaker and author/contributor of thirteen books, has received Honorable Mention in the Poetry category of the New York Book Festival Competition for her award-winning finalist Waking Spirit: Prose & Poems the Spirit Sings. Prior to holding a signing at the festival on Saturday, June 23 in Central Park, Shirley gushed, "I'm so thrilled beyond words. Let's just say that I'm floating on cloud 9." Waking Spirit is also an award-winning finalist in the national Indie Excellence 2007 Book Awards. http://www.shirleycheng.com Cindy La Ferle was a guest on "As You Think," a daily radio show hosted by Father Paul Keenan on The Catholic Channel 159, Sirius Satellite Radio, on June 29 (Friday) at 10:00 pm EST. She was invited to be on the show to talk about her essay, “The gift of receiving,” which appeared in a recent issue of Catholic Digest. The essay, which focuses on the life lessons she learned from her hip replacement surgery and recovery, was originally published in Cindy's essay collection, Writing Home, and republished last year in Chicken Soup for the Soul (Healthy Living Series). If you don’t already subscribe to Sirius, you can link to the Catholic Channel and get a free trial subscription. For details, visit http://www.thecatholicchannel.org or Cindy's Home Office: http://www.laferle.com Betty Jo Tucker's book, SUSAN SARANDON: A True Maverick (Hats Off Books 2004), received Honorable Mention in the WILD CARD section of the 2007 New York Book Festival on June 23. http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewnews.asp?id=17891 She was also a guest on the Fifteen Minutes of Fame Show on Blog Talk Radio - http://memosaic.blogspot.com/2007/06/fifteen-minutes-of-fame.html In a national competition sponsored by the National Federation of Press Women,Walter Brasch has won 2nd place for general columns in the news-editorial division, and 3rd in media kits in the PR division. Walter will be honored in September in Norfolk, Va., at the NFPW's annual convention. Last month, he won first place awards for his column from the Pennsylvania Press Club and in the spotlight awards sponsored by the Society of Professional Journalists. Walter is the author of books about the PATRIOT Act, the federal response to Katrina, and other social issues books. Forthcoming are Fool's Gold, a book about the misuse of data mining by the government; and a book about the Bush administration. http://www.walterbrasch.com Beverly Mahone will be on TV this morning at 8 am. "If you're in and around the Washingon, DC area on this July 4th, you'll have an opportunity to see my inteview on the Fox 5 Morning Show, " she says. "It was actually taped on June 25. They may put something on their website. I'm not sure." http://www.myfoxdc.com Beverly is author of WHATEVER! A Baby Boomer's Journey Into Middle Age (Benoham Publishing 2006) http://www.thebabyboomerdiva.com Francine Silverman is author of CATSKILLS ALIVE (second edition) and LONG ISLAND ALIVE, both published in 2003 by Hunter Publishing and geared to every interest. To learn more about her guidebooks and for links to hundreds of attractions on Long Island and in the Catskills, visit Fran's one-stop website at http://www.nystatetravel.com BOOK MARKETING FROM A-Z (Infinity Publishing 2005) is written by 325 paid subscribers to Book Promotion Newsletter. TALK RADIO FOR AUTHORS - Getting Interviews Across the U.S. and Canada (Infinity Publishing 2007) is an intimate look into 230 talk radio shows that welcome guests. Both books are available at http://www.buybooksontheweb.com (Category: Marketing) and at http://www.amazon.com Subscribers are entitled to a 20% discount on either book. Contact Fran at franalive@optonline.net for code. The publisher's toll free number does not work outside the continental US and orders cannot be processed from its website for shipping outside the US. Subscribers in foreign countries who wish to purchase the books with the discount may email Michelle at michelle@infinitypublishing.com or fax an order (610/941-9959). She will provide confirmation that your order has been received and will be processed promptly. When using these options subscribers should put everything to Michelle's attention and reference the Promotional Code (contact Fran for code). If emailing Michelle, DO NOT put your credit card number in any email correspondence as this is not secure. Mail: Infinity Publishing, 1094 New Dehaven St, Suite 100, West Conshohocken, PA 19428 Issue 115: July 18, 2007 ISSN 1545-5599 BOOK PROMOTION NEWSLETTER Issue 115: July 18, 2007 EDITOR: FRANCINE SILVERMAN http://www.bookpromotionnewsletter.com http://www.nystatetravel.com Issued every other Wednesday since 2003 Is your book of interest to teachers or theatre educators? Join Five Star Publications’ co-op display at the American Alliance of Theatre & Education Conference in Vancouver B.C. Canada on Aug 1-5. The cost is only $99 per title. Please e-mail bookdoc@qwest.net or call 480.940.8182 for more information. INTRODUCTION I write a monthly column for The Infinite Writer and the host of that site wrote me that at a writer's group meeting one of her members remarked how much she enjoyed my column and ordered my book. That's the kind of feedback that is music to an author's ears. It also demonstrates the importance of writing columns and articles to get your name out there. Which leads me to my question. I am planning to do a column on whether writing columns helps sell books. I know that Dorothy Thompson is a columnist but I can't recall who else is. If you'd like to send me your experiences as a columnist (it could be on-line or in print) about how your column helped sell your book, I would be most appreciative. Be sure to state what kind of columns you write, name the sites where the column appears, and give an idea of what the column is about. Try to be as specific as possible. In This Issue: (1) Feature Article (2) Subscriber Seminars (3) Grist for your Mill (4) Promotional Coups (5) Progress Report (6) Kudos 1) FEATURE ARTICLE Learning to Love S&M…(Sales & Marketing) by Peter Bowerman (Excerpted from The Well-Fed Self-Publisher: How to Turn One Book into a Full-Time Living (Fanove 2006), by Peter Bowerman. http://www.wellfedsp.com I saw a great series of billboards in Atlanta recently. It was for Apartments.com, an online clearinghouse for apartments that allows you to search for exactly what you want in any state. They could have devoted their billboard space to talking about themselves (like most companies do) and all the great things they offer: unmatched customer service, big selection, easy online access, etc. (I can picture big checked boxes, right?). They could have. But they didn't. The first billboard had just one short sentence (their tag line, actually) across the middle: “You want what you want.” Then, simply their logo and the Apartments.com name. Nothing more. A thing of simplicity and beauty. In one five-word sentence, they nailed THE hot button for their audience: personal taste and choice in an apartment. Heck, they managed to use the magic word “you” twice in a five-word sentence. They know what people want to hear. They understand marketing. But, say “marketing” or “sales” to a roomful of right-brained author types and watch the sweat beads pop. The breathing gets shallow, and the eyes dart furtively toward the exits - calculating the distance from their seat to the door and beyond - anywhere they don't have to listen to this conversation anymore. Alas, so much unnecessary angst. Getting comfortable with the whole sales and marketing thing really is easier than you think… It's ALL About the Customer In the course of promoting your masterpiece, you'll be crafting a pretty steady stream of promotional materials: press releases, marketing proposals to wholesalers, distributors, and booksellers, email pitches to book review targets, queries to publications (print or web-based) to submit articles, notes to groups and organizations soliciting invitations to speak (and the materials that accompany the promotion of such events), and much more. As such, it's good to understand what's important in this process (your audiences and what they want) and what's not (you and your book). Which is a nice segue into the three fundamental principles of sales and marketing - principles that, incidentally, are already a part of your frame of reference as a consumer: 1) “Audience” - Always understand who your audience is and what language will best get through to them. As a consumer, you buy products that have been sold to you by advertising that knows how to speak to someone like you to get your attention. 2) The Features/Benefits Equation - Focus on driving home what you know is important to your audience, not just talking about you and your book. As a consumer, you respond to marketing that focuses on the benefits that are important to you, not just a listing of all the features of their product. 3) The Unique Selling Proposition (USP) - Figure out what sets your book apart in the marketplace and drive that difference home - early and often. As a consumer, you buy products because they do something better (or different) than those of competitors. Sales = Making it Easy Developing a marketing mindset means always looking at things through the eyes of your target audience. For example: · You want someone to post an Amazon review (after they gushed on about your book in an email), so in order to make it as easy as possible for them, you send them the actual Amazon link to your book, not expecting them to take the time to find it themselves. · When sending out review copies (and the emails announcing their impending arrival), you include a prominent link to your “Media Resources” section, which includes everything a potential reviewer might need to put a review together. Again, boost the likelihood that it'll happen. · You want some “key influencer” to promote an upcoming event of yours to their community, so you send an actual ready-to-go promo blurb, as if written by them, so that it's just a simple cut-'n-paste to get it handled. You know what you want them to say to their group, so write it yourself. I promise you, they'll appreciate it. · You contact a journalist to get some publicity, and you include a link to “News Pegs” in your Media Resources section. You want that publicity? Then don't count on them to figure out the angle here. Make their job easier, and spell it out for them. In all these cases, you're thinking about them, their reality, their pressures, and the fact that you're not a high priority in their world. And because you're not, you need to make it as easy as humanly possible for them to do what you're asking them to do. Let's explore each of the three in a bit more depth… “Who's the Audience?” This is absolutely THE first question you need to ask yourself whenever you're about to put together any promotional copy. When you buy a product you heard about through some form of advertising, it's because something spoke to you. Someone knew what to say to make you sit up and take notice - which is exactly what will happen when a message is well crafted. What's amazing - and tragic - is how much marketing material, put together by authors and prestigious publishing houses, is poorly written and doesn't consider the intended audience. If you can get it right, you'll set yourself apart. Different Audience, Different Thrust I have some key audiences for my Well-Fed Writer books: writers, at-home-Moms, home-based business seekers, and the 55+ crowd, for starters. But, there's no “one-size-fits-all” marketing pitch I can make to all these groups. I have to talk to each of them specifically, and to the things they care about. Logical. The Features/Benefits Equation Some time back, I was contacted by an author who wanted me to review a press release for their new book. Yikes. It was full of superlative adjectives about the book, hyperbolic gushing-on about the author, and other unforgivable self-indulgences. In short, tailor-made for a quick trip to the circular file. So common. So unnecessary. The Features/Benefits Equation is an absolute cornerstone of sales and marketing and a concept with which we're already intimately acquainted. Basic Definitions In the publishing context, features are all about a book and its author. Benefits are about your target audiences - what's important to them, and how your book addresses those issues. Always begin with benefits, follow with features. The more you make it about you and your book, the more likely your intended audience will ignore you. A Book Example Okay, using my first book as an example, you think people care that Peter Bowerman leveraged a sales and marketing career into a new career in the lucrative field of commercial writing and then wrote a book about it? That the book covers X, Y and Z subjects? Yawwwwwwwwn. That's all about me and my book. If you were a prospect for my book, I'd wager good money that you'd care far more about the fact that there's this lucrative field called commercial writing, where you can make the kind of money (i.e., $50-125 an hour) you've always dreamed of making. A field that can provide a great income while letting you work from your home, have more time for life, loved ones, and leisure. A field that gives you the opportunity to finally fulfill your dream of being a writer for a living. Sound better? Course it does. Because that's all about you - your favorite thing in the whole world! Then, once I get your attention with things I know mean something to you, then, I can tell you a bit about me: And it just so happens that Peter Bowerman, seasoned commercial writer, has written a few award winning books on the subject - providing all the how-to detail you need to get your own personal commercial freelancing show on the road. Potent Press Releases In the course of promoting my self-published book, I've gotten a lot of practice writing press releases. Given how inundated my target audience (media people) is with releases, it's always an uphill battle to get noticed. Here's the plain truth about journalists: They couldn't care less that you've written a book (unless you're Stephen King, Tom Clancy, John Grisham, et al.). The rest of us? Fuggedaboudit. Send them a press release announcing you've written a book and you'll be lucky if they wipe their nose with it before tossing it. A release about a book and its author is…features. That reporter wants benefits: “I SO don't care about your book. Tell me why that book is important to my readers/viewers.” Not the book, but the angle represented by the book. Those are the benefits. USP - The Unique Selling Proposition Every book is unique in some way. Once you determine the audience for your book, zero in on its Unique Selling Proposition (USP) - THE thing that sets that book apart in a marketplace full of competitors. What does it do that others don't? Obviously, this is more important with non-fiction than fiction, but even with the latter, your various audiences (from both the business and book buying ends) still want to know what makes it stand out in its genre. Once you determine your book's USPs, make sure they show up in your back cover copy and in most everything else you send out. Drive the message home. Identifying your USP also provides more clarity as to what your mission is, and what piece of the marketplace you're claiming. Getting comfortable with sales and marketing doesn't have to be painful. And when you make these concepts your friends, and they become second nature, you set the stage for some serious promotional success. Got a book in you? Can't land a publisher? Why not do it yourself, and make a living from it? Sound good? Then, check out the free report on self-publishing at http://www.wellfedsp.com, the home of the 2006 release The Well-Fed Self-Publisher: How to Turn One Book into a Full-Time Living. Author Peter Bowerman is known for the award-winning (and self-published) Well-Fed Writer titles (on the lucrative field of commercial freelancing), which have provided him with a full-time living for over five years. http://www.wellfedwriter.com Please consider adding www.AuthorsandExperts.com and www.SchoolBookings.com to your list of resources. These are great places for authors, experts, and speakers to connect with members of the media, those searching for speakers, and schools. Free to schools and media members, and an economical resource for authors and experts. Ask us about partnership publishing! www.PartnershipPublishing.com (2) SUBSCRIBER SEMINARS One subscriber. Cindy LaFerle, is touting another subscriber, Sheila Bender, and her summer series on self-publishing - "Sheila Bender is running an extensive summer series on self-publishing, on her online magazine, Writing It Real," says Cindy. "Last week she ran the essay I wrote on self-publishing -- the same one you ran on your site a while back. http://www.writingitreal.com "You have to pay to read the articles, but there is a link to my interview and essay on my own Web site, in the blurb titled "Getting Serious About Self-Publishing." "I think Sheila's doing a great job on the topic -- so far, it's really extensive. This week's installment is an interview with a legal secretary who published with Regent Press, a hybrid publisher. Very interesting. "A new column posted on the site every week." http://www.laferle.com Andrea Campbell contributed the following: NEW! Absolute Write Sponsored Course: Starts August 14, 2007 PUBLISH THAT BOOK: How to Write a Nonfiction Book Proposal That Sells Nowadays, big publishers simply don't read unsolicited material. They depend on agents to muck through the "slush pile" in search of the gems. If you want to get a book published, knowing and using the correct format for a book proposal is paramount. Nonfiction books -- a market easier to break into than fiction -- are the backbone of publishing. In this workshop, you'll learn what is appropriate for writers who already have an idea for a book, but would like to know the complete and correct execution of this vital marketing product. For more information and to sign up: http://www.absoluteclasses.com/Campbell/publish.htm (3) GRIST FOR YOUR MILL Carolyn Howard-Johnson is helping authors extend the life of their great book reviews. "Sometimes a review so good comes along that authors are loathe to let it die," she says. "They might include it in their media kit or add it to their websites. Now its life can be extended even further with Carolyn Howard-Johnson's blog, The New Book Review. "Here is a review blog that doesn't judge a book by its cover or by the press used to print it. If one reviewer loved a book, that qualifies it for more coverage. Authors are asked to follow the guidelines given in the left column of the blog and, in return, are asked only to let their fans and the media know it is there. That helps expose every review on the blog (a cross-promotion of sorts) and gives authors an opportunity to reach out to the public. For The New Book Review, just go to http://www.thenewbookreview.blogspot.com. Scroll down and all the guidelines for submitting reviews are on the left side of the page. Carolyn is the founder of Authors' Coalition (http://authorscoaltionandredeneginepress.com), and this blog - http://www.thenewbookreview.blogspot.com - is an extension of how this group reaches out to help authors including a free e-book section on the site and more." Directors are Pat McGrath Avery and Joyce Faulkner http://www.redenginepress.com. Carolyn is an instructor for UCLA Extension's Writers' Program and the award-winning author of literary fiction and poetry. She is also the author of USA Book News' Best Professional Book and Irwin Award winner, The Frugal Book Promoter: How to Do What Your Publisher Won't, and the soon-to-be-released The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success. More information on the blogger is available at http://www.carolynhoward-johnson.com and http://www.howtodoitfrugally.com. She also blogs at http://www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com and writes the Back to Literature column for http://www.myshelf.com. (4) PROMOTIONAL COUPS Lynn Emery reports that she "was able to almost double website visits to LynnEmery.com, devoted to promoting my romance and women's fiction novels. Visits to LynnEmery.com went by over one thousand within a six day period mainly due to cross promoting using my blog "Be Encouraged" http://www.beencouraged.wordpress.com, which is related to a small non-fiction book I self-published. As a result of my blog I was invited to do a half-day workshop for a local writer's group, had an online chat with a book club and increased traffic to both websites." Lynn said her next project is "to do a serialized suspense short story for free, my experiment to see if giving away stories can lead to sales as other authors have claimed. You can read the first episode here of A Darker Shade of Midnight http://adarkershadeofmidnight.blogspot.com "Here is a promotion tip: an easy application to do video trailers can be found at http://www.toufee.com Very user friendly. "See one I created here: http://flash-movies.toufee.com/mov/40961183654185 http://www.lynnemery.com/whats-new.html http://www.BeEncouraged.wordpress.com (5) PROGRESS REPORT These are the spots I found for my clients: Walter Brasch will be the guest of Don Crawford, host of the FLIPSIDE Talk Show on Righttalk Radio at 3:10 p.m. (Eastern) on Monday, July 30, 2007, when they will either discuss the Patriot Act, Katrina or the media. http://www.righttalk.com and http://www.flipsideshow.com Walter's latest books are America's Unpatriotic Acts: The Federal Government's Violation of Constitutional and Civil Liberties (Peter Lang Publishers 2005), named the Outstanding General Non-Fiction Book by the Pennsylvania Press Club, and 'Unacceptable': The Federal Government's Response to Hurricane Katrina (BookSurge Publishing 2006). http://www.walterbrasch.com Marja McGraw was the guest of Leigh Anne Jasheway-Bryant, host of Women Under the Influence, on KOPT 1600 AM, Eugene, Oregon, on Saturday, July 14, 2007. http://www.accidentalcomic.com Marja is author of Big Trouble for a Little Lady (iUniverse 2001) and Secrets of Holt House (iUniverse 2002). A Well-Kept Family Secret is coming out in March, 2008, and Bubba's Ghost in July, 2008. http://www.marjamcgraw.com David Spero was a guest of Dr. Peter Brill and David Debin on the Third Age Radio Show on July 17, 2007. http://www.thirdagefoundation.com LIVE LINK for the Show: http://pointers.mmpros.net/asxfiles-live/il80winlive1096.asx The show is rebroadcast Tuesdays at 9 pm and Saturdays at 1 pm. David is author of The Art of Getting Well: Maximizing Health When You Have a Chronic Illness (Hunter House 2002) and the award-winning Diabetes: Sugar-Coated Crisis: Who gets it, who profits, and how to stop it (New Society Publishers Sept. 2006). http://www.davidsperoRN.com http://www.art-of-getting-well.com (6) KUDOS Carolyn Howard-Johnson, a subscriber, appeared with Fran Halpern, a subscriber, on her lively, often funny Beyond Words, a radio show for literary toilers and word lovers which airs Saturdays at 2 P.M. on KCLU, an NPR affiliate: 88.3 in Ventura County & 102.3 in Santa Barbara County. http://www.kclu.org. Calls and e-mail responses are welcome during and after the broadcast at 805/493-9200. Francine Silverman is author of CATSKILLS ALIVE (second edition) and LONG ISLAND ALIVE, both published in 2003 by Hunter Publishing and geared to every interest. To learn more about her guidebooks and for links to hundreds of attractions on Long Island and in the Catskills, visit Fran's one-stop website at http://www.nystatetravel.com BOOK MARKETING FROM A-Z (Infinity Publishing 2005) is written by 325 paid subscribers to Book Promotion Newsletter. TALK RADIO FOR AUTHORS - Getting Interviews Across the U.S. and Canada (Infinity Publishing 2007) is an intimate look into 230 talk radio shows that welcome guests. Both books are available at http://www.buybooksontheweb.com (Category: Marketing) and at http://www.amazon.com Subscribers are entitled to a 20% discount on either book. Contact Fran at franalive@optonline.net for code. The publisher's toll free number does not work outside the continental US and orders cannot be processed from its website for shipping outside the US. Subscribers in foreign countries who wish to purchase the books with the discount may email Michelle at michelle@infinitypublishing.com or fax an order (610/941-9959). She will provide confirmation that your order has been received and will be processed promptly. When using these options subscribers should put everything to Michelle's attention and reference the Promotional Code (contact Fran for code). If emailing Michelle, DO NOT put your credit card number in any email correspondence as this is not secure. Mail: Infinity Publishing, 1094 New Dehaven St, Suite 100, West Conshohocken, PA 19428 Betty B's Arcana Connection by Betty Bradford Byers INNER-VIEWS WITH CELEBRITIES Short Stories Corner Poetry Corner Write On Southwest...Book Reviews by Connie Gotsch The BOOK DOCTOR Book Reviewer's Corner Public Service links And so much more! | Return Home | The BOOK DOCTOR | The BANYON NETWORK | The Banyon Buzz Newsletters | The Aton Project Newsletters | Contact Us | |
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