Posts Tagged ‘Audience’

The Self-publishing Process Simplified

Monday, December 29th, 2008
self publishing
Michael McCain asked:


Publishing can be overwhelming to a new writer who still gropes in the dark not knowing how to get a manuscript published.  Despite online tips on how to publish a book, a writer can still get lost in the details of the process.

Outlined below are seven basic activities that may simplify the self-publishing journey.  These tasks appear sequential but they may be done simultaneously.

Decide what to write about. This is the first thing a writer ought to do.  Getting the manuscript printed is important but making sure that the story is interesting to the readers is even more critical.  Right from the start and before working on the book, the writer must seriously study the themes people want to read.

Discover your readers.  A book’s market niche must be clearly spotted out.  This allows the author to write effectively and tailor-fit the book’s overall package to the identified audience.

Dedicate time for writing. When the topic and the readers are already clear, the writer must dedicate quality time in writing the book.  If it is best for the author to compose during nighttime, then writing should be done at night and not in the morning.

Design effectively.  As a house needs interior designing, a book needs one as well.  It entails not only designing the physical look of the book but also the flow of the contents.  This needs careful planning and meticulous execution.

Designate a professional editor.  A book author must not self-edit the manuscript but must consult professional editors to improve the copy and make it more appealing to the readers.  A writer may think that the message is plain and written well but it could be unclear to the person reading it.  Making the story as lucid as possible is an editor’s job.

Deal with a professional publisher.  A writer does not have go through the trouble of thinking about technical details in book publishing.  Professional publishers like Xlibris can do the whole process with efficiency and excellence.  The company offers different publishing packages depending on the author’s needs.

Distribute the book effectively.  A book’s success doesn’t end when it gets published.  It starts when it is promoted and distributed.  Though marketing services are available from publishing companies like Xlibris, the book author is still the best person to market the self-published book.

These are seven basic tasks in self-publishing.  If you still feel lost, getting a free book publishing kit from Xlibris is a good start.

For more information, please visit http://www.xlibris.com/requestkit/index.asp?src=apr&key=rc , e-mail pressrelease@xlibris.com or call at 1-888-795-4247, to receive a free publishing guide.



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7 Proven Book Title Templates that Grab Attention for Your Self Published Book

Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008
self publishing
Earma Brown asked:


Is your book title the best it can be? I mean, does it do its job effectively? Is it clear and compelling? Or does its focus slink around like the letter “S”. Instead, write a sizzling book title designed to hook your potential readers and draw them in for the read.

One of the most important skills to develop as a marketer of your book is the skill of creating attention-grabbing titles. When you master this skill you may use it in every aspect of your writing to attract more readers, more sales, improve your cash flow and increase your profits.

You will need title writing skill for your book titles, chapter titles, sub-heading. Even the bullet points of your list will have pulling power if they are developed correctly. Don’t forget your website. Your website will need passionate headings to capture the attention of your web visitors.

In fact, all marketing material from your 5 page sales letter, tri-fold brochure or email campaign to the 2 line classified ad needs the attention grabbing power of a great headline.

Titles set the stage for your potential audience. They either work to grab your potential reader by the collar and pull them in for the read or they don’t. Top titles create excitement, anticipation and enthusiasm for more. You want your titles to express the heart and passion of your message. Here are 7 top title templates to help create your grab-you-by-the-collar titles:

1. Command your book readers through your book title.

“Get Clients Now!”

Most will say they don’t like being told what to do. But our human psyche seems to respond in spite of what we like. The command has an immediate effect. Why? It connects with the “Yes, I want that” spot within us all. Also, commands reassure us that helpful advice will follow to help us get what we want from the advice. It tells the readers it’s possible to achieve the benefit the author is claiming.

2. Include a How to in your book title.

“How to Make Your Article Marketing Go the Extra Mile”

People love magic pills, miracle solutions or just plain EASY. They love to learn with simple steps, easy ways and most of all fast. Combine it with a powerful benefit and you will reel your reader in every time. You decide. Does the title above, “How to Make Your Article Marketing Go the Extra Mile” or “16 Ways to Format Your Articles to Go Further” create a pull of interest?

3. Write a book title using a provocative statement.

“7 Book Writing Mistakes that Stamp Loser On Your Self Published Book & How to Avoid Them”

Are you saying I could be making mistakes that stamp loser on my self published book? You would want to know especially, if you’ve been working hard to self publish in excellence. Provocative statements pull at our attention like an electric shock. They make us curious. They sometimes make us mad. They make us feel a lot of different things but most of all they make us read.

4. Ask a question in your book title.

“Are You Getting Enough Sex In Your Marriage?

Most times people unconsciously answer the question you pose in their minds. The key is to provide the answers in your copy including statistics. For example, “Are You Afraid to Go Online ?” Like it or not, many are still cautious about going online and especially buying on the web. A Boston Consulting Group Consumer Survey found that 70% of respondents worry about making purchases online.”

5. Make a big promise in your book title.

“Write a Book and Grow Rich”

People will turn away from hype and never come back. But if you have a big gun promise, don’t be afraid to pull it out and use it. Consider carefully and use sparingly; then make your big promise and deliver. People will remember your promises and come back for more or purchase. Don’t forget to include the specific delivery or ‘how to’ in the content inside your big promise titled book.

6. Perplex your readers with a confusing book title.

“Who Moved My Cheese?”

Develop curiosity into your title. A seemingly opposite simile works like a charm. Use this one cautiously. Even so, sometimes the title that doesn’t make a lot of sense will pull your audience in for the read. Make sure the sub title does the explaining. Would the title above arouse your curiosity? The confusing title can capture the attention of your audience just to see what it’s about.

7. Offer your top benefit in the book’s title.

“Think and Grow Rich”

A winning non-fiction title immediately communicates the benefit readers will gain after reading your book. Benefit-oriented books often use the problem-solution approach. Master (A) this skill or technique and get (B) this benefit. Readers buy non-fiction books for a “benefit” for something that will help them, grow them, profit more, less expense, less trouble, gain more time, less stress, better relationships, better health, less drama, less trauma, more energy and vitality and less fatigue.

Develop the above valuable skill and you add magnetic pulling power and punch to all your marketing documents including your front book cover and chapter titles that will get your message read. Book titles set the stage for your potential audience. They either grab your potential reader by the collar or they don’t. Write a book title that gets your reader’s attention and make them want to read your important message. Title well and prosper!



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How to Get an Agent or Publisher For Your (Self-Published) Book

Sunday, April 6th, 2008
self publishing
Penny Sansevieri asked:


I get this question a lot: “Now that I’ve self-published I need to find an agent, how do I do that?” Well, it might seem to be a simple and easy transition. I mean you’re already published so it shouldn’t be that hard, right? Not so fast. There are a number of things you need to know before you run headlong into an effort to get a publishing contract.

First off, publishers like what other people like. Well, generally they do. If you’re building success for your book, getting great reviews, building your audience and online presence this is a good thing and will often be viewed favorably by publishers. While there are agents and publishers that won’t even consider a self-published book, there are a number of them who will. The key is to find those agents and publishers and get to know what they specialize in. Since there are a million articles and books on how to craft a query letter and submission packet I’ll skip that. For the purposes of this article, though, we’re going to focus on personal branding and industry positioning.

The first question authors will ask me is how do they know they’re “ready” to submit? Ok, so you’ve got a dozen or so great reviews, you’ve been blogging regularly and you are a regular at author events. Sales, however, are still slumping. You’ve sold 1,000 copies at best and struggled to even make that meager number. Is that a bad thing? Not always, but it depends on how your book was published. If, let’s say, your book was published through a print-on-demand company, a thousand copies is a fairly high number (the average print-on-demand book sells 75 copies).

Also print-on-demand is limited in its distribution, meaning that even if you’ve gotten great media interviews, reviews, and buzz for your book, the reason you’re not selling a ton of copies is the broken distribution systems these books often wrestle with. Bookstores won’t stock them because of the non-returnable factor. (Note to the savvy author, avoid, at all costs, the “returns program” POD publishers offer, bookstores don’t care if you’ve paid to have your book returnable. Don’t believe me? Sign up for it, pay your $500 and then do some calling around to find out).

Here’s the deal: print-on-demand has for years been the red-headed stepchild of publishing. Are there good books published through POD publishers? You bet. But for most of these authors it’s like pushing a boulder uphill. Now don’t get me wrong, all of my first books were published via POD and still they’ve been successful despite the biases and all the other things New York publishing likes to heap on this form of publishing. But the point being: knowing your market and understanding how the market works will go a long way to giving you the insight you need to be successful. Distribution is not defined as a place on Amazon or Barnes and Noble, because anyone with an ISBN can get this type of placement.

Distribution is defined as a distribution company actively marketing your book to bookstores and other sales channels. This doesn’t happen in POD and the New York publishers know this. So, if your book is still selling well despite these obstacles then you’ve got a winner on your hands, and it might be time to seek a bigger publisher for your work. On the flip side, if you have self-published and you do have a distributor in place, then consider trying to pitch your work after you’ve sold over 3,000 copies of your book. But there’s a small catch: you don’t want to sell out of your market. Generally speaking this won’t happen, but in certain cases it could.

Let’s consider, for example, that you wrote a regionally-focused book about the history of a town or state and you’ve focused all of your marketing efforts in that region. It’s likely that if you’ve sold 5,000 copies a publisher or agent could view this as sold out of the majority of the market. You might counter that you could sell this in other markets but unless there’s some tourism angle, it’s not likely and even then, the appeal needs to be really strong. Most books based on towns or cities are sold in the city and generally not outside of that area unless they are big tourism draws, in which case the market becomes much more competitive. Also note that if you’re thinking of trying to cheat the system you should know there’s a little thing called Nielsen BookScan that logs all sales by book and author, so no fair counting your author purchases as sales - BookScan notes sales through commercial sales channels only (major market retailers and bookstores).

All right, so you’re ready to pitch your book. You meet the sales criteria and you know you haven’t sold out of your market. What’s next? Next, ask yourself what your platform is. Platform is one of those words that agents and publishers love to toss out to unsuspecting authors. So what does platform mean? Well, it’s a bit tricky because it varies depending on what you’re writing. Platform isn’t who you know but who knows you. It’s your area of influence. For fiction writers it could be your e-mail list, the subscribers to your blog, conventions you speak at, conferences you attend (as a participant, not just an attendee). For non-fiction authors, defining your platform is a bit easier. Often non-fiction books are tied to speaking, coaching, or some other business model. These are all part of your platform.

When I sold Red Hot Internet Publicity to Sourcebooks, one of the first things I listed on my marketing/book outline was my platform: subscribers to the Book Marketing Expert Newsletter, business revenue, speaking events I am booked on, average client base - everything. All of this is your platform and all of it lends itself to having a built-in audience. This is what publishers look for. Regardless of how you publish you still have to market your own book, and publishers know it’ll be easier to market a book that has a following than one that doesn’t.

After you define your platform the next thing is to define your hook. Especially with self-published books, agents and publishers expect you to have a hook. Since the book is published, if you don’t have a hook this is a tell-tale sign that you haven’t been marketing this book correctly, if at all. (There are additional platform-building tips that appear later on in this issue).

How can you find the right agent or publisher for your book? The traditional ways certainly work: getting books and guides designed to give you agent and publisher contact info, but there might be a better way. Try going to some writers’ conferences that allow you to schedule editor and agent appointments. This is a great way to get some immediate feedback on your book, pitch, and the possibility of selling your work. There are a number of conferences around the country, just be sure to look for ones that offer one-on-ones with publishing professionals.

And finally, it’s sometimes tempting to switch genres to get published. But unless there’s some compelling reason for you to genre-hop, like a changing focus in your business, I recommend sticking with what’s been successful for you. Don’t one day write on true crime and the next day start offering dieting advice unless that’s where you want your ultimate focus to be. Also remember that if you’ve been writing true crime for years, and have built an audience and following, you’ve now lost that base by jumping ship.

The truth is that the odds aren’t always in our favor. With eight hundred books published each day in the US the market is narrow, to say the least, but if you know your market, have a platform and are selling books, you’re already 90% of the way there - the rest is just finding the right match for your book and maybe a little bit of literary luck.



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Self Publishing Your Own Book: When Should You Consider It?

Sunday, February 10th, 2008
self publishing
Deanna Mascle asked:


Self publishing your own book is one of the publishing industry’s dirty little secrets. Mainstream publishers, editors, and authors easily dismiss self publishing and print on demand publishing as a rip-off for both the writer and reader. After all, if the writer was a real writer then they could find a real publisher, right? That has been the conventional wisdom for a long time but in today’s modern, technological society that conventional wisdom does not always hold true. So who should consider self publishing?

Real writers should consider self publishing. Published authors often find themselves placed in a prison of their own making. Once they have achieved even modest success in a specific niche it is often hard to break out of that niche and publish something different. However self publishing gives authors control over their own writing so they can change direction or genre if they choose. Published authors who have taken some time off from their writing often find it just as hard to return as it was to break in initially. They can often easily parlay their experience and audience into a successful self publishing career. Finally, writers who have an idea that does not fit neatly into one of the major publishing houses slots may find self publishing their only alternative. Just because it doesn’t fit into a neat slot doesn’t mean your book doesn’t have great potential — think about Diana Gabaldon and J.K. Rowling.

Control freaks should also consider self publishing. Once you sign your baby over to a major publisher then you lose control of your book. The publisher can slap a horrible or inappropriate cover on it, change its name, or even alter the main characters. Your name will go on the book but what is published may be drastically changed from your original creation–and not always for the better. Think it won’t happen to you, or that you won’t care as long as you get the royalty check, then think again. I can tell you that I still cringe whenever I have to claim a book I published in 1998. It’s not the book that makes me want to crawl under a rock–but the cover and title the publisher slapped on it.

Money grubbers should also consider self publishing. While the independently wealthy may consider their art reward enough the rest of us need to eat and pay the mortgage (not to mention buy paper and pens) so money does matter. And of course, we want all our hard work to be rewarded. In our capitalist society that reward should be monetary. While self publishing may require you to put up some of your own money and traditional publishing will instead offer you an upfront payment, the final balance sheet will tell you a much different story. The initial advance from a traditional publisher will be small (unless you are Stephen King) and may be the only money you receive for your book for a long time — and perhaps ever depending how your book sells. Any book royalties you receive will be for a small percentage and will be spread out over years to come as well as held ransom for book returns. The final indignity is that your book’s sales depend greatly on the promotional effort your publisher puts into it. The ugly truth is that the publisher does not much care about your baby and will rarely put any extra money, manpower, or thought into how to promote your book. Most midlist and lowlist authors conduct (and foot the bill for) their own promotion. At least when you self publish you know you will be on your own and you can factor that into your budget.

If you are a real writer, a control freak, or a money grubber (or perhaps some combination) then you should consider self publishing your own book.



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