WOW! It's Been A While Since I Blogged About Book Marketing!

Hi All,

Boy I can't believe I haven't blogged since November. Things have been pretty busy. I have been working with some great clients old and new. We have been having a great time exploring all of the different ways we can market the author and the book. I have been concentrating a lot on the online marketing. I know everyone wants instant gratification but sometimes it's worth the wait. One of my Reiki clients was feeling a bit like she was hitting a brick wall, then it happened. She received an order for her book from New York, then another one from Florida and now they are coming in on a regular basis from all over the USA. It's still a work in progress but online marketing DOES work if you have the patience. It really is very exciting! So I guess the moral of this story is... Don't give up! Keep moving forward. It's not easy. If you don't feel like you can do it yourself, get help. It will be worth it.

Happy Writing!
Denise

Is A Web Site Really That Important?

It's hard to believe I still hear people ask that question. In this day and age you better believe it's important. This is the way people do business. They want to know what your web address is so they can check you out, see what you are about and what you have to offer. They want to do it on their time. We get busier every day. Time is precious. Being able to check out your web site any time day or night is a must. It also lends credibility to you and your work. My suggestion, if you don't have a web site, have one created for you. It should look professional and be easy to use. Make sure if you have a site built they understand your business. That will allow them to add the proper pages and information to your web site. Remember, a web site doesn't have to be EXPENSIVE to build. Just because it costs a lot doesn't mean it's better. That I learned from experience:)

Happy Writing!
Denise

Book Marketing and Social Networks

You know when I think about all of the social networks that are available my mind just spins. So many places to let people know about your books. Blogs, newsletters, Twitter, Facebook, the list just goes on. It's really amazing and you know what else it is... Time consuming! By the time you update, check in, and post your day is half gone and you haven't even checked your email. My advise. Get HELP! That's the only way you will be able to stay on top of everything that needs to be done in a day. Even a little bit of help is better than nothing. It's important to remember, you are the author, people want you to write. Leave the busy work to someone else so you can do what you need to do. Staying on the first few pages of search engines is great but if you spend all of your time staying there you won't have anything new to share.

Happy Writing,
Denise

So Exciting! Blog Stop November 8th

Hi Everyone,
Guess what... I am a blog tour host.I am so excited! The author is Nikita Lynnette Nichols author of A Man's Worth, Amaryllis, A Woman's Worth and coming soon Crossroads. Be sure to stop by my blog November 8, 2010. I will have the interview posted and Ms. Nichols will be available throughout that week to answer questions and respond to comments. And as a bonus by leaving a comment so we know you stopped by you will be entered in a drawing for a signed copy of A Woman's Worth. If you aren't familiar with Nikita's work stop by her web site and check out "What Readers Have To Say" page. WOW!!!!!
Let the fun begin!
Denise

A Million New Ways To Market Your Book!

Everyday I find several new ways to market and promote books. So many that sometimes my head spins. It spins in a good way but spins none the less. Social networking is so exciting and unlimited in terms of what you can do and who you can reach. I must say it is time consuming and it does take a bit of time to build up speed but once you do it takes on a life of its own. And it is exciting!
Put in the time. You won't be sorry. If you are able, get someone to help you. A publicist already has a good list of sites and will know how to get things done quickly, giving you the time to keep writing.

Happy Writing!
Denise

What Form Of Marketing Works Best For You???

We travel this maze of book marketing trying to find what works best for each of us. Different approaches work for different authors and genres. A marketing plan that works great for one author crashes and burns for another. As a self published author, what has worked best for you? How much time to do you spend marketing yourself or do you have help with your marketing efforts?

I look forward to trading marketing information with you!

Happy Writing!
Denise

Remember book marketing and publishing doesn't have to be stressful or costly.

Twitter and Facebook and Blogging…Oh My!

Do you know how many times I hear, “I don’t have time to blog, or post on Twitter or Facebook.
Too many times to mention!
The fact is, being an author is a business and this is part of the business. I tell my clients all the time that they have to make time. We never say we don’t have time to do our day job. Well sometimes we do but we go and do our job anyway. Your book business is no different. You will get out of it what you put into it. You have to make time.
Let’s think about it a minute. The exposure is amazing. You are now able to reach people you were never able to reach before.
That being said, isn’t it worth it to spend a little time updating your blog?
Let your publicist know every time you update your blog. They will know how to get the word out to others and it takes a bit of the pressure off of you.
I believe that to be successful in the book business, you can’t throw money at it. Spend some time and it will grow.

Happy Writing!
Denise
Progressive Book Marketing, LLC
Remember book publishing and marketing doesn’t have to be stressful or expensive.

Take Constructive Criticism and Make it a Positive Thing!

We work in an industry where we need and want people to give us feedback on our book. On occasion we receive feedback that we don’t like to hear. The book could have used a good editor or this is a lot of fluff and lacks substance.
Ouch! Those comments hurt. They hurt because your book is like your baby. No one wants to hear they have an ugly baby and odds are you don’t have an ugly baby.
Instead of getting mad, let’s take a step back, and a deep breath and look at the big picture. Maybe we are in need of a good editor. Editing is never a place to cut corners when you are publishing a book. You need a professional editor. They see things in a different way. It’s not enough to have someone really good at grammar. Maybe we do need a bit more substance, things to think about for your next project.
The bottom line is we asked for this feedback so now we have to learn from it, the good, the bad, the ugly. You will have plenty that love you and your work but for those that wanted a bit more and told us so. We need to say thank you because their comments only make us better authors.

Should I Do A Newsletter?

Let’s talk newsletters… I think newsletters are a great way to keep you in front of your audience. The goal should be a newsletter that provides information the reader will find useful. I like a monthly newsletter unless you have some great info that you can’t wait to pass along.
The body of your newsletter should be something new from you. Let the reader know what you have been up to. Talk about your family if you want. We feel closer to you if we know about you. We are more interested in staying in touch.
You will also want to list your events and invite your readers to join you if they are in the neighborhood. You may want to introduce a fellow author. That provides some filler for you and helps the featured author. We all know that every now and then coming up with content on a regular basis can be a bit of a challenge.
If you can, it’s always great to offer something like a giveaway. That will give you some insight as to how many are actually reading the newsletter.
That in mind I also recommend utilizing a newsletter service. By using a service you are able to track how many addresses were sent the newsletter, how many were opened, how many bounced, how many clicked through to your web site and how many unsubscribed.
I provide a newsletter service for my clients so they do nothing but provide the content. I provide some of the filler for them and track progress and let them know. The idea is to keep you writing not doing a bunch of busy work. Leave that to someone else.
Newsletters are a great and inexpensive way to keep your followers informed and keep your name out there.
Remember… Out of Sight Out of Mind, not a good thing.
Happy Writing and Reading!
Denise

Paying Your Dues

I have been on several sides of this business. I began my journey working in an independent bookstore as a manager where one of my many duties was scheduling book signing events with New York Times bestselling authors and making sure everything went off without a hitch. From there I worked for a publishing company and then on to my own business.
During my time at the bookstore I had the pleasure of meeting many wonderful authors but one that sticks in my memory is Steve Hamilton, NYT bestselling author many times over. He has an extensive list of titles under his belt. Now here is someone that could have been full of himself, but instead he was down to earth and a really great person. The size of the audience was not the deciding factor on how he addresses his audience. He made each and every person that came to get a book signed feel special and appreciated. Now here is a guy that wrote great books, traveled around on his own to book signings and kept his day job, even though he didn’t need to. This is an author that has paid his dues yet continues to promote his books in the same manner as when he was not well known.
In my line of work I meet with and speak to many first time authors that don’t know what to expect from this business. When I sit down with a potential client to discuss a marketing plan that works for them there are a few things I hear over and over.
I want to be on Oprah. I only want to do book signings near my home and only if they will pay me and or guarantee sales. How do I get stores to buy my book by the case?
Everyone has a wish list and we should always strive to be our best and take our work to the next level.
You may never get on Oprah but you don’t need Oprah to be successful. Bookstores won’t pay you and they can’t guarantee an audience nor do they buy books by the case under normal circumstances. This is a one at a time kind of business but that’s okay what fun would it be if we could predict every step of our success.
So in closing please, never think you are too big to get out there and talk to people about your work. Promote your 10th book with the same excitement you had with your 1st. It’s not the size of the audience it’s the quality of the company. If someone is there to see you then you have touched them with your work and that is very special. In closing never stop “paying your dues” and you will always have success.

Denise
Progressive Book Marketing
http://www.progressivebookmarketing.net

Work As A Team With The Bookstore That Is Hosting Your Signing

When you or your publicist schedule a book signing,work as a team with the venue by providing marketing material well in advance of the event so they can start promoting you. Many bookstores are understaffed so hosting a book signing is a lot of extra work. If they know they are getting your help they will be more inclined to add you to their list of events. Send them bookmarks unique to the event, fliers that they can post around the store. Send out an email blast letting everyone know where you will be and utilize your social networks. Many bookstores want to know that you will invite your family and friends to the signing. The truth is your friends and family already have your book. You want new readers that haven't had the pleasure of curling up with your great book and getting lost in the pages. So spread the word. It's great way to meet new people and promote new readers.

Be An Informed Consumer

Let me start by saying, “If It Sounds Too Good To Be True, It Probably Is.”

Now let me explain my statement. I can’t tell you how many authors I have talked to and work with that published their book with one of the online publishers that offer services for a minimal fee. What a great deal! NO! Many of these publishers rely on the first time author to keep them in business. In most cases the author ends up with a book that is not accepted in the marketplace.

Bookstores typically don’t work with Print On Demand Companies (POD). More often than not the book is also missing valuable information that should be included.

Once you get past that there is the issue with the book price. That is the amount the author must pay to have each book printed. I have seen case after case where the author loses money by selling books. Shouldn’t it be the other way around?

This is one of the areas that the online publisher makes their money. They have the author charge an unreasonable amount for the book, and then charge half of the retail for each book printed. We won’t even talk about the shipping.

So now the author’s publicist has scheduled a book signing at an independent bookstore where the author can bring their books. Let’s say for arguments sake the book retails for $20 which is overpriced for the marketplace. The author paid $10 for the book plus shipping. Let’s assume shipping is $3 per book. So the author has $13 invested in each book which means for every book that sells the author makes $7, right? NO!

The bookstore expects their cut which typically is 40% of the retail. So now we take $8 and give that to the bookstore which leaves us with $12. Remember the author has $13 into each book which means for every book sold the author must pay $1. I’m no math expert but I don’t think this is how it should work. We won’t even talk about the time, gas, marketing tools etc…

How do you get around this? Be an informed consumer and remember, “If It Sounds To Good To Be True, It Probably Is!"

Denise

Progressive Book Marketing, LLC

progressiveoa@gmail.com

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